Q&A Time With Lacsonian-Vlogger Kenn

Women in Maritime: Breaking Barriers

Getting to know Kenn Cordero In 8 Questions Q&a Time With Lacsonian- Vlogger,Kenn!

words by Shaira A. Agregado & Mdwpn. Rengee Gwyneth E. Baldeviso photo courtesy of Kenn Cordero

For some people blogging became a hobby, for some people even a possibility for a living. From making dance covers to creating vlogs online, Kenneth Gardose Cordero, better known as “Kenn Cordero,” a 23-year-old alumnus of Bachelor of Science in Cruise Ship Management (BSCSM) batch 2017-2018 of John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University-Molo (JBLFMU-M), created a name online after hitting the “netizens” interests because of his viral videos full of wit and humor.

His story is like many others; doodling on the wall as a child, making dresses for paper dolls, even ruining the expensive dresses in the closet. We all remember begging our parents for something growing up. For him, it was always art-related. Do you want to know more about Kenn?

Here are 8 Questions with Kenn Cordero:

01 Who influenced you to start vlogging? “As a young person I found vlogging as a fun escape for the challenges I encounter in life as well as showing my jolly and enthusiastic personality and the real me through making videos. I’ve been more inspired when I got featured in different TV Programs because of my viral videos. “TV Patrol Dance” that was aired in TV Patrol Nationwide ABS CBN, “Tatlong Bibe Dance Craze” which got aired in Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho GMA7 and also in It’s Showtime ABS CBN where I won a cash prize.”

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When did you start vlogging?

“I started making videos specifically dance covers and funny videos when I was still in High School during my free time.”

How many years have you been working in Thailand?

“I have been working here in Thailand for almost 2 years.”

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What is your current occupation in Thailand? Particularly where in Thailand?

“I am working as a Food and Beverage staff at Intercontinental Hotel Bangkok!”

As someone who has been working in Thailand for almost 2 years, for you, what are the most distinct cultural differences between Thailand and the Philippines? How about in terms of values?

“Working here in Thailand for almost 2years the differences I observe are first, they are using “P’” before an older person’s name to show respect and “Nong” for somebody younger than them. For example, they are calling P’Kenn if he/she is younger than me while they are calling me Nong’Kenn if that person is older than me. Second, using a Wai gesture on greeting the person which is you need to slightly bow and with your palms that are pressed together with the same as you do in praying. Lastly, one thing I noticed is Body awareness. Never touch a person’s head, you might offend them.”

As someone with experience and a graduate of the same foundation/university, what values do you want to rear or instill to the present and future Lacsonians?

“Humility, perseverance, and optimism are the perfect match that I want the Lacsonians to have. In my own experience from work and day by day basis in life persevering and having a positive outlook in life and humbleness in the heart is a great drive to be able to work efficiently and effectively.”

For you, what are the indicators that make you successful in life?

“For me, the indicators that make a person successful are willing to continuously learn and be able to embrace and accept changes. In life, sometimes you need to accept failures and defeat for you to be able to learn your lesson and soon become a great version of yourself.”

Do you have anything to say to the students who are struggling and finding hope amidst this pandemic to inspire and encourage them to continue fighting for their dreams?

“The pandemic gives us great fear and hindrance to something we are planning but instead of losing hope, we need to be optimistic in a situation like this. Hopefully, we will see this pandemic as an opportunity to be more valuable with something we have right now. we just need to be more patient, appreciative and be grateful. After all, we have our timeline for success, keep on dreaming and life must go on.”

LIFESTYLE&ENTERTAINMENT

DAWN OF A NEW ERA: A GLIMPSE TOWARDS THE GREENER SIDE

words by Mdpwn. MA.Heather C. Bacera

Beth got out of bed and peeped through her window blinds—into the dusk of night the first grey of dawn battled hues of blue and yellow in the sky. It was a Monday morning, she stretched her arms and went to the kitchen to boil hot water. Usually, she would cook for her three children—but it was not like her usual Monday morning where she would tuck them out of bed and send them to school. 4 months after the pandemic broke out, the government declared that everyone should be home during the quarantine. Classes were stopped on mid-finals and everyone else were isolated at home. Clutching the hand shovel, Beth grasped a fistful of soil and gently filled the brown pot as she planted flowers in it. Satisfied— she stood up and glanced around, a smile crept in her lips while watching the view of her garden. Little did she realized that despite with everything that’s going on, there is still a brighter side in life that everyone should look up to. ‘Plant-Tita/ Plant-Tito’ is a new term for people who are fond of collecting different species of plants. I know everyone would agree that there is that one family member who would go crazy on owning a certain plant these days. Who wouldn’t? —you can’t help but be mesmerized with the unique colors and patterns of the different plant species. Even Grechen Fullido, a Tv anchor showed how far her interests for plants went after posting a one particular variety that caught the eye of many because of its size and pleasing appearance—Alocasia or also known Alocasia marorrhizos which she named ‘Cher’ is not just an

ordinary plant. Alocasias, also known as “Elephant Ear” or “Badiang” in Tagalog, are tropical perennial plants characterized by long stalks that can grow up to a height of two meters and its notable large, heart-shaped leaves which earned its moniker. The leaves are edible but should be cooked first because the plant’s sap can cause skin irritation. The plant is also known to treat infections. Despite beWing grown mostly as ornamentals, alocasias can grow wild in clearings and secondary forests at low and medium altitudes in the Philippines. Most of these plants prefer rich, moist soil and can be grown under full sun. However, they generally prefer partial shade. Elephant ears require little attention but those growing in containers need to be watered regularly during the dry season. For other people, planting is just a hobby, but today, it is also a source of income for people who have lost their jobs during the pandemic. Everywhere in the market today, you can pass by plant vendors. Even houses these days are full of colorful plants and pots. Covid-19 is indeed one of the darkest moments that have happened to everyone. But as light continues to touch the ground, and the morning dews still glistens on the morning light—rays of hope will always bring light to darkness.

ENVIRONMENT

MIDNIGHT CRIES: AN AWAKENING CALL FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSE words by Mdpwn. Erica F. Opinion photo courtesy of Planet Cora “This planet is our only home. We have no

other choice – we must care for it.” -Anonymous

As the world faced a global crisis brought by the aftermaths of COVID19, we cannot let another predicament to crumble us. However, it was all of a sudden when unprecedented events took place this year. Awful situations happened globally. And recently, the Philippines has come across several extensive setbacks which one of which is the enormous onslaught of typhoons.

A raging storm has stopped. The light from a crystalline white sky can now gradually seen. Droplets have stocked up in any open spot. The leaves of grainy grass are bowing to the ground as if they mourn the loss of their rare flowers. The wind blows cold air over the land that brings the disastrous shadow of the past.

It’s midnight when Dr. Reyes (not her real name) felt the cold water just beneath her bed. She enjoyed swaying her hands with the flow of the water when she suddenly felt something damp behind her back (she thought she was dreaming while peeing). She immediately opened her eyes with her surprise when she saw a mud-like ocean surrounding her. Cries, calls, and shouts filled the entire place as the first floor of the building has been submerged already. Her room was on the second floor but, the water was so fast-moving that it could knock her out of her feet. She hurriedly ran upstairs but, to her astonishment, she saw nothing but the muddy and massive flood that swamping other peoples’ homes and drowning domestic animals and individuals. The flood swallowed the entire village. All she can hear was the mourns, cries, and screams of the helpless people who got trapped in their place. She tightly hugged herself with tears slowly fall down her eyes. She just got to remember how she convinced the place to join her project in reforestation and campaign to stop the quarrying, illegal logging, and mining in the area five years ago. If only these people have listened to her, they would never be in this dreadful battle against the wrath of mother nature. These midnight cries are no longer a call for help but a scream of realizations; this is now the wake up call for environmental responsibility.

People sat at the edge and witnessed the tragic scenery. The shade of the charcoal- blue clouds was more burdensome in their hearts. It was with heavy emotions with so many questions that began to overflow in their hearts and minds.

THESE MIDNIGHT CRIES ARE NO LONGER A CALL FOR A HELP BUT A SCREAM OF REALIZATION;THIS IS NOW THE WAKE UP CALL FOR ENVRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY.

The beginning of November marked the appalling days for the people of Cagayan, Isabela, Marikina, Rizal, and Pampanga as typhoon Ulysses devastated the area. The lands became a lake, houses, bridges, buildings, and other establishments are drown because of massive flood hits. There were around 100,000 affected families with 343,000 individuals who experienced and suffered from the prodigious onslaught of the typhoon with more than one billion worth of crops, livestock, properties, and infrastructures lost.

It is undeniable that Typhoon Ulysses was unassailable as it hits Luzon yet, experts are looking for another cause of the flooding that submerged most of the areas in the said provinces. Most of them concluded that the opening of the seven gates of Magat Dam was the root cause of the massive flooding. However, science seems to contravene the cause of flooding. Embankments are bound to open once the water it holds is beyond its capacity. Yes, the early notification could help and save the lost lives of the people, but the consequences of illegal logging, quarrying, and mining could not. Illegal logging in Cagayan is tailed as one of the reasons behind enormous floods that devastated the province after a string of recent typhoon Ulysses. According to the Philippine National Police (PNP), the downside of all forms of illegal logging and illegal mining is the massive flooding in the area. Cagayan Province has been battling illegal logging for the past five decades. Former and late DENR Secretary Ms. Regina “Gina” Lopez has already a tip-off regarding the issue of illegal logging, quarrying ang mining in the said areas but it was disheartening when higher-ups seem to overlook this concern. Moreover, the article published by Rose de la Cruz said that, beyond the dam, the principal culprit is the massive deforestation of the watershed areas which serve to regulate the release of rainwater from the hills and mountains, and the decimation of so many trees in the communities which function to increase the absorptive capacity of the grounds. She also emphasized some other factors that triggered the massive flooding which includes farming shift and land conversion which are not a healthy practices for the environment.

Human activity has always been the greatest threat to this planet. Illegal mining, deforestation, and quarrying are slowly chipping away the natural structure of mother nature. What happened in Cagayan, Isabela, Marikina, Rizal, and Pampanga is concrete evidence of what could happen to us if we continue to destroy our environment by doing such actions.

We only have one planet and, this is only our home. If we continue to poison it, what will happen for the next days to come? We are the steward of this world. As we faced tremendous defiance against an adversary, we should not neglect the fact that our environment needs our attention, time, and effort. It needs to be protected, conserved, and rehabilitated--- those midnight cries are indeed an awakening call for environmental responsibility.

DISASTER RISK

Before the rainbow appears: looking back at the inevitable

words by Mdpn.Franklin Kyles Matricular & Rose Antonette A. Ramos photo courtesy of Rappler.com,GMA NEWS and UCA NEWS

Tragedies comes in unexpected ways—and would always caught us off-guard. As raging howls of wind and heavy rain enveloped Luzon during the early morning of November 11— while the rest of us was in deep slumber, some parts of Manila and Cagayan was silently drowning and Typhoon Ulysses immensely wreaked havoc.

In article published by Rappler, Ulysses affected more than three million people from 5,594 barangays in eight regions affected, according to latest government reports, with 283,656 people seeking refuge in 2,205 evacuation centers while 158,926 people are in home-based setting.

Ulysses and Deforestation

Deforestation in the watershed gravely contributed to the unprecedented flooding that led to hundreds of casualties across Metro Manila, but particularly in flood-prone areas in Marikina and Pasig cities, during Ondoy. When we look at the catastrophe even more deeper, there many probabilities that may have caused this tragic event—Industrialization, pollution, and deforestation, basically all human activities are to be accounted for. Now that Luzon once again experienced a devastating flood, Officials pointed this as a consequences of illegal logging and mining. In an article published by Inquirer.Net, Ulysses dumped 356 millimeters of rainfall on Tanay, Rizal, according to data from Pagasa’s Sierra Madre monitoring station above the town. It was the largest volume of rainfall collected from Ulysses, Pagasa weather specialist Ariel Rojas said. In determining the cause of floods in the metropolis, Schneider said there was also a need to look into the condition of the Upper Marikina River Basin, also known as the Upper Marikina Watershed, which could affect the flow of the rainwater toward the rivers snaking through Metro Manila.

Magat Dam: decisions to be put on a weighing scale

During the joint hearing of the House committee on agriculture and food and the committee on North Luzon growth quadrangle, Ricardo Visaya, National Irrigation Administration (NIA) administrator presented a matrix which shows previous weather events that hit Cagayan which denied the allegations that Magat dam is the primary cause of the flooding in Luzon. He explained that Magat River is more than 130 kilometers away from Tuguegarao City in Cagayan, as he cited the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) in saying that it would take 20 to 24 hours to reach Tuguegarao in the event that Magat Dam discharges water. With the heavy downpour brought by Typhoon Ulysses that triggers massive flooding in many parts of the country, it also pushed the water level of Magat Dam beyond normal.

Moreover, Magat Dam is a catch basin of 4,143 square kilometers of watershed and eight (8) upstream rivers namely Alimit, Lamut, Ibulao in Ifugao Province and Abian, Matuno, Sta. Cruz, Marang, Sta. Fe river in Nueva Vizcaya. With the Magat Reservoir and Magat Dam to regulate the gush of water from these sources, flash flood and greater flooding at low-lying areas, which could have caused greater damage to life and property is minimized, if not prevented.

Preparedness and Awareness During Disasters

On the subject of evacuations, in most disasters, many people are reluctant to evacuate their homes—especially Filipinos, even when they know that dangerous hazards are coming, for fear of being robbed or losing their property. According to an article published by Rappler, the national government swears it prepared sufficiently. Caisano Monilla, Deputy Administrator of Civil of Defense said that they were not actually caught flat-footed in during the event but Monilla emphasized that it was a classic case of residents not immediately – or not at all – heeding evacuation orders of their local officials. Many Filipino families still don’t understand the risks of not following the protocols and underestimated the height and force of the water or simply laughed off the evacuation order.

The Role of Sierra Madre

The Sierra Madre is dubbed as the barrier or backbone of Luzon. At 500 kilometers long, the Sierra Madre is the longest mountain range in the country and our greatest hope at surviving the Philippines’ many, many natural disasters—like the recent typhoon Ulysses. According to Esquire— The large mountain range is home to almost 20 protected areas and forests, such as the La Mesa Watershed Reservation and the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscapes. At the same time, Sierra Madre supports its major infrastructure, including irrigation dams, water utility and power plants, which are serving urban. settlements, including Metro Manila. Given its vastness, the range is an important biological to its high floral and faunal diversity, in which many of the species are unique to the Philippines.

Typhoon Ulysses left another scar in 2020 with a total of 102 fatalities. Amidst the ongoing pandemic—natural disasters like typhoons is also a great threat to our safety, that is why we must think of the consequences of our actions because when we don’t—inevitable outcomes always come after.

HEALTH

A Touched of Death;the Unprecedented Nightmare

WORDS BY

Mdpwn.ERICA F. OPINION

“I will be home with no one who can stop me from being with them, even this dreadful virus.”

The first week of January was cold yet gratifying when my employer announced that, this year, I am going to have my vacation to see my family in the Philippines. It was seven years ago when Ellice was begging me to stay, struggling to grasp my skirt while Annice is just in the corner, crying and hugging her favorite stuffed toy named Andy. May 2013 at 3:00 a.m. is the downhearted but courageous act I have made in my life as I slowly went downstairs. It was an unusual feeling compared to those mornings I used to. This time is different because I did not wake up early to prepare for my family’s breakfast. Every step I take makes me shed tears more and more. Questions started to fill my head while reminiscing the memories that I had with my husband and my two angels. It was the last tread to step on before my feet touched the floor when I heard someone at my back. “Ma, where are you going? It’s Saturday, as far as I remember we don’t have the class to attend. Why you wake up so early? What’s with the luggage?” I was skeptical yet enlivened to go home. After seven years of having a virtual connection with my family, now it feels so good to dream about that I can finally embrace them so tightly, giving them the warmest and sweetest kiss I ever have. Every week, if my employer allows me to take some day-off, I skip from one store to another to look and buy some pasalubong for my family and relatives. I was so cheerful and excited to the extent that I ignored the threat spreading about the virus named Covid-19. I was so confident with my immune system since being in a first-world country, with a high profile in the medical field like the UK, COVID 19 will be only a usual disease (just as I thought so). It was the first day of April when I was on my way to a store that my friend referred to me when my head hurts all of a sudden. I feel uneasy that I immediately went back to my apartment. At night, I experienced a fever of 38 degrees Celsius, but all I did was to take some meds and sleep it off. I thought it was just a simple fever. But to my surprise,

as the days went off, it got worsen. I have intense breathing difficulty and a dry cough. Some of my colleagues told me that maybe it is COVID 19, the fast sweeping disease that already infected a thousand people. At first, I’m in denial since I have no idea where I possibly get it. However, one of my colleagues became sick and showed the same symptoms as mine. It was the time when I decided to go to a hospital and have a check-up. As I saw the doctor walking towards me with his head shaking a bit, I knew it- I am positive of the deadly disease. It was a horrible feeling indeed. It was just yesterday when I enjoyed looking around, fantasizing about the fact that after seven years, I will finally be home with my family. I have been longing for them for years. Everything was perfect not until I received such confirmation.

I was immediately isolated and lost contact with the outside world. The four walls of the

isolation room became the shoulders that I can

lean on. My companion was the door where I can talk to and burst out my frustrations. The soft bed and cushion became my comforter. Day by day, my situation gets worsen to the point where I don’t know how to compose myself anymore. I left my family for a bright er future, and I endured the pain of being distant from them. I have been through a lot of predicaments with no one to share with, and for what? I will be home with no one who can stop me from being with them, even this dreadful virus. I firmly motivated myself and kept on holding on to my dream that my family was waiting on the other side of the world.

Like any other COVID 19 patients, it is not only the physical toll of the disease that affects my emotion but also the depression, sadness, and negative thoughts. During those times, I feel empty and what I wish is that my family to be with my side during my battle with the unforeseen foe. During the recovery period, a realization hits me hard; is it that our life is precious to live while money is not that important. What is more vital is our loved ones at our side. After a month

of staying at the hospital, the doctor happily announced that my result of the RT- PCR test is already negative. I feel beyond grateful. I thanked the above for giving me another chance to live and to be with my family. I decided to re-booked my flight and have my vacation after the pandemic is over. I informed my family about my situation wherein they felt sorry for what happened to me. But above all, they were happy as I announced that this is the last year that we are not together. After what happened to me, I decided to settle down in the Philippines and spend more time with them. Having tested as COVID 19 positive has a lot of things to learn and reflect on.