Heartbeat 2k19

Heartbeat The

SB19 Craze: To the Rise of P-Pop, We Stan

10

Cagers complete rare peat after demolishing their district foes

18

October 2019 | Volume XXXIX NO. 1

The Offcial Publication of Sacred Heart College, Division of Lucena, Region IV-A CALABARZON

SHC ramps up drive vs dengue amid emergent toll, infections PAUL LORENZ ALTARES

12 HUMSS 3

D

ue to the alarming rise of reported dengue cases in Sacred Heart College, the school administration stepped up its campaign against the potentially fatal disease to keep students safe when they go to school every day.

Data from the Integrated Basic Education Department revealed that one student from the school has already died— the death coming from the 47 reported dengue cases from August to October this year.

The directive of SHC president Sr. Josefina R. Quiachon, D.C. intensified the anti-dengue drive of the school as misting operations were conducted for three Saturdays in all parts of the campus.

The campaign also included larvicidal operations, barangay-level lectures on dengue prevention, cleanup drives, and de-clogging of waterways like creeks and canals to eliminate breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

IBED principal Mr. Lloyd L. Alzola is confident that with the active campaign against the disease, the number of dengue cases in the school will post a significant drop for the remaining time of the school year.

Alzola said that “cleanliness” is the ultimate weapon in the fight against dengue.

“We are constantly reminding our barangay chair, local leaders and school faculty and staff to clean our communities to eliminate breeding grounds for dengue-carrying mosquitoes,” said Alzola.

INFOGRAPHICS BY:

CHRISTIAN ALTERA

Crime Rate in Lucena

Lucena, 29% unsafe from criminals, says citizens’ poll CARLA MERCADO

11 ABM 2

As of June 2019, statistics gathered from reviews left by citizens of Lucena revealed that the city has a 28.8 percent criminality index resulting from the rise in crime frequency in the city for the past three years.

According to the website, Numeo, among the crimes in Lucena, the residents’ main predicaments are drug dealing and drug use.

“Lucena is safe, however there are criminals who will continue with what they are doing unless they are stopped by the police,” a comment said at the website.

Majority of Lucenahins based on the poll are also mainly in fear of house break-ins and stolen belongings, followed by mugging and robbing.

KEEN DERRICK CARPIO 12 HUMSS 5

SUPPRESSING THE FLAMES.

Local Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) officials move from pillar to post, extinguishing the quickly spreading fire in attempts to salvage what is left of Sacred Heart College’s St. Louis de Marillac Building.

UNSCATHED

SHC community holds ground after devastating blaze, eyes hope for ‘new start’ RICHARD OLIVER ESPINA

12 STEM 1

N

ine months after, Sacred Heart College shows none of the scars from the January inferno that incurred damage to more than half of the school’s property. But if one got into a classroom, he will find students and teachers still trying to recover.

Inside the school walls are students, teachers and staff who lost their classrooms and offices, and others who are still reeling from the memory of the six-hour fire which forced the Cordian community to embrace new challenges this school year.

“Things have gotten back to normal on the outside,” said Marife Vermon, a Filipino teacher at SHC. “But as I look at my colleagues, it’s clear that we’re still yet to move on. It has been a challenging year.”

For the school administration, funding the recovery and rebuilding process is a major concern, but for most, the bigger focus is just getting through another school year.

Two of the major issues the school admin had to address are limited classrooms and the expected decline in number of students, which did not come as worse as expected.

“The only reason why there is a slight decline

in our population is because of the limited classrooms,” said Mrs. Imelda I. Unlayao, vice principal for academics. “We had to reduce the number of sections for some grade levels because of this, but we are happy the parents did not really want to leave SHC.” School officials are hopeful that the odds brought by the disaster will bring the entire SHC community to new directions of educational mandate and enterprise.

“Let us have gratitude for the privilege of working in the Lord’s vineyard called Sacred Heart College as well as in the fresh resolve to pursue this work with greater commitment and generosity of self,” said Sr. Josefina R. Quiachon, D.C., SHC President as she welcomed the SHC mission partners during the institutional orientation.

Furthermore, the SHC President called for everyone to face this school year with renewed

enthusiasm and zeal to witness a new start, with constructions already underway.

And for all in SHC, there is a silver lining— everyone is showing a sign of resilience despite a fragile recovery.

“We believe our current state is compelling,” said Sherwin C. De La Cruz, grade 10 teacher and school paper adviser. “Schools are glue that holds a community together, and in SHC, the bond is still strong.”

Parents and students have also reported satisfaction over the news that SHC will have new school buildings which will rise, literally so, from the ashes of last school year’s devastating fire.

“We try to look at it as positively as we can, our loss is real, and it hurts,’” said Neica Marie Vinson, grade 9 student. “We have to rebuild, not all is lost, I knew we have each other, we are together,’”

Local gov’t’s tenement project set to give shelter for 625 poor families GWEN ALYSSA ALEMANIA

11 STEM1

6

25 indigent families in Lucena City will become beneficiaries of the newest tenement housing project of Mayor Roderick Alcala in partnership with Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC).

Alcala and SHFC chief Arnulfo Cabling led the groundbreaking ceremony for the five-story tenement building in Barangay MarketView, Thursday, October 3.

The tenement, which is a first in CALABARZON, will house 625 indigent families, each to be given a 23-square meter floor area with room for a loft, with a minimal monthly amortization.

“Families living in high-risk areas such as riverbanks will be the priority of this joint project of the city government and SHFC, which is given funds close to PHP300 million”, said Alcala.

The project was commissioned as response to residents requesting decent and safer shelters from the city government.

MarketView Barangay Chairman Edwin Napule thanked the city government for choosing his village as the pilot beneficiary of the low-cost housing project.

He said they will make sure the intended occupants will reside in the tenement themselves and not rent out their unit to other people.

Alcala said the housing project is expected to be completed within 36 months.

CARLA MERCADO 11 ABM 2

PIONEERING CHANGE.

Lucena City offcials hold groundbreaking ceremony of housing project for homeless Lucenahins.

news

02

TOP OF THE NEWS

04

Volume XXXIX No.1 | June to October 2019 The Official Publication of Sacred Heart College, Division of Lucena, Region IV-A CALABARZON

T

Leadership drill bolsters Vincentian immersion, pays tribute to SHC’s founders

05

The Cordian-Vincentian family held a leadership training, immersing students in the tradition of St. Vincent de Paul and the Daughters of Charity, who...

he future is yet to come.

PHOTO BY

RON REVILLA

LOOKING FORWARD.

Senior High School (SHS) Principal Mr. Ronald V. Uriarte explains his future plans for the SHS Department of Sacred Heart College.

STEPPING STONE

In spite of tragedy, great things lay ahead for senior high— SHS admin GIAN GIMENEZ 11 HUMSS 1

Cordian grads, former educator haul medals from award-giving bodies RIZ KAMILLE ALCALA

12 HUMSS 2

A

ugust was the month of Cordian pride.

Three Cordian alumni and a former teacher of the school earned recognition from different award-giving bodies for their excellence in the field of education.

Dr. Joy Talens, a Cordian alumni and Dr. Genoveva Verdaguer, former educator received the Quezon Medalya ng Karangalan last August 19, 2019 at Lucena City. Dr. Talens was recognized in the field of Education, Research, and Development, while Dr. Verdaguer was acknowledged in the field of Education.

Individuals from the province of Quezon who have given their time, knowledge, and skills to contribute in their chosen professions and to help their fellow Quezonians are given recognition in the Quezon Medalya ng Karangalan award.

Meanwhile, Dr. Josefina Parentela, the former SHC Vice-President for Academics and Dean of Graduate School, received the “Natatanging Lucenahin” award in the field of Education given by the Lucena City Government last August 20.

She was among the eight awardees recognized in various fields.

Lorenzo Tagle, a Cordian alumnus, was included in the 10 Regional Awardees and has qualified for the National Search for Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines. The awarding was held in Malvar, Batangas last August 21.

PHOTO COURTESY

QUEZON PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE

FORMED LEGACIES. Dr. Joy Talens (second to the right) receives the Quezon Medalya ng Karangalan in the Fileld of Education, Research, August 19, 2019.

Sacred Heart College’s Senior High School (SHS) principal Ronaldo V. Uriarte envisioned his future plans for the expansion and development of the SHS Department as part of the institution’s restoration after the blaze incident last January.

In the next five years, Uriarte visualized that the department may incorporate additional SHS tracks as part of the Department of Education’s (DepEd’s) curriculum.

“We have a lot of strands kaya lang as I have observed marami ang inclined sa academic tracks ng Senior High School,” he claimed.

For the curriculum of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), robotics subject may be added, he said.

Moreover, he stated that they are planning on integrating the Competency on National Bookkeeping into the strand of Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM).

This and further plans, he added, have a main goal of “producing both work-ready and college-ready students.”

21st Century Classrooms A big part of the principal’s objective is to also upgrade classrooms inside the SHS building to become “21st century-ready.”

“This is almost a reality now, considering most classrooms are already equipped for newer learning,” he said.

Just this school year, all classrooms in the SHS building have been mounted with televisions and air-conditioning units. The building has also been installed with Wi-Fi hubs that serve as a building-wide Internet hotspot

Adjusting to changes After the fire incident that laid waste to majority of the school’s Integrated Basic Education Department (IBED), many of the facilities have been relocated to the SHS and the college building including what was left of the Instructional Media Center’ (IMC) library, the Information Technology Center and the computer laboratories.

To accomodate 1259 students in SHS in the midst of these adjustments, the school implented a half- day schedule: the morning for grade 11 and the afternoon for grade 12.

“We have the basis for implementing a half day class schedule, but whether or not this remains the same in the upcoming years depends on our plans for rebuilding as well as what the students want,” he explained.

The principal said he was surprised to discover that the number of new students who had enrolled didn’t decrease which was what had been expected.

“Right now, I can say that no sacrifice whatsoever has been felt,” he said. “Things are looking bright for the future ahead of us.”

NEICA MARIE VINSON

9 COURTESY

acred Heart College (SHC) affirmed the school accreditation for the Senior High School (SHS) Department, making notes to enhance the accredited programs and standard of quality education for the students.

SHS Principal Ronaldo V. Uriarte revealed in an interview that the department is liable to get accreditation from the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU).

The accreditation is scheduled in November 2021.

“Yes, we are,” Uriarte confirmed when asked if the department has been preparing for the accreditation.

“Since K-12 was established,

we have been preparing for the accreditation,” he said. “This is crucial since accreditation will look into what we have established in the past.”

The school’s activities like community extensions, trainings, clubs, and organizations will be reviewed. Teachers will also be evaluated according to their different areas.

Uriarte clarified that SHS’ review is separated from the Junior High School’s, which has now reached

Level 3 PAASCU accreditation.

“We just connect to grade 10 because of K-12,” he explained.

“K-10 is already accredited and the 11 and 12 uses a different instrument, so we are separate.”

SHC is the only PAASCUaccredited school in Quezon, with its K-10 and the Higher Education Department (HED) already reviewed.

“Now, we’re working for the SHS Department to follow suit,” Uriarte said.

Students, locals partake in satellite voters’ registration in SHC KINGSLEY AMIEL GALVEZ

1O ADORATION

T

o empower the youth, the office of the Community Outreach Program (COP) and the Student Development and Discipline Office (SDDO) in partnership with Commission on Elections (Comelec) registered 514 students and walk-in registrants during the satellite registration held at Sacred Heart College, September 12-13.

“It’s important that we go out and exercise our right, because if we don’t, then we allow other people — who may have different agendas and values than their own, dictate and determine what happens in our country,” former Student Executive Board Governor Nica Meriel Gabito said.

SHC is home to civic leadership education organization Rotaract club which works to increase civic education and action on campus. Rotaract wants to make sure students are registered to vote both in SK and barangay and national elections in 2022.

The Comelec directed all election officers (EOs) nationwide to conduct at least one satellite registration of voters in their locality during the two-month registration period starting August, said Atty Ana Mei S. Barbacena,

It is the year to unite all students and bring more spirit and enthusiasm to the school, vows the new elects in this year’s Student Executive ....

accessible during specific timeframes.

“Now all we need is for every student’s desk to be equipped with tablets,” he floated.

The principal further stated that teachers of the SHS department should be ready for the impending enhancement.

“Teachers are also needed to be equipped and readied to adjust to newer teaching techniques,” he added.

The principal admitted that the school is also considering the expansion of the campus, around the vicinity and even far away from the district.

“Some lands owned by the Daughters of Charity are still yet to be occupied,” he explained.

Admin affirms SHS as subject for accreditation, claims dep’t in full swing

S

SEB new officers vow to unite students with ‘spirit, enthusiasm’

PHOTO BY

KEEN DERRICK CARPIO

INBORN INITIATIVE. Cordians enlist their names as voters for the 2022 National Elections in the Rendu Cultural Center at Sacred Heart College.

Election Officer IV, head of the agency.

“This is our way of reaching out to every single Filipino citizen eligible to register but cannot go to their local Comelec offices due to schedule or travel constraints,” Comelec chairperson James Jimenez said in a statement with the Philippine News Agency.

SHS students slam new energy fee, find fault in ‘crunched numbers’ ALYSSA DE RAMOS

S

10 FORTITUDE

tudents from the Senior High School (SHS) Department are criticizing the renewed energy fee included in their tuition, pointing out a major disparity after “crunching the numbers.”

From the amount of P487.03 last year, SHC increased the aforementioned fee into P2,280, or an additional P1,713.97, accounting for the aircon fee alone.

Jovelyn Cuaton, a grade 11 student, said underlying the comfort she’s experiencing inside the classroom, she is discomforted by the amount of fee she has to pay for it.

“Syempre nakakagulat na sobrang laki pala ng naidagdag sa tuition fee namin dahil lamang sa aircon,” she said.

Students also made note of their computed average monthly payment for power expenses: P9, 576 per month including the usage of television, electric fans, and lights.

This has been found “unreasonably high,” with students justifying that since the room is occupied twice a day by two sections, the amount that is paid for electricity totals P19, 152 a month per room.

Personnel in the Finance office maintained that this hike in energy fee for a single student was necessary in order to match their billing on the newly installed AC units.

news

June to October 2019

DENR lauds Lucena’s regreening project for ‘potential’ to curb solid waste crisis

03 PHOTO COURTESY

DENR-CALABARZON

BREAKING NEW GROUND.

DENR Undersec. Garcia praises Lucena City’s regreening project in his talk during the launching of TAK.

FRANCO AARON REYES

T

11 STEM 1

he “Sustainable Re-Greening and the Art of Composting for Cleaner Environment” or SRAC project which was recently launched in Lucena City earned praises from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary and Chief of Staff Rodolfo C. Garcia for improving the landscape of urban environment in the city.

Garcia said the regreening and composting project is also a great response to the serious problem on solid waste in the country, as it encourages people to participate in the advocacy for the environment.

“Trees and other green plants are great in an urban environment because they provide shade, filter the air we breathe lessening the impacts of global warming, and filter stormwater,” said Garcia.

Launched during the 1st Convention on Tayo Ang Kalikasan (TAK) in Quezon Province, SRAC is a garden competition aimed at promoting recycling and composting as the best source of organic fertilizers while lessening the volume of solid waste generated and collected daily.

Garcia said composting is a good way to deal with the kitchen wastes in every household and that it can

improve the quality of the soil as well as the condition of the fruit-bearing trees and vegetables planted in it.

He emphasized that composting need not a big space but can be done using a plastic barrel or a drum.

“You are not only after the nutrients; you are after giving aesthetics in your yard. You are just being inspired by your yard farm,” he said.

Meanwhile, local residents commented that the edible landscaping component of the project is “a new and exciting way to harvest and have vegetables”.

“I think that once people realize how successful the SRAC project actually is, the more communities are going to try to emulate this project,” said Jerome Laqui, a Lucenahin. “I hope the SRAC project becomes the urban environment project, spreading out to the city of Lucena.”

World Book Online key for research, studying, says SHS library JERMAINE ANGELO ABCEDE

11 HUMSS 1

T

he Senior High School (SHS) library of Sacred Heart College (SHC) encouraged Cordians to access the World Book Online, a database accessed through the Internet that was introduced for developing good research.

PHOTO BY

KATRINA BERNALES

GLOBAL GUIDE.

A Senior High School (SHS) student browses the World Book Online for her research in the SHS library.

Marisel Sante of the SHS library stated that this database will pose a great advantage for students since it caters to all core subjects of SHS. “Dapat malaman ng mga SHS students na mayroong online website ang library na magbibigay ng online lessons sa lahat ng subjects nila at makakatulong sa kanila to answer their activities and to develop a good research,” she explained.

Sante assured that all information in the website are factual and reliable sources.

“The students should use the World Book Online because this website has undergone fact verification procedures.

This online website is also recommended

Dengue peril forces admin to hold off on student immersions JOSE EMMANUEL GLINOGA

I

12 HUMSS 4

ntegrated Basic Education Department Principal Mr. Lloyd L. Alzola has announced the postponement of the conduct of community immersion of grade 10 classes due to the rise of dengue cases in the province of Quezon, Lucena being one of the most highly-afflicted, August this year.

At the time of postponement, Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) Quezon reported 3,623 dengue cases with 12 deaths from Jan. 1 to Aug. 6 this year, up by 19.6 percent during the same period last year.

Consistent complaints from parents expressing concerns over the possibility that their children may catch the mosquito-borne virus forced the school to make the move.

Grade 10 - Endurance class adviser Mrs. Marife E. Vermon said that she had been bombarded with calls from parents who wanted to stop the immersion the day before her class immersion schedule.

“Calls were so frequent I had to report the matter to the principal and seek help to decide on the parents’ complaints,” Vermon said.

Alzola discussed this concern with CVF moderator in charge of community and pastoral involvement Mrs. Nelly B. Seranilla, who together in their dialog acted on the situation and put the immersion on hold until “the dengue outbreak gets under control.”

“We prioritize the safety and wellness of our students, whenever parents express concerns similar to this happening, we always listen,” Alzola said.

The principal also shared that it is crucial that the community including Sacred Heart College continues basic mosquito control measures to protect us from dengue in relation to reported dengue cases in school.

“We must ensure homes, work, school and common premises are free of stagnant water which provides for potential mosquito breeding sites,” he said.

by other schools,” Sante said.

To teach the SHS students how to use the website, the school library organized a seminar that tackled the features, benefits, and how-to’s in using World Book Online.

“Sa totoo lang, hindi lang World Book Online ang mayroon sa library, meron din tayong Star Books at E-Journals that also covers all subjects of the students and more,” the school librarian added.

She further reminded students that if they are interested in accessing the said online website, they just need to go to the library to create an account.

SHC counsel staff sets eyes on addressing mental health; students air discontent JETT MENDOZA

12 STEM 1

N

ationwide, mental health has become an increasingly prominent concern with 3.3 million Filipinos suffering from depressive disorders. It is for this reason that the school’s counselling staff is looking at ways to better support students’ mental health.

The institutional guidance and counselling services office reported that the number of students with mental health concerns has increased, and the intensity and seriousness of those concerns has equally gotten bigger over the last years.

The number one issue facing students today is depression, said Mrs. Angela Valdellon, Head of Integrated Basic Education Department Guidance Office.

Valdellon speculates that this rise in number is due to the current generation “not being able to develop important coping skills as children.”

“Increasingly, secondhand stress is also occurring, wherein students have friends contemplating suicide and don’t know how to help,” she said.

The increase in students seeking help means the counseling staff is in need to expand its services by conducting talks on mental health issues.

“We encourage our students to reach out to us. Depression is

something that people need to talk about,” said Valdellon. “If people keep it bottled up inside, it does more damage than good.”

But despite the efforts of guidance counselors from different departments, some students were dissatisfied and felt “a lack of focus on the staff’s execution”.

Grade 10 student Isabella Raya Gusto said she is happy the school is concerned with the students’ wellbeing but she hopes that the counseling staff is not just “simply empathizing.”

“They must be equally smart with their spoken counsels so that no additional harm can be done to those who may be fragile enough to think that they have something worse than what they really do,” Gusto said.

For most students, the move to address the importance of mental health is commendable but many are looking forward to having “people who understands them.”

SHC renews Phoenix Aralinks contract, resumes faculty dev’t ventures ALEXANDRIA IDEA

P

12 STEM 3

romoting the 21st century learning through “dynamic and effective synthesis of pedagogy, technology, and learning spaces,” Sacred Heart College has renewed its contract with Phoenix Aralinks.

Mr. Lloyd L. Alzola, school principal, said that integrating the traditional teaching methodology of SHC with ARAlinks technology programs will give enough leverage for teachers to adapt, modify and revise the contents of the program to make it suitable and more sophisticated to classroom teaching.

The merging encourages greater participation and interaction from students in Grades 7 to 12. It also allows students to answer quizzes using the ARAlinks technology.

In preparation for the school year 20192020, Phoenix Aralinks and SHC tied up to train teachers from junior and senior high school departments aiming to change the technology-assisted teaching and learning ecosystem through a series of faculty development programs.

“The training seminar was immensely helpful.

I not only managed to acquire numerous resources, but I understood how to create effective presentations,” Christian Living adviser Mr. Marlon Pasia said.

Apart from assessment and activities, teachers and students use the tablet in innovative ways to exhibit learning and mastery of skills. The program includes: Yearlong Consultancy, Yearlong Faculty Development Program, Technology (tablet computers and Wi-Fi access points), K-12 Resources, Lesson Templates, Activity Builders, Educational Technologist, Integration Facilitator, and Learning Management System.

To date, SHC hub has 50 units of tablets allowing a teacher-student ratio of 1:1.

PHOTO BY

ETHAN JOSHUA QUEAÑO

21ST CENTURY LEARNING.

A Cordian takes a quiz using Aralinks.

news

04

June to October 2019

New early sched for JHS students gets split reception

Minor study on new students reveals why they chose SHC

JANROSE GABRIELLE BELE

12 STEM 4

T

he Junior High School ( JHS) students of Sacred Heart College aired different views on their newly-adjusted class schedule, which prompts them to have their attendance checked at as early as 6:45 a.m— a compromise brought forth due to the fire incident last school year.

Weighing the pros and cons of having to go to school this early, the students said that they are either “wide awake and eager to start the day” or “still half-asleep.”

“I actually prefer having my classes a bit earlier in the morning because my head is clear and there is nothing to distract me. Our room is a bit dark and it’s nice and cool and comfortable. Plus, the teachers are not fed up yet,” eighth grader Marc Neil Tagle said.

However, tenth grader Jances Mariah Mikylla Ella says “I think I do worse in my first period class because I’m really tired and I can’t concentrate as much as I could in the afternoon.”

Other students who had the same reception as Ella said that Mathematics, being their first subject, helps them “wake up from the morning haze.”

“This is also true for Trigonometry, Geometry and Calculus,” said Marlon Ong, grade nine.

“Math classes involve problem solving, graphing, solving and discussion. These help me get through the morning easily without yawning all the way through,” Ong added.

Mr. John Ruel Rayo, a teacher, said that he observes this commonality among students.

“For those ‘morning people,’ it does not matter what class they have in the first period, but for those who have a harder time waking up, they need an enlivening class that gets them moving,” he said.

DESEREE ANN ABADILLA

12 STEM 4

C

uriosity often surrounds transferees of the school, with the overwhelming question: “what do you think of Sacred Heart College?” bombarding them right out of the gate. However, the answer is actually as varied as they come, according to a school-based study undertaken by a teacher in SHC.

PHOTO BY

CHEBER MCGLORIX CANTOS

SOWING LEADERSHIP.

Student leaders take part in planting seedling as part of the leadership training.

Leadership drill bolsters Vincentian immersion, pays tribute to SHC’s founders

H B N E W S BI T S

HB finishes 6-in-a-row win in DSPC ’20; 40 scribes advance to RSPC RON EMMANUEL REVILLA

9 JUSTICE

Garnering the highest total points, The Heartbeat team secured the first overall spot, making the school undisputed for six consecutive years in the Division Schools Press Conference held at Lucena West I Elementary School, August 30 and September 5. 47 scribes will compete in the upcoming regional competition to be held in the division of Rizal Province on November 11-15.

The Heartbeat’s coup was owing to 18 wins in the individual categories, with 7 first places from News Writing (English), Sports Writing (Filipino), Feature Writing (English), Photojournalism (English and Filipino) and Copyreading and Headline Writing (English and Filipino).

The Desktop Collaborative Publishing English team also secured their tickets to the regionals after winning first place in news page, feature page, sports page, editorial cartoon, layout and page design, and photos.

Moreover, the school’s Radio Broadcasting and TV Broadcasting teams (English and Filipino) prevailed as champions anew, with majority of members advancing to the regionals.

Cordians join Taize prayer encounter CHEBER MCGLORIX CANTOS

10 PRUDENCE

Cordians participated in a Taize Prayer Encounter and Workshop at the Rendu Cultural Center and Gymnasium last August 10, 2019.

Taize prayer was introduced to the Cordians as the preliminary phase of the student spiritual formation activity organized by the IBED, SHS Student Activity Office, HED Student Development Office, Christian Vincentian Formation and different religious organizations.

It aims to make the students appreciate the history, background, and purpose of the Taize Prayer, reflect on their way of life as well as their realities at present, and be able to conduct a Taize Prayer and to commit to living prayerful life reflecting on their present life.

The event was facilitated by Mr. Frence Boiser, National Coordinator of the Student Catholic Action of the Philippines.

KEEN DERRICK CARPIO

12 HUMSS 4

T

he Cordian-Vincentian family held a leadership training, immersing students in the tradition of St. Vincent de Paul and the Daughters of Charity, who cared for the poor and the marginalized around the world for almost 400 years.

Student leaders had the opportunities to participate in social activities and lead prayers throughout each session to hone their leadership skills.

The training had three phases: SHC as a school of faith which was meant to deepen Cordian-Vincentian spirituality, SHC as a school of love, which aimed to make Cordians loving and responsible brothers’ keeper Cordian leaders and SHC as a school of hope which

was designed to empower leaders.

“It was a great opportunity for us to also give praise to the founders of our organizations and inspire others just as our founders inspired us,” Student Executive Board Governor Danielle Margarette Gloria, said.

The participants of the training also took part in the “Amazing Grace” activity which focused on their teamwork, creativity and

quick thinking.

A deepening session followed, giving significance to the learnings of the participants about what it means to be a Vincentian.

Different religious organizations also prepared presentations depicting the history, mission and advocacy of their clubs as part of the commemorative program.

“The activity made me think about how I can deepen my faith,” 10th grader Lemuel Ebora said.

Ms. Jenelyn Aguila, Science teacher and the organizer of the minor study, said that major factors included the reputation of the school, its facilities, safe environment, and the “Catholic identity” among others.

“A good number of students included athletics and campus journalism as an influence,” Aguila added.

“Minimalist” answers, according to Aguila, “indicated that the student may not have really wished to attend the school.”

“But similarly, enthusiasm was noted. Even when they lacked the right answer, when I asked them ‘do you want to be here?’ their lively response summarized the story,” she said.

Several transferees portrayed this “enthusiasm.” Rogie Mel Lopez in particular, explained that he “appreciates the classes that prepare him for senior high school.”

“Not to mention the teachers and people here are really nice too,” Lopez said. “And the new innovation of the Aralinks, I think they‘re really useful.” Likewise, Chester Paul Relos said he also “enjoys the Aralinks” but it has a setback of “bringing distractions.”

The study also revealed athletics as a major influence, which, Aguila says, “always raises the issue of recruitment.”

“To be perfectly clear, SHC does not recruit student athletes. Instead, the school ‘indirectly advertises’ through exposure,” Aguila explained. “If you get people to see the school, it sells itself.”

On the other hand, as a sports writer, Louis Tierra said that the campus journalism in SHC was a “strong motivator” for his transfer.

“For me, it can be a major source of exposure. And I am a witness of the school’s excellence in journalism when I competed against them during junior high,” Tierra said.

Aguila further remarked that other schools play a role in the students’ decision, when they “do not wish to attend the options presented by their parents.”

For transferee Lorenz Amandy who came from the rural part of Quezon, the “overall friendly atmosphere” made SHC stand out from other schools.

“This is one of many cases when students choose SHC if the only other option presented is their local high school,” Aguila explained.

SAO head wants to ‘bridge gap’, counter bullying among students JULIANNA A. QUIRANTE

I

12 HUMSS 4

n response to the call for uniting students and fighting oppression, Student Activity Coordinator Mary Jean Morales together with the School Executive Board (SEB) officers initiated a plan to “emphasize camaraderie” in this year’s acquaintance party for the Junior High School.

“It is important that we bridge the gap among students from all grade levels and establish connection that can spark new friendships,” Morales said. “Both friendship and unity should be celebrated as they are effective means to address bullying.”

She added that every school year, “students are always only looking forward to having activities that are social-media-worthy.”

“But many do not think about how other students want to meet new friends, and how some are in fear of talking about being bullied and other school issues,” she explained.

Allying with the objectives of the students’

acquaintance party, students were made to participate in anti-bullying activities such as unity action song performance, hand painting marking as symbols of friendship, friendship ribbon pinning and yell competition.

“We focused more on meaningful activities, which suits the experience,” SEB treasurer Ron Revilla said. “It’s nice because I’m never lost for words during the acquaintance party when it comes to students’ participation.”

Morales emphasized that being able to “bring unity” among students will help “broaden their perspectives and make them gain insight into the kind of environment and

atmosphere the school wants for them.”

“Our promise that [students can have] a friendly ambiance which can start from the moment they step on campus stays true, because they’re in a bully-free environment,” she added.

Students were as equally contented with the activities and initiative of the SEB. “We liked how the SEB officers prepared and made the acquaintance party heartfelt and fun at the same time,” 10th grader Jude Ivan Bernardino said.

He added that he “looks forward to more similar activities” come Students’ day on February 2020.

news

June to October 2019

05 Cordians open up, share recovery stories of being ‘slaves to unhealthy eating’ ISABELA RAYA GUSTO

I

n celebrating this year’s Nutrition Month, students Marco Jerome Edaño and Linden Macapagal shared their stories of “realization and recovery”, addressing their unhealthy eating as a part their Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE) class integration.

PHOTO BY

GIAN GIMENEZ

VISIONARY LEADERS.

(from left to right) Adao, Garcia, Revilla, Montellano, Abella, Gloria and Ms. Morales pose for a photo at the Rendu Cultural Center after organizing an event.

SEB new officers vow to unite students with ‘spirit, enthusiasm’ ZYRESS MARIE MADRIDANO 12 STEM 8

I

t is the year to unite all students and bring more spirit and enthusiasm to the school, vows the new elects in this year’s Student Executive Board (SEB).

After a lengthy election process, the results were announced that Danielle Margarette Gloria, Anya Isabel Abella, Juliana Marie Montellano, Ron Emmanuel Revilla, Owen Joseph Adao and Nina Kathryn Garcia are the new 2019-2020 SEB officers.

As vice-governor, Abella says she wants to spread positivity this school year “despite tragedies and shortcomings.”

“I want to impart my upbeat and bubbly attitude toward the student body now, more than ever,” she said.

She added that together with the governor, she plans to bring the students “closer together” after witnessing how “disconnected the batches

have become” during the campaign period.

Montellano, the new SEB secretary, says she is ecstatic about having the opportunity to serve students for the first time.

“I am most excited about planning the Students’ day,” she said. “It’s the perfect opportunity to make students overlook their differences. I’ll definitely put in the extra mile to make this a success.”

Revilla, SEB treasurer, said that through the joint effort with the SEB PROs Adao and Garcia and the whole team, he plans to “coordinate activities with all the other groups and organizations on campus and make sure events are well publicized.”

“We promise that in doing this, we will always open our ears to ideas from the students, then we’ll try our best to incorporate them with our plans,” Revilla said.

SEB moderator Mary Jean Morales expressed her desire for the successful execution of the activities managed by the officers this year.

“Of course, I only want what’s best for them.

But I also hold them to the highest of standards and expect that each one of the them will bring their own excellence to the table,” Morales said.

“Each officer is driven and enthusiastic, I’m sure they’ll manage just fine and accomplish many things this year,” she added.

SHC teacher, spiritual guru pioneers ‘mindful philosophy’ in teaching, living Christian faith CARLA MERCADO

T

“He’s very meticulous over simple things his students do. But I know that this is part of his way of turning his students into models for the youth, into what mostly fails to sprout in the society today,” Aries Jasper Dealo, 10th grader and a student of Mr. Alim.

Alim also expressed the use of mindfulness in the Roman Catholic community to help better practice faith.

The practice of mindfulness from Chinese Buddhism, Alim says, is a way to engage with other faith expression, which was encouraged

by the Roman Catholic Church.

“It widened my perspective, and it was the call of the Church back in 1962 to 1965 in the Vatican II Council,” Alim said.

He stated that observing and practicing disciplines of other religions would help develop a person’s Christianity.

“In Christianity, it (mindfulness) is an experience that we’ve forgotten,” he voiced out.

Campus ministers break new ground in sophomore recollection

Underpass along MSR Diversion Road in Lucena opens at last The 472-meter underpass along Manila South Road (MSR) Diversion Road in Lucena City reached completion and was opened to serve as the passage for motorists.

Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said that the project is anticipated to ease traffic congestion along Daang Maharlika Route, delivering faster and safer travel for motorists.

“At least 70% of motorists that will traverse the intersection will benefit from the completion of this project. The remaining 30%, on the other hand, is expected to pass through the service road,” he said.

Funding of the project was covered by 2017 and 2018 General Appropriations Act (GAA), amounting to P100 million and P145 million.

Villar officially opened the underpass to traffic last October 23 with a ceremonial drive-thru and unveiling of project marker.

Lucena mayor vows to continue clearing obstructions off streets RYAN ANDREW ADORMEO

JOSH BOOL

12 STEM 1

12 HUMSS 1

acred Heart College’s (SHC) Campus Ministry Recollection team made new improvements in the recollection of grade eight students, bringing new elements for the sophomores to “find themselves” and experience “one of the most exciting and eventful recollections at SHC.”

The campus ministry stayed with the theme, “Let My Gifts Change the World” from the previous years, but incorporated new activities that try to integrate current trends in society.

One of them was called the “selfie challenge”, where sophomores searched, with their Campus Ministry leaders, for various locations across SHC to take a “selfie” with certain prominent places or people on the campus.

Further into the recollection, the students participated in a “lead-the-leader” game,

O F F C A MP U S NE W S B ITS

12 STEM 3

aking teaching a step further, Sacred Heart College (SHC) Christian Living educator Mr. John Eric V. Alim is introducing new elements to his teaching approach in the form of Chinese Buddhism’s “mindfulness” discipline, instilling among his Grade 10 students the imperative to be “mindful over everything” they do.

S

“There was something going on in my life that wasn’t going the way that I intended,” Edaño, 10th grader, said. “I didn’t fit this idea of healthy lifestyle that I was supposed to have.”

According to Edaño, his unhealthy eating began to show in his early adolescence period.

“I engaged in this unhealthy eating habit at such a young age, and continued doing so until high school,” he added.

“I’m 16 years old, and for the past three years, I have just been a slave to this condition.

I let it crush me and allowed it to turn me into a person I don’t recognize, “Edaño voiced out.

Edaño went on to seek treatment and was put into recovery. He and Macapagal related the difficulties of recovering from regularly and uncontrollably consuming unhealthy food.

Macapagal, also a 10th grader, shared that he used his unhealthy eating habits as a coping mechanism to make him feel like he had control.

“The first thing I wanted to do was go and indulge in eating a lot when something was going wrong, and even now, even to this day I have the urge, if something’s going wrong in my life, I have the urge to engage in it, but I know that I can’t do that,” Macapagal stated.

According to Mrs. Evangeline Villamater, TLE teacher, it is important to “realize the significance of proper diet and restricting oneself from bad eating habits and it’s never too late to reverse an unhealthy lifestyle.”

“I think Edaño and Macapagal’s stories are an inspiration for everyone in school who are in the same situation,” Villamater said.

ASHLEY NICOLE MAGSOMBOL

11 ABM 2

According to Alim, mindfulness means a person is “aware of what they are doing, making them more focused on the present rather than the future and the past.”

“Initially, it should be very hard for them to do because students now are quite distracted by their phones and technology in general.

But in the long run, I think it will be good for them,” Alim said.

Alim said he uses the principle of mindfulness to discipline his students, teaching them how act and answer properly.

10 ADORATION

where they led their blindfolded recollection leader through an obstacle course, and also wrote letters to their future selves.

Mr. Rey Rodil, who spoke at the previous year’s recollections, remained as the guest speaker for the event.

Trent Joshua Trilles, a participant, said that his “favorite” part was when they were made to talk about experiences with God among their small groups.

“I learned that it’s okay to not know what

to do,” Trilles said after the recollection.

Carlene Cruz, also a sophomore, said that she learned that “above all else, you have to know who you are,” a message she says is “not only for sophomores, but for all faithfilled individuals.”

On the other hand, for freshmen students, the Campus Ministers decided that it will be beneficial to not “get too spiritually deep so early in the year,” but to focus on “finding yourself.”

Mayor Roderick “Dondon” Alcala vowed to resume in clearing the streets despite the end of the 60-day deadline by the Department of the Interior and Local Government for local government units to clear roads and streets of obstructions.

Alcala led the inspection of the city roads and streets being cleared of obstacles such as basketball courts, stores, carwash and vulcanizing shops and extension of commercial and residential structures.

“We did everything in compliance with the order of President Rodrigo Duterte and Secretary Eduardo Año but we were not able to make it 100% due to some unavoidable reasons, including legal impediments that hindered our continuous operation,” said Alcala.

The mayor hailed the cooperation of the barangay officials, business establishment owners and the majority of the city residents in the enforcement of the President’s directive.

06

opinion Volume XXXIX No.1 | June to October 2019 The Official Publication of Sacred Heart College, Division of Lucena, Region IV-A CALABARZON

EDITORIAL BOARD Editor in Chief: Richard Oliver M. Espina Associate Editors: Carla Mercado & Gelo Unson Managing Editor: Gian Gimenez Circulation Editor: Nica Meriel B. Gabito News Editor: Neica Marie A. Vinson

Feature Editor: Sophia Alba Science and Technology Editor: Bianca Ysabel M. Abrencillo Sports Editor: Louis Zxygner M. Tierra Chief Cartoonist: Zyress Marie A. Madridano Chief Photojournalist: Keen Derrick Carpio Assistant Chief Photojournalists: Katrina Bernales, Ethan Joshua Z. Queano, Ron Emmanuel Revilla &

Cheber McGlorix M. Cantos Layout and Graphics Artist: Deseree Ann Abadilla Chief Radio Broadcaster: Julianna A. Quirante Chief TV Broadcaster: Rachel Ivy Reyes Staffers: Ashley Nicole E. Magsombol, Nino Franco G. Tan, Abigail Tapia, Soren B. Franco, Jermaine Angelo D. Abcede, Aries Jasper Dealo, Isabella

Raya M. Gusto, Gwen Alyssa J. Alemania, Kingsley Amiel E. Galvez, Jances Mariah Mikylla H. Ella, Alyssa M. De Ramos, Roushan Judiel E. Dava, Rouvic Poses, Raphael Mutuc, Marko Lorenzo Tolentino, Angelique Lorraine Ibones, Jett Mendoza, Alliah Dana V. Uy, Kyle Kirsten Abuel, Lawrence Soria, Christian Altera, Gerard Fleta, Janrose Gabrielle E. Bele, Denielle Josh E. Bool, Jose Emmanuel S.

Glinoga, Bea Marie D, Rama, Ryan Andrew D. Adormeo, Franco Aaron C. Reyes, Alexandria D. Idea, Paul Lorenz L. Altarez, Riz Kamille Alcala, Kirk Landrum Romero, Adviser: Mr. Sherwin C. de la Cruz SHS Coordinator: Mr. Prince Chael Villareal JHS Principal: Mr. Lloyd L. Alzola SHS Principal: Mr. Ronald V. Uriarte

Out of Line LO UI S ZXYGNE R T I E RRA Dauntless

Calling out the people’s shortsightedness is a dodgy thing to do.

I

t has now become a bane for Filipinos to witness the consequences of President Duterte’s antics. But it’s even worse for the people who has to experience them firsthand.

Pride Over Prejudice

F

or a nation that preaches love and acceptance, the Philippines sure is a bigoted one. The SOGIE Equality Bill rose as a transwoman faced verbal and behavioral abuse in her use of restroom, as oppression rooted to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression ran its nasty course.

In face of human rights crisis, Atty.

Chona Gonzales argued that existing laws already protect individual rights of the LGBTQ+. But no one ever accounted stigma, service denial, and outright harassment faced on a day-to-day basis. Funny how this country’s laws claim equality yet never see to the marginalized.

Equality except for them.

Gonzales also admonished the threat of men masquerading as women to prey on them in restrooms. An understandable fear, yet in the 35 years of nondiscrimination laws, there is only one case of a transperson taking advantage of such laws and committed sexual assault in Canada.

Either way, doesn’t it just proves that the community is not in the wrong?

With lawmakers leading the

march of spreading lies to mislead the public, Bataan Representative Geraldine Roman’s words must be followed, set aside irrational fears. The idea that nuisance suits at the minute mistake will be filed generalizes them at an irrational hue.

Men like Vicente Sotto are of no help to the goal of an inclusive country, as he spreads his strange interpretation and cultivates hate and fear.

The bill’s aim is to make the country a safer and more inclusive place, so Sotto’s LGBTQ+ dehumanizing jabs on the end of academic freedom is insulting, sputtering as if he has no hand to those issues. The purpose enforces the LGBTQ’s equal access to basic rights and services they keep being denied of.

Furthermore, the bill’s approval will

According to Research R I CHARD OLIVER ES P I N A Argonaut

We’re actually in drought, Senator Cynthia, and more than ever, we need research on our side.

educate the people on what it means to be human, to own inherent rights and dignity, and to be respected at the grounds of their own SOGIE. Vocal oppositions keep humiliating themselves as they rage against an anti-discrimination law that will protect their well-tolerated comedic relief of a gay icon.

Irrelevant unless they are the butt-end of the joke, unless they sit and get stripped of their rights.

Once they ask for what is due? Gone are the rainbow streets, not pridefilled, shameful instead— nothing of the necessary compromise to the community’s warranted needs and the opposition’s sentiments.

Really, anti-discrimination has always required comfort and prejudice given up. Just know that pride is the LGBTQ+’s proud stand.

Irrelevant unless they are the buttend of the joke, unless they sit and get stripped of their rights. Once they ask for what is due? Gone are the rainbow streets...

When residents of Quezon and Rizal protested in unison against the construction of Kaliwa Dam, a project deemed to have the power of ruining the lives of indigenous people and aggravating climate changes, Duterte didn’t hold back castigating activists and making a vow to himself and China that this deal for addressing water shortage in Metro Manila will pull through.

“It might create some danger or damage, but that is not my concern,” Duterte said.

Here’s the problem, Mr. President: it is your concern. The possibility of displacing hundreds of Filipino lives you are supposed to look out for, and the welfare of the country in the midst of a heating planet, are your concern no matter where they rank in your bucket list.

Calling out the people for not seeing the greater good is a very dodgy thing to do. How far has he looked ahead. Doesn’t he realize that alternatively bettering existing dams still exists as a choice?

In the long run, the wellbeing of the living people in their living environment will matter more, not another quest for paying back billions of pesos to a country we owe too much to already.

W

hen our forefathers discovered wild seeds and grains, they thought the only thing they could do was to eat them. Tens of centuries later, through unrelenting labor fueled by their attempts to grasp science, they discovered that not only can they eat them, but they can also cultivate them. This discovery bore fruit to agriculture— emerged from the indubitable applications of what is known as research.

Until a feisty politician opened her mouth, never has this been an issue.

“Aanhin n’yo ba ‘yung research?” Senator Cynthia Villar asked brusquely during a hearing with the agriculture department. “Bakit lahat ng budget puro research? Baliw na baliw kayo sa research.”

It’s understandable to hear this— from the antics of a clown, that is. But we’re hearing this from a senator, worse— the chair on agriculture herself. That is unacceptable.

Let’s answer her question.

By making two microsatellites hover over our archipelago through the fruition of a research, there is now a deeper weather monitoring not only over residences but also over agricultural lands; now, deciding when to get better yield has never been easier. Scientific breakthroughs have also been spearheaded by the Philippines particularly in rice farming through the

International Rice Research Institute, and since the start of a Laguna-based research, over 50,000 people all over the world have been trained in the field of agriculture.

Now, one does not need to know these to say that Senator Cynthia has gone too far off-base. One can easily prove so, since the country is in fact “only spending 0.2 percent of the gross domestic product” on research and development— way below the recommended international standard of 1 percent, according to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS).

Too much attention, she said? We’re not even there yet.

This is why the country as it is now finds it a behemoth task to address the existing rice problems among farmers and consumers, why there is an unfairly greater demand for rice importation in the country even with roughly

30 million hectares of agricultural land on hand, and why India, Thailand and Vietnam has taken reign over the globe’s rice exportation activity, outpacing our dwindling conventional efforts by a margin that’s not even close.

We’re actually in drought, Senator Cynthia, and more than ever, we need the foundation of research on our side.

“Ako, matalino akong tao pero hindi ko maintindihan yung research n’yo, lalo na ‘yung farmer.”

But you don’t have to understand the base of research to grasp its full worth, because science, despite being the cornerstone of the world’s basics, is not meant to be basic.

Research sows the complexity of science to reap a fundamental advantage for the good.

When you understand this, it’s worth calling yourself “smart”. Otherwise, any declaration of intelligence counts as a drivel at best.

opinion

June to October 2019

07

accepting the commute challenge, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo insisted that the Twofold Crises After country is not experiencing a transport crisis but a traffic crisis. What Panelo did not realize is that if there is no transport crisis, why then, do many Filipino commuters need to wake up early, find a vehicle that will bring them to their destination, and still not make it on time?

AR I ES JASPER DEALO Hindrance

Renato Reyes of the progressive group “Alyansang Makabayan” said in a tweet that we have a transport crisis as there are few trains to load passengers to their offices and schools. He also pointed out that all three train lines in Metro Manila have experienced glitches in the past. This proves that to date, passengers are still mired by the possibility of malfunctions and especially the lack of trains available.

Yet Panelo reiterated that there is no transport crisis because the

The government as they are now is just wasting their time trying to prove a point.

OPINION POLL

Are SHC’s actions against Dengue enough?

“Yes, because they executed preventive measures like general cleaning and misting. Also, they required us, girls, to wear pants for the meantime.”

QIAN ARWEN, GRADE 9

“It’s not really enough because they weren’t strict enough with the dress code. They, too, should have provided insect repellents for every classroom.”

ANGELIKA MALVEDA, GRADE 9

Practically Impractical E T H AN JOSHUA QUEAN O Sentry

...there are only 24 hours a day, and sometimes the time given to finish a project becomes unfair.

T

he Individual Work (IW) has been a staple in the curriculum of Sacred Heart College since time immemorial. It was introduced to help students prep for weekly discussions and was only required for the five major subjects. Now with time adjustments underway, the school is requiring compliance for a total of 13 IWs, one for each subject, to compensate for the shortened classes.

This is somehow intended to help Cordians learn lessons in advance and make class discussions livelier. But with time constrictions and the piling up of projects, this seems to be more herculean than it is compensational.

“It was hard enough for many to comply with the past five IWs, now it’s even harder, to the point that it affects our time for family,” Aleks Lurien Unson, a grade 9 student said.

Students have to balance their academic life with their family time in order to function well. But there are only 24 hours a day, and sometimes the time given to finish a project and the workload to be submitted becomes unfairly imbalanced.

Although the school needs to prioritize the curriculum which requires students to submit IWs, isn’t it equally important to look for the welfare of its student body?

W

commuters “can still reach their destinations.” Though that’s right and all, whoever said tardiness cannot be caused by a transport problem? Filipinos lead lives of haste and spur, and they wouldn’t stop for a second to reach their workplaces even if along the way, their transport vehicle has crashed.

So, is it transport or traffic crisis? Both are accepted forms and existing. Both should be recognized and addressed as two separate crises. Most of us have

our own explanation of what’s happening with the country’s transportation, but acknowledging the two in real time should end the debate once and for all.

Still, none of these disputes really matter. Panelo’s quest to prove the absence of transport crisis is trivial and complicating at best. What matters most at the very moment is what must be done, regardless of the cause, to appease the aggravating travel situation in the country.

hen they said recycling is the key, they didn’t mean this.

President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Mocha Uson as the Deputy Executive Director V of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), a government agency in charge of helping Filipinos working abroad. This reignited controversy, which is not surprising—we can all remember the issues Uson faced in her year-anda-half stint government work from 2017 to 2018.

Uson resigned back in October 3, 2018 as the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Asistant Secretary— her time marked with allegations of spreading fake news and the “Pepe-dede-ralismo” controversy among others.

The agency in which Uson now works for assists in helping Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) adjust to life in other countries and are supposed to be the go-to office for any concerns and issues they have with their foreign employers.

According to Let’s Organize for Democracy and Integrity (LODI), an alliance of media and arts groups, Uson is not qualified to be in a

position that requires full trust and confidence of OFWs in the handling of their funds.

“Misinformation, disinformation, hyperpartisanship and hate-filled rhetoric have no place in OWWA,” the group said.

Our government, it seems, has an obsession with putting people in positions they are unqualified for. Moreover, a former government official marred by controversy is now taking the reign from another high seat. Sound familiar?

One needs not list down the names that come to mind, we all know them very well.

It’s almost laughable to see their reoccurring hullaballoos make front page headlines on newspapers.

But what’s worse in this case is that the returnee is going to be responsible for overseeing the welfare of a large sector of Filipinos who contribute huge numbers in our economy. We’d be luckier, to be frank, to have an actual professional taking the wheel rather than Mocha Uson.

C

hange of leaders in cities is a usual sign that for better, or usually, for worse, change is coming. Now, when Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso vowed for a better Manila, no one was surprised. But when he actually proved truth? Consider everyone relieved and ridiculously surprised— finally, the city has a useful mayor.

Moreno’s ‘on-the-go’ attitude paints a stark contrast to his predecessors’ as he can do more with a few months, unlike them who barely contributed anything during their terms. See this: Joseph Estrada’s play of a clean-up and Moreno’s work of street decongestion.

Though his actions on the Divisoria issue garnered mixed reactions, his settlement with the workers and handling of extortionists running the market were met brilliantly. By the mayor’s account of the 5 million everyday bribe’s rejection for feigned blind eyes, he illustrates a man of good heart and strong political will.

According to Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna, Yorme’s beat led the city council to run at 110 percent. His aim to restore the crumbling capital’s glory left no stone unturned, reaching through gray areas of the city. Moreno continues his march, restoring peace and order with the now heavily enforced

COMMENTARY

D ESE R E E A N N A BA DIL L A E-mortal

F

rom political memes to long rants on Twitter, social media is now undeniably a political platform.

With people at liberty to voice out their thoughts and opinions to the public in the easiest manner there is, it’s only natural for political views and activisms to take center stage in these platforms every now and then.

Activism, for one, has taken on the internet platform most remarkably. The youth, especially, has spearheaded online activism— a commendable feat to witness. A new generation of voters and workers taking a stand at a cause that will affect them in the near future, in a platform that they are familiar with— this, in all its essence, is what social

city ordinance of 10pm to 4am curfew, with everyone responsible left accountable.

Perfect, right? Unfortunately, cliché as it is, nobody is perfect. Isko Moreno— beacon of hope though he is— included. Measures regarding divisoria to class suspensions are challenged with accusations: Moreno cares not for the marginalized sector of Manila. Netizens call of all his constituents to be considered, not just those useful for stints.

Here’s the thing, golden as Moreno seems to be, he is only human. Another mayor, man, or monster to lead either ruination or transformation. He is no life-changing mayor, but one who tries to change Manileño’s lives.

Leaders, be inspired from Moreno’s character—decent with his efforts to fulfill his duties. Really, Manila scored no hero nor chosen one, just a man with a plan and basic governance.

Because truth be told, the government as they are now is just wasting their time trying to prove a point. No, more importantly, they’re wasting our time. Instead of entertaining delays in progress, prepare the trains for any impending glitches. Equip public vehicles against real time road crises. Fasttrack plans to ease traffic congestion.

These are what the people need now, not petty debates that only set back improvement.

Non-Recyclable C ARLA ME RC AD O Achilles’ Hill

Our government, it seems has obsession with putting people in positions they are unqualified for.

A competent government, one that our country doesn’t have, needs people who can do the job, who are wellversed with the field, and know the ins-andouts when issues arise. “Recycled” personnel just wouldn’t do.

No Heroes, Just Clear Roles RO USH AN JUD I E L DAVA Examiner

...golden as Moreno seems to be, he is only human.

Another mayor, man or monster to lead either ruination or transformation.

Social Norm: ‘Woke’ media is for.

Hashtags to further causes like #MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter, and many others became instruments to reinforce crusades for LGBTQ+, workers’ and farmers’ rights, and a myriad more drives that deserve due attention.

In the Philippines particularly, the #BabaeAko social campaign was launched late May, aiming to condemn the apparent misogynistic behavior of President Rodrigo Duterte and some of the members of his administration. This movement recently took to the streets on June 12 to extend the cause.

Social media “wokeness” is paving the way for new generation that is not only aware of the issues surrounding them, but also trying to make a difference.

This wokeness is displayed in the country especially during the 2019 senatorial elections

when it was used to campaign for candidates that were more qualified than the others, breaking the norm in Philippine elections.

However, there is one thing about being woke that is problematic: slacktivism— a practice of supporting a political or social cause by means of social media or online petitions, yet involving very little effort or commitment. Many people are guilty of this, of supporting a movement solely throughs clicks and shares, yet remaining averse to do the same thing in action.

It should be remembered that social media wokeness is just the first step to a large movement to better society as it is now. Without actions, a promise will remain just words of wishful thinking— existing only as temporary happy pills. As long as there’s no concrete movement for one’s cause, no lasting change can happen, no matter the wokeness of the people.

opinion

08

Hands Off RACH E L IVY REYES On Point

They are seen as enemies of the state when in fact, they are the very paragon of bravery against oppression.

W

hen the world roared in union with 16-year old environmental activist Greta Thunberg, she was seen as a brave soul, an inspiration. Well, that’s in Sweden. Here in the Philippines, we have a lot of Greta Thunberg’s, but instead of praise, they’re given threats. Harassment and persecution against activists should stop.

I

t seems like Philippines hit gold when President Rodrigo Duterte finally implemented the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law in the country.

The law’s advocacy is immense, addressing the affordable medical services accessible for all Filipino citizens. But with the Department of Health (DOH) facing budget cuts in 2020, it is a mystery how they would put the UHC Law to action.

Amid the re-emergence of polio and measles cases, DOH faces a budget cut of P 16.6 billion. The government agency has been facing a decline in its budget with their funds decreasing per year.

Our government is nowhere near perfect. From pork barrel to missing funds, the budget of the Philippines can easily be described as a mess, and with projects like the UHC Law and “Sabayang Patak Kontra Polio”

to be implemented, the government evidently does not prioritize Filipino’s health care.

The UHC Law is set to derive its funds from the Campaign for Tobacco – Free Kids, in which the taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products are increased. This maneuver will save lives through the reduction of tobacco intake and will help fund UHC Law, making it a winwin situation.

However, the lasting implemetation of the law is questionable due to its funding instrument, which relies from the increase of tobacco’s tax, and with DOH facing budget cuts, the government should look for other funding system to sustain the law.

This is a classic example of the government potentially falling short on its promises. More often than not they’ve pushed for projects promising the improvement of Filipino lives but only achieving half of their goals.

On Demand AB I G AIL TAPIA Indispensable

Consider the people— they have no choice but to live with the consequences unwillingly.

T

After being declared missing on September 15, it was revealed that 23-year old Quezon-based activist and former campus journalist Alexandrea Pacalda was actually detained by the Philippine National Police.

Initial reports said she “voluntarily surrendered” to the army but verbatim statements from Pacalda confirm otherwise. To be detained without lawful charges and redtagged as a member of the New People’s Army (NPA) already show injustice.

Sleep deprivation, starvation, and family threats were just a few of what she goes through while in detention.

Moreover, the Karapatan rights group member and former Gabriela Youth member is forced to sign an affidavit about being a member of the NPA who voluntarily surrendered. Along with this is a threat of a criminal case against her family if she refuses to sign the papers.

Two weeks into June this year, five leftist activists were gunned down. From Partido Manggagawa labor organizer Dennis Sequena’s death on June 2 in Cavite Province to Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Neptali Morado’s on June 15 in Naga

here is a pressing demand to construct more power plants amid existing electrical insufficiency in the country. This nationwide predicament has continually increased the number of power interruptions during peak hours of demand throughout the country, and has worsened the incidence of rotating brownouts

City, Camarines Sur, this country is no place to voice out dissent.

The deteriorating human rights situation is especially alarming as the Philippines is declared the “deadliest country for environmental activists” this year, with a height of 30 deaths out of the 164 land activists in the country, surpassing Brazil, according to Global Witness.

This is one reason why activists have such a bad image to the public. They are seen as enemies of the state when in fact, they are the very paragon of bravery against oppression— the unknown fighters with the minority against social injustices like capitalism, exploitation, and contractualization.

Because we have an incompetent government whose privilege blinds them off these national concerns, these activists should be given freedom as we all should be.

Detaining them for no reasonable charges just shows how much of a threat they are to the higher-ups’ personal biases.

One does not need to be an activist to know that this is inhumane. No one is above the law, not even those who enforce it.

To be the voice of the voiceless is neither a crime nor a sin. To side with the oppressors is.

Good Gone Wrong R IZ A LC ALA Vanguard

More often than not they’ve pushed for projects promising the improvement of Filipino lives but only achieving half of their goals.

Our government needs to set its priorities right. In the midst of a possible health crisis, wouldn’t it be logical to redirect the funds to suit the immediate necessities of the Filipinos?

in many parts of Luzon and even in Visayas and Mindanao.

Quezon Province is no exception to such situation of impending power problem. Fearing the reoccurrence of the power crisis experienced by the economy and the people in the late 1990s, the San Buenaventura Power Ltd. (SBPL) in Mauban, Quezon switched to the country’s “most advanced” coal power plant, providing Luzon 500 megawatts (MW) of additional capacity.

Atty. Jose Ronald Valles, the VicePresident of Meralco, claims this new provider of electrical energy will have “immense impact on the sustainability of electricity at the least cost possible.”

Pertinence aside, the sugarcoating’s high on this one.

It is no secret that coal-fired power plants are one of the most hazardous and toxic pollutantbearers, poisoining both air and sea brought about by the emission of toxic fumes. Vaguely saying that this will have “immense impact” couldn’t be any clearer. We get the message.

In fact, we’ve been hearing the message for years without end. The

school itself had initiated a protest march four years ago, griping against the very construction of this plant, clearly to no avail.

And because they didn’t listen, this could now be a tragedy in the making. With the Environmental and Health Engineering Inc.’s study, firm evidence was revealed that a coal plant’s emissions have directly caused a concerning amount of respiratory, nervous and cardiovascular illnesses among residents near its site.

Having SBPL to provide electricity will light up thousands of home, there’s no question about that.

But consider the people— they have no say about the coal plant’s construction and thus have no choice but to live with the consequences unwillingly. Not only will their lives be exposed to misfortune, but their environment in general will degrade accordingly as well.

But since the coal plant exists already, there’s no going back.

The only manageable resolution now is to curb the consequences as effectively as possible. SBPL’s negligence will catch up to them inevitably, and it’s important to make things right, now more than ever.

June to October 2019

Pointless Protest JE RMAI NE ABC E D E Imperious

It’s clear enough evidence that it was a better choice to have winded his neck in instead of committing to a daydream.

F

erdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has yet to accept his defeat in the last 2016 elections.

Based on the data issued by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), Vice President Leni Robredo initially garnered 14,418,817 votes, while Marcos registered 14,155,344 votes, a clear indication that Robredo won over the former senator in the 2016 vice presidential elections.

But with the slim difference on their votes, Marcos’ camp filed an electoral protest claiming massive fraud. Supreme Court (SC) complied to Marcos’ request conducting a recount of the votes of three provinces chosen by Marcos namely Negros Oriental, Iloilo, and Camarines Sur— provinces known to favor the current vice president.

Recently, the SC reported that the initial recount of votes in the three provinces showed an increase lead in Robredo’s votes.

The 1,493,517 votes turned to 1,510,178 votes while from 202,136 votes of Marcos, it turned to 204,512 votes.

The COMELEC tabulated that Robredo has a new national count of 14,436,337 votes while Marcos has 14,157,771 votes.

Marcos may just as well be cooking the egg on his face after hearing this. It’s clear enough evidence that it was a better choice to have winded his neck in instead of committing to a daydream.

Frankly, Marcos is the exact replica of Filipinos who will do anything to gain power and position. Time is money and each moment being wasted is cutting the near-ending term of Rodredo. He must be itching to get it, isn’t he?

MOVE ON. Marcos have shown how competent he is as a senator but the ridiculous idea of recounting votes is pitiful— the current vice-president will only remain in position for two more years.

Unless he wants to fall further down the pit of shame and disappointment, he may want to assess his future plans and see if they’re also ill-advised.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

To the editors, Since almost half of the school premises have been wrecked by the fire, the schedule of the Junior High School department turned too chaotic for many to handle. For us, it’s crossed the line for what we can achieve even while on rush.

KYLA PABELLANO

Ms. Pabellano, It may be hard to adjust to the new class schedule for the junior high, but do not forget that as one with school in turning the tide, we must give a sacrifice. This sacrifice may come as a year-long crunch so it’s important to understand what we’re doing this for. Granted, 13 IWs in a week is an undeniably bigger task than the previous mandate of five, but it’s only the year after the biggest tragedy in the school’s history. Admins are as in shock as we are. To give time for the resetting of normalcy, a wise time management practice is always the best choice.

RICHARD OLIVER ESPINA

To the editors, The Senior High School department installed Wi-Fi hubs covering the whole building, but they only make it Intetrnet-accessible during recess and lunchtime. We feel it’s too limiting for us students to only have access during these minutes and that this arrangement defeats the purpose of promoting an “information-ready” campus.

CHRISTIAN OBCEMANE

Mr. Obcemane, A lot of campuses out there have building-wide Wi-Fi and it’s only natural for the school to follow suit. But it’s important to realize that this is the first time the school is implementing this innovation— this year is a dry-run at the very least. It’s still a gimmick. It’s not advisable to depend on this accessibility full on, but when it comes to the crunch, the SHS library and the IT offers Internet anytime for anyone.

NICA GABITO

opinion

June to October 2019

Cold-case Robbery

portable fans to quell the scorching heat inside the classrooms. Truly a welcome surprise, right?

G I AN G IMENEZ Juggernaut

If we take a trek knowing all measuring systems existing out there, these numbers simply don’t add up.

S

acred Heart College kickstarted the academic year 2019-2020 with a welcome surprise for its Senior High School (SHS) students: a fully air-conditioned SHS building. Gone are the days of slaving through the day, carrying

Let’s see what this entails.

The installation of two AC units per room prompted the increase of the original energy fee from a mere P487 to a whopping P2280, adding P1713 solely for the AC units. This, for every SHS student in the building. Though it doesn’t seem as big of a deal when viewed as a sum, crunching the numbers give a different story.

After the fire incident wrecked a big portion of the school last January, adjustments were due and implemented. At present, grade 11 and 12 students share one classroom every day— the morning reserved for the grade 11 and the afternoon for the grade 12. One classroom houses an average of 42 students, each paying P171 aircon fee every month to the school. In total, one class pays approximately P7,194 a month, for two AC units.

Because each room houses two classes every day, this amount is doubled and becomes roughly

T

he administrators of Sacred Heart College have been conducting talks on mental health recently. They seek to envelop us students in a sense of security, yet why do most of the time, we become overwhelmed by discomfort after hearing them talk?

Looking back, talks like this did not use to be prominent. Teenagers were not oriented on the statistics describing the numbers of people suffering with varied mental illnesses. Today, students are openly educated with these facts.

Not only do they become aware through news from televisions, but through face-to-face discourse similar to those which SHC administers. The problem in this case however, is that they may have thrown their darts too far from the bullseye.

Guidance counselors of different departments are invited to speak. They often start with the explanation of the essence of mental health before putting an emphasis on how one should not be “scared” to acknowledge any emotion that can be a symptom for a mental illness.

Truth be told, they are concerned

with our wellbeing for they don’t fail to recognize our intimate struggles. But more than being empathizing, they must be smart in playing with speaking skills and psychological facts that would not harm their listeners in any way nor push them into thinking that they are into something worse than where they really are.

Therefore, the speakers who lectured us must be aware that we are young adults and no, we don’t expect them to know our emotions better than we do; we expect them to accept us. After all, we are still students grappling our ways through the obstacles offered by adolescence. And hearing them say unpleasant truths just makes us feel uncomfortable in our own skin.

SHC aims to address the importance of mental health and the verity of its

Privacy, Please NI CA MERIEL GABITO Vindicator

We can only hope that the same protection is given equal importance when it comes to our everyday lives.

C

onsent has never been given this much of an importance.

One of the moments a Cordian truly anticipates the most is the release of sections and list of students he/she will be a part of for the whole academic year.

Yearly, it has become a Cordian culture to visit the school website until it crashes, or get to the gates early to be the first to see the list, but it was a surprise to have been denied the access to see the sectioning last July. And every administration and teachers’ response

P14,389 a room. Per month. For two AC units.

Now, this might not be true to all, but even the most luxurious homes out there certainly does not charge nearly P15,000 a month just for two air-conditioning units.

To put it into perspective, an average of P6,018 utility fee are being shouldered by Filipinos monthly. This includes electricity, water, and garbarge disposal. Electrical usage alone is approximately P4,480 already.

Yet compared to how much one single SHS room’s electrical usage is supposed to cost per month, this is but a mere quarter. For the school, it seems two airconditioning units are equivalent to three normal homes. If we take a trek knowing all measuring systems existing out there, these numbers simply don’t add up.

For whatever reasons it may have, the school is unquestionably overpricing. The maths are suggesting a ridiculous disparity, and we all know numbers don’t lie. Don’t think nobody’s going to notice; it may be wise to officially recheck this ridiculous pricing.

Talk *With Us G E LO MA R IE UNSO N Asymptotes

They must be aware that we are young adults and no, we don’t expect them to know our emotions better than we do. illnesses, but being more careful and wiser in choosing how to deliver their concerns would be no crime for both parties. Each person struggles internally, and being persons of emotions and empathy, we don’t need people who know; we need people who understand.

were: “may data privacy act kasi.”

Now we ask the questions: what is it, how does this affect us, and why only implement it now?

Passed by the 2012 Philippine Congress, the Data Privacy Act (R.A. 10173) aims to protect every single byte of personal information, and sustain its confidentiality. Seven years after its implementation, Sacred Heart College strengthened this law inside the campus and limited the release of information.

This sudden shift was allegedly triggered by a school issue that dragged the school name, and we have been feeling the consequences; in addition to the inability to see the sectioning, teachers, parents, and students alike are advised not to post what could hold one’s information like their report card, the honor roll list, and even a simple class picture.

Putting in mind that social media plays a bigger role in our lives, the prospects we have to preserve to safeguard ourselves and our identities is understandable. Falsification of documents and breech of one’s identity for their own illegal use can now be easier than a snap of a finger. But as good as this act is for our digital data, we can only hope that the same protection and type of consent is given equal importance when it comes to our everyday lives.

09

Uncleared Clutter NE I C A V I NSO N Fingerpoint

Being treated like stray cats— coarsely dragged out in their temporary recognized spot street vendors had no backup plans.

T

raffic intensifies whenever sidewalk vendors expose their goods to the public. Lucena City has been dealing with lots of road obstructions for a long period of time. Public highways are being dominated which causes narrowing of roads, and it has to stop.

Mayor Roderick “Dondon” Alcala vowed to keep the streets clear despite the consummation of the 60day deadline of the Department of Interior and Local Government. Barricades such as basketball courts, stores, and parking slots occupying the highways became a huge part of the extermination of the government.

Alcala said last September 29 that 80 to 90 percent of the roads have been cleared off with the help of the officials of the City Engineering Office. It was, however, not as effective as ought to be, for police officials still had to conduct re-clearing operations months after.

Might this be due to the innate hardheadedness of the Lucenahins? Or simply a call of duty upon vendors for the people they care for?

It is easy to say we need the roads cleared. Thus, we need these vendors dismissed, but putting our feet upon their shoes, is it not worse than death to endure seeing your family dying of hunger because the government insists that your source of income is actually illegal?

Being treated like stray cats— coarsely dragged out in their temporary recognized spot, street vendors left their places with no back-up plans, no relocation sites, and no money in their pockets.

Side clearing operations are beneficial to citizens walking and driving on the streets, but what effect do these really impart to those staying under the scorching sun to earn money for a family they longed to help thrive?

For a win-win situation to take place, these vendors must not be sent away but asked to move to better locations where they can sell without causing massive interferences.

To be able to establish a unified community, understanding and respect is asked of each individual.

Primewater or Crime Water?

S O P H IA LY N N E A L BA Fingerpoint

Just when the tide of protest is at its peak, they decide to do something about it.

W

ater interruptions continue to barricade the city’s daily grind. Poor service, as they describe it, is attributable to the Primewater Infrastracture Corporation, once known as Quezon Metropolitan Water District (QMWD), and has led many to question whether this is really a matter of fault or if something else is happening behind the scenes.

It is a reasonable inquiry, given the company’s service, or lack thereof, to the people it’s supposed to provide water for. Residents of Brgy. Ibabang Dupay, particularly, are the first on the receiving end of the water interruptions. Water for them only comes every 12 midnight onwards, or worse

at times, not at all. This in itself is already questionable since Primewater is located in the same neighborhood as these fed-up consumers.

Nixie Avio, a Grade 12 student and a resident of Ibabang Dupay for almost five years, said that it is really difficult to fetch a pile of water to be used in daily chores.

“Bukod pa dun, maniningil pa sila ng ‘service fee’ after nilang mag-deliver,” she added.

Primewater charges P300 to P400 per month to their consumers. This is the normal range for an ordinary household, provided a continuous-flowing water system exists, all day every week. But this remains untrue for years now, one can only wonder, is the company’s inoperativeness intended to exploit the situation to add more digits to their bottom line?

If it’s not, well, aren’t they still gaining the same? How fortunate for them, indeed.

Atty. Vicente Joyas, chairman of the board of director of QMWD, says that Primewater’s pipelines are 25 years old and about P1 billion is needed for a complete upgrade of their facilities. Just this year, with a joint-venture agreement, Primewater commenced the replacement of old pipes with new ones for the rehabilitation of the water system. Just when the tide of protest is at its peak, they decide to do something about it.

Consider the people calmed, but not happy. This has long been overdue.

10

feature

TOP OF THE NEWS

18

Volume XXXIX No.1 | June to October 2019 The Official Publication of Sacred Heart College, Division of Lucena, Region IV-A CALABARZON

JWU:

Jolting, Woke, and Undaunted It is not fresh in both the eye and ear to see or hear the word “woke” to address someone who’s outspoken in his thoughts on topics...

Downswing of Wanting the Promising

Tim Conte walks by the sidewalk of their street on his way home every afternoon.

Every time, he passes by a couple, a dog owner, or a person...

The Spirited

SB19 Craze: To the Rise of P-Pop, We Stan

I

t was the New Year.

It should be a hopeful start— full of ideals and resolutio Another chance to grow, another chance to right our wron another chance to make memories.

Then red flames rose upon the sky, rapidly consumi erything in its path. It roared as if it was mocking the onlookers. Those were the same buildings that witn the profound history of more than a century, as we memories of yesteryears— victory and loss, sorro joy.

But it was gone. Sacred Heart College was most destroyed.

During its humble beginnings in 1884, through t of a saintly woman, Hermana Fausta Labrador, it h welcomed children and the youth and educated th reading, arithmetic, and the value of religion. It was ly small, but nonetheless a loving community with its center.

Over the years, truthfully, it was never smooth sai

RICHARD OLIVER ESPINA

12 STEM 1

W

e could’ve seen them coming from a mile away. Knowing Filipinos, it’s actually surprising how it took them this long. But unlike those who had trailed after every known trend in the limelight only to fall flat before making it to the big leagues, today’s efforts hit the big time.

SB19. While relatively new to the country’s music scene, chances are, you’ve heard of them. Cultivating a little bit of emulation and a whole lot of new blood, this quintet is breaking stigma-ridden barriers by treading into uncharted territory and immediately making a statement: they’re on their way up there to stay.

Such is the momentum established by our kin and blood, as the newest pride of the Filipinos and the upcoming marvel for the Korean.

Introducing new flair Being managed by a Korean company, some would presume the obvious— they’re just copycats, nothing more. Their overall Korean aesthetic supports this notion as well, so what’s so groundbreaking about them? Let’s make their story tell the answer.

Looking up to idols as young hopefuls auditioning to SHOWBT’ search for talents, members Sejun, Stell, Josh, Ken, and Justin sealed their fate after making it into the top five. From that point forward, all hell they’ve undergone through before became trivial— nothing, compared to what came after the realization of what the world around them expected of their talents.

Josh was central to this experience in the team’s journey.

“Sasabihan ka ng family mo na, ‘Ano bang ginagawa mo? Tumatanda ka na.’ Hindi sila naniniwala sa path na ‘to kasi hindi practical,” voiced Josh.

Overcoming this pressure and taking helm of life’s wheel became the turning point for SB19. The pressure being almost tangible paved way for the emergence of a new flair in music— risen from the vigor of gravity, distinct even from its inspiration.

And this is how the band breaks new ground in the global scene. It’s because of facing the prospect of impossibility, of almost coming to terms with failure but finding light to continue that the group is able to turn foreign tradition into something of our own.

“May mga times na sumusuko na po talaga kaming lahat,” shared Josh. “Hindi na kinakaya ng utak namin ‘yung stress. Nagbe-break down po talaga kami, kasi suntok sa buwan ‘yung path na ‘to at hindi pa sigurado kung tatanggapin kami sa industry.”

But they managed to set foot on the stage and now the industry’s arms are wide open for their embrace.

P-pop going global “Whatever you believe in, just keep doing it,” says Sejun.

And with the team as they are now, this truly pays off. Right after releasing their second single “Go Up”, it was as if the gears clicked suddenly, setting in motion their entrance to the gates of global music, which then closed right after they got in.

This instance of eminence, of the gates opening and closing, marked the beginning of the surge of P-pop as a new music culture to not sleep on.

“Gusto naming i-prove na kaya ring makipagsabayan ng Philippines,” says Josh.

And a light shone brighter for mnl48 and other groups in the country hoping to grace the highest stage. With SB19 taking the wheel, the course for this inevitable train gets its own beacon from sources across the globe.

“Sama-sama naming i-aangat ang Philippine music para mas makilala tayo sa buong mundo.” And now the train runs at last.

18

“Sana All”: A Boost or Brake?

PHOTO COURTESY OF

SB19 OFFICIAL

The Renaissance is a period o institution, we are accustomed are our strengths. We fail, wee phoenix resembling a

Living legends, looming legacies

A

ETHAN JOSHUA QUEANO

11 STEM 2

C

hampions are not made overnight.

To find someone with much passion for something is a task difficult to undertake, and to find young minds willing to put in so much hard work for a common goal is even harder.

Countless late nights with no sleep coupled with mountains of academics to catch up on are faced by student journalists. Added the trainings and missed classes, it is almost a wonder how these journalists came out of Sacred Heart College (SHC) with their heads held high.

The past editors-in-chief (EICs) of The Heartbeat are all successes in their own rights. They’ve ventured to different fields armed with the skills and values they attained in their time as campus journalists.

The aspiring accountant Abigayle Pitogo followed the long line of EICs on her stint last 2015-2016.

She is now in De La Salle Lipa taking up BS Accountancy, but her time as a journalist still follows her as she trudges through the hardships of being an accountancy student, handling her paperwork with utmost familiarity. She, too, continues her passion as a writer in LAVOXA Group of Publications, the school paper of her current school.

More than the academic edges brought by the responsibilities of being an EIC, campus journalism helped her build long lasting friendships.

“I found comfort in the friendships I’ve formed through my experiences as a campus journalist— supporting each other every press conference, trying to make each other laugh during training, and being there for each other as we try and meet the deadlines for the school paper.”

“You are a member of a great family, and these people see potential in you even though sometimes you cannot see it for yourself. Work hard as student journalists, not just for the awards, but for the happiness and fulfillment the work gives you,” Abigayle advised to the future journalists.

The engineer in the making A journalist since his elementary days, the sea-

soned sports writer Leo Custodio became the EIC on 20162017.

He was the champion in the Regional Schools Press Conference (RSPC) 2018 and a contender for the National Schools Press Conference (NSPC) of the same year.

Aside from being an excellent writer, he is also a math wizard. These skills took him to University of the Philippines Los Baños where he studies electronic engineering.

“Being a journalist developed my passion and my will to fight. Even though I always fall short and encounter heartbreaking setbacks during my years as a campus journalist, I had a composed mindset,” Leo expressed.

Leo served for The Heartbeat for six years and brought the newspaper’s sports page to 4th place in the RSPC back in 2017.

“The Heartbeat is on fire, and to keep the fire burning, the future faces must continue to look back at the rich history of the publication,” Leo voiced out.

Campus journalism is the home of beating hearts hungry for truth and change. Dreamers who wish for a better tomorrow. A former EIC once said, “Use your time as a campus journalist to really be honest in your articles, remember that no amount of money and prestige will equal to the truth.”

As they continue to journey in life, searching for truth and finding success, these former Heartbeat campus journalists will face the world heart pounding, their time as journalists forever engraved in their memories. We can only ask, where would life take them next?

S eq u

C

ountless are afraid o many fear the unkn idea of jumping too daunt their hearts out and choo the barriers, flags waving as they stand in the front streets of Mendiola.

A former editor-in-chief of th Mercado, has stood among the during her time as an activist an as a teacher at a Lumad school Mindanao.

The Lumad is the largest indig Philippines who, due to certain c many injustices: from their ance to their basic rights being revoke nous People’s Rights Act (IPRA) Clare became an activist back Anakbayan Vito Cruz. During tha college student studying Psycho University as well as a student j agang Plaridel as a Bayan News

The fire was a new beginning, but it was also a reminder of the eradicated hurt and suffering of the past. It tells a story of a spirited institution that is now facing a new chapter in its history.

d Flame

ons. ongs,

ing eve helpless nessed ell as the ow and

tly

the vision had hem of s certainChrist at

iling. It

feature

SOPHIA LYNNE ALBA

11 HUMSS 3

had its own number of obstacles. It transferred to several sites to accommodate the number of children, and sometimes because it was destroyed in a fire. It also had been temporarily closed during the war, but reopened during the Japanese occupation.

The fire that consumed most of the school made all its archives and old trinkets mere memories. It became a mournful day for generations of staff sand students, but their spirits have not dwindled. The school and all that became its foundation endured so much over the past 135 years for them to break now.

The fire of passion in the hearts of its children is stronger than the fire that burned the school.

Little by little, the weeping and crying soon became comforting words, which in turn became small actions that rippled into a change. Little by little, the people started to lean on the future of the institution rather than the uneventful truth that swallowed most of the school’s tangible history.

“I envision it to be more progressive,” Mrs. Victoria Macalinao, a teacher, relented.

The buildings were gone, but a school isn’t a school just because of its buildings. There were plans on the construction of the new

building, after all. And with its design broadcasted to the school, the future is not too hard to imagine.

Karl Cartago, a student from Senior High School, expressed his sorrow about the fire, but he said the incident probably happened for its amendment— another obstacle to strengthen those people working and studying under its wing.

“In the future, we’d be looking forward to a huge Sacred Heart College,” Mrs. Elena Sia, administrator from the Senior High School, said.

This is also a chance for the institution to welcome more minds craving for knowledge. She said that if this building were to be constructed, more students who believed in the quality Vincentian-Catholic education of the school would be accepted. It was a chance for the school to gain new perspective.

The fire was a new beginning, but it was also a reminder of the eradicated hurt and suffering of the past. It tells a story of a spirited institution that is now facing a new chapter in its history. It is not just the building that will soon change. The spirits the school nurtured will continue marching to the future, bearing history, and writing a new story.

of rising, growth, and revival. As Filipinos and learners of the d to having challenges come and try to belittle what, in truth, ep, and fail even harder. But after a ruinous plummet, just like a a sequel to a prior awakening, we’re meant to emerge.

uel to

of the void. Too nown; they find the ting. Yet some wear ose to brave through g and fires blazing lines along the

he Heartbeat, Clare mass, joining rallies nd pursing her passion in Compostela Valley,

genous group in the circumstances, faced estral lands being taken ed despite the Indigeprotecting them. k in 2016 joining the at time, she was a ology in De La Salle journalist for Ang Pahayswriter, covering national

e c n a s s i a n Re

CARLA MERCADO

11 ABM 2

issues.

She recounted her experience in a candlelight rally where she saw a poster in which the names of all those slain in the Martial Law at Mindanao were written.

“Nandoon na rin ‘yung panawagan na maglingkod sa masa,” she disclosed.

It was also during her time as an activist that she had her first encounter with the Lumad. These said encounters pushed her to where she is now: teaching the Lumad children and fighting for their rights to education.

Currently, there are 55 Lumad schools that were closed by the Department of Education (DepEd), furtherly inspiring Clare in her crusade.

“Pinakamemorable dito ay ‘yung pagtuturo ng Math, ‘yung feeling kapag nagets na nila ‘yung lesson, kapag sinasabi sila sayo na gusto ka nilang magturo ng Math kasi naiintindihan nila,” Clare shared.

She has been doing things she finds fulfilling, memorable, and life-changing, but her journey was all but a walk in the park.

“It was not easy because Filipinos are family oriented, and due to that, some of my decisions were not

Heartstrong Perspective

approved by my family,” she expressed.

However, she justified that if action wasn’t done now, it would be her family and community that would face the consequences of an unjust government. Thus, she continues to fight for the rights of the indigenous people not only with the crippling hope for Lumad equality, but with the hope of justice for the entire Filipino community. All these while advocating for worker’s rights with the values she learned from her roots still in hand.

“From what I learned during my days in the Heartbeat, it is necessary to not just tell the truth but to stand up for the mass,” she expressed.

“Sacred Heart College’s motto says that love is service. From those words alone, they came to me that it is crucial for us Cordians to continue what Fausta did,” she added.

The fight for equality is a long and difficult one with a hundred hurdles to overcome, but brave Filipinos standing by each other, dreaming big for their motherland may make it a tad more bearable. And someday, hopefully by tomorrow, the red sun rises.

Volume XXXIX No.1 | June to October 2019 The Official Publication of Sacred Heart College, Division of Lucena, Region IV-A CALABARZON

Multiple beats at a time

11

PHOTO BY

CHEBER CANTOS

Rising lyricists in their utmost emotions

ISABELLA RAYA GUSTO

10 ADORATION

W

ith the rising number of media users, it is no secret that, indeed, we redefine and shape ourselves as holistic individuals. Armed with great poetic capabilities, these aspiring lyricists communicate themselves to the modern audience in the present time.

Expressing oneself is a freedom of all— a wide, sensational trend almost everybody gets hooked with. For some of the Cordians, lyrical rap is a great medium for expressing their emotions.

Rapping has been in the industry for long.

Lyricists and artists have been the social guides especially of the youth to voice out themselves for what they can do and say in varied situations.

EJ Glinoga and Lainuz Libiran, both senior high school students, shared that at the early age of 15 and 16 respectively, they became engaged with composing songs. And though EJ turned to writing as an outlet from a suffered heartbreak and Lainuz realized his interest in it through an academic project, they both found a common ground in structurally narrating stories revolving around life— its being good and being unpleasant.

Grade 10 student Karl Madla, on the other hand, writes lyrical raps with the main goal of entertaining his listeners. Prompted by his classmates, he is able to create raps derived from his feelings and emotions from his surroundings.

Denzelle Adion, another aspiring Grade 10 lyricist, writes raps with the problems associated with love and family. In a way of, he eases himself through his creations.

All four of them, despite being inclined with abilities, consider rap as their pastime, personal interest, and release. Not removing into picture, of course, the encouragement brought by the people around them which continuously puts them up to compose.

Rapping is actually pouring off oneself into music. Aspiring lyricists and rappers with such talent, unique as it may seem, do not only motivate, but also impel others to do the same thing. At a young age and slowly gaining popularity, they are great artists with amazing perspectives in life and play.

PHOTO COURTESY

CLAIRE MERCADO

feature

12

June to October 2019

JWU:

Jolting, Woke, and Undaunted

I

GELO MARIE UNSON

12 STEM 4

t is not fresh in both the eye and ear to see or hear the word “woke” to address someone who’s outspoken in his thoughts on topics concerning themselves or other people and events, someone who is mindful of both evident and inapparent discrimination, injustice, and oppression in the

society.

The coined term originated from black people warning their brothers to “stay woke” of white supremacy, meaning, staying conscious in case of an encounter with a well-hidden agenda. The label circulated sometime in 2016 through the social media and since then has been a critical part of it and the whole community.

National issues are often tackled by officials in position, those people authorized to legally take huge steps for the mass.

However, through being woke, a citizen establishes a voice of his own, telling the world of his thoughts and opinions, and not holding back anything just to comply to the barriers built by the judgement of others.

Lately, the social media apps Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook have become

at the truths offered by the society is, nowadays, primarily shown through involvement in discussions on social media. And though others find posting concerns quite glib to be a form of genuine expression, being woke in the virtual community is a reflection of being aware in the actual community.

There is no concrete “goal” in the minds of these netizens, no certain call of action, and no particular response asked from those who encounter their posts. They simply express their personal beliefs by speaking with guts through compelling words upon which they make sure they’d be heard.

platforms for a lot of matters— mainly as a boiling place for netizens not part of the governmental body who seek to voice out their opinions on social issues.

Twitter is where most of the action happens. In this application, no age limit is allotted for someone who wants to put up an account (but most people who participate in these virtual rants are part of the Generation Z, the age after that of the millennials). It became usual to see news tailed by numerous tweets (posts on Twitter consisted of 240 characters at most) on whether one is in agreement or in divergence of the stated topic.

Truly, having both eyes directed

SOREN FRANCO

9 JUSTICE

W

ILLUSTRATION BY

CHRISTIAN ALTERA

A New Horizon

atching a film is like riding on a roller coaster without actually being in a roller coaster. It’ll give you a handful of emotions— you could laugh while crying at the same time or have chills creeping up your spine, all while probably having a bucket of popcorn at hand.

ILLUSTRATION BY

DESEREE ANN ABADILLA

Over the years, the film industry in the Philippines had flourished slowly but steadily. In the past, mainstream film are arguably appreciated for its appeal to the mass, but at the same time, criticized for its lack of artistry.

However, as a new age of film dawns on our time, new production studios like Black Sheep, which aims to find middle ground between auteurist style of film and mass appeal have been forming. They have produced romance films like “Exes Baggage,” “Alone/Together,” and the horror film “Clarita.”

Another is the Artikulo Uno Productions under TBA Studios that had produced the historical film “Heneral Luna” and its sequel “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral.” They were known for its compelling storytelling, the symbolisms found in the film, and even its coloring and soundtrack— all of which add up to its overall vibe and made the film a lot more memorable.

At the same time, the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino, the Metro Manila Film Festival, and other similar events have been

Coconut Gin for the win

arousing much attention especially among the millennials. They have produced gems of the industry like “100 Tula Para Kay Stella,” “Birdshot,” and “Rainbow’s Sunset.”

They have touched never-before-seen perspectives on the otherwise usual formula of films and storytelling, alongside not-so-happy endings. These recent films have been mixing the usual themes of Filipino movies like rom-com but adding a different spice to the mix. Due to this, it has enamored more of the youth to watch the films.

In the changing times, the filmmaking industry of the country had decided to go up a notch. They had started expanding their horizons and experiment. It may be a slow start, but it is undoubtedly climbing towards a better quality of film.

The country’s film enthusiasts can now be rest assured that industry would not be going backwards. It would still have that same roller coaster ride that takes our breaths away, but this time coupled with innovation and quality artistry.

ARIES JASPER DEALO

10 PRUDENCE

A

ll heads were tilted high and minds were set to fly. Everyone must have had a sip of alcohol or two, but their spirits are lifted; they are all one over the eight, but no one dared to stop.

The annual Niyogyugan Festival in Quezon has the “lambanog inuman” or the transpired coconut gin feast as one of its highlights.

Tourist and locals alike got together on the ritual-themed feast in efforts to put back a trend to the dying practice and culture of drinking lambanog (coco gin).

The segment has added a rather controversial and refreshing face to the yearly-held provincial festival that came to be a place of remembrance and enjoyment of the jewel liquor of the Quezon Province. The deed has been a part of the provinces’ long culture way back since its early foundation.

During the grand open stall of the “Tagayan ng Quezon,” goers’ hands and smiles were undeniably held up. The event was arranged in aims of bringing back the old practice of having lambanog atop dining tables during occasions and feasts. It is not a hidden fact that due to the new variety of liquors made through time, the aged sensation of lambanog has been fading from the taste buds of the new communities.

Mario Abas, 76 and retired public school teacher, said in an interview with Inquirer that those who have given up lambanog for other drinks are missing on something.

Abas also instigated that,pure and legit lambanog with bits of necessary fruits aged at the right and proper time can be powerfully comparable to the sensation brought by imported wine.

“The kick is more rejuvenating and refreshing,” he defended.

So, to the proud Quezonians who have the lingering passion and love for beverages and celebrations, fill your glasses, raise them, and bring back the old excitement, joy, and cheers sparked by a bottle of lambanog.

PHOTO COURTESY

QUEZON PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE

“Sana All”: A Boost or Brake? feature

June to October 2019

13 ALLIAH DANA UY

12 HUMSS 1

Downswing of Wanting the Promising

T

im Conte walks by the sidewalk of their street on his way home every afternoon. Every time, he passes by a couple, a dog owner, or a person with a luxurious car. A grin automatically forms upon his lips, but all he could say is, “Sana all,” before laughing it off.

“Sana ol”, “china oil”, “sana langis” are variants of the aforementioned “sana all” which nowadays is one of the most common catchphrases of every Filipino millennial and youth.

When you’re just casually scrolling through Facebook or Twitter and other social media sites, this somewhat bilingual phrase never seems to miss out on the action. Popping here and there, the “sana all” saying has taken over the cyberspace of Filipinos, and has even earned itself a title of an everyday popular saying. You literally could not go by the day without hearing this saying, especially among teens and young adults.

Trisha Bulawan, a junior high school student from Sacred Heart College and a frequent user of the phrase, admits that despite having a habit of using the expression, it actually allows her to have a louder voice in expressing her sentiments

about things while also being able to secretly render her jealousy over simple things or those essentially far from reach.

“When I say ‘sana all’, it’s a simple expression of wanting things others have and I do not. For me, it’s simply desiring something of my interest,” she explained.

Hearing someone’s success, prosperity, and luck brings gladness to one’s ears.

“Sana all” became the language of someone conveying hopefulness in these situations where he/she wishes to attain what somebody else has.

At first, it’s quite delightful because through the phrase we express a positive response for something we saw, heard, or knew about. Until it becomes funny due to the fact that it really caught on. And now, it becomes a mindset— an obstructing mindset that possibly covers its users’ eyes to the truth that lay beyond blindly settling for things instead of working hard for them.

“Sana all” truly does go deeper than its comedic and witty intent. Aljer De La Torre, a high school teacher, would care to disagree with the wide trend and usage of the said expression stating that it’s unhealthy and unnecessary, and that it causes a loss of integrity of the ambition or aspiration of oneself.

What if the regular use of the phrase indicates something beyond simply wanting? That this sentiment of envy is somewhat reflective of our culture as Filipinos today?

Do we only end it here? Will people only be limited by “sana all” rather than “kaya natin all”? Frankly, this citation is setting back growth and augmentation for an individual. Why hope for other’s opulence?

Why strive for other’s milk and honey? Why not do your own formula and solve your way to the top?

Halloween

has always been here

What s mine is yours Habitual borrowing and its possible aftermath

JUDE IVAN BERNARDINO

10 FORTITUDE

T

JANCES MARIAH MIKYLLA ELLA

10 PRUDENCE

T

he class proceeds with its activity— noises of students from all corners of the room start building up as they ask each other for the availability of the needed materials. One slowly grabs his bag, gently pulls out the stationery materials he brought from home, and just as he was about to start working on the given task, the whole room silences. All he could do was let out a dismayed sigh.

Everyone who’s had the chance to go by a day in school knows either the risk of bringing his own supplies or the comfort in receiving charities from others. In truth, sharing is still caring. However, sharing to the point of losing so much does not justify the values of kindness and generosity.

Jana Alexa Juntereal, a grade 10 student, is just one of the many who has to deal with countless encounters involving the need to lend things.

“Almost every day at school, it’s usually either my pen or paper. Sometimes, I have to sacrifice some of my stuff too because they need it,” she revealed.

Moreover, not only the students get aboard with this matter but also teachers who have to suffice the needs of their students.

“I always encounter lending cases on my classes especially every time I give activities and quizzes. Sometimes when their classmates cannot provide for them, they come to me to ask for it,” Jenelyn Aguila, a

PHOTO BY

QUEZON PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE

ILLUSTRATION BY

RAPHAEL MUTUC

junior high school teacher and class adviser, shared.

Ms. Aguila admitted these matters does not happen on school supplies alone. She said it’s usual, too, to encounter cases of lending money from a student to another.

For her, it is part of the humane norm to forget things, however, leaning unto always forgetting may lead to a lot of other things excluding growth and positive learning.

“Lending is okay on some cases, but over time, the students gradually begin to lack of discipline, responsibility, and maturity.

It brings forth their level of dependence to other people rise to a worrying extent,” she added.

Such simple things one may say— borrowing a pen, a paper, or a coin.

Nevertheless, the bottom line does not change: that the youth today mirror the responsibility, discipline, and managing skills they possess as either responsible or irresponsible citizens of the country.

here’s a face carved on a pumpkin, a candy the shape of an eye, and a little house made of varied bread; that’s the Halloween that come every November, so what’s the deal with the ghosts that can’t stop disappearing all throughout the 365 days of every year?

In the stories we’ve heard or encounters we’ve been into, what does a ghost do after coming into human sight? It vanishes without a trace, without touch, without bidding goodbye.

The up-to-the-minute term “ghosting” does not correlate to literally seeing a ghost and having it withdrew as soon as it’s perceived. Nonetheless, it reflects to that identical deed of a person, this time, who disappears without prior notice, leaving another without actually explaining anything.

Teens nowadays utter this term like it’s nothing new to their hearing. Ghosting gained popularity through technology and social media that changed the way people interact with each other.

“It is somehow traumatic. Yesterday we are happy but then all those gaieties came to an end— not with a period but with a blank space,” Steffi Rojo, a grade 10 student who had been ghosted, shared.

Ghosting is found to be forthrightly cruel— rejecting the feelings of who the ghost will flee from. In the execution of this behavior, a ghost gives no notice and no hint on what path away he or she is taking, like a puzzle waiting to be solved. Oh, wait, will it still be solved?

A ghostee will never know.

The most demeaning part of it all is that the norm of ghosting is seemingly becoming a phenomenon. A lot have experienced being ghosted not only by romantic partners but also by friends, and because of it becoming a normal thing, most let it slip and endure it like it’s totally okay to be left in the middle of nowhere.

It is no one’s right to dictate another’s actions, but in a world where relationships are easy to attain but difficult to maintain, isn’t it fair and just to let all go without acting like a Halloween ghost?

ILLUSTRATION BY

RAPHAEL MUTUC

TOP OF THE NEWS

16

Fast forward to the past

16

Modern-technology has taken and changed our lives by storm. From pens and papers to computers and laptops, the shift of our ...

The Science Behind Attracting Love Filpinos are known to be big believers – the Philippines is known to be the third largest Catholiccountry in the world, so it definitely is not a surprise ...

science Volume XXXIX No.1 | June to October 2019 The Official Publication of Sacred Heart College, Division of Lucena, Region IV-A CALABARZON

14

Quezon vet sets record straight, claims province remains free from swine fever epidemic RICHARD OLIVER ESPINA

12 STEM 1

A

fter being called out for the emergence of African swine fever (ASF) in its pig factories, Quezon Province clarified through a memo that it is in fact secure from the swine flu epidemic, October 2.

This was on the trail of Ilocos Sur’s announcement the day before that nine provinces, one of which is Quezon, are subject to the banning of pork meat products “due to ASF.” ASF, according to the World Organization for Animal Health, is a “severe and highly contagious viral disease among domestic and wild pigs” that makes afflicted animals experience high fever, depression, loss of appetite, redness of body parts, vomiting and diarrhea that may all lead to death.

“Live pigs, frozen hog meat, and processed pork meat products are banned from the following Cities/ Provinces,” the memo had said before enumerating the subject places.

It included Bulacan, Rizal, Marikina, Quezon City, Quezon Province, Pasig, Caloocan,

ILLUSTRATION BY

CHRISTIAN ALTERA

Pampanga and Pangasinan in the list.

Quezon Provincial Veterinarian Dra. Flomel Caguicla released a memo the day after to clarify the province’s safety, noting that Ilocos Sur’s provincial office had made an error.

“Ang Temporary Ban… kung saan kasama ang Lalawigan ng Quezon ay wala pong basehan,” Caguicla stated. “Amin pong nililinaw sa kasalukuyan sa mga Panlalawigang Beterinaryo ng mga nabanggit na lugar.”

With ASF already on the rise in most parts of Luzon, leaving hundreds of pigs deceased and halting productions of several piggeries, the news of the temporary ban raised concerns among consumers.

“Akala ko ‘di muna ako

Kelp, Kelp, Hooray!

GERARD FRANCIS FLETA

12 ABM 3

K

elp is termed to be the next big super-food with its growing popularity, where headlines have been made, regarding it as a substitute to the known kale or quinoa. Together with the construction of factories, it gives carbon emissions in return to our favor of increasing the target market and relying on economic growth.

Ocean farms settled for a movement to have a grip of the days ahead us with a step forward undertaken through the aquatic plants and shellfish planted on the grips of ropes underwater. Having an interest of consuming kelp is dubious due to its slimy texture and green-brown color, enough for someone to dislike it. However, it achieves the perfect standard with its content of vitamins and minerals, yet low in calories.

“The taste is unpleasant but to benefit from its vitamins pay off its taste,” Sophia Catapang, a Lucenahin stated. She claimed that the taste of kelp is irrelevant if people will look at the medical benefits of consuming such.

A change in the local kelp’s introduction in the public comprises of the experimentations in the dishes, from seafood to cookies presented in restaurant menus. One of the products is the Kelp Jerky which is high in protein, high in fiber, and low in sugar. Other kelp-based food is tea and kimchi.

Bren Smith, Executive Director and Cofounder of the non-profit organization Greenwave, stated that kelp will not only give individuals nutrients, but will also help the environment. He planted Lattissima kelp, also known as Sugar kelp in the Long Island Sound in the United States of America with a statement that it is part of

Diet or Die Yet? Dangers of Keto

F

his plan in aiding today’s climate change.

“This is not about food. It’s about creating a new generation of climate farmers. Our farms capture carbon, we can produce biofuel, we have zero outputs,” he stated.

Moreover, if farms like Smith’s cover five percent of the US waters, the kelp could have absorbed 135 million tons of carbon and the mollusks can absorb 10 million tons of nitrogen.

He added that we have to build a new economy that restores ecosystems, creates jobs, and feeds the community.

Let us always remember to keep our diet with assortments and don’t just depend on eating one trendy super-food all the time.

RAPHAEL MUTUC

12 HUMSS 4

PHOTOS BY

RON REVILLA

rom beauty to health purposes, diets have risen to popularity. With celebrities and social media influencers advertising them, it is no wonder that people seem to hop in on the trend.

A new form of diet has rose to fame causing people to try the Ketogenic diet, popularly knows as Keto diet. It is a low carb food regime in which the person would get more calories from protein and fat and less from carbohydrates.

Although it can be beneficial for the health as it can manage certain medical conditions like epilepsy, this diet focuses more on weight loss.

This diet drastically changes a person’s metabolism. Since it reduces a person’s intake of carbohydrates, this forces the body to burn ketones for energy instead of glucose. With this at hand, Keto diet poses some not-so-good side effects, like the infamous Keto flu.

Keto flu is a collection of

symptoms experienced by some people when they first start the diet. Symptoms include nausea, headaches, dizziness, muscle cramps, and low energy levels. But on a lighter note, these symptoms would only last for the first few weeks. After this period, the person would drastically lose weight.

“Weight wise, it was good, I dropped a lot of kilos, but there were moments that I would get stomach aches,” Derrick Carpio, a Cordian and a former Keto diet enthusiast said.

Despite the positive results in terms of weight, this diet would make a person pee more, causing lower sodium levels which would result to dehydration, constipation or diarrhea, and bad breath.

Diet trends come and go like many other crazes. But unlike most of these crazes, this may leave a lasting effect on a person.

With this in mind, it is important to remember that when it comes to following these trends, it is important to check with a professional.

The recommendation of a celebrity or an influencer should not be enough for someone to bandwagon in a trend that may have effect on a person in the long-run. It should be remembered that every person is different, and just because a practice worked for someone does not mean it would automatically work for everyone.

ILLUSTRATION BY

CHRISTIAN ALTERA

makakakain ng baboy,” remarked Trixia Lorredo, a student in SHC. “Ang sarap pa naman ng menudo, buti na lang.”

A large majority of these fears, according to the Department of Health (DOH), are fruits of misconceptions about the effects of AFS. In response to erasing this stigma, the DOH made it clear that the swine fever is not a threat to human health.

“We want to dispel the fears of consumers by reiterating that, as long as pork and pork products are bought from reliable sources and are cooked thoroughly, pork meat and products are safe to eat,” Francisco Duque III, Health Secretary, said.

Still, purchasing pork products from reliable markets and cooking them thoroughly is always advised, Duque maintains.

science

June to October 2019

15

Saving Cig Butts for Watts

ILLUSTRATION BY

RAPHAEL MUTUC

BEA MARIE RAMA

11 HUMSS 5

L

eaving someone off-guard means providing the bigoted treatment that person does not deserve. In an era where money dealings and gambling are remarkably noticed for upbringing the life status at its peak, the nature has been calling the attention of its “supposed” guardians. It was uninformed of the consequences of the will of mankind for greed and power while smoking cigars at the corner and leaving a trace of ignorance and a blemish to the beauty that should have been preserved.

Smoke coming from tobacco substance contains 4,000 chemicals, which were naturally produced through pyrolysis or burning. Organs all over the human body are distributed with chemicals like carcinogens and nicotine that may bring about serious implications. Thrown cigarette butts have the innermost part of its filters containing a form of plastic called cellulose acetate that is slow to degrade and may reach from 18 months to 10 years before it totally decomposes.

Tar, a toxin, causes danger to living organisms by infecting their habitat. These end up suffocating them to death.

Dispatched tobacco wastes pollute the surroundings, but a theory primarily pointing out that cigarette butts have the capability to store energy was opened in an academic study.

Despite the irony that it is one of the most hazardous litters around the globe, an experiment justified that cigarette filters

qualified to be a convenient material. Domestic waste accumulated in the regular flow of activities that have reached its decaying phase and as compared to the branded battery demonstrates no significant difference at all in the duration of its life-giving capacity.

Carbon as a component of battery allows it to have high electrical conductivity and long-term stability. A complication that impedes a person to experience a gleaming light when darkness had conquered the space is being wedged in scarcity. That is why, the litters are exposed in a study and its effectiveness was analyzed.

Based from the study, a carbon-based material will result from burning with denatured alcohol after the cigarette butts were collected and paper coverings were removed. A combination of the iron filings and the carbon-based material

makes up the electrode, which are brought together with a filter paper.

Then, copper wires are attached to each end of the electrode and it will be soaked in a salt solution for a certain number of minutes. Lastly, the voltage reading is measured.

When there is absence of an energy source, try to consider the unusual and unconventional way of incorporating cigarette butts as a voltaic cell.

You’re in for Urine Fatality LAWRENCE SORIA

12 ABM 3

T

he body holds all the organs a human possesses. One wrong move can mean fatality to oneself.

Likewise, it is important that a person releases the toxins from the body to reduce the risk of developing infections. To endure the giggling feeling of peeing remains the possibility of acquiring diseases that will waste hard-earned money on the lucrative payment for doctors due to ignorance and carelessness.

Peeing is an autonomic response of the body to the “call of nature”. Its purpose affects the kidney as it filters excess water and removes wastes out of the body. Normally, the urinary bladder can hold one to two cups of urine comfortably, but a person who holds urine for too long can stretch up the bladder expanding the capacity it can hold.

The bladder stores urine, allowing urination to be infrequent and controlled.

When stretched, the external sphincter or the muscles connected to the outside of the bladder opening the doorway for

urine disposal clenches to hold the flood to be released. Thus, for the water waste to gush forth freely from its prison cell, one has to go to the comfort room to loosen the tight grip on the doorway of the body.

A study claimed that nurses who often hold it all day due to job constraints found out that their bladder has nearly doubled the normal capacity, yet no one should say that it is totally normal to let the body wait until sunset to release the urine that it has been grappling since morning.

Never forget that Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is waving whenever someone holds

his or her pee. As researched by scientists, UTI can bring forth the diseases such as fever, pain, burning feeling when peeing, pressure in the back or lower abdomen, and more.

To prove, Angelo Rioflorido, a Cordian who has been hospitalized due to UTI, said that the excruciating feeling of peeing when he had the disease is one of the circumstances he would not let happen again.

ILLUSTRATION BY

CHRISTIAN ALTERA

Reigning of ApoLAKI: To a New, Darker Doomsday ANGELIQUE LORRAINE IBONES

T

12 HUMSS 2

here is a caldera that will defeat the size of the Yellowstone volcano, the world’s largest caldera, in Wyoming, USA.

This October, a study of the world’s largest caldera is found in Benham Rise.

The calderas such as Yellowstone are formed due to strong volcanic eruptions that cause crater to collapse.

The Discovery The world’s largest caldera was found by the world’s marine geophysicists.

The study is entitled by Jenny Anne Barretto, a New Zealandbased Filipino scientist, and Ray Wood, and John Milsom and his colleagues as “Benham Rise Unveiled: Morphology and Structure of an Eocene Large Igneous Province in the West Philippine Basin.”

According to them, Apolaki, a submarine volcano that became the caldera, may have been an “impact crater”.

In their investigation, they argued that Apolaki was a true volcano because of the many similarities of the features of other caldera in the world and of Apolaki.

The caldera consists of nine miles of magmatic and volcanic rocks estimated to be 47.9 to 26 million years old.

The God beneath Philippines The caldera Apolaki meaning “giant lord” derives its name from the legendary God of the Day and War of the Philippines.

Apolaki is located west of Central Luzon specifically on 13 million hectares of subterranean land in Aurora and Isabela provinces.

Barretto described in their study that the Philippine Rise is a

large igneous province in the West Philippine Sea. According to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in 2012, the Benham Rise is now part of the country, also known as the Philippine Rise.

The researchers used sonar tests to map SEABED. Yellowstone vs. Apolaki The active 60 km Yellowstone Volcano erupted 640, 000 years ago but it continued to have the “magmatic power” causing geysers, fumaroles, mud pots and hot streams.

Upon the discovery of Apolaki, the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute Geological Oceonography

Laboratory (UP MS) measured the size of a caldera estimated at 150 km or more than twice the size of Yellowstone Caldera.

Apolaki is similar to the caldera on Mars and Jupiter due to its massive size over the other large caldera around the world.

It’s just a new discovery and it still needs to be explored and studied as well as how you can affect it.

“Further studies on the Benham Rise are necessary not only to understand the processes which formed it, but also to investigate the possible impact that this large igneous province had on its local and regional environments,” according to a study conducted by Barretto, Wood and Milsom.

ILLUSTRATION BY

RAPHAEL MUTUC

science

16

June to October 2019

Fast forward to the past

PHOTO BY

CHEBER CANTOS

ROUVIC POSAS

M

12 HUMSS 5

odern-technology has taken and changed our lives by storm. From pens and papers to computers and laptops, the shift of our way of writing has truly made communicating and composing more convenient and less time-consuming.

Kirsten Abuel, a student-journalist, admitted that she grew up with keyboards and has accustomed herself to expressing herself in typed text.

“It’s definitely easier and faster to type rather than to write, which can be so tiring and exhausting,” she mentioned.

“It’s also easy to compose neater texts because I just need to tap backspace and my composition is ready to be rewritten and edited.”

But experts who study handwriting say this adjustment has also brought changes and losses when we express ourselves in typing rather than writing.

Jotting down class notes and getting verbatim statements is a lot easier with the help of our laptops. Though writing

by hand is slow and laborious, a lot of physical and mental health benefits come with this activity. Its slowness is actually a perk!

Science teacher Ms. Shiela Abellanosa said that they encourage students to write notes by hand because it slows learners down as opposed to typing. This encourages them to rephrase the content of the lectures in their head when it is too lengthy to write down, or when the lecture is getting a bit fast-paced. It helps learners to comprehend and retain the information they rephrased in their heads.

These include lowering stress and lessening depression symptoms.

Tantamount of research suggest that

depression can be caused by toxic online discussions which are strengthened by anonymity and lack of face-to-face interaction. As opposed to handwriting, typing requires less time and effort, making it easier to be included in a toxic keyboard-generated community.

Writing by hand also facilitates better self-expression. When we write, the process of production involves pathways in the brain that go near parts that manage emotions. With that in mind, I ask you, why do you think people love getting handwritten letters? You’ll know that it was made with their time and effort, honestly and only composed for you.

Tales as old as time

ILLUSTRATION BY

CHRISTIAN ALTERA

MARKO LORENZO TOLENTINO

12 HUMSS 4

F

ilpinos are known to be big believers – the Philippines is known to be the third largest Catholic-country in the world, so it definitely is not a surprise that we also believe superstitions and the supernatural.

Rooted in our culture and tradition, Filipinos are owners of very interesting mix of beliefs. Most might not even know that their actions originated or are inspired from these ‘sabi-sabi’.

Did you know that shouting ‘tao po’ when knocking on someone’s door does not mean asking if someone’s at home? It actually means that you are particularly and specifically asking if a human person is there, not a supernatural entity. Despite what anyone denies and claims, we all observe them.

Angelique Ibones, a firm believer of superstitions, go beyond measures because of her belief.

“Whenever I leave a funeral, I make sure to go to malls or other public places to make sure the spirit of the dead won’t follow me home,” she mentioned, practicing the superstition ‘pagpag’ or shaking off the spirit.

She also consistently utters ‘tabi-tabi po’ whenever she walks through the grassy outdoors to not disturb a variety of elementals.

These elementals include Philippines’ own mythological folklore in which a majority still believe in today, namely aswang, encanto,

CHRISTIAN ALTERA

12 STEM 6

kapre, tikbalang, and tiyanak.

According to University Professor Doctor Phillips Stevens Jr., superstitions represent cognitive features of humanity rooted in our evolutionary biology. Filipino’s belief in the ultimate being serves as a big reason behind believing in these.

Superstitions are said to control good or bad luck, and explain how something can cause a specific action despite the lack of scientific evidence. There is no actual evidence or strong basis, but a lot of believers remain careful and cautious. It’s all up to you whether you will believe or not. With the undying culture of supernatural in our Pinoy blood, what superstitions do you believe in?

The Science Behind Attracting Love KYLE KIRSTEN ABUEL

T

12 HUMSS 5

here is no step-by-step process on how you will find love. Unlike in science, there are no hard-out written formulas to apply nor recipes to follow to avoid disaster. But as intellectual beings, this did not hinder us from trying to find answers to the questions of our hearts.

There are things in the world that most people would commonly agree on and love and attraction are not exempt from that.

From society’s influence to the modern definitions of beauty, we all hold a standard to what is beautiful.

Scientists have researched what most women deem attractive for men.

As cliché as it sounds, nothing tops off making her laugh. According to Business Insider, a 2006 study published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, women valued both their partner’s sense of humor and their own ability to make their partner laugh.

“I feel good especially when he makes me smile in my darkest and saddest days,” Janine de Ocampo, a grade 11 student, shared about her boyfriend.

The sweet sound of music will enchant her to your heart. It’s common to find women fawning for guys who play an instrument or have musical abilities. It was stated in

a research from University of Sussex that women prefer men who play complex pieces to men who don’t.

“Although I don’t exactly look for musical ability when liking a guy, you couldn’t really ignore the fact that having such talents adds a bit to his charm,” Andrea Landicho, grade 11, said. “It also depends on the person I guess, but for me, I am easily swooned by a guy who sings well.”

Also note that girls prefer good guys.

Business Insider recounted a 2013 study from UK researchers which discovered that women find men more appealing when they do volunteer work.

Love is simply an unanswered phenomenon. No amount of research and calculations will prepare you for what’s to come. Love is a two-faced recipe for disaster and success. But at the end of it, we revel and crave that kilig feeling we get from someone we love.

Positivity radiates

PHOTO BY

KATRINA BERNALES

T

he body emits aura that reflects on other people’s eyes. It lingers on everyone in which it causes their surroundings to feel the same energy they give off. Let the darkness subside in order for the light to outshine it.

Gelo Marie Unson is a typical young and sweet Cordian who often sees the silver lining when things get messed up. She stands by that attitude is more than intelligence for she believes that it manifests the real personality of a person.

She starts the day with outpouring positivity and never let herself be succumbed by the darkness. Such aura also exhibits her personality, which eventually will pass or influence others who, in one way or another, have a connection with her.

Likewise, an invisible string or link connects one person to another. This is why she sensitively reacts to the resonating aura that has been circulating her body. “I strive to be around with people who I share the same vibes. If not, I might get negatively affected,” she stated.

When gloom strokes the painted beam of happiness, never be swallowed by the dark energy that’s coming. Rather, look for the optimistic side of things for this allows a person to take a glimpse of the littlest light that when powered, radiates. It has never been easy to find the “light” that’s residing on the deepest part of humanity because it needs time to be cultivated.

“There are times I get sad but I choose to be optimistic,” the Cordian said.

She explained that “rushing time is not the solution to show positivity”. The mental state must be fortified to avoid the infectious bad vibes surrounding her. These may be people, places, or toxicity that disrupts the exposition of emotions.

“Flaws are essential because they make you human. They are reminders that we are just ‘humans’,” Unson claimed. Not all mornings go smoothly. Problems may arrive from dusk to dusk. On the other side, weaknesses are lens that makes a person see his or her strengths.

Life is a painful yet wonderful ride due to the ups and downs a person experience. Everything has a purpose – that is why it is essential that gratitude must take place in every circumstance, for those are parts of the long-run process of humanity into being more grounded and matured individuals.

sports

TOP OF THE NEWS

19

Cue artist nails eight-ball singles sweep, notches first City Meet gold The Cordian snooker asserted his dominance in the 8-ball Men’s Billiards category after a 3-0 romp in the championship against his...

19

Patricia Adams: Victory in the Midst of Despondency GIAN GIMENEZ

11 HUMSS 1

PHOTO BY

RON REVILLA

Tactical chess bet capitalizes on contender blunder, cops Women’s Chess crown in come-from-behind fashion The sharp-minded representative of Sacred Heart College relied on the corners to trap her challenging contender’s king and complete a precarious come-from-behind win...

Locked and Loaded with Passion The winds distorted in the sky as Patricia Adams, grappling the pride of Sacred Heart College, flaunted her versatility in the 2019 City Athletic Meet – Women’s High Jump Competition. The cherry on top of the fantastic event showcased the flexibility of a studentathlete’s journey towards victory. What a girl to boast when she is capable of playing a variety of sports with her attractive enthusiasm in the playing field.

Carrying these names on her pride, Adams led the charge in the battle of the Red Stallions during the school’s Intramurals. Playing Volleyball against the Blue spikers, she vented out the rage when they fought their way to the championship. Adams was able to mantain her stabilized composure even when the adversary team delivered nerve-wracking attacks towards her team.

The reigning City Meet High Jump Queen said that she encountered difficulties in receiving the ball from the Blues because she injured her elbow when trying to receive a spike from her opponents. Despite of her injury, Adams stood in the verge of winning and losing, when they faced the threat of her enemies as her team caught their breaths for the offensive strike of the Blue spikers.

Moreover, she exerted her endurance to its utmost capacity in the Basketball event leaving the court with a silver medal on her neck. Baring the true heart of an athlete, she said, “It was so fun because it’s not everytime I get to play those sports here, because I usually compete outside bearing the name of our school”.

Proving more of her skills, Adams stretched her legs dashing the 200 meters running event in the City Athletic Meet, finishing fourth place. She stated that it was like a punishment running in a pile of rocks she experienced in the event, damaging her feet, yet she claimed a place in the game.

Her performance, however, contrastingly became fueled as ever when she was deemed victor of the Women’s High Jump category. She started slow and did not settle for a lackluster wind-up, thus claiming the supreme spot of her final stint in the City Meet. She is a true definition of a warrior, wound her and she will only

Kicking Beyond LOUIS ZXYGNER TIERRA

12 STEM 3

W

ith various sports played by raging Cordian athletes for the past several years, Sepak Takraw still reigns subservience from the students of the institution who are knowledgeable enough to play it, depriving them the chance to showcase their concealed capabilities and pulling them away from earning significant moments to be cherished with the prevailing power of their feet.

Aspiring Sepak Takraw players, being tenacious in keeping gold inside their shoes as Cordians, can pursue their visions to enter a much larger platform in district and city competitions, giving the Public High School students a new force to be reckoned from a private school.

In Sacred Heart College (SHC), many students are playing Sipa in different areas of the vicinity as a dismissal hobby but these instances does not seem to have caught the attention of the institution to try and assemble a team for Sepak Takraw to compete in sports events even inside Lucena City. Since Sipa and Sepak Takraw are somewhat twins in nature, creating a

PHOTO BY

KATRINA BERNALES

team for the Sepak Takraw could be a brilliant idea for a shot at bringing more glory for the flag of red and white.

Almost all schools in the city have players for Sepak Takraw, specifically those in public high schools, leaving out the Cordians in a cool clash of cartwheels and bicycles. As such, Sepak Takraw is one of the most prominent events in popular sports competitions, even in South East Asian (SEA) Games.

Looking down the wire, having the Sipa players trained into playing a more professional kind of sport will help the school to be more flexible in terms of the level of competitiveness in the playing field.

Moreover, it will be a great help for

Volume XXXIX No.1 | June to October 2019 The Official Publication of Sacred Heart College, Division of Lucena, Region IV-A CALABARZON

the health condition of aspiring Sepak Takraw players. It increases mental coordination, flexibility, muscular strength, and cardiovascular endurance.

However, risks of having muscular strain and ankle sprain is expected to someone who will be engaged in this kind of sport since various stunts like bicycle kicks are performed to add intensity in a play, but it is a fitting and natural preparation for a player with a strong heart for sports.

Players always keep the fire burning in them, with camaraderie and teamwork being lightened up to the torch for the trophy that they desire to contribute for their second home, wielding their maximum efforts to create much legacies as they can.

An interesting book will not be completely prolific if one of its chapters will not be opened by a voracious reader.

Just like in sports; it is not just enough to focus on the skills acquired by the upper body, the strength of lowermost part for kicking must also be explored.

No one knows, a big possibility that their coordinated feet will be their greatest recoiling weapon in competitions, a stepping stone towards success.

The school should not waste the chance for students to be exposed in this kind of physical activity. Sepak Takraw can be a formidable sport that the students could enjoy. There is nothing wrong about proving that Cordians can take any kind of challenge. A time will come when SHC will also be recognized profoundly as Sepak Takraw’s cut above the rest.

17

man up and return stronger than ever.

“I do not want to end my career as a done deal. I want to be remembered as the athlete who came to conquer everyone after stumbling her way in the early part of the challenges,” Adams added.

Falling Hopelessly Behind the throne of success was the despair that caused downfall to the student who reigned the different fields of sports. Tears poured for every moment of reminiscence of her grandmother who boosted her confidence and greatest inspiration in the world she gets the better of.

Her ignition of passion shut down when her grandmother passed away last March 25. The embattled athlete said that it was like the darkest moment of her life because her love for sports has been immobilized due to the mourning of her ambition— to paint the joy in her grandmother’s lips.

The 3-year athletics varsity player strengthened her faith in God, exercised persistence in the verge of difficulties and kept the undeniable support of her inspiration. “The only thing that was on my mind is that I know Lola still sees from heaven what am I doing here, and I’m aware that she knows that I still do what I love (sports),” she emotionally stated.

Dynamic Youngster The colors fly and the trees sway whenever they remember Adams as a child playing with other kids outside her home. It was never a dull moment for her to be exposed in the streets having fun with them, because that exposition brought her to where she is now.

The fragrant smell of the field and her burning love for her hobby initiated her to try-out on various sport events at school. Despite of her short stature than other girls, she paved her way to the first six set of the volleyball team of Sacred Heart College. She also booked her spot to play and win in basketball game on school, jumped in hurdles and ran under the scorching sun, representing the athletics team of the institution.

Nothing will stop a heart that is willing to challenge adversity, and that is what attracts greatness within.

SET IN MOTION ABIGAIL TAPIA

11 ABM 1

I

n a country that showcases prejudice when it comes to support in various sports other than basketball, it is a rare gem when it comes to youngsters involved in Triathlon races. The probable setback that limits them from qualifying to leg matches comprises the requirements to be geared up and to be financially ready for registration fee.

PHOTOS BY

KIRK QUIRANTE

Sequential races of cycling, swimming, and running warrant a beneficial stand for participating athletes of boosting endurance and stamina.

Getting severe injuries can be avoided since the muscles are prone to cross training practices. When the body fails to adapt to the abrupt changes from the drills, fatigue can restrain movement and give off a poor performance. Refueling the tank of energy to retain a robust figure through a balanced diet ensures a gripping knot.

Starting off small, Cordian triathlete Kirk Christian Quirante has partaken the field with full support from his parents. In a span of time, the wunderkind grew interest in this sport after trying out first his diverse recreational activities in the previous period of his childhood. Undergoing intensive trainings along with his cousins as the representatives for the Green Dolphins Tri Team created a sense of attachment as they relished their hang-outs.

“When I was asked of what course I would take, I made an excuse that I want to take culinary arts when in fact, I want to continue doing sports,“ Quirante said, “It may not be practical for others to pursue sports, but I am keen as I intend to use the fee that we get from the gigs where my band plays at.”

Aiming to establish a career out of sports involvement, he plans for more trainings in order to undertake races like Ironman and soon become an aficionado. The 16-year-old teen is determined to vie in anticipation of longer distances and tougher competitors.

Not only does a triathlete aims for a podium finish in a single event, it would be much more of a jovial fete if a slot is locked as a member of the Philippine Triathlon Team. Modest expectations are set and a tough challenge awaits as the search continues for the next propitious bet.

sports

18

June to October 2019

Cagers complete rare peat after demolishing their district foes LOUIS ZXYGNER TIERRA

12 STEM 3

T

he Cagers have created a dynasty in the North district.

PHOTO BY

DERRICK CARPIO

WITHOUT RELUCTANCE.

Melvin Cariño of Cordian Cagers launches a jump shot against the double defense of feisty SACLIans.

DUBBED ARGUMENTS

Cordian Cagers stretched their unbeaten run for over half a decade as they extended their reign to its sixth year after an 83-47 drubbing of St. Anne College Lucena, Inc. (SACLI) in a heated matchup during the 2019 District Meet Men’s Basketball Finals at Gulang-Gulang Covered Court, August 7.

In spite of the absence of team captain Melvin Cariño in the entire first half, Ivan Regio led the charge offensively with his 8 early points and effectively collaborated with his team to end the opening quarter with an 11 to nothing run, 36-19.

The match seemed to become a boxing match when the opposing teams were engaged in an exchange of words and fists before the end of the quarter, with SACLI complaining about getting hurt and not getting enough calls.

“Physical bouts and contacts will never be gone in a game. It’s normal. As stated, if you don’t want to be hurt, then you shouldn’t play basketball. You should rather play chess,” Carmelo Villapando, referee, said during the post-game interview.

Cordians remained composed as a typical championship experienced squad, instigating a defensive outburst to cap the second quarter of action as they showed that they are stellar on the other end of the floor as well, recording 11 of the 18 total steals and elevating the score to 56-32 at the half.

Momentum continued to lean on the likes of the defending champions as team captain Melvin Cariño managed to play through the pain for his team in the second half, extending the lead to a commanding 26-point margin to help the Cagers avoid a meltdown en route to a record-setting victory in a lopsided fashion.

“My leg was already in pain even before the start of the game, so I told coach to sideline me first and let them do the work first,” Cariño said, “But I tried to remain tough for my team, I wanted to be part of this so I fought the pain and went out there to contribute.”

Regio tallied 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals while Cariño garnered double digits in scoring with 11 points in just 12 minutes of action. The dominant team has brought a statement as they dominated the boards with a 24-13 difference against SACLI. “The opponent’s condition was an advantage for us. The other team got ticked off because they lack composure, which was the reason why we got them trapped from first to fourth quarter,” SHC Coach Bryant Gabiola said.

Cordians proved to be unstoppable in their pursuit for history, having a continuous process of building the team’s depth.

The Cagers will move forward to the upcoming City Meet where they will meet the other dynasties of the other respective districts.

Cheerdancing prodigies secure Intrams title defense against seasoned rivals ABIGAIL TAPIA

W

11 ABM 1

ill it really be the end of the Warriors’ dynasty?

Yes, because they used to be complete and are always together as a team, but now, their built foundation is gone. The Warriors’ core players have separated their ways already.

Reymark S. De Los Rios, 12-STEM 3

Yes, because with Stephen Curry, their main scorer, gone for a few months because of the injury, it will be a rough ride for the Warriors this season.

Evan Hans Charles C. Suarez, 12-STEM 5

No, it’s not really the end but a slow transition to a new dynasty. The Warriors now just lack familiarity at the start of the season because of the off-season changes on the roster. Maybe, their reign today is in critical situation, but they will come back more eager to win their title redemption.

Bernardino M. Ayangco, 12-STEM 3

Bloodshed from the Mundane Skirmish

T

he rejuvenated squad of 11th graders claimed the top spot anew with their impressive Brazilian-themed routine as they preserve the title to the up-and-coming batch during the Cheerdance Competition of the 2019 Intramurals at Rendu Cultural Center and Gymnasium, October 11.

It was a definition of perfection as the Grade 11 cheerleaders, headed

by Arabella Porley, displayed the craftiness of their costumes with ecofriendly props out of bottle caps and plastic bottles, and flaunted their impressive stunts with an outright dominance of their pyramid styles.

“We didn’t fight just to represent the team, but for our advantage as well,” Porley stated, “We encountered problems like some failed to attend practices which made us struggle to build our stunts, but we communicated and addressed the issue properly and that made us solid.”

The Grade 11 team did not waste much of their time and went to work abruptly, taking control of majority of the three-day slate which placed their outgoing contenders on the brink of an upset.

Snatching the titles for basketball girls and volleyball event for both boys and girls, the pumped up sensations orchestrated an impressive follow-up with their masterful performance to cap the annual sports fest and seal the championship rights.

After rigorous preparations, the swift defenders vowed to act through pain. “We had our flaws especially in the dance because not everyone

T

he real war of struggle has begun for the Golden State Warriors, and they better fight their way out of it if they were to keep their dynasty rolling.

Abruptly, the Dubs are slowly turning into a barren wasteland. This season, after dominating the National Basketball Association with a dream conclusion in 2015, the Golden State Warriors have fallen asleep in their game as they blew their chance to get a ring in last season’s Finals and retaining their top caliber player Kevin Durant.

A possible count out in the upcoming playoffs, the dynasty has collapsed since then as witnessed in the first few games of the 20192020 season while unfortunate array of events continued to add insult on their golden name etched in the rich history of the league.

Left with the splash brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson along with rim wrecker Draymond Green, the Warriors added stellar point guard D’Angelo Russell to their group and does not seem to click that well. That’s not all, with Thompson missing the first half of the season while Curry breaking his right hand and Green hurting his left index

PHOTO COURTESY

SOPHIA CATAPANG

WINNING STANCE. Grade 11 cheer dancers take their final pose with a double pyramid formation.

has the dancing skills and the successive stunting mistakes are unavoidable for us, but we didn’t think of the hardships,” she added.

The 2019 Intramurals champions hope to dodge an upset on their final year as their next quest to reclaim the title as seniors were marked on their bucket list for the next school year.

finger, they have to rely on Russell alone to keep the ball rolling.

It is just accurate at this moment to state that a glory can diminish shortly, for it is not every time that destiny will favor to those who are already on top, as a legacy might transform into a simple history.

Focusing on what happened to Curry who was left playing without majority of his mates in the wild ride to three rings in five years, Dub nation will most likely to collapse already very soon. As such, their practiced rotation has vanished and was pretty much devastated in the interim due to the star shooters and defenders who went out of their frame.

Curry served as the remaining hope of the Dubs to retain their supremacy in the league’s history, but the situations were screaming like the Warriors will not make it this year after a rough start in this term.

Currently, Steph’s team appears as one of the worst teams in the west, dwelling deep in the cellar after reaching the heavens during the past seasons. It sounds embarrassing, but they can do nothing but to accept it if it is really the end of their dynasty.

Maybe, it is over, but it is difficult to create a final conclusion.

Perhaps the team needs a makeover, like bringing back the past logo as a sign that they will continue to fight like a warrior should. Nothing is left to do but to wait for what will fate hand to the Warriors as a verdict to the wobbling hopes of their season ahead.

sports

June to October 2019

19

Cue artist nails eight-ball singles sweep, notches first City Meet gold

PHOTO BY

YUMI GOMEZ

ON CUE.

Neil Abad struts eyeto-ball coordination for an absolute shot in eight-ball pool.

ABIGAIL TAPIA

T

11 ABM 1

he Cordian snooker asserted his dominance in the 8-ball Men’s Billiards category after a 3-0 romp in the championship against his foe from Public High School to pull away with his first top showing in the City Athletic Meet at Lucena Billiard Hall, October 1.

Neil Abad brought his prime performance in the finals matchup against Rey Ilaban who tried to mount a comeback by measuring his aims and keeping his solid balls potted, but after he misfired the cue to bank the five ball the witty guy in red and white took care of business.

After patiently waiting for his turn, the composed Cordian found an easy path to the hole as he capitalized on the costly Ilaban blunder and potted the 8-ball on his first try, reclaiming his lost glory after bidding goodbye in the semis of last year.

“It is very surreal to be standing here and being hailed as a champion,” the newly-crowned champion said, “I knew that I had to put in more effort to increase my standing as of last year and it takes courage to face the challenge.”

The 8-ball champion found himself struggling in the early going of the semi-finals but eventually found his touch, eliminating his fellow Cordian pooler Morris Carandang on a pivotal 3-2 conclusion.

“Facing Morris in the semifinals was more like a finals game for me because I wanted us to be the championship contenders but fate brought us here where only one will advance, so I treated this game

as such.” He added, “In celebration of making the finals, I paid tribute to his hardwork by clearing the last stage and it was not just my victory but our victory.”

In an earlier foray for the 9-ball men’s category, Abad settled for third place alongside a younger foe in a tightlycontested stint while Carandang nabbed silver.

Abad snared the attention of the crowd in turn of events when he disposed a previous challenger who had topped him in last year’s meet in the same battle for third and fourth, redeeming himself in a 5-4 wind-up.

“On the first day, I was a bit nervous because others are skilled. I was amazed to see that my seventh grader foe already knows how to play, but my continuous practices before the competition served as my strength along with my mindset to win,” he added.

The Cordian hope is thrilled for another run as he advanced to his first-ever berth at the Triangular meet on his third playing year.

Tactical chess bet capitalizes on contender blunder, cops Women’s Chess crown in come-from-behind fashion ARIES JASPER DEALO

9 PRUDENCE

T

he sharp-minded representative of Sacred Heart College relied on the corners to trap her challenging contender’s king and complete a precarious come-from-behind win in 54 moves during the 2019 City Meet Women’s Chess Tournament Championship at Pacific Mall Lucena, October 3.

Chiara Charlize Vendiola used her Queen-Bishop combination to limit Mary Guevarra of Lucena City High School’s moves and eventually seal the surrounded crucial piece en route to an untarnished record of 6-0 throughout the competition.

PHOTO BY

CHEBER CANTOS

SETTING DEFENSE.

Blitz queen Chiara Charlize Vendiola evacuates her King away from the war zone.

“I was nervous, but was a bit comfortable with the tournament, since I knew that I had a good training,” the Cordian said during the post-game interview, “I knew that I have to keep a defensive stance when she slowly began to consume my officials.”

With preparation held to the fullest, Vendiola set herself in-pace with her 17th move, using the bishop’s power, making the first check against the opponent but Guevarra had her own strategic resorts.

Guevarra took the rooks of Vendiola in the 27th and 33rd respectively, forcing the embattled Cordian into a more cerebral clash as she tried to play catch up in terms of capture while keeping her remaining

officials heavily protected.

Momentum immediately shifted towards the pride of red and white when she captured a pivotal piece of the Lucena City High School bet, using diagonal officials to grab hold of Guevarra’s queen in the 44th move.

“The results were what mattered and not the duration of the process,” Vendiola added.

The newly-crowned champion had a rough change in her trainings this year due to conflict in schedule with her longtime coach, Raymond Llagas, initiating her to take new training procedures with a hired trainer, that gave her a new means in acquiring skills in her upcoming matches.

Aquanaut prodigy flexes consistency in City Meet NIÑO FRANCO TAN

12 STEM 4

T

he young Cordian anchor snatched a perfect 6 medals out of 6 events, 1 gold, 4 silvers, and 1 bronze respectively in her debut as a Cordian, sealing her ticket to the Triangular Meet, on the 2019 City Meet Women’s Swimming held at Quezon National High School last October 3.

Young swimmer, Excel Mendoza, dived for the gold in her 4th event, the 200m Individual Medley, with a registered time of 2 minutes and 50 seconds, as she showed dominance in the third leg to extend the distance advantage to approximately 5 meters, and represent Sacred Heart College on the Cluster Meet.

With a sluggish start in the first half of the contest, Mendoza managed to upset teammate, Arivel Adriano, as her fellow Cordian contender came up close in the breakaway of the last leg but the champion smartly conserved her stamina for the final half of the last leg, flashing her speedy flutter kicks in the freestyle leg to pull away with the win.

“Being in the first place doesn’t mean I can chill, I still need to make sure I won’t

lose my rank, that’s what pushed me to have my consistent lead throughout the race,” the gold medalist stated.

The 14-year old flyer flaunted her consistency in all events especially on those inclusive of the butterfly where she bagged two silvers out of two events against much experienced swimmers from different districts.

However, the Cordian flyer slipped the gold from her hand with just a split-second delay as she was unable to touch ahead of the gold medalist with a petite two tenths of a second shortage for a registered time of 34.59 seconds in the 50m Butterfly event.

“I could have won the event but, I couldn’t reach her on time,” Mendoza added, “I just had a slow start which gave her an early lead, that’s why I did not

PHOTO BY

RON REVILLA

TIDAL UPRISING. Pool sensation Excel Mendoza releases her conserved energy to pull-off a better finish in freestyle.

have enough time to catch up. This was a big learning experience for me as an aspiring swimmer.”

Mendoza was given no chance to take the gold in her next event with an immense deficit against the first placer, approximately 15 meters away from first place but an assuring 5 seconds advantage against the bronze medalist, to take the silver with a time of 2:54.94 seconds in the 200m Butterfly event.

“I’m exhausted already before the next race, since I exerted all my efforts in the win on my last race,” Mendoza said, “Even though I know that I’m tired, I still need to push myself and grab myself a medal, so bronze medal isn’t bad for me, it is the result of my effort.”

With the help of her teammates, Adriano, Louis Pahati, and Alyana Quijante, the Cordian Captain seized two silvers from the group events, 4x50 and 4x100 Medley Relay, to put on finishing touches on her untarnished record in the Athletic Meet.

Cordian’s ace paddler smashes his way to semis NIÑO FRANCO TAN

12 STEM 4

E

mancipated with his flaming passion, the Cordian’s Pingpong Veteran unleashed swift drives to control the offensive end of the decider of the game, securing his ticket to the Semifinals of the competition in the 2019 City Meet Table Tennis Boys Singles Division held at Pacific Mall, October 2.

Janvin Deveza salvaged the match from a fiveset thriller where he overcame two set points and delivered 13 attacks while limiting himself to nine errors along the way to claim the last two sets and snatch the 3-2 victory against John Maverick Perez of Philippine Tong Ho Institute.

“I know I have to give it all I got, knowing I need to win the last two sets, I ain’t here to go home early, I’m here to win,” Deveza stated, “Knowing that he is tired, I need to deliver quality attacks to exhaust him even more and get the win.”

The Cordian chopper capitalized on the exhausted stamina of his opponent to record four consecutive service aces with an exceptional display of drives and kills to ignite the 10-0 run and cap the lopsided decider, 11-2.

From a slow start, Deveza recovered from a sloppy 19 error game in the first three sets, diminishing it to single digits while not letting his opponent inch closer in the scoreboards throughout his pursuit for an invigorating comeback.

“I just need to lessen my errors and I can be victorious but it was truly challenging in the first set, so slowly, I worked on my game until I got my momentum back.” Deveza said.

After a heart-pounding victory, Deveza failed to catch his breath on his semifinals game resulting to a 1-3 loss against the much-experienced Erik Solland from the International School for Better Beginnings.

PHOTO BY

ETHAN QUEAÑO

HANDLING COMPOSURE.

Janvin Deveza gets ready for his quick backhand receive from the rival’s service.

sports

Ace tennis player flashes veteran form, takes pride in City Meet anew

Heartbeat The

NIÑO TAN

The Offcial Publication of Sacred Heart College, Division of Lucena, Region IV-A CALABARZON

PHOTO BY

DERRICK CARPIO

SWIRL AND TWIRL.

Relentless Summer Gabrielle Casido gracefully executes her pivotal turn routine in her favorite ribbon category.

12 STEM 4

S

acred Heart College’s consistent Lawn Tennis medalist released a barrage of backhand service aces and dominated with tremendous breakpoints to dispatch her pesky competitor and retain her crown as Queen of City Meet Women’s Lawn Tennis Singles category at Lucena City Tennis Club, October 1.

Rafaella Alexa Tayag proved that lack of training will not be a hindrance to win a game after possessing a courageous spirit enough to make Mikaela Cruz of Maryhill College yield from her one of a kind aplomb.

“The schools are outside the competition anymore, it is my responsibility for what path I will take. It is all about the player only because the main objectives there are just to fight and to win,” Tayag said.

In spite of the constant dread on her title defense, the Cordian tennis pride leaned on her vast exposure from her 6-year run as a varsity player to establish a blistering 4-0 set run over the Marian in aghast.

But Cruz refused to give it all up easily as she tallied two straight sets in the scoreboard which seemed to brought her momentum for the next sets coming off a getaway from two triple game points.

“I lost my focus because the timing of her ball really disturbed me, making me create many floppy errors,” Tayag stated, “I can’t read and understand the attacks of my opponent, she was giving back the ball to me in slow motion but I knew I had to do something before it gets out of hand.”

Tayag was able to bring back her persistence on the last two sets, finishing Cruz with a huge game point from a tactical forced error on her account to eventually reap the harvest of her hardwork and experiences that will further flourish in the upcoming Triangular meet which she has automatically reached after her successful title defense.

INCREDIBLE FLEX Cordian’s brightest prospect shines in Gymnastics, books ticket to Cluster Meet LOUIS ZXYGNER TIERRA

12 STEM 3

G

racing into the spotlight, the Cordian gymnast used her unyielding balance to retain stability for another podium finish.

Summer Gabrielle Casido flaunted a brilliant execution of masteries with her indefectible skills to bag the Individual All-Around gold medal, with a score of 42.28, worthy of gold anew, during the 2019 City Meet Girl’s Rhythmic Gymnastics at Rendu Cultural Center and Gymnasium of Sacred Heart College, October 1.

The 14-year old rising star flashed rays of flips and turns in the final round over the advantage of her veteran competitors, reigning supreme in the rope, ball, and ribbon categories.

“Upon entering the competition, I had a bad thought that I will not qualify to Cluster Meet, because I know that my opponents are good.

I have been competing with them since I was in Grade 5,” Casido said, “I expected to lose, nonetheless, I fought to win.”

The acrobat sensation added more of

her astonishing performance in the clubs category, as she captivated the crowd with her performance’s level of difficulty, enough to grant her a silver, 10.3.

“It was a difficult situation for me that time because it was evening already, and the lights inside the gym were hitting my eyes, so I can’t see the apparatus clearly,” the Cordian stated, “I was not able to catch the clubs in my last routine as my final mastery, but it made me more persistent to make my performance better, which I think, brought me to victory.”

The Cordian’s finest obtained the highest 11.05 points in ball category, after showcasing her impeccable skills in tuck and Cossack jumps with her faultless turn and push up combination, letting her secure the lead in the first half of four categories.

Aggressive in her starting routine, Casido unleashed challenging floor calisthenics in her

execution of straddle support, vertical splits, and significant passe, igniting her first 10.55 points in the competition.

The routine expert glistered more in the ribbon category, asserting dominance on her rivals with only few of her air turns and vertical split to gain additional 10.25 score.

“Casido already qualified to national competitions including Batang Pinoy at Manila last 2016, so it is expected already that she can perform well in the City Meet,” Casido’s coach, Maria Janice Deveza said, “Her flexibility is what made her outstanding, with her main trainer Dayanara Gail Arandela, head coach of the Philippine Team in gymnastics.”

The gymnastics virtuoso will undergo routine enhancement as she prepares for the upcoming Triangular Meet, hoping to grip a continuous gold run for Sacred Heart College.

SHC brown belter kicks his way to Triangular Meet ARVIE SANTOS

11 STEM1

D

ominant martial artist of Sacred Heart College glided carriage on his way to Triangular Meet as he created a vicious assault with a fascinating 19-5 triumph to pocket a gold in the 2019 City

PHOTO BY

RON REVILLA

STRAIGHT TO THE POINT.

Jose Raphael Daleon fires an enormous kick directly across the back of his rowdy competitor.

Athletic Meet Taekwondo Boys – Sparring Category, held at Pacific Mall Lucena, October 1.

Jose Raphael Daleon unleashed 7 precarious head kicks against James Alexander Reyes of Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation, finishing their first combat without letting his opponent add more of its penta-points and clinching the concluding point to prevent a final round showdown.

Daleon had a hard time getting points in the early going, because of the speed and good blocks of the Envergan, but the Cordian brown belter armored himself with surging weapons, augmenting 6 roundhouse kicks,

four in-outs, and a couple of body punches to establish the upperhand for the entirety of the match.

The taekwondo master, however, still lacked self-assurance even though it was not his first rodeo, previously being a gold medalist in the National New Face and in the National Age Group.

“I was very nervous before the match.

I thought that my opponent is strong,” Daleon said, “By the help of my coach, I gained confidence that I needed, to face my opponent with all that I have.”

Daleon vowed to pour his best as he vies for the upcoming Triangular Meet against the province’s prestigious taekwondists.

Cordian leaper silences parental doubts, soars high in City Meet GIAN GIMENEZ

11 HUMSS 1

A

career-driving triumph to prove the extent of her capabilities to her folks.

The aspiring all-around athlete showcased the importance of believing in one’s self as she hovered towards victory and deny her parents’ predictions on her performance in the 2019 City Athletics Meet— Women’s High Jump Competition at Lucena City National High School, October 1.

Patricia Adams did what she did best to create a sentence that she is not to be counted out in the city stage and cleared the whooping height of 4 feet and an inch to turn the tables on her favor against fellow Cordian finalist Brennah Gabiola.

“Sadly, my parents did not believe in me that I can bring home a medal from a high jump competition,” Adams said, “Actually, they wanted me to discontinue my sport already. They thought that I can’t because of my poor health stamina, but I know to myself that I can do it, so I continued like no one was stopping me.”

Adams faced the threat of her foes as she tripped on the 3 feet 4 inch line in the early game, but her resiliency and experience helped her focus to jump her way back into contention.

However, the Cordian high jumper faced another critical adversity when she fell on the 3’8 ft and 4 ft rounds respectively, placing her on the cusp of elimination twice.

“I was getting pretty tired when it came to the higher jumping rounds,” the 16-year-old Cordian jumper stated, “That was the last event of the City Meet on its final day, and prior to this event I had two running events yesterday and a relay event earlier this morning.”

Adams was just not familiar with the word quit as adrenaline rushed with her, icing the game with a smooth hurdle followed by a sweet fall knowing that she will wear the High Jump crown with gait.

PHOTO BY

AIRA ROPEREZ

OVER THE HURDLE.

Patricia Adams passionately jumps mid air to reach the zenith of the height range.