The Mayumo Special Flash Issue Vol.1

The Official Student Publication of San Miguel National High School

03 NEWS SMNHS RELEASES LIST OF STE PROGRAM QUALIFIERS 04 FEATURE BUILDING BRIDGES

In the Dark EDITORIAL

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Editor’s Note

02

A Hopeful Beacon EDITORIAL BOARD Raphael Evan Tecson Editor-in-Chief (External)

John Lawrence Trinidad Editor-in-Chief (Internal)

Jeonrick Marcus Hipolito Judee Krizia Alvañiz Associate Editors

Rinzen Gonzales Dan Lloyd Fernandez Managing Editors

Amberainne Mendoza Dann Emmanual Felipe Vanessa May Flores Section Editors

These are dark times.

As the CoViD-19 pandemic ravages the country, we have been bearing the onslaught of challenges that surface to further perturb an already suffering nation. The government, however, continuously seems to be hindered from being capable of handling the situation.

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More than a body of information or act of protest, we aspire for this issue to be a beacon of light.

The President’s midnight rambling offer no relief to the distressed citizens, corruption still propagates amidst the crisis, and medical frontliners are given less imCarrie Anne Manlapas portance than what they deserve. Meanwhile, perennial problems such as selective Layout Artist justice, extrajudicial killings, and red-tagging are still rampant.

Jeremias Pablo A law that threatens our freedom of expression now stands.

Contributor Allan Jason P. Sarmiento And now, the desparation to keep moving forward amidst the pandemic reaches Adviser the Department of Education. With it, the academic year will start amidst the crisis, Maria Cecilia T. Manio Joanna Mariel Villamor unconcerned whether families can afford it. With online learning taking center stage, Assistant Advisers and other methods too dependent on students isolated from their educators, it would Maria C. Alvarez seem that people would be left disregarded, their cries and clamor left unheard as they Head Teacher VI English Department Marciano V. Cruz Jr. fade away in the dark.

Principal IV They shouldn’t be.

The moment that we accept and support a system that encourages to leave behind those that can’t keep up, rather than empower them, will be the moment of our defeat.The Mayumo releases this special issue to call and advocate for consideration and compassion to less fortunate families already struggling within the pandemic, yet are striving to send their children to school due to the fear of being left behind. We cannot encourage this.

This is no time for selfish mindsets.

It is with hope that this special issue gives insight about the unfortunate circumstances faced by our fellow Filipinos. More than a body of information or act of protest, we aspire for this issue to be a beacon of light.

It is by cooperating can we help each other and achieve a high quality education system that each student deserves.

No one should be left in the dark.

Justin Angelo Tabada Chief Cartoonist

Graphics by Justin Angelo Tabada

News

SMNHS commemorates Bulacan’s founding anniversary

03

Dan Lloyd Fernandez

Spearheaded by San Miguel National High School’s supreme student government, the school paid homage to the 422th inauguration of Bulacan through a Facebook post last Saturday.

The social media post also called for Bulakenyos to take pride in being a part of the province of Bulacan. In an interview via messenger, Tristan Maglaque, the organization’s president, said that their purpose was to inform the students of SMNHS about our province. “August 15 is not just another holiday, it is the day Bulacan was born”, he said.

The said holiday is based from The New Provincial Administrative Code of Bulacan Section 27 or “The Provincial Legal Holidays” of Bulacan.

Graphics by Carrie Anne Manlapas

SMNHS releases list of STE program qualifiers Judee Krizia Alvañiz

In compliance with the “new normal”, San Miguel

National High School (SMNHS) released the list of S.Y

2021 Science, Technology and Engineering (STE) program qualifiers via facebook post, August 10.

Graphics by Carrie Anne Manlapas

Following the Regional Memorandum no. 136, the enrollees were ranked according to the average grade of their Grade 6 Science, Math and English subjects. The list showed that it was Jay Ar Mananquil who ranked first among the enrollees, with an average grade of 97.3, followed by Jaime Dela Cruz II, with 97.

“Kinakabahan ako, at the same time, masaya ako na qualified ako sa STE. Na kakakaba bilang ako ay incoming Grade 7 at ang klase ng pagtuturo ay hindi tulad ng dati,” said Dallin Matias, rank 12.

Regarding the school’s adjustment to the changes brought by the pandemic,

Evelyn Domalaon, Head Teacher VI of the Science Department, said that the school has already seeked help from the LGUs regarding the distribution and collection of modules and other learning materials.

“The school is doing its best in preparation for the upcoming classes on October 5,” she added.

Moreover, Domalaon stated that the teachers are already having a Learning Action Cell about different teaching modalities. “Nagkakaroon na rin ng demo teaching ang mga guro para magsanay sa different platforms na gagamitin sa pagtuturo,” the science head added.

BUILDING BRIDGES John Lawrence Trinidad

He looks on to the waning glow on the horizon, grateful how another day has been lived.

And yet, while herding their trip of goats, he wonders, should he go on?

Such question has thrived long in the mind of Juan (not his real name) as unease and fear of what the future holds keep him bounded to the reality unfolding before him.

The CoViD-19 pandemic has swept across the world, shoving the people indoors and countries to the brink of an economic crisis. Meanwhile, the Philippine government, in its attempt to restart the system, firmly pushes the start of the academic year.

Striving to make ends meet, Juan used to take part-time jobs to help his family.

Orphaned by his father, goat raising has been their only source of income.

Their mother however, amidst having heart complications and diabetes, instills hope in them and determination to keep going. Education is their key to move along with the world.

Graphics by Justin Angelo Tabada

The devastation of the current pandemic threatens to leave them marooned.

Part-time jobs have gone less frequent for Juan. His uncle, a seafarer who used to shoulder his education, has also been hurdled by the pandemic.

With the opening of classes currently imminent, and all the obstacles along their path, Juan still promises not to be left behind.

Already enrolled, Juan looks into alternative methods provided by the Department of Education such as modular learning. In an interview, he stated how we would have preferred online learning instead. "Kasi, kahit paano, guided ka ng teachers mo sa mga lessons," he said.

Still, with gadgets unavailable and internet connectivity difficult to sustain, he maintains that he will still continue with school. "Sayang naman yung isang taon, lalo na dahil Grade 12 naman na."

Determined, Juan will pursue modular learning for its flexible schedule in order to still take on part-time jobs in the day and study at night. He will continue his

parents' dreams that they finish their studies, whatever it takes.

Amidst the fear of what the future holds, Juan and his family fight to move forward. The threat of an unseen virus as a foe, and the difficulty of pursuing education in these times as a looming obstacle, are nothing in his quest for victory.

The threat of an unseen virus as a foe, and the difficulty of pursuing education in these times as a looming obstacle, are nothing in his quest for victory.

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And as he looks on to the vanishing orange glow on the far horizon, his persistence swells.

The pandemic may threaten to isolate him, but to reach his dreams, he would have to build his own bridges.

features Dan

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Graphics by Justin Angelo Tabada

Our salvation has just begun——with agony.

In our world doomed by the unseen antagonists, the ambitious crave of the government to deliver knowledge with quality to all had our heroes bearing the cross of suffering, pressure and torment upon their shoulders, walking through the path of calvary; barefooted and thirsty. Slashed with the whips of heavy loads and responsibilities. Yet glorified with the crown of unfelt recognition.

This sadly is our reality. This sadly is truth.

See the unseen as they succumb to the challenges, wherein they are obliged to bear the unmeasurable weight of the cross of much more heavy workloads with lesser sight for resources.

Hear it from the unheard as they vigorously step upon the new phase of change where lament of hardships awaits them.

This came to be of today’s destiny; sufferings and angst.

With the highly escalating cases of the wide-spread CoVid-19 with the data reported by the Department of Health as of August 23, 2020, with a total of 189,601 confirmed cases. This is yet another burden added to the cross of agony.

Facing the New Phase of Challenges The plead from the thirst of our teachers that are sturdily upbringing the cross of challenges came to be clearly invisible to our leaders. As per upon the interview of The Mayumo staffer to Mrs. Evelyn J. Cielo, a 47-year-old Grade 2 Public School adviser, answered that in today’s way of teaching, their salary isn’t enough to cope with the change in the preparations.

She also stated that it became harder for them to see their students feel more unusual with the ‘new-normal way’ of learning.

And also they came to be obligated of learning how to use technology in teaching, having the use of the internet. These vivid answers are clear evidences that chances of delivering quality education to all is a challenge way bigger than expected.

If only they are powerful enough.

If only they are valued enough.

If only.

Unseen. Unheard. Unfelt. It is as if that our teachers nowadays are tortured silently with their thirst for more reasonable resources and obligations.

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It is as if that our teachers nowadays are tortured silently with their thirst for more reasonable resources and obligations.

As days pass by we came closer to the mandated Opening of Classes for the School Year 2020-2021 at October 5, 2020, pressure and loads of work continue to burden teachers with the fear of the pandemic and yet with perseverance they continue to walk unitedly upon the path of calvary and as what an African Proverb states, “Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors”.

And so are the desperate situations we are facing can be taken to a positive side therefore we can overcome all of it.

All this sadly is our reality. All this sadly is truth.

In our world doomed by the unseen antagonists, the ambitious crave of the government to deliver knowledge with quality to all had our heroes bearing the cross of suffering, pressure and torment upon their shoulders, walking through the path of calvary; barefooted and thirsty. Slashed with the whips of heavy loads and responsibilities. Yet glorified with the crown of unfelt recognition.

Our salvation has just begun——with agony. With the vision to serve the future here are our teachers hidden in the truth that they are crucified and so the future will not perish but have eternal knowledge.

editorial IN THE DARK

The ‘New Normal’ caused by the current pandemic has put the spotlight on the government as it threatens our constitutional right: quality and accessible education for all.

As COVID-19 continues to affect our education system, the Department of Education’s solution to the restriction of faceto-face classes are distance learning and self-learning modules.

However, these solutions are not enough as the safety and efficacy of these methods are disregarded.

Uncertainty and danger lie ahead for public school teachers, who will carry the burden of the DepEd’s provisions for its proposed “blended learning.”

Tasked with distribution and retrieval of modules for hundreds students, some teachers are put at risk in their line of duty.

While DepEd claims that they are ready, this claim is merely banked on the expectation that teachers will fulfill their duties, even amidst “the brunt of state neglect,” as Alliance of Concerned Teachers Secretary General Raymond Basilio stated.

Furthermore, ACT recently slammed the Department of Education for the lapse of around 7 million students with regard to enrollment in the upcoming school year initially scheduled to start on August 24.

“While DepEd’s latest enrollment data show that 19.5 million learners have enlisted for the coming school year, this does not necessarily mean that all of them will push through with or complete the school year,” Raymond Basilio, secretary general of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) added.

This shows that the Department of Education’s progress to ensure the safe return to classes takes a hit on less-privileged students.

The education department’s home schooling and online learning approach is also a huge disadvantage to students in remote areas who do not have access to internet or do not even have gadgets at all.

With blended learning to be used in these remote areas, the challenge of technology still remains for public school students. Other factors such as learning environment, inclination to learning, and learner attitudes toward home learning can also affect learning outcomes in the proposed method.

Never before had education been so inaccessible.

Education in the new normal should be safe, where the health of stakeholders are prioritized, and adaptive, where technology bridges the financial gaps rather than increase it.

DepEd must rethink their approach as the achievement of education is a right. Not even one student should be left in the dark.

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Education in the new normal should be safe, where the health of stakeholders are prioritized.

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Opinion

W

e seem to be trapped in an endless seesaw game that seems so stable — the bad thing is that we are at the lower and negative end.

As of August 9, 2020, the total cases of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are 129,913 wherein 59,968 are active, 67,675 are recovered and 2,270 deaths.

Health experts once said that the peak will be 75,000 cases — but looking at the current COVID-19 cases, are we really flattening the curve or continuously reaching the “peak”?

Amid the rise of infections, the Philippines’ gross domestic product declined by 16.5% in the second quarter according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) which is the country’s biggest reduction in economic activity. The pandemic and its adverse effects are testing the economy like never before.

The only seemingly possible solution is to impose another enhanced community

M

quarantine (ECQ), but due to the current economic woes, it will be difficult. President Rodrigo Duterte said: “The problem is we don’t have money anymore. I cannot give food anymore and money to people.”

PRIMED Jeremias Pablo

Negative: Stable Seesaw The inconsistent community quarantine change seems to be one of the causes of rising cases. The ECQ was implemented on March 16, then it was changed to general community quarantine (GCQ) in June despite the continuous rise of infections; after that Metro Manila, Bulacan,

Disappointing Appointees

oney is the root of all evil, even if you ask the personalities involved in the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s (PhilHealth) scandals from then up to now. PhilHealth is among the government offices that often get involved in corruption cases. But it was in this administration wherein big-time, in-your-face corruption happened.

Remember Celestina de la Serna? PhilHealth incurred an 8 billion net income loss during her term as the agency’s officer-in-charge from 2018 to 2019. She used an expensive hotel suite as her home and spent over half a million pesos of government funds for accommodations, flights, and terminal fees, according to a Rappler investigation. She was fired by President Duterte but was never made accountable. In fact, she was repositioned as one of PhilHealth’s board of directors.

Roy Ferrer, another Duterte appointee as replacement of De la Serna, had the same history of PhilHealth corruption. As noted by a Commission on Audit (COA) memorandum, PhilHealth registered net losses reaching P4 billion during his term. He was forced to resign, but was then reassigned by the president to the Department of Health.

You would think that Duterte would learn from his mistakes.

But then Ferrer was replaced by Ricardo Morales, whose term had the current 15 billion peso missing funds amidst a health crisis. And what’s so (un)surprising about it is that the president hasn’t lifted a finger to fire Morales. He decided to take things

Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal were reverted to modified ECQ or MECQ from August 4 to August 18.

The MECQ is the answer to the frontliners’ appeal for a two-week “timeout” for rising COVID-19 cases despite the economic woes we are facing. This twoweek MECQ must be used to rethink and recalibrate the strategies to control COVID-19 infections.

We seem to be waging in a losing battle against COVID-19. From hospital workforce deficiency, failure of case finding and isolation to workplace safety, and the plan for transportation safety. We need to construct a definite plan of action, not just vague words with no validation.

I deem putting prime importance on health problems is the best solution to deliver far-reaching and long-term impact.

Let’s put an end and change the weight to this prolonged seesaw game.

SPIT IT OUT

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Amberainne Mendoza

The pile-up of corruption cases under this administration had unmasked the evils.

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slow and have a Senate investigation. Meanwhile, the culprits are still on the loose, and people continue to suffer because they can’t get proper compensation from PhilHealth.

The story only becomes more convoluted during the investigation as Keith accuses Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, another Duterte appointee, as the godfather of the PhilHealth mafia.Duque has held various positions in PhilHealth since 2001 and is allegedly aware of all the agency’s irregularities.

This corruption in PhilHealth, and in the government as a whole, must stop. It is the people’s money that they are spending for personal gain. The people involved in corruption, not only in PhilHealth but the whole of the Duterte’s administration, should undergo a thorough investigation.

The pile-up of corruption cases under this administration, including those that happened and continue to happen in PhilHealth, had unmasked the evils. It is time to send them behind bars. It is time for us, the Filipinos, to stop believing in the government’s lies.

Bear Arms!

Scitech

Graphics by Carrie Anne Manlapas

Fighting An Unseen Nemesis in the 21st Century Rinzen Gonzales

Amidst a war where guns cannot kill the enemy, one should be aware of another foe - patiently waiting in the dark for the perfect chance to wreak havoc in the midst of chaos.

The battle has stretched on far enough. Many soldiers are down while casualties are pilling up, leaving mountains of bodies on the scene. And in their weakened state, an old enemy arose exploiting our kryptonite and using it against us. May we all fear once more a long-standing adversary named Hepatitis.

Following an article published by the World Health Organization (WHO), our opponent is actually a virus, a microscopic particle that's not even alive, that spreads complications through contact with contaminated food and water with an infected person's feces. Imagine a whole army of them and five of those are the main officials namely Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. However, a battalion of them isn't enough to eradicate humanity for we eliminated them first by the use of vaccines.

Yet this begs the question of how a banished foe with a gross way of trans-

mission infiltrated our defenses right under our noses?

WHO has an answer. According to them, those infected rarely go to clinics and centers for the fear of contracting COVID-19. "There was also limited options for transportation going to and from the health centers.� said Taguig City Hepatitis Coordinator Dr. Liezl Ramos. They chose to endure nausea, diarrhea and fever rather than risk themselves outside.

They also stated that high-risk areas, or those living with an infected person and has poor sanitation, are even more vulnerable during the pandemic. With the distributions of supplies "at the very least delayed or at most halted", government agencies struggle to look for better alternatives.

Even so, health centers should focus more on dealing with a deadlier opponent with no available vaccine at all, right? Well, our veterans in doctor's clothing suggests the contrary.

Bataan Governor Albert Garcia backs this up by saying that health responses like the Hepatitis program shouldn't be neglected. Right now, Bataan is leading the country's retaliation against this monster with 25 Screening, Assessment, and Treatment Facilities (SATF) that are fully operational. While Dr. Ramos and her team takes part in door-todoor services for infected individuals.

As a society, we must not leave the frontlines only to the hands of professionals. Equipping oneself with soap is enough to combat the spread of Hepatitis. Moreover, vaccinating your entire family is ideal to be immune from Hepatitis.

In a war where we cannot see our enemy, we must open our eyes in order to see that even the smallest of actions can turn the tide of war.