The GUIDON - June 2014

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VOLUME LXXXV, NO. 1 · JUNE 2014

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SPORTS Putting last year's UAAP season in perspective

BEYOND LOYOLA What has been done with regard to agrarian reform?

FEATURES Spoken word poetry finds its rightful place in the spotlight.

INQUIRY How has the average QPI changed over the years?

VANTAGE The Ateneo way: Anatomy of an Orsem Film

OPINION Napolists

The GUIDON

Afarm calls for government action on land reform

COLLECTIVE VOICE. According to Afarm Chair Ace Dela Cruz, when the Ateneo community speaks, the entire nation listens.

By Vince M. Estrada and Ennah A. Tolentino THE ATENEANS for Agrarian Reform Movement (Afarm) wants faster action from the government on the complete and effective implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

Signed in 1988, CARP mandates the implementation of agrarian reform in the country.

It was extended for five more years through the Comprehensive Ag rarian Reform Prog ram Extension wit h Reforms (Carper) Law signed in 2009.

Despite the agrarian reform law being in its 26th year, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has yet to distribute 800,000 hectares of land to farmer beneficiaries as of February this year, 206,000 hectares of which are left without Notices of Coverage (NOCs).

The NOC is a document that starts the land acquisition and distribution process, and ensures that it continues even after the June 30 expiration of Carper.

However, Afarm Chair Ace Dela Cruz said that even with NOCs, it is still unclear when

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exactly will the farmers receive the lands and support services they are entitled to.

“I believe that what the government lacks is not time. What they lack is political will to complete and continue the distribution of lands that our Filipino farmers have been waiting for [for] 26 years now,” he said.

Dela Cruz noted that the DAR under the current administration has the lowest performance in terms of land distribution.

According to a document released by Afarm with its affiliate, Save Agrarian Reform Alliance (SARA), DAR was only able to distribute 314,422 hectares of land from July 2010 to June 2013. The said number is roughly 26% of the 1.2 million-hectare CARP balance at the onset of President Benigno Aquino III’s administration.

Dela Cruz said that CARP “still serves as the country’s litmus test to social justice and sustainable development” despite being the longest-running land reform program of the government.

Manifesto

Afarm released a document on its official Facebook page titled “Laban Lupa, Laban Buhay: A

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youth manifesto to stop land grabbing and save land reform in the Philippines” on May 31.

The manifesto called on different youth leaders and organizations to be signatories as well as to join Afarm and Buklod Atenista in their fight with the farmers.

Buklod Atenista is the alliance of student governments from all Ateneo universities in the country, namely Ateneo de Davao, Ateneo de Manila, Ateneo de Naga, Ateneo de Zamboanga and Xavier-Ateneo de Cagayan.

The manifesto also appealed to Aquino to certify as “urgent” the passing of a law that will allow for the continuation of CARP’s land distribution component until its completion even after the deadline.

It urged the legislators in the Senate and the House of Representatives to ensure the passing of the said law in Congress.

However, if the law is not ratified before the deadline, signatories of the manifesto will appeal to the president to issue an Executive Order with the same terms instead.

According to the manifesto, Afarm’s demands are in accordance with the 1987 Philippine

MORE INSIDE

6% tuition fee increase met by mixed reactions

PHOTO BY ARIELLE A. ACOSTA

Atenean joins Benham cruise

news, 2

Academic calendar shift a "necessary first step" - Villarin news, 2

Freshmen discover Orsem Tuklas news, 3

On the need for regional unity and China's territorial assertiveness opinion, 6

Serving the two-year residency sports, 10

Palarong Pambansa sports, 9

By Katrina M. Bonillo and Christian D. Cejalvo A RESEARCH team of experts and students conducted a twoweek expedition beginning on May 3 to explore Benham Rise, an undersea region east of Luzon believed to be a rich source of marine life.

Physics junior Socorro Rodrigo volunteered to be a part of the research team that performed physical and biological oceanographies in the area.

Under the moniker Benham Bottom Grabbers, they also conducted a survey of the Benham Rise’s benthic zone, which is the bottommost part of the region.

The team, led by Dr. Hildie Nacorda of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman’s Marine Science Institute, was composed of research-

ers and volunteers f rom the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, UP Los Baños (UPLB) School of Environmental Science and Management, UPLB Institute of Biological Sciences, UP Mindanao, UP Baguio and Xavier University.

The research is part of the Exploration, Mapping and Assessment of Deep Water Areas Program funded by the Department of Science and Technology.

This is the second exploration of Benham Rise, the first one being an oceanographic survey back in 2012, after the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) granted the Philippines sovereignty over the region.

Benham Rise, which has a depth of 50 meters at its Atenean joins ›› 3

Afarm calls ›› 3

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News

Editor: Ennah A. Tolentino · Editorial Assistant: Christian D. Cejalvo Layout Artist: Meg C. Quintos

6% tuition fee increase met by mixed reactions

By Pam T. Musni

MONEY MATTERS. Some students and professors believe that the tuition fee increase should result to improvements in both infrastructure and quality of education.

PHOTO BY RYAN Y. RACCA

THE 6% tuition fee increase that was implemented this school year was met with mixed reactions from members of the Loyola Schools (LS) community.

The increase was announced d u r i n g l a s t s c h o o l y e a r ’s Magtanong sa VP at Mga Dekano, an annual forum where LS students and administrators discuss school concerns.

During the forum, Vice President for the Loyola Schools John Paul Vergara, PhD said that the increase will be 1% higher than the regular 5% to add to the funds for scholarships and LS infrastructure development.

Some students said that they found the increase reasonable as long as the funds are put to good use.

Communication sophomore Stephanie Sayson said that she can see that the additional money went to the construction projects that were made around campus.

Justin Soon, a management economics sophomore, finds the increase to be normal. He said he was not surprised by the announcement since there is a tuition fee increase every year.

Others, however, said that

there is still much to be done regarding campus improvements.

Life sciences senior Neill Herrera finds the increase justifiable, yet he still does not see much progress in renovations.

“I expect that there would be better laboratories and other facilities in campus,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Financial concerns

Some Ateneans are concerned that the increase will bring about financial difficulties.

Life sciences senior Noe Inson noted that the increase might be troubling for the parents who are paying for tuition.

He said the increase would mean a larger budget for education for families, which will be more difficult to shoulder.

For health sciences sophomore Kaelyn Yogyog, her family has been having difficulty paying for her tuition and the increase would be an added burden.

She said that tuition in the Ateneo was higher than the amount her family was used to. Her high school tuition fee, which cost around P 71,000, was already a “high [spending] limit” for their family.

Yogyog said that her father is the only one providing for them,

so they had to apply for loans to pay for her schooling.

Yogyog applied for financial aid twice to help her family with the tuition, but said she was rejected both times because of her family’s financial background.

A c c o r d i n g t o O f f ic e of Ad m ission and Aid Assistant to the Director for Scholarships Jolly Morato, the Committee on Admission and Aid usually prioritizes applicants based on grades and family resources because of the limited slots for scholarships.

The said committee is responsible for the evaluation of financial aid applications.

Some students who do avail of financial aid still expressed concerns about the tuition increase.

Management information systems senior Nika Cunanan currently has a 75% financial aid grant. However, she said the tuition amount unaccounted for by the grant is “still a bit high,” costing around P20,000 to P30,000.

Aside from this, she mentioned that her family had trouble paying for the installments.

“There are times when my mom can’t pay according to sched6% tuition ›› 5

Academic calendar shift a “necessary first step” - Villarin

By Christian D. Cejalvo THE COMMISSION on Higher Education (CHED) advised higher education institutions (HEI) not to shift their academic c a lenda r s , but Un iver sit y President Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ is adamant that the move is a step towards improving the Ateneo.

CHED released its stand on the issue on March 26 following the decision of the Ateneo, the University of the Philippines (UP), De La Salle University and the University of Santo Tomas to move their academic calendars.

In an interview with The GUIDON, Villarin said that shifting the academic calendar will enable the Ateneo to engage with better universities overseas in order to learn from them and “pull ourselves up.”

“I would like for the Ateneo de Manila to improve, and improving it means connecting the Ateneo to the best out there,” he said.

On February 6, the Ateneo announced its decision to shift to an August to May academic calendar effective in school year (SY) 2015 to 2016.

This will affect the Loyola Schools (LS) and the Professional Schools, namely the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, the Ateneo School of Government, the Ateneo Graduate School of Business and the Ateneo Law School.

Towards Asean 2015

Even though talks about shifting the Ateneo’s academic calendar began as early as 2013, Villarin said in an interview with Rappler that it was only last year that it “ripened because 2015 is just around the corner.”

2015 will see the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Economic Community, opening free trade of goods and services, such as education, among its member countries: Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The establishment of the economic community is part of the Initiative for Asean Integration launched during the 2000 Asean summit. It aims to narrow the development gap and accelerate the economic integration of the newer member coun-

tries, namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.

CHED believes, however, that since there is no provision in the Asean Integration about the synchronization of HEIs’ academic calendars in the region, the shift is not the most pressing concern coming into 2015.

Licuanan said that HEIs should instead pay attention to two more pertinent issues: The quality of the Philippines’ college or university students and how well-prepared they are for the field of work when they graduate.

Villarin argued, however, that shifting the academic calendar and consequently enabling faculty from universities abroad to teach in the Ateneo can contribute to the improvement of the university’s quality of education.

“Hopefully, we will have better students and faculty because we will be attracting visiting, non-Filipino professors to teach for [perhaps] a term,” he said.

“That’s the goal: That there would be greater diversity and that the adversity will challenge Academic calendar ›› 5

NEW STANDARD. University President Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ says shifting the academic calendar will challenge the students.

PHOTO BY RYAN Y. RACCA

News

The GUIDON June 2014

3

Freshmen discover Orsem Tuklas

By Joff D. Bantayan The 2014 Freshmen Orientation Seminar (Orsem) held at the College Covered Courts on June 13 and 14 promised significant changes and improvements as assured by its various organizing committee heads.

According to Orsem Logistics Committee Head Nikki Uson, this year’s theme, “Tuklas,” is a change in itself. Instead of just focusing outward as what previous themes such as “Layag,” “Sinag” and “Lipad” suggest, it also centers on the importance of discovering one’s self.

Moreover, Orsem Committee (Orcom) Chair Joyce TiamLee said she wanted this year’s

theme to remind the freshmen that they also have a significant role to play in the journeys and discoveries of others. “To discover ourselves and everything outside ourselves is part of our life’s journey.”

Revamped traffic and security protocols

Due to the recent bomb hoax and kidnapping incidents that exposed security loopholes on campus, the Logistics Committee imposed tighter traffic and security protocols during Orsem.

Orsem Traffic and Security Committee Head Justine Burgos stressed that a stricter set of rules for drop-off points and parking areas was employed.

“The designated drop-off

SAFETY GUARANTEED. Logistics Head Nikki Uson says that they were given permission to use unlimited security guards to ensure the safety of the students.

PHOTO BY ARIELLE A. ACOSTA

TEAM SPIRIT. TNT Head Alayne Maxino says that a cohesive team of volunteers left an impression on the freshmen.

PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA L. HUANG

points are Gonzaga, JSEC and the East parking, each one being fully secured by our volunteers,” Burgos said.

She explained that the committee kept track of plate numbers of all vehicles entering the campus to give way for easy notification and identification of the vehicles’ owners.

“In the event that a sponsor, concessionaire or participant decided to bring a car different from the one he or she declared, he or she [was asked] to park elsewhere,” she added.

In an interview with The GUIDON on May 16, Uson explained plans of coordinating closely with the Facilities Management Office, which takes charge of deploying security guards all over the campus.

She wanted to strategically station the guards in spots where problems usually arise, such as the Northwest Car Park that remains the only place on campus where outsiders are allowed to park.

When it came to securing the different venues, Burgos said that the committee also enforced a “no ID, no entry” policy without exceptions, especially in the College Covered Courts.

Furthermore, in coping with abrupt changes in schedules and routes, Burgos said that communicating through their radios helped them “to adjust accordingly and send teams immediately to the places in need of assistance and guidance.”

Better teamwork

Uson stressed that the Logistics Committee planned to make the Talks and Tours (TNT) and the Security and Mobilization (Secmob) volunteers a tightlyknit team so that they can effectively work together.

She said that the volunteers who knew each other were more efficient because they went around and mingled during Orsem instead of staying in one place.

Atenean joins...

Afarm calls...

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shallowest point and spans 13 million hectares—bigger than 10.5 million-hectare Luzon—still remains the least explored of all Philippine waters.

C o n s t i t u t i o n ’s mandate that the government should “encourage and undertake the just distribution of all agricultural lands.”

In an interview with The GUIDON on May 21, Dela Cruz said that Afarm is currently drafting a signature petition that will be specifically addressed to Aquino.

Physical and biological oceanography

Rodrigo was part of the physical oceanography group which, along with the biological oceanography group, was tasked to survey the waters that pass through Benham Rise.

Water that flows from the Pacific Ocean hits the eastern side of the Philippines, dividing it into two currents that flow upward and downward.

The northern current, which passes through Benham Rise, consequently affects the water’s properties as it interacts with the underwater land mass.

Rodrigo said that water properties such as oxygen, chlorophyll and salinity were measured in order to find out how conducive the underwater area is for biological productivity.

Furthermore, opposing water currents, otherwise known as water eddies, also affect the biological make-up of Benham Rise, according to Rodrigo.

The team aimed to find water currents that flow upward, bringing up high-nutrient water from the bottom to the surface. “If we find them (water eddies), [this] means that there’ll be lots of fishes of high productivity,” said Rodrigo.

Currently, the research team is still processing data from the oceanographic survey.

Marine resources

While its larger areas remain unexplored, Benham Rise is pre-

Beyond land distribution

PHOTO FROM @MSI_CRUISE/TWITTER

sumably rich in marine resources, natural gas and steel-producing minerals like manganese.

It is also likely for the area to contain massive oil deposits that could help the Philippines become self-sufficient on energy.

Ateneo Env i ron ment a l Science Society President Ingrid Calub said that exploring Benham Rise could put the Philippines at an advantage.

“Investing in the research of the Benham Rise gives a possibility for us to discover new species and minerals.”

According to Rodrigo, a number of the fish that they found in Benham Rise were “commercially-important.”

Whalesharks, bamboo sharks, galunggong and bluefin tuna are some of the discoveries in this research, indicating that the area has a healthy ecosystem.

Ateneo Biological Organization President Jhoana Garces said that the region’s resources

might be threatened. She said that regulations for sustainable fishing should be implemented at Benham Rise not only to prevent overfishing but to also help fishermen benefit from these resources on a long-term basis.

The Philippines opened Benham Rise as a fishing site in 2013.

Garces further added that t he Philippines needs to develop ecotourism.

“The thing about ecotourism is that we need to sell not only the good attractions about the place, but the advocacy and conservation steps undertaken. This way, we can empower the community in many ways,” she said.

For Calub, responsible ecotourism should be imposed on the Benham region.

“Funding isn't the only issue here. It has a lot to do with promoting responsible ecotourism wherein the area’s quality won't be sacrificed because of the tourist activities,” she said.

Although Afarm focuses on the impending expiration of Carper, the movement’s advocacies go beyond this initiative. According to Dela Cruz, these advocacies include “land grabbing, illegal land conversion [and] agrarian-related violence—for example, the continuous killings of farmers and indigenous people.”

On May 7, Afarm released a statement on the murder of 58-year-old Menelao “Ka-Melon” Barcia who was a farmer-leader in his hometown of Porac, Pampanga.

According to the statement, Ka-Melon was an active leader in the struggle for land of the Hacienda Dolores farmers in Porac, Pampanga. Porac, an “agrarian hotspot,” has been targeted for years by several private real estate companies.

The statement lists other farmer-leaders who, like KaMelon, have died in their fight for land reform. Dexter Condez was just one of the names mentioned in the statement.

Condez, who was a spokesperson for the Boracay Ati Tribal Organization (BATO), was ambushed while on his way home from a meeting. The state-

TNT Head Alayne Maxino aired similar sentiments, saying that establishing effective teamwork among the volunteers was a main focus this year.

Maxino noted that improving the connection between the TNT and Secmob volunteers is a change that this year’s Orcom was very adamant about.

“I feel like even within the [Orsem Core] and within the volunteers, that the teamwork is really there; even I can feel it and I guess it really [makes an impact] on how Orsem [turned] out,” Maxinos aid.

Upgrading Orsem

Two new segments made a debut this year to further enrich the Orsem experience: The DJ Hunt and the Orsem plenary.

According to Tiam-Lee, the DJ Hunt “[provided] yet another avenue for involvement from the freshmen” aside from the annual Orsem Idol.

The Orsem Idol is a traditional

ment noted that the suspect for his murder was a worker in a hotel whose owner allegedly had claims to land given to the BATO by the National Indigenous People Commission.

In light of these events, Dela Cruz issued a rallying cry to the Ateneo community to continue supporting farmers who have been greatly affected by the slow progress of land distribution.

“If we will take this opportunity for granted, it is inevitable that many other farmers and indigenous people will continue to be killed, and continue to suffer in their quest to reclaim land that should already be theirs,” said Cruz in a mix of English and Filipino.

Afarm has also demonstrated its support for the farmers by teaming up with Sicogonbased farmers, who came to Metro Manila to protest to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources about land grabbing cases in their area.

In an interview with The GUIDON, Maricel Macario, a farmer who was part of the contingent who came to Metro Manila, said that farmers were being driven away by the Subic Bay Development and Industrial Estate Corporation (Sudeco) and were given two options with regard to their relocation.

One of the options given by Sudeco was P150,000 in cash, while the other was relocation to Estancia, an option that Macario does not want to take because it is 45 minutes away from their jobs.

“Doon sa amin sa Sicogon, isang litro lang ng gasolina, [makakarating] ka na [sa trabaho]. Pero doon sa Estancia, mga tatlo o apat na

talent segment during Orsem. An audition was held for freshmen who can dance and sing before the winner was announced on the last night of Orsem called O-Night, the culminating event.

Additionally, The DJ Hunt allowed the freshmen to show off their talents in sound editing. Applicants were required to submit a mix tape that they arranged on their own in order to sign up.

Management freshman Noel Bugia was announced as the winner of the DJ Hunt in a post made by the official Orsem Tuklas Facebook page on June 5. He was given a chance to play his set during O-Night.

The OrSem plenary, on the other hand, provided a synthesis of the event for the freshmen. It was held at the College Covered Courts prior to O-Night.

Tiam-Lee said that the plenary served as an integration of the two days and drew from insights and feedback given by the freshmen themselves.

gasolina pa iko-consume bago ka [makarating] (In our hometown of Sicogon, we can go to work on one liter of gasoline. But in Estancia, it takes us three or four liters of gasoline before we can arrive[at our destination),” she said.

Mobilization

In order to better voice out their advocacies, Afarm partnered up with a number of non-government organizations (NGOs), as well as a number of student classes within the Ateneo.

According to Dela Cruz, they have partnered up with NGOs such as SARA and Focus on the Global South, which share the same visions and goals as Afarm.

In addition, Afarm collaborated with two Politics and Governance (POS 100) classes during the Agrarian Reform Week on May 12 to 16. Dela Cruz said this week-long endeavor aimed to provide students information regarding the situations of farmers who are affected by the Carper law.

“We were able to spread [the farmers’] cause by setting up a week-long Agrarian Reform booth and a Carper photo exhibit that enabled students and faculty members and staff to be enlightened and physically on-board on the issue,” he said.

“In terms of making the students aware about the entire issue, I think we were able to achieve [our goals]. Although we were not able to impart everything, since it’s a very huge issue, we were able to impart something that’s enough for them to be involved in our advocacy,” Dela Cruz added.

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News

New FMO leadership to focus on security and alignment

By Katrina M. Bonillo UNDER A new leadership, the Facilities Management Office (FMO) has established an alignment program that interlinks security operations with facilities management.

Both recently appointed, FMO Director Michael Canlas and FMO Safety and Security Head Nhoy Almosera seek to establish an incident-free campus beginning this school year.

According to Canlas, the alignment program allows the security group and the facilities and construction group to expand this common goal and to deliver equal improvements to the campus.

Ca n la s had prev iously served in the Loyola Schools (LS) as assistant to the Office of Administrative Services Director for Physical Resources before he was appointed FMO director on April. Almosera had worked in the FMO as technical head to the Ateneo Grade School (AGS) before he was selected as Safety and Security head last March.

The FMO is responsible for the security, maintenance and improvement of the fixed physical assets of all Ateneo campuses. These include the LS, the Ateneo Professional Schools, the Ateneo Center for Continuing Education and the facilities of the Ateneo Information Technology Institute.

Prevention

In line with the FMO’s goal to establish a zero incident program for both the Ateneo community and the facilities, Almosera has geared his team to focus on prevention.

According to Canlas, the FMO is working with security units in order to provide additional measures that will place them ahead of crises. “We have to make sure that from the entry point, we’ll already manage,” he said.

The kidnapping of a student within the university grounds last November, followed by a bomb scare on February, has raised concerns over the campus’ safety.

The FMO has already engaged in mapping exercises to evaluate vulnerable areas in the campus and to determine how they will provide support for the said areas.

According to Almosera, the FMO recently closed the Northwest and Diversion Car Parks after 10 PM since their remote locations make them risky venues, especially during night time.

He added that “proximity cards” will be issued primarily to LS and Central Administration employees to access and exit the Science Education ComplexGonzaga Car Park beginning on May 26. If successful, this system will be implemented to student parking areas as well.

Almosera said that the FMO is currently working on the establishment of a University Emergency Response Manual, which will serve as a guideline

for the Ateneo community in dealing with natural and manmade emergencies.

Re-emphasized

Before t he school yea r began, the FMO already reevaluated certain policies to prevent crime from occurring inside the campus.

The FMO has reinforced the strict inspection of identification cards (IDs) for students and Ateneo stickers for vehicles. Additional guards at Gate 2.5 and K9 units around the campus are also being deployed.

Visitors will still need to surrender IDs to security in exchange for a visitor’s pass, while motorcycle riders will be asked to remove their helmets before entering the campus.

The FMO has also added additional lights all over the campus, along with closed circuit television cameras in the parking spaces.

Canlas expressed the importance of the security group in supporting the facilities and construction group, and vice versa.The FMO’s security program will serve as a foundation for a “much safer, secured and friendly campus,” he said.

Confidence

Canlas said that while the FMO has only been under the new leadership for a few months, it has already received support from other communities.

FMO Coordinator to the AGS Victoria Dimalanta said she is

confident that a lot of systems will be improved and a lot of programs will be implemented.

“We’re getting there, especially with the focus on safety and security first and foremost.”

Dimalanta served as officer-incharge of the FMO for four months after former FMO Director Jose Arnulfo Batac and FMO Safety and Securit y Head Julius Badillo stepped down from their posts last November and December, respectively.

Almosera welcomed the involvement of stakeholders in piloting an integrated security program that should focus not only on prevention, but also on emergency training.

For Dimalanta, the only way to engage stakeholders in FMO operations is to familiarize the community with the FMO’s mission-vision statement.

Empowered to “foster a safe, secure and sustainable environment,” the Facilities Management team is envisioned to lead the university in achieving world-class facilities and services.

Dimalanta stressed that the new FMO leadership will begin its term with a team of highly skilled, coordinated and competent workers.

For Canlas, the FMO’s coordinated pace will allow his team to continue bringing improvements to the campus that is in line with the general welfare of the community.

“We are one. We are ready. We will deliver,” he said.

ON DUTY. Aside from the additional security measures, the Facilities Management Office will also deploy more guards to ensure campus safety.

PHOTOS BY CHI D. PUNZALAN

12th ANWW broadens lecture scope

By Joff D. Bantayan and Pam T. Musni THIS YEAR’S Ateneo National Writers’ Workshop (ANWW) aimed to innovate a well-rounded approach to writing with the addition of literary editorship and alternative publishing into its curriculum, according to Ateneo Institute for Literary Arts and Practices (Ailap) Acting Associate Director Mitch Cerda.

Organized by the Ailap, the workshop offered 15 chosen fellows a closer look into the literary community as well as the current state of the publishing industry in the country.

Now on its 12th year, the ANW W is an avenue for budding writers across the country to evaluate and improve their pieces with the help of distinguished names in the local literary industry.

The panelists for this year were composed of distinguished writers and scholars in the Ateneo: Professor Benilda Sa ntos, Ph D, A ssociate Professors Michael Coroza, PhD and Jerry Respeto, PhD, Assistant Professors Joseph Salazar, PhD, Edgar Samar, PhD and Alvin Yapan, PhD and Instructors Allan Derain and Allan Popa from the Filipino Department, Associate Chair Danilo Reyes, Instructors Alexis Abola and Mark Anthony Caya na n f rom t he Eng lish Department, and Glen Sevilla Mas and Martin Villanueva from the Fine Arts Program.

The roster of panelists also included renowned writers from other universities: Literature professors Luna Sicat-Cleto, PhD, Ramon Guillermo, PhD, Rosario Cruz-Lucero, PhD from the University of the PhilippinesDiliman, and Assistant Professor

in Literature Vincente Groyon III from De La Salle University.

The ANWW was held from May 18 to 24 at the NatividadGalang Conference Room of De La Costa Halland at the Pardo de Tavera Room of the Old Rizal Library.

Integration

Cerda explained that the workshop intended to “come full circle” by highlighting the importance of literary editorship in expanding the literary community.

He said that a thriving writing community is not just composed of writers, but editors and publishers as well. According to him, this diversity could be a means to help bring about a “mature writing community [in the Philippine context].” “[In the field of writing], you do not engage with yourself alone. Eventually, you have to go out of your shell and create connections with your fellow writers who possess the same passion and dedication in writing,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

A lternat ive publishing, meanwhile, refers to the various ways that fellows can circulate their works, such as magazines and guerilla publishing.

Guerilla publishing is the process of getting a work published in small press publishers, which have a low budget for production.

Cerda stressed that by opening fellows to these opportunities, they can develop a more “open [writing-publishing] community” that is not limited to mainstream publications.

“Hindi lang tayo stuck sa mainstream… Puwede tayo magkaroon ng [iba’t ibang] uri ng attempts para palaguin talaga ang literary scene [sa bansa] (We are not just stuck with the mainstream. We

LINKING MINDS. A select group of young writers of fiction, poetry and plays from all over the country gather to exchange ideas, critique works and form connections with esteemed professors and writers.

PHOTO BY PIA R. NICOLAS

can make different attempts to truly enrich the literary scene in the country,” he said.

A diverse fellowship

Aside from developing promising writers, ANWW ultimately sought to create a diverse pool of writers who can learn from each others’ experiences.

Cerda noted that Manilabased writers usually dominate the workshop scene, which is why the ANWW this year wanted a more national reach.

“We didn’t want just one school of thought to be dominant because we can’t learn much from that. So as much as possible, we try to pick fellows coming from different backgrounds,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Ellie Esquivas, a poet from Pasig City, shared that the workshop became the opportunity for her to enrich her knowledge and experience in writing and reading.

On the other hand, playwright

Jerome Hipolito from Naga City said that he joined the workshop not only to improve his craft, but also to meet authors “outside the pages of their books.”

As for Norman Darap, a storywriter from Iloilo, the diversity of panelists and fellows in the workshop paved the way for a discussion that was conducive to new ideas.

Furthermore, Cerda explained that the panelists and speakers in the workshop were chosen for their different

writing styles and breadth of experience in the field.

This allowed fellows to learn more as some panelists had different takes on the topics and have “experiences the others have yet to go through,” he said.

“We try to pick panelists who we feel are the best in their fields and at the same time, are very sharp in paying attention to the works of the writers,” Cerda said in a mix of English and Filipino.

News

The GUIDON June 2014

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CB liaison to act as interim Sanggunian spokesperson

By Vince M. Estrada WITH NO Top 4 in place, the Sangg unian Central Board (CB) has created the position of an official CB liaison to act as its temporary representative for the school year.

The creation of the CB liaison position was in response to the school-wide failure of the Sanggunian General Elections held on March.

The positions of the president, vice president, secretarygeneral and finance officer were all left vacant, leaving the Sanggunian without a Top 4.

The CB approved the addendum that officially instated the position of the CB liaison to the Sanggunian Code of Internal Procedures (CIP) during a meeting on April 24.

Fourth Year John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM) CB Representative Ga-el Mendoza was elected as the official CB liaison in another CB meeting held the next day.

Details

Sanggunian Committee on Rules Chair CJ Leong said that the CB liaison “shall act as the spokesperson of the Sanggunian and shall also act as the official signatory in the absence of both the president and the vice president.”

The position of a CB liaison will only exist when both the seats of the president and the vice president are vacant; the

position of the CB liaison will be vacated once either seat is filled.

However, as stipulated in Article XV, Section 4(a) of the 2005 Constitution of the Undergraduate Students of the Ateneo de Manila Loyola Schools, the position of the Sanggunian president cannot be filled via the upcoming special elections.

Leong further clarified that the CB liaison is not considered a higher position than a CB representative; the CB remains the highest decision making body of the Sanggunian.

“The liaison does not at all affect the School Board, unlike the president. [The CB liaison] does not have veto powers… It’s just an internal role within the Sanggunian,” Leong added in a mix of English and Filipino.

Despite being the representative of the Sanggunian, Mendoza noted that he cannot make decisions on behalf of the CB. “[The position] has no decisive power. If, for example, the admin says we have to decide on something. [I would say] I have to consult the CB,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

In addition, Mendoza noted that seniority, both in the school and within the Sanggunian, was a crucial factor in determining who the liaison would be.

“Usually, the president is a 4th year student already. The president would already know the systems [inside the Sanggunian], so we tried to get the most experienced [member],” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

According to Mendoza, the vote was between himself and 2nd Year JGSOM CB Representative Jared Sarmiento.

Mendoza stated that the probable factors for nominating him were that he was a senior and has been a Sanggunian member for three years. For Sarmiento, it was perhaps because he is the only current officer who was in the CB last year.

saw the need for more access to information and better facilities.

He agrees that science courses, like chemistry, are especially expensive because of equipment and maintenance fees.

“I can only say that there’s hope that the 6% increase can translate to better services within the university, like access to information like important [academic] journals… and better services for students, because that should be the reason why they have the increase,” he said.

Management and Philippine Long Distance Telephone-Convergent Technologies Center buildings.

Construction will also begin for The Areté, the Ateneo creative hub, which will house galleries, theaters, alternative classrooms and studios.

A walkway connecting the Science Education Complex and Gonzaga Hall has also been built and is ready for use this school year.

With regard to the budget for schola rships, Villa rin said that a “balancing factor” comes into play as the more expensive the t uition fee becomes, the more funds are raised for scholarships.

Morato said the scholarship fund is not limited to college financial grants. It is also used to aid graduate scholars, children of LS employees, and the religious and clergy.

Context

Leong stated that during the summer break, the elected officers were already thinking of possible solutions for the lack of Sanggunian members.

“All that we know is, we would really need a spokesperson so that it’s not confusing for the administration. It’s a general agreement that we needed the position,” Leong said in a mix of English and Filipino.

According to 3rd Year JGSOM CB Representative Marc Duque, “The CB liaison position was created because there were [certain rights of a student] that should continue, [rights that are] stipulated in the Magna Carta of Student Rights.” “ Whet her or not t here are elected positions for the Sanggunian, the Magna Carta— which is a higher document than the Constitution—states that students have the right to be represented, for example, in the school forum and school council,” he added.

Duque said that the Sanggunian must continue to perform their

responsibilities, despite the vacancies in the Top 4 positions as well as other positions in the Top 55.

Compromise

All three CB members were in agreement that the CB liaison position is not a permanent solution to having several vacant Sanggunian seats.

“If people are going to ask us what we should do if there is no president, vice president, and Top 4, this is not our answer. It’s just a temporary step,” Duque stated.

Meanwhile, Mendoza conceded that this was the only solution they could think of that was within the means and powers of the Sanggunian.

“Personally, hindi talaga. I don’t think na puwede na [itong solusyon], kahit na walang president [at] vice president, [pero] ito nalang kasi naisip namin (Personally, I don’t think that this solution]is enough, even if there is no president and vice president, but this is the only thing we could think of),” he said.

On the other hand, Leong admitted that without the Top 4, the Sanggunian cannot fully function because the CB can only perform basic services.

However, she added in a mix of English and Filipino, “It seems efficient [to have a CB liaison]. This is a trial period, since this is the first time that we’ve had a CB liaison. So far, it’s working.”

NOT THE ANSWER. CB Liaison Ga-el Mendoza says that the position he currently occupies is not the solution to a crippled Sanggunian.

PHOTO BY CHI D. PUNZALAN

6% tuition... ‹‹ 2

ule, so [the payment is] usually left until right before the next semester starts.

There’s a problem with how to come up with the money, where to get it and such,” she said.

Improving education

With the increase of school funds, there is also an expectation of an improvement of the quality of education.

Yogyog said she would find the increase agreeable if the school will be able to improve “the quality of education and the services around campus.”

In this regard, she would want to see the tuition go to research development, informational materials in the library and the recruitment of “globally competitive” instructors.

Chemistry Department Assistant Professor Gilbert Yu, PhD also

Explaining the 6%

University President Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ said that the main cause for the tuition fee increase is to “shoulder the requirements needed for expansion.”

T h i s y e a r, t w o m o r e f loors w ill be added to t he Joh n Gokongwei School of

DEVELOPMENT. The money from the tuition fee increase will go to different projects, said Vice President for the Loyola Schools John Paul Vergara, PhD. PHOTO BY RYAN Y. RACCA

PHOTO BY PATRICIA LICUANAN

Academic calendar... ‹‹ 2

us and push us to become better.”

Premium on research

In the CHED statement, Licuanan emphasized the importance of research in engaging universities overseas, saying that it is the “currency of the global academic community.”

She added that placing importance on research entails the development of the faculty and students’ skill-competencies required to pursue and engage in quality research and teaching.

“The real challenge, then, is to ensure that our HEIs can produce graduates who are capable of critical, analytical, original and independent thinking that can result in the creation of new knowledge or practice,” said Licuanan.

While Villarin believes that the Ateneo’s faculty is competent in research production, he said that the quality of the university’s research output could still improve.

He said that this can be done by developing the Ateneo’s expertise on research, which he thinks are topics on social entrepreneurship, environment, theology, philosophy and ethics.

Villarin also said that im-

proving on the university’s research output could contribute to effectively engaging and fostering partnerships with schools abroad.

He explained that this is because universities around the world consult and engage with other universities that have information on topics outside their expertise.

“They value our knowledge, our expertise. And I’d like to sharpen that even further, because that’s our service,” said Villarin.

Repeating history

When asked if there is a possibility that the Ateneo might revert back to the June to March academic calendar, Villarin said that the university will monitor and assess the shift once it is in effect.

He added that four years might be allotted to monitor the shift, at the end of which the university will decide if it will continue with the new academic calendar.

However, for now, Villarin is keen on making the shift work.

“I’m still in the mode of thinking that this will work. We have to make it work,” he said.

This is not the first time that the Philippines tried its hand at deviating from the conventional June to March academic calendar.

In the 1960s, then Education Secretary Alejandro Roces experimented on shifting the Philippine schools’ academic calendars through legislation by the Congress.

The shift was to take place over a three-year period, with an April to July calendar in 1963, followed by a May to August schedule in 1964, until supposedly landing on a September to June calendar in 1965.

However, after only the second year of the plan, Roces already saw the impracticality of the shift, explained UP Department of History Chair Bernadette Abrera in a forum on the Philippine academic calendar held in UP on February 10.

Abrera cited the extremely hot weather during April and May, the harvest period wherein families living in rural areas need their children to bring in the crops, and the parents’ non-consultation on the shift as reasons that eventually urged the Senate to repeal the law in 1964.

Villarin said, however, that since the universities in Manila are the only ones currently experimenting with a new academic calendar, the measure will be more efficient and would have less at stake if it were to fail.

6

Opinion

VOLUME LXXXV, NO. 1 JUNE 2014

The GUIDON Founded 1929 by Rev. Frank O‘Hara, SJ First Editor-in-Chief, Manuel C. Colayco, AB ‘30 PURPOSE To serve as a record of Ateneo history in the making; to serve as an organ of journalistic expression; to serve God and country.

Mara Alyssabel D. Cepeda, AB Comm ‘15 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EDITORIAL CARTOON BY GM A. ESPELETA

Vernise Allison L. Tantuco, BS CTM ‘15 ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Katherine Mary E. Pearson, AB SoS ‘15 MANAGING EDITOR

Jan-Daniel S. Belmonte, BFA ID ‘15 DESIGN EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Ennah Faye A. Tolentino, AB PSY ‘16 NEWS EDITOR

Ignacio Gregorio C. Razon, AB PSY ‘15 SPORTS EDITOR

Roxanna May Y. Ramirez, AB Comm ‘16 BEYOND LOYOLA EDITOR

Pia Josefina H. Posadas, BS CTM ‘15 FEATURES EDITOR

Lyssa Minette A. Marquez, AB PoS ‘17 INQUIRY EDITOR

Santiago Jose J. Arnaiz, BS LM ‘16 VANTAGE EDITOR

Ryan Paul Y. Racca, AB IS ‘15 PHOTOS EDITOR

Catherine Margaret C. Quintos, BFA ID ‘15 GRAPHIC DESIGN EDITOR

Arthur Jarred D. Tan, BFA ID ‘16 MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

Karen Therese Romina G. Sison, AB Hi ‘16 TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Julie Diane T. Lim, BS ME ‘15 EXTERNALS MANAGER

Ma. Josephine C. Unas, AB Comm ‘15 ONLINE MEDIA MANAGER

NEWS Christian D. Cejalvo; Editorial Assistant, Joff D. Bantayan, Katrina M. Bonillo, Vince M. Estrada, Pam T. Musni SPORTS Faith R. Decangchon; Editorial Assistant, Lorenzo C. Aycardo, Raizza P. Bello, Beatrice T. Go, Gian Y. Go, Noelle M. Recio BEYOND LOYOLA Kyle N. Mitschiener, Frances P. Sayson; Editorial Assistants, JC A. Beltran, Regine D. Cabato, Chynna A. Santos, Aaron M. Tanyag

Riding the cloud I n t he 2 014 Globa l I n f o r m a t i o n Technology Report (GITR) published by the World Economic Forum, the Philippines jumped eight places in the world ranking for “networked readiness.”

From 86th out of 144 countries in 2013 to 78th out of 148 this year, the Philippines shows a better propensity for utilizing information and communications technology (ICT) to foster innovation and boost economic and social growth.

According to the report released on April 24, the Philippines improved most on ICT readiness, largely due to more affordable access to ICT infrastructure based on prepaid mobile cellular tariffs, fixed broadband Internet tariffs, affordability, and Internet and telephone competition.

This positive trend, however, is yet to be felt by consumers.

Internet services in the country is not only expensive; it is also in a deplorable state.

In a May 28 hearing by t he Senate Commit tee on Trade, Commerce a nd Entrepreneurship, Chair Bam Aquino said that, on average, Filipino consumers spend P1,000 a month for Internet with speeds of around two megabits per second (Mbps).

By contrast, 15 Mbps is offered for $SGD36.9 or about P1,312 a month in Singapore. In Thailand, 12 Mbps costs THB799 or P1,100 a month.

Despite the apparent improvement in affordability, the Philippines still has a long way to go on cutting back costs. What the country needs to do now is to avoid peeling back service quality along with the price tag.

However, it seem s t hat Internet service providers (ISPs) in the country have taken the shortcut to cost-efficiency.

In an interview with Rappler, Asian Development Bank’s Principal Information Technology

specialist Pierre Passin explained that ISPs tend to accept subscriptions that require way more bandwidth than their systems are designed to take.

Then, instead of allocating the indicated Internet speed to their subscribers, ISPs have “a big pool of bandwidth” from which subscribers share. This is why Internet speeds become slow whenever there are more people online at the same time.

During the said committee hearing, senators targeted the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and telecommunication giants Smart and Globe about the Internet service that they provide.

NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba said telecommunication companies in Singapore receive government subsidies.

Moreover, Globe legal counsel Vicente Castelo argued that legislation in the country was suffocating, especially in the local government where it

is difficult to get permits for building cell sites. Smart Public Affairs Head Ramon Isberto added that a viable business model must be developed to address Internet speed.

Nonetheless, if the Philippines wants Internet speeds that can better cater its citizenship— which ranks 22nd in its use of virtual social networks—it will take more than just the cooperation of one sector. The government needs to work hand in hand with private companies and consumers. We cannot demand something from the government without adjusting as well. The Philippines is ready, but we need to act.

While the Internet is only one aspect of ICT improvement, it has a potential to open up various opportunities for the country. During the recent Typhoon Yolanda, we saw what hashtags and status updates can do. When news of the f lesh-eating

CHALK MARKS

disease in Pangasinan broke, albeit proven a hoax, we saw the power of online media.

The cloud system allows us to expand beyond our own networks in ways that are more convenient and effective.

If we want to be in sync with the rest of the world, it is important for us to envision the future of our country with competent ICT goals in mind. That is, to make sure that all our available technologies are accessible to the people who need them. After all, fast and efficient communication is key to thriving in the 21st century.

We must not think twice when it comes to acting to make information and communications as available as possible. It is high time that we use this potential to drive our country toward economic and social gain. At this point, communication should not be the problem; it should be a solution.

Guest Column

FEATURES Ishbelle L. Bongato; Editorial Assistant, Marguerite R. Andrews, Isabel A. Rodrigo, Jasmine P. Ting INQUIRY Uriel N. Galace; Editorial Assistant, Nicolo A. Fortuna, Eugene G. Ong, Mivan V. Ong

On the need for regional unity and China's territorial assertiveness

VANTAGE Paul G. Alcantara; Editorial Assistant, Rissa A. Coronel, Belle O. Mapa, Matthew K. Olivares

By Richard Javad Heydarian

PHOTOS Francine A. Bharwani; Editorial Assistant, Arielle A. Acosta, Joshua E. Cabalinan, Alexis A. Casas, RJ Dimla, Alexandra L. Huang, Pia R. Nicolas, Chi D. Punzalan GRAPHIC DESIGN Tommi G. Principe; Editorial Assistant, Paulina L. Almira, GM A. Espeleta, Ellan T. Estrologo, Joey D. Ochoa, Nikki G. Solinap MULTIMEDIA Miguel Feria, Sam F. Ganzon, Angelo M. Mendoza, Arianna Z. Mercado, Thurees Obenza, Jillian C. Subido, Nikki C. Vesagas TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT Mariel A. Arboleda, Andrea G. Guevarra, Enrique G. Lopez, Ven G. Tan EXTERNALS Patrick L. Balisong; Managerial Assistant, Sabina Co, Kristi de Asis, Isabella Naguiat, Mika O. Reyes, Jelena Tiu ONLINE MEDIA Kian L. Paras; Editorial Assistant, Gayle G. Carabeo COPY EDITORS Raizza P Bello, Vince M. Estrada

Ruel S. De Vera MODERATOR

For comments, suggestions and contributions, email

desk@theguidon.com

Drive the discussion.

Shortly after US President Barack Obama concluded his trip to Asia (April 23-29), where he visited leading allies to reinforce Washington’s strategic footprint in the region, China upped the ante by dispatching HYSY981—China National Offshore Oil Corporation’s state-of-the-art oil rig—deep into Vietnam’s 200-nauticalmiles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The $1-billion oil rig was reportedly accompanied by an armada of Chinese para-military vessels, which soon engaged in a dangerous naval standoff with Vietnamese maritime forces, raising the possibility of an armed confrontation.

Meanwhile, the Philippines released photos suggesting Chinese construction activities on the disputed Johnson South Reef in the Spratly chain of islands, which falls well within the Philippines’ EEZ. In response, the Chinese foreign ministry tried to justify the move by claiming it was “normal” for Beijing to proceed with construction activities in areas where it exercises “inherent and indisputable” sovereignty.

As a signatory to the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DoC), China is well aware that claimant states are obliged to refrain from, among other things, any form of coercive action to unilaterally alter the status quo in the disputed areas. Ironically, China tried to justify its earlier siege on the Philippine marine detachment in the Second Thomas Shoal by invoking the principles of DoC, (falsely) arguing that Manila was fortifying its presence in the disputed feature.

Through its latest actions, China has sought to hit multiple birds with one stone.

On the one hand, China reaffirmed its commitment to defend its territorial claims in adjacent waters, openly defying Obama’s call for a peaceful, rule-based resolution of the ongoing maritime disputes.

With the rise of popular nationalism in China, the authorities in Beijing have chosen an increasingly assertive position vis-à-vis territorial claims in the Western Pacific to enhance their domestic political legitimacy. As China struggles with

a slowing economy, which has made painful and risky structural reforms a policy imperative, and widespread corruption within state institutions, which has inspired an increasingly high-profile crackdown on corrupt government officials, Beijing is grappling with a series of policy conundrums.

Second, China tried to test the extent of American commitment to freedom of navigation in international waters, in general, and its mutual defense treaty with the Philippines, in particular. After all, the Obama administration has consistently fallen short of pledging unequivocal military support to the Philippines if a war were to erupt over disputed features within our EEZ. This ambiguity has encouraged China to constantly push the boundaries of its claims, anticipating Washington’s response and progressively questioning the Obama administration’s commitment to its regional allies.

There is also the element of diversion. Recent months have coincided with an uptick in domestic insurgency, especially the Uighur separatist move-

ment in the Muslim-majority Xinjiang autonomous region.

By all indications, the Chinese authorities are struggling to contain rising discontent among the Uighur minority population, who have resented cultural and political oppression, relentless inflow of Han Chinese to Muslim majority regions and economic marginalization. The insurgency and related terrorist activities have been spreading across the country.

As we confront an increasingly more assertive China, it is imperative that the Philippines, Vietnam and other claimant states step up cooperation and strategic engagement among themselves. At the same time, there should be a vigorous push for developing a binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea under the auspices of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Japan has also assumed an increasingly proactive role to counterbalance China, with Tokyo relaxing its guidelines on arms exports, increasing the Japanese Self Defense Forces’ military spending, and reinterpreting constitutional restric-

tions on external defense operations. Other Pacific powers such as Australia, South Korea and India are following suit.

Nonetheless, there is still room for diplomacy. China’s economy is still reliant on regional trade and the unimpeded transport of goods and basic commodities through international waters. And Beijing is highly sensitive about its international image. The ultimate objective is to create a broad coalition of likeminded countries to “constrain” China’s assertiveness, pressuring Beijing back to the negotiating table and establishing new maritime mechanisms that will stop the increasing militarization of the ongoing territorial disputes.

Creative diplomacy and constant engagement will be crucial to preventing a destabilizing jostling in the South China Sea, an artery of global trade and a cornerstone of regional integration in recent decades.

Richard Javad Heydarian is a lecturer in the Political Science Department and an Opinion columnist for Huffington Post and Al Jazeera English.

The GUIDON June 2014

Cornucopia Mara D. Cepeda mcepeda@theguidon.com

Borderline On May 2, Menelao “Ka-Melon” Barcia picked up his wife Maria from work at a gas station in Angeles City.

At around 9 PM, two unidentified men on motorcycles drove alongside their jeepney and gunned them down.

Maria survived, only sustaining gunshots in her foot. Her husband was not so lucky.

Great Places Vernise L. Tantuco vtantuco@theguidon.com

Top shelf One of my favorite articles ever is a feature on life aboard a rusty Philippine naval vessel on the Spratly Islands, published online by the New York Times (NYT). Punctuated by short video clips, animated graphics and pictures, “A Game of Shark and Minnow” by Jeff Himmelman is certainly more than an

Exposing Explosiveness Chino C. Razon crazon@theguidon.com

The pacemaker Each person has his or her own natural pacemaker that generates electrical impulses for the heart to pump blood across our bodies. The pacemaker serves as a conductor, facilitating the beat of the heart that keeps us alive.

We set the pace of our actions and the heart will adjust accordingly.

Ithaca Pia H. Posadas pposadas@theguidon.com

The eyeball economy You’ve seen it countless times before—a perfectly normal sentence followed by one that completely turns it upside down: “Someone Gave Some Kids Some Scissors. Here’s What Happened Next.” You know it probably isn’t as interesting as it sounds, but you can’t help but be intrigued.

This is exactly how click bait works.

Brainrose Mint A. Marquez mmarquez@theguidon.com

Elliot unmasked I think about Elliot Rodger.

A review: On May 23, a mass shooting occurred in Isla Vista, near University of California Santa Barbara. Elliot Rodger, gunman and killer, took the lives of seven people and wounded 13 more. Rodger uploaded a video on YouTube and a 141page autobiographical manifesto. Both detailed how he wanted women to pay for

He was shot four times—three in the chest and one at the back of his head. He was declared dead on arrival.

Ka-Melon was the leader of a group of Hacienda Dolores farmers who were organizing against the Leonardo Lachenal Leonio Holdings, Incorporated and the FL Property Management Corporation.

The two companies are claiming ownership of the farmers’ ancestral domain.

The murder of Ka-Melon is the latest of several other unsolved extrajudicial killings and human rights violations connected to the fight for agrarian reform in the Philippines.

For decades now, farmers and indigenous people have been struggling to gain ownership of land through the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). However, full implementation of the law has been hampered

by landowners and major landholding businesses. Thus, the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (Carper) Law was passed to give the government more time to distribute lands covered by CARP. The situation remains bleak though.

Based on the Department of Agrarian Reform’s (DAR) own records, close to 800,000 hectares of land have not been given Certificates of Land Ownership Awards, the document under the Carper Law that entitles farmer-beneficiaries with land ownership.

As of May 20, around 14,000 landholdings spread over 88,000 hectares are yet to be issued Notices of Coverage (NOCs) as well. Without this, the land distribution process may not commence. Any land that has not been issued and NOC before the June 30 deadline will no longer be covered

by the existing agrarian reform program.

Given these, some progressive groups have been calling for the government to scrap Carper altogether and instead replace it with the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB). GARB seeks to implement “free land distribution” of all agricultural lands in the country, contrary to the Carper Law which obliges farmerbeneficiaries 30 annual amortization at 6% interest per annum.

The state of the current agrarian reform program is disheartening indeed.

I am dissatisfied with DAR’s performance. I am frustrated at the prevalence of land grabbing in the country.

I am upset that DAR acknowledged the likelihood of its failure to completely acquire and distribute qualified lands by the Carper Law’s expiration date.

Will a new agrarian reform program solve these? Perhaps not. Twenty-six years have passed and CARP and its amendment are still nowhere to be fulfilled. If we start all over again, justice may never come to Ka-Melon and to the other Filipino farmers.

I do agree with DAR’s appeal, however, for the government to pass a law that will allow the agency to continue issuing NOCs even after the deadline. With an NOC, the distribution process for a piece of land will still continue even after June 30. This seems more promising.

By the time this column is published, there will be less than 15 days left until the deadline for the Carper Law. To President Benigno Aquino III and to DAR: We are watching. We are praying. We are hoping.

essay with an embedded YouTube video attached at the end—and it completely changed how I saw digital journalism and multimedia.

Which is why it came a surprise to me that the NYT’s 2014 Innovation Report revealed that the 163-year-old print publication is spending too much time fixated on “Page One,” and not enough on digital media. The internal report, leaked to BuzzFeed’s Myles Tanzer, caused quite the stir.

Had the report been released 10— maybe even five—years ago, the idea of becoming a “digital-first” publication would have been criticized. Cynics and lovers of print (myself included) would have attested to the power of turning tangible pages: Print is not dead. In 2014, however, the NYT’s report is

something to be taken seriously. Although print isn’t dead—I doubt it ever will be—it has definitely been relocated to the bottom shelf.

The situation is almost—but not quite—the same over on this side of the world. News organizations have come up with their own online media branches, like GMA News Online and the Philippine Star’s Philstar.com. Their attempts have been relatively successful, judging by their Twitter feeds and websites. The one that takes the cake, however, is Rappler, the most popular local news organ that decided to skip print entirely and go straight to digital.

It makes sense: When you’re starting up a business, the Internet is relatively cheaper than print, much more relevant, and accessible. ‘Zines like Kamusta? and

the now-defunct Stache never went into print. Still, it seems as though success in Philippine publishing is measured by being able to compete with local print publishing giants.

Centuries-old publications are trying to move forward, while new ones are, in a sense, trying to take a step back; both situations have led to abrupt changes in the recent year. Last April, after running regularly for three years, Stache magazine announced that their 20th issue would be their last. Their farewell, however, was bittersweet, with the promise of a new project in the works.

The next month, in a newsroom on the other side of the world, the NYT fired their first female executive editor, Jill Abramson, five years before her due. The cause of her dismissal was

reported to be her problematic leadership, though many speculated it was due to her receiving a much smaller salary than her male predecessor.

Whatever the cause for either situation, one thing is clear: Both publications are restless for change—with good reason. At present, it doesn’t make sense anymore to measure journalistic success by the number of copies sold. As the NYT works to keep up and consistently create more content like “A Game of Shark and Minnow,”—or its predecessor, “Snow Fall”—there’s a challenge to come up with the same, or even, better. In light of these developments, perhaps it’s time for all publications to embrace the digital-first frame of mind.

But that’s not always the case for everyone. For those with an irregular heartbeat, an artificial pacemaker is required to be implanted inside them. Given how majority of heart patients are senior citizens, it comes as a surprise to others whenever I share that I’m living with a device.

My pacemaker serves as support that immediately fixes any irregularities I have with my heart. For example, if my heart beats too slow or too fast, the pacemaker will always be there to adjust the pumping of my blood to the most appropriate speed my body can take.

Unfortunately for me, I had my surgery during the peak of my physical health and it abruptly became a hindrance. I reduced rough physical contact with anyone, avoided large crowds and kept a conscious track of my health. As a former athlete,

that was the point where my short-lived career met an immediate end.

Luckily for the squads I represented, I wasn’t one of those players who really excelled in competition. Thus, my exit from the teams I played for did not dampen their performances at all. I left and they moved on without me as I watched their success from the bleachers.

It’s been around three years of living with my device and I still wonder when I’ll be able to meet someone my age with a pacemaker. I’ve been on a look out for at least an event or situation that can serve as an inspiration, especially to the handicapped.

The historic run of the Lady Eagles comes close as a consolation. We witnessed the rise of the term “heartstrong” coined by Coach Tai Bundit. It

was the mantra of the Ateneo Women’s Volleyball team throughout their championship season.

I did not like the term at first, but I learned how to appreciate it as its popularity correlated with the team’s success. It is funny how, of all the people, someone with a language barrier was able to inspire the whole Ateneo community with an important message.

Heartstrong showed how powerful an underdog can be. It was a lesson of how vital resilience is and how far it will take us through adversity. It’s an immediate explanation for everything: From surviving calamities as a nation to finishing a paper on time, heartstrong will always be applicable.

But now, we can’t seem to escape the term. It’s so all over the place that it

even replaced Lux in Domino on our lanyards. It’s currently in danger of losing its meaning as the hype is quickly spreading throughout social media.

We’ll have to wait and see if this phrase will turn out as just a fad or if it will overturn the school’s official motto in the future. But for now, it’s serving its purpose as an inspiration for those with the odds stacked against them.

To those living with disabilities or who share an unlikely situation as I have, believe in heartstrong. But just don’t make it a mere repetition of a sensationalized catchphrase. Make it your own; connect to it with your own meaning.

In my case, it’s the bionic-heartstrong: The belief in one’s capabilities for excellence, and the pacemaker will take care of the rest.

The term once exclusively referred to links that were paid for by advertisers; they were phrased in such a shocking or ridiculous manner that readers simply couldn’t resist clicking on them. These days, however, articles from websites like BuzzFeed, Thought Catalog, Elite Daily, Upworthy and The Huffington Post flood our Facebook and Twitter feeds with titles following the same generic formula.

Although it has become a permanent fixture on social media, perhaps more worrying is the fact that click bait is slowly seeping into legitimate news outlets as well. It isn’t just foreign publications like The Atlantic, Slate or TIME, either—even Rappler appears to be jumping on the bandwagon, recently releasing dubiously-titled articles like “#AfterSex Selfies” and “Sam YG’s 9 tips

to a fun, hassle-free Boracay Labor Day weekend” under its Life & Style section.

It isn’t difficult to see why people think that click bait is ruining journalism. Spam-like headlines can be demeaning to readers as these imply that they are incapable of handling anything more intellectual. Veteran journalist George Brock refers to this as the “atomization of news and opinion,” where writers struggle to balance brevity and quality. As for me, I find that overusing hyperboles desensitizes us to their true meaning. When something truly mind-blowing does happen, how will we describe it then?

Still, before I start accusing publications of lowering their standards, I have to begrudgingly accept the fact that they are simply catering to my changing reading habits. My attention span,

for one, is frustratingly much shorter than it used to be. It takes me ages to finish readings (and write essays like this one, for that matter), especially when BuzzFeed so easily distracts me with lists like “The 100 Most Important Cat Pictures Of All Time.” And it seems I’m not alone: Despite my utter disdain for Upworthy, there is no denying that it successfully attracts more than 50 million unique visitors a month.

Much to my surprise, however, I recently discovered that BuzzFeed has found a way to harness these millions of hits for something good. The social news and entertainment website may have shot to fame by virtue of its viral pop culture content, but that is precisely what is subsidizing its newly launched investigative reporting unit. Headed

by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist

Mark Schoofs, it has published longform pieces that are surprisingly insightful, proving that click bait might just have the capacity to lead readers to worthwhile content.

Ultimately, we live in what writer Scott Leadingham calls an “eyeball economy,” where media outlets need to generate substantial clicks and page views to earn advertising revenues. The harsh truth is that in the 21st century, information has become a commodity; publications must adapt quickly in order to compete and survive in such an environment. In light of this, click bait suddenly appears to have redeeming qualities. If its inevitable popularity means that my favorite newspapers and magazines can live to publish another day, then perhaps it is a small price to pay in the long run.

all the grief they had caused him throughout his life. He wanted to put women in concentration camps.

I think about the media abuzz: The story was on online news outlets and primetime news broadcasts. The report: “On May 23, a mass shooting occurred in Isla Vista, near University of California Santa Barbara. Elliot Rodger, a mentally ill boy–” Consequently, foreign online publications churned out opinion pieces on the incident. Fortunately, over the past few years, feminism has become something of a staple on the Internet. The op-ed pieces would cover how the incident inspired women to tweet a rallying cry, “#YesAllWomen.” They would discuss how Rodger demonstrated male privilege and entitlement. A lot of women even came forward with their expe-

riences with men who felt they were entitled to their bodies.

For the most part, feminist discourse on the Isla Vista killing has not been lacking.

However, there are still people who seem to think that Rodger’s mental illness was a bigger problem than his misogyny.

I think about someone I got into an online argument with. He thought Rodger’s mental illness—and not misogyny—was the motive behind his crime. He asked me, “Do you think a non-insane person would do that?”

Rodger’s behavior does not automatically make him mentally ill. In a May 27 New York Times opinion article entitled “Why Can’t Doctors Identify Killers?” Richard A. Friedman wrote that violent people are not necessarily mentally ill and mentally ill people are not necessarily violent. In fact, majority

of those with mental illnesses is not violent. “Most homicides in the United States are committed by people without mental illness who use guns,” he said.

Police also interrogated Rodger before he went on his shooting spree.

They let him go because he seemed “polite and courteous.”

I think about all the people who think an improvement in psychiatric healthcare would have prevented this. Mentally ill people may not be the violent ones— people with guns are. The discussion about mental health may even be a red herring when Rodger said himself: “For the last eight years of my life, ever since I hit puberty, I’ve been forced to endure an existence of loneliness, rejection and unfulfilled desires all because girls have never been attracted to me… I don’t know why you girls aren’t

attracted to me, but I will punish you all for it.”

I think about all the men I’ve seen on the Internet publicly agreeing with Rodger’s sentiments. The truth is, these are not the thoughts of a madman.

These are the thoughts of men who have been taught that they are entitled to women’s bodies, to sex. These are the thoughts of men who think women are supposed to like them back if they’re nice to them.

I think about how the media served the story distilled.

The truth: On May 23, a mass shooting occurred in Isla Vista, near University of California Santa Barbara. Elliot Rodger, gunman and killer, took the lives of seven people and wounded 13 more in a formulated hate crime against women.

8

News

Atenean Voice What are the implications of Ateneo's consistent drop in the QS rankings of Asia's universities?

Jose Ramon Villarin, SJ University President

“We’d have to strategize because I think part of [the reason behind the] rankings [is] we’re not known. [The University of the Philippines] has name recall because of course, they’re a state university. The other thing: Is it because of our country? We are not known to the world. We used to be. There’s also some percentage attributed to research, but the bulk comes from academic reputation. Academic reputation is when academics is asked, who are the top three universities in the field? And people do not talk about Filipinos. I feel we need to make those linkages.”

Abba Marie Moreno V BS CH MSE

“For me, I don’t think there's much of an effect—or at least not an obvious one—because [Ateneo] is such a small campus. If the standards of those rankings include papers published, we're already at a disadvantage.

Ultimately, I feel like those numbers will only cater to standards set by developed countries—look at the top schools. I believe Ateneo is its own wonder. It’s still great.”

JC Rosales IV BS MIS-MS CS

“It implies that there is a need to review how the Ateneo manages the education of its students and the development of its faculty. This should challenge the whole Ateneo community to help improve the general perception of our university.”

Janica Mendoza II BS LM

“A possible and likely explanation could be the lax [focus] on education.

Because Ateneo is known for its holistic education, I think it's spending more time worrying about how balanced or well-rounded a student will be rather than the student's educational upbringing.”

Ryan Hebrio III BS ECE

“One of my professors told me that professors nowadays have two purposes: They are required to teach and [to do] research as well. Having conflicting roles and whatnot perhaps resulted to either poor teaching or poor research. Some professors have to give less priority to one of the two, and more often than not, the former is given less priority. Some teachers also fail to connect with the students, and they fail to ignite their student's interest on the subject matter.”

Kristiana Jay Feliciano II BS MGT-H

“I think that this could be a response to the problem of a more competitive job market that is now spreading throughout the continent and the rest of the world. Additionally, the Ateneo is going to have to take extra measures, such as a better evaluation of curriculums and [establishing] higher standards for faculty members and students, in order to ensure its reputation among other universities.”

Gelo Dionora III AB LIT ENG

“One can infer from the consistent drop of Ateneo in the QS rankings of Asia’s universities that either the other Asian universities are stepping up and performing even better than Ateneo—even if we did show improvements [or] did our best, or we are, as a university, stagnating or degrading in terms of the major factors used for the QS rankings. I don't believe in the latter statement—though I am not that well-informed of the specific details about our ranking—but I guess this is a signal for us to focus more or improve even more on our researches, publications, academic standards, etc. We shouldn't be complacent with whatever we achieve year by year. Continuous progress should be felt.”

Edward Joseph Ofilada II BS MGT-H

“I think it shows that Ateneo still has a lot of work to do if it really intends to become a ‘globally competitive’ university. But anyway, the people in charge have already identified some of the areas for improvement. The academic calendar shift and calls for more research from faculty show that something is being done right now.”

Dwight Alonzo II AB POS

“It may be a sign that the Ateneo must not rest on its laurels; momentum is everything.”

Ramon Gutierrez II AB ECO

“I think the reason why this is happening is simple: Ateneo is being left behind by the other universities in Asia. This isn’t to say that the quality of education in Ateneo is degrading; it’s the opposite actually. Ateneo still remains as one of the top universities in the Philippines. It just so happens that the quality of education in other universities is increasing faster compared to the quality of education in Ateneo.”

Glimpses Dumaliang named one of the ten outstanding students in NCR Billie Dumaliang (BS Mgt-H ‘14) is among this year’s Ten Outstanding Students in the Philippines (TOSP) for the National Capital Region (NCR). The NCR awardees were announced at the Lancaster Hotel on May 5. The TOSP is an annual recognition given to graduating students who excel in their chosen fields.

TOSP finalists are selected on the basis of academic excellence, leadership, social responsibility and moral values. The TOSP-NCR awardees are qualified for the national TOSP selections. Pam T. Musni

Chemistry professor wins PFCS award Chemistry Department Associate Professor Erwin Enriquez, PhD won the Philippine Federation of Chemistry Studies (PFCS) award under the Chemical Research category. The PFCS award is annually given to individuals with outstanding contributions to the fi eld of chemistry in the Philippines. Enriquez received recognition for mentoring young scientists, developing educational materials for chemistry and conducting chemical studies over the last fi ve years. He is presently the director of the Materials Science and Engineering program, which offers a double-degree in either Chemistry or Physics under the School of Science and Engineering. The PFCS is a non-profi t organization that aims to reach out and provide services to chemists, educators, students and professionals. Katrina M. Bonillo

Ateneo drops again in QS university rankings The Ateneo ranked 115th out of 300 universities in the Quacquarelli Symonds’ (QS) University Rankings for Asia this year. It fell from 109th last year and 86th in 2012. However, the Ateneo remains the second top university in the country after University of the Philippines-Diliman, which ranked 63rd. Other Philippine schools that made it to the list are University of Santo Tomas in 141st place, De La Salle University in the 151-160 range and Ateneo de Davao University in the 251-300 range. The QS University Rankings have been released annually since 2009 and evaluate schools based on academic reputation from a global survey, employer reputation from a global survey, papers per faculty, citations per paper, faculty student ratio, proportion of international students, proportion of international faculty, proportion of inbound exchange students and proportion of outbound exchange students. Ennah A. Tolentino

Pathways receives Honorable Mention for 2014 MacJannet Prize Pathways to Higher Education obtained an Honorable Mention award for the 2014 MacJannet Prize, the annual award given by the Taillores Network to its university members that exhibit excellence in student community engagement initiatives. The award was given in partnership with the MacJannet Foundation. Pathways provides academic and formative training to underprivileged children in public schools, in hopes of preparing them for higher education. The student-run organization was founded by students of the Ateneo in 2000, and currently houses its offices in the Social Development Complex inside the Ateneo campus. Vince M. Estrada

“Ry-ban” lands 2nd in HSBC National Business Conference The team “Ry-ban,” composed of Billie Dumaliang (BS Mgt-H ‘14), Dominic Reyes (BS ME ‘14) and management engineering seniors Angela Andaya and Ryan Yu won 2nd place in the 2014 Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) National Case Competition held at the John Gokongwei School of Management grounds on April 12. The team was coached by Assistant Vice President for University Development Hector Guballa and Leadership and Strategy Department Lecturer Jose Gerardo Cruz. The said competition, which was organized by HSBC in partnership with the University of Hong Kong’s Asia Case Research Centre, annually brings students together from all over the country to compete in business strategy formulation and presentation. Other winners of the competition include Team “Kedz” of Silliman University and Team “Atlas” of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, which landed in 3rd and 1st place, respectively. Joff D. Bantayan

Ateneo, Smart team up to provide electronic health info Ateneo Java Wireless Competency Center (AJWCC) collaborated with Smart Communications, Incorporated to make the Secured Health Information Network and Exchange (Shine), an opensource platform, next year, which will allow users to contribute modules and plug-ins to the web and mobile-based system. Shine enables health professionals and facilities to create electronic medical records, generate reports, and send electronic referrals and text message reminders to patients and other health facilities. Envisioned to be a leader in the development of mobile applications, the AJWCC is a research laboratory under the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science that facilitates research in wireless technologies and expands mobile products for industry partners. With its partnership with Smart, AJWCC expects the Shine Laboratory to be inaugurated in the campus soon. It will serve as a center for the further enhancement of Shine, as well as a help desk for its users. Katrina M. Bonillo

Community Calendar Essentials of Supervision Thursdays and Fridays from June 26 to July 4 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM Essentials of Supervision is a four-day program offered by the Ateneo Center for Continuing Education that aims to instill the basics of management and leadership.

Venue to be announced Contact the Ateneo Center for Continuing Education at 8302050 or 8401742 for more information.

First Semester Faculty Day June 27 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Ricardo and Dr. Rosita Leong Hall Auditorium There will be a Mass and plenary.

Council of Organizations (COA) Recruitment Week (Recweek) June 30 to July 4 MVP Roof Deck

University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Opening Ceremonies July 12 Smart Araneta Coliseum

Recweek is an avenue for students to sign-up for the organizations they are interested in.

Contact COA Vice President for Special Projects Pao Yuloque at 09279190065 for more information.

The opening ceremonies will kick-off the 77th season of the annual UAAP games. This season is hosted by the University of the East.

Contact the University Athletics Office via landline at 4266001 local 5080 or via email at athletic@admu.edu.ph for more information.

Recruitment for unaccredited student groups July 9 to 11 Colayco Pavilion A separate recruitment event will be held for unaccredited student organizations.

Contact the Office of Student Activities via landline at 4266001 local 5050-52 and look for Formator for Unaccredited Student Groups Joy Adolfo.

Sports

The GUIDON June 2014

99

TEAM FEATURE

Palarong pambansa

PROGRESSION. Season 76 Baseball Rookie of the Year Miguel Dumlao made his way to the top starting off as a member of the NCR team back in grade school.

PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA L. HUANG

By Lorenzo C. Aycardo and Gian Y. Go WHEN MARIANE Caparros, an incoming communications technology management freshman of the Ateneo Women’s Football team, was asked what developed her passion for her sport, she responded with a grin, “Palaro.”

The Palarong Pambansa is an annual interregional competition staged by the Department of Education among the 17 different regions in the country. Every year, the best athletes from the entire Philippines converge in a province donning their respective regional colors.

As each year passes, more and more student-athletes are exposed to the strong competition of the Palaro, as it is more popularly known. The tournament is now a breeding ground for untapped local talent, as the increasing media coverage it has been receiving has magnified each athlete’s success. To many of these kids—some as young as 13 years old—this is their ticket to a better life: Numerous high schools, colleges and universities are intently looking for their next prized catch.

Tough competition

Prior to making it to the national meet proper, a city’s different teams have to compete against each other for the right to represent their city in the regional meet. Once there, their representatives compete against teams from other cities in order to represent the region in the Palaro. Then, the best of each region slug it out for the opportunity to call themselves the National Champions.

This yearly tournament is an eye-opener to many of the athletes joining. Caparros, who was a member of the 2014 National Champions for the Women’s

Division in Football, shares about her admiration of the athletes from other regions that she encountered during her four-year Palaro experience. She says that no team should be taken lightly given the pace of the matches. “I learned to be more disciplined with all the training we had to do in between the games just to prepare for the Palaro.”

Going up against top-notch opponents from every region, Caparros also felt the pressure to work harder and to keep fine-tuning her game. She wanted to show her best effort especially with the equipment and technology available to players—like her—from the National Capital Region.

The same goes for Ateneo Blue Batters Miguel Dumlao and Nacho Conjuangco as they both agreed that there is tough competition in the Palaro. In baseball, where proper equipment and training are a must, both players’ eyes were opened with the talent and the determination of the less fortunate players.

Dumlao shares how Palaro motivated him to get better, knowing that there were people from other regions who either matched or exceeded his skill level. “Every team has a chance to win. It’s that good.”

They added that there’s no room for underestimating one’s opponent. Success lies in the question of who wants to win the most and how evenly matched the teams were. “Humility is one thing. I learned that no matter what, you should play with pride but not to the point of being cocky,” Cojuangco shares.

A new experience

The variety of participants from across the nation and the diversity of culture add to the unique nature of the tournament. Conjuangco says that the Palaro has a different feel compared to an international and inter-school competition. “The different dialects caught me off guard,” he shares. He also admired the diverse mix of playing styles:

“I loved seeing the talent that the whole Philippines had to offer.

There were some things in baseball that I have never seen before until I played in Palaro.”

But the languages and the competition aren’t the only things that set the Palaro apart. The tournament is not just about the games, as it also consists of different small events outside the playing field.

Dumlao, shares that the Palaro was an experience to remember, because his first stint in Cotabato involved a treacherous walk under the heat of the sun. This walk led to the venue where the teams witnessed a grand opening ceremony that consisted of dance numbers from the different regions, as well as a beautiful fireworks display.

Dumlao continues that the tournament included an opportunity to build a deeper bond with his team.

“Each region is assigned their own elementary school wherein each team is going to sleep inside a classroom,” he recalls.

Beyond the tournament

As alumni of the program, Caparros, Dumlao and Cojuangco have bagged their share of achievements. For Caparros, the discipline and dedication that she had picked up from Palaro translated into success on the pitch.

She won the Best Keeper award in the recent Laguna-based tilt as well as a Most Valuable Player award from the Rizal Football Association.

As for Cojuangco and Dumlao, they were key members of the Blue Batters’ University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) championship run last year. Additionally, Dumlao took home the honor of being the season’s Rookie of the Year.

These three are not the only UAAP athletes who were scouted through Palaro. But although it is a great opportunity to get discovered, Dumlao and Cojuangco share that they did not know that scouts were keenly observing their game.

“[I] wasn’t really aware if there were scouts or not. [I] just cared about my team’s games and how we were doing,” Cojuango says.

Dumlao adds, “It didn’t really matter that there were scouts.

I just wanted to play in Palaro because it was a really good experience. I really wanted to show them what I’ve got.”

The Palaro may have contributed to the development of their technical skills, but these were not the only aspects of their game that were finetuned. The value of discipline and the importance of camaraderie stand out as one of the program’s best tokens.

There will always be winners and losers in the tournament but these athletes share the sentiment of the main objective of the Palaro: That is to unite all the different athletes across the country and expose them to the different cultures the country has to offer through sports.

I learned to be more disciplined with all the training we had to do in between the games just to prepare for the Palaro.

— MARIANE CAPARROS Member, Lady Booters

FRESH MEAT. Straight out of high school and this year’s NCR team, Mariane Caparros is excited to join the Lady Booters in the quest for this season’s UAAP gold medal.

PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA L. HUANG

10

Sports

The GUIDON June 2014

SPORTS FEATURE

Serving the twoyear residency

By Beatrice T. Go and Faith R. Decangchon LAST YEAR’S proclamation of a two-year residency rule in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) sparked much controversy in the collegiate sports community.

For one, it was an untimely decree that many associated with the transfer of Far Eastern University-Diliman (FEUFERN) high school basketball standout Jerie Pingoy to the Ateneo, dubbing it the “Pingoy rule.” For another, it prevented student-athletes to freely choose where they could pursue their college education.

While the rule succeeded in preventing athlete-piracy among the UAAP member schools, it became a huge setback to the careers of some athletes. Sitting out for two years meant interrupting a flourishing career and prolonging an athlete’s stay in college to seven years in order to maximize the allowed playing years.

Senator Pia Cayetano took action against this rule with the recently approved StudentAthletes Protection Act. The bill authored by Cayetano states that high school players transferring to a different UAAP member university are no longer required to serve their residency years. Therefore, the Pingoy rule would no longer be in effect once the bill has been passed into a law.

While he is waiting for the law to be finalized and whether or not he will be permitted to play this season, Pingoy shares that he will be ready once he is called to step into the court.

The interdisciplinary studies sophomore adds that while it was hard for him to accept the prolonged residency, he has no regrets in doing so because he wanted to pursue an Ateneo education. The same goes for the other athletes in Ateneo serving their residency years as they eagerly prepare for their time in the UAAP. Foreign residency

The Pingoy rule is not the only UAAP rule that requires a two-

year sit out. Foreign athletes must also serve a two-year residency before they are allowed to suit up for their respective schools.

Some of those affected were unaware of the regulation and were left with no choice but to abide by the rule. Such was the case with the Ateneo’s secondary basketball unit Team Glory

championship,” he states.

The team was also able to participate in exhibition games, as well as join the 2013 UniGames in Bacolod, where they placed second. There, the foreign athletes were able to learn more about Philippine basketball, which is crucial if they are to excel in the collegiate UAAP league.

I think and believe that before the UAAP starts next year, we’ll be ready for it.

— EWENIKE "SEGA" KINGSLEY Member, Team Glory Be

Be’s Nigerian imports and interdisciplinary studies sophomores Ikeh Chibueze and Ewenike “Sega” Kingsley.

“I didn’t know about it before I got here. At first, I felt bad because I thought immediately that I was gonna stop playing,” Kingsley shares. Chibueze adds to his teammate’s sentiments, saying, “To me, nobody wants to waste [time] by sitting out. Everyone who wants to play should just go and play. Sitting out is discouraging when you know your plans and goals in life.”

These reactions, however, were short-lived, because both he and Chibueze were included in Team Glory Be alongside Pingoy.

Outside the UAAP

Team Glory Be competed in different leagues throughout the year, which were excellent preparation for the official UAAP tournament for Pingoy, Chibueze and Kingsley.

One such competition was the Fr. Martin’s Cup last 2013, where they finished first after outlasting San Sebastian College in the finals.

Chibueze expressed his content with the outcome of the team’s effort despite not being able to don the school’s colors in the UAAP. “[I’m happy that] in my first season in the Fr. Martin Cup, we became champions. I believe in my teammates and our goal right now is to defend the

Pingoy, on the other hand, gained much experience outside Team Glory Be with his participation in the Adidas Nations Global 2013 held in Los Angeles, California. There, he represented the Philippines alongside junior electronics and communications engineering teammate Tomas Ramos and participated not only as a player, but also as the delegation’s team captain.

Benefits

To the athletes, the opportunity to participate in competitions outside of the UAAP was not the only benefit of sitting out. They were also given the chance to focus on their studies and adjust to the demands of the Ateneo’s academic program. They became more motivated to achieve success in their sport while balancing it with their school work.

“It’s difficult to sit out in the Ateneo for two years, but I plan to use that time to focus on my studies,” says Chibueze.

“I want to graduate with very good grades and a good degree, so that after my stay here I have something to bring home.”

With the pressure to excel in both the academic and sports fields, the athletes need all the help they can get. Fortunately, the school aids them by provid-

PHOTO BY ALEXIS A. CASAS

ing rigorous training programs as they condition for the UAAP tournaments. “We’ve been practicing every day, sometimes even twice a day. Personal workouts, weights, practices with different coaches, just trying to improve ourselves every day,” shares Kingsley.

In addition to this, some of them already train with the UAAP lineup, also known as Team A, in order to acquaint themselves with the players and the strategies of the group.

Pingoy, for instance, shares that his training sessions with Team

A has made him better equipped for the real thing as he makes it a point to be ready for the UAAP. “I still go to basketball practices with the Team A as preparation.”

Looking ahead

As the athletes continue to prepare themselves physically and mentally for their upcoming seasons, all of them set their eyes on winning backto-back titles in this year’s Fr. Martin’s Cup, as well as helping their team bring home the UAAP championship title upon their eligibility.

“For my basketball, I have my eye on being the champion,” says Chibueze. “I want to have a record for myself, to make family and the ones who gave me the opportunity to be here proud.”

Kingsley, on the other hand, turns to an optimistic view of the coming tournaments. “I think and believe that before the UAAP starts next year, we’ll be ready for it,” he says.

With the victories and records the athletes have so far bagged in their first year of residency, the gold they are aspiring for may just be theirs in the near future.

LO O K I N G B A C K AT S E A S O N 7 6

PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA L. HUANG

PHOTO BY KAT A. MALLILLIN

PHOTO BY RYAN Y. RACCA

Sports

The GUIDON June 2014

11

GALLERY OF EAGLES

Jamie Lim

By Noelle M. Recio ABOVE ALL things, an athlete’s love for the game is what fuels his or her desire for victory.

Everything else, the glitz and glamour and even the lack thereof, becomes secondary or even close to insignificant in nature.

The captain of the Ateneo Women’s Muay Thai team, Jamie Lim, is one striking example of such an individual.

Having played varsity basketball throughout high school, Lim, a psychology senior, has permanently shifted her focus to martial arts ever since she took it up for her physical education class during her sophomore year.

Though the skills needed to play basketball vary greatly from those required in Muay Thai, the change was something Lim embraced enthusiastically.

“There’s a lot of details that you don’t really see when you’re just watching, but when you’re actually training, you notice that even the slightest differences in how you execute the technique makes the difference,”

she shares. “You get back up the next day; you work on whatever needs to be worked on.”

Lim is hoping to pass on this same mindset of heart and passion to the younger members of Team Jaakphukao. “You have to show what the sport is all about to someone new who might come. They have to see the good things that you want to highlight in Muay Thai in you.”

As the leader of a young and unaccredited athletic team in a university with a rich sports tradition, Lim admits that the team is forced to constantly face challenges with regard to funding and recognition.

In spite of this, she is proud to say that their persistence to overcome these concerns has allowed their team to develop a unique environment and strong motivation to succeed.

“I don’t know if it makes us special but I find it special that we’re a team that’s driven by heart,” she says. “We help each other out. As cliché as it sounds, it’s really like a family. We’re really like a family.”

PHOTO BY JOSHUA E. CABALINAN

Joseph Khio

By Noelle M. Recio GIVEN HIS average height and small build, it was easy to look past management senior Joseph Khio the first time he stepped onto the concrete floors of the covered courts to play futsal. He spent his entire high school life training as a table tennis varsity athlete and his experience and background in the sport could not even compare to those of his opponents. Majority of his competition at one point played competitive football.

“One thing is for sure, futsal is a faster game compared to football,” shares Khio. “I learned about it from one of my friends during freshman year and decided to try it out. That was the first time I ever played futsal.

I liked it. There was something about its fast pace and it being indoors that got me to stay.”

Contrary to popular belief however, a background in football, as much as it helps, is never a good measure of a player’s potential in the sport. Knowing how to play the game and actu-

ally playing the game are two different things. As it is with any sport, it’s never about how far you can go, but how much further you’re willing to push yourself.

Khio’s constant desire to improve and dedication to the team are the reasons why he was appointed as the team’s captain.

In his last year, he hopes to motivate and lead his teammates with this same mindset.

“I stuck to futsal because I love the game and the people in the club; they made it fun and it didn’t feel like it was a hassle to train,” he shares. “I sucked at the beginning but then I enjoyed the game, so it didn’t matter how bad I played. The fact that I was enjoying what I was doing gave me the feeling that I was going to be better.”

People may have failed to see it at first, but it did not take long for everyone to realize that Khio’s persistence, along with his natural quickstep and great instincts, make him a perfect fit for the sport. He may have been built to play the game after all.

The season... ‹‹ 12

respectively, for their exceptional performances.

Additionally, Ateneo Lady Eagles team Captain Valdez notched a handful of awards, reaping Best Scorer, Best Server, MVP and Finals MVP, all at the same time.

Co-vetera n a nd Libero Dennise Lazaro also stood out by being one of the only two UAAP volleyball athletes to be named Best Libero and Best Receiver in one season.

Scanning 76

With all of these unfolded, the Ateneo sports community

carried different opinions on last year’s tournament and the upcoming season.

Bianca Ventilacion, a junior political science student who has been watching Ateneo vigilantly in the league since season 74, shares, “I find Ateneo’s Season 76 overall performance a little bit below par.”

She adds that the performances she watched were full of surprises.

She explains that the pre-season performances were contradictory to the end results of the UAAP season, such as the Blue Eagles’ FilOil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup victory against DLSU. Despite the Blue Eagles’ loss, the Lady Eagles’ come-from-behind rally gave Ateneo leverage. When

PHOTO BY ALEXANDRA L. HUANG

asked about the opposite fates of their teams, Valdez quips, “Panapanahon lang ‘yan. Wala naman nage-expect na papasok kami [in the final four]. ‘Yung basketball naman, kahit anong mangyari, alam naman natin na magperperform sila. Siyempre, kinapos sila dahil kinapos lang sila sa tao. (Everybody has their own time. No one expected that we will get in. With the basketball team, no matter what happens, we know that they’ll perform. Of course, they just fell short because they lacked players).”

As for College Athletics Office Coordinator Benjo Afuang, he shares that they were generally pleased with Ateneo’s performance. “Although we placed fourth in the overall standings,

I believe we were more competitive in the various disciplines as compared to the previous years.”

With a few weeks left until the start of the tournament, former team captain of the Lady Shuttlers and defending UAAP champion Dia Magno expresses her wishes for Team Ateneo this season 77: “I hope that all the athletes of the different sports can improve on their performances compared to season 76 and never lose in them the will to win. [I wish] for every Atenean athlete [to have] the heart of a champion and [for] the champion teams to be hungrier and defend the titles.”

With a theme “Unity and Excellence,” the UAAP Season 77 hosted by University of the East kicks off on July 12 at the

PHOTO BY RYAN Y. RACCA

Editor: Chino C. Razon · Editorial Assistant: Faith R. Decangchon · Layout Artist: Meg C. Quintos

Sports

10 SERVING THE TWO-YEAR RESIDENCY Sidelined yet committed for another year.

T E A M AT E N E O

The season that was PHOTOS BY ALEXANDRA L. HUANG

By Raizza P. Bello ONE RANK down from last year’s overall standings, the Ateneo de Manila University stood at fourth place in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 76 General Championship Tally.

The Ateneo trailed the twopeat champion De La Salle University (DLSU), second seed University of Santo Tomas (UST) and third place University of the Philippines-Diliman (UPD) with 289, 270 and 235 points, respectively.

Ateneo’s performance was a reflection of all of the athletes’ hard work and dedication. The Lady Eagle’s leader, Alyssa Valdez, speaks for all of the athletes in the Ateneo that every training session was not put to waste. “Our sacrifices were all worth it, not just [the volleyball team’s] efforts, but also all of the athletes in Ateneo.”

With the season’s wrap last March, here’s an overview of team Ateneo’s fight for the blue and white glory.

Season recap

Under the raging heat, the power duo of Bea Tan and Valdez battled several pairings which led to a third-place finish in the beach volleyball tournament.

In the martial arts arena, the Blue and Lady Jins concluded their season with both fifth place rankings. Despite this, the latter managed to win the bronze medal at the Poomsae event—a competition showcasing Taekwondo forms with music accompaniment.

In Los Baños, Laguna, the Blue Tankers finished strong at third place, unable to reclaim the championship title. The Lady Tankers remained in second behind the five-time champion UPD. On the field, the Lady Booters fought through draws and losses, finishing at third place.

Back at the g ymnasium, despite the loss of national team player Mighty Ignacio, the Blue Fencers managed to rank third overall. The Lady Fencers, on the other hand, came off a point short against Far Eastern University, denying them an overall bronze finish.

The following teams remained behind the pack, placing in the lower half standings of their competitions: Ateneo Women’s Basketball team, Blue Beach Spikers, Blue Babble Battalion, Blue and Lady Paddlers, Lady Batters, Blue and Lady Wood Pushers, Blue and Lady

to deliver plays throughout their games. At a 7-6 win-loss record, the Blue Eagles battled in an elimination game against UST. The Tigers defeated the Blue Eagles, ending the championship reign of the latter and denying them of a final four slot—a position the Blue Eagles have been in since 1999.

After this shift of scenario in the first semester, the whole UAAP community was in for a shock in the second half of the year.

With the team’s young, new roster, the Ateneo Lady Eagles outlasted six do-or-die matches— one in the eliminations, two in

I hope that all the athletes of the different sports can improve on their performances compared to season 76 and never lose in them the will to win. [I wish] for every Atenean athlete [to have] the heart of a champion and [for] the champion teams to be hungrier and defend the titles.

— DIA MAGNO Season 76 Team Captain, Lady Shuttlers

Tracksters, Blue and Lady Netters, and Blue Booters.

Making the headlines

UAAP Season 76 was historical for the Ateneo sports, the highlights being the men’s basketball and women’s volleyball tournaments.

With the loss of key players and a veteran coach, the Ateneo Blue Eagles struggled

the semi-finals and three in the finals against Adamson University, National University and DLSU, respectively.

For the first time in the UAAP, the Ateneo Women’s Volleyball team clinched the much-coveted championship crown—an achievement they failed to snatch from their arch rival, DLSU, for the past two seasons.

The team attributed this triumph to their new coach, Anusorn “Tai” Bundhit, who instilled and popularized a “hea r t st rong ” m indset throughout the series.

When asked on her assessment of Ateneo’s volleyball program, Valdez shares how proud she is of team Ateneo. “It really was amazing, as even the men’s team placed second.” The Lady Eagles’ counterpart, the Ateneo Men’s Volleyball team, made their mark in the arena as well, landing second to end their season.

Besides this extreme turnof-events, there were also other Ateneo teams that fulfilled their season goal. The Blue and Lady Judokas claimed the championship and the second place titles, respectively, while the Blue and Lady Shuttlers dominated season 76.

The Shuttlers’ record-clean sweep during the eliminations paved their way to winning the championship. It was the latter’s consecutive flawless win-loss standing and title in the UAAP. Similarly, the Blue Batters defeated DLSU in two straight games. It was their first sweep in the finals after forcing a third bout for the past two years, completing a back-toback championship.

The backbone

Behind all of these successes were the Ateneo athletes who stepped up last season, giving their respective squads a boost.

Blue Batter Andy Tan was named the season’s Most Valuable Player in their back-to-back title stint.

New players Bianca Carlos of the Women’s Badminton team and Marck Espejo of the Men’s Volleyball team were both named Rookie of the Year (ROY) and MVP in their leagues.

Blue Judokas Rap Sapi and Matthew Jao were also awarded with ROY and MVP, The season ›› 11

Ateneo's Shakey's V-League stint

By Chino C. Razon JUST WEEKS after their historic championship run, the Ateneo Lady Eagles immediately returned to the court for the 11th season of the Shakey’s V-League.

Ateneo opened the tournament with a four-set victory against the Adamson Lady Falcons. The jam-packed San Juan Arena that held 5,203 in attendance witnessed Alyssa Valdez tally 23 points in the Lady Eagle’s win.

The Lady Eagles also proved why they were the crowd favorites with three-set victories against the College of St. Benilde, Southwestern University and St. Louis University. They averaged a dominating 24.33 point differential in the three wins; outscoring their opponents by almost one whole set.

Their only preliminary round loss was care of the scrappy Arellano Lady Chiefs.

The Lady Eagles rallied from an 11-5 deficit in the fifth set with a 7-0 run but fell short with the score of 15-13. Ateneo’s Kim Gequillana saw valuable minutes as she played in all five sets and contributed 10 points.

Despite their stellar performance in the tournament, the Lady Eagles were unable to get through both of their quarterfinal bouts. Ateneo’s 44 unforced errors plagued them in their five-set thriller against the guest team, Davao Lady Agilas. Their final match was a three-set defeat against the University of Sto Tomas’ well-balanced attack.

Regardless of the result, the Lady Eagles were able to garner enough experience for their younger players in preparation for future competitions.

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Beyond Loyola

03 EXAMINING EDCA A look into the newest US-Philippine military deal.

Looming Carper end threatens agrarian reform Denials of extensions have put into question whether true agrarian reform can be achieved.

PHOTO BY ARIELLE A. ACOSTA

By Kyle N. Mitschiener and Chynna A. Santos

T

HE DEADLINE for the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (Carper) Law is set for June 30. After this, the government will no longer have an initiative to actively pursue agrarian reform, despite claims by farmers that the act is still far from realizing its goals.

A c c o r d i n g t o Fo o d F i r s t Infor mat ion a nd Ac t ion Network International, out of the 1.2 million hectares to be distributed, 694,181 hectares still remain in the hands of landlords as of June 2013. In spite of this, the Department

of Agriculture deems that an extension is unnecessary.

Carper is an amendment to the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), a bill enacted in 1988 designed to distribute agricultural lands beyond five hectares to farmers and farmworkers with no land.

Historical injustice

Ag ra ria n refor m in t he Philippines is “a way to correct historical injustice,” says Frederick Cruz, lecturer at the Economics Department.

He explains that historically, these lands were owned by the farmers, as they were passed on from one generation to another.

He explains further that legally, the landlords own the

land, as the Spaniards gave it to them during the colonization. “[The Spanish colonizers] assumed that they had the right to own the land, and all the farmers are just tenants and therefore disadvantaged,” says Cruz.

Unfortunately, the government has still not resolved the issue of ownership. As Cruz points out, majority of the members in Congress are landlords themselves.

“We elect landlords to the presidency, who don’t really care about agrarian reform,” adds Lisandro Claudio, an assistant professor at the Political Science Department. “As a result, the lack of political will is deeply rooted,” he says.

This lack of resolution has

manifested in the failure of both CARP and its extension.

The problem with agrarian reform

Former President Corazon Aquino envisioned agrarian reform to be a central initiative during her administration. “[But] different administrations have different priorities,” says Cruz.

While CARP was actively pursued during the Aquino administration, it fell out of priority when Fidel Ramos entered office.

Ramos’ platform was built around trade liberalization, which according to Cruz, went against agrarian reform. The tension comes from the nature of trade liberalization, as it aims to remove support for local

farming and let them compete with an open market.

“No president has done complete agrarian reform,” says Claudio. While actions have been made, such as the distribution of approximately 50% of the intended lands, these were done through several revisions and extensions and not through the original bill. While these revisions helped, the denial of the latest extension request leaves great uncertainty as to whether or not the rest of the land can be redistributed.

Cruz concludes by saying that “there seems to be a problem with having a sustainable agrarian reform policy,” because of the different goals of the different administrations.

Calls for action

“When we talk about agrarian reform, this is something that benefits everybody. [But] people are not getting land they can till, and they’re not getting the support they need from the government,” Claudio argues.

This lack of government support and effort is the basis of many protests and movements directed towards better agrarian reform, such as the Save Agrarian Reform Alliance and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas.

“The government is supposed to be us. These [protesters] are the government, and they are lobbying their government. I think they have the right to do Looming Carper ›› 4

Alarm on terror raises with Nigerian kidnapping incident

By JC A. Beltran, Kyle N. Mitschiener and Frances P. Sayson

O

N APRIL 14, the Boko Haram (BK), an extremist Islam insurgency group, kidnapped 276 Nigerian girls from their dormitories in the small town of Chibok.

Since 2009, BK has perpetrated various bombings to overthrow the Nigerian government and attain their goal of creating a state ruled by sharia or Islamic law. Their official Arabic name, Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad, translates to “People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad.”

Following the incident, the girls’ families kept silent, hoping for government action. After 15 days, the families gathered in Chibok in vocal demonstrations against the perceived indifference by the officials.

After weeks of public outcry, the international community responded. The United States (US) was the first to respond, sending teams of experts on May 6. Other nations such as France, the United Kingdom and Israel also have assured their support. Neighboring African countries have pledged border surveillance and information, with Cameroon and Chad declaring war against BK. Terrorist schemes

According to R icha rd Heydarian, lecturer for the Political Science Department, BK has been “a constant source of threats and violence,” and their latest act is “neither new nor unsurprising, but reflects [their] growing viciousness.”

Heydarian noted the sizable role of Nigeria’s political situation. Mired with accusations of corruption under the rule of Alarm on ›› 4

A CONSTANT PRESENCE. The recent kidnapping of several Nigerian girls is a reminder of the reality of human trafficking and the fact that the issue is far from being resolved.

ORIGINAL PHOTOS FROM THEATLANTIC.COM

2

Beyond Loyola

Timeline of United States-Philippine military relations RESEARCH BY Roxie Y. Ramirez ILLUSTRATIONS BY Ellan T. Estrologo SOURCES clarkab.com, latimes.com, vfacom.ph, senate.gov.ph, rappler.com

The United States (US) and the Philippines have a long history when it comes to military relations.

1947 March 16

Military Bases Agreement With the signing of the Military Bases Agreement, the US is allowed to establish, operate and maintain air and naval bases in the Philippines for a period of 99 years.

About 23 bases were provided for American use, the most prominent being Clark Air Base in Pampanga and the Subic Naval Base in Zambales. The agreement also allowed the US to recruit Filipinos into their armed forces.

1947 March 21

US Military Assistance to the Philippines Agreement The sister agreement to the Military Bases Agreement, the US Military Assistance to the Philippines Agreement allows for the creation of the Joint US Military Advisory Group (Jusmag). Jusmag deployed American military advisers to the country, who then oversaw the training of the Armed Forces of the Philippines recruits.

1951 August 30

Examining EDCA

By JC A. Beltran and Regine D. Cabato

“

Our commitment to defend the Philippines is ironclad,” Barack Obama, president of the United States (US), announced during his state visit to the country on April 29. “And the US will keep that commitment, because allies never stand alone.”

The statement followed the signing of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the two countries. In a press conference the day before, Obama was not as assuring.

When asked about Washington’s actions in the event of an attack from China, he maintained that the US was not taking specific positions against countries.

“My hope is that at some point we’re going to be able to work cooperatively with China as well,” ABS-CBN News quoted him as saying.

The military deal gives US troops access to Philippine bases, which they can use for joint training, storage and accommodation. Any additions or improvements by the US to the facilities are to be transferred to Philippine ownership after their stay.

A primer released by the Department of Foreign Affairs

(DFA) listed other benefits to include maritime security, improved humanitarian assistance and disaster response. The agreement is good for 10 years.

a case against China at the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea, a move that China refuses to engage in.

Quick thinking

Old friends

Former Senator and Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado cites history and geography as reasons for US interest in the Philippines.

“Remember that we were a colony of the US,” he says.

“The first stop to Southeast Asia is the Philippines. We are at the gateway.”

Mercado adds that the US has realized a need to pivot its power to the Pacific, which remains a growth area despite economic crisis in the West.

“Now, the EDCA has come up as a consequence of need on both sides,” he explains. “There is a felt need in the Philippines, for us who have a very weak capability to protect our sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

He is referring to China’s presence in the West Philippine Sea. Last March, Chinese ships blocked two Philippine vessels holding supplies for troops in commissioned Philippine Navy vessel BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal. Panatag Shoal and Spratly Islands are also disputed territories.

The Philippines has filed

“Now, is [EDCA] ideal?”

Mercado asks. “It would be ideal for us to be able to defend our own territory and have a credible military that can defend our sovereignty. But we don't have it. I could easily agree with [critics]. But what are the alternatives?”

He adds that the Philippines cannot even build, maintain and upgrade its own military bases, while EDCA states that US-built facilities will “become the property of the Philippines” once their purpose is served.

“The EDCA will increase training opportunities for US and Philippine forces which will contribute to increased interoperability and a greater ability to respond to humanitarian crises,” US Ambassador Philip Goldberg said during the signing.

The DFA said the deal moves for “capacity building towards Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) modernization” and “strengthening AFP for external defense.”

However, Mercado adds that EDCA is only a band-aid

1966 September 16

99

24

Mutual Defense Treaty

Ramos-Rusk Agreement

The Mutual Defense Treaty is signed in Washington, DC. The treaty states that the both the Philippines and the US will support each other if one country gets attacked by an external party.

The Ramos-Rusk Agreement reduces the term of 99 years brought forth by the Military Bases Agreement to 25 years.

The GUIDON June 2014

2014 April 28

Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement During a state visit to the Philippines, US President Barack Obama, together with President Benigno Aquino III, signs the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which will allow the US to increase its military presence in the Philippines. The US, however, will not be allowed to establish a permanent base in the country.

1999 May 27

PHOTO FROM US FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

solution, asserting that much relies on long-term remedies and maintenance.

Cooperation concerns

The final passage of EDCA received backlash from the Senate. According to a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Senate President Franklin Drilon said that the Palace should have consulted the Senate, while the Palace insists ratification is unnecessary. Names such as Miriam Defensor Santiago and Joker Arroyo also consider EDCA unconstitutional.

Diana Mendoza, assistant professor at the Political Science Department, pinpoints two Constitutional provisions against EDCA: Article 7, Section 21, which states, “No treaty or international agreement shall be valid and effective unless concurred in by at least two-thirds of all the Members of the Senate,” and Article 18, Section 25, which states that no foreign military bases, troops or facilities will be allowed in the country except under a treaty concurred in by the Senate.

However, she adds that the agreement “merely implements what has been established as government policies in the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty and the [1999] Visiting Forces Agreement.”

“A careful look at the EDCA shows how the executive branch has skillfully sought to avoid any rigorous legislative scrutiny— and more open forms of public consultation—to expedite the finalization of the new security pact,” Richard Heydarian, a lecturer at the Political Science Department, says.

EDCA also requires the Philippines and US to resolve d isputes w it hout t h i rd party interference. “This is quite problematic, because it provides executive-toexecutive ‘consultations’ as the only mechanism for settling differences,” Heydarian adds.

He also notes that while the Philippines will not be paid rent, it will still contribute for utilities like water and electricity.

Both Mendoza and Heydarian point out that EDCA does not oblige the US to protect the Philippines in the event of war with China at the West Philippine Sea. Matter of time

Nonet heless, Mendoza believes that China does not welcome the development.

“With or without EDCA, the conflict is bound to escalate,” she explains, “especially with China's aggressive posture and increasing maritime presence.”

Mercado likewise doubts that the US would be willing to engage in a war, but also doubts China would start one, as it is motivated by resource, not land acquisition.

“But we have to be very careful here. All sides have to [be],” he cautions, recalling how World War I began with only an assassination and a series of alliances.

Heydarian, who thinks EDCA may at least provide assistance for humanitarian security, suspects the possibility of a judicial review. Mendoza says, “The Supreme Court can only decide on the issue on the basis of petitions.” On May 26, former Senators Rene Saguisag and Wigberto Tañada sent a 65-page petition against EDCA to the Supreme Court.

Heydarian also guesses that future administrations may be less committed to EDCA. “But then again,” he says, “much will also depend on how aggressive will China become in coming years, and how the US will help us along the way.”

“I think this will be resolved in due time. Nothing is permanent,” says Mercado, who adds that there was a time the Philippines stood firm on its hold on Sabah. Today, he points out, it is not as aggressive.

“In the dynamics of foreign policy and foreign relations, things are always in a flux.”

1979 January 7

Visiting Forces Agreement In 1999, the Philippine Senate ratifies the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). The VFA is composed of two separate documents. VFA-1 allows the US government to have jurisdiction over any US military personnel who commits a crime in Philippine soil. Unless the crime is of significance to the Philippines, US military personnel cannot be tried in local courts.

VFA-2, on the other hand, requires the US government to inform Philippine authorities when a Filipino military personnel has been detained in the US. The US government has used the agreement to keep its military personnel under its jurisdiction, with the most recent being the Subic rape case of 2006.

1992 December 21

The Military Bases Agreement is officially terminated. The last of the US military bases are handed over to the Philippines and are eventually turned into economic zones.

1991 September 16

Military Bases Agreement

Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Security

The Military Bases Agreement is amended once again, giving the Philippines sovereignty over the bases but still allowing the US “unhampered” military use over them.

The Philippine Senate rejects the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Security, which would extend the US use of the bases for ten more years.

3

4

Beyond Loyola

The GUIDON June 2014

Tensions continue as Russia annexes Crimea

By Frances P. Sayson and Aaron M. Tanyag

O

N FEBRUARY 28, hundreds of armed men seized major government buildings in what was then the Ukrainian territory of Crimea. Russian flags were raised and Crimea found itself amidst an international crisis.

A month later, a treaty was signed, formalizing Russia’s annexation of Crimea after a referendum that saw around 97% of voters in favor. However, the move was met by strong opposition from the international community, with the United Nations (UN) issuing a resolution declaring the referendum illegitimate and emphasizing Ukraine’s right to territorial integrity.

The Crimean Peninsula, comprised of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, has been part of Russia for centuries, joining Ukraine only in 1954. Crimea’s accession to Russia came after the Ukrainian revolution on February that impeached the Russian-backed President Viktor Yanukovych.

His ousting resulted in multiple pro-Russian protests for independence in Crimea and the arrival of Russian troops.

After the referendum results, Crimea declared its secession from Ukraine, with Russian President Vladimir Putin formally naming it a Russian Federal District.

With daily clashes between pro-Russian and Ukrainian groups in Crimea and the strained ties between Russia and the West, the crisis is still ongoing. Crimea also faces an economic crisis as Ukrainian firms have been forced out by the Russian rule.

From internal conflict

The friction within Ukraine that led to Crimea’s separation is largely between pro-Western and pro-Russian factions. Last November, Yanukovych ended a deal meant for improving economic ties with the European Union (EU). He then incited public outcry for seeking Russian aid instead. Hundreds were confirmed dead and thousands injured, as pro-Western citizens and police forces clashed in the capital city of Kiev. “[Ukraine] is split as to whether it should ally itself with Russia, which is willing to immediately spend large amounts of money on Ukraine, or Western Europe, which is strongly associated with functioning democratic governments and wealth,” observes European Studies Department Instructor Manuel Enverga III. “Thus, the challenge for the current government is to build unity despite the polarized context.”

The local crisis spiraled into an international level with Crimea’s capture by pro-Russian factions.

On March 24, Russian forces seized the remaining military bases in Crimea, effectively ending the 60-year Ukrainian rule.

The United States (US)— which has recently been at odds with Russia over political issues—and many EU-member states have levied financial and travel sanctions on Russia. These entail the blacklist and ban of individuals and companies involved in the annexation.

“Coupled with the RussianGeorgian war in 2008, we haven’t seen this much tension between the West and Russia since the Cold War,” says Leo Abot, the executive director for Research and Advocacy of The Ateneo Assembly.

A Crimean man makes the victory sign as he celebrates in Simferopol's Lenin Square on Sunday after exit polls showed that more than 95 percent of voters in Ukraine's Crimea region had backed a union with Russia.

PHOTO FROM AFP-JIJI

The Russian goal

Despite the backlash, Putin insists that the referendum complied with international law and ref lected Crimea’s right to self-determination.

He condemned Western hypocrisy with a list of foreign policy grievances including the recognition of Kosovo’s secession from Serbia in 2008.

Moreover, he dubbed the accession a reversal to a “historical injustice” made by the Soviet Union. He said that Crimea “has always been and remains an inseparable part of Russia.”

However, Political Science Department Lecturer Hansley Juliano believes that Putin is testing the extent of Russian power.

“He’s basically asserting that Russia is trying to play superpower again and Crimea will be a test case if they can actually succeed,” he says in a mix of English and Filipino. Juliano also points out that the Russians are trying to show “that the US is no longer the juggernaut it once was [in the hope of shaping] the balance of contention [between nations].”

PH rejects referendum

Through a statement by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Philippines backed the UN Resolution with a “principled position on sovereignty, territorial integrity, rule of law and peaceful settlement of disputes.”

For Abot, this comes as no

Alarm on... ‹‹ 1

PHOTO BY PIA R. NICOLAS

Looming Carper... ‹‹ 1

that,” Claudio adds.

One of the main arguments for agrarian reform involves how it benefits farmers living in the provinces.

“The key observation is that the poorest of the poor are the rural poor,” Claudio states. “Give them land. Make sure there are services that allow them to till it.”

Atenean support

A pro-agrarian reform group comprised of Ateneans is also lobbying for the rights and welfare of the country’s farmers.

The Ateneans for Agrarian Reform Movement (Afarm) distinguishes itself as a movement rather than an organization because it is issue- and cause-based, with focus on the promotion and proper enforcement of reform-related policies and legislation.

“More than the issue of [Carper], we look into cases of land grab-

bing, illegal land conversions and the continuous agrarian-related violence among our farmers and indigenous people,” says political science senior and Afarm Chair Ace Dela Cruz.

Afarm’s most recent effort was Agrarian Reform Week, held on May 12 to 16, which included a photo exhibit and signature campaign. The five-day event culminated in “Laban Lupa, Laban Buhay,” a forum on land reform and land grabbing.

“When the Ateneo community speaks—[when] the students, faculty members and the Ateneo administration speak—the entire nation listens,” Dela Cruz says.

“We [are forwarding] once again our call to our administration to be involved in [these issues].”

A long way to go

When it comes to the question of the end goal of agrarian

reform, the same answers come up time and time again. “[It is for] the landless to get land. Land to tiller—that’s pretty much it,” Claudio says. “This should have [already been done] with CARP.” He adds that if Carper is to be extended, then more needs to be done to achieve agrarian reform.

“A lot of the issues are not with the law itself. A lot of [it] is with the implementation.”

“Here are the positive effects of a successful agrarian reform policy: You are respecting human rights, you’re acknowledging social justice, you’re realizing that there is a certain group of people that is marginalized, and you are trying to help them by respecting their right to the land they till,” says Cruz.

With Carper’s looming deadline, these end goals are a long way from being realized.

President Goodluck Jonathan, the nation has seen “inter-regional power struggles” arising from the Arab Spring, a series of anti-government riots that began in 2010. This resulted in unresolved conflict and the rise of Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups in the Middle East and North Africa.

"It should come as no surprise that groups such as BK, close to the turbulence in North Africa, have been emboldened to broaden their own operations and more viciously take on failed states and ordinary citizens," said Heydarian.

Time claims in an online article that BK violates Muslim teachings with their practice of forced conversion and belief that girls deserve slavery and marriage instead of education. Heydarian adds that the group defends itself by "brazenly misinterpreting Islamic edicts.”

Global sextortion ring

While kidnapping incidents continue worldwide, many terrorist groups have shifted to “sextortion,” a now online-based crime where victims are coerced to record sexual acts for use as blackmail material.

Just last May, more than 58 were arrested in Taguig, Laguna and Bicol for taking part in a global sextortion ring. This network has been held liable for the suicide of a teenage victim in Scotland last July. The arrest, conducted by the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Presidential Anti-Organized

surprise, saying that support for secession and self-determination will “run counter to the Philippine government’s own efforts to maintain the country’s territorial integrity in the south” and weaken the resolve to “stop secessionist movements in Mindanao.”

Enverga cites a similar case, saying that the principles are the “same norm that the Philippines is banking on as it defends its claim over islands in the so-called ‘West Philippine Sea.’” However, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago has spoken otherwise. In a report by Rappler, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations chair said that the nation should remain neutral, as “international law neither prohibits nor promotes secession.”

"Peaceful dialogue"

Crime Commission, and the International Police Organization, is the latest in a concerted effort against child trafficking.

“This is [proof ] that we are working double to contain and put a stop on the operations of cybercrime, particularly those relating to cybersex operations in the country,” said Senior Superintendent Gilbert Sosa, director of PNP Anti-Cyber Crime Group, in a report by Manila Bulletin.

The Philippines is no stranger to terrorism. Most well-known attacks have been committed by groups such as the Moro National Liberation Front, Abu Sayyaf, and the transnational Jemaah Islamiyah.

According to Heydarian, the persistence of extremist groups reflects “the awry state of affairs in affected regions, due to inability of local governments to address legitimate historical grievances among citizens.”

Despite the “awry state of affairs,” Abbo Hernandez, a junior management economics student who hails from Zamboanga, believes the acts of these groups are unjustified. He adds that they would only be justified if “it [were] a failing state, where people were starving and there was no way in for our needs to be heard in a democratic framework.”

“This issue [of kidnapping and extortion] lacks the attention and the effort that it deserves,” she said. “I refuse to believe that Filipinos are apathetic, [but just] not properly informed. If only the government can create more programs or initiatives that address human trafficking, more people would sense the urgency and would eventually help.”

Awareness has been a prominent aspect in the ongoing search for the kidnapped Nigerian girls. On April 23, Nigerian lawyer Ibrahim Abdullahi sent out a tweet with the hashtag “#BringBackOurGirls.” Used multiple times on Twitter, the hashtag has become a global slogan against the atrocity.

Many global icons such as activist Malala Yousafzai, magnate Bill Gates and US First Lady Michelle Obama have publicly called for the girls’ safe return. Organizations such as the World Young Women Christian Association and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) have also condemned the abduction.

“Women and girls are not commodities that can be sold or exchanged! The kidnapping and religious coercion violates several United Nations human rights conventions,” said PCW Executive Director Emmeline Versoza in a statement released on May 15.

Alarming concerns arise as BK continues to send out video messages of their actions, with their leader Abubakar Shekau demanding an exchange of their hostages for imprisoned BK members. As of May 27, the Nigerian military have located where BK are keeping the girls.

Reaching public awareness

Isabelle Lee, communication senior and president of Ateneo Tugon, believes that kidnapping and extortion is “a very urgent problem, if not the most, [ranking second] after poverty and hunger because lives are at stake.”

She adds that awareness is necessary in solving the problem.

The futures of Crimea and Ukraine remain unclear, with almost daily reports of hostilities and economic instability.

“The ongoing crisis may continue for a while because the opposing parties refuse to meet eye-to-eye,” says Abot. “Putin has no reason to let go of Crimea as long as the West does not present any genuine military threat.”

Despite this, the global community expresses hope in an eventual diplomatic and peaceful resolution. “We support actions toward de-escalating tensions in the region and for comprehensive, inclusive and peaceful dialogue and reconciliation,” DFA said in a statement on March 26.

Editor: Pia H. Posadas · Editorial Assistant: Ishbelle L. Bongato · Layout Artist: Tommi G. Principe

02

Features

THE BECOMING OF URSUS ET CERVUS

Creating a collective for the young, talented and ambitious.

Yes, we were treated 'differently', and quite a few times, total strangers would come up to me at the cafeteria and say, ‘You do know you're wasting a perfectly good slot in this school when you're just going to wind up getting married?

— LISA NAKPIL, AB Eco-H ’77, co-founder of the Ateneo Women

PHOTO BY JOSHUA E. CABALINAN

Raise your voice

By Pia H. Posadas and Jasmine P. Ting

“

Poetry is best served with alcohol,” declares Abby Orbeta (AB SoS ‘06), the host of the night’s festivities, as she holds up a shot glass filled to the brim. The small crowd gathered at Sev’s Cafe laughs; some even raise their beers in response. Although many of tonight’s patrons are first timers (or virgins, as Orbeta jokes), the atmosphere is a warm one.

Located in Malate, this cozy restaurant is owned by renowned journalist Howie Severino and his wife, Ipat Luna-Severino, who is an environmental lawyer and theater arts enthusiast. It welcomes all forms of art, having served as a venue for documentary screenings, musical acts and poetry slams.

Orbeta passes a notebook around, encouraging people to sign up for the open mic.

Moments later, she again takes to the stage to perform an original poem entitled “March 11.”

The room falls silent as she begins to speak. Much like the other spoken word poets who come after her, hers is a tale of love and loss.

Spoken word is an art form that many have become familiar with thanks to the likes of Andrea Gibson, Phil Kaye and Sarah Kay. Because of their YouTube videos, we’ve marveled at their clever turns of phrase and been moved by their emotional performances.

Nowadays, local spoken word enthusiasts can experience this closer to home, as spoken word poets and groups have sprung up to promote the art on our shores.

Up close and personal

“‘Happy birthday! Would you like for me to perform a poem for you as a gift?’” Creative writing senior Jam Pascual smiles as he

recalls what fellow spoken word poet Jake Jereza (BS CTM ‘14) said when they first met. “He performed ‘I Do’ by Andrea Gibson, which is one of my favorite spoken word poems and one of my favorite poems to perform, and after that I kept getting into other spoken word poets.”

As for Jereza, his first encounter with spoken word was through the Internet. The virality of other spoken word poems like “OCD” by Neil Hilborn and “What Teachers Make” by Taylor Mali has certainly generated more appreciation for the art form. Even people who usually aren’t interested in literature suddenly become curious, clicking one link after another.

According to Jereza, “I came across a piece by Andrea Gibson on my friend’s Tumblr. I left it at the back of my mind for a few months and then I decided to write my own. [My first piece] had a little music in it; I sent it to my Valentine date.”

Much like Pascual, Serge Gabriel (BS PSY ‘13) owes his initial foray into spoken word to a close friend. “I was a sophomore in Ateneo when one of my band mates told me that he was setting up a gig that had jazz music, poetry reading and coffee. Knowing full well that I wrote [poetry], he asked me if I wanted to recite some of my work,” he shares.

Perhaps for many spoken word artists, much of the art’s appeal lies in its ability to democratize art. “We look at printed art as something that should be left to scholars, to the professionals, but you don’t look at spoken word poetry that way,” Pascual observes. “Because it’s personal, it’s the sort of thing that can be approached more fearlessly and with less apprehension.”

It is because of this openness that spoken word poets are able to make their performances so

intimate. Whether it’s race, homosexuality, addiction or heartbreak, the everyday topics that poets tackle make the experience of going onstage a cathartic one.

“You can write whatever you want to write, say whatever you want to say, express whatever emotions you have. Your words can allow other people to put words to emotions that they themselves can’t find the words for yet,” says Louise Meets, a member of Speak!

Philippines, a community of Filipino spoken word artists.

been in the works since 2012.

Despite several attempts to go beyond posts on the Facebook group, Karl Rojas (BS PSY ‘14), the administrator of the group, explains that nothing has really happened. “Starting an org kind of uses up a lot of time and effort and I don’t think that a lot of people were really ready to dedicate that much to something that wasn’t even guaranteed to be successful.”

Film Circle’s Under t he Stars, an annual free-for-all nighttime film screening and variety show, as a good opportunity. “I auditioned with my poetry for Under the Stars back in 2013 and I was really glad they got me,” he says. “I think Ateneo is slowly opening its doors to this type of craft.

I’ve definitely seen a lot more spoken word acts in school after graduating.”

Spreading the word

Like most information today, sites like Facebook, YouTube and Tumblr have played a significant role in the spread of spoken word poetry. In fact, this is how Speak!

Philippines first began. Starting with a Facebook group that was created in March 2013, the group aimed to promote the appreciation of the art within the country.

But spreading the word doesn’t end there. “As spoken artists then, we didn’t have a place to perform. That was our biggest problem,” says member Michelle Manese. “So when we discovered Sev’s Cafe, it basically became our second home.” It is here that Speak! Philippines hosts a poetry slam every first Wednesday of the month and an open mic night on every third Saturday night.

The establishment of a stable and active organization can make a big difference in popularizing spoken word. “It’s not easy bringing together like-minded people,” Pascual shares. “There are spoken word poets scattered across the city who love what they do and want to share their stories, but don’t know where they can do it.”

Unfortunately, not all endeavors have been as successful. Ateneo Words Out Loud, a spoken word community for Atenean artists, has also

We look at printed art as something that should be left to scholars, to the professionals, but you don’t look at spoken word poetry that way. Because it’s personal, it’s the sort of thing that can be approached more fearlessly and with less apprehension.

— JAM PASCUAL, IV-BFA Creative Writing

Even without Ateneo Words Out Loud, there are other outlets for spoken word on campus. One such avenue is the Literary Society’s (Litsoc) HitLit Night, an annual event held during the School of Humanities Week where Atenean students and teachers are invited to perform.

Litsoc President Juno Reyes clarifies that although it is not exclusive to spoken word, more spoken word enthusiasts signed up to perform last year.

Spoken word poets like Gabriel also consider Loyola

Despite Gabriel’s optimism, there are those who disagree.

For instance, in Jereza’s opinion, the movement still lacks consistency. “There’s HitLit, there’s Under the Stars, but those [events] only happen once a year,” he explains in a mix of English and Filipino.

Auspicious beginnings

Aside from providing spoken word enthusiasts with more avenues to perform, such events and organizations could also help people hone their skills

and overcome their stage fright through workshops.

For Speak! Philippines, creating a safe space for the poets is a top priority. In a mix of English and Filipino, Meets says, “Whenever new people want to try spoken word, we invite them to our open mic nights and our slam nights. We make sure to give them a safe environment for them to try it out first so that their jitters during their first time subside a little.”

It isn’t just nervousness that holds spoken word poets back.

For Rojas, who grew up in California, even financial security makes an impact. “I don’t think that freelance performances like spoken word would be used as a primary source of entertainment by different businesses here because spoken word lasts for like 10 to 20 minutes per performance, and musicians can have set lists that last even longer than that,” he observes.

However, in spite of these hindrances, Pascual is confident that spoken word is more than just a passing fad. “This is something that is going to go on and is going to grow. Hopefully some time in the future, spoken word gigs will become more common and hopefully there will be certain spaces that are dedicated to catering to that sort of thing.”

As of now, Speak! Philippines has a festival in the works, one that they hope will someday rival Queensland Poetry Festival’s Spoken in One Strange Word, an annual three-day festival in Australia that has been bringing together spoken word poets from all around the world for the past 18 years.

Their home at Sev’s Cafe may be a small one, but there is no doubt that these poets are setting the stage for bigger and better things to come.

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Features

The becoming of Ursus et Cervus THE BEAR AND THE STAG. Through Ursus et Cervus, Sean Bautista aims to build a collective where artists from different backgrounds can thrive and collaborate.

PHOTO BY JOSHUA E. CABALINAN

By Isabel A. Rodrigo

I

n an interview with The GUIDON last year, former Preview Beauty and Fashion Editor Anna Canlas said, “Any truly insidious fashion trend has to do with music.” At the time, Canlas was crediting the ubiquity of the so-called tribal print to the rise of festival fashion, which was rooted in electronic dance music.

Although music festivals continue to be popular, the landscape of street style has visibly moved away from the festival grounds. It is a shift that information design junior Sean Bautista calls the rise of urban elegance. This brand of sophistication, while not entirely new, has come to be epitomized by Ursus et Cervus, Bautista’s lifestyle brand.

Much like its founder, the brand is best characterized by quiet ambition. No longer content with being just a street wear line, Ursus is on its way to becoming an artistic platform for the young, talented and equally ambitious.

The curator

Soft-spoken and unassuming, Bautista sees fashion as a form of conversation. His distinct uniform—camp caps

by Supreme and horn-rimmed glasses by the Japanese brand Matsuda—is his preferred means of personal branding.

“A number of people tag me as a hipster, which I’ve never really understood,” he explains. “The way I dress just consists of what aligns with my personal aesthetic. I’ve always loved the juxtaposition of old and new, which is why I like wearing clothes from heritage classic brands as well as more contemporary street wear.”

The name Ursus et Cervus

itself, Latin for “the bear and the stag,” comes from this personal aesthetic. According to him, “the bear is a visual metaphor for urban youth culture in the sense that it’s a liberal and undomesticated animal. In contrast, the stag represents maturity and sophistication. We want to blur the lines between conventional and contemporary by creating a new brand of urban elegance.”

Bautista may be at the core of Ursus, but he emphasizes that Ursus is bigger than him. Although it began solely as a clothing line in 2012 because it was the most manageable way for him to start out, he had always intended for it to welcome talented individuals across different fields. “I feel like I’m a curator of people. My role is to bring seemingly different individuals under one roof, much like how art curators bring in works from different artists and bring it together in one cohesive exhibit or installation,” he muses.

Overseeing this group is Lifestore Director Bianca Carague, who ensures that everything stays true to the brand’s aesthetic.

Lifestore refers to the clothing line, which has recently been expanded to include accessories and home décor. An industrial design junior at the College of St. Benilde, Carague makes the decisions regarding the physical manifestations of the brand and the feasibility of their projects.

Although she is a bona fide multitasker, she is far from alone.

“There are a bunch of us that contribute to the brand, and we all play vital roles,” she says. “The publication team produces the site’s written content, the creatives provide the brand with visuals, the marketing team handles logistics and operations.”

While Bautista may not have intended for Ursus’ line of street wear to define the brand, it is definitely the biggest contributor to its success. Still, he has other plans.

“The clothing line was just a means for Ursus et Cervus to establish itself as a brand,” he says.

“I never meant for the clothing to be its only aspect.”

The bear and the stag

Few brands are smart enough to ride the wave of a trend at its get-go; even fewer are able to start—or re-start—worldwide trends with examples of their personal taste. What Karl Lagerfeld did with the athletic footwear in Chanel’s Spring 2014 show is an example of the former. As for Phoebe Philo, both her work for Céline and her personal style have helped instigate a reprise of the ‘90s movement.

As Preview contributor Karen Bolilia sees it, “fashion has always been reactionary. Something always counters the prevailing standards of dress.” Ursus may be seen as a rebellion against the mainstream, but it has also been smart (or fortunate) enough to accompany the rise of the hip-hop and artisanal movement.

“We like using handcrafted and artisanal processes without sacrificing the look of modern design,” Bautista explains. At Ursus’ publication launch at Yardstick last March, racks of its street wear were on display as a pop-up store. Made using traditional silk-screening processes and designed using modern typefaces and structured grids, the Ursus logo is distinctive without being flashy. This use of branding calls to mind the way hip-hop music has influenced fashion in recent years.

“Hip-hop musicians no longer subscribe to the uniform of oversized everything, gold chain and grill,” explains Gisella Velasco (BS CTM ‘14), co-founder of Fly Art, a popular blog that mixes classical paintings with hip-hop lyrics.

Velasco attributes the rise—and subsequent rejection—of logomania in the past few years to this observation. People still want to display their superiority, albeit at a subtler level.

“Aside from Chanel and the other big fashion houses, people now want to show the

to hip-hop and see the musicians they admire dressing this way, they’ll do the same. You only need to sit on SEC Walk and count the Nike Frees and Flyknits to see it.”

When it comes to Ursus, Bautista finds that much of his work is heavily influenced by music as well. “I draw influence from the songs, the album art, the musician’s personal style. Whatever music I’m open to influences the way [the brand] looks today.”

While he does admit to a love of hip hop, Bautista is similarly influenced by electronic and nuwave. This distinctively subtle

The music that the youth are listening to influences the way that they dress. So if they listen to hiphop and see the musicians they admire dressing this way, they’ll do the same. You only need to sit on SEC Walk and count the Nike Frees and Flyknits to see it.

— GISELLA VELASCO, Co-founder, Fly Art

Nike check or the Adidas three stripes, because it illustrates a [more subtle] sense of being elite.”

This is a trend not just abroad, but also within the Ateneo. “The music that the youth are listening to influences the way that they dress,” she adds. “So if they listen

aesthetic that Ursus employs can be traced back to many things: The artisanal movement, the return of ‘90s minimalism, Kanye. Plurality is Bautista’s top priority and it’s what continues to define both the brand and the collective.

The kids are all right

Once a brand has branched out into a dozen different directions, most people assume that it’s bound to run out of ideas sooner or later. Bautista sees things differently: The publication and the clothing line are mere steps to Ursus’ ultimate goal of building a platform for creatives without an avenue to share their work. This is the reason why Ursus began and why it plans to stay.

Before he launched the clothing line in late 2012, the idea of a collective was always at the back of his head. “I’ve always wanted to create a platform for my talented friends who didn’t have the avenue to share their work,” he says. “I think a lot of talents— writing, taking photographs—are put to waste because there aren’t enough opportunities. I thought what better way to utilize [these talents] than by starting a publication and a lifestore?”

Bautista is someone who will relentlessly defend young creatives; Bolilia is the same. When asked what it’s like to work in the local fashion industry, the latter admits that from an editorial standpoint, it’s tough. “Magazines here don’t have a closet of samples for an editorial. Ready-to-wear isn’t the bread and butter of the designers here; it’s bridal and custom-made.

Small things like that contribute to the difficulties, but I like to think we’re thriving anyway. Slowly, but there’s a movement there.”

Perhaps what will end up making Ursus et Cervus last won’t be the movements the brand has risen with, but the one they’re going to start. If Bautista succeeds in establishing Ursus as a platform, the same way he’s succeeded with Ursus the brand, then the future certainly looks bright. Either way, Sean Bautista has our attention.

PHOTOS BY ARIELLE A. ACOSTA

The GUIDON June 2014

3

Pass the adobo, please!

By Marguerite R. Andrews and Jasmine P. Ting

T

he flavors of Asia have cer ta inly gone fa r beyond the boundaries of the continent itself. Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and Thai cuisines have become staples in countries miles away from their homeland. However, one thing is notably missing from this seemingly diverse landscape: Filipino restaurants. Where in the world is the adobo?

The supporters of the Kulinarya movement, a collective effort that aims to create a greater appreciation for Filipino food both here and abroad, are ready to tackle this question head on.

Through the collaboration of the Asia Society, the Department of Tourism (DOT), Anvil Publishing and top local chefs like Glenda Barretto, Jessie Sincioco and Claude Tayag, the movement was formally launched with the publishing of Kulinarya: A Guidebook to Philippine Cuisine in 2008.

The cookbook, which distills the wisdom and experiences of Filipino chefs into various preparation and presentation practices, is just one way of proudly presenting Filipino flavors. Since then, more steps have been taken to bring Filipino cuisine out of lola’s home kitchen and into mainstream dining, one spoonful at a time.

dishes can be compromised.

What constitutes authentic Filipino food, however, is also up for debate. “I don’t want to use the word, but there’s no other way to describe it. I guess it’s the ultimate fusion,” says Pepper Senior Editor Meya Cortez.

Aside from the fact that we’ve incorporated Chinese, Spanish and American cuisine into our own, the recipe for the same dish even varies from region to region.

Fortunately, the accomplishments of certain restaurants abroad prove that these challenges can be overcome. For instance, Aux Iles Philippines, a Filipino fine dining restaurant established by Philippine culinary icon Nora Daza in the mid-1960s, was a top Asian restaurant in Paris in its heyday. Many French celebrities frequented the restaurant, including actress and famed sex symbol Brigitte Bardot.

So, I know French technique, but how come I can’t use Filipino ingredients?’ [Younger chefs] are really looking to use their technique that they know, but bring back their culinary heritage.

Calamansi complex

In recent years, there have been few attempts to promote Filipino cuisine overseas. Rogue’s Assistant Editor and resident food writer Michelle Ayuyao says that the dismissal of our cuisine as “lutong bahay” or “lola’s cooking” is partly to blame for this lack of international recognition. “It’s only recently that people see it as a grander thing,” she explains.

Another difficulty lies in preparing Filipino food in a foreign place where certain ingredients aren’t available, such as calamansi. “You don’t have the right ingredients so you have to look for alternatives,” says Ayuyao. The use of substitutes often leads to a change in flavor, which means that the authenticity of these

lika, which has a modern take on home-cooked Filipino food, and Jeepney, which is a self-described Filipino gastro pub. Sisig, arroz caldo, kare kare, dinuguan and the infamous balut are just some of the dishes these restaurants are introducing to the American public.

Philippine cuisine has been making waves online as well.

Just recently, BuzzFeed’s banner article featured a list by Melissa Harrison entitled “24 Delicious Filipino Foods You Need In Your Life.” With BuzzFeed being one of the most frequented websites on the Internet, the existence of this list indicates that our dishes are slowly becoming more recognizable outside the Filipino household.

Ayuyao believes that it is young blood that’s pushing the movement further. “There are a lot of younger people that are more

— MEYA CORTEZ, Section Editor, Pepper

Despite its closure in 1979 due to personal family reasons, its brush with success still serves as reminder that introducing Filipino cuisine abroad holds a lot of promise. “[Paris] is the culinary capital of the world,” says restaurateur, TV chef and food columnist Sandy Daza. “In short, Philippine cuisine can make it.”

Beyond the kusina

Aside from Paris, the Kulinarya movement is taking root in other major cities too. New York’s East Village, for one, is home to two Filipino restaurants: Mahar-

Dessert Madness

interested in giving importance to the culinary industry. Before, we left it to the older chefs that studied this, that were in the kitchen for several years. But now, there are a lot of people that are into food—and not necessarily fine dining.”

This surge of interest in the culinary arts has contributed to the Kulinarya movement in that people now seek to “correct wrong practices,” as chef and restaurateur Myrna Segismundo explains in a 2013 feature in The Manila Bulletin. In fact, this desire to encapsulate the

Whether it’s ensaymada, pastillas or ube sorbetes, our penchant for sweets is undeniable. These days, restaurants are reinventing our childhood favorites with their quirky take on classic Filipino desserts.

Sebastian’s Artisanal Ice Cream Sebastian’s never ceases to amaze with its unique flavors.

Dilis adds a crunch to sweet champorado ice cream, while bagoong gives a salty kick to the sour green mango flavor.

essence of Filipino cuisine was what led to the creation of the Kulinarya cookbook.

However, these guidelines are not intended to stifle the creativity of up and coming chefs. “‘So, I know French technique, but how come I can’t use Filipino ingredients?’ [Younger chefs] are really looking to use their technique that they know, but bring back their culinary heritage,” says Cortez. Ultimately, these techniques are meant to highlight the unique qualities of our cuisine and ensure that nothing gets lost in translation.

Best food forward

After releasing the Kulinarya cookbook in 2008, the chefs behind the project took to various media outlets, such as newspapers, magazines and lifestyle blogs, to spread the word. Their most recent accomplishment was the release of the second edition of the cookbook—which includes new sections and recipes from chefs like Margarita Fores, Myrna Segismundo and Conrad Calalang—in November 2013.

Halo-Halo Milkshake

RESEARCH BY Marguerite R. Andrews ILLUSTRATIONS BY Nikki G. Solinap

Champorado ice cream with dilis and Green Mango ice cream with bagoong

PHOTO BY JOSHUA E. CABALINAN

Although the cookbook was an excellent way of launching the movement, the minds behind Kulinarya have realized that much more can still be done. For one, they plan to launch a website targeted towards the agribusiness sector; it will feature information on produce standards, cooking equipment and packaging. Training programs are also in the works for those interested in working professionally in the food industry.

The DOT also intends to promote our local cuisine through Kulinarya Filipina, an integral part of the Cultural Tourism Program. It provides “Kulinarya Food Trips” that take people to Ilocos, Pampanga, Bulacan, Negros, Davao, Iloilo and other regions in the country to familiarize them with their respective specialties and delicacies.

Despite these efforts, the Kulinarya movement still has a long way to go. “I don’t think there’s necessarily an end-goal where they say, ‘Okay! We’re good. Stop na,’” explains Ayuyao. “I think

it will be an ongoing long-term thing.”

For Laurel Fantauzzo, a former New York Magazine food writer and currently a lecturer at the Department of English, food is the gateway to any culture. “A cuisine's preparation, presentation and consumption will speak to a culture's resources, pride and sense of welcome.” Viewed through this perspective, perhaps the Kulinarya movement is ultimately a neverending one because as our culture evolves, so does our understanding of our cuisine.

As Filipinos continue on this mission to bring adobo and many of our other classic dishes to more and more people, Fantauzzo keeps an optimistic view of the future. “With champions like chefs Amy Besa, Romy Dorotan and other fine chefs and writers pushing the information forward, the movement can only grow. The diversity of Filipino food is delicious. Prepared with love, it speaks for itself.”

Bibingka Soufflé

Johnny Rockets

Classic Cuisine

The most famous Filipino dessert finally comes in beverage form. Made with thick ube ice cream and topped with whipped cream and pinipig, this is the perfect way to cool down on a hot summer day.

A Christmastime favorite is spruced up with this bibingka soufflé. Featuring queso de bola, salted egg and toasted coconut, this dessert is light and oozes with cheese.

Isabel

Taho gelato Crisostomo

Bono Artisanal Gelato

Named after Maria Clara’s aunt in Noli me Tangere, the Isabel is made up of leche flan fried in spring roll wrappers and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

Bono gives taho vendors a run for their money with a creamier take on the popular sweet. This taho gelato’s flavors stay true to the original thanks to its arnival and sago toppings.

4

Features

The GUIDON June 2014

Back to basics

By Ishbelle L. Bongato and Isabel A. Rodrigo

S

plashes of paint smeared on the wall, markers and crayons thrown haphazardly on the ground, stacks of scratch paper piled high on the tabletop—arts and crafts was always a whirlwind of activity.

Perhaps this is why we enjoyed it so much: It was a legitimate excuse to make a mess of things and get away with it.

We’ve all grown up since then, but whether we realize it or not, many of us have yet to give up this fascination with craft. Instax cameras often dangle from people’s wrists and more and more people are having their photos printed out. Local businesses have begun to make a name for themselves with their artisanal coffee, beer and chocolate. In many different fields, there appears to be a desire to go back to basics.

While the longevity of this craft movement still remains to be seen, there is no denying its existence. Despite (or perhaps even because of ) the convenience and ubiquity of all things instant, there is now a newfound appreciation for a much slower and more intimate way of going about things.

The roots of craft

For Alessa Lanot (AB Comm ‘04), this renewed interest in arts and craft was what first gave her the idea to start her Crafternoon workshops.

“I would provide materials and people would just get together and start making crafts,” Lanot explains. “Then I realized that if these people were really en-

thusiastic about arts and crafts to the point that they would go out of their way to attend the workshops, why not give them more structured sessions?” These workshops, which started in 2012, soon branched out into a series of workshops on calligraphy, embroidery and pattern design.

Lanot isn’t the only one who found inspiration in everyday experiences. For Mark Jao, owner of the third-wave coffee shop Craft Katipunan, the enthusiasm began with a chance encounter.

“I stumbled [upon] a specialty coffee place in Seattle a couple of years ago and I remember thinking it was a cool place to waste time in,” he recounts. “The feel of it was quite different [from] the usual coffee chains you see [and] it didn't hurt that the coffee was out-of-this-world good.”

This encouraged him to open his own place, where ingredients are carefully chosen and special brewing methods ensure the quality of each cup. Because of the third-wave coffee movement, which focuses on improving the harvesting, roasting and brewing of coffee beans, coffee is treated as more than just a commodity. “You get to taste the different flavor profiles of the coffee, be it fruity, bright, bold [or] dark cocoa,” he says.

As for photographer and information design senior JL Javier, he remembers becoming interested in film photography after coming across pictures on his Tumblr feed in 2010.

Despite the ease of digital photography, analog cameras such as the Instax have gained immense popularity over the last few years. “Film photos have an interesting way of capturing colors. There’s a depth

and a richness to the colors that digital photography can’t seem to obtain,” he says.

The true artisan

With the word “artisanal” showing up everywhere, there are varying opinions as to what it means to participate in the movement. For Jao, a true artisan must first pay his dues. “You have to put in the hours and it's not all fun and games,” he says. “Give respect to the original pioneers of the craft you are into.”

Above all, he emphasizes the actual practice of the craft.

The art-slash-business of craft coffee, in particular, requires immense patience from those who specialize in it. “We give extra attention in preparing each cup,” Jao explains. “We also calibrate the machine twice a day to make sure the coffee we serve our first customer in the morning is the same coffee we serve our last guest at night.”

This mindset doesn’t just apply to brewing coffee; given the steep price of film and the difficulties that come with shooting in it, Javier notes that a film photographer is also pushed towards perfectionism. “You learn to time your shots better because you begin asking the right questions: Is the lighting okay? Are my settings okay? Is this worth the shot?” he explains.

The amount of trial and error present in lomography can frustrate people, especially when photos “come out lowquality, wrongly exposed, vignette-heavy, color-crazy and sometimes out-of-focus.” Still, Javier enjoys it. “I’m drawn to shooting with a camera that’s as careless as I am.”

PHOTOS BY JOSHUA E. CABALINAN

As for Lanot, an artisan is one who enjoys the process of learning and the satisfaction of “making something out of nothing.” Though there are difficulties to be found in the work, the intricacies of each craft teach the artisans invaluable skills.

“It’s also about learning new things and letting go of what doesn’t fit… [As] in any art field, it’s about finding your own voice with how you craft something and how you add your own style into what you make.”

Craft capitalism

Nowadays, going the artisanal route is seen as a form of nostalgia, a temporary escape from the hyper-digital age. “Right now, you can’t escape digital technology without making an effort of going back to the basics and doing things by hand,” says Lanot.

However, this is not to say that the two are mutually exclusive; in fact, the combination of the tangible and the digital may even pave the way for greater creativ-

ity in the future. For instance, Lanot shares that she prints her hand drawn pattern on fabrics. Meanwhile, in Javier’s experience, “technology today enables us to process—or postprocess—our pictures so they look similar to film.”

With more and more people such as investors, entrepreneurs and artisans recognizing the value of skill and creativity in both mediums, the future of craft certainly seems bright. Lanot believes that the movement is one that will endure and that it isn’t merely a form of nostalgia. “It’s that desire to do things by hand before we digitize it.”

While craft may be all about the creation of personalized products, even multinational companies appear to be jumping on the bandwagon. Starbucks Reserve for example, Starbucks’ specially crafted line that claims to offer “exotic, rare and exquisite” coffee, has recently opened its first two branches in Tomas Morato and Fort Bonifacio.

Ironically, digital applications like VSCO and Instagram even have presets that “borrow from film-esque looks and coloring,” Javier observes.

While some people may bemoan the fact that the artisanal is slowly becoming commodified, Javier doesn’t see it as a problem. “Trends always resurface and recycle, especially in art. Our preferences tend to go back and forth through the years.” These emerging ventures could be a prelude to a future where craft businesses are able to compete against the big names in their respective industries.

When profit is no longer the top priority and quality is valued over quantity, then perhaps products are likely to come out better and more satisfying for the customer. It certainly appears that we are beginning to appreciate the necessity of the meticulously crafted over the mass produced now more than ever.

Editor: Mint A. Marquez · Editorial Assistant: Uriel N. Galace · Layout Artist: Joey D. Ochoa

Inquiry

04 BEYOND DATES AND READINGS How do our history classes influence our nationalism?

The index curve

NUMBER OF STUDENTS

200

Indexing the quality point

Research by Nicolo A. Fortuna and Uriel N. Galace Infographic by Paulina L. Almira

Over the past five years, the aggregate of seniors’ four-year stay in the Ateneo follows a certain trend. This graph allows us to track student performance in relation to this trend.

LEGEND Seniors 2010 Seniors 2011 Seniors 2012 Seniors 2013 Seniors 2014

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0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

S T U D E N T S ' C U M U L AT I V E Q P I s

By Nicolo A. Fortuna and Uriel N. Galace

I

magine a graph: A bell curve skewed to the right with empty space on the left, suggesting a lack of frequency per data value on one side of the graph. The placement of the graph—a right-leaning slant—illustrates a disproportionate distribution of values. A flat line climbs to a peak. The peak, then, slopes downward to a stop.

This is the bell curve of the cumulative quality point indices (QPIs) for school year (SY) 2013 to 2014. The peak shows how many students had cumulative QPIs in the 2.5 to 3.5 (C+ to B+) range.

Last SY, this accounted for 71.9% of the student population, up 5% from a decade ago.

This finding is hardly new. In actuality, this statistical trend in the grade distribution was already pointed out to the school administration almost a decade ago.

a “disproportionate number of A’s, B+’s, and B’s” over “C’s, D’s, and F’s.” This is different from the practice of professors’ artificially raising their students’ grades—curving, as it is colloquially known. However, he did mention that curving may be one of its potential causes.

Trends such as this are of the utmost importance, if only because they serve to shed light on the school’s grading system, which is central to a student’s academic life. Unfortunately, little is known by the student body about the variation in grades in the LS, as this data is not readily accessible to the general public.

As such, The GUIDON procured data from the Office of the Registrar on the cumulative and yearly QPIs of all students in the LS from SY 2009 to 2010 to the most recent SY. The data reveals a number of interesting findings.

Grades rising

Polarizing essay

In 2006, the late Manuel Tejido, PhD, a former faculty member of the Department of Theology, wrote an essay for the Loyola Schools Review on grades entitled “Giving the Grade: Teachers’ Assessment of Students.” Tejido, among other things, evaluated the school’s grade distribution—the number of As, B+s, Bs and so on being given for each subject. The results of his study showed that g rades were slightly higher than what would normally be expected given the university’s grading system.

“B+, B and C+ grades were 66.8% of the total grades for the first semester of SY 2004 to 2005 and 67.9% of the total grades of the second semester for this same school year,” he wrote. “These show that grades are somewhat tilted towards these higher marks and some degree of the so-called ‘grade inflation’ seems noticeable in the Loyola Schools.”

Tejido had two things in mind when he referred to grade inflation. First, by grade inflation, he meant having “too many high final marks” in the given SY. Second, he also referred to

One trend that may be seen in the data is that, over the past five years, freshmen have averaged a yearly QPI of about 2.74, while seniors have averaged about 3.04.

This shows that, overall, seniors tend to have higher QPIs than freshmen. The figures are even more striking when one looks at the individual tallies. Last SY alone, a mere 10 seniors had a QPI between 2.0 and 2.1, compared with almost six times as many freshmen. In the same year, 113 seniors had a QPI of 3.5, whereas 49 freshmen— less than half as many as the seniors—met that threshold.

This increase in grades happens consistently from one year level to the next. Grades are lowest in freshman year, jump considerably come sophomore year, continue to rise slightly in junior year before soaring again in senior year. It is only by senior year that many students manage to attain a QPI of 3.0 or above.

On the surface, these findings may seem counterintuitive. “QPIs may decline from third year to fourth year because these are the times when students mostly take their harder [or] higherlevel major [or] subject specific

courses,” says Miguel Vilchez, a staff member of the Office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (ADAA).

Marvin Cruz, a counselor from the Office of Guidance and Counseling (OGC), attributes the unexpected rise in grades to an increase in students’ motivation. “The [higher their year level], the more they become serious with what they’re doing,” he says. According to him, a top concern among graduating students is employability, so the tendency for students is to start worrying about their Transcript of Records, one of the documents they submit when they apply for a job.

the data available. The grade distribution in both semesters is clearly tilted towards the higher marks,” was his unequivocal conclusion.

Tejido worried that this phenomenon could compromise the academic standards in the university, lamenting that low academic expectations could give the Ateneo a bad name. He also deplored the notion that some professors could intentionally be giving higher grades as a way of gaining popularity. “Some end up giving so many ‘A’ marks not because students deserve them but because, God forbid, they want to attract more students in their classes in the next semester,” he wrote.

Why should good teachers hesitate to give [students] the high marks they deserve?

— MANUEL TEJIDO † Faculty member, Theology Department

He also points to an “adjustment period” among freshmen as a potential reason why grades tend to bottom out in first year. “[This is] because they’re new–[they come] from high school [and are] going to college. And as we know, Ateneo is relatively strict when it comes to compliance with grade requirements,” he says.

Grade inflation: Fact or fiction?

Another noteworthy trend is that majority of the grades are distributed along the C+ to B+ range. For the past five years, 30,349 cumulative QPIs out of 40,762 from the data set—or 74.5% of the student population— had QPIs between 2.5 and 3.5.

Tejido opined that the unusually large number of high marks being given by professors could provide evidence for grade inflation. “The allegation that there is some ‘grade inflation’ can be substantiated by

Nevertheless, he stressed that grade inflation does not necessarily have to be viewed in such a negative light. His article sought to divert attention from the issue by asserting that having good teachers should naturally lead to higher grades.

Additionally, their using grade metrics that are able to accurately assess student performance based on tangible outcomes would also make for higher grades.

In doing so, he acknowledged that high grades in the school “could also be seen as a sign of effective teaching and learning,” even celebrating the prospect of a large number of students entering the Dean’s List. “In the Loyola Schools of the Ateneo de Manila University, most of our college students are very sensitive and highly intelligent. They come from the best high schools and have passed through the Ateneo

College Entrance Test before admission to first year,” he wrote. “ Why should good teachers hesitate to give them the high marks they deserve?”

A decline

Cumulative QPIs in the Ateneo have been slowly, but surely, declining overall for the past five years. For the total average of cumulative QPIs that were obtained, the value decreases by about 0.01 a year; from around 2.86 in SY 2009 to 2010 to around 2.81 in the most recent SY. The data for yearly QPIs does not decrease as cleanly, but it still ultimately points at a consistent downtrend–at least, for the past five years.

An increase in the number of withdrawals from classes due to academic reasons aggravates this downward trend. According to data obtained from the ADAA, the number of students who withdraw from their classes has steadily risen over the past five years. Although the change has been minute—184 students in the second semester of last SY, 170 in the second semester of SY 2009 to 2010—the rise has been fairly steady.

The fact that cumulative QPIs have declined over the past five years could very well be a cause for concern. This may raise the possibility that the university has become more stringent in its grading system or perhaps that it has failed to attract a more talented group of high school students, as compared with previous years. It may also point to a decline in the study habits and overall commitment of students to their education, a theme echoed anecdotally by many older professors.

Vilchez cautions, however, that this is all just speculation and that nothing definitive can be known until further study has been conducted on the matter. “There are many factors that might have contributed to this downward trend… However, in order to list these factors it might be better to conduct quick interviews or survey with students asking them that question,” he says.

Grade-conscious

This downward trend in grades may only serve to amplify many students’ fears.

According to a school-wide survey conducted by the OGC, “doubts about being unable to meet an expected QPI,” “feelings of being inadequately prepared for meeting my teacher’s/ department’s standards” and “unrealistic academic expectations” ranked second, fourth and seventh out of 25, respectively, among the students’ top concerns. Students’ anxieties, then, may factor into the consistent overall decrease in their grades for the past five years.

In an effort to improve learning outcomes, the administration has put in place multiple systems to improve the quality of education. The installation of Wi-Fi around campus, access to the state-ofthe-art New Rizal Library and modernized teaching methods (such as the inclusion of audiovisual presentations in class lectures) are only some of many recent efforts the university has made to augment students’ learning.

In addition, a rise in the number of scholars, stronger basic education prog rams and better study tools (for instance, the inclusion of builtin dictionaries in students’ cellphones and laptops) are also some of the factors that, theoretically, should improve the student body’s overall academic performance.

These improvements may have been contributing to how individual students’ grades rise as they go up the year levels and how most grades are in the C+ to B+ range.

Unfortunately, the records that were studied here only present data from the past five SYs—the time when records started to become fully automated. It cannot be known, then, whether these statistical trends are recent phenomena or whether they have been happening for a long time.

Only one thing is sure—that it is worth further investigation.

Inquiry

2

Systems of transfer

By Mint A. Marquez

A

cer t a i n g roup of students in the Ateneo took the Ateneo College Entrance Test (ACET) twice, the maximum times one may take it. For them, acceptance into the Loyola Schools (LS) did not come in envelopes mailed to their homes. Months after the ACET, they come in text messages.

“Somebody texted me to call [the Office of Admission and Aid so I could find out] whether or not I passed,” recalls Anthea Patricio, health sciences sophomore.

She is a transferee from De La Salle University and, in her year, 57 other people have the same story. Kim del Rosario, management economics sophomore and another transferee from La Salle, even says that she was only given a day to decide whether or not she was going to confirm her slot.

Management junior Luigi Puno transferred to the Ateneo in November 2011. He says he was first called a non-degree student. “My [identification card] had no year level and no course, so I was here just to take units to fulfill core [classes] so I wouldn’t waste time,” he adds.

It was not a warm welcome for the transferees—and the Ateneo was hardly any more accommodating from there.

Units of measure

Usually, a transferee would be in his or her second year of university upon entering the Ateneo, having spent their freshman year taking classes at the collegiate level elsewhere.

Sect ion IV of t he Under g r a du a t e St udent Handbook 2012 Edition states that transferees may have

units earned in their previous universities credited in the Ateneo if the department cha ir person concerned validates the class. There are two conditions: That the student validates his or her classes within the first semester of their stay in the Ateneo and that “not more than one-third of the units earned in the previous college may be validated.”

However, many transferees will have only a smaller fraction of their classes validated.

ring mathematics he took were all only credited to Math 11.

Worse still is Puno’s case. He transferred from the University of Massachusetts and only had Basic Information Technology Applications in Business (ITM 11)—a zero unit class—validated.

The validation process starts with the concerned department reviewing the syllabus of the class taken during the transferee’s previous enrollment. This serves for comparative purposes: To see what the

We already took the subject— what's there to prove?

— JUSTIN CHUA Transferee, III BS Mgt

For Patricio, that fraction included only co-curricular subjects: Three physical education (PE) classes and National Service Training Program (NSTP). Del Rosario also had these classes and an additional unit of the laboratory component of Natural Science validated.

Mikee Serafica, management sophomore and transferee from University of Santo Tomas, was luckier. She had two PE classes, two Natural Science lec t u re cla sses, Modern Mathematics I (Ma 11) and a free elective validated.

Justin Chua, management junior and transferee from La Salle, succeeded in validating onethird of the units he had taken.

However, the 15 units of enginee-

student has already taken up and if the syllabus is equivalent to that of the Ateneo. This part of the process—reviewing the class syllabus—is standard across all departments of the LS. Filipino Depa r t ment Chair Joseph Salazar says the transferee should have been graded at least B in the class. He adds, “[Sining ng Pakikipagtalastasan sa Filipino I (Fil 11)] is difficult to validate because not a lot of schools offer the same program that combines Filipino literature with a cultural and multidisciplinary component.”

Salazar says the Filipino Department already gives a diagnostic examination that all freshmen have to take and

that “administering additional exams to credit subjects from another university will only lead to the loss of more valuable instruction time.”

An application of syllabi

H o w e v e r, for some departments, a syllabus is not telling enough of a transferee’s knowledge on the subject. These departments then add another step in the unit accreditation process: Validation exams.

One such department is the English Department. Associate Chair DM Reyes explains, “There has to be a follow-up— meaning to say, [the skills that are listed in the syllabus] must really be manifested by the students. We need a written exam.

[It] consists of two parts: First, it is objective, and then, second, a part devoted to essay writing, to the development of essayistic thought, so to speak.”

He also mentions that Introduction to Fiction (Lit 13) and Introduction to Poetry and Drama (Lit 14) are difficult to validate because they are specialized classes on genre and are unique to the Ateneo. Other universities would only offer Introduction to Literature and genre classes would only be for Literature majors.

The Psychology Department also chooses to gauge a student’s knowledge through his or her performance on the validation examination. Officer-in-Charge Ma. Elizabeth Macapagal says that the validation examination that the depa rtment administers is usually “the final exam of [General Psychology (Psy 101)].” It covers seven to nine chapters of Ciccarelli and White’s Psychology (2011) and transferees are only given a week to study for it, regardless

of when the subject was taken in the transferee’s previous enrollment.

Macapagal also says that the department is only following LS policy. However, there is no provision in the handbook about this process.

For Chua, this process is unfair.

“We already took the subject— what's there to prove?” he asks.

He also questions the value of being tested on certain subjects before they get validated, saying that the relevance of the class to a transferee’s course should be considered in the deliberation for class validation “I think it’s kind of unfair that I came from an engineering course [and] I’m going to a management course… and I took Math 19 again. It’s just the same.

It’s just the same as the math I took in engineering. It was even somehow easier,” he says.

Puno echoes these thoughts.

He had to repeat classes he had already taken in the States and he felt that he did not learn anything new from them.

Del Rosario finds it unfair that her Introduction to Environmental Science (ES 10) class was not validated when she really did take the class at her previous school. However, she says that she was thankful that she took the Ateneo equivalent of La Salle’s college algebra because if she had not taken Ma 11, she would have had a harder time in Calculus for Economists (Ma 20).

Blocked from blocks

Challenges for transferees do not end with the validation of classes. Because each transferee gets different classes validated, it is hard to find another student with the exact same Individual Program of Study (IPS). It is dif-

ficult, then, for transferees to have classes together.

Transferees get put into Block TR, a melting pot of students from different universities coming into the Ateneo to pursue different disciplines.

For Serafica, the hardest part of being a transferee is precisely that. “Yes, there’s Block TR but there really isn’t a block that you can rely on when you ask about projects or homework,” she says in a mix of English and Filipino. Similarly, Patricio feels she cannot participate in course-related activities because she is not in a block of health science majors.

Del Rosario shares that having a block with so many students has its downsides. It means that you can never really get to know everyone.

On the other hand, Chua thinks being in Block TR was a good thing, saying that it allowed him to bond with students from other schools.

Serafica says that there were times when it would only be one or two transferees in a class of another block. “Noong first sem, super out-of-place [ako] tapos parang ‘g rabe, mag-isa ako’ (During my first semester, I felt really out-ofplace and I would think, ‘Wow, I’m alone’),” she adds.

Chua says that Block TR gets dissolved after the students’ first year in the LS. The students get distributed to blocks of their respective courses.

He says, “Honestly, for me, I’d prefer to stick with the block immediately—to the management block. [The office concerned] should distribute us to the different blocks instead [of keeping all of us in Block TR].”

Block Size

The transferee experience

Regular students

Transferees block

RESEARCH BY Mint A. Marquez INFOGRAPHIC BY Paulina L. Almira

During a transferee’s first year in the Loyola Schools, his or her experience of studying in the Ateneo is significantly different than a regular student’s. From being in Block TR to repeating classes, transferees face additional challenges in adjusting to a new university.

Legend Regular students of the same courses

Transferees of different courses

Intact Sessions Regular students

Transferees block

Classes Regular students

Transferees block

The GUIDON June 2014

3

SWITCHING SCHOOLS. Admission to the Ateneo on the second attempt proves to be more difficult.

PHOTO BY PIA R. NICOLAS

Class experience

Block TR does not have any classes together except Introduction to Ateneo Culture and Traditions (Intact) and Fil 11, although their block will most probably be halved for those classes. Some transferees may even be in other sections entirely. For other subjects in the core curriculum, transferees often do not get pre-enlisted, even for English and Literature blocks.

Because transferees do not have a common IPS on Ateneo Integrated Student Information System (Aisis), it would be difficult to pre-enlist them in certain subjects in the core curriculum.

It would be logistically easier if transferees just enlisted themselves, making them join classes of other blocks.

Serafica enjoys this freedom because she is free to make her own schedule and choose her

own professors. On the other hand, Puno says that one of the most difficult things that comes with being a transferee is having problems with Aisis.

He explains that on Aisis, transferees would be listed as freshmen during their first year in the Ateneo. Because some classes in the core curriculum have already been credited, they would be taking subjects like Psy 101 or even the Philosophy

subjects—subjects that freshmen do not take—in their first year.

Transferees have to wait until the upperclassmen finish enlisting in order to take their turn.

“You probably won’t get a section or you’ll get a 7:30 AM class and then a 6:00 to 9:00 PM class with professors who aren’t the ones you really want,” he says.

Puno obser ves that transferees are older and more

mature than the incoming freshmen. “Most of us are older, so I don’t think we need things like Intact and [the Freshmen Orientation Seminar],” he says.

Compromises

Recall: Finding out you got accepted into the Ateneo.

Patricio says she was “grateful because not everyone is given the chance to study in Ateneo.”

“[I felt] really, really happy because this was my dream school,” says Serafica.

Do you regret transferring?

Even after repeating classes and experiencing countless enlistment problems, Chua answers, “I think I don’t. I don’t really.”

Editor’s Note: Inquiry Editor Mint A. Marquez is a transferee.

Unit Accreditation Process

ADSA PSYCH

HISTORY

FIL

MATH

Class Validation Forms

If the class is credited, you do not have to take the class again. If it is not, then you have to take the class again in the Ateneo.

EITHER The department decides whether or not to credit the class.

Submit your class syllabus to the department.

OR REGISTRAR

Submit the class validation form to the Office of the Registrar.

Take a validation exam.

Find out unit accreditation process of the department.

Most of the time, you only show your class syllabus.

Sometimes, you also have to take a validation examination.

4

Inquiry

The GUIDON June 2014

Beyond dates and readings

By Eugene G. Ong and Mivan V. Ong

O

n June 12, the Philippines celebrated the 166th anniversary of its declaration of independence from Spain.

Even if this proclamation turned out to be mere rhetoric in the face of the American occupation, it is by no means a mere footnote in our history. In fact, it plays a crucial role in shaping society.

People may perceive this independence as a sign of positive change, but history is a doubleedged sword—it can also be associated with social regression and be perceived negatively.

These regressive events are often the source of the problems that currently plague society.

Social issues, such as inequality and poverty, are deeply rooted and intertwined with histories.

Likewise, a society’s past can shed a light on why these problems came to be and sometimes even repeat themselves.

History often lends its hand in shaping societies and Philippine society is no exception. While it has produced a national identity of colonial cultures, of failed democracy and of many social issues, the scope of its impact is not only limited to identity.

History influences even the formation of the identities of smaller institutions and individuals.

Much of this inf luence happens in the process of formal education. As such, the version of history people learn in school is, in many cases, the version they believe in for the rest of their lives. More often than not, these history classes either overtly or subtly shape the political views of those who take them.

A matter of philosophies

Each history class in the Ateneo core curriculum—Asian

History (Hi 16), Western History (Hi 18), Rizal and the Emergence of the Philippine Nation (Hi 165) and Philippine History (Hi 166)— focuses on different aspects of history. Hi 165, for example, places a distinct emphasis on viewing history in the perspective of the country’s national hero.

In the syllabus of one such class, the class is divided into topics such as “Ang Kasaysayan Ayon kay Rizal (History According to Rizal)” and “Ang Paghagilap ni Rizal sa Prehispanikong Pilipino (Rizal’s Discovery of Pre-Hispanic Filipinos).”

History professors, however, are not required to adhere to a standardized syllabus. As such, the specific topics and grading systems per class can vary and may reflect the professor’s personal beliefs and philosophies.

For instance, Francis Navarro, an assistant professor, focuses his Asian History classes on the work of Asian heroes and relates them back to the country’s own past with the intention of cultivating appreciation for history.

By framing his discussions in the modern context, Navarro hopes to dispel the common notion that history is just another subject that needs to be gotten over and done with. More than that, he wants students to become curious—to read and do research on their own. “History is basically about reading,” he says.

In agreement with Navarro’s philosophy in teaching history, David Lozada III, another assistant professor, sees history as something that needs not be dull, but instead, fun and informative.

He emphasizes that “history in its purest form is storytelling.”

As both an instructor and storyteller, Lozada makes it a point to tell these stories in the most entertaining and informative fashion possible, while still remaining appropriate for a classroom setting.

Many of the mistakes of history, I tell my students, are precisely because of students who say, "It's not my problem."

— JOSE TIROL Assistant professor, History Department

Stories, too, are the focus of the philosophy of Jose Tirol, also an assistant professor of the History Department. For him, however, the emphasis is on the role of the ordinary person in shaping the course of history. “There’s the academic discipline,” he quips. “Then there's our story.”

Another point he stresses in his classes is the responsibility that results from this power to influence history. One particular lesson he taught his classes was the motto, “You only die once.”

“Precisely because you only die once, we all have responsibility to do something,” he explains. “Your humanity is defined in how you make other people better, whether be it in small things or big things.”

Lessons of identity

Tirol’s philosophy carries over to the idea of national pride.

Although he teaches Hi 18, a Western history class with little direct relation to the Philippines, Tirol still thinks that his classes do promote nationalism.

“I can talk about the parallels with Philippine history,” he says.

He points out the instances in Western history when ordinary people took matters into their own hands to change society and connects them to the People Power Revolution of 1986.

“In that sense, you can find a national pride,” he continues.

“We are Filipinos, no matter who our leaders are. We Filipinos are able to shape things just like people of other countries do. We don’t need big leaders to make a difference.”

In relation to national pride, Lozada believes that history can be used to debunk foreigners’ stereotypes of Filipinos set in the past. He cites, for example, Jose Rizal’s defense of Filipino culture in his annotations to

PHOTOS BY ALEXIS A. CASAS

Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (Events in the Philippine Isles). Through the debunking of these stereot ypes, Lozada believes that Filipinos will appreciate their culture more and be more proud of who they are.

Lozada goes further by stressing the relationship between love for country and nationalism. “If Filipinos are not proud of who they are, [if ] they’re not proud of their country, [if ] they’re not proud of their heritage, then there's no point in even discussing the notion of nationalism,” he says.

Navarro, for his part, relates the national experiences of other countries to ours. For example, the plight of Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi highlights our own struggles for the right to elect our leaders.

While Tirol and Lozada e m ph a s i z e a s e n s e of allegiance to Filipino political ideals, Navarro’s approach is driven a lot more by ethnicity.

Compared to Malaysians and Singaporeans, he contends t h at F i l ipi no s a r e not extremely proud of their race.

“In the '60s, even our own neighbors, the Indonesians a nd M a l a y si a n s , wou ld question our being Asian,” he says. As such, he challenges students to evaluate the basis of our national identity.

Navarro, who also teaches Hi 166, tries to make students appreciate the differences between the Philippine and foreign perspectives of history. “I want to give readings by Filipinos,” he says, “and then counter it with another reading made by a foreigner and to see the comparison, the similarities.”

Nevertheless, Navarro makes it clear that he is not forceful with his ideas. “I still respect the freedom of the student to define what nationalism [is for them] and [encourage] them to go deeper.”

Action from past action

Navarro further relates nationalism to a budding social issue in the nation: Minority rights. In his classes, Navarro calls attention to the exclusion of Muslims and indigenous peoples from the dominant historical narrative, a fact he finds troubling given their role in our history.

He also tries to compare social challenges of the present with those of the past in his classes.

For example, Navarro speaks of poverty as it was during the Spanish and American times and then uses these past examples to contextualize poverty in the present. He asks his students, “What are we trying to do about it? Are we following the same trend? Have we learned from our past, from history?”

At the same time, Navarro believes that history classes should help build political consciousness. He thinks that people can be inspired by the likes of Jose Rizal and Apolinario Mabini.

Mabini, he says, impressed both the Spanish and Americans with his nuanced political philosophy—proof that Filipinos, too, are capable of sophisticated intellectual engagement.

He also encourages his students to read up and find stories to better appreciate the present.

For example, in the aftermath of the failure of the Sanggunian elections, he told his students about his life during the Martial Law to remind them how the political freedoms now taken for granted was nonexistent just forty years ago.

Tirol, on the other hand, hopes that his classes teach his students to engage in social action as an application of the philosophy he espouses. He uses his experiences of the Second People Power as an example.

“Instead of teaching my regular class, I gave a 20-minute lecture [on] why they should be up there in the EDSA and not just be

inside the classroom,” he recalls.

Other examples that he uses are the experiences of genocide in history. “Genocides will recur because one, people don’t think it happens often and two, it will recur because people don’t think that it's their problem,” he explains. “Many of the mistakes of history, I tell my students, are precisely because of students who say, ‘It’s not my problem.’”

Lozada wishes that his students learn to challenge existing stereotypes and beliefs. He cites the Nine-Dash Line, China’s basis for occupying territories in the West Philippine Sea, as one claim that must be contested both legally and historically.

Without any meaningful challenge, for him, questionable claims and stereotypes become unquestionable truths in the eyes of society.

Point of influence

Despite the differences in teaching styles, one thing is made certain by the three professors: The study of history plays a definitive part in defining nationalism and social involvement.

It is undeniable that somehow, these professors have left their marks in the lives of more than a few students. “I was happy with the results of last semester,” says Navarro. “I was happy.”

Not all students do come to appreciate the history classes in the curriculum, however.

“Teachers aren’t messiahs; I’ve learned that over the years,” admits Tirol. Nevertheless, he still tries the best he can, armed with his stories and passion.

He tells the story of the boy and the starfish, where the boy tries, in vain, to return all the starfish washed up on the shore to the sea. “It still matters to the starfish. Never mind if the others will dry up or be sent back, but the point is I was able to help some.”