Thomasian Engineer Newsletter Volume 7 Issue No. 2 - A.Y. 2021-2022

THOMASIAN ENGINEER

UST CONDUCTS FIRST BACCALAUREATE MASS & SOLEMN INVESTITURE AFTER TWO YEARS

fter two years of the pandemic, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) hosted a two-day face-to-face baccalaureate mass, welcoming graduates from Batch 2020, Batch 2021, and Batch 2022, last June 3-4, 2022, at the UST Grandstand, also broadcast via Facebook Live.

LAYOUT BY : Reinehard Aytona

AUST FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

A prayer opened the celebration, followed by the introduc tion of Academic Units with flag bearers along with the Philip pine Flag and the UST Flag.

SOLEMN INVESTITURE

The long wait was over for the Thomasian graduates to march in the Quadricentennial Pavilion after the university ad ministered a two-day face-to-face Solemn Investiture last June 6 and 7, for Batches 2020 and 2021, and Batch 2022, respectively.

UST FACULTY OF ENGINEERING GEARS UP FOR LIMITED FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES

“The challenge for us is how we hold on to these values. How can we remain incorruptible and driven by goodness? How can we push back when we see popularity being chosen over qualifi cations, blatant lies being paraded as the truth, and the erasure of goodness altogether?” Aldave mentioned.

GEARS UP FOR LIMITED FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES

The first day of the solemn investiture catered 965 graduates from Batch 2020 and 76 graduates from Batch 2021.

On the second day, two Summa Cum Laudes graduated to gether with 834 students from Batch 2022.

WRITTEN BY: SZARINA DELA PAZ

WRITTEN BY: SZARINA DELA PAZ

Very Rev. Fr. Filemon I. dela Cruz, Jr., OP, Vice-Chancellor, University of Santo Tomas and Prior Provincial of the Dominican Province of the Philippines, presided over the mass on the first day for the Classes of 2020 and 2021, while Very Rev. Fr. Richard G. Ang, OP, Ph.D., Rector of the University of Santo Tomas, led the mass on the second day for the Class of 2022.

Engr. Aerol Cedrick Z. Treyes, Magna Cum Laude from the Civil Engineering department, delivered the Address of Petition, emphasizing the vitality of the university’s 3 C’s: competence, commitment, and compassion.

Rank two of UST Engineering Batch 2022 and Chemical En gineering sole Summa Cum Laude, Leanna D. Bautista, delivered the Address of Petition followed by the Address of Concession led by Academician Professor Maribel G. Nonato, Ph.D..

The UST Faculty of Engineering intends to imple ment limited face-to-face classes by the first quar ter of 2022 after nearly two years of virtual learn ing. Each of the faculty’s departments have prepared plans for the implementation of limited face-to-face classes: Chemical Engineering (ChE), Civil Engineering (CE), Electri cal Engineering (EE), Electronics Engineering (ECE), Indus trial Engineering (IE), and Mechanical Engineering (ME).

for non-medicine programs, including engineering, follow ing the successful execution of limited face-to-face classes for medicine programs.

survey was sent out to 2nd to 4th year CE students so liciting their opinions and other concerns regarding the planned implementation.

The blessing and imposition of the Thomasian Mission Cross and the recital of the Thomasian pledge of loyalty were fa cilitated following the Holy Eucharist.

Lumina Pandit, the Ceremony of Light, and the singing of the UST Hymn were done afterward.

The event concluded with the recessional walk through the Arch of the Centuries.

The UST Faculty of Engineering intends to imple ment limited face-to-face classes by the first quar ter of 2022 after nearly two years of virtual learn ing. Each of the faculty’s departments have prepared plans for the implementation of limited face-to-face classes: Chemical Engineering (ChE), Civil Engineering (CE), Electri cal Engineering (EE), Electronics Engineering (ECE), Indus trial Engineering (IE), and Mechanical Engineering (ME). This is in accordance with the Commission on Higher Ed ucation (CHED)’s memorandum that gave a go signal to ed ucational institutions to hold limited face-to-face classes

A total of 10, 480 candidates for grad uation attended the celebration.

“Let us thank our past for we turn out to be strong and inter esting people. Let our happiness be a function of contentment, let us continue to search for answers, and be open for what may lie ahead of us,” Treyes stated.

for non-medicine programs, including engineering, follow ing the successful execution of limited face-to-face classes for medicine programs.

This is in accordance with the Commission on Higher Ed ucation (CHED)’s memorandum that gave a go signal to ed ucational institutions to hold limited face-to-face classes

survey was sent out to 2nd to 4th year CE students so liciting their opinions and other concerns regarding the planned implementation.

Awarding of academic medals, loyalty medals, and both individual and group awards were also administered followed by the reciting of the Thomasian pledge, led by Engr. Giorgio Ar mand B. Robel, BS Civil Engineering graduate, Magna Cum Laude.

“Consultative meetings with students and academic staff are continuously done by each department and by the Faculty of Engineering in general, given the constantly changing policies from the National Government,” UST Fac ulty of Engineering Acting Dean, Prof. Angelo R. dela Cruz, PhD, PECE, stated.

“Consultative meetings with students and academic staff are continuously done by each department and by the Faculty of Engineering in general, given the constantly changing policies from the National Government,” UST Fac ulty of Engineering Acting Dean, Prof. Angelo R. dela Cruz, PhD, PECE, stated.

“Graduating Batch 2022, you are very special. You have a lot of first. You are the first cohort of Senior High School graduates from the implementation of the K to 12 in the country… You are also the first cohort under the outcomes-based education curric ulum aligned with K to 12. And the first group, the first time the university resumed face-to-face graduation,” Nonato said.

ECE Department Chair Engr. Edison A. Roxas, PhD, PECE, narrated that the department released a survey reporting the health and wellness of the academic staff, support staff, ECE students and their families. This survey was updated to include questions about their vaccination status and comments (including their willingness) to possible face-toface classes upon the incoming term.

The conferment of degrees and presentation of academic medals, loyalty medals, and individual or group special awards were also administered.

As for each department’s plans, CE Department Chair Engr. Rajiv Eldon E. Abdullah, MEngg, said that an online

As for each department’s plans, CE Department Chair Engr. Rajiv Eldon E. Abdullah, MEngg, said that an online

Concluding the first day was the Address of Thanks by UST Engineering Batch 2020 Valedictorian and October 2021 Chemical Engineering Boards top eight, Engr. Joshua S. Aldave, Mag na Cum Laude.

Thomasian Engineer Researchers Bag Awards in Asia Symposium

ECE Department Chair Engr. Edison A. Roxas, PhD, PECE, narrated that the department released a survey reporting the health and wellness of the academic staff, support staff, ECE students and their families. This survey was updated to include questions about their vaccination status and comments (including their willingness) to possible face-toface classes upon the incoming term.

Thomasian Engineer Researchers Bag Awards in Asia Symposium Engineering

Fair

rofessors and alumni researchers from the Faculty of Engineering were recognized in the Nagoya City University (NCU) Contact Points in Asia Symposium held virtually last

WRITTEN BY : Doroteo Prudenciano II and Yitzhak Osei Bumanlag

The symposium, with the theme “Think about SDGs - Designing Healthy Work Environment,” showcased various research topics

The Industrial Engineering (IE) Department exhibited two

Winning the Excellence Poster Award (Audience Choice) is the research, entitled “A Comparative Study on the Human preference and the Nutritional Value between Mung Bean Chips and Common Commercial Snack Food” by IE alumni Adonis Clet, David Lorenz Dometita, Fredric Go, and Ericson Niones. The

team’s adviser, Assoc. Prof. Carlos Ignacio P. Lugay, Jr, PhD, PIE, ASEAN Eng., presented the said research.

Meanwhile, the study, entitled “Establishing a Procurement

Fanaticism: The cyclical root of regression

team’s adviser, Assoc. Prof. Carlos Ignacio P. Lugay, Jr, PhD, PIE,

Sigua

UST Eng’g Former Dean Prof. Marcelo becomes PRC 2021 Outstanding Professional in Chemical Eng’g

TECHNICAL p.12FEATURES

Sigua presents CNN development thesis on NAST PHL Virtual Paper Presentation

UST Through the Eyes of a Promdi

PHOTO BY: CHRISTIAN MUNGCAL

WRITTEN BY : Justine Keith Moises, Mark Rafael Santos, Doroteo Prudenciano II

For the individual special awards, Lindsay Odyssey L. Timbre (B.S. Chemical Engineering), Kryzha Lei P. Aguilar (B.S. Electron ics Engineering), Krizia Mile Joy B. Yu (B.S. Industrial Engineer ing) were the recipients of the Quezon Leadership Award (College Level) in recognition of their ability to lead and organize activities which have substantially contributed to the welfare of the univer sity.

On the other hand, the UST Engineering Student Coun cil (UST ESC), UST Chemical Engineering Society (UST ChES), UST Industrial Engineering Circle (UST IEC), and Operations Research Society of the Philippines - UST Chapter (ORSP UST) were conferred with Saint Domi nic De Guzman Award (College Level).

PHOTOS BY : Jeremy Edera, Aubrey Mae Maula, and Szarina dela Paz

UST CONDUCTS FIRST BACCALAUREATE MASS & SOLEMN INVESTITURE AFTER TWO YEARS

Uraina Uriah F. Tabago, BS ChE, Magna Cum Laude, rank three of UST Eng’g Batch ‘22 led the Thomasian pledge, while the Engineering Batch Valedictorian, Engr. Jerwin Clyde G. Al varez (BS ME, Summa Cum Laude) gave his Address of Thanks.

“It is an honor to speak in front of you as we celebrate the fruits of our efforts and hard work during our entire stay here at the university as Thomasian Engineering students,” Alvarez said.

“Consequently, we are again about to close one chapter of our lives and open a new one bringing us back again to the starting position where we shall work our way up in the industry as future engineers. With this, I wish to remind you that you make your own choices, and choose what will make you happy and fulfilled…And as they say, welcome to the real world,” he concluded.

Both two days of the Solemn Investiture followed this arrangement of the procession: the candidates with their parents, from Civil Engineering (CE), Chemical Engineering (ChE), Mechanical Engineering (ME), Electrical Engineering (EE), Electronics Engineering (ECE), Industrial Engineering (IE), candidates with Latin Honors and Loyalty Medal Awards, the Top 3 of the batch, Members of the Support Staff, Members of the Faculty, Program Chairs, Former Deans, Members of the Faculty Council, UST President of the Engineering Alumni Association Incorporated (UST EAAI) Engr. Jason L. Ong, and the Presiding Official, Academician Professor Maribel G. Nonato, Ph.D.

For all the batches, Academician Professor Maribel G. Nonato, Ph.D., conferred the degrees to all the candidates through the Address of Concession, while, Acting Dean Prof. Angelo R. Dela Cruz Ph.D. presented all the graduates.

An induction of graduates to the UST Engineering Alum ni Association, Inc. was also conducted, headed by Engr. Jason L. Ong, UST EAAI President.

Limited Face-to-Face Audit Classes for the Graduating Class of 2022

WRITTEN BY : Mary Andrew Dalogdog and Carl Christian Calderon

Five departments from the Faculty of Engineering conducted their limited face-to-face audit classes, from the end of May to July 2022, as supplementary learning to the online setup mode imple mented by the university for the past two years.

Following the memorandum (ME34) issued last April 11, 2022, and approved by the faculty’s Acting Dean Prof. Angelo R. dela Cruz, Ph.D., PECE, classes were scheduled after the final examinations of graduating students. Dates varied depending on the respective programs: May 25 to 30 for Industrial Engineering (IE), May 26 to June 1 for Electronics Engineering (ECE), May 30 to July 2 for Civil Engineering (CE), May 25 to June 2 for Chemical Engi neering (ChE), and July 6 to July 14 for Mechanical Engineering (ME).

Various courses were implemented through actual exper imentation during scheduled laboratory classes for the afore mentioned departments: Industrial Engineering Design Project (IE25213); ECE Seminars, Colloquia, and Integration (ECE21136); Civil Engineering Project 3 (CE2230); Chemical Engineering Inte gration Course (CHE2139); and Mechanical Engineering Laborato ry 3 (ME2634).

Additional courses were also included depending on the own discretion of each department. To ensure safe face-to-face classes and maximize learning for the students, selected faculty members supervised and facilitated these courses.

Asst. Prof. Nelson M. Pasamonte, PME, MS, ASEAN Engr, FPSME, chairperson of the Mechanical Engineering department, included Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory, and Me chanical Engineering Laboratory 2 to give students a chance to perform actual experimentation.

Guided by the requirements of limited face-to-face classes provided by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), several preparations were made by the faculty members and academic staff of each department, such as the accomplishment of the Self Assessment Checklists (SAC).

For the Electronics Engineering department, the imple mentation of the actual audit classes was held in HyFlex mode (Hybrid-Flexible) wherein students had the freedom to either attend or not. With the said mode, the final standing of students in ECE21136 who were unable to attend was not affected by these

UST Faculty of Engineering Improves Course Inclusion of Limited Face-to-Face Classes

WRITTEN BY : Szarina dela Paz

Following the limited face-to-face audit classes implemented by the UST Faculty of Engineering in the second term of A.Y. 20212022, the faculty intends to conduct limited face-to-face classes for the upcoming academic year. All engineering departments, in cluding Chemical Engineering (ChE), Civil Engineering (CE), Elec trical Engineering (EE), Electronics Engineering (ECE), Industrial Engineering (IE), and Mechanical Engineering (ME), have devel oped plans in preparation for in-person classes.

Strategies that were carried out last academic year for lim ited face-to-face classes, such as retrofitting of laboratory rooms and the Roque Ruaño Building, foot traffic, zonal division, signage, installation of stanchions, proper ventilation, and cyclical cohort ing, will be continuously implemented.

A part of the minimum requirements of the university’s Of fice of the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs (OVRAA) is proper class size and cohorting schedule, which allow easy contact trac ing in case of infections. The Local Crisis Management Committee (LCMC), an engineering-wide committee composed of adminis tration members and support staff, made sure that the minimum health standards are implemented.

As for the courses that will hold in-person classes, all de partments will prioritize the courses listed in the Commission of Higher Education (CHED) Memorandum Order (CMO) No. 19 series of 2021 as per Prof. Angelo R. dela Cruz, PhD, PECE, UST Fac ulty of Engineering Acting Dean. Additionally, the learning out comes of the course will determine the need to conduct in-person classes. If the learning outcome can be achieved through Enriched Virtual Mode (EVM), then it will be held online.

This incoming academic year, “although lecture classes will be done through EVM, to guarantee the integrity of assessments, prelim and final exams will most likely have in-person proctored

examinations,” Prof. dela Cruz stated. This will be applicable to all year levels, whereas core engineering lecture courses will be pri oritized.

Engr. Edison A. Roxas, PhD, PECE, ECE Department Chair, said that an ECE toolkit for every student in the higher years has been issued, but there is always a need to practice the students’ psychomotor skills and exposure to advanced laboratory equip ment. In addition, Engr. Roxas stated that the department is con tinuously evaluating the needs and safety of all ECE students con cerned and is prioritizing holding in-person classes for laboratory courses.

As for the CE department, Engr. Rajiv Eldon E. Abdullah, MEngg, respective chairperson, stated that all CE courses with ex perimental laboratories will be offering limited face-to-face class es. While ME department chair, Asst. Prof. Nelson M. Pasamonte, PME, ASEAN Eng., said that the department plans to implement mandatory hybrid classes for specific 2nd to 4th-year experimen tal courses by the first term of A.Y. 2022-2023. The ME department is currently awaiting the grant of their safety seal.

Engr. Cristina E. Tiangco, Ph.D., ChE Department chair, said that their department will hold limited face-to-face classes in Sep tember. Said classes for 4th years will be implemented through hybrid mode while 2nd and 3rd years will be held through Hy brid-flexible (HyFlex).

For long-term plans, gradual resumption of face-to-face class es was taken into account, but skill-based courses such as labo ratory courses will be prioritized. The faculty aims to implement the HyFlex modality by the first half of 2023, which will allow students to have the option to attend either online or in-person classes that are held synchronously.

laboratory classes, as per the department’s chairperson, Asst. Prof. Edison A. Roxas, PhD, PECE.

Though these courses were provided as non-compulsory, graduate students of Batch 2022 felt relieved and excited with the approval of audit classes.

“Labs and even some lectures in the online setting are incom parable to the actual experience,” Leanna Bautista, a graduate of the Chemical Engineering department, said in an interview with Thomasian Engineer.

“Upon hearing it, I felt really excited because, after a long time of just sitting in front of our own laptops at home, we can finally experience what it’s like to be more engaged with our professors, classmates, schoolmates, and friends,” Marie Bacani, a graduate of the Industrial Engineering department, also added.

Students like Winchester Baluyot, a graduate of the Electron ics Engineering department, may have had the same sentiments of adjusting to face-to-face classes as it was unfamiliar compared with online classes.

Nevertheless, may it be with their fellow classmates, their faculty supervisors, or with the experience gained during exper iments, each student surely made memories in the short period allotted for the lab courses.

“One memory that sticks out was when my lab-mates and I accidentally let the packed column flood to the point that water was coming out of the top. We were a mess of laughter and stress all at once,” Ms. Bautista expressed.

Valerie Lee, a graduate of the Mechanical Engineering de partment, also had her share of experience during the last week of classes where they were given the chance to operate any choice of laboratory equipment under the supervision of their instructors.

Mikael Alfonso, a graduate of the Civil Engineering depart ment, were beyond thankful for the efforts and preparations made by the department, as she described each day of audit classes as a “memory to be treasured.”

Face-to-face classes, however, were postponed to a later date of July 25 to 28, 2022 for the Electrical Engineering department, as told by their chairperson, Engr. Carlito M. Gutierrez, MSc, as initial survey results on the willingness of students showed that “the ma jority opted not to proceed due to various factors.”

UST RECEIVES SAFETY SEAL FROM CHED

WRITTEN BY : Justine Keith R. Moises

The University of Santo Tomas (UST) was awarded the Safety Seal by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on June 30, 2022, in recognition of its efforts in adhering to the COVID-19 minimum health standards as stated in CHED Memorandum Order No. 4, "Guidelines on the Safety Seal Certification Program for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).”

The certification presently applies to Civil Engineer ing, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and Electronics Engineering under the UST Faculty of Engineer ing (FoE). Additionally, 42 programs under 12 other academ ic units also received the Safety Seal.

The university continuously submits applications for the CHED Safety Seal for other tertiary programs. Mean while, academic programs intending to facilitate faceto-face classes were advised to comply with CHED-DOH

Joint Memorandum Circular 2021-004, “Guidelines on the Implementation of Limited Face-to-Face Classes for All Programs of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Areas under Alert Level System for COVID-19 Response.”

WRITTEN BY : Justine Keith Moises, Mark Rafael Santos, Doroteo Prudenciano II

PHOTO BY : Jayvee Fulgencio [LEFT] PHOTO COURTESY OF : UST ChE Dept. Fb page [RIGHT]

PHOTO BY : Jeremy Edera and Aubrey Mae Maula

FoE faculty members join the Asia Scientist and University Rankings 2022

Five faculty members from the Faculty of Engineering landed in the Asia Scientist and University Rankings 2022, along with 32 other Thomasian scientists, on January 29, 2022.

The acknowledged faculty members were Engr. Lyn Marie D. Corpuz, Ph.D., from the Chemical Engineering Department, Prof. Angelo R. dela Cruz, Ph.D., PECE, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Engr. Lorico D.S. Lapitan, Jr., Ph.D., Faculty of En gineering Chemistry Laboratory Supervisor, Prof. Maria Nata lia R. Dimaano, Ph.D., from the Chemical Engineering Depart ment, and Prof. Marilyn C. Mabini, Ph.D., ASEAN Engr. from the Industrial Engineering Department, ranking 22nd, 25th, 28th, 33rd, and 35th respectively.

The Asia Scientist and University Rankings is under the Alper-Doger (AD) Scientific Index spearheaded by Prof. Dr. Murat Alper (MD) and Associate Prof. Dr. Cihan Doger (MD) to rank and assess scientists from 14,120 universities and 215 countries based on their h-index, i10 index, g-index, m-index, the Erdös number, tori index, riq index, read-10 index, and ci tations in Google Scholar.

Nearly Finished Dr. Tony Tan Caktiong Innovation Center

WRITTEN BY : Yitzhak Osei Bumanlag

After almost a year and a half of construction, the UST-Dr. Tony Tan Caktiong Innovation Center at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Santa Rosa, Laguna campus is about to be put into completion around June this year.

The Innovation Center, named after UST Chemical Engi neering alumnus and founder of the fast-food chain Jollibee, Dr. Tony Tan Caktiong, is the first building on the university’s Laguna branch.

According to the Facilities Management Office (FMO) Direc tor Fr. Dexter Austria, O.P, the building is around 97% completed. It had delays in its construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the safety and health protocols imposed. It is estimated to reach more than P100 million in terms of its construction cost, as men tioned by FMO Asst. Director Albert Surla.

The innovation hub will be the extension of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) - TomasINNO center, a Tech nology Business Incubator (TBI) that was launched at the UST Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, O.P. Building on November 15, 2019

ICCEE 2022 recognizes Samuel Tiongson as Best Presenter for SAR Paper on Masbate Earthquake

WRITTEN BY : Szarina dela Paz

Samuel Francisco A. Tiongson, a Thomasian 4th year Civil Engineering (CE) student, was recognized as “Best Presenter” in the 2nd International Conference on Civil and Environmental En gineering (ICCEE) 2022 held last January 6-7, 2022 in Malaysia via Zoom.

The paper entitled, “Mapping of Ground Surface Deforma tions and Associated Damage using SAR Interferometry: A Case Study of the 2020 Masbate Earthquake,” penned by Tiongson along with Engr. Ryan A. Ramirez, MSc, UST CE department facul ty, revolved around the 6.6 magnitude earthquake that hit Masbate back in August 2020 and its substantial damage to the municipal ity. The Department of Science and Technology - Philippine In stitute of Volcanology and Seismology’s (DOST-PHIVOLCS) field survey in the area, which mapped the intensity of the earthquake, served as a baseline for the paper, validating its findings.

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) is a tech nique that maps ground deformation through satellite images ob tained from satellites orbiting the Earth. Specifically, in this study, data from the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), a satellite-based radar device mounted on the Sentinel-1 satellite conducted by the European Space Agency (ESA), was used. The data of said satellite is made available to the public via the open access hub found on line.

“Using the data acquired from ESA’s satellite, using software and processing techniques—through processing that data, we

were able to isolate the changes between two images that are from different dates. Looking at the changes of that area from through out a specific time period, further isolating and [data] processing we can map the damaged areas,” Tiongson elaborated on the pa per’s topic.

Engr. Ramirez, who was Tiongson’s former thesis adviser, reached out to him, pitching the topic of the paper. According to Tiongson, the plan was to submit the paper to a journal or a con ference. In effect, when ICCEE, with the theme: Earthquake and Geotechnical Engineering, opened for submissions, they submit ted theirs, seeing that it was a good platform to share the study.

Upon hearing the news of the study’s acceptance into the conference, Tiongson was in shock and disbelief to be one of the participants since most of the participants were masteral and doctoral candidates. During the presentation, he said that he was less nervous than he thought he would be. He was excited to share the research since their study’s topic was unique, considering that the topic is a really good procedure that is useful for monitoring natural disasters.

They are eyeing submitting it to a research journal in the future to reach a wider audience. As for local applications, satel lite-based remote sensing techniques will be significant for disas ter risk reduction management (i.e., mapping damaged areas) as the Philippines is exposed to natural hazards.

DOST budgets P3.2 million for iSULAT, a university-headed project

WRITTEN BY : Jose Miguel Ballecer and Doroteo Prudenciano II

UST Electronics Engineering (ECE) Department, in collab oration with the UST Research Center for Natural and Applied Sciences, and UST College of Rehabilitation Sciences developed iSULAT (Intelligent Stroke Utilization, Learning, Assessment and Testing), a project that received 3.2 million Php funding from the Department of Science and Technology- Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD).

The handwriting tool project was headed by Engr. Edison A. Roxas, the UST ECE department chair.

In an interview, Engr. Roxas stated that the project idea was conceptualized even before the pandemic. When asked about what i-SULAT aims to be, he said that “The iSULAT envisions itself as the future standard in handwriting evaluation for the Filipino children.”

He also mentioned that the project’s main target is to assess developing schoolchildren’s handwriting skills.

According to DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” de la Peña in a recorded report, the project aims to solve problems of inter-tool scoring variations, inconsistency, incongruence, and assessment time. He added that the number of handwriting problems in de veloping children reached an approximated 5 to 25 percent range.

“Handwriting is still the most immediate form of graph ic communication. [F]ailure to attain handwriting competency during the school-age year results in far-reaching negative effects on both academic success and self-esteem,” de la Peña said.

Furthermore, DOST-PCHRD mentioned that the project can be used to examine the handwriting of people suffering from var ious medical, neurological, and psychological vvillnesses, includ ing stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and even early-onset depression.

The project will run from April 1, 2022 through June 31, 2024.

Eng’g students receive recognitions in Student Awards Day 2022

WRITTEN BY : Justine Keith R. Moises

WRITTEN BY : Justine Keith R. Moises

PHOTO BY : Aldea Mendoza

PHOTO COURTESY OF : Engr. Ryan A. Ramirez, MSc

Seven students from the Faculty of Engineering (USTFoE) bagged recognition on Student Awards Day 2022, held May 31, 2022, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion, broad cast via Facebook Live.

Stefhanie Kate S. Bautista and Frances Algeevia A. Guimbangunan, from the Departments of Chemical and Mechanical Engineering, respectively, received the Que zon Leadership Award. Bautista co-organized the 15th and 16th National Chemical Engineering Week with the Philip pine Institute of Chemical Engineers (PIChE), other PIChE Chapters, and Chemical Engineers, while Guimbangunan was elected as the chairperson of the 11th Philippine Soci ety of Mechanical Engineers (PSME) National Mechanical Engineering Students’ Conference.

PHOTO COURTESY OF : FMO Director Fr. Dexter Austria, O.P.

PHOTO FROM : UST Facebook Live

UST Performance on the 2022 Engineering Licensure Exams

WRITTEN BY : Carl Christian D. Calderon

The University of Santo Tomas produced a new set of licensed engineers, with three top-notchers, in the 2022 Engineering Licen sure Examinations conducted by the Professional Regulation Com mission (PRC) in the first half of this year.

Engr. Ericcson Luy led the 34 Thomasian examinees in the Feb ruary 2022 Master Plumber Licensure Examinations, which took place from February 15 to 16, as he ranked ninth overall with a score of 82.80-percent. UST managed to get an overall passing rate of 94.12-per cent, as 32 out of 34 takers passed.

On February 27 and 28, the February 2022 Mechanical Engineer ing Licensure Examinations took place, wherein the university tallied an overall passing rate of 63.89-percent (69 out of 108).

The university garnered a 55.00-percent overall passing rate on the April 2022 Electronics Engineering (ECE) Licensure Examinations held from April 20 to 21, in which 55.00-percent (22 out of 40) of ex aminees from the university passed. A day after the ECE Boards, the April Electronics Technician Licensure Examination was conducted, wherein all the 31 takers from UST made it to the cut.

Moreover, April 2022 Electrical Engineering Board Exam was held from April 26 to 27, wherein UST recorded an overall passing rate of 78.57-percent (55 out of 70). Registered Master Electrician (RME) Examination followed on April 28. All four Thomasian takers passed including Engr. Denzelle Salvan Langit, who ranked seventh on the boards with a rating of 88.50-percent.

Thomasian alumnus Engr. Carl Daniel Fabian ranked third over all with a score of 93.25-percent on the May 2022 Civil Engineering Licensure Examinations conducted on May 1 and 2, 2022, in which the University ranked fourth among the top-performing schools tallying an overall passing rate of 85.94-percent (165 out of 192).

The last engineering licensure exam in the first half of 2022 was the Chemical Engineering Board held from May 17 to May 19. The Uni versity recorded an overall passing rate of 47.17-percent (25 out of 53).

OPINIONS

pages 6 and 7

PH Education: Moving forward or going round in circles?

by Mary Angela Aquino

“Pag ka tayo tinitignan ng Asia, yung literacy rate, yung pag salita ng english, pati sa science, sa math, mataas tayo noon eh. Kailangan natin balikan yan.”

Days before his inauguration, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recalled the “glory days” of the Philippine education sector in a press conference. Yet, with the declining skills and proficiency of students plus the rampant spread of misinformation and disin formation in the middle of a pandemic, it is still a long way for the Philippines to get to the top.

Philippine education has been on the rocks even before the pandemic hit the country. In 2019, the World Bank (WB) released that the current learning poverty rate is 69.5. As of August 2021, it reached as high as 90 percent. The WB also released a report re garding the three international education assessments conduct ed by different countries, including the Philippines. The country ranked last in reading and second to last in science and mathe matics in the Program for International Student Assessment, last in science and mathematics in the Trends in International Math ematics and Science Study, and belonged to the bottom half of the six participants in the Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics. As WB states, “more than 80 percent of children do not know what they should know [in school].” Filipino students fell below the minimum level of proficiency expected for their respective grades.

In this digital age, information has become more accessible than ever. As most Filipinos are now present in digital spaces, the government should take advantage of it to help address the de clining aptitude of students. But on the contrary, instead of using online platforms to educate, it has become a means to spread dis torted truths and misinform—the same information that Filipino students are feeding themselves.

In 2020, the Oxford Internet Institute stated in their Com putational Propaganda Research Project that government agen cies, politicians, political parties, civil society organizations, private contractors, influencers, and even ordinary citizens par ticipate in digital manipulation. Fake bots and human accounts are created and utilized to spread false information. During the campaign period of the 2022 elections, social media was widely used to distort the truth, rebrand names, and red tag rivals. Troll farms were hired to lure Filipinos into believing political propa ganda. With their large following and active presence on social media, they easily manipulated facts and spread misinformation.

Yvonne T. Chua, an associate professor of journalism at the University of the Philippines, wrote in the 2022 Digital News Report of the Philippines. She said that social media platforms, such as Facebook and Tiktok, are frequently used by netizens for news consumption. Despite the presence of known radio and me dia networks on the said platforms, it is unavoidable that some individuals use social media to distort the truth and misinform netizens. They use appealing and empathetic articles rather than the traditional news media to capture the hearts of Filipinos and make them believe their lies. They know that Filipinos tend to be lieve in engaging and relatable posts, despite their coming from unreliable sources. They continuously spread lies until it became the truth for most Filipino netizens.

From the Digital 2022 Report released by Hootsuite and We Are Social, it was reported that Filipino social media users aged 1664 have the second highest average time spent using social media, with 4 hours and 6 minutes. This data shows

SIX CANDIDATES Partake in MDA for ESC Special Elections

WRITTEN BY : Mark Rafael Santos and Aldous Dale Caballero

Six candidates for May 2022 Engineering Student Coun cil (ESC) Special Elections presented their plans on Miting De Avance organized by the Engineering COMELEC, in coordina tion with Thomasian Engineer, which was launched last May 21, 2022, via Zoom and Facebook Live.

The candidates for the different positions opened the event through their self-introduction accompanied by their plans, affiliations, and academic background.

Pauline Zian Suyat, Internal Vice President (IVP) candi date, pushed for an advocacy-driven service as she believed that this would cause a ‘domino effect’ toward positive change through her influence. Sophia Mauricia A. Villanueva, Assis tant Secretary candidate, also advocated for students’ welfare through her platforms, focusing on mental health.

Alyssa Larraine M. Cunanan, running for the secretary po sition, shared her advocacy geared towards diversified service and a student-centered student council to promote platforms that will empower the academic aspects of students, through actions such as the release of reviewers and providing a source for the borrowing of educational materials.

Joemille Brent R. Galera, candidate for the position of Treasurer, campaigned for transparency and aimed for ef ficiency in his duties during his term if he were to win. He mentioned that his platform will inspire financial literacy and competitiveness to assist the student body in handling their finances.

Progress, development, quality, and excellence are the values Lourd Albert T. Bañaga, Assistant Treasurer candidate, mentioned, together with his credentials as an officer in dif ferent organizations. He proposed an annual job fair and an industry symposium to enable his plans for engineering stu dents.

Claudelle L. Fajardo who ran for Public Relations Officer (PRO) advocated her proposed program entitled “Ang Tamang Chismis” which aims to combat disinformation for students’ protection online.

Questions from the UST Engineering community were answered by the candidates in a span of two minutes, for the first segment of the event entitled “Thomasians’ Voice.”

With his two-year experience in ESC Team Marketing, Bañaga discussed how reaching more sponsors will be benefi cial in raising more funds, specifically through email and other

online platforms—as he was asked on how he could help pro cess fund allocations more efficiently.

Sufficient proof and documentation is what will combat the misappropriation of funds and that proper steps are essen tial before funds are released, explained Galera, answering the inquiry on how he would deal with the misuse of funds.

When asked about how they will efficiently serve the stu dent body with their limited members—Villanueva respond ed, “quality over quantity,” stating that all the candidates are capable of serving and that they can provide the best for the Faculty of Engineering.

A recorded video from Suyat expressed her readiness to succeed in the position of President, which was left vacant. She also stated that the imminent transition towards face-toface will lead her to push in-person counseling and leadership training.

After a short break, the second segment was kicked off, wherein the candidates were given three minutes to answer a question from each panelist.

To begin this segment, Cunanan explained, “It’s just about communication, we won’t be insisting, but instead we would be showing them the benefits of what their help would (be) able to reach if they would allow us to give some time for the engineering community” when asked how she would get researchers and professors for her Thesis Assistance platform.

Galera assured that he will draw the line between trans parency and confidentiality with regard to publicizing docu ments when personal information and privacy might be vio lated.

Lastly, Villanueva was asked regarding her “Comforting One Another” platform and its similarities with the existing guidance counseling center of UST, to which she responded with her point-of-view regarding the guidance counseling cen ter’s bias, while adding that “Professionals must always keep in mind that they are for the students and not always for the university.”

Afterward, the candidates were given a minute to advise their fellow Thomasian engineers to aspire to be student lead ers.

The candidates then delivered their closing statements, followed by the closing remarks from the UST Engineering Commission on Elections Vice-Chairperson, Mr. Yves Caballes.

Latrell Felix Justin Castro Bionat

UST-CNAG hosts webinar on gender identity and expression for Thomasians

WRITTEN & PHOTO BY : Caster John Tabora

Babae ka lang; kalalaki mong tao, umiiyak ka.

April 26, 2022 – In efforts to shatter the stigma and discrim ination on gender identity, the UST Cisco Networking Academy Gateway Engineering (UST-CNAG) spearheaded the webinar enti tled Breaking the Stigma: A Webinar on Gender Identity and Gen der Expression, last April 23, 2022, via Zoom Meeting.

Asst. Prof. Amante R. Garcia, MS, the UST-CNAG adviser, gave his opening remarks as the event commenced. This was followed by the introduction of the event’s first speaker, Cindy Cruz-Cabre ra, the Gender and Development Officer of the University of the Philippines Diliman Gender Office.

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and human rights,” Ms. Cabrera uttered as she expressed that human rights are an important perspective in tackling gender. She then proceeded to define the common terms and discuss what gender means in people’s lifestyles.

Cindy Cruz-Cabrera also tackled stigma and discrimination in depth. To end her talk, she reminded everyone that “Gender equality and women’s empowerment [are] good for everyone, so we should champion this, and we should live it in our everyday actions and everyday lives.”

Afterward, Justin Castro Bionat, the Executive Director of Youth Voices Count, Inc. and a board member of the International

Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOT) Committee, stressed the importance of intersectionality in our society.

“The solution to [a] social problem is not just your issue but [the] issue of the whole community, the whole society, together,” Bionat said. He believes that if institutions transitioned to an in clusive environment, they could be instrumental in creating safe spaces for LGBTIQ people.

The last speaker of the event, Latrell Felix, the Co-Convenor of UP Kalipunan Para sa Kasarian (UP KASARIAN), Gender Council or of the UP Diliman University Student Council, and the Chair person of Bahaghari UP Diliman, talked about how patriarchy and sexism are prevalent in today’s society.

Latrell also emphasized how critical voting for the right can didates is, to hear the call of the women and LGBTQIA+ of pro tecting them. She also stressed that “While we break the stigma, we should also collectively struggle to break the system that is the root cause of the oppression of women, LGBTQIA+ and other gen der minorities.”

An open forum was conducted after the guest speakers shared their thoughts and advocacies. This was followed by the awarding of certificates for the guest speakers and was formally concluded through the closing remarks of Alyssa Ragodon, the project head of the event and the Internal Vice President of UST-CNAG.

Cindy Cruz-Cabrera

Blatant Agenda

For the next six years or more, Filipinos may be found fetching information in a sea of facts mixed with inauthentic details out of misapprehended data purposely built with un derlying motives. Nothing is scarier than having this phenom enon infiltrate a democratic country—a venomous one that could distort the people’s stand on social issues and adversely affect their standards in choosing their national leaders.

Undeniably, social media has blown up in the past few years, and it has now covered an enormous scope, being uti lized by media outlets, entertainment companies, schools, businesses, and even government offices for different purposes. Online influencers like vloggers, which basically means “vid eo bloggers,” mostly dominate the online space as they drive several engagements with their audience through their various content. Despite the huge amount of support they receive from online users who watch their videos, many people still wran gled over social media after Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles men tioned her plan to accredit the vloggers to attend press confer ences in the Malacañang Palace on June 1, 2022.

While most vloggers have a strong fanbase, netizens quickly questioned the plan: are vloggers credible enough to take the place, if not perform the role of journalists?

In fact, many were quick to react. A famous social media personality, Janina Vela, posted insights on her TikTok ac count, bringing up some questions, including the credibility of the vloggers to cover palace briefings and how biases would be avoided.

“Dahil ang pagiging vlogger ay freelance, kadalasan wala kang team or supervisors. So pwedeng mangyari, walang ma susunod na code of ethics o mga mekanismo para sa account ability na meron ang journalists,” she said.

In addition to that, in briefings, rightful questions should be asked which is somehow a tricky job for inexperienced ones. Unlike other professionals working in other fields, be it in or outside the communication industry, journalists have exper tise in crafting questions and are concise and sharp in inter viewing, especially when covering national and international conferences or events.

The need for accountability in reporting is what Vergel Santos, a veteran journalist, also stressed in an interview with ANC News, urging the media organizations to withstand the possible accreditation of vloggers at Malacañang conferences. For Vergel, there is a stark difference between blogging and journalism, emphasizing that journalists' work undergoes a system of checks to ensure that all disseminated information is “truthful, well-contextualized, and not malicious.”

It is true. Despite journalism falling under the scope of “communication,” its purpose and values are still different from those of others in the media universe. It provides verified information to the people and has a systematic process of veri fication, not just on facts but also on finding the truth on those facts.

Furthermore, journalists work in accordance with the knowledge they acquire from years of learning and practice. Their ability is molded from their experiences in the field, which include lifetimes of rigorous training. According to an article published by Maryville University, journalists craft sto ries from the information they obtain or based on their inves tigation of happenings. Aside from their adept writing skills, they have thorough research skills and make sure that every ar ticle they release is “based on factual evidence” as their reputa tion depends on it and they gain continuous trust from people through it.

To be fair, we can all agree that vloggers have a wide reach and interact through the influence earned from the various content they release. These create engagement from the view ers, which is one of the reasons why the PCOO secretary wants to push to include these creators in palace media briefings. They are like the new stars of the online generation.

“We’re also looking at things like opening up discourse and looking at issues of disinformation that seem to be a hot-but ton topic nowadays,” PCOO secretary Cruz-Angeles stated.

Engagement-wise, discourses are already evident as most of the users are very vocal with their opinions through the com ment section in posts on social media platforms. However, due to disinformation and wanting to absorb only good news about their political idols, which most do not actually have, many people choose to settle for fake news and conspiracy theories online. This makes political fanatics and content creators fa mous nowadays, and they find more ways to spread false infor mation using their platforms.

These content creators are not just famous to online users but also very relevant to politicians who want to alter people’s political views and turn their favor on them. Isn’t it obvious? The vloggers are just pieces of machinery for the higher-ups to

manipulate the minds of the people and even purely distort the truth.

The supporters or fanatics of these politicians will al ways do everything to support their bets. As a perfect example, pro-Marcos vloggers even formed their group with their code of ethics to gain access in Malacañang, promising they won’t be “biased” - coming from a fandom known as peddlers of fake news. During the national election campaign period, several supporters of the now-elected President of the Republic of the Philippines, Ferdinand “Bongbong” E. Marcos Jr. went beyond the line by laying out information that has been checked and labeled by experts as a hoax.

On May 6, 2022, three days before the national elections, The New York Times released an article tackling the flourishing of the political lie ecosystem in the Philippines, and it men tioned pro-Marcos influencers who spread false information on their platform. The “gold story” was made by a Filipino You Tuber and a self-proclaimed “alternative media”, Arnel Agra vante, in October 2021, wherein he told his subscribers that the Marcos family's money was not stolen from the government as their wealth came from a secretive royal family in the country who granted Marcos tons of gold. Multiple fact-checkers, in cluding President Marcos Jr. himself, debunked the story.

YouTuber Sangkay Janjan TV, whose actual name is John Anthony Jaboya, dauntlessly uploaded on his YouTube channel conspiracy theories about Marcos's family. He even attacked in his videos the 2022 Presidential election rival of Bongbong Marcos, the Philippines’ former Vice President Leni Robredo. The aforementioned vlogger, with a thriving channel with over 980,000 subscribers, has been spreading lies on his platform even before the national elections, including COVID-19 harm ful claims and targeting whoever is critical of Duterte’s admin istration.

To counter this, the leading digital media company in the Philippines, Rappler, has reviewed Jaboya’s posted videos on his channel and found that there are videos “promoting lies and conspiracy theories, and demonizing individuals and groups.” It is perilous to think that numerous people are ex posed to misinformation and disinformation because a vlog ger, with a high reach on his platform, keeps on spreading false narratives online. True enough, it is rather disappointing to know that videos that spread false claims are not automatical ly turned down by YouTube, let alone allowed to be published without thorough checking. To be fair, though, YouTube poli cies only lie in the removal of videos that contain “hate speech” or “harassment.”

Many Filipinos are known to be gullible, believing in claims made in videos or posts without fact-checking. As per the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted in Decem ber 2021, 51 percent of Filipinos are having a hard time spotting fake news. Undoubtedly, that number infers that the majority of Filipinos are easy targets for disinformation or propaganda due to the unstoppable spread of fake news online. It is just a child’s play for the higher-ups to get away with their lies and rebrand themselves.

If the claims that paid trolls exist are not true, then they are lucky enough that they do not need to spend money because they already have fooled die-hard supporters who voluntarily do their job to spread lies for them without any compensation. Allowing vloggers to attend Malacaang press conferences un der an administration with a leader who infrequently showed up to legitimate press conferences during the national elec tions paints a display of an underlying motive.

But regardless of whether there is any or none, journalists should now be more resourceful for reliable information and be vigilant about the spread of fake news by combating it with the truth. Disinformation is everywhere and ought to be stopped soon before it tyrannizes this democratic country.

The Far-fetched Tale of P20/kilo Rice

WRITTEN BY : Patricia Nikole Valdecañas

As approximately 54.9 million Filipinos or roughly 64 percent of the population suffer from food insecurity, the food crisis in the country is worsening day by day. Pov erty itself is already a major contributor to the worsening crisis—what more with the effect of the continuous rise of the country’s inflation rate? With these numbers alone, it can be quite difficult to raise the country’s food security given that more than half of the population is currently insecure. Thus, government officials are starting to come up with projects and solutions to this crisis, one of which is the promised “P20 per kilo of rice” project of the newly elected president Ferdinand (Bongbong) Marcos Jr. (PBBM), which is nothing but a far-fetched tale con tinuously told to the Filipino people.

Recalling the agendas mentioned by PBBM during the 2022 election period, he brought up the lowering of the price of rice to 20 pesos per kilo. This is to solve the country’s issue of hunger, especially for the unprivileged. Many people, including senators and experts, were baffled by his claim, saying that it was rather difficult to implement and questioned its sustainability. But the question is, will this really be sufficient to battle the country’s food crisis? Will the program benefit the less fortu nate, or will it just pose more disadvantages?

Shortly after the president gained his position, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) revealed that the country’s inflation rate accelerated to 6.4 percent in June, which is fractionally higher than the previous month’s (6.1 percent), resulting in a 4.7-percent average inflation rate this year to date. And these figures pose a signifi cant threat not only to consumers but also to the country’s food security. Meanwhile, former Agriculture Secretary William Dar projected that the country’s food crisis would be most apparent in the fourth quarter. This is due to the global disruption of food shipments caused by the standstill between Ukraine and Russia.

Given these current situations, the food crisis in the country will continue to be a major issue that the current government must address effectively, and the president’s P20 per kilogram of rice agenda is difficult to attain at this certain point in time. Likewise, officials should utilize a series of sustainable actions in light of the current circumstances to prevent the nation’s food production and consumption insecurity from getting any worse. The country’s food insecurity cannot be overcome by sim ply lowering rice prices. For a while, it might benefit the populace, particularly the less fortunate, but it puts the nation’s small-scale farmers at a severe disadvantage. Other than this, no additional details were given by the president regarding how this “P20 per kilo” will be implemented and maintained, which makes the program much more questionable.

As per the rule of thumb, the farmgate price of unmilled palay is half that of milled rice at retail. Due to this, Cielito Habito, a former director-general of the Na tional Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), explained that lowering the price of milled rice to P20 per kilo would necessitate a farmgate price of palay of P10 per kilo, which is considerably less than that of the current P12 to P17. This statement makes the program complicated given that the current farmgate price of unmilled rice is already high and implies a retail price of about a minimum of P25 per kilo. This will only result in the local farmers’ having little to no profit and a mountain of debt.

Also, as mentioned, the country is currently under a high inflation rate, which implies a higher cost of inputs, resulting in a higher price of milled rice. Therefore, a minimum of P25 per kilo may not even be enough to cover all production costs and labor, and still produce a profit. This suggests that the said program is aimed only at satisfying the cries of the people without following a logical process of research and consulting.

On the contrary, the price of rice can be lowered, according to former agriculture secretary William Dar, if production costs are reduced and the National Food Au thority’s (NFA) budget is increased from its current P7 billion annual budget to P30 billion. He also suggested selling the P20 rice only to Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries and providing concessional loans to the top 20 rice-pro ducing provinces in the nation. Dar added that the only way the implementation could be sped up was for the government to provide subsidies. However, a larger budget of P125 billion per year will be needed.

Although it may sound feasible, the drawbacks weigh greater than the actual ben efits. The matter here is that the country is not in a great financial position to allocate a higher budget for the NFA to subsidize rice. This, as well as reduced production costs, isn’t practical considering that farm input prices and fuel costs are on a hike. If the government decides to continue this agenda through subsidies, they will be left with no choice but to borrow money from other countries, leaving the country with more piled up debt than it has as of the moment, which will evidently show their incompetency.

Moreover, the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) also expressed their disapproval. KMP Chairperson Danilo Ramos mentioned that the “only sustainable way to make rice affordable is by increasing its local production.” He also mentioned the Kadiwa Program that the former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the late father of the current president, implemented during his regime. According to Ramos, the Kadiwa program, which was launched in 1980, aimed to offer inexpensive access to basic goods that the government has purchased in large quantities. Kadiwa, which cost the government P18 million in less than two years, was notable for hoarding, raids, and, by 1983, empty rice shelves. By May to November 1984, rice prices in creased by 25.9% to P5.35 per kilogram, devouring a third of the P16 daily minimum wage at the time.

Looking back, the former president, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., also implemented the Masagana 99 program. It is an agricultural initiative that was started in 1973 with the goal of raising the nation’s rice production. Dr. Edgardo Quisumbing, a former deputy implementer of the program, explained that Masagana 99 was an emergency program designed to address the shortage of rice brought on by pests and natural disasters. Although everything was going well, the program eventual ly hit a wall. Former Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban claimed that the program’s implementation, which led to its decline, involved replacing farmers with non-agriculturalists-technicians. On the other hand, Dr. Orlando Sacay, a former secretary-general of the National Anti-Poverty Commission, stated that while the program’s main goal was laudable, it was not sustained, and its credit program was worrying and problematic.

In light of the foregoing, President Bongbong Marcos’ aspirations were strikingly similar to those of Masagana 99 and the Kadiwa program. Therefore, it will not ex actly be a surprise if the “P20 per kilo of rice” agenda resorts to hoarding, lack of pro duction and supply, and low quality of rice. Especially now that worsening impacts of climate change have been observed in the country—drought, super typhoons, and hurricanes—it can be expected that rice production will be inconsistent and more agricultural damage will be evident. Consequently, when rice prices are reduced to as low as P20 per kilo in these instances, a rice shortage will occur, leading to a big ger food crisis than today. Thus, this promised program is short on consistency and standards to be considered feasible.

Also, considering that technology nowadays is immensely advanced compared to the late 1970’s, using these technologies to speed up the production of rice to fulfill a higher demand would require a much higher production cost. As much as the pro gram is aimed towards a positive light, it still lacks the foundation to be considered a program that will benefit the populace in the long run.

Furthermore, there are a lot of factors to take into account before milled rice prices are completely reduced. This includes the local and global situation; the en vironmental crisis; the cost and quality of seeds; the cost of production; and the condition of small-scale farmers—lack of capital and post-harvest facilities; labor issues; a subpar irrigation system, and poor market access.

In accordance with what Economist and Albay Representative Joey Salceda said, “You can bring it down to P20, but you will kill 3.4 million rice farmers.”

When proposing a program for the entire country, one should consider not only what his mind says, but also consult with, observe, and comprehend the people who will be directly impacted by it, for they will experience firsthand any potential threats that it might present. Considering whether it benefits the underprivileged or the system requires weighing the potential effects. Hence, officials should learn to listen to experts, to their people, and to the nation’s farmers; for their opinions, together with the government’s support, are the foundation of an attainable, sustainable, and effective program for all.

After all, it is high time for the government to leave far-fetched tales behind and start proposing actual and realistic solutions to the most pressing issues facing the country.

Misogyny: A Ludicrous Deterrent to Progressive Politics

WRITTEN BY : Jamie Franchesca Lopez

One can track down the origins of patriarchy to as old as 12 000 years ago, long enough for multiple generations to view it as the status quo. Starting with patrilocal residence and male own ership, a patriarchal society brought about other forms of female oppression through male privilege, belittling of women, violence against women, and sexual objectification. (Chaudhury et al., 2017). Naturally, misogyny has in filtrated and navigated the majority of society’s mechanisms, so much so that even women unknowingly contribute to their own oppression through the internalization of these values.

In July 1848, representatives from the National Woman Suffrage Associ ation advocated for women’s right to vote—the first movement that changed the way society viewed women and a major catalyst that slowly opened them to a world of free choice. It has been over a century ever since, but the female population continuously struggles to find their place in male-dominated fields, especially government and poli tics. Women remain under-represented due to the prejudice expressed by their colleagues and the voter population. While men are put on a pedestal, female politicians are impeded by double standards and gender-based allegations. Such traces of misogyny are prominent even in fields supposedly composed of highly-educated individuals; sectors that are generally assumed to be pro gressive and unconservative. There is a query constantly presented to female leaders all over the world—that is, begging to question their ability to simulta neously handle the responsibilities of being a parental figure and a politician. In fact, it is a statement received by all career women, cutting across nations and professions. Modern society expects that the successful embodiment of one role translates to the complete neglect of the other. In truth, this reasoning is nothing but a mere opinion fueled by sexism, as men have never been criti cized under this narrative. (Woerner, 2020).

Moreover, the digital age works against the empowerment of women, locking them up behind gender-based accusations and creating a clamor that ridicules them, altogether. With the help of social media platforms and the internet, misinformation is given an arena to flourish and dominate. (Xiao et al., 2021). According to the Democratic Unionist Party Leader Arlene Foster, anonymous online mobs are made to systematically target and harass women about their relationship status, their children, their partner, and their appear ance. The spread of gendered disinformation and its impact seems uncontain able with these conditions, and Sen. Leila de Lima is living proof of this abuse. (Kelpie, 2021).

Currently, De Lima is locked up in a special cell for high-ranking officials as an aftermath of her persistent request to investigate the New Bilibid Prison. After being repeatedly rejected, Pres. Rodrigo Duterte accused her of collect ing drug money to fund her campaign. Simply put, it was a power play. While

these are the facts of the case, the focus of the trial was overshadowed by netizens poking fun at De Lima’s unproven affair. As mere observers, we were manipu lated to see the trial as a laughingstock—creating memes that overpowered the voice of De Lima—leading up to her unjust detainment. Unknowingly, we con tributed to this sexist attack.

Furthermore, the widespread acceptance and normalization of male superi ority led to the immovable integration of sexism into people’s beliefs. This goes to show how misogyny is heavily internalized by the general population. Now, people have come to expect that women must bow down to male power, which is seen in the Manila Peninsula Press Conference led by Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Damagoso, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, and former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales.

The initial objective of this conference was to debunk rumors circulating their withdrawal of candidacy. As the convention went on, the presidentiables start ed targeting the former Vice President. Leni Robredo, saying that she should withdraw, instead. They believe that she has no power to win over survey-topper Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., and that her supporters must opt for another candidate. Considering the statistics, even if Robredo decides to withdraw, none of these presidential bets would be able to reach Marcos’s 56% voting population with their measly one-digit percentages.

On the receiving end of democracy, the voter population is not exempted from this conservative notion, either. Shifting to a more general perspective, sexism is exhibited by ordinary citizens and people in non-political professions, alike. According to the seventh round of the World Values Survey, more than half of Filipino voters believe that men make better political leaders than wom en. In fact, voters associate the candidate’s gender with a certain strength; placing them behind stereotypes, saying that men are better at tackling crime manage ment and foreign affairs, while women are recommended for handling gender rights and issues of poverty. (Sanbonmatsu, 2002).

Considering the extreme cases, voters have also participated in multiple in stances of Violence Against Women in Politics (VAWP). During the 2022 cam paign period, netizens refused to acknowledge Robredo’s accomplishments, subjecting her to discrimination by branding her incapable for the simple fact that she is a woman. Though an ironic contradiction is displayed by the victory of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, she is not excused from the judging eyes of the public. As political leadership is perceived to be masculine, both of these parties have to face the possibility of losing votes because of their ‘too feminine’ or ‘too mascu line’ image—an issue seldom encountered by a male candidate. (Encinas-Fran coe, 2021).

Even with all the instances put forward, we are only scratching the surface of misogyny in politics. There are systemic issues that are too established—too deeply rooted to detach from. However, we must proactively act against this sex ism to completely break free from the shackles created by a patriarchal society. In a contemporary world, one’s sex should not be a determinant of an individual’s capability. As we exercise our right to vote in this democratic country, we must learn to critically assess our candidates’ credentials and qualifications moving forward.

Philippine politics is and must be treated as a meritocracy; we judge based on expertise, not one’s sex.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

WRITTEN BY : Doroteo D. Prudenciano II

The Month of Pride celebrated ev ery June exhibits the alive and colorful celebration of the LGBTQ+ community that highlights their story about their freedom, history, struggles, and progress all over the years. As they say, the event isn’t just a celebration, it’s a protest and a movement. While they march on their parades wearing their rainbow-themed outfits, the dark and gloomy days were still remembered that amidst the glitters and sparkles, total acceptance seemed to be an unreachable goal as continuous battle against discrimination and in equality occur.

Through the years, the growing body gradually moves forward as they make progress with the milestones they’ve es tablished. These milestones are already huge wins to the community as these serve as a boost to push for the equality they longing to have. Yes, we should celebrate these wins but the fight for gender equality is far from over.

According to a Pew Research Survey conducted between 2013 and 2019, the acceptance rate of homosexuality in the Philippines hasn’t changed with a con sistent 73% acceptance rate with over 38,000 people across 34 countries involved in the said study. The Philippines is the only participating country that hasn’t changed its insight from the said timeline. The numbers may have been consid ered to be high but reality says otherwise.

The lives of LGBTQ individuals, particularly transgender people in the Phil ippines who endure daily threats and numerous defamations from the public, are still threatened and dangerous. According to an article published in collaboration with Tatler Philippines and The Fuller Project, at least 50 transgender or gen der nonbinary people have died in the country since 2010, although the actual number is almost certainly considerably higher. What was mentioned was only a part of why the community continuously fights for equal treatment and why they insist that tolerance isn’t enough and is different from acceptance.

There were times when the community gleamed and dazzled despite the harsh treatment, ongoing prejudice, and killings throughout the nation. Every storm, they say, has a rainbow waiting to shine. The graduation season has brought with it a variety of stories to share over the past few months. These highlighted mo ments were already considered as a win for the said community.

One Thomasian graduate stood out and made national headlines at the Uni versity of Santo Tomas’ recent on-site Baccalaureate Mass and Graduation cer emony last June. Marnella Sofia Ferro, a 25-year-old behavioral science gradu ate, proudly displayed the trans flag while also donning the appropriate female uniform in a photo she uploaded on Facebook. The message received a lot of love and support, and it was covered by the mainstream media.

Meanwhile, University of the Philippines-Cebu announced that they would let their graduating students to wear whatever suits their identity and expres sion during their 83rd commencement ceremony, provided that they stick to the color scheme and lengths. The UP Cebu student council also called the administration to let them know what names and titles the graduates desired for the commencement celebration.

Lastly, four graduating transwomen weren’t able to attend their graduating rites due to the breaking of dress codes and haircuts. The Department of Edu cation (DepEd) was notified of the incident and made a statement that schools should respect students’ expression and allow them to wear what they want at their graduation ceremonies. Based on the three stories, total acceptance isn’t really there thus far. The previous stories were already a major step towards the main goal but the battle for equity, equality, and acceptance has just started and the journey ahead of them is still miles away.

How do we achieve the end goal? It may not be simple but it needs not only an individual but needs the cooperation of all. You don’t have to be a member just to pay respect. Try to understand and be sensitive to what others feel. To put up in a larger perspective, if the country wants to show their support and understanding, supporting bills like Anti-discrimination bill and the SOGIE Bill are some of the ways.

June may have ended, but that doesn’t mean it’s also time to forget the pur pose of the celebration. The true definition of acceptance means supporting them all throughout the year because all people deserve to have the same amount of treatment no matter who you are and no matter what color you represent.

Again, tolerance isn’t completely enough and this isn’t what the community desires to have. What they need is full acceptance not just from their family and friends but from the whole society. After all, we all have our own hues. if we all shine together as one, we illuminate the same light visible to the naked eye.

Behind the spectrum, every single drop of rainbow is relevant. If people could only see what every member of the community sees in themselves, they will definitely see that there is so much more than the rainbow. There is a pot of gold waiting in its end – gold symbolizing victory not just for the LGBTQ+ community, but to all gender identities out there.

PH Education: Moving forward or going round in circles?

WRITTEN BY : Mary Angela Aquino

how long Filipinos indulge themselves on social media, and within that time, they are most likely to see fake news in their feeds. Additionally, 51.4% of Filipino so cial media users follow influencers on so cial media, ranking first worldwide. With more than half of social media users pop ulation, this gives influencers an edge in easily affecting the views or perceptions of Filipinos. Lastly, 36.7% use social media for work-related networking or research activities. The Philippines ranked second in this field, which shows that even with the rampant spread of fake information across social media, Filipinos still rely on it for their research activities.

Ironically, we are after a globally competent education sector yet continuously indulge in the spread of chismis instead of contributing to addressing the actual education crisis we are facing. Ranking low in international assessments does not mean that Filipinos are incompetent; it just shows the cracks in the system.

Solving the PH education crisis means going to the deep roots of the problem

to resolve it. The root causes have been manifesting for years: poor infrastruc ture, lack of school facilities and materials, scarcity of public school teachers, and so on. Along with the roots are the branches that lie in the rampant spread of misinformation in our country. If the government has been addressing these issues, how come we continue going through the same scenarios? They should stop with the band-aid fixes and start with effective long-term plans. If politi cians are after the progress of our country, they should prioritize the education sector as it holds the future generation, the hope of our country.

Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio moved the full face-to-face classes to November while implementing hybrid classes for August to October. It is her response to the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition’s call for more time to prepare. Addressing online classes is one thing, but it should not stop there. Going back to 100% face-to-face also means resolving the lack of schools, facilities, and teaching materials, among others. Before the face-to-face in No vember, there should be concrete plans regarding these issues. Without adequate resources, educators will still have a hard time teaching students while students will still struggle to learn. Transitioning to face-to-face will just turn to waste; everyone will risk their health but will not get the results they are aiming for.

Promoting digital literacy should also be prioritized. As learning expands through the vastness of social media, the responsibility lies with both Filipinos and the government.

One should be mindful of the information that they are feeding themselves. Not all news-like written articles are truthful; others make it seem like one to lure people to believe. Netizens should take time researching before trusting re ports and stories they see online. It is better to practice by following credible sources only.

At the same time, policymakers should also start addressing this issue. Whether they like it or not, fake accounts and trolls will always be present with out government intervention. It is in their hands to help suppress the spread of misinformation and disinformation. They hold power for a reason. There is a re sponsibility to take action and have concrete plans when needed. The welfare of the Filipino people should be in their best interest, and we do not want Filipinos fed up with false information. That is for sure.

Safe digital spaces for learners are vital. It could either mold their skills and proficiency or taint them. Hence, misinformation must also be handled if we want to address the education crisis. As stated by Ecker et. al in The Psychologi cal Drivers of Misinformation Belief and Its Resistance to Correction, “Not only can belief in misinformation lead to poor judgments and decision-making, it also exerts a lingering influence on people’s reasoning after it has been corrected — an effect known as the continued influence effect.”

It is good that President Bongbong Marcos has thought of bringing back the glory days of the education sector even before he took his oath. Yet, there is a big difference between wanting the best things in life and making them happen in reality. Instead of focusing on rebranding their family image and twisting his tory, he should lead the government in building Filipino students’ dreams by providing quality education for them. The golden age of Philippine education is a long way to go. As he is now seated as the 17th president of the Philippines, the future of the education sector is up to him.

If we aim for excellent students, then it must be reflected in our education system. It is impossible to aim for the top with mediocre action. Globally com petitive students need more than just promises and aspirations.

As the chaos lies within you Comfort seems to be so far Peace seems to be so vague But all lies in the mind of rage Of thoughts like an endless lake

JUSTITIA JUSTITIA

Judge fairly and make sure no one suffers unjustly.

- Seo Byung-Ju, Law School (2021)

ART BY : Toby Orduña

ART & WRITTEN BY : Keith Portia Andres

ART BY : Yuan Flores

Oh, how I hate the English units

WRITTEN BY: Jejomar Laab PHOTO BY: Ray-B Alunen

It’s instant frown lines and angry brows whenever I come across a quantity expressed in BTU or lbs in a word problem. And its conversion is literally causing real-world problems. Dude, I could rant about English units for hours. This rage is beyond any scale of measurement. So, to whoever came up with the system, hear me out.

In elementary schools, we are taught that there are 100 centimeters in a meter and 1000 meters in a kilometer. Pretty simple, right? Just move the decimals when converting, easy-peasy. The Metric system also simplifies the freezing point and boiling point of water to 0°C and 100°C. It’s a no-brainer. Simply put, this system of units is uniform, precise, and logical.

Here’s where everything gets so messed up. In English (also Imperial) units, we convert a mile to 5280 feet and 12 inches to a foot. A pound is equivalent to 16 ounces, and a cup means 8 fluid ounces. There is also such thing as a furlong. A pint. A quart. It seems like someone assigned random objects as units and called it a day.

You see, I have a memory of a fly—my mind can’t store all of that. Please tell me you did not think for one second that a fly is an actual unit of measurement.

All jokes aside, what does a slug get to do with a mass of a substance? Who needs a meter when you can express a length to a palm or an area the size of a football field? And seriously, what does a kip even mean? Since we’re making up words here,

we might as well use a capybara per alamano. Now, that’s some deep etymology!

Imperial units made sense a century ago, but it’s about time that we move forward. Oh, fun fact! We have a pound-force and a pound-mass because the pound existed before Newton discovered gravity. The system is as old as time. Unless we want to live like we are in an episode of Peaky Blinders or some Shakespearean play, we should completely standardize our units.

Have I mentioned that a Mars climate orbiter crashed just because engineers failed to make a simple conversion from English to Metric? Yes, you read it right! All research, resources, and a 125-million dollars craft down the drain. Hurray! We’re not the only ones who commit conversion mistakes. Even the brightest scientists and engineers embarrass themselves.

That’s not even as bad as it gets. A simple miscalculation of units could literally kill a person. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that 3000 to 4000 children are brought to the emergency room each year because of a drug overdose resulting from conversion errors.

Sure, we have computers now at our fingertips to convert for us. I can only imagine the confusion and chaos back then. I hate to bore you with some history, but here goes nothing. The Metric system emerged from the French Revolution for one reason: it was impractical for trade. Units, such as the length of a hand or the amount of a cup, vary from one

place to another. Hence, Enlightenment thinkers replaced it with a more rational, friendly version in a decimal system called the SI units. The adoption of this new system eradicated the manipulation of local units by opportunists to collect more rents and taxes. See? English units are even rigged.

Over the world, only US, Liberia, and Myanmar are the remaining countries that still practice Imperial units. Like, come on guys, don’t burden yourself with BTU/hr while the rest of the world uses sensible, easy-to-use words. Even the British empire, the folks who started it, has shifted to SI units.

Just have a look at the Philippines. Filipinos are so confused that we use kilograms for weight, feet for height, inches for body measurements, and Celsius for temperature. And ever wonder why there are US, UK, and European sizes for clothes? It’s pretty much because the system is all over the place.

I guess what I am trying to say is the world is already complicated to begin with. We can’t even comprehend each other’s native languages and come to terms with the diversity of our society. Can we, for once, settle on one language for math? Let’s spare our engineers and mathematicians the painstaking conversion.

I suppose this is also an appreciation of the Metric system as it is a vehement condemnation of the traditional units. Historically, it banished inequalities in the olden times. On top of that, it is a logical system with a standard naming convention, a real GOAT.

By this time, you get where I am coming from. For sure, every engineering student, or mathematician for that matter, is just as peeved as I am. I mean, how can something as simple as a unit miscalculation waste that many resources and even cause casualties (your test scores included)?

Jeez, did I just roast the English units with a truckload of facts and paragraphs? I guess this is me, an engineering student, being casually cruel in the name of clearing out unit conversion errors during exams.

The Philippines’ Response to the Climate Change Crisis

“We’re gonna lose everything. And we’re not joking. We’re not lying. We’re not exaggerating.”

These were the alarming words made by a NASA climate scientist, Peter Kalmus, during a protest urging the general public to pay attention to scientists and to take action to address climate change.

The issue of climate change has existed for some time already. Out of all the different causes, human activities are considered to be the main root of it, specifically the burning of fossil fuels that emit greenhouse gasses. These gasses trap the sun’s heat causing the rise in temperature which the United Nations refers to as the “long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns.”

Last February 2022, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released an assessment report on this issue. In the report, it states that climate change change has caused irreversible impacts in the world’s ecosystem—high risks of biodiversity loss, widespread deterioration of ecosystem structure and function, resilience and natural adaptive capacity, and shifts in seasonal timing. Adverse effects on food and water security were also mentioned. Roughly half of the world’s population is experiencing severe water scarcity and acute food insecurity with significant effects in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, Small Islands, and the Arctic. Even extreme weather conditions have affected agricultural crops and fisheries worldwide.

Earth,” Benjamin von Backel, explained that when species cannot migrate to a new location, the tendency is that they will most likely become extinct. On the other hand, the introduction of new species can endanger human health—take for example, the Asian tiger mosquito, which can disperse viruses like the dengue virus. This particular impact has been observed in the Philippines as of January to May 2022. In fact, the Department of Health has recorded 34,938 local dengue cases which is 23% higher than that of the previous year. Meanwhile, the country’s security adviser, Clarita Carlos, asserted that climate change is the real threat to the country as environmental crises have a major impact on food and human security. It can also be recalled that in December 2021, Super Typhoon Odette hit the country with a death toll of over 300 and P10.8 billion damage to the agriculture sector. Although the Philippines is not significantly a major contributor to climate change, we are one of the countries mostly impacted by it.

The one “good” thing here is that Filipinos seem to pay more attention to the ongoing crisis than in the past years. An online poll by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ) and the University of Oxford about people’s interest in news regarding climate change and belief that the media should take a stand on these kinds of issues had 52% of its Asia-Pacific respondents as Filipinos.

Take for example Mr. Jonjon Sarmiento, also known as ‘Farmer Jon’, who is a volunteer manager of the SALIKA Farmers Cooperative. He was alarmed by the worsening situation of climate change that he decided to embark on a journey even in the middle of a pandemic. His advocacy, Padyak Touro, started in November 2020 wherein he bicycled throughout his province of Oriental Mindoro and spoke with residents and lawmakers on the significance of addressing the climate crisis. As a result, he was able to deliver lectures and promote the formation of the Provincial Council and Ecological Food System in several municipalities throughout their province which was established in April 2021.

Aside from this, many more advocacies and organizations in the country were initiated to help address and lessen the impacts of climate change. One of them is the Youth

Advocates for Climate Action Philippines (YACAP) which was established in 2019. In 2021, YACAP launched a podcast series entitled Klimalam: The Podcast Series. The podcast has a total of 3 episodes and aims to address the climate crisis and suggest ways on what the FIlipino youth can contribute to mitigate its effects. In one of the episodes of the podcast, Leon Dulce, the National Coordinator of the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment, talked about a “climate apartheid” where he defined it as a situation where only the poor suffer the consequences of bad practices while the rich continue to thrive on their unhealthy business practices. He also mentioned that during these times of climate apartheid, we can only rely on the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), for this can be “an avenue where you could fight for small and meaningful reforms and changes.”

During this year, they have also presented their Youth Climate Agenda: (1) to push for people- and planetcentered adaptation, (2) to pursue more mitigation pathways, (3) to champion climate justice locally and globally, (4) to defend the country’s environment defenders, and (5) to empower the youth and the Filipino people. This agenda also serves as a challenge with the new administration.

NASA scientist Peter Kalmus gives emphasis on this global environmental concern and to encourage people to combat the crisis with their statement, “If you can make this not about yourself and just make it about the Earth, and just see yourself as kind of a vessel for this message which you know so deeply is correct. To stand up for life on this Earth and to stop what’s happening right now to the planet.”

As much as we want to altogether halt climate change, it is inevitable and its effects are irreversible. Although it is quite difficult as an individual, climate change can be slowed down and its effects can be minimized by collective cooperation and strategies from individuals, businesses, and the government. What we can do as youth and individuals is to stay informed, be aware of our actions, and as much as we can, switch to a more sustainable lifestyle.

To further elaborate these effects, the author of the book

“Nowhere Left to Go: How Climate Change is Driving Species to the Ends of the

WRITTEN BY: Patricia Nikole Valdecañas

LAYOUT

BY: Jayvee Fulgencio

To the generations who say Gen Z is too angry and pa-woke

Ours is a generation of “bad-tempered brats” with an eight-second attention span, casually yelling in all caps on social media. But trust me, on this side of the fence, our anger comes from a bottomless pit of dismay and distress.

Too often, the above generations have stamped on our foreheads the adjectives—distracted, entitled, oversensitive, impatient, too political, and basically just conjured up in a negative light. But the narrative must not end here.

Of course, we are DISTRACTED.

We have incompetent and self-serving leaders for a government. It’s a political circus out there, and we’re all invited to a front seat to humorless clownery, mental gymnastics, and bloated crocodiles devouring all there is to swallow.

In the past years, you’ve placed the worst public servants and con artists in positions of power because, in your words, “pare-pareho lang naman ang mga pulitiko,” a depressing reminder of how low the bar we set for our leaders is.

You’ll be leaving us with a suffocated planet. We are also going to inherit a society that is moving in the opposite direction of progress. And since the internet gave everyone a megaphone, it seems like people talk more and listen less. These problems appear to be nearly insurmountable. Where will we start?

You say we’re ENTITLED youngbloods with no realworld experience, for whatever that means.

The youth has been constantly reminded that we had it easy or that we aren’t as tough as your generation. But isn’t life supposed to be less and less hard as we inch forward?

Paychecks never come close to the rate of rent and

WRITTEN BY: Jejomar Laab PHOTO BY: Jan Ulrich Nacino

the price of commodities. Here, we work to live while some countries live to work. Decent healthcare is only for people with deep pockets. Meanwhile, education has become a privilege more than a right. So, yeah, we will remain unapologetic for asking for what we deserve.

“Gen Zs are OVERSENSITIVE cry-babies.”

This is coming from people who shrug off mental health and shoo away reassurance of feelings. Mind you, it’s okay to be sensitive and vulnerable. We’re humans; as so, we feel human emotions. Should we apologize for acknowledging what we feel and skewing out what we deem to be stressors?

On the other end, you can’t speak up indiscriminately online without stepping on somebody’s toes. Living in a social media landscape, words cut deeper than any blades. And we all have taken a bite of that poisonous apple that the virtual world has served on a platter.

Why are we so ANGRY and POLITICAL?

We have grown IMPATIENT because the triggers are all over the place. One scroll on Facebook, and you’ll lay your eyes on social injustices and tragic history repeating itself. Just outside the window is the looming pollution and plight of the poor. And the instant a person opens his mouth, there’s an immediate red-tagging.

All generations have advocated for social change, but this generation has never been angrier. We’re not a group that cowers down in fear while the outside is falling into pieces. Without a shadow of a doubt, Gen Z leads a movement for representation, animal rights, environmental justice, and social transformation, even by merely a 280-character tweet.

The youth is not brainwashed but radicalized by the vicious cycle of handing down the same problems,

grating the nation’s hopes to shred and beating the courage out of us.

With social media, now more than ever, we can see events and information from different times, occurring many miles away. But it’s also a double-edged sword, considering the upsurge of disinformation to which your generation unknowingly sinks into the pitfalls.

There is no denying that our predecessors have sowed the seeds of the problems we hardly weed out today. In the same way, the current youth might unwittingly obstruct the trajectory of the next in line. What do I know? Maybe we’re also part of the problem. It’s just either we become an example or a walking red flag.

This open letter is not to invalidate what the previous generations have braved before us. We were born with civil rights, women’s rights, LGBT rights, liberty, and democracy, to name a few. It got us where we are today, and we thank you for that. But it is also the generation that roamed before us who got it all wrong so many times, causing an uproar we witness today.

Our society has always placed the word “anger” on the negative side of the spectrum. And that it’s wrong to feel that much rage. But anger can act as fuel in sparking up authentic social change. We do not have to extinguish that raging fire. Instead, we could muster that anger and channel it to turn “it is what it is” into “enough is enough.”

Gen Z is angry because you have turned a blind eye to the youth before. And from where I’m standing, you’re still looking the other way today. Don’t you owe us a little apology?

Materialism:

A Mute Assassin Ally of Stress

WRITTEN BY: Erwin Keith Foronda

Have you ever been upset and stressed that you’ve found yourself thinking about the items you’ve been eyeing for in your shopping cart—thinking about the comfort of extravagance on the things you desire?

“I deserve this,” “Minsan lang naman,” these are the words usually uttered when someone’s about to click checkout on their mobile phones.

Today, a life without money would have been quite difficult as society has become increasingly demanding. Our society has become more materialistic as people continue to think about their wants and desires and buy luxurious things for their short-term satisfaction.

Materialism is defined as a preoccupation with, or stress on a material, an item, rather than intellectual or spiritual things. It is a tendency when people choose material and physical things to possess rather than acquiring values. Sometimes we find ourselves at quite an unconscious point where we cannot realize the things we are doing—either browsing online stores or mindlessly adding to our cart for checking out— little do we know, we might be slaves to materialism already.

I know of someone who made a new friend when the pandemic just started. This new friend never left his side; this friend had a very strong grip with him. When he was on the verge of succumbing to despair and gloom, this friend was his only comfort. He would give everything that his friend wanted, and they would find solace—only for a short while. He fed on his friend’s greed, allowing him to have every single thing in his cart bought and delivered right to his doorstep.

Until the pandemic lasted for quite a while, things rapidly changed. This friend became more demanding and asked a lot more than he could provide. This friend ended up comparing his life with others who seemed to have a luxurious life.

People like this friend, who has been used to mindlessly and unhealthily adding to their carts and buying unnecessary things, have had quite numerous effects on their mental health. They would usually end up becoming more demanding, more ungrateful, and more jealous of others who have things they do not own. People with the materialistic construct were found to be more socially anxious, self-conscious, and conforming (Schroeder, J. E., & Dugal, S. S., 1995).

The person I know of was usually persuaded by his friend to get the same things that he saw from other people––may it be clothes, books, gadgets, or the latest trendy thing––he would go aggressively mad when he doesn’t get the satisfaction he wants. This friend of mine ended up going beyond his means just to get that short-term comfort of saying, “I finally bought it.”

There is a danger in being stuck in a situation where the comfort of luxury and extravagance is tolerated, especially to the point where they go beyond their means to have and own physical things. This toxic habit can be socially destructive in a sense that people who suffer from materialism would be less self-sufficient, stressed and socially unaware in a society. People like them have their worldly materials and possessions tied to their self-worth which can be seemingly selfdestructive.

This has always been his way of living since the pandemic started. This way of living is toxic—being stressed, adding to cart, checking out, and spending beyond means. Until now, he gets pressured by this friend to spend on things that catch his eye, no matter how expensive it can be. Materialism makes you instantly gratified or satisfied, but it will never make you content. Victims to materialism make it seem like nothing would ever make them satisfied; they would

end up seeking for more and more.

A study conducted by Michigan State University revealed that materialistic people had much higher levels of post-traumatic stress than those who were less materialistic. This pattern can be evident with victims of materialism––where they are pushed to compare themselves to others—those who have and those who do not have. Materialism can be both displayed and fueled by society’s standards of consumerism. The cycle goes on, it never stops.

This is the terrible mindset he has—thinking that living a life of luxury consuming everything that catches his eye could increase his self-worth. Worldly ambition and envy can be root causes of his stress and frustration. At some point, he realized that materialism had pushed him to the brink of despair, slowly eating out his confidence in himself. He has realized that excessive consumerism have ruined his ability to process negative and traumatic events in his life, since he has found ways of coping from them through “materialistic mechanisms,” said Aric Rindfleisch, a marketing professor of the University of Illinois’ College of Business and a researcher for a study, “When bad gets worse: the amplifying effect of materialism on traumatic stress and maladaptive consumption”.

Maybe you’re wondering who that person is and why I’m familiar with his situation. I am the person who has suffered so much from my friend, materialism, the ally of the stress I’m faced with. I’m still in the process of understanding that ‘retail therapy’ cannot buy me the relief of my stress and struggles. Perhaps it’s time for me to contemplate on the things I’ve bought and owned, and ask if it truly did make me genuinely content.

A FEATHER IN THE CAP: WRITTEN CONVERSATIONS WITH A SUMMA CUM LAUDE

WRITTEN BY : Julienne Ramano LAYOUT BY : Reinehard Aytona

In today’s world, society has been facing a lot of challenges to survival – from the COVID-19 pandemic, economic crisis, lack of access to education, social inequality, and the like. Many of us have suffered physically, emotionally and mentally—especially when the COVID-19 pandemic brought surging waves to our re spective lives. Being an engineering student surviving online lec tures is no joke. It was a struggle to keep up with the adjustments and to tolerate the unhealthy screen time—let’s face it—online class will make you question your sanity.

Being the pioneer batch of the K-12 curriculum and the first batch to graduate from two years of full-time online class, there must have been a lot of pressure, frustration, and adjustments on this batch’s end. But here they are, conquering the battles they have faced and finishing strong to finally enjoy the fruits of their labor.

To celebrate this success, let’s hear from the overall high est-ranking student of the UST Faculty of Engineering Batch 2021 about his experiences and realizations during his four-year stay in the university.

Jerwin Clyde G. Alvarez, a fresh graduate from the Mechani cal Engineering Department, is hailed as the overall Rank 1 among the graduates of UST Faculty of Engineering Batch 2021. He fin ished his journey as Summa Cum Laude, with a general weighted average of 1.075. He was also awarded as the Rector’s Academic Awardee (Faculty of Engineering) in the recently concluded Stu dent Awards Day 2022.

Upon asking who or what was his inspiration in pursuing engineering and in finishing the degree with Latin honors, he an swered:

“My first inspiration in pursuing engineering is my uncle, who is currently an electrical engineer. I thought it would have been easy since he seemed to have a lot of time as he always checked up on us and all that. My mother clarified that he was just being the thoughtful uncle that he was. What inspired me in choosing ME was primarily due to the subjects in senior high school that were greatly related to it, which were difficult yet ful filling to study. Moreover, what further cemented my decision to take this course was when I found out that my late grandfather took up mechanical engineering as well, but he was one semester short of getting the degree, which became an added inspiration for me to finish what he started.“

He wasn’t only inspired to finish the degree; he found his family to become an inspiration to finish it with flying colors. It never came to his mind to finish the degree with Latin honors, except when his professor opened up about a scholarship oppor tunity that required him to maintain his academic standing. He didn’t want to bring extra financial concern to his family, so he was persistent in maintaining his standing.

For the majority, it might be a headwork on how he was able to juggle his responsibilities—including his personal and social needs. When asked about the struggle of balancing academic

load to personal life, Jerwin stated that time was easier to manage during the face-to-face mode of classes because some academ ic responsibilities were not intertwined to his personal life, and thus fulfilling one task will result in also fulfilling one of the other aspects. He never forgets to allot some time for socializing with friends as a stress buster, like playing video games, being part of food trips, or watching live sports events.

“I can say that these were still difficult to manage, but I suc ceeded in managing them by setting my priorities straight and aligning my responsibilities according to those priorities so that I can better manage my time throughout the day.”

For Jerwin, time management was an essential part of col lege life. He only does leisure activities during his free time. Along the way, sacrifices had to be made. Knowing and setting priorities straight was vital in order to manage his time and responsibilities easily, and being decisive on the “sacrifices” will perhaps mostly define the path you will continue to take - for the better or for the worse.

“At the end of the day, even though there were fun activities to do with my blockmates, I still had to prioritize my studies so that I can celebrate later and not regret my actions after. I did give up one thing over another for a while due to the priorities I have set, but I think that it was worth the sacrifice because I thought that I could still find time doing the things that I set aside when I’ve done my work.”

Jerwin did have his highest points, but he did also have his lows. His group had to change their thesis topic not once, but twice. It was already the month of October 2021, the month after the preliminary examinations, that they decided to pursue anoth er topic. They had a maximum of two months to accomplish three chapters for the new topic and prepare for the title defense. The pressure from time and workload kept piling up for him, since fail ing to defend their topic before the semester ended automatically means an incomplete grade for the course—which also means the termination of his academic scholarship. For Jerwin, it was at that point that either they could either make it or break it.

Rigorous planning, sacrifices, and taking chances were the key elements for the group to manage to survive revisions after re visions of their thesis. They were motivated to sacrifice their free times to catch up with the rest of the batch.

“We did not just accept our fate that we can no longer defend our thesis topic due to time constraints. Instead, we tried to make something out of the time that was left to possibly finish and de fend our topic. We discussed that no matter what happens in the end we will not have any regrets because we did our best to still finish the requirement on time regardless of all the obstacles we faced; and that we’ll face the consequences at the end of all of it.”

Their group was able to finish all pending tasks and push through the title defense one to two weeks earlier than the planned time frame by the department. For Jerwin, it was one of the defining moments of his Thomasian engineering life.

On Mismatched

to Ragged Routes

WRITTEN BY : Jamie Franchesca Lopez LAYOUT BY : Reinehard Aytona

As President Rodrigo Duterte’s term comes to a close, the state of Philippine infrastructure remains a predicament, even after being the target of one of the administration’s cornerstone platforms. The “Build! Build! Build!” (BBB) Program was made to cure the country’s Achilles’ heel, allocating approximately P8 to P9 trillion from the national budget—the highest in Philippine his tory to date. Six years, several bridges, and a few railway extensions later, ordinary residents still struggle with the unaddressed issues that have existed long before the implementation of this project.

To provide some background, the BBB program was execut ed as a means to prioritize the “often-neglected” development of infrastructures in the country. In its implementation, the gov ernment presumed that it would set forth a stable growth in the economy by producing jobs and improving the citizens’ overall convenience. Upon assessment, the World Bank (WB) estimated a growth in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 6.8% in 2020. At the launch of this project, the Philippines was able to divert from its mediocre and flattening economy, becoming one of the fastest growing nations in Southeast Asia, as stated in a Forbes Magazine article by academic and columnist Richard Javad Hey darian.

According to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary, Mark Villar, the program has provided over six million jobs to Filipinos in more than four years of its implemen tation. Based on a January 2022 report by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the number of unemployed workers jumped from 3.5M in October 2021 to 3.16M in November of the same year. Even during the spike of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BBB project was treated by officials as the single string of hope saving the country from its ultimate economic downfall.

Besides its perceivable impact on employment rates, the BBB program is marketed as a potential solution to poverty in the country. While it is true that the integration of proper urban plan ning and high-grade infrastructures is a competent approach to

Based on The ASEAN Post’s article in 2020, more than four years since its implementation, the BBB program has successfully constructed 121 airport projects, 369 seaports, 23 657 kilometers of road, 4 959 bridges, and 71 803 classrooms. Other concluded proj ects include 4 536 flood mitigation structures and 82 evacuation centers across the country, while six railway arrangements are still underway. Duterte’s administration also reached a 7% increase in the country’s GDP. Given these statistics, the government was able to carry out its objectives for this project—to an extent.

One of Duterte’s primary causes for kicking off this project was to minimize Manila traffic, which is notorious for its congest ed roads and chaotic law enforcement. A budget of P149.9B was allotted to the DPWH for funding all road projects, mainly road widening and construction of new routes; however, traffic cannot be solved by building more roads. In reality, this is a band-aid solu tion, proved to be incapable by the economic concept of induced demand. While the traffic may be temporarily mitigated, it will only engage people to utilize more vehicles. Overtime, there will be a resurgence of road congestion, and ultimately, the Philippines will be P149.9B poorer with no progress in sight.

In addition, there are other issues being raised on the effects of these constructions to the environment. For example, the New Manila International Airport (NMIA) set to be built on the coastal areas of Bulacan would inflict serious damage on the ecosystem affecting both marine life and the livelihood of fisherfolk in the vicinity. The possible detrimental effects of this construction will stretch throughout the whole country—a consequence that was not disclosed to the public.

Moreover, in a survey conducted by the Research, Education, and Institutional Development (REID) Foundation on the Depart ment of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) construction commission, 15%

The Thomasian engineering stu dent life is indeed difficult, but it will all be worth it in the end. Just keep going. However, don’t forget to rest from time to time because there’s still more to life than just finishing your engineering degree.

Whenever Jerwin feels exhausted in life, he always asks him self to “go back to what made him decide to pursue engineering” in order to keep going. If someone changed courses along the way, think about the progress made. And even though the way is still long, a lot of progress has been already made—that should suffice to keep going until each goal is being achieved.

When asked what his secret was to graduate with Latin Hon ors, he said:

“Ito ay ang pagiging disiplinado sa pa-aaral. Kasi kahit na gaano pa katalino [ang isang tao], hindi rin ang mare-reach ang pinaka-potential kung wala namang disiplina o sipag sa pag-aaral. Kapag may disiplina sa pag-aaral, lalo na kung gustong-gusto mo ang inaaral mo, maa-absorb mo ang mga learnings na kailangan at magagamit mo in the future in you chosen field. In reality, kan ya-kanya pa rin naman iyan. ‘Yung effective sa aking “formula” ay maaaring hindi effective sa iba. But what I am sure of is that all of those who aspire to graduate with Latin honors are all capable of doing it as long as they stick to their good study habits and any other activities that help them in their academics.”

Jerwin stated further that anyone can graduate with Latin honors. However, achieving it is not the sole basis of measuring one’s performance in the university. With or without Latin honors, one can still call a student finishing a four or five-year course in an acclaimed university an achievement—as long as the learnings from the faculty are instilled. He also added that there are times that graduating with Latin honors is an added pressure because it felt like they had to prove how they deserved the award given to them.

If Jerwin has to impart leanings to his fellow engineering stu dents out there, here is what he would say:

“The Thomasian engineering life will be full of surprises. It may not favor you all the time, but just keep pushing through because it is better to give your very best in every situation than regret it later. Carefully choose the people who you are going to spend most of your Thomasian engineering life with, because sur rounding yourself with the right people will help you grow for the better. Lastly, don’t be afraid to speak up because speaking up for yourself or for your batchmates is better than keeping all of it to yourself, since you may actually change a possible undesirable sit uation you or your batchmates are in.

The Thomasian engineering student life is indeed difficult, but it will all be worth it in the end. Just keep going. However, don’t forget to rest from time to time because there’s still more to life than just finishing your engineering degree.“

Jerwin, with a goal-oriented indomitable spirit, was able to battle his way in becoming a Thomasian mechanical engineer.

Let’s live by his motto and take it as our motivation to keep going, “Take things one day at a time. You don’t have to complete ly know everything in one go because it is a lifelong process and there are no shortcuts to it.”

Putting forth these pieces of evidence, it is likely that a sig nificant number of corrupt transactions exist within the BBB pro gram. As an effect, there are frequent delays on the construction of poor-grade infrastructures from the use of substandard materials. There is also a rising issue of maltreatment as workers’ are not granted their corresponding salaries. With the presence of uncom pensated workers and stolen tax money, do Filipinos really benefit from the BBB program’s so-called ability to improve the country’s economy in the form of a higher GDP?

In fact, the working poor still continue to suffer even with a 6.4% GDP growth because the majority of the program’s profits fall into the pockets of contractors, real-estate agencies, and gov ernment officials. In simple terms, the rich will get richer, while the poor will remain poor, or worse—get poorer. A fitting solution to make the program’s positive impacts inclusive to the general public is to increase the workers’ wages and benefits—decreasing both poverty and economic inequality.

Even with these existing issues, President Ferdinand ‘Bong bong’ Marcos, Jr. still plans to continue this project. While it is true that good infrastructure is the backbone of a good economy, in a world where a corrupt government indulges in the exploita tion of company giants, development becomes strictly exclusive to the rich. In this new administration, this ‘double-edged sword’ of a program requires an adjustment of priorities, an intervention in execution, and a new face of transparency to become a real cause for growth and universal progress.

opening better opportunities for all members of the nation, poor management and disreputable transactions will harm the coun try’s poor more than anything else.

to 35% of the project’s expenses went to “other costs of doing busi ness” or under-the-table facilitation fees. In another instance, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) disclosed a list of contractors that continue to receive deals for BBB projects despite having traces of fraudulent activity and being blacklisted by the DPWH. Even in coordinating with international bodies, Chinese contractors indulge in such deals, going as far as placing high interest rates and manipulating feasibility studies.

DATA

ENGINEERING

WRITTEN BY : Luis Raphael Daoang

LAYOUT BY : John Patrick Villa

Introduction to Data Engineering

Generally, data engineers collect and validate quality data for data scientists to use. Data engineering is a broad field that involves data processing, data cleaning, and preparing ready-to-use data for analytics, data sci ence, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) implementation. In addition, this type of engineer employs different mod ules and data steps, such as data infrastructure, data mining, data crunching, data acquisition, data model ing, and data management.

The path to data engineering is a hectic one, especial ly if you have a little background in said field. Thus, here is everything you need to know about data engineering.

Data Engineering vs. Data Scientist

Many people often confuse data engineering with data science. After all, they both overlap in the required knowledge, skills, and education. Still, they have differ ent roles although they work hand-in-hand.

Data scientists conduct complex analyses on the data warehouse, framework, and pipelines set up by data engineers. Simply put, data engineers use the data gathered by software/backend engineers to design a data warehouse. The data scientists will then use the data from the warehouse to derive accurate insights or predictions.

What are the Necessary Skills to learn in Data Engi neering?

Data engineering requires many skills that are com monly in line with programming and information tech nology (IT). To start with, you need to learn and master the foundation of data engineering: (1) programming languages like Python, the standard for all data, or Sca la, and (2) the handling of databases using the language of data, Structured Query Language (SQL).

Next is learning the more specific skill sets such as ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) tools, data APIs, data warehousing solutions, and distributed systems. Other notable skills to learn include Networking and Security, complying with Privacy laws, and understanding Cloud Computing.

The aforementioned skills are just the tip of the iceberg. You will have to learn more and adapt to the changes and challenges you might face as a data engi neer.

How to be a Data Engineer?

You might be interested to know if your current ca reer coincides with data engineering. Well, the best majors include software engineering, computer sci ence, and information technology. Other alternative undergraduate degrees for data engineering are engi neering degrees. Regardless, make sure to take courses in software design, computer programming, data ar chitecture, data structures, and database management.

Also, since data engineering focuses more on skills rather than textbook knowledge, you can technically become a data engineer without a BSc degree. How ever, most companies require formal education in the position they are offering. So, it is better to have com pleted a degree relating to data engineering to secure a spot in a competitive environment.

Data engineering is a career that is not meant for everyone. It is a complicated and highly technical field that requires patience and dedication in learning all the basic skills. Still, the future is stable for data engineers.

With real-time data pipelines and processing systems becoming more popular, data engineers will be sought out more to build and evolve data warehouses– which easily makes data engineering the fastest-growing job in technology.

BODY CLOCK

WRITTEN BY : Lance Kasel Lasam

LAYOUT BY : Regine Jeza Enclona

On the surface, it is pretty simple to internalize what a “body clock” is - it is simply the way our body tells us when to sleep and wake up. In fact, it gets thrown around a lot whenever we talk about our struggle to stay awake and sleep at certain times due to the workload given to us on a certain day or week.

However, there are certain things that one may consider in or der to optimize their own day-to-day rhythm. It is not strictly lim ited to just one form of sleep schedule that everyone has to abide by. What matters, however, is that we actually feel energized when we are up and tired before going to bed, not the other way around.

WHAT IS OUR BODY CLOCK?

Everyone has their own biological clocks which regulate their circadian rhythm, which refers to the natural processes that occur every 24 hours. These changes mainly respond to light and dark ness in their environment (we’ll keep that in mind). They can in fluence important bodily functions like hormone release, eating habits, and body temperature, however, the most apparent effect is on our sleeping patterns.

As we age and work, we need less or more sleep over time. We may also develop patterns that make us feel more awake and ener gized in the morning (the early birds) or at night (the night owls). That is the first thing that needs to be noted - most of us have fairly typical sleep schedules, however as we have our own rhythms, it is fine if we deviate from the norm so long as we still keep our own regular sleep schedule. As college students, we generally need 7-9 hours of sleep every night, however, the optimal amount depends on the person.

Changes in our body and environment can, of course, change our circadian rhythms and make them out-of-sync, so to speak, such as gene mutations, illnesses, drugs and alcohol, jet lag, extra sleep, work shifts, and light. When we pass through time zones, continue to sleep for longer periods of time, or work at night, our sleep schedule changes and our body has to adjust to it, which can result in dreariness.

Light, however, maybe the most important factor to consider here. It does not just include sunlight, but the light coming from our screens and phones and other gadgets. As stated before, our

circadian rhythm responds to light and darkness - when we see any amount of light, it tells the brain to stop producing the hormone that makes us sleepy, thus essentially making us awake. Therefore, waiting to be sleepy by scrolling or watching through your phone or TV is not ideal, as it essentially delays your sleep further.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO OUR BODY CLOCK?

There are some activities to do in order to improve our body clock, however, all of these also depend on our work and lifestyle. For one, we must allow enough time to sleep, not only that but also give room to set for earlier bedtimes. This sleep must also be con sistent every day, ideally regardless of your work schedule. It must be prioritized and protected as well - you can have your friends or relatives checking you if you’re in bed or not.

When we are awake, we can plan out our activities for the day - on what activities or requirements to do, even outing with fam ily or friends. This is in order to prevent cramming or becoming stressed out to the point that it affects our sleep schedule, as we have to be relaxed before going to bed.

We can also utilize other techniques that can optimize not only our continuous sleep but naps as well. We can exploit the sleep cycle, which posits that multiple 90 minutes of sleep can result in a good rest, use the 4-7-8 breathing method to help you unwind, which involves cycles of exhaling, holding your breath, then ex haling again for 4, 7, and 8 seconds respectively, or do yoga and meditation.

When it comes to light, it is best to have a dark, cool, and quiet bedroom, then situate the lights in a way that sunlight greets you when you wake up. Bright lights, especially coming from gadgets, are not needed before going to bed. Other things to be avoided be fore sleeping also include large meals, alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, and rigorous exercise, as it can cause difficulty sleeping.

All of these things are, for the most part, suggestions. However, they are and can be helpful in syncing your sleep schedule. We do not want to be drowsy in the morning, even if we may feel energet ic at night. Sleep is integral to our bodily functions, and it is best to protect it from destruction, lest we struggle to do even the most basic tasks while we are supposedly awake and full of energy.

Graduating from college opens up a whole new chapter in life, but forces you to leave a few benefits your school gave you as you walk towards the outside world. One of the things you leave is the perks you have while studying. For instance, being a student meant having access to limitless cloud storage for free. Losing that bene fit will certainly hurt. However, there are other alternative options for cloud storage you could use. And they are for free, which is perfect for people who would prefer saving over spending.

MEGA

MEGA gives out cloud storage of 20 GB for free. Moreover, it has an intriguing feature in its sharing of links, wherein the recipi ents can only decrypt the information if they have the second part of the given URL. MEGA can be used through a browser, desktop, and mobile app, while running on various platforms like Android, iOS, Windows, and the like.

Degoo

This online storage in particular provides a whopping 100 GB for free upon creating an account. In fact, Degoo has no upper limit to how much free storage you can get as you get 5 GB for every person that makes an account using your referral. Degoo can be used using the web or the mobile app for iPad, iPhone, and Android.

MediaFire

A MediaFire user can get an immediate 10 GB of free storage

space, which can increase up to 50 GB through friend referrals and application downloads. This storage service allows large file uploads with zero bandwidth limitations. The file uploads can be as large as 4 GB with filtering features to limit the kind of files shown.

Box

10 GB of free space is what Box gives you upon making an account. Box users can share either whole folders of files or only choose individual ones for other users. However, free users have a file upload limit of 250 MB. You can get Box for Android, iOS, macOS, or Windows.

pCloud

pCloud offers a free space of 10 GB. It allows file uploads with out a speed or size limit and can support file sharing with non-us ers. Furthermore, your pCloud can back up the photos from your social media accounts like Facebook and Instagram. This app can run on Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux, and more.

Whichever of these you choose, you are guaranteed a great, free cloud storage service. What you choose just boils down to the sys tem UI, the features included, and the limitations. Still, how you use your accounts and manage the important files will ultimately decide whether your free storage will last or not. Keep in mind that life after college is even harsher, and if you cannot spend lavishly on cloud storage, then it is better to save money and be thrifty.

THE GREEN NEW DEAL

How Cities Can Turn 100% Renewable Cost-Free Online Storage For Thrifty People WRITTEN BY : Luis Raphael Daoang LAYOUT BY : Aubrey Mae Maula

WRITTEN BY : Lance Kasel Lasam

LAYOUT BY : Aubrey Mae Maula

As more governments take action on climate change and more people become acutely aware of its consequences, more towns and cities continue to invest more in renewable energy sources. Many smaller towns in places from Texas to Iceland, from China to Sydney, now have or plan to have renewable energy as their main source.

However, for a city to completely turn to renewable energy for its needs involves transforming everything in its landscape, from its buildings to businesses to transportation systems to power sup plies. Even if we are still far from achieving the ideal scenario of re newable energy being the main source of power everywhere, these cities have stepped in the right direction.

There are several frameworks and guidelines for cities to adapt for when they plan on going 100% renewable, starting with rec ognizing the ever-growing problem of climate change and being sober from it. The first thing cities can do is to have comprehensive energy audits to determine where the energy flows across their respective area.

Then, they can engage in ambitious retrofitting projects and in vest in renewable energy projects that are suitable to their location and potential. Cities that have tropical to temperate climates can mainly benefit from solar energy, like Lisbon or even Cagayan de Oro. Places from Iceland to Laguna can utilize geothermal power due to their underground heat or specialized power plants. Any city can be renewable as long as they utilize the resources around them.

With these projects comes a lot of technological investment. Energy transitions can benefit greatly from technologies that can

achieve these goals in an efficient and effective way. These should be applied in such a way that an ordinary person can use them as well since they are the ones who mainly use this energy. It must come to a point where not only it can be an option to use renewable energy, but it should be the option.

Even then, these projects wouldn’t be enough if there isn’t a sys tem to transfer that energy to its citizens. A council doesn’t and shouldn’t just build something and leave it as is. This change of source involves a change in grids and other systems, which follows through to a change in business, behaviors, and lifestyles. Many people and companies are willing to contribute positive change to their community, especially if they can see the benefits directly. As long as everything works in a system, it can sustain itself for a long time.

Also, this transition takes a lot of time and political capital. City and national governments together can set a timeframe for the achievement of this transition, like promising that the entire city or country will run on renewables by 2030 or 2035. And with good negotiations and investments, they can partner and work with both partisan allies and opponents, NGOs and LGUs, and private citizens as well in order to set up these projects and complete their ambi tious goals.

For a city to become completely renewable, it takes a lot of time, effort, and money. However, it will all be worth it if it means we all get to live healthier and safer lives in the future without being continuously ravaged by nature’s ills. Many towns and cities have taken the initiative, and it is high time for others across the world to adopt the new green deal.

PUTIN DID WHAT HE NEEDED TO DO

WRITTEN BY : Lance Kasel Lasam

LAYOUT BY : M iriam Ruano

Disclaimer: This is not a manifesto for war. Don’t be a killjoy and report to the police. This is meant for satire, we are not condoning all-out nuclear war. That’s for Putin to decide, not me, or anyone I know. Don’t bring me into something I said I don’t intend to do.

Vladimir Putin is once again misunderstood in his ‘(y)eg(o)’ noble endeavors. Despite the mainstream media gnashing their teeth with their “lies” and “propaganda” and painting him as the ultimate vil lain, his actions are indeed an ambitious attempt to further Western progress in a way reminiscent of the better half of the 20th century before bringing them into liberal order not seen since. The main stream media once again just doesn’t want to listen, however, and is gnashing their teeth with their “lies” and “propaganda” against our Lord and Savior.

Putin must end the madness caused by peasants and donkeys and bring upon “a world without Nazism”. He wishes to reintroduce the renewed glory of Mother Russia and to birth an Iron Curtain that is more fitting for a Gigachad against the virgin Western Stacies. Hav ing already consummated diplomacy with Belarus and Central Asian “friends”, the only missing piece is their prodigal child Ukraine.

His Chad plan is coming to fruition, too. Russia and Belarus have made an impassable white sheet. Ukrainian right-wingers actively clash against Russian right-wingers. Wee nobodies are arming up and calling God to strike them down. The Stacies realize their girl powers and sanction them from the lunch table along with perking up Ukraine for the talent show. Even the quiet one, Switzerland, is joining on the fun. And last but definitely not the least, he gave the biggest possibility of fulfilling Einstein’s prophecy by escalating the threat of nuclear annihilation!

This level of excitement has not been seen since the Cuban crisis of 1962, when white is starting to lose fashion and we nostalgic peo ple are three years from first getting to know what unity tastes like. Isn’t it fun to one-up the West at the possible expense of the people who run the East? People are holding arms and arms in defending their lines against one another. Here’s where you are Marty, and you’re not allowed to come near Alex and the crew.

I’m glad that we live in a world where we can scream at our inter viewers when they ask where we think we are in 5 years’ time. I’m glad that people are finally waking up and taking sides. I’m glad that corporations specializing in military-grade weaponry are having a field day - no, a field year supplying arms to people who just knew how to handle it 5 months ago. And it’s refreshing that right-wing politicians from the West openly support Putin - that will stop them from keeping their opponents from winning elections.

Putin did what he needed to do. He wants to spearhead another revolution with his fast and loose approach to life and politics, and he did so with style. It’s a shame that some politicians do not share this enthusiasm, calling for no humiliation, no fueling of the arms race, no this, no that. They do not understand the simple logic be hind all of this. He managed to unite a fragile continent, hack off a lot of people, and see who is right and who is really right (which is wrong). He is the true savior of this world. God bless America.

BEST IDEA-INDUCING WEBSITES FOR THESIS

WRITTEN BY : Luis Raphael Daoang

As future engineers from the University of Santo Tomas (UST), you will face a fair share of research studies long before graduation. You are expected to constantly identify problems, form thesis statements, come up with titles, and the like. But all of the things you need to begin a study just boil down to one word: ideas.

To even begin a thesis, you have to come up with ideas which could be through conducting background research, brainstorm ing, and acquiring relevant information. Coming up with fresher and more unique research ideas, however, is not a simple task, especially with the millions of studies existing worldwide. So, here are the best sites to fill your engineering minds with more ideas than you can use.

ResearchGate ResearchGate | Find and share research

One way to form research ideas is to be inspired by the works of others, which ResearchGate can provide. This website gives a user access to over 135 million up-to-date publication pages. Using the search function, type keywords to limit the results to your topic of choice or choose a branch of Science from the Top ic Pages section. Using these functions, studies from all over the globe will be accessed. All in all, ResearchGate is a solid website for gathering ideas using the works of different experts.

DOST Website www.dost.gov.ph - News

What better way is there to gather relevant information on Sci ence and Technology than to visit the website of the Philippines’s Department of Science and Technology? Filled with up-to-date information and news regarding Sci-Tech, the DOST website provides information that is crucial in forming new and unique ideas to study and explore. Moreover, DOST focuses more on national studies and information, which easily allows local fac tors to be included in forming research ideas.

Library of Congress (LOC) Home | Library of Congress (loc.gov)

The Library of Congress is home to a variety of e-Books and pdf files on any and all topics you could ever think of. This

LAYOUT BY : Keith Andres Portia

website has different sections such as the Library Catalog, Dig ital Collections, Researchers, Blogs, and the like. It also allows users to receive aid from an actual librarian if needed. Also, like ResearchGate, it has a keyword search function if you opt to do the searching yourself. Books are the storage for knowledge and information, making LOC a good place to look for research ideas.

Issues in Science & Technology Issues in Science and Technology

One way to come up with fresh research ideas is to identify an existing and relevant problem. Issues in Science and Technolo gy highlight many issues in Sci-Tech that are only waiting to be solved. Also, It has a selection of the branches and categories you may want to focus on. This website is truly a splendid platform for gathering information and inspiration. After all, one reason why we conduct research is to improve the quality of life.

R Discovery Academic Research Reading: Personalised Re search Discovery - R Discovery (researcher.life)

Much like ResearchGate, R Discovery allows for easy access and searches for different research worldwide. However, it has a few unique features like having an Artificial Intelligence (AI) engine that keeps track of your reading interests and finds relevant topics that otherwise are easy to miss out on. Further more, it has notifications and email alerts to update you on the recently published research. Aside from being a website, R Dis covery can also be downloaded on mobile devices, allowing you to conduct your idea-inducing activity whenever and wherever you want.

Regardless of which site you use to kick-start your brain, one can never truly run out of research ideas. The world has tons of problems that need resolving and a variety of concepts we have yet to fully explore– which essentially make research an import ant and endless activity for the advancement of many commu nities. All things considered, a flexible, observant, and creative mind is necessary for the creation of new ideas to study, for the betterment of our daily lives and the future.

JUST TO GET THAT EDGE

People like convenience. We crave them. Whenever we decide on something, we usually pick the most convenient option, ei ther monetarily or timewise. Nowadays especially, as our needs change at an ever faster rate, businesses and fellow individuals have devised numerous methods to increase our ease of trans action, be it through technology or through understanding human behavior.

Convenience can come in different forms and applicationsfrom appliances to communications to services to even stores and queues. However what matters is that users can enjoy a hassle-free experience whenever they interact with products and services. The right information must be delivered to the right person at the right time, at the right platform, as Caitlin Burgess of TopMark Marketing wrote.

Smart technology is one common way of increasing conve nience, especially in appliances. Installing sensors, detectors, and hubs, and utilizing the Internet of Things can lead to con sumers just pushing a button or simply going inside a room to activate an appliance. Anything that can decrease the hassle of a consumer, no matter how small it is, increases convenience.

Another common technique manifests whenever we use apps on our gadgets. The layout and design of an app can improve the user experience, thus increasing convenience as well. A good user interface enables consumers to quickly understand the features of an app, and thus easily transact, browse, and do

WRITTEN BY : Luis Raphael Daoang

Marine life is the main source of the oxygen we breathe, the seafood we enjoy, and our fighting chance against cancer, arthritis, and other diseases. They impact our lives in so many ways and yet we live oblivious to the benefits they provide. That is why preserving our oceans is important and a “win-win” situation. To get rid of the trash in oceans, innovation is needed, and once innovation occurs, aquatic life is saved– a win on both technology and nature fronts.

Proposed and created by Boyan Slat (CEO of The Ocean Cleanup), System 001 is a62mile-long barrier that targets visible plastic debris, ghost nets, and microplastics without interfering with marine life. It cleans the gyre at the heart of the North Pacific Ocean known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This design roughly cleans up 80 000 tons of garbage located between Hawaii and California.

System 001 uses a U-shaped boom-and-skirt array that floats with the currents to collect and contain various plastic waste. This floating net has a passive and slow-moving design to keep marine life from harm. Upon reaching the maximum load of waste, a vessel will remove the collected plastics much like a garbage truck.

Mr. Trash Wheel is a water wheel developed by Clearwater Mills, LLC that captures plastic debris and oil slicks in the rivers, streams, and harbors of Baltimore. It cleans up 38 000 lbs of trash a day. So far, it has

whatever they wish to do. People must be allowed to maximize the capability of a product with ease, that includes the seem ingly trivial.

Large and small businesses are increasingly using e-commerce, either with websites like Shopee, Lazada, and Facebook Mar ketplace, or mobile payments like Gcash and Maya, since it en ables people to shop from wherever they are, a more convenient choice than going to a physical store and looking for what they want. In a person’s perspective, any choice that can get them somewhere faster is the better choice.

We are much more inclined to choose something that can get us somewhere faster. This isn’t just present in business trans actions, but also in lines, food, and shipping. These include Fast Passes that speeds up customer access to Disney rides and introducing the concept of virtual queues, the Speedee Service System that founded McDonald’s reputation for fast food, and logistics companies making sure that your stuff gets to you the same day that you bought it.

What matters in convenience is that the person gets what they want as quickly and as seamlessly as possible. There are many angles in which this can be achieved - what is mentioned here are just a speck in the grand scheme of things. Anything to get that edge and save a couple of seconds of everybody’s time may not be much, but practically, it’s worth it.

ILLUSTRATED BY : Miriam Ruano

captured and prevented 1.6 million lbs of the debris before it could reaching the Atlantic ocean.

The water wheel is placed at the end of a river or stream, where trash is funneled into the interceptor by the river’s currents. Mr. Trash Wheel has a solar-powered conveyor belt that collects the trash and delivers it to a contained floating barge. In addition, the trash collected in the barge is incinerated and converted into electricity.

Developed by scientists at RanMarine Technology, WaterShark is a design inspired by a whale shark. It is a water drone that aims to collect floating debris like plastic and bio-waste before they are carried out by winds, tides, and currents into the ocean. It cleans along the coastal waterways of the United Kingdom (UK). WaterShark cleans up an approximate amount of 15.6 tons of plastic a year.

This aqua drone is designed to be a unique filterfeeding whale that consumes waste through a long, wide mouth. WaterShark can be controlled manually through steering or via a pre-plotted GPS map, lasting for up to 16 hours and collecting up to 200 liters of trash in a single trip. Furthermore, it can also collect and send data regarding the water’s pH levels, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, and other water qualities.

The Clear Blue Sea organization has partnered with student interns from a variety of San Diego Universities to create the prototype Floating Robot Eliminating Debris, or FRED in short.

It focuses on capturing large plastic debris in bays, rivers, and oceans before it could turn into microplastics. As of the moment, FRED is in the second phase of a 4-phase project set to be completed in 2023.

FRED is designed to have flaps in front of the machine that collects debris and transports it to a collection bin via a conveyor belt. The machine is steered using a remote control and powered by solar panels. Moreover, FRED has sensors to keep marine animals away and moves at a glacial pace so animals can easily swim away.

A study conducted by the scientist Xiaoguang Duag resulted in a solution to tackle the global plastic issue using a new type of nanotechnology. Duag, along with his team, created tiny magnetic nano-coils that can break down microplastics in the ocean through a chemical reaction. Even though it needs more testing, these magnetic coils are projected to clear 100% of microplastics in oceans.

Magnetic coils are coated with nitrogen and manganese. The coating reacts with the oxygen molecules present in water, which will attack microplastics. With the help of this chemical reaction, microplastics will turn into environmentally-friendly salt compounds, water, and carbon dioxide.

Ocean clean-up is useless if improper disposal still prevails. We each have to do our part in cleaning the oceans by preventing plastics from infecting the deep through proper plastic disposal and less usage. If we choose to ignore the severity of this issue, we will only face a bigger and much more threatening consequence that we have yet to face.

WRITTEN BY : Lance Kasel Lasam

MAGNETIC COILS

LAYOUT BY : John Patrick Villa

UAAP: Long-awaited Comeback, Jerseys Stay on Track

WRITTEN BY : John Carlo Urbano

UAAP Season 83 was supposed to be held last year, but it was can celed due to the country’s COVID-19 crisis, which intensified after the holiday season.

Fully Alive, Champions for Life

Last March 26, 2022 the long-awaited return of the UAAP took place in the Mall of Asia Arena after an unprecedented two-year pause since Season 83 was halted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Men’s basketball, men and women’s 3x3 basketball, wom en’s indoor volleyball, men’s beach volleyball, men and women’s chess, poomsae, and cheerdance competition are the only sports that the UAAP staged this season.

After a long pause, the heart and soul of the UAAP basketball and volleyball started beating again and returned to action. Trying to get back to the usual habit and adapting to the new normal to bring back the grind in the arena.

You can never go wrong when your father is your basketball and life inspiration. Started playing basketball at the age of ten, Miguel Pangilinan, a fourth-year Civil Engineering student, was excited to be back on the court and clashed with different schools with that kind of high-level competition after two years of no tournament.

“I was determined to prove and make a name for myself before I graduated. Overall, being able to play was the most exciting part of my experience,” Pangilinan said.

Also Influenced by his father at the age of ten, Renzel Yongco, a fifth-year Industrial Engineering student, felt blessed to go back to the basketball court and play in the UAAP in order to represent UST.

“I was actually from DLSU and I transferred to UST last 2018 so I sat out for one year. I got injured for another year, and I waited two more years in order to play because of the pandemic,” Yongco men tioned

One key to balancing her life as an athlete and student is time management and discipline. Janna Elizabeth Torres, a third-year Me chanical Engineering student, began playing volleyball in seventh grade.

“The support of the UST community gave me excitement and en ergized me to cheer my teammates on the return of the UAAP,” Torres emphasized.

Playing in the UAAP is really a dream come true and an achievement for every athlete. Volleyball, basketball, and even other UAAP sports were all on the line in an epic and tough game between the rival schools.

Preparation is the Best Strategy

Athletes have the heart to compete, and provide ample time to develop physical skills and the proper nurturing to boost their aca demic performance to be ready for the ultimate challenge. The way to success and ultimate victory is to get to know your teammates well, improve your skills, come up with plans, and most importantly, work as a team.

The six-foot-one Yongco is not used to leaving his family for basketball. “Actually, leaving the house and my family is actually the biggest challenge for me. Because in 2019, I won’t stay in the dorm. I usually go back and forth after every practice, and then I go home.”

“Well, during the bubble practice, I had to be away from them for three months, which left me homesick. Being able to roam around in the province at that time was also limited since I had to be isolated at UST during practices,” Pangilinan mentioned

“The training is not new to us. It seems like we are just going back to training like when we were in pre-pandemic. In terms of prepara tion, heavy training and mindset to achieve the team’s goal of becom ing a champion is what we are focusing on,” Torres added

Before the bubble, athletes had to move to Manila for on-call training. Pangilinan mentioned that their team maximizes all the time

LAYOUT BY : Reinehard Aytona

they have for this season to prepare.

“The most challenging part for me is the psychological part be cause I’m away from my family and we’re in a bubble, but thankfully my teammates are very welcoming and we really mingled, so the chem istry was there,” Yongco highlighted.

Blood, Sweat, and Tears

It requires effort and commitment, blood, sweat, and tears, as well as sacrifice, to achieve the ultimate goal of becoming champi ons. Sports are defined and characterized by a svtrong sense of deter mination, dedication, and drive. Fans are inspired by players’ passion for their games, will to win, and determination to outperform the greatest in the world. This is what makes sporting events so engaging.

The middle blocker, Torres, highlighted that in every game you must focus on the main goal and do your best to achieve it.

“We always remind each other that what is being trained is also what will come out of the game. You should give your best in training to get used to it and apply it to the actual game,” the bulakenya Tigress said.

The six-foot-two Pangilinan recalled their game with Ateneo and considered it a very tough moment, and the 50 point gap left them in a tough spot.

“The team lacked chemistry, especially with practicing with a time constraint of three months. Second is, each individual in our time was lacking improvement and skill wise,” 22-year-old Pangilinan men tioned.

“I think the bond needs to improve. Although we have fastened the track of bonding because of the bubble, there are a lot of rookies in the team. That’s why we’re not known or we haven’t mingled that much. You’d know. Just that four-month period. So I think moving for ward, the best way to build this team is to be in relation to each other,” Yongco added.

Having no foreign student-athlete was one of the most difficult challenges that the UST men’s basketball team faced during the UAAP, but the game against Adamson was the team’s proudest moment. In this game, they were able to prove that even without an import player, they can still show their best and win the game. During the Adamson game, everyone on the team was able to contribute and show their best efforts with no regrets.

“Well, every moment was memorable and will be memorable, especially our fans, because no matter what game they were there to support us, no matter the score, no matter the weather, no matter the circumstances, they were there to support us,” Yongco said.

Keeping Hope Alive

Small Forward Pangilinan believes that communication was the team’s way of boosting morale. Even though some of them were having a hard time keeping their morale high, the whole team re mained supportive of one another and continued to speak about their feelings.

“To train as if you are after the championship title and always re member to stay motivated, because for Pangs, being motivated is the most important behavior for an athlete to have as they pursue their sport,” Pangilinan shared.

Senior Point Guard Yongco emphasized that in an analytical way, it’s more of just giving advice on how to work hard and how to translate the frustration into the things that need to be done in order to prove oneself. But in terms of a psychological way, one just has to give space first.

“You just have to give them room to breathe. Because if someone is frustrated and then you keep on pounding them, there would be two results. The first one, it would be like pounding rock and making a diamond. But the other one, they would soften up and then they would just give up,” 24-year-old Yongco added.

ONCE

HOP,

WRITTEN BY : Ady Advincula

Because of the pandemic, our lives became stagnant. We were locked in our four corner rooms and met people through our screens. With this, our physical health and social life has spiraled down. But for Engineering students, Stephanie Sy and Martin Bonilla, jump rope has changed their lives.

For Sy, she invested in jump rope because she finds it fun, and as time went by she wanted to continue improving. While for Bonilla, Jump rope was introduced to him by his brother and since then he deliberately chose to be engaged in jump rope. He was interested in the jump rope community especially during the pandemic. Because of the efficiency of jump rope during this time, Bonilla realized that jump rope is something different.

The Engineering students found jump rope interesting because for them, there is more to it. Jump rope is not just a sport that helps you maintain your physical fitness, it comes in a package! It is not just beneficial for your body, but also for your overall self while having fun. The moment one invests in jump rope, the community comes along with it, they wouldn’t be able to explore the creativity of jump rope and get to know more about their capabilities with jump tricks with out the support and guidance of the jump rope community. Compared to other fitness activities including sports, jump rope comes in clutch with how everyone at every age and gender can enjoy and participate

When both athletes were asked “How does jump rope help you in this challenging time?” Sy mentioned that Jump rope has been a big help for her, mentally. With the amount of stress she experienced with her course and the online class setting, jump rope became her out let. Bonilla then answered that Jump rope not only helped him in his physical fitness but also in his social life. Because of the heartwarming support from the jump rope community, he continues to pursue jump rope for them, to give them motivation and hype. It uplifts his mood and confidence when his skills are recognized abroad.

Bonilla is known for performing in the single rope individual freestyle category that showcases his creativity and strength while performing tricks in 60 seconds while Sy participates in the single rope individual speed steps category that involves her speed and en durance in 30 seconds. The two athletes are registered to try out in the national team for Asia Competitions.

But jump rope is not all “fun and games’’, there were times where Bonilla and Sy had their ropes tangled. The jump rope athletes shared that the most complicated jump rope sequence they had done is the “leg cross” while the hardest sequence is the “power” skills like hand stands and push ups.

According to Sy, her struggle was gaining confidence and over coming doubts, especially when she performed in the freestyle catego ry of her last competition. For the female jumper, comparing herself to others was also her problem, but then she reminds herself that we all have our own timeline and that every jumper is different.

For Bonilla, his struggle was having creative rot. Since the free style category requires sequences of tricks, there are times where Bo nilla thinks of an idea but struggles to put it in action and this will then go on a loop until he gives up and rests.

Behind every trip, you just have to keep jumping. As Bonilla said “you win or learn, never lose”. With the help of their very supporting teammates, they lift each other up and continue to learn and bounce back from their losses and mistakes.

Sy mentioned that having a supportive and less pressuring re lationship with the team is what helped her improve more on se quences that she needs to work on. As a team player, Sy also supports and trusts her team with what all she has because she believes that it could really help the team jump to the next level. And for Bonilla, there is no reason to feel pressure because their team does not see their performances as a challenge, but as an instrument to support. His aim was always to give a good performance that everyone will en joy and winning is just a bonus.

BY : JC Urbano

his recent victory, Obiena’s gold run broke after he claimed silver at the 2022 Internationales Stadionfest (ISTAF) Berlin meet at the Olympic Stadium in Germany, on September 4, 2022.

There will always be comments about your performance, nega tive or positive. But for Sy, She would always listen to the comments given to her and use this to her advantage. Bonilla then mentioned that he accepts comments with open arms, but if ever people will bad mouth his performance he would then try to brush it off and focus on improving himself. ‘

After failing to bring home the gold in Athletissima, Obiena stepped up to capture the gold at the True Athletes Classic in Leverku sen, Germany, last August 28. On his second attempt, Obiena was able to reach 5.81 meters, which was sufficient to claim the victory against Rutgar Koppelaar of the Netherlands and Kurtis Marschall of Australia.

Last August 31, the gold streak continues as Obiena ruled the competition in the Wendel City Jump in Germany. Obiena won the gold medal with an outstanding 5.86-meter clearance, beating off Men no Vloon of the Netherlands and Anthony Ammirati of France, who both managed 5.81 meters.

Filipino pole vault star Obiena bagged his third consecutive gold medal after he bested world number one, Armand Duplantis, at the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) Diamond League Memorial Van Damme athletics meeting in Brussels, Belgium, last September 2. Obiena cleared the 5.91-meter mark on his third attempt, while Duplantis failed to clear the same height in three tries. Following

Last September 11, Obiena climbed back to the top with another golden triumph in the 2022 Golden Fly Series in Schaan, Liechtenstein. He cleared 5.71m which he succeeded on his second attempt. American pole vaulter Olen Tray Oates and Austria’s Riccardo Klotz settled for sil ver and bronze, respectively. Obiena made one final jump to cap off his second outdoor season as he added another gold to his collection at the Gala dei Castelli tournament in the Bellinzona Municipal Stadium in Ticino, Switzerland.

Obiena had a stellar performance over the past three weeks, bag ging podium finishes with five gold medals, one silver, and one bronze in his past eight tournaments.

It’s been a long journey for Obiena. He studied Electronic En gineering and has an interest in and appreciation for the digital and technical advancements that are fostering growth, innovation, and improvement in his field. It is absolutely all about the scientific and cutting-edge strategies that may help him flourish in his sport and be come the greatest that he can be. As the Filipino pole vaulter star has shown throughout the course of the season, he is still ready and hungry for more cookies to compete with the best of the best on the biggest stage in sports.

As Sy said “mahirap magstay sa isang bagay kung di ka masaya”. She believes that finding an activity you enjoy doing could really help you improve and comparing your progress to others will not get you far. For Bonilla, trusting the process is important. He mentioned that “the first step in every activity is always the biggest step” and that whatever you do today, is already better than what you did yesterday. And as athletes, discipline and motivation should always be present in everything you do in order to move forward.

Bonilla and Sy were both athletes during their highschool years and because of that, balancing their academic and sports life were not so much of a problem. According to the players, time management is something one should remember if they want to pursue being a student athlete, along with the strive to have passion for the things you do and remembering that, it is not a matter of doing things at the same time but taking things slowly but surely.

For athletes like Bonilla and Sy, “hindi siya jump rope ‘lang’, it’s jump rope.”It is truly an inspiration to see Bonilla and Sy do what they love, while making history and serving as the pioneers of jump rope for the next generations, at the same time.

“With endless creativity, Jump rope is not just a sport, it is an art”

Ernest Obiena had a strong start to his eight-meet stretch after defeating the world number two, Christopher Nilsen, in the 26th In ternationales Stabhochsprung-meeting in Jockgrim, Germany, last Au gust 23. Obiena captured a gold medal after clearing 5.81m in his third attempt. Two days after his first competition for the second outdoor season, Obiena fell short and only took home bronze at the Athletissi ma in Lausanne, Switzerland.

PHOTO FROM : @theflightph

PHOTO FROM : UST Growling Tigers FB Page

ONCE

ELECTRIFYING SOAR HIGH, OBIENA!

LAYOUT BY : Reinehard Aytona

Based on the report, the basis for his detention was the suspicion of being a fugitive. An unidentified source may have provided US authorities with information about Obiena “with the intent to disrupt” his US entry and impede his hopes and aspirations to win and step on the podium. While incarcerated, Obiena convinced US authorities that he was inno cent, and he was later released with an apology from the US Immigration

PATAFA’s case on Obiena’s alleged embezzlement of funds and falsifi cation of public records in the liquidation of advances from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has been received by US authorities. PATAFA is now led by the organization’s new president, Terry Capistrano, and is ready to support Obiena in his pole vault journey.

It has been reported by the Commission on Audit (COA) that Obiena has used the P10 million worth of government assistance handed to him to support his preparation for international tournaments, such as the 2020

COA claimed in order to ensure Obiena has adequate financial assis tance for his training, PSC has released P10.3 million out of the P12.3 mil lion straight to Obiena, a move that is against the rules of the COA.

Allegations and misunderstandings between PATAFA and Obiena were eventually cleared up and settled in March 2022.

With all the circumstances and challenges that have happened re cently, Obiena reached 5.75m in the 2022 World Athletics Championships men’s pole vault qualifiers last July 23, securing him a spot in the finals.

The top Asian pole vaulter becomes the first Filipino to grab a medal in the World Championships after setting an Asian Record of 5.94m at the World Athletics Championships 2022 in Eugene, Oregon, last July 25 (Philippine time). World Champion Mondo Duplantis sets a new world and championship record at 6.21 meters, eclipsing his outdoor record of 6.16m and indoor record of 6.20m. Obiena cleared the 5.94m mark in two at tempts to settle for the bronze as the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Chris Nilsen required a single attempt at the same height. After Obiena’s historic pod-ium finish at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Or egon, Obiena proved he is still the best in Asia and jumped three places to

As a result of Obiena’s recent accomplishments on the field, the new Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) president, Terry Capistrano, officially notified the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) of the association’s intention to reinstate Obiena. Later on August 17, 2022, world number three pole vaulter Obiena has been officially reinstated to

Earning the country’s first bronze medal at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, Obiena continued his winning run after snagging the bronze medal at the Silesia Diamond League last August 5 in the Śląski Sta dion in Chorzów, Poland. World number one, Armand Duplantis of Swe den, led the competition after setting a new meet record at 6.10m, while Sondre Guttormsen of Norway snatched the silver via a countback rule.

UAAP: Long-awaited Comeback, Jerseys Stay on Track

Even as the pandemic continues to decimate the world, you might assume that sports would be the least vital aspect of life to rebuild a sense of normality. At this point, sports-related issues appear trivial in comparison to more pressing issues such as area lockdowns, poverty, public health issues, etc.

When dealing with the social isolation brought on by the pandemic, keeping up with sports may be comforting. Even if you call it a coping mechanism, streaming and social media platforms such as Netflix, TikTok, and YouTube are providing the same thing as we struggle with the dullness of our restricted lifestyles.

Melancholic Sentiments

Recall that the second week of March of 2020 was the first lockdown im plemented. On that note, season 82 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) was officially canceled on April 7, 2020 by UAAP authorities due to the implementation of quarantine measures in several areas of the country to prevent the spread of the virus.

ILLUSTRATED BY : Jean Louise Orme PHOTOS TAKEN FROM : pinoyfitness.com / infobae.com

WRITTEN BY : John Carlo Urbano

HOP, YOU JUST CAN'T

“With endless creativity, Jump rope is not just a sport, it is an art”

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BY : JC Urbano