A Matter of Truth

The system isn’t broken; it’s working as perfectly corrupt as it was intended to.

A bold, cowardly refuge of the weak — as aptly described by the New York Times. Media censorship, as its name imposes, is the act of censoring informa�on by revising, adjus�ng, or discarding content that people in power label as objec�onable, indecent, poli�cally incorrect, and more. Media repression, on the other hand, maneuvers the media through in�mida�on, harassment, physical violence, arrests, or even imprisonment of journalists. These methods allow those in authority to filter out what informa�on they want to broadcast through media channels—but for what cause? Personal gain? Ulterior mo�ves? To keep people from being aware of the truth? Or in this case, to cloak the nega�ves of an ins�tu�on under a façade of posi�ve deeds?

Media censorship and repression is an a�ack on both the freedom of speech, and the freedom of the press. This hinders campus journalists to communicate what needs to be communicated, shu�ering the voices of not only the students, but the school itself.

Crimes against the campus press spans vastly that, in fact, the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) has documented approximately a thousand instances of campus press freedom infringements since 2010. Several of these incidents encompass ac�ons such as: In�mida�on and/or violence targe�ng student authors and editors, interference with editorial guidelines, ac�ve control over editorial material, retaining and misusing funds meant for publica�on, lack of collec�on or obligatory collec�on of publica�on fees, managerial involvement, temporary suspension and removal of student editors and authors, ini�a�on of defama�on accusa�ons against student reporters.

And even while wri�ng this editorial ar�cle, we wonder: how can we be the vanguards of truth if our safety is compromised?

Incidents that compromise the safety of us campus journalists infringe RA 7079 or the Campus Journalism Act of 1991. But, according to CEGP, because of this law’s “toothlessness”, fully lacking a dis�nguishable punishment, “perpetrators know they will never be accountable for said crimes.”

“Sa pag-ensure ng press freedom sa campus journalism, hindi dapat makikialam o i-manipulate ng mga school admin ang editorial processes sa mga publica�on. Kasi sa totoo lang, may mga ganoong kaso sa ibang schools — pinagbabawalan maglabas ng ciri�cal stories. Kung ano ang gusto ng mga estudyanteng ibalita at kung paano nila gustong ibalita, sila ‘yung may responsibility doon,” as aptly exhumed by Angelo Vince Marfil, the features editor of SINAG (the publica�on of the University of the Philippines-Diliman), in the ar�cle by The Post en�tled Campus Journalism Faces Threats of Repression.

Marfil’s statement clearly encompasses what sec�on four of the Campus Journalism act of 1991 is: that a student publica�on’s editorial board shall freely determine its editorial policies as well as the management of its funds.

Press freedom is the cornerstone of developing a be�er society because it points out the errors that exists within and beyond the lines of our community, allowing those in power to be�er the system we live in.

If our freedom of press, much so our freedom of speech, is compromised, and people are made to believe a cloaked image of a faulty community under a facade of filtered lies, how can society become a be�er place for us all?

Your Say:

According to the Official Gazette, the Executive Order no.7, s.2022 (which was signed by the newlyelected President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.) allows people to “voluntarily” wear face masks in any public and private setting—may it be indoor or outdoor.

Students in PiliNHS were asked what their say on the matter was.

“Forme,Iagreewiththatprotocolkasiinsomepeopleaka-dependposamokung willing kaming magsuot or no. and din some cases, we’re not comfortable without mask kasi nasanay na po.”

–Jeliane Valenzuela, 12-HUMSS

“Approvepoakodunkasiespeciallymaymgataopokasingnahihirapanwhenit comestobreathingkayapo,kungvoluntarynalangpoangusengmask,masO.K po. Pero dapat po sundin ta parin yung rules ng ibang private or public places.”

–Jaypee B.Albaniel, 12-GAS 5

“Hindi po ako agree. Kasi, malay mo po meron pala yung iba nung virus. Magsusuot pa rin po sila ng face mask kahit po hindi na mandatory yung pagsusuot nila ng maks.”

–Sarah B. Bayos, 8-Loro

“Agree ako kasi minsan may mga cases na may mga nahihirapan huminga. So, pwede naman na hindi na siya mag-face mask. Pero, mas maganda pa rin naman mag-face mask para ma-prevent ang sickness lalo na sa mga kabataan.”

–Danielle B. Espehon, 10-Einstein

A“This law can be a double-edged sword. While people have gained “horde immunity” through vaccines, some remnants of the virus can still wreak havoc if not controlled—and face masks protect us from it. But with this law, the newly risen face-mask pollution may dwindle in capacity.”

-- anonymous

Don’t Cross the Line: What it Means to have Boundaries

By Xavier Brinas

“Everyone has to control themselves. “You are always the one in control of things.” “You’re being too sensitive.” “God,you’reoverreactingagain.”

Whatalie.

Theconceptoflimitsis misunderstoodbymanypeople.They eitherthinkboundariesare“unkind”or theythinktheyalreadyhavedecent boundariestobeginwith.They,onthe otherhand,havebrickwallsbetween them.Havingboundariesisastepforth onmakingbetterofyourrelationship withotherpeople.

AccordingtoElizabeth Earnshaw,relationshipsthatlack healthyboundariessufferfrom feelingsofresentment, disappointment,orviolation. Uncheckedfeelingsresulttoselfseclusionformothers,oreven, enmeshment,whenthereisno clearseparationbetweenyourwants andthose ofothers.Andbothofthese circumstancesarenotideal.

Therearemany definitionsof boundaries,but every individual shouldhave theirown meaning toit.In fact, boundariesshouldberespectedrather questioned.Boundariesshouldbemoreofa humanrightthanasubtlelyattainable privilege.

Indefinition,personalspace immediatelysurroundingsomeoneinto whichanyencroachmentfeelsthreatening tooruncomfortableforthem.Letuslook intothelastpartofthesentence.Youare theonewhodecidesifyouarecomfortable ornot.Butwouldyoubecomfortableif someonedecidesyourlimitsor boundaries—howcomfortable youare—whichreally shouldnotbeanyone else’sdecision,but yours?

That’sdiscomfort. That’sinvading personalspaces,which crossesthelineof boundaries.So,youare notoverreacting—theyare.

After my alarm rings the seventh, consecutive time, I wake up and choose selfviolence: spending 14 hours glued to my phone screen looking at the most gullible memes.Andwhilememesmay look like an unimportant way to kill time, to me—and most other teens— memes have given us a perspective and a senseofsecurityatatimewhen weneededthemmorethanever before.

Goofy images, nonsensical texts, and Kween Leng-leng, memes have become our sourceofentertainment,racing overusforasfarastheinternet goes. Like moths to a flame, memes have become Gen Z's common language: it has helpeduslinkwithpeoplefrom different cultures, races, and various other backgrounds that would have otherwise been barriers to communication. Anditdoesn'tevenendthere— memes have allowed us to express ourselves at a time when feeling true was simply beyondouraccess.Asentiment of acceptance, they showed us thatwewere...valid.

Now that the world is revolvinginachaoticsphereof life-altering events—from political discourse, community affairs, to Covid-19—memes are one way to crawl our way through it all. According to a study from the American Psychological Association, "the right memes can make you feel better even when it reminds you of something bad." By memeifying monumental issues, we tend to loosen the tight tension that it has in all of us, lightening the atmosphere. And though it makes it seem that memes trivialize these problems, the truthisitdoesn't.

Memeshelpusprocesstense chunks of information and compact it in a way that could easily be understood by all— through humor. According to The Swaddle, "memes allow teenagers to participate in discussions pertaining to political and social developments in a less intimidating channel." It basically means that although memes make humor out of global issues, its aim isn't to desensitize any of it at all. In fact, it makes it more accessibletothepopulation.

Whilemostsaythatmemes aid in the spread of misinformation and fake news, memes are entirely just fun jokes and a way to scour entertainment,andshouldn'tbe credited for information dissemination in the first place—they'retheretobringus joy.

Memes have given us a perspective, a sense of place and belonging, in a world that keepsevolvingbeforeoureyes. Whatmorecouldweaskfor?

Above the Law: Are Police Using Their Power for Good?

On December 20,2022, a Senior Mater Sergeant cop had an enraged argument with two civilians—that debacle led Jonel Nuezca, the cop in subject, into drawing his 9 mm. pistol at the heads of Sonya Gregorio, 52, and Frank Anthony Gregorio, 25, and shooting them at point blank-range.

Thisshootingincidentwas caughtoncameraandwentviral onsocialmediathatradiatedthe furyofpeoplenationwide.

Onlineusersandcelebrities denonuncedthekillingsaday afterthetragedyusingthe hashtags#PulisAngTerorista, #EndPoliceBrutalityandsuch onTwitter.

By Jodel Dien Biag

During President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, more than 6,000 civilians were killed bythePhilippineNationalPolice (PNP) during their on-duty “encounters”—precisely kicking it off with the usual “nanlaban” narrative. According to a study conducted by the Human Rights Watch, police are fabricating evidencetosupporttheunlawful killings on WOD. In addition, numerous extrajudicial executions committed by police during drug raids have been connected to the former presidentDuterte'sWODsinceit began in 2016. The abuse or torture of numerous other suspects has also occurred. Carl Arnaiz and Reynaldo de