Nudo Veritas 2020-2021 | Volume 26 No. 2

insidepages

Frontliners, seniors feign in CDO LGU doses strike NEWS | PAGE 2

IRONY INTAKE coverstory

nudoveritas the power to write is the power to achieve Vol. 26 No. 2 • The Official Publication of Gusa Regional Science High School-X • Division of Cagayan de Oro • Region X • November 2020-April 2021

schoolnews

suPRESSed Freedom

Anti-Terror Law gags RS campus journos

Errors in modules cause education struggle

by EDJOP MEDADO

Gusa Regional Science High School – X (GRSHS – X) campus journalists expressed threat to freedom of speech with President Rodrigo Duterte’s enactment of Anti-Terrorism Bill to Anti-Terrorism Act.

by DANICA FABRO As the Department of Education (DepEd) started the school year with blended learning, students and parents nationwide voiced out struggles pertaining to error-ridden learning modules (LMs); this and other concerns are resolved by the school.

With broad offenses such as inciting others to commit terrorism through “speeches, writings, proclamations, emblems, banners, and other representations tending to the same end,” the Republic Act 11479 restricts GRSHS –X campus journalists’ right of dissent in a bid to not be tagged as a “terrorist.”

“Di parehas sa una, karon nga naa na gyud tay batas nga pwede ta itudlo nga terorista tungod lang kay nagsturya ta, gakalimitahan ang atong freedom of speech and right of dissent (It’s different now.

With an actual law that may brand us as terrorists for simply speaking up, our freedom of speech and right of dissent is being limited.),” stated Janicah Mira-ato, a feature writer.

Moreover, the recent shutdown of the nation’s biggest broadcaster ABS – CBN last May, stirred more fear, with some campus journalists pointing the said incident as a blatant attack to press freedom.

“Klaro na kaayo kay, pag shutdown palang daan sa ABS, mura na sad to siya og pag shutdown sa tingog sa mga tao nga naay ikasulti sa gobyerno (The ABS – CBN shutdown was a clear message that Filipinos who speak up against the government are being silenced),” expressed TV broadcasting video journalist, Francis Ordeniza.

The journalist also added that he had no problem with a law against terrorism as long as it was made specific “who the terrorists are,” leaving no room for red-tagging.

/modules on P3

OPINION | PAGE 4

Of the Rich, the Poor, and Benefit of the Powerful FEATURE | PAGE 8-9

COVID-19 Vaccines: Biodefense to Biosecurity SCIENCE | PAGE 12

1

st

Editorial Section NSPC 2020Tuguegarao City

/atl on P3

FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. Large-scale protests were conducted amidst the restriction on mass gathering due to COVID-19 Pandemic. These protests were due to Duterte’s ratification of the Anti-Terror Law. Retrieved from SUNSTAR MANILA

on rising suicide incidents

CDO-LGU, RS admin raise mental health plight

by JAMES PUNSALAN With rising cases of students having severe psychological related problems, CDOLGU and Gusa Regional Science High School – X admin boost awareness for mental health over the pandemic.

Statistics from Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that suicide incidents increased to 25.7 percent in 2020 with most of the incidents were from the age range of 12-30 years old, which includes students.

“We believe that suicide cases are not just a mental health problem but a social problem as well,” City Councilor Edgar Cabanlas said on an interview.

Student-researchers of GRSHS-X studied the answers of Grade 11 students in the surveys they developed on Mental Health.

According to the grade 12 researcher, the results showed poor results due to the modular learning system.

“Of course, it is hard maintaining good mental health and good grades in this type of learning, the bar is set very high for us to reach,” said grade 11 respondent Christine Kionisala.

Institution head Charlyn Baylon expressed in an interview “The guidance counselor is doing her best to reach out so that students are not burdened so much.”

Quarterly online check-ups are also done by the student body to know the students’ struggles with the said type of learning.

Dogged Playbook

VISIT NUDO VERITAS’ FACEBOOK PAGE

BY SCANNING THIS QR CODE

nudoveritas • Vol. 26 No. 2 • The Official Publication of Gusa Regional Science High School-X • Division of Cagayan de Oro • Region X • November 2020-April 2021

NEWS

the power to write is the power to achieve

2

CDOmino Effect Frontliners, seniors feign in CDO LGU doses strike

by DANICA FABRO

PROTECTION. City health workers received the first batch of the SINOVAC vaccines from the national government. Photo taken on March 20, 2021 at Northern Mindanao Medical Center, one of the city’s COVID-19 Vaccination Facilities. Retrieved from CDO Public Information Office

insidethissection

2

Local entrepreneurs pivot towards mask-making business

3

As long as we all get the vaccines – Baylon

Cagayan de Oro LGU slowed down efforts for vaccination to health workers days after reporting vaccines “kept coming” and how non-frontliners will be vaccinated ahead of schedule, according to Head for Logistics in the local COVID-19 Task Force Dr. William Bernardo. by the numbers

CDO COVID-19 Vaccination Drive

19, 700

of the doses of SinoVac and AstraZeneca Vaccines.

49.77%

of about 14, 000 local frontlines received their vaccination in Northern Mindanao, according to the local DOH report.

art by JAMES PUNSALAN

by the numbers

ONE SEAT APART:

Numbers to remember when commuting in CDO

50% of the total passengers are allowed in Public Utility Vehicles. This is in pursuant to LTFRB Guidelines for Public Transportation in Mitigating the Spread of COVID-19.

P 10 is the minimum fare in Public Transportation in Cagayan de Oro. The COVID-19 Pandemic caused an increase of P 2.00 from the regulat P 8.00 minimum fare.

Bernardo positively explained early March, if the vaccines keep on coming, the start for vaccinations for nonfrontliners might start before the second quarter.

In support of Bernardo’s statement, CDO Mayor Oscar Moreno also positively expressed in an interview, the frontliners and the local officials were in high spirits of the improvement rates reaching at least a 97 percent ahead of schedule.

Northern Mindanao received a total of 19,700 doses of both SinoVac and AstraZeneca which 33.28 percent of it are anchored to CDO, according to City Health Officer Dr. Ted Yu. “The city’s elderly would be the first non-health workers to be vaccinated,” he said in a Rappler interview.

Insufficiency Issue However, as of March 12, only 49.77 percent or 4,697 of the local frontliners were reported to have received their vaccination two weeks after the SinoVac arrival in Northern Mindanao, according to the local DOH report.

Bernardo reacted and said the vaccine supplies were not enough to meet the city’s requirements.

With a total of 9,500 or more frontliners, the remaining 51.23 percent of them would have to wait for the next wave of vaccines which is AstraZeneca.

Second Wave Contrarily, Moreno said a week after, they are expecting the second wave of vaccinations to be delivered to the city within the month.

Local entrepreneurs pivot towards mask-making business by IVY JEAN SILAGAN As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten the economy, many local businessmen went on a new route by selling face masks/ shields, undoubtedly the most in-demand products in this health crisis.

Randy Gomez, who runs a photo studio with his wife Mina, shifted from taking photos and selling photography equipment to making fashionable and sparkly face masks to sustain their family’s needs.

“Di ba usually sa parties ang backdrop nila ‘yung makikintab.

Eh nung nag pandemic nawalan kami ng event.

‘Yung mga tinda namin na backdrop, ang ginawa naming, binasag muna namin, ginawa naming face mask (Parties usually need shiny backdrops.

When the pandemic started, we lost bookings.

So, we decided to cut the backdrops and turn them into face masks),” he told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview.

Their stylish face masks are now among the top selling products in online like Shopee and Lazada – an accomplishment they never expected.

He claimed that buyers left good reviews for their face masks because they not only protect them from the virus, but also for their eye-catching designs. “’Yung mga bumibili nagpo-post sila ng pictures, sine-send

“

When the pandemic started, we lost bookings.

So, we decided to cut the backdrops and turn them into face masks.

RANDY GOMEZ, Local Mask Vendoor

sa ‘min. Sa work nila ginagamit kasi ‘yung surgical mask, very common, pinapatungan ng sequined face mask (Our buyers post photos then they send them to us. They use them over their surgical face masks),” he said.

Gomez said one backdrop could make at least 100 face masks. To date, he and his wife have sold more than 4,000 masks with an affordable price of Php 40 each.

However, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) warned that criminal charges will be filed against suspected businessmen who sell or re-sell medical products with high prices.

Under the Consumer Act or RA No. 7394, overpricing of face masks may be considered as an unfair and unprincipled sales act or practice since it involves taking advantage of consumers in this time of need.

These individuals could also face a twomonth imprisonment or a fine ranging from Php 10, 000 to Php 1 million, or both, according to RA 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.

STOP DOMESTIC VIOLENCE!

art by JAMES PUNSALAN

“Katong pang-second dose, i-deliver na nila sooner or later,” said Moreno reiterating the AstraZeneca vaccines import.

Moreno also explained his position optimizing the allocation of all available vaccines to be jabbed to the medical frontliners.

Prioritized seniors After the frontliners’ vaccine inoculation, CDO LGU also prioritizes the senior citizens and the priority groups.

Acting City Health Officer Lorraine Nery said in a report, stimulation exercises were conducted at Barangay Gusa and Barangay Bulua on March 19, in preparation of their doses.

“Hopefully mahuman nato ug simulate ang atong 15 ka mga vaccination sites na gi-prepare,” said Nery.

PUBLIC INFORMATION. Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno in his regular 11 a.m. Press Briefing. The said activity commenced since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

Moreno with other City Health Officials report to the public the latest statistics and situation regarding the said pandemic. Retrieved from CDO PIO

PH online searches on domestic abuse rise amidst lockdown

by EDJOP MEDADO United Nations Women (UN Women), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and Analytics Company Quilt.AI, asserted a 63% rise of online searches concerning to domestic abuse and women violence amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

These online searches included entries such as “men hitting women,” “spouse abuse,” “boyfriend hit me,” and “controlling men” or “controlling husband.”

In their report titled, “COVID-19 and Violence against Women: The Evidence behind the Talk,” the authors stated that domestic violence is “strongly manifested online, as search queries related to VAWG [violence against women and girls], including physical, sexual, and psychological violence, all rose during the same period.”

Searches specifically relating to physical violence rose 63% in the

communitynews

NorMin unemployment hits 15-year high,

GRSHS – X parents scramble for job alternatives

by EDJOP MEDADO

With community lockdowns pushing the nation into a state of economic recession, Northern Mindanao unemployment rate peaks at 11.1% affecting Gusa Regional Science High School – X (GRSHS – X) parents.

CALL FOR HELP. Displaced jeepney drivers were forced to beg for money on the streets as COVID-19 continues to halt the public transportation.

Retrieved from PHILIPPINE STAR/MICHAEL VARCAS

Philippines, 55% in Nepal, and 47% in Malaysia during the said period.

Meanwhile, Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), strongly denounced all forms of victim blaming and shaming as such acts promote the culture of misogyny that justifies and normalizes abuse against women.

“We need to challenge the culture of victim-blaming and shaming in the Philippines. Violence is never the victim’s fault, and assailants and perpetrators of these acts must be held accountable,” PCW chairman, Sandra Montano, on victim blaming.

The chairman also added that she is hopeful that programs from PCW, which include #JuanaSaPanahonNgCorona and Provision of Violence against Women (VAW) Referral Services, will lessen the number of cases of domestic abuse amidst the pandemic.

NEWS 3

nudoveritas • Vol. 26 No. 2 • The Official Publication of Gusa Regional Science High School-X • Division of Cagayan de Oro • Region X • November 2020-April 2021

According to DepEd Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio, affecting GRSHS-X and other public schools, the agency reported and monitored 41 errors which included 27 errors from locally developed DepEd field units, 11 from unknown sources, and three were from the central office for quality assurance, all of which are from the first week of classes in October.

“Kasabot man ko nga naa jud nay mali ang mga modules kay lisod ni nga pagtuon karon, pero mas lisod man jud sa estudyante magtuon og mali,” expressed Marisol Datahan, a Grade 11 student from GRSHS-X. [I understand there is bound to be something wrong with our modules since it is a tough type of learning, but it is tougher for us students to learn what are known to be wrong].

Alongside SLMs are educational sources in the form of media through television, radio, and Youtube, which have also been spotted having errors such as the virtual incorrect rhythmic lesson, body-shaming content regarding actress Angel Locsin, and SLMs as alleged cause of two student deaths in Davao region.

coverstory

Errors in modules cause education struggle /modules from P1

“

Kasabot man ko nga naa jud nay mali ang mga modules kay lisod ni nga pagtuon karon, pero mas lisod man jud sa estudyante magtuon og mali.

MARISOL DATAHAN, Grade 11 Student

schoolnews

/atl from P1 “Wala man jud koy problema anang anti-terrorist nga batas bay. Pero dapat specific gyud who the terrorists are, especially karon with the latest cases of red-tagging (I have no issue with an ‘anti-terrorism law.’ As long as the terrorists in question are specifically defined, especially with these latest cases of redtagging.)”

Meanwhile, Special Program in Journalism (SPJ) coordinator, Estormeo Serena shares insights on how GRSHS – X protects its campus journalists amidst threat to press freedom and red tagging.

“I correct campus journalists who mislead stories without my consent or approval, since campus journalists must also abide school’s policies and regulation,” the National-SchoolsPress-Conference winning coach stated.

The AntiTerrorism Act of 2020 replaced the former Human Security of Act of 2007, under the grounds on the latter being inefficient and having too many safeguards. However with Anti-Terrorism act being too vague, Amnesty International and numerous Filipino citizens called upon the rejection of said legislation.

Faulty music lessons One of the said issues regarded a teacher named Eujan Abracia who starred in DepEd’s Youtube video discussing rhythmic patterns for a music class in MAPEH. As of December 2020, when it was posted, the video spread and so did the teacher for committing the musical error of clapping four times instead of counting four times to represent a whole note and pronounced a 4/4 time signature wrongly.

“Some of the teachers who teach Music are not really Music graduates,” reacted a music teacher online.

GRSHS-X students also expressed opinions online, “MAPEH is a really neglected subject, it is intended to ‘newbies’ or teachers with different majors.”

Body-shaming content Another related issue included actress Angel Locsin branded as “an obese person” in a Grade 10 MAPEH module in Occidental Mindoro, according to a Bandera report.

Taking responsibility, Occidental Mindoro Schools Division superintendent Roger Capa told the media, “The said material is a teacher-

made assessment for a Grade 10 MAPEH class and was not contained in the SLM and qualityassured by DepEd Central Office.”

Bugo NHS Grade 10 student Xandrew Bahala stated, “Dili unta mag-tolerate og body-shame labaw na nga teachers sila.” [I hope body-shaming will not be tolerated especially as they are teachers].

Suicide-inducing pressure Reports about an alleged modulecaused suicide of two students from Davao region surfaced online as DepEd continued their investigation since October 2020.

According to a report from the Police Regional Office 11 , the bodies of Grade 7 and 8 students were found hanging prior to SLMs paraphernalia and pressure of workload.

Region 10 learners, after finding out about the neighboring region issue, took matters at hand and developed psychological help online through webinars and self-check surveys in schools done by the SSG. “Our mental health should always be one of our top priorities,” reacted Julianni Jayoma an SSG officer of GRSHS – X.

by KYLA JAVIER

DepEd releases memo on attendance In March of this year, the Department of Education (DepEd) released a memorandum (DepEd Memo no. 014 s. 2021) stating the newest addition to the second annex of the Learner Attendance Conversion Tools (LACT) wherein submitted outputs/modules of learners is converted into class day attendance.

NOTHING TO WORRY. Grade 10 Teacher, Jasmine Joy Tiempo explains the content of the newly released DepEd Memorandum on Attendance. Photo by JAMES PUNSALAN

The aim of this memo is to ensure the collection of necessary data for evidence-based decision making for S.Y. 2020-2021.

The school which uses the printed modality implemented LACT 3 which converts the number of submitted outputs over number of required outputs multiplied by number of days. After two weeks

To prevent COVID – 19 exposure acquired from in-store shopping, Gusa Regional Science High School– X (GRSHS – X) students opt for online shopping.

In a survey from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on April 2020, the region’s unemployment rate is at its highest since 2005, displacing a total of 236,000 workers.

“Nag-trabaho ko una sa Bigby’s, pero tungod sa pandemic natangtang ko’s akong trabaho kay kailangan man mag lay off og mga trabahante (I worked at Bigby’s Café and Restaurant before, but because of the pandemic I lost my job, since the restaurant could not sustain many employees),” expressed Marya Chello Espenila, parent of a GRSHS –X seventh-grader.

The single mom also added that she sought out other job alternatives before settling in a sarisari store business.

“Nangita ko og lain nga trabaho para masustentuhan ang akong anak, labaw na nga mahal kaayo ang mga gamit sa online class

jargons such as “mine” and “pa-mine” being uttered by Filipino netizens.

“Kapoy man gud maglakaw karon tapos delikado busa dali ra kaayo ko makapalit og items online. Tapos mostly sad sa mga na try nako nga live selling kay they offer door-to-door delivery (Going outside is tiring and dangerous, that is why I opt to buying items online. And also, basing from most of my experiences, items from live selling offer convenient door-todoor delivery services),” expressed senior high school student, Janine Abonitalla, on live selling.

Meanwhile, Attorney Fel Lester Brillantes, chief of Consumer

karon, pero sa nadugay, nag settle nalang man nuon ko sa sari-sari store nga negosyso (I sought for other job opportunities to sustain my child’s online learning needs, but eventually I settled for a sarisari store business).”

Another parent of a GRSHS - X student, Jeuzeth Medado, expressed that “shift to online business” is a much stable way to bring food on the table amidst the global health crisis.

“Sales agent baya ko sa Filinvest sa una pero kailangan undangan kay nag click sa ako nga shift to online business, sa tunga-tunga ane nga pandemic, ang mas stable nga pamaagi para makapangwarta (I was once a sales agent in Filinvest but I had to quit, because I realized that online business is a much stable way to earn money in the middle of this pandemic).”

Protection Division of the Department of Trade and Industry – Region 10 (DTI – 10), reminded consumers to be wary on the goods and services they will be buying online.

“In DTI, we are encouraging everyone to transact only with those who are registered and have appropriate government registrations for consumer protection,” asserted Brillantes.

The lawyer also added that if ever faced with the cons of online transaction, there are laws that protect consumers against fraud, such as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, the Consumer Act of the Philippines, and the Electric Commerce Act of 2002.

Meanwhile, an issued statement of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III, assured displaced workers provision of employment facilitation services while on the wait for the remainder of the Duterte administration’s recovery plan.

“Rest assured that we will continue to provide employment facilitation services, in different platforms – online, digital, faceto-face with the assistance of our Public Employment Service Offices (PESOs),” the secretary stated.

The Philippine economy fell to its worst post-war recession in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, aggravated by the onslaught of natural disasters, like Taal Volcano’s eruption and a string of strong typhoons that devastated both lives and livelihood.

Lennie Cabantac of the Senior High School (SHS) Department deviated from the majority’s opinion.

“For me, it’s okay in a way that students will be pressured to really do their responsibilities in school because they don’t want to be marked as absent. Most of the times, many students do not follow the schedule. More like they decided when to pass their outputs”, she strongly expressed.

DepEd looks forward for comfort and ease amidst pandemic.

FROM BRICKS TO CLICKS RS studes embrace ‘new normal’ of shopping

by EDJOP MEDADO

on possibiity of face-to-face classes

As long as we all get the vaccines – Baylon

by EDJOP MEDADO

HIGH HOPES. New School Head, Charlyn Baylon talks about pressing issues on Distance Learning Modality, future plans for the betterment of the school and students in a sitdown interview, March 17, 2021. Photo by DANICA FABRO

Newly-seated Gusa Regional Science High School – X (GRSHS – X) principal, Charlyn Baylon, looked forward to a safe “face-to-face” schooling in an interview with Nudo Veritas, March 17.

According to the principal, a “back-to-school” scenario is hoped for, but all parties involved must be safe from the threat of the COVID-19 virus.

“I’m hopeful [for face-to-face classes], as long as we all get the vaccines,” the principal conditioned.

The former schoolmaster of Macasandig National High School, also shared that issues arising from the current “new normal” of learning, such as mental health struggles and domestic violence cases, are concerns currently dealt with GRSHS – X institution.

“Our guidance office is doing her best to address these relevant issues, and help learners who have the tendency to experience abuse, mental, psychosocial, and emotional challenges,” the principal expressed.

Meanwhile, on the topic of student activism, the principal advised GRSHS – X learners to focus more on positivity and progress rather than “extreme activism.”

“Ayaw mo kahimong NPA (Do not become an NPA). Do not go to the point that you will risk your lives, you go out there holding guns, and eventually die,” the head-of-the-school cautioned.

With two school quarters down, the Supreme Student Government (SSG) president, Anna Lorejo expressed her admiration to the newly-appointed principal of GRSHS-X. “When it comes to student engagement, the principal is approachable and open to opinions.

I sometimes think of her as a friend figure,” the 18-year-old president shared.

NorMin tourism loses P1-B income, Economy Task Group adapts ‘tourism bubble’

by EDJOP MEDADO

To revive Region 10 tourism industry from a PHP 1-billion loss, the Economy Task Group of the Northern Mindanao Task Force for COVID -19 adapts “tourism bubble” strategy.

photo by GELYNETH HEDUCOS

In a data from E-commerce group, iPrice, Philippines tops in Southeast Asia in terms of online shopping growth by 57% - a statistic that reflects the new “normal” of shopping experience among GRSHS – X students.

“With online shopping, it is less hassle and much safer because I won’t be exposed outside.

With my item being delivered door to door, all I need to do is disinfect my parcel,” stated Grade 12 student, Danicah Rocci Mondido, on the pros of online shopping.

Meanwhile, an emerging mode of online retail known as “live selling” is becoming popular among virtual marketplaces, with

of implementation, the turnout was really good. Students become compliant and conscious of the deadline, and late submissions decreased.

“This memo is for attendance monitoring only. If the outputs did not meet the deadline, they are still welcome for submission,” stated Jasmine Joy Tiempo, Grade 10 teacher.

While the new LACT 3 did not receive that much praise from some students, raising worries about slow internet connection and lack of accessibility to laptops and printers,

schoolnews

by the numbers

ADD TO CART:

The rise of e-shopping in PH

57% 4.9B

increase of online shopping transactions in the first half of 2020 compared to same period last year was recorded by iPrice Group’s Map of E-commerce Report. The increase caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic was the biggest in Southeast Asia. total number of online shopping sessions were also recorded, this was 53% more than last years’ figure.

Through “tourism bubble”, local tourists are allowed to experience leisure travel within specified areas of the region with strict compliance to minimum health protocols.

“Striking a balance between health and economy is not a destination. It is a process,” expressed the National Economic and Development Authority – X (NEDA – X) Director, Mylah Faye Aurora Cariño, on the “tourism bubble” plan.

The Economy Task Group Head also reminded that economic and health aspects should not be the only parts to be looked at, but aspects such as “governance, peace and order, and even rate of response of our local government units to the many consequences of the COVID – 19 pandemic,” must also be included.

Moreover on the discussion of tourism boosting amidst the pandemic, the Economy Task Group reached out to the region’s major telco operators on digital infrastructure developments in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We heed the President’s call. We are upgrading our connectivity from 3G to 4G and we’re very excited to see this through by the end of this year,” stated Mr. James Lopez of Globe Telecom.

The Economy Task Group are also optimistic that the pandemic will be short-term, and future projects such as Panguil Bay Bridge Project, Bukidnon Airport Development, and “metropolitanization” of Cagayan de Oro, will commence in the near future.

“Yes, we are in the pandemic, but we see this as short-term and that we are poised for the further development set by next year,” expressed Cariño.

nudoveritas • Vol. 26 No. 2 • The Official Publication of Gusa Regional Science High School-X • Division of Cagayan de Oro • Region X • November 2020-April 2021

OPINION

the power to write is the power to achieve

4

nudoveritas editorialboard 2020-2021 Editor-in-Chief JAMES PUNSALAN Associate Editor MELIZA ROCAT Managing Editors DAN JUBAY DANICA FABRO Circulating Manager PRINCE JANINO CALIO KYLA TIFANNY JAVIER News Editors DANICA MAE FABRO EDJOP MEDADO* Opinion Editor MELIZA ROCAT Feature Editor NICOLE BONSILAO Science Editor DESIREE POJAS Sports Editors JOHN PAUL ESTARES IVY SILAGAN Graphic Design and Layout Editor DAN JUBAY Staff Writers LHIAN JOIE BRANZUELA SORAINE NOEL PATT NICOLE BOLIJUAN MARTHA MACALTAO OLIESHAN ORDOYO HANZ CALIO PRINCE CALIO Illustrators/ Page Designers JIREH MAE CASINO DAN JUBAY SHAUN ARTHUR PAO JAMES PUNSALAN SCOTT ROA School Paper Adviser JASMINE JOY TIEMPO JEANY MAE MACALAM ESTORMEO SERENA (Senior High School) School Journalism Coordinator ESTORMEO SERENA Consultant CHARLYN BAYLON *Interim

DISCLAIMER The views and opinions expressed by the Nudo Veritas Editorial Board do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of those in the administration of Gusa Regional Science High School-X. Any content provided by our writers are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.

editorial

DOGGED PLAYBOOK The free marketplace of ideas, bustling with progressive critique—even more so due to the dire state of the country’s affairs—is under fire once again. Continued tirades of the administration now target academic institutions all over the nation, red-tagging students of these schools in a show of cowardly desperation to crack down against dissent.

On January 15, the Department of National Defense (DND) scrapped its 1989 accord with the University of the Philippines (UP), the safe haven of activists, which barred state forces from entering its campuses.

According to DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, the accord was obsolete, unnecessary, and not in the best interest of students; even going so far as stating that having such a mandate was ‘special treatment’ for UP. More than a week later, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) red-tagged 38 State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) as breeding grounds for rebels without evidence; Cagayan de Oro’s Xavier University and Mindanao State University (MSU) System Iligan and General Santos campuses included.

Though at this point, having the government’s top ranks constantly red-tag individuals and link them to the communist insurgency is short of surprising. President Duterte himself has time and time again slammed critics—evidenced in the shutdown and attacks against media giants, the overwhelming rise in cases of impunity, and the signing of the AntiTerror Law (ATL), the latter of which prompts the administrative hand to be one finger away from pulling the trigger.

And as if to drive the point home, Duterte said in a press briefing, “[If the enemy is holding a gun], kill them. Kill them right away. Ignore human rights. That is my order.”

Just two days after, nine activists were killed and six were arrested in CALABARZON police raids.

With every pronouncement made, the gun is just waiting to be pointed at anyone. But at the moment, its crosshairs align at the Filipino student. Democratic spaces continue to shrink in this regime, and with the safety of academia visibly threatened, activism and democracy are further jeopardized.

The red-tagging spree on universities and abrogation of accords that safeguarded free thought only

enables oppression, militarization, and undeniably more bloodshed.

It also produces a chilling effect to academic institutions nationwide, boiling down to the hampering of student activists and journalists even by their own faculty, instead of promoting critical thought and fight back against the state’s effort in exerting absolute subserviency.

Robert Roy Gallardo, previous editor-in-chief of Nudo Veritas and now studying at the University of the Philippines Cebu, had his own share of experience in Gusa Regional Science High School-X (GRSHS-X).

“With the current political climate of the country, the incompetence of the Duterte administration is worth talking, and of course, dissenting. I received a “pep-talk” from a faculty member once that I should be wary of the things that I do, especially with dissenting to the current administration,” he said.

“With red-tagging present in academic grounds, it affects how students think about their political belief. […] The lack of spaces where we are open to discuss and subjects that involve politics and society are not used to their goals as the curriculum is problematic.”

Even previous Ang Sinagtala editor-in-chief Danica Armendarez, now a member of Xavier University’s Crusader Publication, experienced the same situation in GRSHS. According to her, students would get backlash when they are not on the same page when it comes to political issues with their educators, and that they red-tag by way of smart-shaming even on social media, thus making the institution a toxic and unhealthy environment for political thoughts.

“As journalists, you don’t deserve the feeling of being limited nor the anxiety of being called out because you have published these and that.

We don’t write to filter out words just to comply for the reader’s liking.

We write because we unleash truth for others, and it’s never our fault (and wala jud tay control) if the truth comes ugly or not,” she added.

Stigma shrouding dissent and sound criticism against the state has existed far before Duterte’s reign; however, it has only festered in his administration. Stories like Robert’s and Danica’s are prominent not just in the student journalism circle, but also outside it where circumstances are harsher; Cagayan de Orobased journalists have since faced abduction, harassment, and security threats—all part of vilification

campaigns after being red-tagged for voicing disagreement.

Collective action is significant in order to create change. This is evident in such that the youth, ever the driving force of the country’s activism, has become passionate in upholding human rights and embodying the pleas of the marginalized; merely radicalized by the government’s shortcomings that made itself clear over the years especially during the pandemic.

Let this façade of powerplay be a reminder of how desperate the state is to turn away from accountability, and instead silence the voice of Filipino youth.

This regime’s dogged playbook must be at its last chapter—protect and uphold academic freedom, hands off our students, criminalize red-tagging. With the crumbling of academic freedom and the government’s continuing tirades, a fate just as perilous awaits student activists if not acted upon soon.

“

With every pronouncement made, the gun is just waiting to be pointed at anyone. But at the moment, its crosshairs align at the Filipino student.

art by SHAUN ARTHUR PAO

caughtincrossfire

At the Hands of the Trigger-happy

by LHIAN JOIE BRANZUELA

The Philippine National Police (PNP) stands by the motto of “To Serve and Protect,” and oaths to defend the constitution. Ironically, sequential events of their brutal and illogical actions towards the Filipino people seem to make it senseless. From human rights violations conducted by policemen themselves to an environment of impunity encouraged by the president, it seems to have been made as a culture in the system. Now, who do you call when the protectors attack those who they are supposed to defend?

Not quite recently, news of a policeman killing a 25-year-old man and his 52-yearold mother in Paniqui, Tarlac sparked the nation with reactions ranging from the ordinary folk to celebrities and government officials especially on social media. There were plenty of mixed reactions on the case which caused a huge mass of action on Twitter with the hashtag #StopTheKillingsPH addressing the culture of impunity in the Philippine National Police (PNP) System.

However, former national police chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa begged to oppose this alleged custom as well as saying that it is only full of stupidity. In a public press briefing, Dela Rosa stated that it is merely an isolated case and is used by the opposition to frame and create stories in order to wreak havoc towards the government. Moreover, he also questioned if

there were any police chiefs, regional directors or any to the lowest level of PNP’s command who ordered to shoot suspects; to which he confidently answered “None,” to his own rhetoric.

On the other hand, several sources provided evidence of the system’s abuses even from several years before the climax of Duterte’s War on Drugs. Starting with the most prominent and recent for this year, at least 26 Lumad students and teachers from the University of San CarlosTalamban Campus (USC) in Cebu were taken into the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) alongside the Central Visayas Police on February 15 as a “rescue operation”. According to the PNP, with lack of substantial evidence, the students were brought to Cebu to “undergo training as future combatants.”

Next, in 2020, the shooting of the Gregorios triggered netizens to

address the system.

Then, last 2017 marked the death of Kian delos Santos during Duterte’s War on Drugs which according to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), was intentional.

Lastly, according to the government’s own statistics, the PNP killed 50 percent more people during the lockdown from April to July 2020 than on previous months proving the increased number of killings during the pandemic.

Duterte’s encouragements towards these bloodthirsty tirades remain an apparent reason of the government’s tolerance.

Last 2016, he had also promised to “protect” policemen and soldiers who lead his bloody drug war, saying, “I will not allow one policeman or one military to go to jail.”

In 2018, he lashed out yet again at Catholic bishops this time, saying that they should be killed for they have no purpose, and adds that “all they do is

criticize.” And on April 1 of last year, he addressed and ordered the police and military to “shoot and kill anybody who causes trouble, or questions the government’s measures during lockdown without hesitation,” adding that he would also protect them. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW) deputy Asia director Phil Robertson, “Countless times, Duterte has excused police misconduct and promised to let them off the hook.”

With the president continuing to herald his unfavorable bias to the police, posing no real threat to those overstepping their line of work, it is no surprise that these same armed individuals also continue to do as they please. Truly, our country’s primary source of protection has turned into a group of trigger-happy loons.

The currently existing culture of brutality, abuse, impunity, and human rights violations only show how

much it has been excused in the country. From the highest national leader to government officials, there is no denying that the tradition has been further instilled into the system with enough proof. As it turns out, even the hero backfires into the people they should be protecting. And when that happens, society is forced into silence and watch the blood spill.

“To serve and protect” has been a phrase that, time and time again, has proven itself to be futile. Who do you call when the so-called protectors attack those who they’re supposed defend? Once the protector harms, society can do nothing with nobody else to save them.

That is, unless somebody speaks up; which today is nearly impossible, lest you want to be at gun-point as well.

“

With the president continuing to herald his bias to the police, it is no surprise that these armed individuals also continue to do as they please.

OPINION 5

nudoveritas • Vol. 26 No. 2 • The Official Publication of Gusa Regional Science High School-X • Division of Cagayan de Oro • Region X • November 2020-April 2021

voxpopuli

faultyrebuke?

The Blame Game

by SORAINE NOEL

On the onslaught of the Typhoon Ulysses, the president has been virtually absent in relief efforts. The hashtag #NasaanAngPangulo has been trending.

Instead of directing help and reassurance towards those in the affected parts of the country as the typhoon lashed out at the main part of Luzon, they rather attack the opposing party.

The poor disaster risk reduction response was mostly due to the government cutting down the funds for disaster risk reduction, as well as not shouldering the accountability during the onslaught of the typhoon.

“The prime duty of the Government is to serve and protect the people,” as directly stated in the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines. It is then expected that the government have the best interests in protecting and serving their people whatever way it be.

Considering that the Philippines is a tropical country that experiences natural calamities on a regular basis, the government should have always been prepared in such because Filipinos have been resilient enough to be aware of the damage these calamities have brought us.

The congress during the deliberations of the 2020 National Budget reduced the budget allocation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) to only Php 16 billion. The Php 4 billion cut could have helped in addressing the effects of Ulysses.

Even when President Duterte and his officials maintain that the preparations for Typhoon Ulysses, a lack of coordination was seen, especially in giving out information on the number of deaths.

When Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque was repeatedly asked who should be held accountable for the series of mishaps on the onslaught of the typhoon, he blamed climate change. Despite the different incidents that can be traced too directly to government failures; the proliferation of illegal mining in Cagayan Valley, hazard maps that were not followed, lack of coordination on the release of water from Magat Dam, among others.

The government and the people may have been tested for the year 2020. It is being tested by different numerous natural calamities; such as the Taal eruption in January, the COVID-19 pandemic in February until now, and the different typhoons that happened in the year.

The pandemic is the only one relatively new to all of us. While the other different calamities that are mentioned are not new and Filipinos are well acquainted with. While the Philippines is vulnerable to volcanic eruptions it does not happen quite often. On the other hand typhoons happen often, that the government should have prepared and not cut down the funds of the NDRRMC as it is a fact that the Philippines is a country that is highly susceptible of experiencing storms, typhoons, and other natural disasters.

The hashtag #NasaanAngPangulo trends after President Duterte remains virtually absent as the typhoon soaks on the country because of him joining the ASEAN summit. The risk reduction response was only poor because of the lack of coordination that can be seen and the cutting down of Php 4 billion of the funds or budget of the NDRRMC that could have helped a lot. The government, instead of taking accountability for the typhoon, instead blamed climate change.

The government should rightfully take accountability for their shortcomings and inadequacies instead of pointing fingers at other things, and the people want to feel and know that the president is there with them. Not feel that he is far away from them. With the government, it is not the president that will solely give effort, but each and everyone that is a part of it.

Intent to Cease With the signing of the Anti-Terror Law (ATL) last July 2020, red-tagging incidents continue to rise in number—if only augmented by such a divisive act. 13 lawyers handpicked by the 37 groups of petitioners have gone into court for the oral arguments, with Solicitor General Jose Calida defending the law in the Duterte administration’s stead. The arguments have since started last February 2.

ATL triggers fear among people, making them scared to voice out or oppose due to the mere possibility of being tagged as a terrorist.

Several sections in the law have since deemed it controversial, what with its definitions far too broad and malleable favoring governing officials in order to tag whoever they deem as terrorists. Students in Gusa Regional High School-X (GRSHS-X), an institution prided in academic and journalistic excellence, expressed their sentiments over the law and the onset of the oral arguments.

ALLECIA SO, Grade 10 Student

“

“

It is a law that mandates the protection of human rights at all times, but it seems to do the opposite.

I hope that the oral arguments will set the law to do exactly as it is supposed to do.

The ATL could be used as a weapon to silence individuals who are critical of the government.

With the onset of the oral arguments, I am hoping for ammendments especially towards the vague and broad provisions.

GELYNETH HEDUCOS, Grade 11 Student

EDJOP MEDADO, Grade 12 Student

mahalkater

The Expensive Free Education

by MELIZA ROCAT

For five consistent years, the Department of Education (DepEd) has received the highest budget allocation amongst all government agencies. However, even with such heavy monetary arsenal, the fight for free education and having enough educational equipment remains as haggard as ever.

Even more so with the country neck-deep into the COVID-19 pandemic, haggardness only emphasized as circumstances take a turn for the worse—access for both free and quality education is almost a mirage what with the severe lack of preparation as well as impediments the average Filipino student faces.

Voices of the bourgeoisie can be heard from a distance, muttering their disagreement: tuition is already free in public schools, is that not enough?

Free education has long stopped being just having education free from all monetary attachments, but one’s freedom in attaining education without any

repercussions.

Take the visible decrease in enrollees for the school year 20202021, for the sole reason that their wallets have no more to spend and adjust for a season in which every learner is inevitably on their own.

Take the student suicides that happened before the opening of school year, driven to misery by the apparent lack of resources in their home and the guilt of burdening their family by additional expenses despite the current unemployment crisis.

Take the worsening case of Lumad schools militarization, where their schools are forcibly shut down, further eradicating any opportunity of education for those in far-flung areas because

apparently DepEd is going to build a school there after years of ignoring the Lumad’s call for a sturdy institution for education; where students and teachers are killed and framed to be a part of the CPP-NPA-NDF for just wanting to be knowledgeable enough as to not get tricked.

Take into account the variety of households, environments, atmospheres every learner is in—some privileged enough to sit with fast internet connection and a personal computer and a sound, able family; while some struggle to choose whether to spend their 50 pesos bill for a kilo of rice or a GoSURF50 promo for class, and return to a home that breeds silent violence.

In order to have quality education, there is a need to be in a certain level of the societal hierarchy— you either have to be rich, smart, or both. There are only a handful of whom are one of those things or neither, but got lucky enough to be sent to school through sponsorships. And that is the only way to get quality education if you are in the lower societal classes under the bourgeoisie.

Yes, this is how haggard it gets.

In this age when the youth strive for free education, motions like budget cuts and unliquidated expenses make it such a pipe dream. As students of the bourgeoisie, it is better to ponder on this: may pera pa silang pangkain at pang-gala na

kinukuha mula sa kaban ng bayan, ni anrami pa nilang pagkukulang sa pasilidad at kapasidad para makapagbigay ng kalidad na edukasyon sa nakararami.

Education becomes such a privilege that it hurts to hear whenever it is brought up to be a right.

Yes, it is supposed to be a right, as stated in the 1987 Constitution, but with the mindless corruption within our midst, the light at the end of the tunnel goes further and further away. Still, the fight for free education goes on.

Still, it will go on until the last oppressed student’s breath comes and goes.

Still, it will persist for as long as it needs to, and more than ever with what odds it is up against now.

“

Free education has long stopped being just education free from all monetary attachments, but one’s freedom in attaining education without any repercussions.

strikezone

Going Ballistic

by JAMES PUNSALAN

Ever since the surge of the pandemic, the country has been in dire straits—made to worsen by the lack of concrete plans, several other issues attended to before addressing the health crisis at hand, led by leaders who break their own laws and preach water while drinking wine.

Which is why, upon the release of the nationwide Pulse Asia survey conducted from September 14 to 20 last year gauging the trust ratings of high-ranking government officials, seeing President Duterte and his allies gain a largely positive result while the nation is in shambles only raises skepticism. The survey revealed Duterte having scored 91%, followed by Senator Tito Sotto with 79%, and House Speaker Alan Cayetano with 67%.

Undeniably, the COVID-19 pandemic has become somewhat akin to that of a litmus paper when it comes to measuring the competency of the government to handle a crisis of a worldwide scale. Truly it has emphasized the preexisting societal issues in the nation, as well as shedding light to new ones which was borne of state malpractice and corruption.

Take into account the P15billion unanswered irregularities in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.

(Philhealth), an amount of which until today have no certainty nor credibility of its

whereabouts despite the countless Senate hearings. Take into account the rise of state-related killings in a crackdown against dissent, as well as the signing of the Anti-Terror Law (ATL) and continued redtagging sprees which send a chilling effect to democracy and academic freedom nationwide. Take into account the closure of media giant ABS-CBN, marking a blow against press freedom and barring information from reaching far-flung areas of the country.

Take into account the P10-trillion national debt, the turtle-paced vaccination rollout, and the VIP treatment of government officials.

What was then a race for testing before has now become a race to get vaccinated first— and with the country’s number of cases skyrocketing, all they continue to do is point fingers at the ordinary Filipino folk, and tag them “pasaway, puro reklamo, terorista.”

It should also be worth noting that

source: NATIONAL UNION OF STUDENTS OF THE PHILIPPINES art by DAN LOUIE JUBAY

“

rspeaks:

art by SHAUN ARTHUR PAO

these same officials have let smuggling of vaccines go right under their noses last September, with Sinopharm already inoculated to members of the Presidential Security Group and other individuals that were not disclosed.

Officials like Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Sinas and Presidential Spokesperson Roque and Senator Pangilinan, amongst others, have time and again breached quarantine protocols yet

continue to roam the country unpunished.

Compare them to the average person waiting to get inoculated, many of whom have died without the chance to, and those who suffer in hospitals with full capacity as the health sector wrestles not just with COVID-19, but with other prevalent diseases in the country as well. Compare them to the average person arrested for merely trying to make a living on the streets, for participating in protests

while in accordance with health protocols in order to fight against the injustices evident today.

While the rest of the country wages death tolls and infection cases rising every day, lying in wait for the only cure of the virus, bureaucrats have since jumped the line and put their wellbeing first, courtesy of their privilege.

With all these taken into account, one must think of why we put such high standards on the shoulders of the average Juan just

struggling to survive, and yet put these same corrupt bureaucrats on a high pedestal and let them flaunt their incompetence.

If the administration is fickle with their leadership and priorities, then we Filipinos have every right and reason to be fickle with our trust in them as well. The results of the survey remain as it is—numbers. Let the people’s trust show in the condition the Philippines is in right now.

6 OPINION

nudoveritas • Vol. 26 No. 2 • The Official Publication of Gusa Regional Science High School-X • Division of Cagayan de Oro • Region X • November 2020-April 2021

peradigmshift

The Class Gap

by KYLA TIFFANY JAVIER

With around 4 million Filipinos unemployed based on a report by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in January, the pandemic has only magnified the gaps existing in today’s society. Despite the government’s attempts of reopening the economy and distributing emergency subsidies, it does nothing to ease the unemployment crisis we are facing—so far, it has always been a matter of privilege.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has since rolled out the Social Amelioration Program last April 2020 in order to provide emergency subsidies for lowincome families, of which was to end on July 2021 due to the extension of the Bayanihan Act. Under SAP, each beneficiary receives P5,000 to P8,000 based on the prevailing minimum wage rates.

However, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey on whether the government was able to adequately help people who were left jobless by the crisis or not, only 44% said the efforts were adequate, 46% voted “inadequate” and 9% were undecided.

It should be said that these same people that have become unemployed are simultaneously also the people struggling for their lives even before the pandemic. While some can work in the comfort of their homes, unemployment comes down harsher to those who live paycheck to paycheck, and have to do their job outside the confines of their residences. Workers that have also been furloughed due to the current health crisis also struggle with finding another job to continue putting food on the table.

Yet the administration remains out of touch regardless of the millions jobless—having the nerve to call the previous year a “vacation”— and remain in their lofty offices with band-aid solutions. The nation must focus with a healthoriented lens to lower cases and make it safe for the economy and jobs to open again; but with the continuous surge, it seems there is not a smidge of concern to their promises.

systemicerror

Karmic Decisions

“Education cannot wait,” this is according to Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones during a basic education hearing last year, despite the unheeded pleas of students and teachers; This earned backlash one could only deem deserved, what with the production of erroneous materials and practices by institutions nationwide.

In a Senate basic education committee hearing held on June 2020, though admitting that the country could “never attain full readiness” for the new normal, Briones was insistent on starting the school year. According to a Senate panel on June 25, 40% or 30,000 of the country’s public school teachers were trained to adapt to the new school year expected to start on August 24 (postponed). In a virtual press briefing, DepEd stated that 7 regions were already in the “advanced” status of printing modules which meant 80% to 100% of Self-Learning Modules (SLMs) were already printed.

Thus, the school year still commenced despite previous postponements and new issues that needed to be looked into.

Unfortunately, most of these concerns were disregarded only causing erroneous materials and practices to be done. The idea of ‘education cannot

wait’ is surely true in some way, as humans never stop learning. But it can only be applicable when education leaves nobody behind.

Such confidence and blatant disregard to the concerns voiced countless of times comes back to bite tenfold. The school year started ruggedly despite all the reported “readiness” measures that DepEd had imposed. More than 3 weeks after the start of the school year, 41 errors in the students’ SLMs had already been found according to Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio. Other ‘painful’ grammatical errors in English modules and video lessons had also been reported.

This caused mild controversy and got some into questioning the effectiveness of online and distance learning.

Further issues such as technology access and lack of budget have also been failed to look into. Data obtained

by the numbers

14.2M

As of December 3, 2020, 14.2 million poor families received the second wave of the government’s social amelioration program (SAP), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said.

breakingbounds

throwbacktorment

Replay 1972

by SORAINE NOEL

Of Pride and Prejudice

by MELIZA ROCAT

The Philippines still has a long way to go before moving on from the conservative, stigmatized social lens—what with questionable viewpoints of lawmakers surfacing following a hearing on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill by the House Committee on Women and Gender Equality last November 2020.

While majority of the members voted to adopt the 3rd reading version in the 17th Congress as the working draft of the SOGIE Equality Bill—a win for the LGBT+ community—it should be pointed out that Coalition of Concerned Families of the Philippines lawyer Lyndon Caña claimed that the community became a “super special elite class”, and that the bill does not provide benefits to the straight community. Caña also suggested that necrophilia and pedophilia are sexual orientations validated by the LGBT+ community.

House Deputy Speaker Eddie Villanueva also implied that “emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual rehabilitation” be given instead.

It should be said that ‘straight’, or heterosexuality, is also included in the umbrella that is SOGIE. It should also be said that there has been no history whatsoever of heterosexual people facing oppression or discrimination from work, school, and society as a whole due to their orientation.

The SOGIE Bill recognizes the LGBT+ as equals and ensures that their rights are protected and upheld just like everyone else, and it also protects the community from gender-based violence and discrimination. In fact, Bataan Representative Geraldine Roman, a sponsor of the bill and a transgender woman lawmaker, says so herself; reiterating that even straight people can use the SOGIE bill against discrimination.

One would assume that with the onset and positive reception of LGBT-centric media, particularly Boys’ Love (BL) series, that the community would also garner support outside the world of entertainment. Yet, the House reveals to us that the country merely tolerates these individuals solely for entertainment—outside the studio, they are prone to statements similar to those heard during November’s hearing.

Though the SOGIE bill has been deferred for a final hearing before it heads to Congress, these prejudiced remarks by government officials is only a show of how backwards society still perceives the LGBT—and it will need more than entertainment for them to realize the oppression our allies face, and how this bill should be implemented without second thought.

by DANICA FABRO

from the National Telecommunications Commission showed that as of December 2019, only 67% percent of the Philippines population had proper access to internet.

In Gusa Regional Science High School-X (GRSHS-X)’s evaluations, while the overall quantitative result showed it was highly efficient, there remained plentiful feedback and complaints especially when it came to the content and quality of the modules. There have also been remarks about miscommunication between students and teaching staff, the heavy workload disseminated to the learners, as well as errors, tardiness in handing weekly learning plans, and disorganized assigning of tasks, particularly to those using the digital mode of learning.

A breach in students’ mental health have

July 10 witnessed the House of Representatives’ refusal to grant ABS-CBN another 25-year franchise after a 70-11 committee vote adopting the Technical Working Group’s report to deny their bid. House Speaker Cayetano said it is a conscience vote; yet is it even conscientious in closing a franchise with no clear violations, and in turn endangering the livelihood of more than 11,000 employees in the middle of a pandemic?

The report consisted of; the questionable citizenship of former chair Eugenio Lopez III; the use of Philippine depositary receipts that violated the constitutional prohibition against foreign ownership of mass media; the alleged tax evasion and tax shields; the network’s assets reacquired after Marcos’ regime; the political bias during election season; and the labor issue—all of which were in Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta’s summation following the 12 hearings.

However, Bayan Muna partylist Representative Carlos Zarate revealed in his own summation that all of the concerned government agencies have already resolved the aforementioned issues—the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the Commission on Elections, and the Department of Labor and Employment— respectively.

Palace Spokesperson Harry Roque even goes so far as to say that the denial of the franchise was the “decision of the Filipino

art by JIREH MAE CASINO

hungryfortruth

Reaping Sorrows

by LHIAN JOIE BRANZUELA

Throughout the years, the Philippines has been considered an agricultural country with 47% of our land solely dedicated for agriculture.

However, quite ironically, the government tends to overlook our farmers with a long history of injustices for proof. Now with the pandemic going on, their conditions appear to worsen as the government silences most of their protests.

Last year, as a response to the country’s falling agricultural sector, several laws such as the Rice Tariffication Law have been proposed for a ‘more competitive market and increased support for our farmers. Succeeding this, the agriculture production in the Philippines managed to grow 0.5% higher in the 2nd quarter of 2020, according to the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA). Other than that, weak structural slogans and campaigns to support our local farmers have also been made.

also been reported with students going through severe depression, leading to self-harm and even suicide. Several cases of the latter have been found as early as October of last year, promptly after the start of the academic year. While several circumstances factor into this and not just online classes, it should be noted that students also face hardship within their own home— only amplified by the pandemic, and hampered by schoolworks.

Although certain actions have been made to address some of these issues, the fact that this school year lacked preparations cannot be denied. Errors in the modules and system itself have contributed to the ineffectiveness of students’ learning. And though it can be easily said that this school year should not have been, looking through the other side of the spectrum, students’ productivity

Overall, though the government has indeed done its solutions to boost its growth, it does not cover up the fact that there are still inadequate policies, insufficient support, and other maltreatments that are constantly happening to our farmers today.

The administration settles for placing a mere band-aid on the problem in exchange of feeding the Filipinos and calling it a day.

Farmers and farmer activists have become victims of killings and assassinations led by the police, even on the onslaught of COVID-19.

Since the beginning of the implementation of the lockdown, 87 farmers have been killed, starting with Marlon Maldos, a young cultural activist, who had been killed on March 17th in broad

rates can significantly decrease and teachers may also lose their profession.

While it is safe to say that education cannot surely wait as we are constantly learning everyday for the rest of our lives, if starting the school year was the only option left, then extreme preparations should have been made for it to go smoothly and evenly without anybody left behind.

With half the academic year already passed, one can only hope that DepEd has learned from its own grave mistakes—otherwise, it is ultimately the students who bear the brunt of these inadequacies and get left behind; pure disregard of the department’s aim, and at the cost of another child’s dream coming to an end.

people”—then again, the Social Weather Stations survey conducted July 3-6 showed that three out of four Filipinos wanted ABS-CBN’s franchise to be renewed.

But seeing that President Duterte has his own personal feelings against ABS-CBN according to Senator Bong Go (“The grievances of the president against ABS-CBN are not shallow… If you are mean to the president, he will be meaner to you. If you are nice to the president, then he will be nicer to you.”), as well as repeatedly stating to hinder the network’s franchise renewal several times (“If you are expecting na ma-renew ‘yan, I am sorry. I will see to it that you are out.”), it is nothing short of unexpected.

Though perhaps that is the exact same reason why there is a sense of déjà vu washing over following the HOR’s decision. After all, the same thing happened in 1972.

The last time press freedom suffered a severe blow was under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, where he authorized the military to take over the assets of ABS-CBN, as well as several other media outlets in the country during the first week of Martial Law. In an attempt to justify his sequestration, Marcos states in the Letter of Instruction that the media outlets that he had shut down were “engaged in subversive activities against the Government”, discredited authorities, and propagated news that promoted the Communist movement.

After that, all remaining media that were allowed to air and run print issues were owned by Marcos cronies. Public criticism

daylight with a bullet in Bohol. On June 23, an activist farmer named Jose Jerry Catalogo had also been murdered in Negros Occidental.

It does not stop at the bloodshed. Feudal systems, which are quite evident in our country, are also one of the main reasons of poverty within the agricultural sector.

This form of injustice forces farmers to work and till the land which they do not rightfully own and are often overworked and underpaid. Then with their aching backs, proceed to sell their harvests and produce at an unequal price to their labor. Neither or those brutalities were coincidental, however, for they were all part of the system of impunity by fascist elements present in the Duterte regime.

“

It is ultimately the students who bear the brunt of these inadequacies and get left behind.

was silenced, and the information Filipinos got then were all controlled by a dictator who could easily broadcast whatever he deems to be the truth.

It was not until the country carried out a revolution did the freedom of the press escape from its shackles. One must remember Section 4, Article III of the 1987 Constitution: “No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.”

Silencing the press seems to be the source of euphoria for officials who only prioritize their personal interests; a tactic not only Marcos’ regime, but in the Duterte administration as well. And to think that Roque still maintains that the Palace is on neutral ground concerning the issue.

Clearly, this is nothing more than vindictive, petty politics, and a desperate attempt at making the press fall to its knees. With ABS-CBN down, this puts other networks in fear of what will happen to them dare they step on the toes of those seated at the top.

The blatant attack against the freedom of the press as well as jeopardizing the lives of 11,000 can only be recipe for economic ruin and authoritarianism; something eerily reminiscent of 1972.

Nevertheless, power will continue to be of the people, for the people, and by the people—any attempt to silence those fighting for freedom of the press, speech, and information will be futile.

Moreover, aside from overworking at haciendas, attacks and harassment on farmers have also been reported and is quite alarming. In January of 2021, farmers in Hacienda Yulo in Laguna and Isabela Province fight against threats of eviction from goons and private guards. Violent incidents such as arson and harassment were not able to be stopped as armed guards employed by a private security emptied the area for a large project. A large population of families from Sitio Buntog make up Hacienda Yulo which had been owned by the Yulo Clan since 1948.

For a country that has been deemed as “agricultural”, it is ironic that those who stand and serve as the backbones of our foundation continue to work in inhumane

conditions and impunity.

A whole sector of people who are supposed to be a very important element of our progression are still overlooked and neglected because the topic is surely not at all interesting to discuss during political campaigns. Killings, protests, impunities and such from farmer activists continue to get ignored and even worsen as oppression also slowly goes unnoticed.

The fact that even those who provide all our basic needs cannot provide for their own proves that the foundation of the country is failing and one day, would eventually collapse.

How many would still have to go through all this for the depressing irony of agriculture to discontinue?

nudoveritas • Vol. 26 No. 2 • The Official Publication of Gusa Regional Science High School-X • Division of Cagayan de Oro • Region X • November 2020-April 2021

OPINION 7

triedandtrue

On Pins and Needles

by MELIZA ROCAT

The Philippines is now one year into the lockdown—yet government action remains stagnant, if not worsening by the day. With the highest single-day tally yet of nearly 10,000 new cases, one of the longest lockdowns in the world, and a ruinous economy, the regime continues to blame it on anyone but their own shortcomings.

Just this March, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque maintained that the government’s response to the pandemic has been “excellent”, stating that the spread of the virus was controlled compared to other countries with more modern utilities. He also compared the country’s condition to that of the United States, going so far as to say that the country surpassed it in terms of performance.

This is apparently due to the Philippines having a lesser level of spending on health than the superpower.

It must be said that the government’s national debt went up to P10.33 trillion at the end of January this year, with 29% sourced externally while the other 71% were domestic borrowings; the former with loans from the World Bank, the Asian

by the numbers

Rape, VAWC, and Child Abuse Cases during the pandemic

Development Bank (ADB), and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

One would think that all that borrowed money would be put to good use, with concrete vaccination plans, furthered cash assistance to those left unemployed by the health crisis, emergency pay for health workers, and focus to fund science- and healthcentered solutions. One would think, behind debt after debt, we would feel the pandemic easing up and lockdown lifted at some point over the course of twelve months.

Response remains at a disarray. Until this month, local government units (LGUs) have been left to their own solutions, primarily on the case of contact tracing, wherein a national system to track such has just begun to develop. Despite 10 million vaccine

doses already onshore, vaccination drives remain longwinded, with only 23.95% of health frontliners inoculated—a far cry from the herd immunity sought to be achieved. In a report released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), about 4 million Filipinos are unemployed as of January this year; all countrymen struggling to put food on their tables and live to see the end of the pandemic.

Yet, President Duterte is still adamant in letting the military lead. Bloodshed remains prominent even in the span of the lockdown— cases of impunity rising, heightened with the signing of the Anti-Terror Law (ATL) of which was fast-tracked to stump dissent instead of crafting solutions and heeding to the pleas of health professionals. Time

after time again did he extend his favor towards uniformed personnel, and continuously lambasted our own frontliners despite this crisis is of their expertise.

“This is a mechanical act, it is not a study of medicine. Parang transaction sa negosyo,” he said in a recorded message to the nation last March 24. “You need not be a doctor here, because you are transacting a business.”

Perhaps if the higher-ups were more receptive to the calls at ground and spent last year’s lockdown devising solutions with a scientific, medical-oriented lens, then the Philippines may not have the highest number of cases in the Western Pacific Region.

Perhaps if the pandemic was treated not as warfare but as what it really is—a health crisis—then

An online survey led by the University of Santo Tomas researchers showed that around 9 out of 10 Filipinos have many concerns about the COVID – 19 Vaccines; a high percentage of the respondents are worried on the COVID – 19 Vaccines’ effects (92.7%), safety (91.7%), efficacy (90.3%), and high cost (82.3%). The study, conducted from January

art by SHAUN ARTHUR PAO

Letter to the Editor

5,029 1,794 10,044 8,041 cases of rape on women was recoreded by the PNP Crime Information and Analysis System as of December 1, 2020.

cases of rape on children was recoreded by the PNP Crime Information and Analysis System as of December 1, 2020.

cases of violence against women and children was recoreded by the PNP Crime Information and Analysis System as of December 1, 2020.

Inevitably Carapaced With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to persist, one would think that the nation would be anything but lackluster upon the arrival of vaccines in the country. Yet delay after delay has since put the Filipinos at unease, what with the Philippines coming last in the procurement of the drugs in spite of the skyrocketing number of cases.

perhaps the Philippines would not have one of the longest lockdowns in the whole world, and continue to have until today.

It has been a year, and the government seems dead set on keeping such mediocre, militarist measures.

Filipinos relive the previous summer all over again—a harsh case of déjà vu, and a grim future with no end in sight.

16 – 20, 2021, has 15,600 respondents.

Despite news that the Pfizer-BioNTech was the first vaccine to be granted emergency use authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it seemed the government is adamant on having China’s arrive first—what with President Duterte’s continuous vouching of their vaccine—with 600,000 doses of Sinovac donations arriving last February 28th. More than 400,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine came not more than a week after. Workers of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) had since remained on edge regarding the former.

Understandably so, as its efficacy has been on varying levels from country to country.

However, according to Brazilian trials—the biggest at which Sinovac

cases of child abuse was recoreded by the PNP Crime Information and Analysis System as of December 1, 2020.

intothelens

by SORAINE NOEL

was administered with 13,000 participants— reported that the vaccine was 50.4% effective. This is in comparison to the Astrazeneca vaccine, with 70%, and Pfizer-BioNTech with 95%.

Government officials remained steady in their stance that there is no such thing as the ‘best vaccine’, with vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr stating, “Ang pinaka-best vaccine iyong effective at efficient na dumarating ng mas maaga,” despite it being the officials themselves at fault for the delayed delivery of the vaccines.

Even Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, in a press briefing last January, said, “Hindi naman po pupuwede na pihikan.”

However, those who did nothing in alleviating the already dismal confidence the consensus has towards vaccines, especially Sinovac.

Rollouts has since started in the country, and as of March 17, only 269,583 frontliners were inoculated—a far cry from the herd immunity the government wished to achieve by the end of 2021. If they can only inoculate so much in that timeframe with one million doses, then how long will it take to administer with 70 million?

The vaccine had since come ashore, yet inoculation remained longwinded despite the numerous publicized simulations and the arrival of donations.

Perhaps the lackluster is justified—time after time the nation waited for the only cure. And with the continued delay of vaccinations, it is not just the drug worth being wary of now, but the haphazard handling of the government itself.

“

It is not just the drug worth being wary of now, but the haphazard handling of the government itself.

Dear Editor, The onset of the COVID-19 crisis has only emphasized the existing societal gaps and government corruption that continue to persist in the country, as well as the need to further uphold and deliver the truth. 2020 has been a year that called for such, what with the shutdown of media giant ABS-CBN as well as the countless attacks against press freedom and democracy. Truly, the right to free expression faces a dark time— even more so with the current restrictive conditions due to the pandemic.

It is then that the role of the school paper is magnified, significant in delivering the news of the community back to the community itself.

The journalist—ever the bringer of truth and mouthpiece of the masses—must not waver in the midst of the constant attacks led by the regime.

When we write, we decide; and these decisions ultimately must be for the betterment and improvement of our country.

The fight must not end just because we no longer see each other face to face. Journalism does not exist merely for competition, for show, or for the trophies that line inside the four walls of a classroom. Journalism exists to wield the pen as you would a sword, to let the truth bleed with every word, and fight for press freedom and democracy.

Write not for the fanfare, but to open the eyes of the community to the truth. Write not just as a Gusa Regional Science High School – X student, but as a Filipino who desires only good for their country.

Respectfully yours,

Julianni Kaye Jayoma

Grade 11

...

Type here

theteaspill

Bureaucracy: Their Call, Not Ours As of March 1, 2021, the figures on Cagayan de Oro City Health Office COVID-19 Emergency Operation Center had numbers on suspect, probable, confirmed, and cumulative cases of COVID-19.

The confirmed cases show 182 deaths, 199 active cases, and 3,443 recoveries cumulating into 3,824 cases. That record is in Cagayan de Oro City alone, excluding the rest of the cities in Region X. However, the discrepancy lies on the accuracy of the death toll—after all, it is not just the COVID-19 that causes death in medical facilities.

The World Health Organization presented that despite COVID-19 being one of the causes of the increasing mortality rate, other critical and fatal health problems still persist and do have a higher death rate than COVID-19. What is for certain is there are unique cases of death due to the aforementioned diseases, that are somehow mislabeled by local hospitals as one of the COVID-19 virus cases whenever a test appears late or missing by the time of demand.

Henry Bermejo—local resident in Macabalan, Cagayan de Oro City—was one of those cases whose cause of death was suspected to be a COVID-19 infection. Bermejo

passed away due to natural causes of kidney failure resulting to cardiac arrest. He was able to speak with a doctor regarding the cause of death written as a suspected case of COVID-19. To him it did not make sense as per the hospital’s policy, the family members must decide within 12 hours what to do with the body.

The local COVID-19 test requires 24-48 hours of waiting period before finding negative or positive results.

“They were giving me the benefit of the doubt,” he said.

Bermejo’s son insisted on referring his father’s kidney doctor from the dialysis center to the one he spoke with. The kidney doctor would vouch of Bermejo’s

by PATT NICOLE BOLIJUAN

deteriorating kidney as a more probable cause of death than COVID-19. The cause of death was then changed to cardiac arrest due to kidney failure. Just like that, they no longer have to go through all the trouble of testing for COVID-19, proving the medical staff wrong.

One simple contact to the kidney doctor made all the difference.

This dilemma is understandable as medical facilities cannot completely rule out factors of COVID-19 spreading. Anything can be possible at this point. For the poor, the reality that we are not given options makes us see how powerless most citizens are. It is better to have improved

medical healthcare facilities to accommodate each patient and not force them into a mold they do not fit in. We are already neck-deep in this corrupt system that it is difficult to claw our way out.

Anything in our country could be bureaucratic at this point, especially in the medical field.

Others could go down the sinkhole of this system we are caught on the hop, each of us just trying to survive taking advantage of one another.

Here lies the bureaucracy in which those with full autonomy can decide who dies from COVID-19 or who does not. It is their call, not ours.

“

We are already neck-deep in this corrupt system that it is difficult to claw our way out.

nudoveritas • Vol. 26 No. 2 • The Official Publication of Gusa Regional Science High School-X • Division of Cagayan de Oro • Region X • November 2020-April 2021

8

FEAT

Of the Rich, th

Nudo Veritas goes online!

Be sure to scan this QR Code to be updated with our latest updates on our social media sites.

Benefit of the

by NICOLE BONSILAO

J

ane slumps; breathes a sigh of defeat when the assignment tab disappeared at the stroke of midnight. Having spent the morning taking care of her siblings and the whole afternoon with their carinderia, she now tends to her academic duties.

Dead into the night; she wanders into the nearby computer shop to aid her modules. Yet, with slow internet and limited time, Jane could only sigh. All she looks forward to now is a consideration from her teachers—hoping for the extended deadline to lighten the burden of academic pressure.

Without having much to lean on, the predicament leaves her on the gallows.

“Whatever form it is,” Education Secretary Leonor Briones conveyed about the class resumption with the new learning mode. The statement bordered on the general assumption that looked like it accommodates all.

Yet, in all fairness, it only made the privileged comfortable with brand-new laptops and high-speed internet connection—while the poor struggle for scrap learnings in modules and handwritten activity sheets to submit on-time with buzzer-beater deadlines.

In a survey, one hundred eighty-one Grade 11 students from Gusa Regional Science High School responded to a well-being check after the first semester through

OF THE

Modular Distance Learning. Among the respondents, eighty-seven were still struggling to adjust in some areas, sixty-three of the students answered with being “okay”, whereas nineteen students were still not comfortable with it. Only eight of the students responded being good with the adjustment, while the remaining four responded other.

The responses highlighted on the struggles of distance learning which is not just limited to one— learners struggle even to find the adequate measures to cater to the requirements of an assumed accessible education. Without much guidance, the situation leaves us on our own. For Jane, having to depend on pisonet computer shops or favors from her classmates to pass the semester proves just how the setup is inconvenient to students like her. The system butchered hope for a better chance of a future by pursuing an inefficient path to education.

It is at the point that students, minors, sell sensual photos to support their education. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian called for the Philippine National Police

TEN LITTLE JUANS

after quoting a report from The Philippine Online Student Tambayan. From the information, students used hashtags #AlterPH, #AlterPinay, and #AlterPhilippines on Twitter. It was to market their sensual photos and videos to buy devices and pay for the internet for online learning.

Seeing what is happening now, the crisis paved the way for the over-commercialization of this “new normal” education. Of students not having much to offer in obtaining the security of an ensured education, all that is left is a clowned excuse to consider the predicament as national resiliency.

With Jane, balancing household responsibilities and academic demands is a struggle. Yet, she refuses to let the struggle get in the way of yearning for a middle ground that ensures a future and a comfortable life for her family.

As Jane continues to endure being left behind, her situation prevails the suffering behind the supposed victory of education in the “new normal”—the Filipino youth battling dead minds for deadlines.

“

All that is left is a clowned excuse to consider the predicament as national resiliency.

by NICOLE BONSILAO The tunes of merry songs danced in the stark bluedyed sky of an otherwise ordinary day for the University of the Philippines. It was not until the news of the unilateral termination of the 1989 UP-DND Accord by The Department of National Defense (DND) that halted the bustling on January 18, 2021.

Ten, Little Nine, Little Eight, Little Juans

On June 30, 1989, then-UP President Jose Abueva and then-Defense Chief Fidel V. Ramos signed the UP-DND Accord.

The motion made it unconstitutional for the now-Philippine National Police and the now-defunct Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit to perform military operations on every UP campus without proper notice from the school administration.

Except in “hot pursuit and related emergencies.”

However, this invites the administrations’ gamble of power to tag dissenters and activists as recruits of the New People’s Army. The termination of the accord now comes as a legal mandate for the armed forces meaning “to protect and serve the Filipino people,” at the peril of academic freedom.

Seven, Little Six, Little Five, Little Juans

It was as if it did not matter when the armed forces arrested Cebu 8 inside UP Cebu for having a peaceful protest concerning Anti-Terror Law or the 11th Regional Community Defense Group residing within the ground of UP Mindanao.

The termination signifies how those in power do the best they could to silence the ones who demand accountability over their selfish incompetence.

Four, Little Three, Little Two, Little Juans

Photo by MARK DEMAYO of ABS-CBN NEWS

In Gusa Regional Science High School, it would only be a matter of time before the movement would play out in the forthcoming—to mute the loud who speak and trample the brave who write.

As the right to academic freedom hangs in jeopardy, we remain standing with our heads up high to fight for the freedom of democracy—quite like how one little Juan stands up to fight for his own.

WITH ALL THAT IS TO BEAR

by NICOLE BONSILAO Burden hung in the air like rain clouds waiting to pour. Despite the calls of Ligtas na Balik-Eskwela for a safe, accessible, and quality education during the pandemic, resumption of classes through online and distance learning persisted. Now with burnt-out learners and 700,000 rising COVID-19 cases including students and educators-alike, the calls for a better school system continue to ring.

For Tia, with all the burden of academic pressure weighing her down, she wants to drop out.

nudoveritas • Vol. 26 No. 2 • The Official Publication of Gusa Regional Science High School-X • Division of Cagayan de Oro • Region X • November 2020-April 2021

9

TURE

he Poor, and

“

When COVID-19 hit, it meant not only the battle to survive from the virus but also from the people in power who silences the voice of the brave and neglects the struggles of the weak.

e Powerful

Behind the victories they pride themselves for, there lay the thousands who yearn for a better world. These are the stories of the people who are still fighting for their own, having been victims of incompetence.

Of the rich, the poor, and benefit of the powerful—these are the tales that reveal the problems we continue to struggle, even a year later.

A BATTLE CRY OUR RIGHT

by NICOLE BONSILAO

C

OVID-19 pulsated an even more discerning plague that drew people to witness a drought and suffering so customary yet so unfamiliar: financial difficulty.

When the news of class resumption amid the crisis reverberated throughout the nation, staying at home singlehandedly proved the undeniable.

That is, remaining comfortable and financially secure is genuinely a luxury only the well-off could afford. Learners and parents alike rushed to social media to nitpick on the overcommercialized education system this “new normal” education setup establishes.

In most private schools, the tuition fee still includes laboratory and miscellaneous expenses that do not require the circumstance.

The situation is challenging for Eve. Now a Senior High student in a private university and a step closer to her dream of becoming an accountant, she

Light illuminates her facade as she continues to record a video presentation in a cradled space beside the kitchen wall. Yet, even in the dead of night, the dogs bark noisily—the couple outside trade profanities like loudspeakers on total volume. Just as when the chaos calmed, the power went out. All she could do now is sigh in distress.

With the “new normal” education implemented without much preparation, adjusting can be quite an obstacle that necessitates time to adapt. For her, it is overwhelming and challenging to learn in an environment inconvenient for remote learning.

“Sa amoang lugar na, dili ko ka focus maayo ug daghan tao or saba, ug gubot. Sugod atong October hangtud karon gusto na jud ko mu drop out,” Tia expressed in an interview. [In our area, I cannot focus well because there’s a lot of people or noise, and chaos.

From October until now, I wanted to drop out.]

And like many Tias in the nation, even with the burden of academic pressure weighing her down, dropping out is the hardest she could try to breathe a sigh of relief.

This new setup poses as a hurdle to students who yearn of quality and accessible education.

Of the 27.7 million figures of last year’s enrollment, only 23 million students enrolled for this year due to the COVID-19 crisis, leaving 5 million students out of school.

As students face troubles in adjusting to the new mode of learning, calls for Ligtas na Balik-Eskwela and #AcademicFree trended on social media—in hopes to give light to the suffering and ease the weights of academic pressure to the ones left behind.

Burden hung in the air like rain clouds waiting to pour. As Tia struggles hard for her dreams to come true, the crisis does not discriminate. It only further proves it more challenging to survive drowning in the stream of distress.

This lackluster attempt of the administration in providing a “solution” for a safe return to school leaves students like her to be shadowed under academic pressure. But with all that is to bear, Tia refuses to drown in distress and continues to fight to keep her dreams afloat.

conveyed how it is not worth going to “online” school anymore.

“Kay inani kadako ang gibayran na tuition pero wala mi natun-an kay walay insaktong resources,” she stated in an interview. [We paid a lot for the tuition fee, but we did not learn because we did not have the right resources] When the security of education is right above their reach, money comes bringing them down.

Such problems resulted in students with monetary difficulties dropping out of school because of financial and academic pressure.

As 27 million Filipinos lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 crisis and now bears the brunt of financial difficulty, student-led crowdfunding initiatives like Piso Para Sa Laptop helped students in need of gadgets raise enough funds to buy a laptop.

Although Eve stated that their gadgets were enough to share for a family of 6, the situation did not spare them from the slow internet connection necessary for online learning.

AND THEN

THERE WAS ONE

by NICOLE BONSILAO Gusa Regional Science High School (GRSHS-X) is home to the brilliant, the remarkable, and the exceptional. However, with the years bred to think and act critically, red flags and red tags come to those who become the voice for the people. By the same ones who sculpted the crème de la crème in an institution of excellence. Was it all just for show and merit?

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani expressed horror on Filipino activists’ slaughter. “We are deeply worried that these latest killings indicate an escalation in violence, intimidation, harassment, and ‘redtagging’ of human rights defenders,” she phrased.

As what seems to be an arbitrary political tactic, the frequent movements of red-tagging brands dissenters as “terrorists.” It emasculates what it means to be a free citizen, having the constitutional right to speak freely, living in a democratic nation.

Joan, a journalist and an alumna of GRSHS-X, sees it harassing being red-tagged by old peers and even former educators. All just because of her political stance and studying in a particular university ceaselessly being branded as “rebels”.

When conveying discontent and expressing challenging opinions toward the populace, Joan remarked how she

believes that she was taught to be critical and assertive when injustices prevail.

“I was not raised to hush when our rights are being trampled.

Neutrality is a myth. Being a good citizen and a good journalist is to amplify the voices of the oppressed and uphold democratic rights,” she conveyed in an interview.

Amidst relentless slanders, she articulates how it is not a hindrance to crumble her stand. Instead, it is a means to be more progressive and be empowered to uphold our democratic and human rights.

Excellence may have just been an act for the show; hypocritical to silence the ones bred to shout. There were thousands, come hundreds, now tens.

Of the powerful who paints red on the back of the nape and crimsonbled temple at gunpoint, there was Juan who fought back and refused to be silenced.

“Pero maygani naay data silang mammy, saila rami maki hotspot,” Eve remarked. [We are fortunate that [our parents] have data. We can hotspot from them.]

With the Philippines ranked 110th among 139 countries in internet speed by Speedtest Global Index, the still too slow internet connection perils the learners’ academic performance is just wanting to succeed.

The complaints pile up, yet the system pays no heed to such things. These hardships made the whole experience comparable to a rollercoaster ride—filled with ups, downs, and loops. Let this heed to the underlying problems we all are victims to and demand for the accountability we always have deserved. With the dreams of becoming a successful accountant someday, Eve clamors for her right to quality and accessible education.

10 FEATURE

nudoveritas • Vol. 26 No. 2 • The Official Publication of Gusa Regional Science High School-X • Division of Cagayan de Oro • Region X • November 2020-April 2021

IMAGINARY PEDESTALS

FEARING THE INEVITABLE

by NICOLE BONSILAO When the first cases of COVID-19 predominated the world, it was as if it would only be a temporary problem. Yet, after a year of this crisis, much has remained unchanged after cases continue to spike.

by NICOLE BONSILAO

However, the light at the end of the tunnel now seems less dim as the first batch of Sinovac vaccines arrived in Cagayan de Oro City on March 6, 2021. Way ahead of schedule, Mayor Oscar Moreno said that local authorities are in high spirits that non-healthcare personnel may be vaccinated with their first jab this month.

But even with the vaccine now almost within our reach, the masses are not too enthusiastic. As national news and authorities broadcasted discrepancies over information that stirred vaccine stigma, senior citizen Estrella Buko expressed her concerns. “Lisod naman kaayo karon kay tiguwang nako. Hadlok magpavaccine nga murag questionable ang efficacy tungod sa akong gakakita sa news ug internet,” she said in an interview. [It’s very difficult now because I’m old. I’m afraid to get inoculated because ESTRELLA BUKO the efficacy seems questionable as what I see in the news and internet.]

However, 17-year old Markly conveyed how he was previously scared of being jabbed with the vaccine. “I was scared at first because I didn’t know the side effects.

The differences in announcement and data regarding the vaccine didn’t help either. But when I watched informative videos and educated myself, I now look forward to getting vaccinated,” he stated during an interview.

While the growing unease is evidently present, this led to many citizens questioning the efficacy of the vaccine. As the Filipinos still are subject to inconsistencies and incompetence of the system to provide assurance out of this crisis, we are left behind struggling with the weight of fear for the inevitable.

“

The efficacy seems questionable because of what I see in the news and internet.

art by DAN JUBAY

W

hen the clock struck midnight and fireworks illuminated the dim sky, signifying the new year, the festivities did not last long. As the dawn drew near, the abuse that befell victims, women, became more apparent. It meant that change would be a long time coming. Unless we act on it now.

On January 1, 2021, Christine Angelica Dacera was found motionless in a bathtub at the City Garden Hotel in Makati City after celebrating New Year’s Eve. She was then rushed to the hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival due to a ruptured aortic aneurysm.

However, days after her death, the Philippine National Police (PNP) sent the media a separate statement declaring they “solved” the rape-slay case—despite missing details and conflicting reports.

Upon the release of the events leading to her death, the

circumstances sparked widespread media attention. Yet, even at the dawn of 2021, where victim-blaming and rape culture is inexcusable, netizens flocked comment sections and pinned Christine Dacera’s death on herself.

Under the GMA news’ report, several comments questioned why she attended the party with 11 men, “Bakit nakipaginuman sa mga lalaki?” [Why did she get drunk with men?]

“Ang ikli naman nung suot niya,” [The clothes she is wearing are short] “Bakit hindi siya naging maingat? She is beautiful enough to trigger sexual

desire.” [Why wasn’t she careful? She is beautiful enough to trigger sexual desire] All these remarks illuminated the stigma surrounding rape and sexual abuse. The blame for the crime put the women in hot seats that they are not accountable for. This culture of victim-blaming paints the situation that women are the engineers that construct their own demise.

In another situation, #HijaAko trended on Twitter after Frankie Pangilinan schooled Ben Tulfo after victimblaming women. “Sexy ladies, careful with the

way you dress up! You are inviting the beast,” he stated in a tweet.

Pangilinan hit back, saying, “rape culture is real and a product of this precise line of thinking, where the behavior is normalized, particularly by men.” She concluded her tweet with “calling me ‘hija’ will not belittle my point.”

And the hashtag was born. It then became a top trending topic after it sparked tales of dreadful struggles of netizens with sexual abuse and victimblaming.

Both narratives are examples among the myriad showing

how people are quick to demean trauma and invalidate the experience, especially with women.

Piece by piece, every remark that trivializes the crime and belittles the victim builds a pedestal for these people, as if to gain a sense of superiority.

Yet, we all have the responsibility to lend a hand and abolish this culture of victimblaming. We must demolish the roots of the imaginary pedestals these conservative people pride themselves on. So that rape culture will be no more. art by DAN JUBAY

In the Thrill of it All

by NICOLE BONSILAO

When the love story of Tine and Sarawat in the Thailand Boys Love (BL) 2gether series boomed in the Philippines, it sparked a lot of support on various social media platforms and is a stepping-stone for the growing interest and ultimately of BL productions in national media. But amid the increasing support toward the community, it was as if it forgot the relentless discrimination and homophobia.

art by JAMES PUNSALAN

Living in the Philippines, where the conservative beliefs of homophobia prevail, conveys a story for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and others (LGBTQ+) community through numerous BL series.

Opening eyes and hearing the voices of those who struggled to love. BL’s influence in television and other media forms—manga, manhwa, webtoon, and comics—took impact with Gusa Regional Science High School-X (GRSHS-X) students.

This encouragement led to the normalization of the genre and the enduring acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community among

social groups, social media platforms, and media concerning the Filipino youth. Seeing this, it began the production of the local BL series, featuring implications of the conservative Filipino nature towards the LGBTQ+ community.

However, even with the mounting normalization of the genre and the growing acceptance of the community, our nation, schools, and institutions still have a long way to go.

When Makati City PNP Chief Col. Harold Depositar sparked media outrage after his statement about the LGBTQIA+ Community. “Lalaki pa din sila,” Depositar stated. “May instinct ‘yan and… you know, lalo na if you’re under the influence of intoxicating alcohol, and kung

may presence of drugs pa—lalo na.” He made the offensive comment after the identified suspects of Christine Dacera admitted they were all gay.

Andrew Open, a student and member of the LGBTQIA+ community, found the statement ridiculous. He asserted that if it is indeed true, then they would not be here. “My fellow LGBTQIA+ friends wouldn’t be fighting for basic rights and respect towards society,” Andrew explained.

With 73% of Filipinos saying homosexuality should be accepted in society, the Philippines has a long way to go. The statement proves that stigma and gender stereotypes persist and pave the way for discrimination and violence.

Homophobia still prevails; the

trend toward BL and gendercentered movies establishes a notion that hate and homophobia surrounding the LGBTQIA+ community now cease to exist just because it is continually represented.

Upon foolish smiles we have plastered on our faces and giddy spirits we felt as we watched Tine and Sarawat’s love story on #2gether, we must not overlook what it took for BL and the LGBT+ community to be represented like this today.

Disguised as jokes, these remarks invalidate the struggle still prominent today. Amid the celebrations of milestones, let us not forget the experiences the LGBT+ community had to go through before today, in the thrill of it all.

nudoveritas • Vol. 26 No. 2 • The Official Publication of Gusa Regional Science High School-X • Division of Cagayan de Oro • Region X • November 2020-April 2021

FEATURE 11

of Wheels and Determination “D

ubbed as the business hub of Northern Mindanao, Cagayan de Oro City prides itself as the home of several big-name multinational companies contributing to the city’s growing economy. But in its avenues where the rich flaunt brand-new customized cars and high-rise condominiums, in broad daylight, Tatay Jose braves the uphill roads of Barangay Camamanan. In his run-down trisikad, he pedals night and day through a near-empty stomach and fatigue to support his family.

Without a livelihood and pay to provide for the family, he dared go through the dangers of the pandemic.

But when the pandemic hit in March of 2020, the festive and bustling life muted down. It meant the mass closure of establishments that spelled the loss of livelihood of millions of Filipinos. The implementation of lockdowns and strict health protocols, leaving Tatay Jose with no other choice but to stay home with only his meager savings and government Ayuda to support his family.

Yet, with cases ballooning to millions, the crisis revealed the gap between the privileged and the poor. Tatay Jose would gamble his own life just for the children to stop crying of need.

“Isa ka bulan mi ga standby sa balay unya hurot hurot naman ang pagkaon ato, sukol nalang ta sa [COVID-19 virus] simbakog matakdan kaysa patyon ang mga bata sa kagutom.” [We were stuck at home for a month. Yet, food and money were scarce. I braved to face the peril of the virus than kill my children of hunger] The “stay at home” policy was more than just sacrificing parties.

For people like Tatay Jose, without a livelihood and pay to provide for the family, he dared go through the dangers of the pandemic. It meant the struggle of survival not just from the virus but from poverty. For the sake of his loved ones, he would work for a week

and only come home on weekends—even if that meant he would endure not seeing family.

Now a year later, he still propels his run-down sikad to conquer every nook and curve of the streets to save enough and make ends meet.

However, even though circumstances eased up as the city is in modified general community quarantine, he asserts that the struggle is as-is.

“Mao raman gihapon sa last year ug karon kay ang pamaliton mahal japon.” [It is the same as last year because the consumptions are still expensive] The poor deserve more than just leaning blindly on protocols that cater to more well-off

citizens that do not do anything other than prolonging the crisis that leaves people struggling to make ends meet. An administration which prioritizes their selfish consumptions more than the security and wellbeing of its citizens is not what you call a “victory” during this crisis.

They would preferably go back

and implement strict lockdowns again, leaving Tatay Jose and the unprivileged vulnerable to the virus and starvation.

The system that dismisses the calls of its people for accountability and a better solution out of the pandemic is not a system worth having.

It is now Monday.

The weekend he spent with his family passed by

by NICOLE BONSILAO

like a blur. As the dawn grew brighter with each passing hour, Tatay Jose gears up and prepares to leave home. It is hard, he says, but there is no other choice. Of wills and determination, Tatay Jose journeys into the streets of Camaman-an, dreaming of better days.

art by DAN JUBAY

by the numbers

12,612 CARRYING ON

by NICOLE BONSILAO

art by DAN JUBAY

total covid cases in Northern Mindanao from March 2020 to March 2021, according to JHU CSSE COVID-19 DATA.

The Isolation of Isolation

by NICOLE BONSILAO

As students flocked cafes and libraries after school to study for finals or meet up every weekend in another classmate’s house to finish performance tasks, for 24-year old Mibzar, being a student is more than that.

For a family of five, sending kids to school with a meager salary was too heavy for his parents. Left with no choice being the eldest child, Mibzar took the duty and worked as a researcher.

With him helping to sustain the household needs and easing the burdens of financial difficulty in providing an allowance for his siblings, his family could finally take a relaxing day off.

But when COVID-19 shut down schools and establishments, he and his family relied on government assistance for food and money.

As distance learning continues, the lack of resources is just part of a bigger problem. “It was a challenging time during the lockdown. We were among the many who didn’t have much. It was difficult to adjust. Since I am the eldest, I knew I had to help my parents,” he explained.

As the breadwinner, balancing both studies and work, he felt pressure when supporting his parents and siblings because he had the responsibility to provide. It meant that working hard is the only way out of the situation. During the pandemic, working students like Mibzar are no rare sight to see as it has become part of the new normal.

In a recent post, a netizen saw college student Freedom joining his online classes while selling products along the streets in Paranaque City. In another situation, netizens praised a 15-year old balut vendor who was answering modules while selling. Despite distance learning to ensure that students are safe during the pandemic, some have no choice but to struggle and find ways to support their family and education.

Now in his last year as a college student, Mibzar endures. As every passing day indicates a nearer finish line toward a comfortable and secure life for him and his family, he continues walking in the boulevards of his childhood city. With every stop sign and hindrance he passed by, Mibzar carries on as the green light signifies go.

art by DAN JUBAY

The insecurities we try to conceal beneath pretty beaming faces and self-deprecating humor pop up whenever society stereotypes a single body type as the lone appealing sort—of photoshopped curves and Instagram-worthy skin. When the demons come, our grey-stained minds often wonder and question: would we ever fit into society looking like this and be accepted the way we are?

Ever since the pandemic started, life went online; this fixated our stay-at-home life on social media. It was whenever we opened Twitter and Facebook that we shame ourselves for having saggy breasts and tummy rolls that established our position as undesirable to have a perfectly sculpted frame.

One research looked at how we equate ourselves to others in “upward” and “downward” direction—whether we felt better or worse off than our colleagues, and a study by Tandoc

Jr. et al. surveyed 736 college students found that Facebook use can trigger feelings of envy—triggering depression.

Come with the pandemic and being in isolation, teenagers today have likely discovered themselves more in comparison to what was it like before. Coming out stories, “normalization” of how we dress on what once was socially unconventional, and a louder, more open, and expressive generation.

Yet, amid the excitement of selfdiscovery that stems

from the isolation of society’s prying eyes, social media impacts how we view ourselves, leading to cycles of criticism, comparison, and doubt: body dysmorphia, body dissatisfaction, depression, and anxiety.

In this modern world where hate and discrimination remain unconventional, stereotyped, and everything is play pretend; you do you.

Remember where your heart lays and where your soul feels most at ease; remember that home is where the heart is—when the

insecurities we try to conceal beneath pretty beaming faces and self-deprecating humor pop up whenever we compare how society stereotypes a single type as “desirable;” remember that you are impeccable all on your own, little one.

Let us not let the world force-throw us in an illusioned nude-colored craze of this isolation within isolation when a garden of flowers stems from our body with every step we take.

“

A garden of flowers stems from our body with every step we take.

SCIENCE

the power to write is the power to achieve

12

nudoveritas • Vol. 26 No. 2 • The Official Publication of Gusa Regional Science High School-X • Division of Cagayan de Oro • Region X • November 2020-April 2021

“An object at rest will stay at rest unless acted upon by an external force,” according to Newton’s law of inertia. But when translated into student language, “A student at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by a deadline.” Or so they say.

However, with the emergence of COVID-19 leading to the dramatic growth of the digital world, life went online, and distance learning became the norm. But come with the academic and pandemic pressure and isolation from the world, we are to ask: what goes on in a learner’s mind?

Laziness? Think not.

For some, productivity is only possible and only escalates when nearing a deadline, no matter how far a deadline is. “I find it too bothersome when I do my modules on time. I get overwhelmed even just thinking about all the work to be done. Instead, I spend the time watching movies or scroll social media throughout the

day to relieve the anxiety,” stated Nicole Bonsilao, a Grade 11 student from Gusa Regional Science High School-X (GRSHS-X).

According to Tee et al. (2020) in the study of the Psychological Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, 28.8 percent of respondents had moderate-tosevere anxiety levels. It also shared 16.9 percent moderate-to-severe

depression symptoms, 16.3 percent graded the psychological effects of the outbreak as moderate-to-severe, and 13.4 percent had moderate-tosevere stress levels. This is further exacerbated by the over reliance on the internet, excessive use of social media platforms, and destructive patterns due to the uncontrolled use of gadgets.

When asked about when she finally answers the modules as the deadline near, Nicole conveyed how she still performs her best and submits on time, even if she sacrifices sleep, “I tend to cram all two weeks work of activities in a day or two. I find myself more

PONDERING PROCRASTINATION: DUE DATE IS DO DATE?

productive on that time than having to exert effort every day just answering modules.”

Sleep, procrastination, and Mental Health As our world becomes narrower due to the pandemic, we have created our reality and definitions of ourselves through gadgets. It comes parallel with establishing our sense of identity in the digital world while constantly feeling inferior due to the negativity of the internet and comparing imagery of oneself to others.

The pressure of social media and consistently being online could be a factor why learners tend to procrastinate.

Josh Wede, an associate teaching professor of psychology at Penn State, stated that certain pressures, such as extracurricular activities and jobs, make it hard for some students to prioritize their schoolwork.

According to Nazima Pathan (2018), procrastinators usually have a larger amygdala which processes emotions and controls motivation. The larger the amygdala size on the brain, the poorer connections between the amygdala and a part of the brain called the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (DACC), which decides what action the body will take, blocking out competing emotions or distractions to keep someone on task. It concludes that procrastination is not mainly

a problem about one’s time management or capacity to finish an endeavor. It tells how the main underlying reason lies in the brain as it is a reaction to contending feelings that are causing you to feel anxious or distressed to start your task.

Overcoming procrastination: Mind on the Matter Studies have even found the link between procrastination and depression. In a study, the relationship between depression, procrastination, and selfregulation skills found that scores on the measure of depression were significantly correlated with scores on the measure of procrastination.

The positive correlation indicates that the more depressed we are, the more we report procrastination and vice versa. But when mediated by self-regulation skills, the relationship between depression and procrastination essentially disappeared (from a statistical standpoint).

It is easier said than done, but little progress is still progress.

Break the habit. If you are given five days to submit homework or your modules, let us not spend 4 of those days on a Netflix marathon.

There are several interventions and strategies you can search online. Pick the best that is suited for you. Stopping procrastination does not only require willpower, but it also takes action. Let us not make the due date our ‘do’ date!

by KLER POJAS and NICOLE BONSILAO art by JAMES PUNSALAN

insidethissection

13

TECHONOMY: Key Driver to Economic Growth

14

COVID-19 Vaccines: Protection in an Injection

by the numbers

SLEEPING ENOUGH?:

RS’ Average sleeping length

5.3 The average sleep that a student of RS get every night is around five and a third according to a survery conducted by Nudo Veritas Survey Team. The population gathered was one hundred students per year level.

SOUND THE ALARM What happens when your sleep is not enough?

by JAMES PUNSALAN

The Aftermath of Deprivation There are many levels of severity when a person is sleepdeprived. Firstly, it is known that lack of sleep affects the reproductive system. Men sleeping just five to six hours a night have a level of testosterone which is that of someone ten years their senior.

Lack of sleep will age you by almost a decade in terms of that aspect virility and wellness. Another effect is that it damages your immune system. After just one night of four to five hours of sleep, there is a 70% reduction in critical anti-cancer fighting immune cells called natural killer cells. That is the reason that we know that short sleep durations within the day predicts a person’s risk for developing numerous forms of cancer. The list currently consists of cancer of the bowel, cancer of the prostate, as well as cancer of the breast. In fact, the link between a lack of sleep and cancer has now been proven strong recently by the World Health Organization (WHO) in which they decided to classify any form of night time shift work as a probable carcinogen. In other words, jobs that may induce cancer because of a disruption of a person’s sleep rate rhythms. on’s sleep rate rhythms. Aside from the

immune system, the cardiovascular system also if affected because it is during the deep sleep at night is the only period where you receive this special form of blood pressure medication. Your heart rate drops and your blood pressure goes down.

If a person fails to comply such, he is unable to reboot his cardiovascular system leading to blood pressure increase. Once you get past 16 hours of being awake, that’s when a person starts to see mental deterioration and physiological deterioration in the body.

RS students’ Sleeping Patterns In a random survey conducted by the Press Club, grade 11 and 12 topped the rank in the least number of hours of sleep with four hours. While grade 9 and 10 have six hours and 7 hours for the lower years. According to James Punsalan, Grade 12 student, “this lack of sleep is due to the many number of requirements and demands of academic performance tasks.”

by DANICA FABRO One of Philippines’ staple junk food favorite is the satisfying French fries. Due to its popularity, fries is often paired with rice meals albeit the carbohydrate and starch combo. On a negative note, the high consumption rate of potatoes of the Filipinos showed no prospering in the field of agriculture, specifically in growing potatoes.

Human body performs complex functions on a daily basis. Without even realizing it, our bodies perform difficult processes that can only be understood through time in education. However, the catch is that it needs one thing -- sleep. But what happpens to the body when it is being deprived from its only remedy? Indeed, sleeping is the body’s requirement for it to regenerate again.

Studies prove that an average human should at least spend 7-8 hours of sleep in order to avoid “tremendous emotional problems”.

It is certain that a lack of sleep will prevent the brain from being able to initially make new memories. In perspective, it is like an inbox that shuts down and cannot receive new messages or memories. These coming informational emails are just ricochet, and a person ends up feeling amnesiac. It essentially cannot make and create new memories. Additionally, when the body lacks sleep, it will lead to an increased progression of a toxic protein in the brain called beta amyloid. It is commonly associated with Alzheimer’s disease because it is during the conduct of deep sleep which is approximately 90 minutes of sleep at night, the body acting as the sewage system within the brain actually kicks in to high gear and it starts to wash away this toxic presence. If you are not getting enough sleep each and every night, the more you are subjected to experience mental complications from the Alzheimer’s-related protein that has accumulated. The more you sleep less, the greater the risk of a person developing dementia in later life.

Tuber dormancy problem? Solved.

art by SHAUN ARTHUR PAO

With Gusa Regional Science High School – X (GRSHS-X) a group of grade 12 students catalyzed a greenhorn approach to the standing issue of potato degradation, sprouting and storage problems.

Headed by Trisha Mae B. Navarette and co-writers Angel Nicole B. Ampo and Shein Khan Kae Valdehueza, their crafted paper was entitled Comparing the Effects of Hydrogen Peroxide on the Trend of Sprouting Between Two Methods of G0 Granola Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and Storage.

With the research being developed around April of 2019, the team sought professional apprenticeship which resulted to their affiliation with the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Dalwangan, Bukidnon. Their goal is to develop the paper and turn their concept into actualization. In there, the students were able to identify an underlying problem which was the dormancy of potatoes. It takes around 17 months before the potatoes are marketable, with this, the team finalized their idea and went with the concept.

The process utilized hydrogen peroxide and funguran by soaking the granola potatoes with different concentrations. Variations were also done in the soaking time.

Some potatoes are soaked fresh from harvest, others one month from harvest to show variance in the study.

SCIENCE 13

nudoveritas • Vol. 26 No. 2 • The Official Publication of Gusa Regional Science High School-X • Division of Cagayan de Oro • Region X • November 2020-April 2021

TECHONOMY:

Key Driver to Economic Growth

by KLER POJAS Money does not grow on trees. But now, it is close to being as convenient as that. In the two faces of a coin, there is technology and the population. These two elements are intricately tied together to generate money and is essential to economic growth. With the technological boom in this century, money can now come from anywhere; it may bloom from the internet, technologyassisted globalization and social media platforms.

The world has gained leverage over technology and has dominated the digital revolution into a massive money generating era. These staggering advances have empowered many industries and sectors.

Tinder, Tiktok, Facebook, Shopee and many others, you may have heard of them; these are one of the many powerful technology apps that empower social and money exchange.

One sought to do shopping, dating and communicating which now diffuse on a pile in the screens of our gadgets.

With everything being so convenient, these apps encourage many to participate in the digital economy.

“I think the pandemic has allowed the Philippines to let go of conventional ways and embrace technological development. This is evident in our country’s education continuity and interventions despite the pandemic,” stated Maria Teresa Pojas, an elementary teacher from San Martin Integrated School.

There is a definite correlation between telecommunication investment and economic development, according

to a researcher, Taylor Reynolds. These initiatives assist countries in creating employment and laying the foundations for long-term economic growth. Another supporting study said that between 1980 and 2006, 120 countries reported that a 10% growth in broadband penetration contributes 1.3 percent to a high-income country’s GDP and 1.21 percent to a medium- to middleincome country’s GDP. At 2020, the Philippines’ economy was

strongly affected by the pandemic which resulted to a major decrease from 5.9 2019 GDP growth to 2.0 as of 2020. The Philippines was left vulnerable and unprepared with conduits and mediums of businesses were cut off due to protocols to curb the spread of COVID-19.

In the cesspit of our progressive economic failure, a perceived economic rebound from 2019 with 2.0 GDP growth to 6.5 GDP growth as of 2021 was paralleled with the rise

of technology use. Online shopping, utilization of social media platforms and other technologies became our economic support that depends reliably with technology.

With this in mind, the conventional system of our country poses for potential reform. Our nation will need to learn how to take advantage of new opportunities and solve new challenges, which will necessitate increased technological capability, entrepreneurial engagement, and rational

government involvement.

The digital revolution has swept the globe with massive impacts for the industry, the economy, and the labor market. Nowadays, it has assisted us from economic failure. From this experience, we can conclude that, technology is important. It is critical to understanding and influencing how the economy evolves at its current state and how far it could go in the future.

art by DAN JUBAY

TikTok

Talk

by JAMES PUNSALAN For the past ten months, people have been battling not only the virus but also boredom and stress. TikTok on the other hand served as the solution to their problems.

TikTok is an interactive world of videos that lets you connect with friends or with a wider circle of people through likes, comments, and even duets. It is an app used to create videos usually by lip-syncing or dancing along with top songs (Thurrott, 2019). Most of the app users said that Tiktok app is clean and should be presented in mass media. Proponents of this idea state that Tiktok allows you to put time limits for kids, filter mature contents, and set your account into private. With a private account, only people you approve can follow, comment on, and like your videos. They also stated that Tiktok can be very helpful in education because many professionals are using the app and sharing their knowledge through videos. Aside from being a social media networking app, TikTok also serves as a reliable tool to deal with business needs.

A qualitative and precise video content is good enough for startups to market their products and services (Rowlatt, 2020).

However, TikTok is not clean and should only be presented in mass media with precautions.

The first reason why TikTok is not clean and should have precautions is because many users are fake followers and users who make it an inappropriate application. According to Tenable Cybersecurity Company, some prying users have found TikTok video app as a perfect platform to impersonate or misuse their rights. Most of the users have reported being redirected to adult dating scams through the

TikTok app lately. Even though you can filter out spam and block accounts, it does not catch everything. Hashtags can change frequently and can help bypass filters (Elgersma, 2019).

“

Everyone has the right to participate freely in the community and to share the benefits of technological advancement but we also have to protect our moral interests from any forms of harassment.

Another reason is that it is highly addicting especially for kids. Watching TikTok videos releases dopamine which is a good hormone in the brain that keeps us wanting more of TikTok. As this app tends to hold more content, kids are turning addicted due to its overuse. (Goswami, 2020) TikTok app has turned into a database for videos to attract users of all ages. Kids are more likely to turn into the stuff shared

through the TikTok video app.

Such addiction is resulting in distress among parents as well.

(Schaffel, 2019) TikTok can also be used as a harassment tool.

Besides fun and entertainment, numerous users display sensitive, distasteful, or violent content.

According to Jerusalem Post, a video displaying terror-attacks against Israeli citizens went viral putting this app in a jeopardized situation. Trollers leverage this application to deliver distasteful and offensive remarks against the people they disapprove of. Given that nobody knows how safe it is for your kids. This not only portrays false characterization but also makes you think of the impacts of disrespect on a user or a particular community.

Everyone has the right to participate freely in the community and to share the benefits of technological advancement but, we also have to protect our moral interests from any forms of harassment. I agree with the idea that TikTok is fun and entertaining but we should also consider the negative effects it brings to us. TikTok has put in place very intricate system whereby our conformity and even deviations are controlled and managed effectively. Isn’t it an intriguing aspect of our membership that we have little recognition of the social burdens we carry everyday as we manage our social engagement?

ASF:

Economy’s Silent Killer

by KLER POJAS The advent of COVID-19’s socioeconomic backlash overshadowed another national issue that has been responsible for our economy’s decline since 2019.

The African Swine Fever (ASF) is a severe transboundary creature illness (TAD) or a viral illness that can be spread by alive or dead pigs, homegrown or wild, and pork items. This can also be transmitted by means of infected feed and fomites or non-living items like shoes, clothes, and many others.

This endemic has brought economic misfortune to countries that are already wavering from the negative impact brought by COVID-19.

It has threatened food security in the market and financial stability upon those with piggeries and homegrown pigs.

In the Philippines, the ASF has cleared out over 33% of the nation’s pig stocks. The public authority is struggling

to hold the security and balance throughout the economy subsequent to the inflation rates from COVID-19. This warrants fervent government action for the reason that it gradually deters improvement within the economy and continues to add burden among the Filipinos.

The said illness has reached the southern parts of the Philippines and continues to grow in number. In Cagayan De Oro City, pork prices spiked as high as 250 pesos per kilo and a minimum of 180 pesos per kilo. With this price hike, food products containing pork have also increased their price causing small businesses to struggle and big companies to experience loss of revenue.

“Di naman namo kaya pagamyan among price kay nangawala naman among supplier sa baboy tungod sa lockdown tas African swine fever pa jud” said Mr. Fernand Dado, a local pork seller in Cogon Market, Cagayan de Oro City.

Ask every local pork seller as to why they have raised their prices and they all will say two common things; COVID-19 and African swine fever. We cannot just haggle prices anymore, with people having families to raise and a life to survive.

Without immediate action, the ASF will remain a lethal knife to the economy’s neck.

14 SCIENCE

nudoveritas • Vol. 26 No. 2 • The Official Publication of Gusa Regional Science High School-X • Division of Cagayan de Oro • Region X • November 2020-April 2021

COVID-19 Vaccines:

Biodefense to Biosecurity

H

by KLER POJAS

hungryfortruth

umanity has a long history of plagues that has brought nations to crumble and have caused millions of death among humans and animals.

As of now, COVID-19 is continually causing repercussions of changes in our intricate financial and social system. After a while, the global effort to develop a COVID-19 vaccine is now paying off. As of February 2021, over a dozen approved vaccines and a number of others that are still in development.

One of many global initiatives that is credited for today’s newly released vaccines is the COVAX initiative directed by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and World Health Organization (WHO).

This initiative aims to collaborate with vaccine manufacturers to provide countries with inexpensive COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccine manufacturers; Inovio, Moderna, CureVac, AstraZeneca/University of Oxford, Novavax are part

Retrieved CDO PIO of this initiative. Securing vaccine equity among lower, middle and higher-income countries is the central aim of this initiative.This would be essential to guarantee that the capability of a country to pay will not hinder them from getting COVID-19 vaccinations. This necessary initiative will help resolve the

A VacciNation’s Deception

by MELIZA ROCAT

crisis that continues to plague our planet.

In the Philippines, more than 480,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines arrived from the COVAX Facility.

These vaccines will provide immunity for up to 20% of the country’s population for this year and will be prioritized for healthcare workers, other frontline workers, and the elderly, and other groups with a high level of vulnerability.

However, this number of vaccines is not enough to secure the country from the virus.

Cagayan de Oro City received two batches of vaccines up to date; SinoVac doses from China, and the second batch of vaccines, AstraZeneca. Still, only 49.77% or 4,697 of the city’s 9,436 frontline health care workers received vaccine shots which is roughly a small portion of the city’s population.

Our body is an intricate system of cells that work to form levels that make up a human being. It is also capable of protecting itself. COVID-19 Vaccines such as mRNA vaccines, Protein subunit vaccines, and Vector vaccines, work generally by injecting T- and B-lymphocytes that contain a “memory” on how to defeat the virus if infected.

As a result, our bodies build immunity to the virus that triggers COVID-19 without us getting sick.

The gloomy days of curses and cries echoing from parents in hopeless wishes of justice seemed to have long been gone.

However, it left an immense culture of vaccine hesitancy; remnants of fear.

The infamous Dengvaxia controversy in 2017 claimed the lives of more than 150 children nationwide, which left Filipinos with phobias and doubts in fear of experiencing an unfortunate déjà vu. However, despite the terror it brings, it currently serves as a bright glimpse of hope for humanity in these dark times. But because of this tradition of dread, there is nothing more we can do than to use the power of dissemination as key to upsurge our hopes and prevent misinformation; a notorious trigger for fear.

Word has it that a Filipino nurse in her late-40s has allegedly died from a certain vaccine.

However, before digging in, let us first talk about vaccines available in the Philippines. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has permitted to the emergency use authorizations (EUA) of Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine, Oxford–AstraZeneca, Gamaleya-Sputnik V and Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines with Sputnik having the highest efficacy rate of 91.6%.

They belong to different categories namely: mRNA, vectors, and inactivated vaccines, respectively.

They also have a fair share of different side effects and common ones including fever, fatigue, and dizziness. According to the FDA, 2.21% of those who received Sinovac’s CoronaVAC and 5.19% of those injected with AstraZeneca’s vaccine experienced suspected side effects.

With that being said, and considering the ordeal from the past, people have been more vigilant towards what to inoculate into their bodies. A disappointing 46% Filipinos are still reluctant for vaccination; we can never really blame them, but are they watching out for themselves, or are they just mere victims of misinformation? You see, the Filipino nurse mentioned above did not really die from the vaccine, but from COVID-19 infections itself. Though that may not have caused a large impact to people’s hesitance, the point is that misinformation often causes fear and discouragement; it is prevalent, but not for a good reason. We can never change the past, but we can act now and change the future, and the first step goes towards spreading valuable and reliable information for people’s reassurance.

The trauma persists, but serendipity awaits our actions.

DEFENDER TO HUMANS, DANGER TO THE WORLD: The importance of PPE recycling

by KLER POJAS “PARAZAPP”

Retreived from DOST-10

We see blue and white surgical masks lurking everywhere on the streets of our city which is unsanitary and toxic for the environment. We might have even stepped on it every once in a while.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) recycling is a half-baked solution because as of now, there is no convenient way to recycle PPE thoroughly to ensure our health worker’s safety. When dealing with biohazards, we cannot simply reuse PPE incautiously. With the COVID-19 pandemic currently leeching the world’s workforce and economy, there aren’t much PPEs that can be bought and used without exhausting our resources and damaging our environment.

The Philippines’ capital medical waste rose up to 280 metric tons of medical waste in a single day. Most of which contains infected PPEs with a mix of cloth and plastics that are toxic to the environment. Acting upon this issue, the country generally dealt with the matter by improving its Solid Waste Management System through integrating key priorities and fines for violations. This is taken with urgency by the government for the reason that “The improper disposal of hospital, laboratory and even household waste may trigger a resurgence of COVID-19 in the country,” according to Senator Imee Marcos.

The government of Cagayan de Oro City instituted an ad hoc intervention for this growing problem. Science may take a potential triumph over this issue, as a locallyproduced C-type ultraviolet light (UV-C) disinfection system that destroys bacteria on personal protective equipment (PPE), especially N95 face masks. The genius of this device is Elpidio Paras and named it as “Parazapp” tested by the Department of Science and Technology in Region 10 (DOST-10).

“The test achieved 83 percent to 97 percent reduction of E. coli populations when used for five minutes. 24 minutes of exposure inside the Parazapp may be needed to achieve a 99.99 percent reduction of sample E. coli,” the DOST-10 report said.

Health and sustainability should be central to our country’s list of priorities for the reason that both of these work hand in hand and may negatively impact the country severely upon negligence. With this, it is imperative to develop solutions and intervention to our growing surge of waste due to our inability to recycle PPE. We should consider this and the stress that is laid on it by our environment.

art by DAN JUBAY

nudoveritas • Vol. 26 No. 2 • The Official Publication of Gusa Regional Science High School-X • Division of Cagayan de Oro • Region X • November 2020-April 2021

R SE OF THE FALLEN RS volleyboys comeback journey in 2019

by IVY JEAN SILAGAN and JOHN PAUL ESTARES

The RS power spikers crushed the hopes of Lapasan National High School (LNHS) as they secured their first championship title, 25-20, 16-25, 25-17 in East 1 District Men’s Volleyball Finals on September 7, 2019 at Capitol University Basic Education Department covered court.

This marked their resurgence as the spikers lost their ticket bound for Division level on the previous year against Capitol University Basic Education Department.

Like any other student-athletes, the team had to endure grueling trainings and balancing schoolworks especially in an academic-centered institution.

“We do a lot of warm up, drills, plays, and cool down for 3 hours from 5-8 PM every weekdays,” middle spiker Elrenn Oro said.

When asked about how they manage to balance ball life and academics, team captain Urbina explained, “We put importance in school first especially during exam week and if we have quizzes tomorrow or long schoolworks, we can be excused from training.”

But the spikers also have their fair share of internal challenges within the group. The leader admitted to having difficulties in adjusting to the new pool of players.

“The new lineup consists of younger players and most of them are not familiar with our system yet, there are times when we are not united in court,” said Urbina.

Nonetheless, as the spikers regrouped with some new recruits, the team’s chemistry strengthened and was able to endure their tough journey as they conquered the title.

With their current small-ball roster, the spikers should maintain the phase and momentum to dominate more games in the future.

FLIGHT. RS’ ace player, Ian Urbina in his service form during the 2019 East I District Unit Meet.

Photo by ANTONIO LADRA

COVID-19:

LIFE UPDATE

The status of RS athletes amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

by IVY JEAN SILAGAN

T

he ongoing health crisis halted majority of sports events around the world.

This resulted in the closure of most venues used for physical activities. Athletes, in particular, are greatly affected as they are not able to actively participate in their usual sporting activities outside their homes.

In this case, several RS athletes shared their experiences on how they adapted to the new conditions and their ways in maintaining fitness and condition throughout the pandemic.

According to 12th grader Krizzia Rivera, a Badminton Women’s Singles athlete, she maintains her fitness and physical condition by doing morning exercises with her mother, biking, and playing badminton by the afternoon.

“During this quarantine, I learned to discipline myself in terms of food by limiting my intake and always exercising,” Rivera said.

When asked about the changes she felt in terms of her social life, she responded: “I met a lot of people and my bond with my old friends was strengthened and they were the ones who helped uplift my mental health in this pandemic,” she added.

On the other hand, Elrenn Oro, the middle blocker of RS volleyboys, said that he maintains his physical health by performing Calisthenics, a form of exercise that only uses an individual’s body weight to perform work, movements or exercises.

“My physical activity is only limited to exercises that can be done within the house such as chores. My social life is limited to only online platforms, namely Facebook and Messenger, as my parents are strict,” he said.

Lastly, team captain Joren Israel of RS basketboys said that consistent training such as jogging every morning before sunrise, going to the gym, and disciplined JOREN ISRAEL, diet are what kept GRSHS-X him physically fit during quarantine.

Basketballer on “During the keeping their quarantine, I was shape amidst the able to benefit more pandemic. physically because

“

If we do not discipline ourselves, then who will discpline for us?

I have more time to exercise and focus due to the long vacant hours and little to no disturbance,” he added.

localsports

Boosting esports industry

BREN Esports completes Cinderella run, hails MLBB M2 World Champions

by JOHN PAUL ESTARES

by JOHN PAUL ESTARES | art by SCOTT ROA

The Philippines has been on the radar when it comes to esports events. Recently, BREN Esports seized the M2 World Championship title with a prize pool of 300,000 USD. In January 2021, the number of aspiring teams who registered for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Professional League - MPL PH Season 7 Qualifiers shoot up to 3,040 teams. Hence, the number of mobile gamers have risen throughout the pandemic.

There has been a huge shift: previously, esports struggled to draw mass viewers, with the majority of its development coming from PC and console gamers looking to deepen their engagement with their favorite games. COVID-19, on the other hand, has introduced mobile gamers to the world of esports.

The advocated lockdown that most people would undergo during a pandemic has only intensified this trend.

CDO states no plans yet to resume contact sports;

says it is a ‘violation of nat’l policy’

The numbers do not lie - esports has been on the rise for a while now.

As we continue to face the onslaught of the pandemic, esports players undeniably skyrocketed. Online gamers have found a new diversion while being locked at home because of the threat of COVID-19. The esports industry is valued at close to 1.1 billion dollars today and is expected to grow at an average of 13% through to 2023. While North America, China, and South Korea are the world’s largest esports producers, the esports audience is growing, and the COVID-19 pandemic is only accelerating this trend.

Between the months of March and April 2020, over 1 billion people watched an esports event. Twitch’s audience is expected to have risen by 31% in March 2020 alone.

by HANZ JOEFREYSON CALIO

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management on Emerging Infectious (IATF-EID) gave a green light for the resumption of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), however the sport is not allowed to be played in the barangay level.

BREN Esports stunned the world after a historic lower bracket run to seize Mobile Legends: Bang Bang M2 World Championship title against Myanmar’s pride, Burmese Ghouls, 4-3 on January 24, 2021 at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore.

KARL GABRIEL “KARTZY’’ NEPOMUCENO | Art by JAMES PUNSALAN

the power to write is the power to achieve

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HALTED GAMES. Annual District Games, which RS’ Basketball Team joins was one of the sports leagues that was cancelled due to the pandemic. File Photo by JAMES PUNSALAN

athletesstatus

SPORTS

teamreview

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The boys in black and yellow halted a potential reverse sweep coming from Burmese Ghouls as they survived the series after regaining momentum in the sixth and seventh game.

BREN’s Pheww (Lou Yi) faked his ultimate to scare the Burmese Ghouls but ended up getting first blood

by Dee (LapuLapu), 2:58 in the game.

Lusty (Chou) of BREN flickered in to kick Ace (Brody) during a five-on-five skirmish near the turtle pit area. Pheww finished it after getting a double kill to Ace and MayBe (Minsitthar) and KarlTzy (Claude) secured the turtle buff for BREN with a two thousand gold lead.

BREN took advantage of the map control as they baited the lord to lure the opponents. RubyDD (Grock) paid the price as he tried to reset the lord and ended up getting ambushed led by KarlTzy that is on Mega Kill mode.

Burmese Ghouls silenced BREN’s domination as Lusty got killed after the spear of glory and king’s calling of MayBe. KiD (Lunox) also triggered his chaos assault just to take down Lusty.

After Lusty got ambushed, BREN immediately dived into the opponents led by KarlTzy with his blazing duet and Ribo with his zaman force as they took

down three members of Burmese Ghouls including their hyper carry, Ace. With no one to contest, FlapTzy (Baxia) and KarlTzy took down the enhanced lord easily, putting Myanmar in a defensive stance.

KiD tried to save the hopes for the Myanmar squad but BREN showed no mercy and clinched the title after beating Burmese Ghouls, 19-14 in a classic 14-minute showdown.

KarlTzy registered 10 kills, 6 assists - with only 1 death - to lead the Philippines’ victory.

On the other hand, offlane Grock meta and Minsithar surprised pick went down the drain for Myanmar, who had the chance to snatch the title in the sixth game.

The child prodigy of team Philippines, Karl Gabriel “KarTzy’’ Nepomuceno hailed as M2 World Championship Grand Finals MVP.

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año warned the public that the Philippine National Police (PNP) will strictly enforce quarantine protocols in connection with the ban of contact sports in the barangay level in the midst of the pandemic.

At the moment, only non-contact sports, indoor sports and exercises are allowed, such as chess, tennis, badminton, jogging, running and more.

In an interview about basketball resumption in Cagayan de Oro City, SK Federation Chairman and City Councilor John Michael Seno said, “Not a single city is allowed by the national government to hold any contact sports unless you are a professional player through a bubble type scheme.”

“If and when the city would allow contact sports, that is clearly a violation of a national policy therefore public officials that allow contact sports will face administrative or criminal charges. Under the issuances of Games and Amusement board national, contact sports can be played by any individual if vaccines are available in the public or there is a cure to Covid-19. If you could find any LGUs that are posted in social media, I clearly believe that is fake news,” added Seno.

The city does not have any plans in the future of hosting any basketball events and any sports tournament as Seno stated, “The virus is still here with us although we cannot see it but as reported everyday by the city government there are plenty infected by the virus.”

CITY COUNCILOR JOHN MICHAEL SENO | photo by ANTONIO MIGUEL LADRA

11 by the numbers

sporting events were affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The following are; 1. The 2020 Summer Olympics was rescheduled to 2021.

2. The 11th World Games, initially scheduled for July 2021, was moved to July 2022.

3. The 2020 ASEAN Para Games was cancelled.

4. The Philippine Sports Commission announced that they will cancel all of their sporting events until December 2020. This includes Palarong Pambansa in Marikina and Philippine National Games.

5. NCAA Season 95 was terminated on March 19, 2020 after Luzon declared an enhanced community quarantine.

6. UAAP Season 82 was cancelled on April 7, 2020 after the enhanced community quarantine was extended up to April 30.

7. On December 11, 2020, the UAAP announced its decision to cancel Season 83, which was slated to kick off in early 2021.

8. The 45th Season of Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) was suspended on March 11, 2020, three days after its opening due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was resumed on October in Clark, Pampanga.

9. The Philippine Football Federation has postponed the 2020 season of the Philippine Football League (PFL).

10. The Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) had decided to cancel their 2020 season on May. 11.

Intramurals and other local level sports activities were also cancelled last year.

WINNING KICK. RS’ Poomsae Athlete, Joela Faith Olvida performs a Roundhouse Kick as part of her winning routine during the 2020 Worldwide Online Poomsae Tournament. Olvida emerged as Bronze Medalists in this Online Tournament on December 18-20, 2020. Photo

by JOELA FAITH OLVIDA

COMEBACK KICK

Vol. 26 No. 2 • The Official Publication of Gusa Regional Science High School-X • Division of Cagayan de Oro • Region X • November 2020-April 2021

communitystory

CDO White Water Junkies take on philanthropic work amidst nat’l crisis

Amidst pandemic, the young superstar of Gusa Regional Science High School - X, Joela Faith Olvida, seized 1 gold medal and 1 bronze medal for Junior’s group category and Junior’s individual category respectively in the recently concluded Worldwide Online Poomsae Tournament “2020 Daejeon MBC Cup Seocheon International Open Taekwondo Championships” on December 18-20, 2020 at Chungcheongnam-do Seochon Sports Training

PANDEMIC HOBBY. School Principal, Charlyn Baylon finds a way to maintain fitness amidst pandemic through biking.

With her family, they do biking ‘at least twice a week.’ Retrieved from CHARLYN BAYLON’S FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

the power to write is the power to achieve

SPORTS | PAGE 15

by JOHN PAUL ESTARES, JAMES PUNSALAN, HANZ CALIO

“Despite of this pandemic, Friday to Sunday rajod amo trainings, so I train at home and perform the stretches and drills that were given to us by our coach so that even though walay training, ma maintain ang flexibility sa among muscles.” (Despite this pandemic, our training is always Friday to Sunday

SPORTS RS volleyboys comeback journey in 2019

Olvida’s comeback journey from torn ACL bags bronze in 2020 Worldwide Online Poomsae Tournament

Olvida’s journey before partaking the said tournament was not smooth sailing. Before notching her black belt, Olvida suffered from a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) that led her to a rough start. Series of challenges were faced by this young athlete during her training and workouts. Despite these obstacles, Olvida still managed to climb to the top and brought pride as a Regionalista. In an interview with Joela Olvida, her determination and hard work were the key factors that drove her to succeed in this tournament.

nudoveritas

by PRINCE CALIO

every week, so I train at home and perform the stretches and drills that were given to us by our coach, so that even though there’s no training, I can maintain the flexibility of my muscles), Olvida said.

“I also jog everyday dri sa among subdivision kay ang poomsae, even though forms lang siya, it still requires stamina and core strength to be able to perform the forms properly and with power.”

(I also jog everyday here in our subdivision because poomsae, even though it’s all about forms, it still requires power, stamina, and core strength to be able to perform the forms properly), she added.

As the pandemic continues, Olvida plans to take a break to get fully recovered from the injury and prepare for upcoming Taekwondo events. But, when the right time arrives and this pandemic ceases, she would love to take part in the competition again, this time in Korea, for a better competition experience.

Olvida’s comeback from torn ACL showed how tough she is and how hungry she is for titles.

The Kagay-an Bugsay Rafting, one of the most popular tourist spot in Cagayan de Oro City had closed down on March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The river guides/ rafters, also known as “White Water Junkies”, bid a temporary farewell to their jobs as the city was placed into community quarantine and the rafting business went into a halt.

However, a month later, the junkies partnered with a nonprofit organization called “Para sa Bayan ni Juan” in order to give out help and support to Kagay-anons whose livelihoods were gravely affected by the pandemic.

The rafters headed out on a food drive in Barangay Mambuaya where they served meals for more than a hundred people.

They prepared infamous Filipino dishes such as chicken and pork adobo, caldereta, bam-i, and more.

“Kato na adlaw na nakita nako ug na-remind ko nga naa gyud mga tao na gusto mo tabang bisag kita na tanan ang naka sinati sa crisis. Sobra ko ka lipay na makita ang mga tao na nalipay sa ilang nadawat. (On that day, I saw and was reminded that there are people who still want to help even when all of us are affected by the crisis.

I was delighted to see people happy with what they received.),” said Dong Wabe, one of the river rafters.

This showed that not only are these rafters skilled in outdoor activities and survival techniques, but are also an amazing team who values giving back to the community and helping those who are in need during these trying times.

SCAN TO VIEW FULL RESULTS OF THE CDO TEAM PERFORMANCE DURING THE DAEJON MBC CUP INTERNATIONAL OPEN TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIPS POOMSAE OPEN TOURNAMENT

Virtuamurals 2021 Promotional Pubmat | Retrieved from GRSHS-X SSG Facebook Page

schoolnews

RS Head pedals her way in a newfound biking passion

by IVY JEAN SILAGAN, JOHN PAUL ESTARES

The newly assigned principal of Gusa Regional Science High School-X, Mrs. Charlyn Baylon, took a solo ride to her new home on January 4, 2021.

Baylon started biking during the onslaught of the pandemic with her husband and four kids. She noted that the beginning of their biking journey started purely for fun and bonding purposes.

“When I was a kid, I used to go out biking with a BMX but now it’s with a mountain bike. I don’t really have any formal training, we just do it for recreation, physical activity, and at the same time, bonding with the family,” she said.

Due to conflicting schedules, Baylon and her family only take on biking once or three times a week at most, usually on her day off and weekends. They mostly aim towards afternoon and

evening rides because of the hot weather and busy streets of the city.

Furthermore, she also shared about their goal of targeting the 100 km ride with 1000 meters of elevation which she calls the ‘millenial ride’.

“Last time, we went to Jasaan just to reach the 100 km because by the time we reached Puerto, we lacked about 15 km so we had to ride until there just to complete the 100 km,” she explained.

Despite starting biking this past year, Baylon has always been a sports-minded individual. She used to be a softball player and an athlete scholar from high school to college which greatly helped in pursuing her education.

When asked about the changes she felt before and after biking, she answered: “It increases my strength, endurance and also, (I) lose some pounds. It’s really friendly for my age because as we age, our body tends to get weaker so I decided that biking is really good for my age.”

Lastly, she shared some words of advice for people who are planning to engage in biking.

“Be safe at all times. Make sure your gears are ready and you should go with those whom you trust for protection and guidance.

Lastly, always make sure you know the traffic rules, signages, and hand signaling in biking for safety,” she said.

GRSHS-X, USTP Senior High join forces to launch the first-ever Virtuamurals

by JOHN PAUL ESTARES, IVY JEAN SILAGAN Gusa Regional Science High School-X and the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) Senior High School are bound to engage in an online clash this 2021 for the first-ever Virtuamurals.

The said event will be a one-week celebration to showcase talents, skills, and collaboration from students even from a distance and is set to attack on April 5-10, 2021.

The two participating institutions have their own realms: realm of the fiery earth for USTP and realm of the skies for GRSHS-X. The GRSHS-X realm of the skies will be composed of six empires: Gallant, Halcyon, Rollicking, Sagacious, Scintillating and Xenial.

Meanwhile, the realm of USTP, the fiery earth creatures of the West will be composed of six empires as well: Aspiration, Discipline, Empathy, Excellence, Love and Resilience.

The Virtuamurals 2021 will cover Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Valorant, and Call of Duty tournaments for the mobile games. The event will also include Creative Cosplay, Debattle, Talent Show, Go Where Your Art Beats, Blitz Chess, Kahoot, Spelling Bee, and Online Challenges.