TheCrusader AY Starter Magazine

Publishers Subscribing Students of Xavier University Editors Ma. Rosetti G. Villamor Editor in Chief Nadine Hendrikka E. Legaspi Associate Editor Kristoffer James L. Nambatac Design Editor Princess E. Tolentino Managing Editor Lyle Justin A. Egay News Editor Ma. Therese D. Agcopra Campus Features Editor Dharyl Jean A. Indino Local Features Editor Saharah Iman M. Alonto National Features Editor Sam D. Garcia Global Features Editor Robert A. Villaluz, Jr. Sports Editor Rico M. Magallona Layout Editor Francis Ryan O. Avellana Photography Editor Alexes June E. Baslot Freehand Editor Finance Officers Caroline Joy R. Go Senior Finance Officer Rochelle D. Barros Junior Finance Officer (Interim) Managers Haiko B. Magtrayo Human Resource Manager Saharah Iman M. Alonto Office Manager Alvin Paul R. Yao Circulations Manager Janrick Carl T. Romales Sr. Computer Systems Specialist & OAM Kevin Paul P. Mabul Jr. Computer Systems Specialist (Trainee) Volco J. Magbanua Video Productions Manager Staff Writers Faith May S. Albarracin (Trainee) Louren B. Aranas (Trainee) John Kenneth E. Ching Maita V. Encabo (Trainee) Caroline Joy R. Go Dahn F. Suan (Trainee) Leasusana C. Ty Jacqueline P. Uy Micka Angela Victoria B. Virtudazo (Trainee) Joule Artemson D. Visabella Staff Artists Ma. Kristin Victoria Z. Abesamis (Trainee) Jess A. Batoon (Trainee) Rochelle D. Barros Jenamae G. Espineli Christian Loui S. Gamolo Jaymar T. Patana (Trainee) Jose Alfonso P. Sendaydiego Venice Marie P. Villo Moderator Mrs. Ann Catherine Ticao-Acenas For contributions, please address your articles and/or comments to The Crusader Publication office, StC 302 Xavier University 9000, Cagayan de Oro City Circulation: 7, 500 copies

14 Cover Story

table of contents 1

Editorial

2 Opinion 4 Reportage 5

The Acabo checklist

6 Xavier: New is in 8

Shelves and trophies

9 Green-sanity 10

Louie Talents: His journey

12

Crusader Yearbook: The fallout

13

Uncovering CdeO’s darkest secrets

14

Basking in the light of Truth – Cover Story

24

Kamusta naman ka, K-12?

25

Philippine logic: Lend money now, pay debts later

26

The real deal behind U.S. neutrality

27

Cora Contrabida: Back to school woes

28 Kuris-kuris

About the Cover

There are words etched on the canvass that has become your skin. Look at it. Look at it deeply. Contemplate upon its worth.

Remember what they’re supposed to mean. Remember how they’re supposed to move you into action. Words, information, that have evolved from mere newsprint to digital. Let information become a part of you—live it. Don’t just take a peak; seek the absolute truth.C Words by Maria Therese D. Agcopra Cover Photo & Design by TheCrusader

The official student publication of Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan Vol. 39 No. 1 July 2012

Email your comments & suggestions to contactus@thecrusaderpublication.com

EDITORIAL

“O

The power to keep watch

ur people used to gather around cafes to watch football…and now they gather to watch parliament.

They’re really watching us and we can’t help but worry that we cannot live up to their expectations.”

Dalia Mogahed, Executive Director and Senior Analyst of Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, shared this sentiment from a group of newly elected Egyptian and Indonesian parliamentarians during her talk concerning the Arab Spring featured in TED.com.

Transparency is a key element in a democracy. Democratic institutions remain myths in the absence of actual people participation. Awareness of the leaders’ activities helps the people form and share views and suggestions to influence the development of a country. It’s no scientific measure, but enough to push the most crooked leaderships into an eventual dismissal.

And it’s not just people in government. Even the most racially offensive magazine covers have been subjected to public scrutiny, forcing publishers to take down unpleasant materials. There’s no exception. It could even be you if you fail at decency.

But as soon as you take away the information, as soon as you close all doors to truth, you pilfer people of power.

Throughout history, there have been many attempts to deprive people of their right to know. The martial law era under the Marcos administration censored mass media productions around the country and had closed down many publications, including TheCrusader.

The media situation has elevated significantly since then, but the trend of withholding relevant information remains a global practice.

But the world is ever-changing. High-end technology has made it easy for people to be virtually connected. The bad guys can’t seem to stop, but the rise of social networking and media causes fear in the hearts of them who keep skeletons in their closets. Cyberspace has become an arena for free-flowing ideas.

The best part is that readers don’t just read—they have the option to participate, to speak up, to be heard, to actually do something about the situation.

Such power is enough to spark change as huge as the Arab Spring—possibly the revolution of the decade. But this power is useless when readers don’t participate and simply turn a blind eye.

As long as we keep watching and participating, we keep our leaders worrying that they might not live up to our expectations. We make them work harder, to make sure they do a better job—or they’ll be hearing from us.C

www.thecrusaderpublication.com

1

OPINION

College oppression

“W

gigorz

Sam D. Garcia

ala’y pulos ang mga minors.”

Upon a short Facebook survey in The Crusader Publication’s group, ten out of ten admitted to having said the statement above. Well, you’d be da bomb if you’ve never said so (too) at one point in time.

As a third year nursing student, time is a difficult concept for me and I do feel that “minor” subjects were named such because they simply do nothing “major” to our choice of professional courses.

On Mondays and Tuesdays, I spend the whole day at school for four minor subjects. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, I go about with my eight-hour hospital duties. On Fridays and Saturdays, I go to school for my Medical-Surgical Nursing lectures.

Consider me lucky if the lecture only takes half a day on a Saturday; but when Sunday finally comes, my mother still has to wake me up for church, and I’d be like “YOLO!” Add to that extracurricular activities, like having to edit five articles for this magazine on a cramped schedule, or attending to my personal life, I am glad to say that I am fully entitled to write this column. Bingo.

sdgarcia@thecrusaderpublication.com

*** Why are there minor subjects in the first place?

Why do we have to painstakingly add them to the study load we take for each semester?

Aside from the fact that Filipinos are mandated to take up general education courses in college, the idea behind some minor subjects is to refresh students with what they’ve learned in basic education. Otherwise, some act to meet curriculum quotas when the number of academic units fails to meet Commission on Higher Education (CHED) criteria. They mark for a more holistic education as well—one wherein practical skills are acquired from the different academic disciplines like the Sciences, Philosophy, Theology, etc.

Nevertheless, what purpose do subjects like Economics or Political Science (no offense to my wonderful teachers) serve to becoming a nurse? Am I supposed to calculate inflation rates at a hospital or preach the Constitution in communities? Well, not really.

In the United States, college students are generally limited to 18 course units for one semester. I remember my freshman year where I had to take 31 units, or ten subjects like they were slices of pizza. It’s bothering—even frustrating.

Although I understand that Xavier University also has to supplement certain Ignatian subjects into the syllabi of all undergraduates, these subjects should

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be introduced to students at a right pace and not through a literal “overload”. *** When I had to do the real blame game, I actually realized that it’s not really Xavier University’s fault that overly rich curricula for the undergraduate degrees exist. The very problem lies at the very core— the educational system of the Philippines itself. This is where the K-12 issue comes in.

A good reason why we’re working ourselves like tired horses in college is due to the fact that we’re not ready for it in a global scale. The Philippines has the shortest education cycle in the world, 14 years, from primary to tertiary level when all other countries in the world have 15 to 16 years provisioned from Grade 1 to undergraduate graduation. As such, all general subjects have to be crammed into our degrees when they could have been taken in what is termed as “pre-university studies” in other countries. *** Here are other reasons why I think minor subjects should be rechanneled into more usable ways: Foremost, these subjects may actually be repetitions of what intellectually qualified students have already learned in the past. Relearning minor subjects on the basic level does not necessitate optimal knowledge because it is out of a student’s chosen field of study.

Next, if student nurses are allowed to focus their attention only on subjects that have a direct relation to the nursing profession, I’m sure that they will come out as better graduates with more effective performances. This should hold true, I assume, to other professional courses. *** Even if there have been a lot of successful graduates before me, I daresay that our educational system is stunted. This is the reason why the Department of Education is trying hard to sell the cake when it comes to the ongoing implementation of the K-12 curriculum. It’s supposed to make us into better professionals in the future, not just in the Philippines, but in the whole world.

For now, we will have to see more reforms in our academic system for true success to come out from our own Philippine education. But before that happens, let me study for my minor subjects first.

My parents are paying for them after all. Adios.C

Vol. 39 No. 1 July 2012

OPINION

Break the silence

“T

Beach please

Kristoffer James L. Nambatac kristoffer@thecrusaderpublication.com

one down your voice. You are inside a school.”

I know you have noticed these not-so-awesome handwritten posters plastered in most corners of StC and Aggies building, but do you know who is behind these?

It is none other than Mr. Bibal—Philosophy teacher, resident silencer.

All posters have to go through the following steps before they’re posted: 1) The design should be presented at SACDEV for clearance; 2) upon clearance, a sticker will be attached to the poster; and 3) the poster can now be posted in designated areas.

Last time I checked, the designated areas do not include painted surfaces. By putting up posters without clearance from SACDEV and on undesignated areas, Mr. Bibal must have forgotten that he is in a school with rules that need to be followed—unless teachers can get away with breaking these rules.

His posters aren’t his only inapt efforts for silence. He shouts—even curses!—at passersby who talk loud while walking on hallways. He also uses a device that amplifies his voice so loud, it disturbs nearby offices and classrooms. He says he is building the future of the students in his class, thus the

need for a conducive classroom environment; but with so much noise from his device, what about the future of the students in the nearby classrooms?

Although students are aware of the teacher’s inappropriate endeavors to silence corridors, posting a parody of his posters won’t stop the whole thing.

Two wrongs, after all, don’t make a right.

It would be best for the faculty to coordinate with SACDEV on promoting silence during class hours, and establish clearly whether the rules apply to both students and teachers, or should only be followed by the studentry.

Mr. Bibal—and other teachers guilty of breaking rules—should learn to tone down their voices when asking for silence. We students are not deaf.

We know when to shut up. You don’t have to shout at students just to keep them quiet. We’re not kids anymore.

Although his actions are of good intent (it was his initiative to do something about the issue), the actuation of his objective to free his class of noise is very unbecoming of a professional who should be teaching by example. Hopefully other teachers would devise a more suitable way.

Ethics, anyone?C

Money matters to all

B

Gunning roses

Ma. Rosetti G. Villamor mrvillamor@thecrusaderpublication.com

usiness Administration and Accountancy students aren’t the only ones who need to know a thing or two about finance and economics.

Our relationship with cash begins with the spare change we call allowance back in grade school. It continues with our first withdrawal using the ATM machine. The capital loan granted by the bank, the fees we pay our doctors—even the advanced arrangement for funerals—are all business transactions that may have debt-serious consequences if not handled properly.

It may not sound right but money does make the world go round and the beginners’ tips and tricks of money-making (the easy way) should be common knowledge. Unfortunately, not everybody is given the chance to a financial education.

It frustrates me that my friends can’t understand the concept of opportunity cost when making life-death decisions like transferring to a different course or buying an iPhone 4S. The concepts

of interest and market value are alien to many of my non-SBM acquaintances. I have to spend hours to explain why it’s better to invest on stocks and bonds instead of merely saving.

Of all basic subject courses, finance and economics might as well be the most practical to take especially now that our country’s corporate sector is fast progressing with the Philippines being declared by Inquirer.net as “among the hottest emerging markets”.

But the lack of financial knowledge for all is only one of the many complaints concerning the University’s curricula. However, with the K-12 program already in the works, universities and colleges have the chance to reform their syllabi where students will get to attend the classes worth taking.

Hopefully by 2016, graduates will finally understand why we get more money by investing in stocks and bonds rather than letting them rot in a savings account.C

www.thecrusaderpublication.com

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REPORTAGE

Paperless enrolment—soon

By Leasusana C. Ty

This second semester, life will be much easier for students with the conception of Student Lifecycle Management Information System (SLMIS).

According to Ms. Harriet Fernandez, Director of the Computing and Information Services Office (CISO), SLMIS is a computer-supported, browser-based system which manages the academic and non-academic activities of the students.

The system records and monitors the activities undergone by the student from recruitment, to graduation and even until their alumi years. This “womb-to-tomb” system covers not only the tertiary level but also the secondary and primary levels in Xavier University.

This specific highlight of SLMIS is bound to be everyone’s favorite: online enrolment. With this system, it only takes a few clicks (and probably a few crash crises) to get you enrolled. Priority numbers and “green forms” will be a thing of the past since checking grades, paying fees, and registering for classes will be done online.

CISO continues to work to make SLMIS as seamless and error-free as possible. Measures to avoid hacking and other malicious attempts are still under discussion.C

Home of the Richest and the Poorest

Design by Jose Alfonso P. Sendaydiego

By Caroline Joy R. Go

Henry Sy is still the Philippines’ richest with a net worth of $9.1 billion. At 87 years old, the owner of SM Investment Corps. (SMIC) and Banco De Oro still holds the top spot after five consecutive years, ranking him as the 116th Richest Man in the World according to Forbes Asia.

To date, there are now 15 billionaires in the Philippines, four more than the previous year. The growth according to Forbes Asia 2012 is due to “an ongoing consumer boom, a surge in tourism and outsourcing, a stock market which gained 17 percent in the past year and economic growth of 6.4 percent in the last quarter.”

Nonetheless, Forbes’ claim in the growth of the nation’s economy does not seem to reflect in the state of living of the non-wealthy. As the nationwide survey conducted by the Social Weather Station in March 2012 found out, 11.1 million Filipino households rate themselves poor, a great increase from last year’s 9.1 million.

Unemployment rate procured in the same period by the same organization also increased by four million.

However, the government claimed otherwise, saying employment increased by 1.1 million during the first quarter of this year, a result obtained by the National Statistics Office on Labor Force.C 4

Comedy Gold on hold By Caroline Joy R. Go Rodolfo “Dolphy” Vera Quizon Sr. will never witness his hope of being granted as the country’s National Artist.

The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CPP) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA,) which give the Awards to “Filipino individuals who have made significant contributions for the development of Philippine arts and its cultural heritage” had been firm in putting Mang Dolphy’s nomination under scrutiny among note-worthy contenders.

NCAA defended that not giving the award to the Comedy King does not mean that the government does not want to. Rather, the “selection of the National Artists is a long process which sometimes takes about two years.”

The veteran actor died on July 10 due to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) after being confined at the Makati Medical Center for weeks. His nomination is still going through the process, specifically on the second, more difficult level, the evaluation of established artists.

“There are many other aspects to be considered in the contributions of the artist in their discipline and field all are being weighed,” according to former NCCA Commissioner for Cultural Heritage and current NCCA legal counsel Trixie CruzDe los Angeles.

Though many are already considering the late Dolphy a National artist, De los Angeles cited that “he would’ve wanted to go through the process.”C

Vol. 39 No. 1 July 2012 Sources: Ms. Harriet Fernandez, CISO Director “Why Dolphy is not yet a National Artist” by Natashya Gutierrez (www.rappler.com) “Why Dolphy can’t be a National Artist anytime soon” by Lito Zulueta (http://lifestyle.inquirer.net) “Mall developer leader Forbes’ list of 15 billionaires in Philippines” (www.thejakartapost.com)

CAMPUS FEATURES

Internal advancement BOLTS system modification.

Recently he introduced a “multiphased” Basic Orientation Leadership Training Seminar (BOLTS).

He divided it into three key phases: acquaintance, technical skills training, and commencement.

The most important part, the technical skills training, teaches staffers on project proposal and liquidation making, documenting, and planning research parameters for future programs. “That’s why karon wala kaayo ko naglisod…They already know [what to do]. They’ve had hands-on experience.”

Organizational development AECO empowerment.

An additional Php 30 in the semester’s miscellaneous fees will be used to fund Assembly of Extra-Curricular Organizations (AECO) operations. “As you can see, ang OrgTrip, dili siya clothed by CSG alone. It’s actually AECO themselves and CSG is like an ad hoc body advising them.”

With their priorities set on being a government, it’s CSG’s hope that AECO can best spearhead, if not ultimately take on the role alone, events organizing in their behalf. The plan to elevate AECO’s status to student council is still under deliberation.

The Acabo

Checklist

By Maria Therese D. Agcopra

Various

student services Engaged citizenship

Tindahan ng CSG, Ver. 2.

The reboot still maintains the purpose of providing basic student necessities only this time the CSG is “trying to revamp it in a way that [the system] becomes very clear.” The booth helps generate money to back up CSG’s budget which is currently projected at a “good” (in the sense that it has been spent on good intentions) negative due to all activities CSG has planned.

To avoid corruption of funds, store managers are mandated to keep a record of items that have been bought or borrowed, and deposit earnings weekly.

Student recognition.

CSG, together with Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA), will facilitate a recognition-type Scholars’ Night to boost the morale of academically excellent students.

Panaghisgot.

In partnership with Ateneo Debate Circle, the program provides a venue for student interaction through debate.

Ten Moves.

The goal of the program is to have “10 million Filipinos save 10 pesos for the next 10 months to build 10 thousand classrooms.” Students can now participate in this national project by making 10-peso donations at the CSG office.

Ateneo Task Force (ATF)*.

“Alexander the Great conquered the world [when he was still young]. Rizal made a lot of impact teen pa lang siya.

How old are we now? Ano ba nagawa natin for the country?” It is a question that spawned this upcoming program.

ATF is going to be a year-long feat for Acabo and his staff wherein activities will include surveying of voting populations in Xavier University, installation of satellite registration booths in school, and voters’ education, among others. It will be in partnership with legitimate institutions such as Commission of Elections (COMELEC) and external school organizations such as One CDO, which consists of 9 colleges and universities around Cagayan de Oro.

*** Although it is still too early to tip the hat to the current administration, true enough, empowerment and mobilization of the CSG has been evident. In the words of Acabo, “We are the youth. We can do something great for this country.” With this kind of mindset from the incumbent, there rises the possibility of a better CSG that we can all look up to.

At this point, CSG is starting to complete some items on their agenda.

Hopefully, the Acabo administration will fulfill all that was promised by the time the school year is over.C *Name of program still subject to change

www.thecrusaderpublication.com

Design by Rico M. Magallona

“W

e the youth can change the status quo.”

After his uncontested win during last year’s elections, President Dean Cris Acabo, together with his administration, enters the Central Student Government (CSG) with the promise of development and advancement. In an interview with TheCrusader, Acabo shares his plans on putting CSG on the right track to service.

5

A

By Jacqueline P. Uy

two-storey wooden building. That was Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan when it first started in 1933. More than 75 years later, Xavier has expanded to become one of the leading academic institutions in the country. What’s great about the university is that every year, it always has something new to offer. This year fails to disappoint.

Wi-Fi, for real this time As you sit down in Magis Complex and your phone’s Wi-Fi search signal is turned on, you may have noticed that it detects three new signals: XUGuest, XU-Student, and XU-Employee.

In an interview with TheCrusader, Central Student Government President Dean Acabo says that the Wi-Fi is already rolling but is not yet available due to security purposes. “Gina-finalize pa karon: what will

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be your username, your password. We want the system to be safe from infiltration by the outside community.”

In the succeeding months, we just might be able to enroll and get grades online. By then, each student will have their own accounts via XU’s website, like ‘juandelacruz@myxu.edu.ph’ for example, to recognize one as a legitimate XU student. It can also be used to communicate with other Ateneo schools and international communities.

BS Real Estate Management During this year’s academic council meeting, the administration is looking into the possibility of opening a new course under the School of Business and Management (SBM). Aptly named Bachelor of Science in Real Estate Management, it aims to mold

Photo by Ma. Kristin Victoria Z. Abesamis & Haiko B. Magtrayo Design by Haiko B. Magtrayo

students to become excellent brokers and appraisers for the real estate industry.

New and improved AVRs Don’t you just love air-conditioned classrooms with comfortable seats? If so, then you’re going to enjoy classes in the new Audio-Visual (AV) rooms.

Located at the ground floor of the SBM building, the AV rooms feature perfectly cushioned seats equipped with foldable desks. Class discussions using multimedia platforms are better now that the speakers give off excellent sound quality and a huge screen is available for better presentation display.

Student organizations are permitted to host their activities in the new AV rooms as long as it is scheduled on Wednesdays and/or Saturdays. Usage, of course, is free of charge.

Vol. 39 No. 1 July 2012

Crusader Yearbook 2012 Student Auditors Starting this semester XU-Junior Philippine Institute of Accountants (XU-JPIA) will be in charge of auditing the financial reports of all extra- and cocurricular organizations in Xavier.

“Admittedly, it’s really a wonderful opportunity and it would be of big help for JPIAns who are members of the Audit Team since they [will] get to practice or experience one of the specializations of being a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) which is auditing,” says XU-JPIA President Justine Karl Pablico.

“Accountants are made to possess integrity and this undertaking would be a great venue for us aspiring CPAs to exercise and fully develop this value,” adds Pablico.

If and when unavoidable conflicts of interest rise from this arrangement, XU-JPIA promises to be transparent with their auditing reports of student organizations, including their own.

Turn It In Fighting plagiarism has always been a hot topic in the university. Even with numerous professors warning students to refrain from copying web content directly into their paperwork, the kids just can’t break the habit.

However, this year, teachers are making use of a software called Turn It In (stylized as: turnitin) which computes how much of your submitted material is plagiarized. It supports over 12 languages and uses three databases for content matching.

Scary now, isn’t it? So go easy on the copy-paste feature. Consequences are to be announced (TBA).

What’s SEP? The “new building” as it is popularly known these days, is actually called the Student Entrepreneurship Program (SEP) Mall. Yes, you read that right—a mall!

The premier spaces at the front serve as a showroom for merchandises of the university and its partners.

The rest of the area is intended for stalls and island booths operated by student entrepreneurs who are part of SEP’s Business Incubation Program (BIP).

It boasts of printing and computer services, Manresa products from the College of Agriculture and several boutiques that offer ready-to-wear clothing and accessories.

Aside from that, the SEP Mall’s mezzanine floor will house the SEP office, equipped with facilities to conduct meetings, consultations and transactions.

The mall is accessible to everyone, and will serve as the University’s new access gate with the installation of the turnstiles that use glass fans instead of steel bars.

Another SEP addition is the newly renamed SEP Food Court , located at the far end of the campus between the Engineering and Center for Integrated Technologies (CIT) buildings. Student entrepreneurs will now operate food carts and kiosks in the area, serving a wider array of snack and lunch items to the area’s general populace.

No more easy A’s Among all of these changes, it’s the new grading system that has students shocked and confused.

Basically an XU student has to exert more effort to achieve an A. The previous system only required students at least a grade of 90 percent to get it. Now students are pressed to accumulate 92 percent to ace a subject course.

Students are anxious now that it has allegedly become easier to flunk subjects with the new system.

Some faculty members also express their sentiments regarding the higher percentage of class standing in the overall computation of grades.

Difficult, true, but it poses a challenge Ateneans are willing to take. In the words of a senior SBM student, “It’s good for the students so they can embody Magis…[which means] doing more.” (Read the full article on the new grading system on page 22.)

NSTP: choosing wisely On another note, the National Service Training Program (NSTP) also had its curriculum revised.

Before students can choose to enroll in any of the three components of the program—Civic Welfare and Training Service, Literacy Training Service and Reserved Officers Training Corp—they will first have to undergo basic orientations. This way, students will know what to expect with each NSTP field and can choose wisely.

CIT on the other side It is not just the main campus that is booming with new infrastructures and system alterations.

According to Acabo, construction of the new CIT building in Manresa is underway and more ideas for expansion are being talked about *** These new plans were developed in the hopes of bringing out better and brighter years ahead for the XU community. The challenge now is to maintain these new additions and make sure that loopholes do not plague the systems. As Barney Stinson would always says, “new is always better”— and he has never been so right.C

To the Xavier Community:

University

In the Crusader Yearbook 2012 (CYB 2012), there were several facts that were erroneously written. There were students who did not appear in their respective colleges/ schools, mislabelled courses, names, pictures, office positions, organizations, offices and departments; and inadequate facts to support details written in the campus and city landmarks. In addition, there were also some misarranged pages that were bound in the yearbook.

As per advise by the Office of Student Affairs and the Review and Recognition Committee, CYB 2012

SHALL RECALL THE 2012 YEARBOOKS and correct the errors though an erratum. Recall of yearbooks shall be enteratined at Rm 303, 3/F Student Center until 31 August 2012.

The CYB 2012 staff humbly acknowledges and apologizes for these shortcomings.

Rest assured that this experience will further improve the production of the Crusader Yearbook in the coming years.

To a more accurate and promising annual!

www.thecrusaderpublication.com

7

By Maria Therese D. Agcopra

O

n May 2012, fourteen schools nationwide participated in the American Corners (AC) Annual Conference held in Bacolod City. Out of them, Xavier University was awarded Best AC in the country. With that recognition, XU-Library pushes further to better what they have to offer, bringing a whole new definition to the library we once knew.

American Corner: A History The creation of XU’s American Corner began in 1984 under the directorship of Ms. Eva Brillo. Immediately after its opening, the Thomas Jefferson Information Center (TJIC) of the United States Embassy partnered with the American Corner, providing it with updated learning resources and references.

Photo by Janrick Carl T. Romales Design by Rochelle D. Barros

The virtual learning hub The partnership remains effective up to this day. “Regularly sila gahatag ug reading materials. They know the needs of the university,” says Ms. Estrella Cabudoy, Director of Libraries at XU. Now, the American Corner may seem like just a small space in the entire building.

However, TJIC contributions to the library can be found in every section. “It covers all programs of the university. They provide XU with multi-disciplinary materials. We have something for Medicine, Law, Nursing, Arts, [and etcetera],” Ms. Cabudoy shares.

To avail of them, one simply needs to visit the AC and access the Global Virtual Library Databases. However, the database can only be accessed through these computers and not with personal devices for security reasons.

Fortunately, there will be more computers available in the future. There are plans to add 8

units, but other things like electricity usage will have to be considered.

Bragging rights Winning the award was a first for XU American Corner. “We did not apply; we were recognized by the U.S. Embassy,” says Ms. Cabudoy. The reason for this is that apparently statistics show that 67 percent of the XU community are wired, and are regular visitors of the embassy’s Facebook page.

Ms. Athena Jabonga-Jaca, Operations Monitoring In-Charge, received a special award for being the most tech-savy AC personnel, and represented XU in the 14 Things Online Learning Program seminar hosted by the U.S. Embassy.

To whom does the library staff owe this award? The users. “If you say the university is high tech, but there are no users, it’s pointless,” Ms. Cabudoy explains. Contrary to popular belief, the library actually encourages the healthy use of Facebook for it is through social networking sites that the U.S. Embassy receives opinions and feedback from students and faculty. It shows that the system is actually being used and benefitted from by the community.

As for the thousands of tomes stored on shelves, they’re not going anywhere. The paperbacks and hardbacks will remain for those who’ve “pledged to read the printed word,” as the online campaign goes.

Another anticipated extension to the library is the Computer Science section which will be located on the fifth floor of the New Library building.

Additional claim to fame Being the first and only American Corner in Cagayan de Oro, it was a chosen stop for U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Harry K. Thomas during his visit in the city on June 28. There he met with Congressional Internship Program for Young Mindanao Leaders whom he inspires to be role models not just for the people in Mindanao, but to all. *** The library has been a constant in all of our years in XU that we sometimes forget the great merit it deserves. The American Corner has gone from a simple initiative in 1984 to an award-winning institution today.C

The act of being shelf-less Cabudoy shares that they are ready to upgrade the library’s technological capabilities. “We are heading into shelf-less libraries. Puro na yan computers.”

New materials available today are mostly electronic. Around 90 titles are ready for download through the AC’s online databases.

Cabudoy now suggests the use of e-book readers like Kindle. Hopefully, these gadgets will be available soon enough for users to better utilize library benefits.

Vol. 39 No. 1 July 2012

cin

. Albar ra

F

ear of the unknown—this is one of the greatest fears people face each day. And the kind of fear we ought to face as global warming unfolds is the fear of knowing what went wrong and the fear of knowing the consequences of our excessive desire for comfort.

Through the years, Xavier University has been molding its students to become men and women for others. Today the challenge has been extended for students to also become men and women for the environment.

Price of Convenience Our entire scholastic career has subjected us to a lot of paperwork. It seems so easy to crumple a sheet when we make a mistake and get a new one. But it wouldn’t be that easy to plant about 400 billion trees to replenish the ones that have been cut down to produce the paper we throw away so carelessly.

Trees reduce risks of global warming by storing 50 percent of the world’s total carbon emissions.

The paper industry, however, emits the fourth largest amount of greenhouse gases (GHG).

To conserve paper, we resort to online submission of homework and even virtual exams. We spend a lot of time working on computers, consume fossil fuel, and contribute 60 grams of CO2 emissions by the hour. That’s true for every other gadget that runs on energy from coal power plants.

In some cases, less is best. This applies not only to technology usage but also to fast food obsessions.

You may have to think twice about ordering that “juicy, delicious” burger as it is one of the worst environmental

offenders. The international meat industry generates roughly 18 percent of the world’s GHG emissions— even more than that of transportation.

It may seem okay, but it’s actually not healthy to leave leftovers to rot. If not properly composted, they release methane—a gas that causes 23 times more heat—to be trapped in the atmosphere. In total, food waste is responsible for 135 million tons of greenhouse gases, about 1.5 percent of the total emissions.

Don’t even think about adding insult to injury by having take-outs placed in plastic bags. These polyethylene-made bags take up to 1,000 years to decompose. They are thought to be responsible for about 15 million deaths of marine creatures annually.

Ever heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Yes, they’re starting to build their own continent, too.

Mission Possible On his inaugural speech back in August 2011, Fr. Roberto C. Yap, SJ shared his advocacy to the XU community in exploring the frontiers through greater social engagement, including environmental stewardship.

“Green Campus Agenda (GCA) is in response to the [University] President’s call [for] environmental responsibility. It has a broad scope; it includes Solid Waste Management, Energy Audit, Green Technology and the Material Recovery Facility (MRF),” said Ms. Glenda Factura, coordinator of GCA. The MRF is one of the highlights of this response, which is nearly operational. It processes recycled materials into profitable items. According to research, a national recycling rate of 30 percent reduces greenhouse gas emissions as much as removing nearly 25 million cars from the road.

The policy of non-usage of Styrofoam is now strictly implemented in the canteen, and solid waste management policies are currently being drafted.

Aside from that, the administration is developing a module on waste management to be integrated in National Service Training Program and First Year Formation Program classes. Also, a plan to host an environmental summit is under deliberation.

Moreover, the Agriculture Student Council (ASC) and Northern Mindanao Federation of Agriculture Students (NorMinFAS) are introducing a new initiative called “Project A”, together with the Department of Mission and Social Action of the Central Student Government. It aims to advocate environmental sustainability and eradicate poverty and hunger.

“We believe that may pera sa basura, so anything that can be sold [will be sold] and proceeds will be given to the community. We will make a home out of garbage especially for the victims of Bagyong ‘Sendong’,” said Mark Adrian Taganahan, NorMinFAS Vice-President and ASC Masterson Committee Head. *** Caring for the environment entails a big responsibility that every Atenean must take by heart. There is no better way to start than to correct what we did wrong, whether we are aware of our mistakes or not. As Fr. Yap puts it, “Ateneo de Cagayan will be a green campus but with a blue heart that appreciates the goodness of creation and discerns the active presence of God within creation.”C Sources: “Fire…Frontier…Friendship” by Fr. Roberto Yap ( http://www.xu.edu.ph/) “50 Things That Helped Cause Global Warming” (http://thegreenerme.hubpages.com/) “The Global Warming Survival Guide” ( http://www.time.com/) “Advocates urge gov’t to tap ‘green energy’ for Mindanao” by Kristine Alave (http://www. inquirer.net/) “15 Facts About the Paper Industry, Global Warming and the Environment” by Dan Shapely (http://www.thedailygreen.com/)

www.thecrusaderpublication.com

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Photos by Jaymar T. Patana Design by Jose Alfonso P. Sendaydiego

ay S

By Faith M

Louie Talents: His Journey

By John Kenneth E. Ching

From Cagayan de Oro to discovers life and himself

ATTEN-HUT! Louie Talents is the artist behind the Atten-hut Art Project, an installation of toy soldiers arranged to form an unbalanced scale, which he likens to the Philippine justice system.

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Vol. 39 No. 1 July 2012

Paris, an artist through art.

Leisure aside, the Paris experience taught him three things: (1) it humbled him, considering there were 41 other young artists in the same program from various parts of the world who are also talented in their own right; (2) it emphasized maintaining excellence and success in his craft; and (3) it taught him not to compete with his contemporaries.

Renaissance Considering his talent—which may make one assume that he had been taught as a boy—it is a bit surprising to know that he never had formal training in fine arts as a child. His talent for aesthetics was discovered in grade school, a time when he was a regular participant in poster-making contests. Even those didn’t jumpstart his art career.

At the age of 10, he lost his father—an event that forced him to turn away from art for a considerable period in his life. It spanned from his late childhood and through much of his adolescent years.

It was in his second year of college in Xavier University that he rekindled his love for art. He spent six years putting his life in limbo. “My body really gave up. I vomited blood from excessive intake of alcohol. My finances were really low,” Louie describes his ordeal with the effects of his vices. As he underwent treatment, he was advised to spend

his time at home. The turning point was when he looked at his picture in his grade school yearbook. “There [is] a statement there: ‘I wanted to be an artist.’”

From that moment on, he resurrected his art career. He entered Circulo de Arte and eventually became the vice-president of the organization (he supports the organization up to this day). After graduating with an Economics degree, he entered the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts.

He finished his second bachelor’s degree in 2010—as magna cum laude.

Fire-finished Way back in grade school when labeling was common among him and his friends, his classmates nicknamed him Louie Talents due to his talent in art. The name stuck; even as he stepped away from art, ‘Louie Talents’ still resonated with him—albeit with less positive connotations.

“Pag-high school nako, the name actually [had] its weight: binuang, bugal-bugal. So it’s more of a ‘high school respect’.” As he rediscovered his love for art, he took that name as his pseudonym, sensing that it unveiled his inner worth as an artist.

On the question of why he isn’t using his real name today, he candidly replies that it is because he is working on a controversial art project entitled Palanay. He collected Bibles from all of his stops around Europe, and burned through their pages to “write” diary entries onto each Bible’s pages. He aims to finish 40 of these Bible-diaries (as of press time, he is working on his 15 th). The project is also his thesis while in UP Diliman, and helped him immensely in earning the first College of Fine Arts scholarship to the École.

When he was young, he used to write on the walls of his house. “And then my mom was upset because we had to repaint the walls again. Kasab-an ko, kasuk-an ko. So what I did was, in response, I took a piece of paper, wrote a letter of apology to my mom never to do it again. The only art I knew back then was burning the sides of the paper to make a love letter.” He often recounts this when asked by anyone about the inspiration of the project.

He recognizes that some of the viewers of the project find it blasphemous, yet he takes solace in the fact that no less than Dr. Jose Rizal himself—whose letters and novels were exhibited alongside his Bible-diaries in an art exhibit in the Lopez Museum—faced

a similar backlash when the latter published his novels. He also considers himself a spiritual person, something that he ascribes to his being an Atenean from kindergarten up to finishing his Economics degree.

Having spent 17 years studying in XU, he proudly claims that the Bible influenced him, and that he is intimately familiar with it, channeling his inner Catholic whenever he explains his project.

“If you look [in] the Bible, in the Old Testament, God appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush. Burning has a meditative approach, and it can mean both [positively] and [negatively]. Negatively, burning also connotes the fires of hell. On the other side, the Holy Spirit appeared to the apostles in the form of fire. Purgatory is where the soul is cleansed through fire.” The Bibles are his love letters to God. Art for Others Claiming that the art movement (like Cubism, Expressionism, Surrealism, etc.) is a thing of the past, he focuses on working freelance and does not work himself into a definite style. Still, that doesn’t make him an outcast. “The good thing about freelancing is that you get to do what you want to do without hesitation.” Aside from that, he also gets himself invited to take part in various art exhibitions.

Talent-wise, he believes that the local artists can hold their own in the Filipino art scene; he laments that the artists lack exposure and community support for them to branch out for recognition. It is with this thinking that he intended his Atten-hut exhibit to open in XU on June 14, 2012 at the Lucas Hall, to expose Kagay-anon artists to contemporary art.

Continuing his momentum from the Atten-hut project, he is working on art projects with social relevance and those that are based on current events. “As an artist, I [want] to be significant, not only to my growth as an artist, but also to the people around me.” *** Louie believes that art is communication.

“An artist, for me, should communicate the most complex and hidden aspect of his work in a very clear, simple manner understandable by the public. I am hopeful that it will somehow inspire people to think, to revisit, to rethink again what is relevant by means of art as an approach.”C www.thecrusaderpublication.com

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Photo by Francis Ryan O.Avellana design by Rico M. Magallona

I

n 2011, Louie Talents was living an artist’s dream. He was granted a scholarship to study at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts, France’s national school of fine arts, in Paris—the same academy that produced art masters the likes of Henri Matisse, Claude Monet and Edgar Degas.

He drank coffee at the same café where Pablo Picasso used to drink his. In his oneyear stay in Europe, he frequented the Louvre (and other Parisian art museums as well), where he spent much of his spare time viewing and analyzing each of the artworks—an activity that took him about three months to complete.

Aside from Paris, he visited art communities in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Italy, among others.

CAMPUS FEATURES

CAMPUS FEATURES

Crusader Yearbook: T h e

F a l l o u t

By Lyle Justin A. Egay with reports from Mic ka Angela Victoria B. Virtudazo

“F

or the past three years—or I don’t know, two years ba…daghan kaayo’g mga…let’s just say mga mali. And the 2012 na yearbook, naa man gihapon mali, pero [it’s] way better than the previous yearbooks,” says incumbent Crusader Yearbook (CYB) Editor in Chief Andro Reyes. “Pero naa man gihapon nakalusot. Although we did our best, pero naa man gyu’y namali.”

Ironically though, it was the lastest release of the yearbook that got the most heat from the students. In the March 2012 issue of TheCrusader, complaints by the subscribers were outlined.

Now, where do we find CYB?

Photo by Crusader Photo Team Design by Princess E. Tolentino

Falling short In the past year, a student had filed a case against the CYB to the Office of Student Affairs, stating that the quality of the lastest release wasn’t worth the money they had paid for it. But, as Reyes says, it wasn’t that bad—at least, compared to the releases before that.

Errors ranging from the typographical and fact-checking to the quality of the photos had been very commonplace for the last few releases of the yearbook.

“Daghan siya’g mali in the sense na dagha’g nagpa-picture, [who] were the subscribers, na wala na apil ug print sa yearbook.” While all this and more had been long-standing issues with the CYB’s releases year after year, it was until a Business Administration graduate filed a formal complaint that CYB would get ruffled up.

“Siya [complainant] man gyud ang reason na naa’y meeting [with] RRC [Review and Recognition Committee].”

The yearbook staff had gotten totally shaken, as the complaint reached not only the RRC, but also the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) and Student Activities and Leadership Development (SACDEV) office.

External participation The OSA, SACDEV and RRC met with the yearbook staff during the end of the previous semester. CYB has also recalled copies and halted distribution of the last yearbook until they could address the various issues that surrounded the previous release. “We had a meeting with OSA, SACDEV and also the RRC, and our first solution was to deal with the problem calmly…we will release 12

an [erratum] regarding sa katong mga mali sa 2011 yearbook.”

Reyes himself admitted that the prevailing system left a lot to be desired for, and during a meeting with the concerned offices, decided that they needed cooperation from outside of the staff. “…They came up with these recommendations.

First is the [proper] hiring of the staff. Because before, there was just the EIC [Editor in Chief], the Central Board and the Moderator sa hiring after the exam and the interview. Ang ilang gi-recommend now is [that] the Central Board, the Moderator and representatives from XU Press, SACDEV and OSA [would comprise the hiring committee].

“Ang amoa sad recommendation is that when it comes to proofreading sa yearbook, after na-proofread na namo, we would give the data to every college for them to proofread…sila man gud ang mas nakaila sa students.”

They have not decided on which printing press they would be working with this year yet, but this time they will be supervised by the SACDEV, OSA and RRC. Amendment and social media The CYB would also amend their constitution in due time. “Baguhon namo ang constitution and bylaws this year. Pero dili pa man siya ma-amend [at this time], so next year na.”

Another glaring problem that had to be addressed was the lateness of the submission of the graduates’ data cards. And for that, the CYB would enforce a stricter process.

“Karon na year, para ka makapa-picture, you (would) have to pass your data card. So without your data card, dili ka makapa-picture. Ang advantage ana is ma-force gyud ka ug pass sa imong data card and dili ka mulampas sa deadline. Another is…we’re putting up a website and other social media platforms for proper information dissemination.” *** “We, the staff, consider this as something to learn [from]. We, together with the recommendations sa RRC, nag-come up mi ug solutions for us to improve the next yearbook,” Reyes concluded.

As much as the CYB’s plans sound promising, we will have to wait until the next output.

Until then, we can only keep watch.C

Vol. 39 No. 1 July 2012

Uncovering CdeO’s Darkest Secrets

By Micka Angela Victoria B. Virtudazo

On the streets Divisoria is one of the city’s main attractions; however, the historical monuments and flashing lights are not the only things to see. There are people desperately asking for change on the sidewalks they’ve called home.

There’s an entire community of them—kids, mothers, fathers—and they constitute 188,350 of those that rely on whatever the streets can offer them. It is a tough life, and resorting to crime is the easiest route to a bit of the good life. According to the city’s Philippine National Police office, there have been 53 reported incidents of robbery and 345 cases of theft as of April this year.

Woman and child abuse are just as prevalent. In 2007, CdeO topped other cities in Region 10 with having the highest rate of woman abuse according

to the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Forty-two cases of rape have been filed within five months this year alongside 172 murders, 28 homicides, and 596 physical injuries.

For the average kid, Divisoria is a place for strolling and sight-seeing; but to the kid in ragged clothes, it is a place to earn a living—to beg for food and money, or pickpocket when times are hard.

On health There is a high rate of prostitution in the locality. “There must be a concerted effort by all sectors of society to prevent young people from engaging in the flesh trade,” Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, SJ stated after the police raid on a cybersex den in downtown CdeO last 2009.

The sex workers (commonly known as call boys and call girls) are everywhere–streets, malls, bars, and clubs. During raids conducted by authorities, it was found out that most of them are minors. Young and innocent, they willfully sell not only their bodies but their whole being to live and survive.

Prostitution may have also caused the high number of HIV/AIDS cases in Northern Mindanao which has now reached 69 and counting.

In the region, CdeO beats other cities in the tally.

As reported by the City Committee on Health in SunStar, a 29-year-old patient died due to HIV/ AIDS on June 2012.

On the people The city’s population has reached an estimated number of more than six hundred thousand according to the data released by the National Statistics Office last 2010. Although employment rate is high at 95.8 percent, 26 percent of the city’s workforce is underemployed.

However, the high employment rate does not mirror the financial status of the general public.

Nearly 37 percent suffer from poverty.

It is not a wonder then that the number of secondary and tertiary-level enrollees in the city is low.

Most students are forced to quit school and apply for menial jobs. From approximately 650,000 elementary students, only 230,000 get to proceed to high school. Upon graduating from secondary education, only about half of them continue to college. *** The statistics aim to make people comprehend the state of their community. The numbers are revealed not to identify culprits, but destined for a better purpose—to call people to come as one and to make our already developing society take a step further.C Sources: Increase in HIV/AIDS cases in Oro alarming by Abigail Malalis (www.sunstar.com.ph) Statistics on Violence Against Women and Children: A Morally Rejuvenating Philippine Society?, (www.nscb.gov.ph) Public- Private Partenrship: The Cagayan de Oro Experience DPWH- TARAS: Traffic Accident Statistics: Philippine Accident Details

www.thecrusaderpublication.com

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Photo by Jaymar Patana design by Rico M. Magallona

C

agayan de Oro City, known as the “Gateway to Northern Mindanao”, is also the City of Golden Friendship because of the people’s warmth and hospitality. Due to the rapid growth of the city’s economy, it is given another distinction: “A City in Bloom, in Blossom and in Boom!”

But as much as people convince themselves that they know enough about CdeO, there’s still so much that people should be aware of. It is struggling between its two faces—one of which is its beauty, and the other of its ugly, dark side.

HOME SWEET CONCRETE. The sidewalks of Divisoria—the hub of CdeO’s nightlife—are what these people call home.

By Louren B. Aranas, Maita V. Encabo, Saharah Iman M Sam D. Garcia, and Nadine Hendrikka E. Legaspi

Photos by Ma. Kristin Victoria Z. Abesamis, Francis Ryan O. Avellana, Haiko B. Magtrayo, Venice Marie P. Villo and Joe Arazas Design by Francis Ryan O. Avellana, and Kristoffer James L. Nambatac

M. Alonto, Robert A. Villaluz, Jr., Dharyl Jean A. Indino, Princess E. Tolentino,

COVER STORY

A

s humanity moves through the decades, media becomes an avenue for embellished facts and lies. Information may lead to false knowledge and ingrain ignorance among the masses.

This offsets to a cumulative effect that may hamper the success of a community, a country—a world.

However, with eyes that are empowered with the gift of scrutiny and impartiality, truth surfaces in its purest sense. Issues grow to be opportunities for discourse and sound analyses. People become armed with a renewed outlook for a better future.

Having a retrospective view of some of the issues that concern us as Ateneans, Kagay-anons, and Filipinos should therefore be a regular undertaking. From this, we realize that we have a role to play as we bask under the real light of truth.

Y

ou wake up to your favorite morning program on the television. You browse through a glossy magazine. You end your day scrolling through your Facebook news feed.

It seems like you just can’t run away from the media.

Media, whether derived from paper or from the Internet, is often overlooked as people live through it every day. Nevertheless, its effect has always been unparalleled. On the grandest scale, it may start wars or push people to change the world. That being said, you can just imagine how huge the media’s responsibility is in delivering balanced and accurate views to the public.

The question is, how much of “responsible media” are you getting today?

Responsibility undefined For traditional media, the Philippine Press Institute and the National Press Club mediates standards for national newspapers and journalism as a whole. However, a lot remains to be seen as some of the biggest media industries appear to have an unhealthy inclination to varying government administrations or to people in power.

When it comes to multimedia, there is a government regulatory board, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) in the Philippines. Still, it is the prerogative of producers for their works to be “indispensable tools for moral recovery and nation-building” or to simply sell among the masses.

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There should be a practice of social responsibility for media even if that in itself remains hazy in the present times. Disappointingly, many media practitioners sacrifice this responsibility for profit and can get away with it.

What’s in an ad?

The viral ‘What’s your mix?’ Bayo advertisement featuring Filipino models of mixed races has stirred an uproar from Internet users.

The three-paragraph text which followed the title was deemed to be an attack on the ‘national identity’ of the Filipinos. It received varying feedback with the ad having racist undertones as being the most apparent. Although its intended point could be in “mixing and matching” clothes, the agency behind it has clearly missed to anticipate some obvious effects – such as the ad’s context being offensive or discriminating.

The recent Belo ad, wherein a man with fair complexion gets all the better things in life, also earned similar reactions. This ad, much like Bayo’s, successfully produced the Streisand effect, which can be encapsulated by a netizen’s words: “The more we complain and talk about the negative effect of a campaign, the more exposure it gets”.

Whatever the stories behind these campaigns are—and whoever conceptualized the material— things would’ve run better had the companies reviewed these advertisements beforehand.

Behind the small screen and radio In other medium, TV producers are always poised in making programs that cater to both the young and old generations. However, ABS-CBN’s

Goin’ Bulilit also received criticisms because children, its main cast, had assumed inappropriate adult roles. Although the plot aims to be comical in nature, it may influence Filipino children’s way of thinking on what’s ideally right or wrong.

A local news radio station is also known mostly for its opinions on the political bigwigs in the city and country, usually expressed in a hoarse and loud voice. Euphemisms are rarely heard in their commentators’ programs. To cite an example, words like walay pulos (useless), and bugok (dim-witted) are constantly used in putting the blame on police officers in the city’s fastrising crime rates. Although the media must play as a watchdog in current events, they must also consider that their comments are being aired in public and that their choice of words ought to be reviewed. *** National instances like these serve as a wakeup call. Now that online social media is taking the world by storm, an even greater challenge is imposed upon media practitioners. In case the media loses sight of its social responsibility, we who are on the receiving end must continue to be wary. The media is undeniably influential, but we also have to be clever enough to deduce biased information and know what they’re really trying to tell us.C Sources: “MTCRB Mission and Vision Statements” (http://mtrcb.gov.ph/) “Bayo’s “What’s your mix’ campaign earns ire of netizens”, Rappler (http://www.rappler.com) “Belo ad gets heat in social media”, Rappler (http://www.rappler.com/)

Vol. 39 No. 1 July 2012

I

f you switch channels on the television, you may come across the Magnum ice cream advert or hear news related to Jessica Sanchez. A few more clicks and you might want to identify yourself with more products, people or ideas. You may wish to buy things which only the higher brackets of society can afford, or even laud your “being Pinoy” at the back of your mind.

With such acts, did you know that you may already be identified as a social climber?

The Label More often than not, the phrase “social climber” has gained negative connotations and received disapproval among many people. However, is it completely a bad thing, or is there any underlying factor that cuts the label an inch of slack?

Within the Filipino context, the act of social climbing is associated with our fondness to buy imported or expensive products. As examples, trends like drinking coffee at Starbucks, wearing Havaianas slippers, posting pictures of expensive food in

According to Ms. Gail Conway of the Psychology Department of XU, the notion of “Kung maka-afford ka’g sosyal, there’s a possibility na sosyal na pud ka,” exists among Filipinos. Since we have egos, we would not want to look inferior or weak in comparison to other people. In a country where poor people are so deprived of commodities and where money is power, understanding this concept is not something hard to do.

“Pinoys are [also] collectivists. We share the achievements of our blood relation,” adds Mr. Voltaire Marquez from the same department. Technically, this is called BIRGing or “Basking in Reflected Glory” which means the “association of one’s self with

Social climber (n.): one who attempts to gain a higher social position or acceptance in fashionable society Instagram, or buying DSLR cameras when you don’t really need them could be bases for judgement.

Another case of “social climbing” is sharing the fame of other Filipinos who gained the upper hand in mainstream industries. This can be typically seen in some YouTube videos whereby everyone becomes too nationalistic for Manny Pacquiao, Charice Pempengco, Jessica Sanchez, the Philippine Azkals, etc. On a more isolated instance, this case can also be attributed to the likelihood of Pinoys wanting to be friends with the sikat or datu.

Sharing Success Despite all the apparent negativism associated to this current trend, psychology tells us that social climbing could well be a basic part of our human nature.

successful others such that another’s success becomes his own”.

Conway also explains that relating ourselves with the achievements of several Pinoy celebrities is also an act of proving that we are more than what other countries say we are.

Hasty Generalizations Sadly, we continue to discriminate and accuse one another with the label in question but this shouldn’t be the case.

People who are labelled as ‘social climbers’ may not always be the bad folks. Some of them capitalize on high-end brands or high-class people just to inspire themselves. Furthermore, the society’s judgment is not always accurate due to the fact that it’s a collective concept that may be grounded on bias. People who

are trying the trend should not also be immediately labelled as ‘social climbers’ since the concept of ‘plain curiosity’ may apply. *** As Marquez notes, “Social climbing has a negative impact to the wellbeing of a person since you are going far from your real self, which will lead to frustration.” One should therefore be cautious on which ideas to take in and discard.

After all, the real self is much better than the mask that someone fashions in front of other people. It is easier to be true to oneself rather than trying to live wearing a completely different shoe, because figuratively speaking, it hurts when you’re walking a mile using footwear that doesn’t fit.C

Sources: “A Point of View: Is social climbing a bad thing?” by Alain de Botton (www.bbc.co.uk) Definition of Basking in reflected glory from Social Psychology 6th Edition by Aronson, Wilson and Akert, Pearson Education.

“How an ice-cream bar turned into a trending topic and almost sold out” by Ces Rodriguez (ph.she.yahoo.com) Question on Yahoo! Answers: What are the teen trends of the Philippines? (answers.yahoo.com)

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“N

aa ju’y mga [part-time] teachers na halos dili na gasulod ug klase, dili ga-teach ug tarong, gina-reduce ang class time into a storytelling segment about his/ her life, [while] we, students, [are] forced to be contented with such behavior.”

These are the words of frustration sent by a student (who wishes to remain anonymous) who wanted TheCrusader to investigate the performance and qualification of part-time teachers. It has been discovered that there are some accounts that demand to verify if their actions are congruent with the University’s mission.

Terms of Employment Included in their hiring process, part-time teachers, who are ideally experts and degree-holders of the subjects that they were hired for, are supposed to conduct a demonstration in front of students, and undergo an interview with the chairman of the department they’re applying for and the Academic Vice President.

Usually, hiring part-time teachers is to solve the insufficiency of full-time teachers in covering the total study load in a given semester, which is why their contracts only validates an employment period of one semvester. This, however, is not a concrete guarantee.

As stated by the Chair of the International Studies, History, and Political Science Department Dr. Roel Absin, “We cannot hold [it against] them…if they have the need to go [elsewhere during their class times]…But, ideally they should

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inform the Chair [when they do]…[in order] to be fair to the students.”

iya lang gipa-buhat sa amo kay mag-vote sa iyang bet sa Miss Teen Cagayan.”

Acts in Question As confirmed by Dr. Absin, “They [part-time teachers] are experts in the field.” Still, some students raised issues that present an ambiguity in this expertise they are supposed to exhibit.

One prevalent concern is the interference of the part-time teachers’ outside responsibilities with their teaching job in the university. As a result, a student illustrated, “Example, naa ka’y kailangan i-consult sa iya, pero dili siya available...murag mediocre lang ilang gakahatag sa class.” As a response to this concern, a part-time teacher emphasized, “We don’t have consultation hours...Naa man gyud sweldo kung naa’y consultation hours ang isa ka teacher.”

Dr. Lina Kwong, Academic Vice President, verifies that part-time teachers are only paid for their teaching hours, which covers a minimum of 12 units. It is their own discretion to stay in their departments beyond it.

Even if it is a given that any part-time teacher is knowledgeable of their subject matter due to the qualifications set by their respective departments, this does not equate to their effectiveness inside the classroom. A student, whose major subjects are taught mostly by part-time teachers, related “Dili lang man gud kailangan bright ka, pwede naka mutudlo. Kailangan man pud na ug proper na teaching skills.”

In relation to this, another student mentioned, “Grabe ka-weird…Para additional points,

Works toward Progress With the previously mentioned concerns, some students and part-time teachers, who all wished to remain anonymous, suggested some forms of intervention.

For students, they want to have a separate evaluation for the part-time teachers, wherein they have an immediate involvement. One even criticized, “Kanang mga observer, I don’t think effective kaayo na. They [part-time teachers] act differently than [they normallly do] tapos ila pa jud i-instruct ilang [class] na naay mag-observe [and they tell them] to behave better.”

According to one part-time teacher, in order for them to function effectively, the administration “[should give] us at least half sa consultation hours sa full-time (six hours with payment)...a month before hiring, naa na’y result sa hiring para naa’y seminar na mahitabo...sa amo ayha na mi gi-isturyaan na nadawat na mi kay sa first day of classes...dili siya organized.” *** As a reminder, it is the University’s mission to form men and women of competence, conscience and commitment. Whether part-time or full-time, a teacher is directly responsible to carry out that mission. He is expected to act on those values, whatever his excuse might be.C

Vol. 39 No. 1 July 2012

T

he different varsity teams have always been a source of pride for Xavier University. Under the University Athletics Office (UAO), they dominate Cagayan de Oro’s perennial competitions. But as much as it seems to be an invulnerable entity, it is afflicted with organizational problems that can be traced down to its internal structure.

Unprepared “Ang pinaka-dako nga problema is [that] ang University is not ready. It seems that wala pa sila kasabot sa varsity program ba,” says Mr. Gerald Ronquillo, head coach of the Women’s Football team.

According to him, there seems to be ignorance among the members of the University community about the scope and functions of the program. His sentiments range from the lack of having a common time of practices to the absence of a manual which would serve as guide to the UAO’s actions and decisions. “It’s difficult to demand [from] a player to a point na i-sakripisyo ang academics para maka-practice and we can’t also expect good results if wala’y practice,” he quips.

Ronquillo believes that athletes should be limited in terms of study load, for it would give them time to practice. Practicing is, one way or another, a return service for the athlete’s scholarship grant, he adds. Also a great concern is the absence of a policy for the benefit of the athletes. “Siguro, if it is being addressed by the Athletics Office and the Registrar’s Office, ma-answer siguro na.”

Having a handbook for the varsity program would be a great addition, says Ronquillo. “I’m hoping na time will come na a handbook will be printed. Imong actions will be guided based on the handbook. Whatever decisions you will make, if i-question ka, you have a reference,” he states.

“Whether transparent ka o dili, kung naa’y mubasa, makabalo siya kung insakto ba imong gibuhat o dili. Kung naa man gani issues, dali ra ma-correct.”

Banner sport It is an undeniable fact that basketball is the most popular sport in the country. Even in the collegiate level, the sport has acquired the most patrons. In spite of this, Table Tennis head coach Mr. Julie P. Castillon thinks that it doesn’t equate to allocating more budget to the particular sport, for it creates discrimination to other sports. This, he adds, would hinder the growth of other teams.

One specific issue is the claim on the biased granting of scholarships. According to the statement of College Sports Coordinator Arvin Martinez, “Ang basic nga ginahatag sa mga athletes is the 50 percent [discount] tuition only. If a coach will say na kani siya player, deserving gyud ni siya i-full, so ginahatag gyud na. Ang coach ang ga-recommend kay ang coach gyud ang naka-ila sa level sa bata.”

Castillon, though, falsifies this statement. “Kami, igo ra man gyud mi mag-evaluate sa players, tapos kami mag-recommend. Ang problema is…ang among i-recommend na scholarship, paghatag na [sa students]…di na mao.”

Contrary to the claims on budget, Martinez says the office has been nothing but fair. “[With] regards to budget, pare-pareha man tanan [sports].

[Ang deperensya lang] is permanente ang basketball makadula. Kanang mga panahon na mag-represent mi sa skwelahan, mangayo mi ug registration fee. Pero same ra man gihapon kay kung ang lain nga mga events, kung mubiyahe pud sila, suportahan man gyapun sila sa skwelehan.”

“Sa number of leagues man gud, mas daghan gyud ang sa basketball, kasabot mi ana. Pero buot huna-hunaon kay sila pud bya dapat ang mangita sa amo ug dula.” Castillon exclaims. “Dili baya gyud ang coaches or ang players ang mangita sa ilang games.”

Castillon believes that although their team would never match the number of leagues basketball has, he thinks that the rest of the sports teams should still have more linkages and opportunities. “Kay ang among games ra [nga gaka-dulaan] kay COSAA [Cagayan de Oro Schools Athletic Association] ra ug UniGames.” When asked if only the table tennis varsity had this problem, he answered, “Almost kami tanan: sa soccer, badminton, karate…” *** Despite the persistent problems of the Athletics department, the Crusaders still remain as one of, if not the finest, varsity teams in the city. One could just imagine the further miles the Crusaders could go, if such problems would be dealt with accordingly.C

www.thecrusaderpublication.com

19

BLOCKING A TRADER’S MONKEY TRICKS

W

hen the Chinese brashly asserted their claim over the Spratly Islands, the Filipinos seemed helpless, obviously unable to match their power. Conversely, some Kagay-anons cared little on the issue and turned their attention to their daily lives instead. Little did they know that a Chinese businessman recently tried to pull similar antics to the Cagayan de Oro City Government regarding a public property in Barangay Carmen. Fortunately, his motives were stopped before it could have negatively affected the lives of many.

Thumbs Up Carmen Public Market, a Php 120-million worth project opened in 2007, was heavily publicized in local media when it was still constructed together with the Cogon Market. The two-storey building was a major improvement from the cramped one-storey mart in the area. Its first floor was intended to be a public market and the second level was conceptualized to be a commercial center; however, the plan had remained to be underdeveloped even after five years of operation, until a Chinese company---New Wishing Star Corporation---decided to lease the entire second level.

Mayor Vicente Y. Emano gave Jacky Cheng, Wishing Star’s owner, the go signal to renovate the floor in exchange for the generation of local job opportunities. RTW boutiques, and the handicrafts, CD/DVD and beauty shops located on the leased area were kicked out to the sidewalk. The middle part of the market’s ground floor was then cleared and added with escalators. The grubby façade was fully repainted into a fresh-looking blue-and-white combo.

Thumbs down Fast forward to December of 2011, the Unitop Department Store and Supermarket, owned by

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another Chinese businessman, opened on the second level of the Carmen Public Market. Wishing Star and Unitop General Merchandise, Inc. occupied both wings of the second level which sold groceries, kitchen wares, school supplies and other products. In the aisle, a lounge was also set up where customers could hang out.

Everything was running smoothly, or so Wishing Star thought, until a notice of termination of contract from the City Hall surprised them on May 25, 2012.

They have allegedly violated some parts of the verbal agreement they had with the mayor and inserted unnecessary provisions into the drafted contract.

Subleasing the entire or some parts of their leased space to other tenants was the first and major violation that was pointed out. Wishing Star could only establish its own business and is not allowed to rent the area to others like subletting it to Unitop and to other mini tenants---Dunkin’ Donuts and Slers among others.

Establishing a police post inside the market was another broken promise. Next would be the claim that Unitop sold meat, fish and fruits (when it was announced as impermissible) because it would obviously affect the livelihood of small-scale vendors in the market. Lastly, Cheng did not fulfil his pledge to relocate the former tenants of the space where Unitop currently stands.

The mayor is not the only one with the same sentiment. Let-let Victor, 32, and Suray Mandong, 34, are RTW vendors that were transferred to “temporary locations” until the new stalls created for them by the Wishing Star were finished. One year after the promise was made, they are still located on the sidewalk, inhaling all the dirty air from car fumes, being robbed by thieves, and having lesser if not zero sales on a difficult day.

“Gina-kompra ra namo among baligya sa Cogon [Market]; mao kung pagpalit namo kay Php 60, amo nang ibaligya ug Php 80 or Php 85. Dawbi kay Php 65 raman ang sa Unitop, didto nagyud magpalit ang tao.”

Despite the violations, there are also market vendors who support the existence of Wishing Star and Unitop in the market. Lily Selma, 48, a fruit vendor is thankful for Unitop believing that the latter is the cause of her increased sales. She also affirmed the rumors on Unitop selling meat, fish and fruits before it was reprimanded by the City Hall. *** Transaction with businessman Cheng caused the city more than what it has bargained for. Yes, the City Hall has earned from the Php 150,000 rent plus tax every month, and it will continue to earn such when a new bidder shall lease the floor. But what’s the worth of that money when there is a multitude of vendors suffering due to a bizman’s attempt of monopoly?C

Night Vision The contract with the violating insertions was sent to be signed by the Mayor on May 2012. Fortunately, the foolery was discovered by Mayor Emano’s party, rendering the Chinese corporation for constructional eviction. “They didn’t expect us to discover the unnecessary insertions. They intend to outsmart the poor people and not me. That’s what I hate,” said Mr. Emano in one of his statements in SunStar.

Sources: Mayor: Businessman inserts doubtful pages on contract, www.sunstar.com No violation in contract of Chinese bizman, www.sunstar.com Cabanlas bares Council’s blunder in Carmen Market, www.sunstar.com

Vol. 39 No. 1 July 2012

COVER STORY

declined because “the next chief magistrate should be one of the justices of the High Court.”

Finally, Senator Franklin Drilon brought down the house when he said “I have a mandate from over 15.8 million Filipinos who voted for me. I intend to finish my term in the Senate.”

Passing on the Crown A

fter seeing the whole “Corona Novela” unfold, there’s reason to cower at the thought of becoming Chief Justice.

According to ABS-CBN news, 29 out of 71 viable candidates have declined their nominations so far for the recently vacated, highest post in the Supreme Court.

Could this be a sequel to the comedy that is called ‘Philippine Justice’? Well, carry on.

Crown of thorns December 12, 2011 – Renato Corona was put on trial for the accusation of violating Article 2 of the Constitution, among other things. For the verdict to be reached, all it took (aside from a 44day impeachment trial) was a ton of arguments, a restraining order, and a wheelchair.

On May 29, 2012, Corona was ultimately found guilty of the charges filed against him because he failed to prove to everybody that his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth was all legitimate and not of corruption.

In retrospect, we’re not even talking about why he was not supposed to be appointed by former President Gloria Arroyo before her term ended.

(Hint: midnight appointment. Look it up if you want to.)

people applied for the spot, including our very own Rufus Rodriguez, 29 declined their nominations, leaving only 26 who accepted.

As of press time, the Justice Bar Council (JBC), a body which screens nominees for vacant judicial posts, has trimmed it down further to 22 after disqualifying four nominees on constitutional terms. They will probably be doing the same until the public interviews on July 24, 2012 and until the shortlist is submitted to President Benigno Aquino III by end of this month.

Former Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro was one of the first people to say nuh-uh. Why? To make way for another senator, former Energy secretary, Raphael

But really, why?

House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said those identified with President Aquino and former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should voluntarily withdraw from the search for a new chief justice. He said it would put them in a “bad light.”

Celeste Mae Gonzales, coordinator of the History, International Studies and Political Science Department of Xavier University expressed that “they declined because of the current situation on the question of the legalities of appointing them for chief justice.” After all, the JBC’s chairman is supposed to be the Chief Justice. “I think also their reason is because they don’t want to participate or to be tagged as having participated in politicking.”

For presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda, “You cannot force someone if some person [sic] would not prefer to take that challenge.” He told Malacañang Palace reporters in a news briefing that “there’s no such thing as disobedience there, because obviously there was a nomination process.” *** By putting a person as powerful as the Chief Justice out of office as he deserves, you’d assume there’s hope for our country. You’d imagine everybody wanting to take part in leading us to a better government and future. Or maybe it was just me.

But after seeing people say no, for whatever reason, to the challenge of molding a better country, isn’t it a bit disappointing? Maybe. Is it a valid excuse that we may still be taking baby steps to the “right path”? Maybe not. Is there hope for our motherland?

We’ll see.C

The search is on for the next Chief Justice…Or isn’t it?

www.thecrusaderpublication.com

Photo by Joe Arazas

Hello? Is anybody there?

As stated in the news, not everybody was so eager to become Corona’s successor. Although two

‘Popo’ Lotilla, according to Yahoo! News.

Funny thing is, Lotilla said no, too.

The ever entertaining Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago said that although she wanted to be the country’s top magistrate, the International Criminal Court (ICC) had already hired her.

Even one of President Aquino’s appointees to the Supreme Court has

Sources: “JBC closes nominations” by Edu Punay and Iris Gonzales (http://www.philstar.com) “22 candidates make it to JBC’s long list for CJ post; 4 disqualified”

by Mark Meruenas and Amita Legaspi (http://www.gmanetwork.com) “Updated list of CJ nominees, applicants” compiled by Ina Reformina (http://tcdn05.abs-cbnnews.com) “Gibo will decline nomination for CJ” By VERA Files (http://ph.news.yahoo.com) “Drilon declines Supreme Court nomination” by Christian V. Esguerra, Marlon Ramos (http://newsinfo.inquirer.net) “Midas Marquez declines nomination for Chief Justice”

by Mark Meruenas (http://www.gmanetwork.com) “Aquino appointee to SC declines CJ nomination” by JomarCanlas (http://www.manilatimes.net)

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COVER STORY

The Real Score Y

ou’ve probably done it since high school.

For every seatwork, quiz, long test and exam, getting your percentage to know your letter grade was always like this: your score, divided by the perfect score, times fifty, plus fifty.

Of all the new additions to our University which we’re supposed to enjoy this year, this will probably be the least favored—a new grading system.

We’ve always been taught that a percentage of 95 would get you that hard-earned A, and 70 would mean a sweet, lifesaving D. We’ve always known that if our quizzes aren’t so good, we can always bawi come exams. We all know the formula to see if we’ve reached the grades we’ve aimed for as well. But what we don’t know is that those grades we’ve been cramming for are actually transmuted grades—modified. Transformed. And this year, our hard-earned letters are going to get even harder to reach.

50-0 In the old grading system, our grades were computed based on a formula that uses 50 points as the base grade. The standard computation for a percentage grade is as follows:

This is the age-old system which we’ve been following (some of us even since grade school) with having 70 percent as the passing grade, and anything lower than that as a failing mark.

“The grading system before was Base-50... you have the total score transmuted,” says Dr. Lina Kwong, Academic Vice President of Xavier University. “There is what you call a transmutation table. In the transmutation table—whatever your

22

Source: 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 Undergraduate Student Handbooks

score—that’s not the one you actually grade directly.”

What does it all mean? The best way to define the new Base-0 grading system would be to contrast it with the old Base-50.

performance than just in exams... The tendency is that students don’t focus on their classroom discussions anymore, so they just prepare for the finals and midterms [examinations]. It defeats the purpose of learning because the classroom would

Say if you got a 90 in a 100-item quiz, that would be 95 percent on Base-50, an A; on Base-0, that 90 out of 100 gets a 90 percent, an A-minus.

On the other hand, if you get a 49 out of 100, that passes in the Base-50 system at 74.5 percent. But with the Base-0 system, that’s a 49 percent—a failing grade.

There has also been a new breakdown for the computation of grades introduced by our teachers, with a 60 percent appropriation of our midterm grades on class participation (seatworks, recitations, reports, quizzes, assignments), and 80 percent of that in our final grades—a huge difference from last year’s system. The breakdown is “still to be talked about,” according to Dr. Kwong, as the presented breakdown is not applicable to all colleges.

be less interactive, so this [new system] gives more pressure to the students and teachers at the same time,” says an SBM senior.

For a CompStud freshman, “Okay raman ang Base-0. Bisag unsa man na grading system kay okay ra kay sugod pa sa atong Base-50, ang mga students kay medyo relax ra kaayo. So karon sa pagbag-o sa grading system na Base-0, gina-challenge sa mga maestro ang mga students na mag-tuon ug tarong, ginapa-exert sila ug effort kung asa taman ilang kaya.”

“Ang new man gud na grading system kay better ang standard sa Xavier, so if imong i-up ang standard sa grading system kay i-up gihapon ang standard sa university,” says an Aggie junior.

Some opinions are a little caught in the middle.

“It’s a new, unexplored terrain, so I think it’s a risk,” an Education senior states.

“Of course the new grading system is a lot harder than the last one, pero if ang vision jud sa school is to raise the bar for the quality of education nga gina-offer sa Xavier, then why not? Kaso, dili lang jud siya in-ana kadali,” expresses an ArtScies junior.

50-50 The new system has been getting plenty of mixed reactions from the studentry.

Some students express positive opinions. “I think [the new system is] much better because it gives more emphasis on classroom discussion and

Vol. 39 No. 1 July 2012

“Though chada siya kay dali ra abuton ang A [sic], lisud pud kaayo nimo birahon ang imong grade if ga-tinga na siya,” says another.

Most have vehemently rejected the system without so much as a bat of an eyelash. “Hangak na kaayo!”, “Academic torture jud siya!”, “Wala gyu’y in-favor ana, wala jud bai,” says a group of Educ sophomores.

“For professional courses like Nursing, bawal na makakuha ug D ang mga students sa ilang majors. Sa among major exams, dapat 60 over 100 [ang] among lowest score, or else mabagsak mi,” shares a Nursing junior.

“Sakto jud ang Base-50,” says another CompStud freshman. “Para pasar tanan ba.”

70-50 According to the Academic Vice President, our grading system last year was very low with only a 40 percent passing rate. Now, a student has to get a score of 50 over 100 to pass. “I think [that’s] good enough,” Dr. Kwong opines. “…If you consider other schools abroad, dili man sila mag-trasmute. Kita man gud, we transmuted it so it would look better sa manual. But actually…low standard siya,” says Dr. Kwong.

Transmuting grades was never Dr. Kwong’s preference. “Kaning new grading system is the actual percentage score, not transmuted score,” she explains. “…[With the Base-50 system] you are not actually recording the true picture—you are changing it, murag namakak ka. We are actually showing the true picture [with the Base-0 system]—that the passing mark is 40 percent—so we did not want the transmuted grade.”

The Academic Vice President assures that the new system is going to make all students, however laid back, to do better. “Perhaps during the time they are here they did not use all their endowed talent... gigamit nila for things other than those in their studies—in the new one now, if they feel that ‘Ay, dili man diay ma-sayon-sayon,’ they might feel that they have to exert an effort. And with a little effort to study, perhaps their grades will be better.” *** Whichever kind of student you might be— scholar, Dean’s lister, middle-grounder or overstayer—the new system is here, and it won’t be going away anytime soon. Though everything might get ten times harder than before, and being lax with quizzes and seatworks will no longer be an option,

let this serve as a wake-up call to the fact that college isn’t, and was never made to be easy.

Whether we’re for it or not, it’s time to sit down and face our books more often than we get on Facebook. It’s either that, or we wait for our midterm grades to get us seriously thinking about our study habits—or lack thereof.C

N

ow that we start a school year full of bliss and hope, may all of us become knowing and mindful persons. In a country where bias and corruption try to overpower us every day, a move against apathy could be our greatest call.

After all, the stagnation of the people could be the greatest tragedy that may befall a nation. So open your eyes and hone your capacity to become a critic. Your opinion matters.C

www.thecrusaderpublication.com

23

n D. Visabella

By Joule Artemso

S

Photo & design by Caroline Joy R. Go

ince the inception of education in the Philippines, the basic span of the curriculum has always been 10 years compared to the global standard of 12.

The K-12 Program, the flagship education program of the Aquino administration, has added two more senior years to the current curriculum to improve the quality of Filipino high school students prior to entering college or the workforce.

This will cover the official integration of kindergarten through the Republic Act No. 10157 entitled “An Act Institutionalizing the Kindergarten Education into the Basic Education System and Appropriating Funds Therefor”. The act indicates the curriculum to have six years of primary education, four years of junior high school, and two years of senior high school.

This makes the Philippines the last country in Asia to adopt this system and the antepenultimate from Angola and Djibouti.

A subject of intense debate long before its implementation, the reaction to the K-12 Program has been mixed. This June, the first batches of Grade 1 pupils and first-year high school students officially underwent the program.

A month after its execution, how is the K-12 Program doing so far?

Camp of Complaints In response to R.A. 10157, the Department of Education (DepEd) has implemented the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) indicating that public schools will be using their

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mother tongue from Kindergarten up to Grade 3. DepEd has specified 12 languages, including Tagalog, Maranao and Cebuano.

“Parents complained that instead of moving forward, it’s actually moving backward,” says Paraida Orangot, Assistant Principal at East City Central School (ECCS), Cagayan de Oro City.

Additional educational costs isn’t the only popular complaint among K-12 critics. The use of our local dialect in class instruction has also become an issue.

“Daghan ug negative reaction ang mga parents sa language nga gagamiton,” says Warlie Abejuela, Grade 1 teacher at Dominorog Elementary School, Bukidnon. “Unsaon nalang daw pagsabot sa estudyante sa ilang lesson kung ga-binisaya ang teacher.”

“Besides sa gasto,” complains Lilet Caburatan, a parent of a Grade 1 pupil. “Mas tsada man gyud if ang estudyante makabalo ug English diretso kaysa magbinisaya pa.”

Chorus of Optimism The revised curriculum does have a slew of optimistic parents and teachers. According to Orangot, there have been collaborative discussions between the teachers and parents explaining the need for global competitiveness.

“With [the] series of trainings that we conducted, we were able to come up with a good result with full optimism from the teachers and parents. They were able to accept the changes so there [are] minor complaints in our city,” Orangot said.

ECCS conducted four training sessions last summer to all the public and private staff teachers and school administrations that provided the schools with proper piloting of the curriculum and adequate preparation of the teachers.

“We are very happy because we can teach them through our mother tongue,” says Roseanne Abao, Grade 1 teacher of ECCS. “When we performed this curriculum, the teachers were not used [speaking in] binisaya, pero at this moment nakaadjust na mi especially the kids. So far it’s okay for the comprehension.”

The revised curriculum has made Jennifer Demicillo, mother of a Grade 1 pupil, optimistic about the future of her son especially by applying vernacular in the teaching method. “I think using the mother tongue is beneficial kay ang Bisaya is translated to Tagalog then to English. Mas makasabot ang bata. I’m very optimistic aning K-12.” *** In K-12’s transitional stage, opinions are bound to come up. Whether good or bad, the effects of the issues raised shall only be evident in the long run. Until then, we’ll cross our fingers and hope that the K-12 Program will be an answer to many of our country’s problems.C Source: “The K to 12 Basic Education Program”, Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines (http://www.gov.ph/)

Vol. 39 No. 1 July 2012

Pressing Concern China is becoming more aggressive in terms of territorial boundary issues, resulting in multiple conflicts with its neighboring countries such as Japan and some members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Philippines is not an exception. Between China and our nation, there is a controversial territorial dispute in the ownership of the Scarborough Shoal and the Spratly Islands.

The media proposes a possible military conflict between our country and China. An example of this is a statement aired from one of China’s stateowned media which says, “China has not abandoned the idea of

war with the country [Philippines] to protect its interest.” As a consequence, Filipinos are put into psychological pressure knowing that in manpower alone, we cannot compare with that of China’s in any way.

The U.S. may seem to be neutral about these issues regarding the territorial struggle but actually, they’re not.

aircraft carrier, 972 navy ships, 63 submarines and 25 destroyers.

America also plans to enhance their regional leadership by strengthening their alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia and the Philippines.

They guarantee that all these allies will have defenses, which are capable of deterring any threats and provocations.

U.S. Strategy In the 2010 ASEAN Regional Forum, U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton declared that the country has a “national interest” in resolving territorial issues in the South China Sea. “The U.S. supports a collaborative diplomatic process by all claimants for resolving the various territorial disputes without coercion…we oppose the use or threat of force by any claimant.”

Fast-forward to June 3, 2012, America started to materialize a plan to stand by their statement.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta unveiled the first details of this new U.S. military strategy which includes a shift of majority of its warships to the Asia-Pacific region by 2020.

Panetta said, “U.S. will deploy 60 percent of its battleships there, up from 50 percent currently.”

As of 2011, the naval power of the U.S. comprises 11 aircraft carriers, 2,384 navy ships, 75 submarines and 59 destroyers. China on the other hand, has only 1

*** In the event that our sovereignty over our territory becomes uncertain, America reassures us that they will help defend it. According to Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, “U.S. would honor the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty,” as Clinton and Panetta personally told him so on May 2012.

Still, it is necessary to remember that U.S. can only provide aid. In the long run, the people of this nation are solely responsible for its defense. As of now, our nation chooses to address this territorial dispute through diplomacy. Until it is fully settled, worse scenarios can still happen. When that time comes, will you be ready to defend your nation?C Sources: Global Firepower Rankings (http://www.globalfirepower.com/) The International Politics of the Asia-Pacific 3rd and Revised Edition, by Michael Yahuda “America’s Pacific Century” by Hillary Clinton (http://www. foreignpolicy.com) “Panetta Outlines New Weaponry for Pacific” by Jane Perlez (http:// www.nytimes.com)

www.thecrusaderpublication.com

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Design By Kristoffer James L. Nambatac

W

ould you rattle with fear if one day you’d wake up and the Chinese declare that they’d conquered the Philippines?

Well, fear not! The possibility of this event is very slim. If you think that the United States-Philippine alliance can be credited for this, then you’re certainly right.

Back in World War II, the U.S. was already our main ally. This was strengthened by the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, signed by the U.S. and the Philippines, which guarantees that America will provide aid to our country in the event of any foreign invasion, and vice-versa.

In addition to that, the two nations’ common belief of liberty and democracy add up to the factors as to why the U.S. vowed to protect us. With the given China-Philippines situation, let’s find out how America plans to respond to this issue.

By Dahn F. Suan

“A

ng dami-daming pinagsasasabi pero hindi naman nagbabasa.

The main problem with some of our politicians is that they are illiterate,” Senator Miriam DefensorSantiago comments regarding the critics of “the loan”. Isn’t she just a ray of sunshine?

To make sure we don’t make it to her list of illiterate people, let’s dig into the issue on the debated IMF loan.

Design by Rochelle D. Barros

Giving off what we don’t have On February this year, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has pledged $1 billion to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to raise money for Europe, which is going through a financial crisis. Although no transaction has been made yet, there is no going back, according to BSP. Why, you ask? Because we are totally rich and we can obviously afford it. You know, considering we’re under debt ourselves.

We may be helping out, but are we in the right position to, really? Who are we to even be giving out loans to international banks? Some say we are a net creditor—a country that has plenty of reserves to lend to outsiders—but other experts beg to differ.

A non-profit research and development organization, Ibon Foundation, Inc. said, “The Philippines and the national government remain deeply indebted despite the US$1-billion loan extended by the country to the IMF. Statements including from Malacañang saying that the country is a ‘creditor nation’ are inaccurate; public relations spin and distract from the

26

By Princess E. Tolentino reality of continuing underdevelopment and debt-dependence.”

The pledge doesn’t make the Philippines a net creditor since we still owe foreign creditors tens of billions of dollars.

Let the arguments begin “It is amazing that President Aquino readily comes to the aid of European bankers, but remains deaf to the cries of the Filipino workers for wage increase and regular jobs,” columnist Gerry Rivera states in an opinion piece in Philippine Daily Inquirer. “The money would be better used for social protection at home rather than for social devastation abroad.”

According to BSP, the Philippines might be wealthy considering we have $76 billion gross international reserves (GIR).

As they assured on Manila Bulletin, the loan will not greatly affect the reserves.

On the other hand, for columnist Ricardo Saludo, if we’re getting money from loan syndication and loan interests, “a country with 10 million families saying they are poor cannot afford that kind of waste.”

However, everybody’s favorite, Senator Miriam Santiago sacked suggestions to give the $1 billion to social services for poor Filipinos. “Our country’s international reserves are invested in accordance with the investment guid eline that only investment-grade and highly-rated financial instruments of non-residents should qualify.” Long story short, she stresses that the reserves are intentionally

for foreign agreements and should be used accordingly.

The lending bandwagon If it makes you feel any better, the Philippines is not the only one lending money to the IMF. As stated in the Manila Times on April 2012, the IMF received $456 billion in additional capital commitments. East Asia pledges included $60 billion from Japan, $43 billion from China, $15 billion from South Korea, $4 billion from Singapore, and $1 billion each from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand. The country has joined a global effort to prevent another worldwide financial crisis.

According to National Treasurer Roberto B. Tan, it is a good investment for us. He adds that the $1 billion loan will have positive effects not only in the Philippines, but also to the global economy. *** “This is why we lend to the IMF because the IMF will surely pay us back.

It is a lending without any risks,” says columnist Ducky Paredez. But, should we just trust the government on this? Sure. As the American proverb goes, “In God we trust; all others must pay cash.”C Sources: “Senator questions BSP’s $1-B loan to IMF” (http://www.philstar.com) Miriam says $1-B loan to IMF legal, hits critics as ‘illiterate’”

by Andreo C. Calanzo (http://www.gmanetwork.com) “$1-B loan better used at home” by Gerry Rivera (http://opinion.inquirer.net) “IBON explains BSP loan to the IMF” by Ducky Paredez (http://www.malaya.com.ph) “Treasury Supports BSP’s IMF Loan” By Chino S. Leyco (http://www.mb.com.ph) “The curious case of the billion-dollar IMF loan”

by Ricardo Saludo (http://www.manilatimes.net)

Vol. 39 No. 1 July 2012

a r o C a d i b a r t n Co

LAMPOON

Y

et again, another year is here to rot our brains and bodies on account of sleepless nights and makeshift beds of photocopied fact sheets that we don’t even read. Yes guys, school is back again. No kidding, huh? It’s probably the only time we don’t get excited at the sight of a mall sale—a “Back To School” sale, that is.

Though we find reason every year to grumble over crowded hallways and drinking fountains that don’t work, there are a bunch of things to not complain about during this beautiful season of swarming freshmen and abundant homework.

For one, we have a dashing new ID layout. You can tell they’re being minimalists.

Minimalist, in the software they used. Who needs Photoshop when you have Microsoft Paint? It reminds me of my grade school days. Come on! Ride on the Magic School Bus! Plus, our dark and oily faces are further accentuated by state-of-the-art flash photography. How can they not anticipate complaints about the outcome of the ID pictures when they know how vain the students are? Nothing says “I just finished a 9-mile jog” like a digicam picture with flash.

On campus, the most anticipated annual fashion show themed “Social Climbing”, commenced during the first few weeks of classes. I’m not only talking about freshmen. Seriously, I don’t get why anyone would attend class wearing 6-inch heels and full make-up. Overdressed for school much? Why do we even attend class at all when our teachers don’t even show up in the first day? Thumbs up for setting examples!

But who can blame them? We should salute our hardworking teachers. Some of them take time out of their busy schedules to not discuss their lessons, and have us report the topics, so that they can ramble on and on about quality time with their dog for the rest of the semester. Not that we actually remember anything we learn from our classes anyway. Cough—minor subjects—COUGH! But what I learned, though, is that it’s alright to fool people. I can’t wait for the day that I design a two-storey student mall that looks like it has five storeys from outside. Seems legit. The prolonged wait for its opening was totally worth it after all.

But hey, who needs fancy malls when you’ve got locked CRs all over school?

It’s just the best feeling in the world when you’re in a hurry, and you need to pee like you need to keep silent around Sir Bibal’s classes, and the glorious comfort rooms are—yup, you guessed it—locked. I wonder what they’re keeping in there that has to be protected. The Wi-Fi connection, perhaps?

But if there’s anything to complain about, it’s the fact that I’m me. Look at me, I have been complaining since day one but nothing has changed. Do you know how frustrating that is? Yeah, I have Contrabida as a last name but I honestly am an advocate too, deep inside. Believe me! I wish some action would come out of these little protests.

*** In the meantime, I’ll be in the cupboard under the stairs, making homework for my minor subjects. Expelliarmus! They are as useful as those posts screaming “You are in a school.” A cheap school it seems, with the handwritten beauty of it all. I’m just dying to rush to class through frighteningly silent hallways because, you know, these signs actually work.

So here’s to another year of headaches and dead brain cells. Like some of the students here make use of them, anyway.

Get some sleep if you can, kids. Zombies are so last year.

See you in class.C

www.thecrusaderpublication.com

27

Illustration & design by Rico M. Magallona

Back to School Woes

Dear ate Charot, ang aking kwento ay tungkol sa isang sing-sing at tatlong hari at sa isang singsing at dalawang hari, in English ate “A ring, king king king, a ring king king.” bitaw te uy, itago nalang ko sa pangalang Jess, Jess waiting por you. Echos! Nakoy like kaayo nga gurl ate and akong problema kay bs kaayo ko, big stomach, hehehehehe joke. Tagae kog tips ate beh para masulti najud nako ni akong gibati nga paghigugma para sa iyaha. Akong gugma nga ga uros uros way preno preno. Salamat ate, and request ko sa kanta nga “God gave me you” kay pang ginoo. Mwa mwa chup chup ;) Dear jess, ay unsa ni fm? kay nay song? Bitaw uy, nako dong lisod jud kaayo ng bs tah no kay di jud ka makatulog anah. Duha ray rason kung bs ta it’s either pangit tah or gwapa raxa para nimo.

Hehehe well ako ma suggest is write a letter to her. Since sosyal naman ta karon, I tweet sa iyaha. Or mag send kag gifts sa fb. Or in a sweet way gaposa siya, isulod daun sa imong bag.

Just tell the truth because the truth will set you free. Ambot sa politica if ma apply bani.

Dear ate Charot, I told her the truth and ga hulat ra diay japon siya. Salamat kaayo ate, sweet kaayo siya ate, sige lang siyag txt kung asa nadaw iya lunch, sige ko niya pangitaon. Diri rako taman kay mag palit sa kog ipad kay wala daw iyaha. Bye

Dogs can be trained to identify the scent of lung cancer long before symptoms develop.

Mao bah? mga smoker be a dougie lover.

Penguin poop can be seen from space.

Grabe! kung maka iti, wagas!

Hippo milk is pink.

Ka majinbu lugar? Very pink?

Starfish don’t have brains.

Yes! duha nami way brains.

Wow! ipad man jud, unsay sunod ferrari? anyways good luck sa inyong relationship, hanggang dito lang po mga kaibigan. Hala sige babaye.

A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.

So kung mulupad na, twitter nay tawag ana bah?

Cat’s urine glows under a black light.

OMG! nag siga ang sabaw lage.

Coca Cola was originally green.

Eww! Lumot!

A dairy cow can produce more milk when listening to music.

Hala! butangig ipod ang baka.

Smelling green apples can help you lose weight!

Ikaw kahay mag simhuta, way kaona, di kaha ka muniwang ana?

Count each of the items: puzzle,cup,fish bone,sunglass,t-shirt,shoe,car,teapot,chair,pencil,spoon,fork,mouse,whale,comb, key,underwear,apple,cassette tape,bear,horn,butterfly,ice cream, boot,nailcutter,treasure box& gun.

To join: photocopy this Kurisearch with your answers and submit your entry to TheCrusader Publication office at STC 302 with your name and contact number. Lucky participants will receive limited edition collectibles.

Congrats sa mga winners sa last Kurisearch contest!! Hurrah!! Dawata ang usa ka sako nga bugas, luto na!! Joke lang best!! Get your prizes at TheCrusader Office STC 302. And the winners are... “Tantananan!!” : Adeva Esparrago, Jhovals Kem Visto,Liza Marie Agsalog and Heinriech Jed Rosell. Congrats!!!

Research suggests that laziness is just a natural part of being a teenager and doesn’t reflect bad behavior.

Kabasa ka ma? don’t blame me ha?