Today's CAROLINIAN - January 2016 Newsletter

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TRAFFIC ROUTES TO BE CHANGED FOR IEC 2016 Paolo Louis Manghihilot and Christabelle Escudero Archdiocesan officials and government officials have joined forces in strategically planning the traffic in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) this Jan. 24 to 31. Their plans were publicized during a media press conference held on Jan. 8 at Archbishop Reyes Compound, Cebu City.

The panelists present during the press conference were 51st IEC president Most Rev. Jose Palma, D.D., 51st IEC secretary general Most Rev. Dennis Villarojo, D.D., 51st IEC committee on transportation chair Rev. Fr. Wendell Balbuena, Cebu City Traffic Office (CCTO) operations chief Joy Tumulak, and Lapu-Lapu City Traffic Management System head Frank Brasil.

buses will be on the yellow route from John Paul Avenue, to the IEC Pavilion, to Mandaue City, to A.S. Fortuna Ave., to Banilad and back to John Paul Ave.; and 10 buses are assigned on the purple route passing the IEC Pavilion, John Paul Ave., North Reclamation Area, Marcelo Fernan Bridge and Maxilom Patalinghug in Lapu-Lapu.

Brasil discussed about the traffic changes in Lapu-Lapu, specifically during the IEC Youth Day on Jan. 28. Compared to Mandaue and Cebu City, traffic will not be affect much.

Fr. Balbuena announced that buses will be utilized for the transportation of the delegates attending the event. The number of buses was estimated according to the number of delegates. They will be assigned on color-coded routes.

Hoops Dome will be occupied by the pilgrims of the activity, and half of the road bound from there to Mandaue will be used for the Pilgrim Walk. Maxilom Patalinghug will not close entirely. There will be normal traffic flow from Tamiya area to Mandaue. Also, all traffic coming from outside and going to Lapu-Lapu City will have to pass through Pacific Mall and cross through Marcelo Fernan Bridge.

On the green route passing Escario Street will be 30 buses; 30 more are assigned on the blue route from Fuente OsmeĂąa to Alpa Suites; 15 buses will travel the red route from Marco Polo to Radisson Blu; 15

Tumulak expressed the traffic plan of CCTO for the whole duration of IEC. The Opening Mass will be held on Jan. 24, so the following streets will be closed to vehicular traffic: h

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Today’s CAROLINIAN

NEWS

JULY 2015 | Vol. 3 No. 2

(Continuation from Page 1) M.J. Cuenco Ave. from M.C. Briones St. to Legaspi Extension, Osmeña Boulevard from Lapu-Lapu St. to M.J. Cuenco Ave., M.C. Briones St. from Lapu-Lapu St. to M.J. Cuenco Ave., Legaspi Extn. from M.J. Cuenco Ave. to Arellano Blvd., and Sergio Osmeña Blvd. from R. Palma St. to Legaspi Extn.

During the congress proper on Jan. 25 to 29, no vehicles will be allowed Pope John Paull II Ave. from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from TESDA to Cardinal Rosales Ave. from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The route for the Visita Iglesia on Jan. 28 will start at Capitol Parish, passing along N. Escario St., then turning right at Gorordo Ave. to Asilo dela Milagrosa Church, then proceeding to F. Sotto St. and turning right at Queens Road to Redemptorist Church, then traversing along R. Aboitiz St., turning right at Juana Osmeña St. and turning right again at N. Escario St. to Capitol Parish Church.

Road closure leading to the Capitol area is established for the Holy Eucharist on Jan. 29 at the Capitol Building, with options considered for the extent of closure as to the actual situation during the event. The following roads will be closed to vehicles: N. Escario St. from F. Ramos Extn. to Don Gil Garcia St., and Osmeña Blvd. from N. Escario St. to Don Jose Avila St., Osmeña Blvd. shall be closed to vehicles for the solemn procession on the same day from Capitol to Plaza Independencia.

PUJs will be rerouted and private vehicles are advised to take alternate access in going to their destinations.

For the Holy Eucharist and Sinulog presentation on Jan. 30 at the Cebu City Sports Center, the following roads will be closed to vehicles: P. del Rosario St. from Pelaez St. to Leon Kilat St., Osmena Blvd. from Sanciangko St. to Arlington Pond St., and R.R. Landon St. from Pelaez St. to the Sports Center.

There are no road closures during the Statio Orbis on the last day, Jan. 31 at the South Road Properties (SRP). However, passage along SRP will be controlled for this event.

Traffic advisories in tarpaulins shall be installed on areas visible to motorists in Cebu City. They will also be flashed in selected LED billboards within the city.

IEC aims to promote an awareness of the central place of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the Catholic Church, and aids people in improving their understanding and celebration of the liturgy and its social dimension. This is the second time that the IEC will be held in the Philippines. The first time happened on 1937, when Catholics around the world gathered in Manila for the 33rd IEC. TC

Two SSC Officers Terminated from Office Miriam Burlaos The University of San Carlos’ Commission on Elections (USC – COMELEC) put into effect the resolution regarding the termination from office of Supreme Student Council (USC – SSC) officers Niveno Ocdinaria and Cassandra Rodriguez on Jan. 9, 2016, in accordance with particular election provisions which the two have failed to comply.

Based on the resolution and corresponding statement published in the Facebook page of USC – COMELEC, Ocdinaria violated Article III, Section 5 of the SSC Election Code, which states that “Councilors who fail to enroll in any semester during his or her term is grounds for termination from office.”

Ocdinaria did not enroll during the first semester of A.Y. 2015 – 2016, resulting in his dismissal.

Rodriguez, on the other hand, already graduated in October 2015, therefore making her no longer a student of the

Photograph by Angelo Nico Daroy university and invalidating her position in the SSC. The resolution further states that “the vacancies in the council are acknowledged and shall no longer be filled through special elections.” It was formally signed by USC – COMELEC Chairperson Katja Go and USC – SSC President Marc Raphael Ong. TC

Blaze strikes Dubai on New Year Jet Mangubat A tragic incident occurred on New Year’s Eve when a fire engulfed the 63-storey Address Downtown Hotel in the city center of Dubai. A number of explosions were heard in and around the building, which is located near the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper and epicenter of an annual New Year’s Eve fireworks show.

After more than 20 hours, firefighters appeared to have extinguished most of the fire, even though white smoke was still coming out from the hotel. The tower was evacuated, leaving 16 people injured and one dead. An eyewitness, however, stated that only a few small, isolated fires were present rather than one large blaze.

The hotel was severely damaged by fire and smoke. All floors from the lower area of the building to the upper levels were also affected. According to Dubai’s local media office, the blaze started on the 20th floor of the building and only affected the outside portion of the building.

Despite the massive fire, the New Year’s Eve fireworks show nearby at the world’s tallest building went ahead as planned.

Investigators are continuing to gather evidence as to what caused the fire.

However, it could take longer than usual to investigate because of the New Year break.

TC

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One Last Chance for Grace Poe Theresa Kate Palompon News about Sen. Grace Poe’s disqualification from the presidential lineup swarmed the national papers and tabloids after its announcement by the Commission on Elections last Dec. 11, 2015 because of issues about her citizenship and residency.

The COMELEC First Division and Second Division voted in favor of barring Sen. Poe from being a candidate for the 2016 National Elections after finding out that she committed material misrepresentation in her Certificate of Candidacy.

According to the Philippine Constitution, a 10-year residency is required to run for president, one that Sen. Poe continues to claim; however, it was recently discovered

that she failed to conform to the said provision.

Although her camp filed for a motion for reconsideration before the COMELEC en banc, Poe’s standing as a candidate had already been affected by the circulating issues regarding her citizenship. Once a front-runner among the other aspirants, Sen. Poe was overtaken

by Vice-President Jejomar Binay with 33 percent of the votes and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte with 23 percent in the Pulse Asia poll last December.

Sen. Poe’s disqualification cases have already been appealed to the Supreme Court. Fortunately for Poe, Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno

issued Temporary Restraining Orders, allowing her to still be a part of the presidential race. George Garcia, Sen. Poe’s lawyer, was optimistic that a resolution would follow after the oral arguments before the Supreme Court.

Currently, several people have claimed to be the parents of Sen. Poe and even voluntarily gave out DNA samples for testing. Poe’s camp has accepted some of these samples in hopes of proving the senator’s citizenship.

However, amidst all the controversies, the lawmaker assured all of Poe’s supporters that her campaign would continue until the Supreme Court deems her disqualification final. TC

Photograph by Gifthir Elmido

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NEWS

JULY 2015 | Vol. 3 No. 2

United Nations Summit Results in Worldwide Climate Change Agreement Paolo Perez An international summit held in Paris last Nov. 30 to Dec. 11, 2015 resulted in 196 participating countries finalizing a 31-page agreement to gradually halt the manmade causes of climate change.

The Paris agreement is the realization of 24 years of discussion and work, being the 21st meeting of 196 United Nations members —officially known as the Conference of Parties, or COP21 — that signed a 1992 treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and, subsequently, the effects of climate change. The general agenda was to curb the global temperature

rise, keeping it below a threshold of 2ºC and at around 1.5 °C. Developed and developing countries alike are part of the agreement, including two of the world’s largest polluters: the United States and Canada. These countries have pledged to provide financial aid of at least 100 billion USD per year by 2020 in order for all of the participating countries to be able to meet the terms of the agreement.

In addition to this, all participants will be required to regularly report emissions of greenhouse gases. However, due

to the scale of the agreements, views differed on exactly how to implement this requirement. US officials John Kerry and Todd Stone suggested that the effort to implement and work towards goals be enforced rather than the figures themselves.

Although it is still indeterminable whether the countries will adhere to these resolutions, they have agreed to transparency and accountability in their reports as well as meeting every five years to discuss progress and set new targets. TC

Centers of Excellence/ Development Acknowledged in USC Sofia Isabel Tajos Last December 2015, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) identified the new Centers of Excellence (COEs) and Centers of Development (CODs) for various programs in different universities in compliance with RA 7722, more commonly known as the Higher Education Act of 1944. CHED aims to develop different institutions and follow the path towards national development through education.

A number of COEs and CODs were appointed in severalof the university’s disciplines. The academic programs

deemed as COESs wereBusiness Administration, Office Administration, Chemical Engineering, Physics, and Anthropology. Hotel and Restaurant Management, Tourism, Computer Engineering, Philosophy, Information Technology, Chemistry, and Marine Science were the coursesawarded as Centers of Development.

COEs and CODs are departments that have the highest level or degree of standards in different areas of education. The standards are set and implemented by CHED. A department

would qualify as a COE only if it shows excellent performance in the areas of “instruction, research and publication, extension and linkages and institutional qualifications.”

As stated by CHED in the official published list of COEs and CODs, these designations are valid for three years, unless sooner removed, revoked, or terminatedby not complyingwith the different given guidelines. TC

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NEWS

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Sinulog 2016 Implements Ordinance against Street Parties, Public Drunkenness Laura Posadas The Sinulog foundation announced that establishments that host street parties along the route of the parade on Jan 15 to 17, especially during the Sinulog Grand Parade, will not be granted permits.

According to Sunstar, however, parties will be allowed as long as these are not close to the parade route. Organizers must also secure a permit from the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CCDRRMC)

and an endorsement from the Sinulog Foundation, Incorporated (SFI).

The ordinance was implemented to discourage inappropriate behaviour shown by some people in previous years. It is also to avoid incidents like drunk partygoers found lying on the sidewalk the day after the festivities.

The organizers intend to maintain the sanctity of the occasion and to ensure that Sinulog befits its origin as a religious event in worship of the Señor

Sto. Niño.

City Ordinance 512, which prohibits drunkenness in public places, penalizes violators with imprisonment of not less than 30 days and a fine of not more than PHP 200. According to Ricky Ballesteros, Executive Director of Sinulog Foundation, Inc., Kaohsiung buses will be stationed in strategic areas of the route and will serve as temporary holding cells for those who will be apprehended. TC

Photograph by Angelo Nico Daroy

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MAIN OPINION

JULY 2015 | Vol. 3 No. 2

THE SINULOG IS WHAT WE HAVE BECOME

Illustration by Shari Llamis More of sadness than anger, the situation is now In recent years, the traditional celebration of Sinulog has slowly shifted to being more teen and young adult-oriented, and definitely, the Sinulog foundation is clearly displeasured. Thus, the foundation has decided to no longer issue permits to any group holding parties. The caveat, parties only along the parade route. What this simply means is that even though the foundation has decided not to issue party permits, parties may still be celebrated in all parts of the city as long as they are not along the parade route.

It would be purposeless to even blame the foundation. The issue here is none of the foundation and government’s responsibility. Rather, it mainly revolves around the responsibility of the people.

People with their own businesses are countered by wild and drunk teenagers and young adults. Even a car, an innocent machine incapable of having feelings and emotions, cannot escape from these party devotees from being jumped and painted on.

Sadly, these party loyalists would simply

condemn the car owners as to why they park the cars there and why they use that route where the party is at.

Once at Fooda, on a street beside the Redemptorist Church, a parked car had a damaged roof and broken windshield victimized by these party devotees. Teens showered powder, paint, and booze on people and vehicles.

It has become a disease slowly infecting the mother of all festivals. If this was cancer, it is probably on its second stage.

In a sense, the city’s reputation — its capability to enforce law and order — is also affected. The argument that these parties do good because they attract foreigners to visit the city will be shortlived because it seems like all we are waiting to happen is something that would change our mindsets; it seems that we are just waiting for the first fatality of our wild acts.

Wala pa ma’y namatay sa among pagparty! But, really, should we wait?

Even the people who need to go to work on Sinulog are affected. Yes, we may argue against these hard-workers, “Why

go to work anyway when they know it’s Sinulog?” No, these workers are doctors, nurses, waiters, janitors and a lot more of service employees.

Sinulog today is all but a clash of the devotee and the drunk party-goer, a clash of the faithful and the wild.

Even after stating the aforementioned points and concerns, Sinulog wild-party devotees will simply argue to mind not others’ business. “Let us party. Let us be.”

This kind of party loyalists will continue to argue that if we do not want to be victims of the misfortunes they bring, we should rather stay away from their turf, as if the parties came way before the solemn celebration of the Sto. Niño.

Sadly, the opinion of the wild is well accepted in this generation. For majority of us, there is always something bigger and more important than inter-generational responsibility —to party.

We look at our generation; we look at nobody but ourselves. Is this what we have become? TC

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OPINION

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Remember the Basics Mathematics is a favorite subject for people to hate, but it is an obligatory burden for us when we are in school. However, one presidential aspirant for this year’s national elections plans to put an end to our sufferings.

Christabelle Escudero

A month ago, news has spread about Rody Duterte sharing that if elected president, he will let algebra, trigonometry and calculus be replaced from the education curriculum with business mathematics. According to a The Philippine Star article, he said business mathematics is a practical subject, compared to algebra, trigonometry and calculus that “[do] not serve any purpose at all” and only “make it harder for

[students]”.

Being in a program where students eat math for breakfast, I know how it feels to live in college hell with math-related subjects. However, immersing myself in my program for years has also made me reflect on how it eventually pays off to learn these subjects. We are actually using algebra when doing even the simplest calculations in real life. The building of infrastructures we see as signs of our booming economy actually involve using trigonometry. Measuring places and things in our daily lives can be done through calculus.

Also, according to the said article, Duterte plans to retain geometry

and physics in the curriculum, saying these are applicable in real life. Well, geometry and physics make use of algebra, trigonometry and calculus. How will students apply these subjects if they are not even familiar with its fundamentals?

Yes, we all want a break from subjects we find difficult, but ignoring them entirely will only make it more difficult for us in the long run. It is in the basics where the complicated stuff are founded.

If we don’t appreciate them, we cannot appreciate anything at all.

News source: GAkwAJ . TC

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No President for the Philippines The campaign period has not officially started, yet we are already facing walls of campaign posters and television advertisements of different candidates. With campaign expenses capped at ten pesos per voter for presidential candidates, it is not a question how some have already exceeded the limit. The question is, however, why we tolerate this.

Kerstein Kylle P. Despi

In a just and perfect world, we expect that all investments for election campaigns will be repaid by virtue of servitude once the candidate has been seated in public office. However, we do not live in such world. Deep in our minds we know — and accept

— that the “winner’s” debts will somehow be paid by public funds throughout the length of his or her tenure.

Yet, overspending — and how the money overspent gets repaid — is just a crust of the many issues we face in the upcoming elections.

In May, 50 million of us will be crowding our local precincts.

The will of the majority elects our leaders, but when this will is easily swayed by loose change and double zeroes, how do we measure the bleakness of our future?

Perhaps the real problem of the Philippines is not on the

candidates, but on the people who support them: us. The greater majority is not educated enough to elect the right people for serving.

We do not try to see further than what satirical and trending online “news” presents. We do not try to criticize what the majority believes. We are too skeptical of the possibility of prosperity in our country. We are too blind to see through and beyond any political color.

In light of the political circus coming ahead, it is high time to remind ourselves that no president can change the Philippines until we, Filipinos, decide to change our ways. TC

Fanaticism: A Common Filipino Trait Whether it’s a popular person or a purely fictional character, we Filipinos are known for our socalled devotion. Hobbies, sports, events — everything else has some sort of a cult dedicated to it.

Even religion itself is an example.

Moreover, this commitment, this devotedness, this fanatic trait of ours, is often misplaced.

We have this attitude towards our idols or ideals that we tend to go way overboard the thought of just imitating their ways. Instead, we put them so high on pedestals, way out of our reach; religious practices are no exception. Neither festivities nor the corresponding

Miko Paolo Mangubat

religious observances are new to us. For some, the appreciation after them is the gist.

When was the last time we truly listened, understood and reflected on the gospel? Weren’t we just after that myth of a “wish” granted when we complete the nine Misa de Gallos before Christmas? Were the selfies necessary to complement our status about having attended already two out of the nine Novena Masses before Sinulog this year?

Asking for something from a deity doesn’t come as easy as waking up early and losing some sleep to attend a mass for a lousy wish.

Definitely, leaving it to chance isn’t the way to go for self-growth and development as a person. Mere practice and just plain compliance is not fanaticism; it’s blind devotion. Hence, it’s a chore.

This is not an attack on a certain religion and definitely not an attack on someone’s faith. It’s a short reflection on how most of us Filipinos overlook the essence of worship of whatever kind for whatever idol just for our own consumption. Hence, it is our own actions — actions that are wellmolded by the principles and ways such idols were created — that will define us as an individual. TC

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FEATURE

JULY 2015 | Vol. 3 No. 2

IEC 2016: “Klase o Wala?”

The role of the Philippines in the Roman Catholic community has been deemed integral by the officials from the Vatican, as Filipinos are well-known to be predominantly pious practitioners of the Catholic faith. This year, the 51st International Eucharistic Congress or IEC, is set to be conducted in our country, taking up a whole week of a series of dialogues and discussions with the international community.

Catholic educational establishments have discussed possible school suspensions on the duration, and as expected, students greet their school

administration with grins shouting, “WALA’Y KLASE!” or “Yes! Bakasyon!”

Have most of the Catholic students nowadays, forgotten how to answer the call of faith?

Have students nowadays been too wretched by the idea of attending classes, that even a major Catholic event such as the IEC has become a mere “no-class week”, instead of it being a week for solemnity and liturgical celebration?

In a quest to find people who actually understand the entirety of IEC, I have found a saddening count of only two out of 14. While

the two have proudly proclaimed how they will be volunteering for that week, the others also proudly proclaimed about their out-oftown itineraries or, at least, thesismaking.

There seems to be a sense of loathing for school amongst many students, may it be true or just for the fun of it, but during this one week of January, may they (we) find even a little time and sincerity to actually see what IEC will benefit in the strengthening of faith.

Forget about how classes may be suspended or not. IEC is never about that. TC

Julienne Termoso

USC MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPT PREPS FOR THE 6TH IMERC Hazel Olive Parmes

“We do the preparations and planning for the students. It is the students who will learn the different disciplines and fields of researches in mechanical engineering within the conference,” thus spoke Engr. Van Gaitano N. Vergara, MSManE, a faculty member of the USC Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering.

This 2016 is already the sixth year of the International Mechanical Engineering Research Conference (IMERC). This annual event will be held at the USC SAFAD Theater on Jan. 21 to 22, with the theme: “Mechanical Engineering towards Global Challenges through Technology Advancement.”

Mechanical engineering students from the different colleges and Uuniversities in Cebu are invited, as well as professional mechanical engineers.

This year, six professors and speakers of three universities from two other Asian countries that are part of USC’s linkages, along with those from De La Salle University (DLSU), Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT), Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJR),

and of course from USC, will be imparting their researches to the audiences.

Moreover, Dr. Alcris Go, Dan Elmer Cuizon, and Angelique Conag from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Dr. Lanndon Ocampo from the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, will be representing USC in the paper presentations. Moreover, Fr. Louie Punzalan, SVD, the Presidential Assistant for External Affairs and Fr. Anthony Salas, SVD, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, are expected to welcome all the participants of the event.

According to Engr. Vergara, there haven’t been many changes when it comes to the system of their conference like the simultaneous deliverance of the paper presentations and open forums. There will only be minor changes of the program flow, and that would only be the new research topics to discuss. He said that they were just receiving good feedbacks most of the time so as of the moment, there is no necessity in making major improvements since in anyway, the main goal of the conference is for the students to gain more knowledge on how to approach mechanical engineering problems in new, unique, creative, and more intelligent methods. TC

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IN PREPARATION FOR THE 2016 ELECTIONS Mikhailah Ranada

It won’t be long before the month of May comes to pressure us to make the final decision of which oval to shade on our ballots. The national election is probably one of the biggest activities in the Philippine government. It is when candidates invest so much to obtain the people’s support. The government itself invests a considerable sum of money and time in planning and organizing the elections.

On May 4, 2015, Presidential Commission on Good Government chairman Andres Baustista was appointed by President Benigno Aquino III as COMELEC chairman. COMELEC or Commission on Elections is the government agency given the task of organizing and running the elections. The upcoming national elections is to be held on May 9, 2016 and registered voters are to choose officials from the candidates of the executive and legislative branches of our government.

Having given a budget that was 18.1 million PHP less than it asked for, COMELEC was left with limited options.

In the beginning, the agency opted for repairing the 80,000 Precinct Optical Scan (PCOS) machines that were used in the 2010 and 2013 elections.

Unfortunately, the number of these used machines is not enough for this year’s election because of the increased voting population.

Along with the problem of the inadequate number of counting machines, there was also the controversy of the automated system being easily hacked and manipulated to give desired yet inaccurate results. Gus Lagman, former elections commissioner, proposed a hybrid system of counting election results, which uses both manual counting and electronic transmission and has the

Illustration by Justine Patrice Bacareza

advantage of being cheaper and possibly more reliable. In the middle of 2015, a mock election using the hybrid system was conducted by COMELEC. A few days thereafter, the COMELEC informed the House of Representatives Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms that the hybrid system will not be used. This decision then left them to either settle for refurbishing the 80,000 PCOS machines and leasing 23,000 more machines to use on election day or leasing all machines.

A bidding for the repair of the 80,000 PCOS machines was supposed to be held. Because of the failure of the bidding (two of three bidders backed out and the third was disqualified), the commission agreed to lease all 94,000 new optical mark recognition (OMR) machines for 7.9 billion PHP instead of repairing the old PCOS machines.

Further measures to ensure the reliability of the OMR machines were taken by the COMELEC by requesting Smartmatic, the manufacturer of the machines, to transfer the construction site of the machines from China to Taiwan because of allegations that China intends to sabotage the

elections, which China denies.

In partnership with De La Salle University, the COMELEC conducted source code reviews to test the dependability of the results of the machines. This source code review was said to be more comprehensive than the ones conducted before the 2010 and 2013 elections.

In addition to the preparations for the elections, COMELEC plans to hold three debates for the presidential candidates in each of the Philippines major islands. In February, the debate will be in Mindanao; in March, Visayas and in April, Luzon.

April 10 will also bring a Vice Presidential debate in Metro Manila.

Election period is a crucial time for our government. There is a whole agency with the sole task of taking care of the elections, a whole day allocated for choosing our future officials and a number of months dedicated for preparing for that day. It is then our obligation not to waste these exertions through voting an undeserving candidate. TC

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VOX POPULI

JULY 2015 | Vol. 3 No. 2

“CAROLINIANS, WHAT ARE YOUR OPINIONS ON THE CURRENT SITUATION REGARDING TOFI?” “Personally, my perspective towards tuition fee increase would vary, depending on how the school uses it; if the fees are used to improve the school’s facilities, then I would support the tuition fee increase, but if the fees would do nothing for the school, then it’s a waste of money, time and effort to earn such a big amount just to pay the tuition without gaining any benefit from it.”

- BS Psychology 1 “I wouldn’t like the sound of that. They already increased the tuition fees last year. If they increase the tuition fees, then at least let the students benefit from it as well.”

- BS Psychology 2 “They’re increasing the tuition fee again? Doesn’t the school know how many students are already struggling with school payments as is?”

- PhB 1 “Para sa akin, walanamangkaso kung magkaroon ng dagdag na bayarinsapaaralanbastaito ay makatarungan para salahat. Kung para namanitosaikabubuti ng marami at sapaaralan, walanamangproblema. Kaya langdapat din isaalang- alangangmgaiba pang pinag-gagastuhan ng mga mag-aaral. Alamnamannatin na tumataas na angmgabilihin at hindi na madalikumita ng pera kaya dapatpagtuunan din ito ng pansin ng mganamamahalasaunibersidadbagosila mag-taas ng matrikula.”

-BSED-FILIPINO “I don’t have a stand for the tuition fee increase yet. But many students of USC are from other provinces and some are even struggling just to meet the present tuition fee.

Thus, this tuition fee must be reasonable. If this tuition fee increase is for the good of the students and will be improve the university’s facilities, why not?”

-BSED-ENGLISH

“The tuition fee increase is most definitely not as severe as the usual ten percent increase for each academic year. I think that the complaints on the 6% tuition fee increase are a little too excessive.”

-Don Juan Carlos Yu, BSCE-2 “I have nothing against tuition fee and other fees increase as long as the admin can provide enough justification as to what these fees increase are for and if they will inform the students as to where these fees go. I find nothing wrong with it gyud if the admin can validate that the additional fees that we are paying are for the further development of the university and the community.”

-Princess Pepito, BSCE-4 “I mean, I’d agree if it was to increase the quality but disagree if it was for quantity.”

Miguel Luisito Mañago, AB POSC – LPS 1 “It really depends on the justification of the administration on why they would increase the tuition fee. But I would disagree on the thought of another tuition fee increase, because education has become really expensive. Education should be a right and not a privilege.”

-AB POSC- LPS 2 “Increase in the tuition fee is a heavy burden to almost everyone, especially since money doesn’t grow on trees nor does it rain from the sky. Education is such an important thing for everyone to have access on, and how can today’s youth reach their potentials and improve the world if this issue hinders them? It’s unfortunate that some young people who may be keys to the world’s success cannot do so just because of tuition fee increase.”

– BS Psychology 1 “Okay ra na mo-increase pero para nako if para samakabubuti (or para ma improve pa ang facilities sa school), pag-increase dayon. Pero kailangan jud naa natay makita or liquidation, kanang makita gyud nato asa ni-adto atong kwarta gani.”

– BED-SPED 1

COMICS

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MGA PANGHIMUGNA UG HINABANG NI TIYA TSOLENG ARIES

CANCER

LIBRA

CAPRICORN

Ayaw kalimot ug baws sa imong ginikanan inig makaluwag-luwag naka. Luwag sa kwarta ha, dili kanang luwag sa hawak.

Hurot na lip gloss og lip balm? Ayaw kabalaka dzae!

Kaon og chicken skin silog, well-done ang egg ug extra garlic rice sa silogan then HUZZAAAAAAHH!!!!

Kissable lips naka balik! Mwamwatsuptsup xx

Bahini og tarong imong oras. Taga-i og saktong panahon imong kaugalingon. Busa, ayaw pugsa kay basin nay unod nga ma-apil inig gawas sa utot.

Hina-ot unta wala ka kalimot og simba bag-o ka ga-party2x pag Sinulog. Pa-andari pod ang ka-ikog.

Maayo nalang pod og wala ka nibisita’g Sto. Nino oy, mag-selfie ra pod ka sabay pasikat sa imong Roshe.

Pweh!

Lucky Color: Epoxy Gray

Lucky Color: Green sili sa sisig sa Silogan ni Gian

Lucky Color: Chicks Carrier Yellow

Lucky Color: Sinuka pag Sinulog Rainbow

TAURUS

LEO

Andami ang kaugalingon kay makig-date nimo si kras karong adlawa! Makig kita siya nimo sa Jobee.

Alas-sais sa gabi-i. Kilig na kaayo ka ‘nya ang opening pick-up line niya kay, “Open-minded ba ka sa business?” Aw wa sah

Ayaw’g patol og fuccboi dzae. Kung airmax ang patos, air ra pud ang sulod sa utok. Timan-i na. Liman ka, mas on-flick pa ang kilay og mas straight pa sya’g hair kumpara nimo. Aw, kinsa man gyud ang bayi dinhi?

Naa kay makasakay nga heartthrob. Fitting nga sinina, silver bracelet nga kinawat, tattered skinny jeans. Apilan pa og loud speaker nga “Twerk it like Miley”. Ikaw na dzae! Swerteha nimo oy pero turnoff kay naay putokew

SCORPIO

Tiwasa na tanang assignments, deadlines og plates aron wala nakay la-ing hunahuna-on, si kras nalang.

Aw, sayop.

AQUARIUS

Lucky Color: Modess Purple

Lucky Color: Buwad Brown

Lucky Color: Jerry’s Chicken Orange

Lucky Color: Aplia Sky Blue

GEMINI

VIRGO

SAGGITARIUS

PISCES

Ayaw’g undang ug sigeg selfie, dzae. Ma-in love rapud na nimo ang imong camera puhon.

Ma-meet nimo karong adlawa imong destiny. Anha mo magtagbo atbang TC, sa may buko juice-san ni Manong BJ. Kung wa gihapon ka kita niya, laklak nalang og buko juice bale’g duha ka litro aron mahuwasan ka. Tag dyis ra bitaw.

Pasagda-i nalang si Ma’am or si Sir. Wa man gyud ka gatu-on kay sige raka’g stalk ni kras sa insta.

Mayta’g masipyat kag like inig abot nimo’g 21w ago hahahahaha

Kung wa kay plano magpugong sa imong buhok karong adlawa, ayaw kalimot dala’g toyo og patis aron naay isagol si koya sa jeep sa imong carefree nga buhok nga naa sa iyang nawong. Apili na pod og tinidor

Lucky Color: Trapo White

Lucky Color: Libag Black

Lucky Color: Wala kay waka gatu-on

Lucky Color: Palmolive Naturals w/ Coco Milk Pink

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Today’s CAROLINIAN

LITERARY

JULY 2015 | Vol. 3 No. 2

IT IS ABOUT TIME Zarah Majam

Illustration by Xene Cabahug

I do not want to raise my daughter in a world where women are afraid of men.

I do not want her to believe that her anatomy is something she should be ashamed of; something she needs to hide under layers and layers of clothing and self-defenses just so she can feel safe.

receive or that the number of likes she gets on Instagram dictates the value of her existence.

I want her to live in a world where being a woman doesn’t come with a list of “do’s and don’ts” because, God forbid, she might grow up seeking validation from other people because society failed to show her that the only validation she ever needs comes from no one other than herself.

I do not want to raise my daughter in a world where it is a great achievement for a woman to be universally acknowledged as “pretty”. I want my daughter to grow in a world where it’s even a greater achievement to be acknowledged as smart, as opinionated, as strong, as brave, and all other adjectives that do not exist within the margins of mirrors.

I do not want to raise my daughter in a world where being called “fat” and “ugly” is the greatest insult she could ever

I want her to live in a world where loving herself is not a crime. I want her to live in a world where a confident woman is not known to be obnoxious and vain, but rather a person who is to be respected.

I do not want to raise my daughter in a world where there are limitations based on gender, on race and on religion. I do not want her to believe that the world she was born into came with boundaries and restrictions —– that the concept of equality is nothing but a myth.

Instead, I want her to flourish in a world where human beings are defined by their decency and their kindness to others regardless of who they are.

It is about time we mold our society into teaching women that their gender isn’t something they should be ashamed of. It is about time we created a world where we want our daughters to live in.

It is about time.

LITERARY

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Today’s CAROLINIAN

13

HUMANITY Watermelon Man

With a thousand eyes and none, I watched the tiny blue planet below. With ears I did not have, I heard everything; from their radio transmissions that pierced through the veil of the atmosphere to the wailings of a firstborn child delivered into this world.

With skin I did not possess, I felt it when the first men made war upon one another, made love to one another. When their descendants split the atom and dropped the first nuclear warhead, I felt the heat of the blast.

under the tree and draws her last breath. With that, the faint ember of her life is snuffed out. I take her soul and will myself to the next witness.

It is daylight where the second witness lives. I find myself in the ruins of a small town surrounded by an arid dessert, sand stretching for miles around. A war took place here recently; some buildings are still smoking, and the reek of phosphorus permeates the air. Human soldiers are picking through the rubble and slag. They walk right past me, unseeing, though that would be a bit untrue. I am everywhere on this battlefield.

In every civilization in the universe, there is one such as I. Balance. The great equalizer. Death. I am a watcher who oversaw the development of societies and the people within. When a civilization would The second witness lies underneath a collapsed reach the pinnacle of its decadence, I step in to house. His upper half is sticking out of the debris of his roof; his chest makes shallow heaves as he draws restore the balance. breath. His time has not come yet, but it will very soon. One of the soldiers walks on by, glances at the I am the judge. emaciated boy, and strolls right past. There finally!

I am the executioner.

The boy’s body can no longer take the weight of his I have been watching human civilization since its ruined home. I take his soul and will myself to the last inception, and now I feel that the time has finally witness. come. The people of earth have finally reached the peak of dissipation, and what can only follow will Another city. A building. I look out the window. Late be their complete destruction. It is my duty to see afternoon; the sun is beginning to crawl down the mankind through to its end — and to carry out their horizon. I am in a clean, white room. I feel the force of life here, but I also feel death. annihilation.

Of course, there are rules to follow. Every judge needs a witness. Before I can lay waste to the civilization of man, I am required first to gather three souls to witness the end of their society. They are to be the souls of children who have recently died under terrible conditions, so that their insight of society would be fresh and painful. This is how it always has been, and always will be. Today is the day of judgment.

I will it and descend toward the surface of the earth.

It is nightfall, and snow begins to blanket the land in white. The city I find myself in is a shining metropolis; its splendor hiding the hungry and impoverished who chew away at the city’s bones. The first witness is here. It looks as if the humans are celebrating some sort of primitive holiday.

There is a park at the center of the city. In it grows an ancient pine tree that the humans have draped in colorful, blinking lights. The first witness is a girl who lives in this park, and sleeps under the tree at night. I know her. She has managed to scratch out a meager existence selling matchsticks to passersby since her parents abandoned her in the park years ago.

Tonight is one of the coldest nights of the year, and no one has bought a match from her all week. She is starving, and the cold will finish her off. She crawls

thousands of years, a shorter time than the civilization before it but a memorable few millennia nonetheless.

I explain that mankind has finally reached the point where not even I can stand by and watch as they indulge in mindless debaucheries and dwell in their own ignorance and hypocrisy.

It is time to cull the human race, so that another civilization may emerge pure from the ashes of the old.

The first witness, the starving girl, speaks out in defense of humanity. True it is that she starved and died in terrible conditions, but she was loved once.

She remembers the warm embrace of her mother.

She does not know why she was abandoned, but she remembers the love she had. That is enough for her.

The second witness, the boy from the warzone, speaks out in defense of humanity. He died because of the inherent violence that comes with being mortal, stemming from the pride of men. His house crushed him and killed his family, but at the very least he had a house and a family. He remembers fondly his home.

He is sad that it all ended abruptly for him, but at least he once had something. That is enough for him.

The third witness is the youngest of the three. A stillborn infant. Not even a minute of life outside the womb. Its crying mother brokenly clutches the little bundle in her arms. Were it to be given a chance at a proper birth, would it be a boy or a girl? I cannot answer that, for reading into the future is impossible to all, including me.

The third witness remains silent. I ask it if it has anything to say in defense of humanity. It tells me that it never got to live and that I should not deprive others of their chance at life. It is a selfless soul.

I reason with the third witness. The earth is no longer a safe place to live in. The evil of man is everywhere, and nothing is spared. The first two witnesses are testament to the inherent wickedness of man; the first through man’s apathy, the second through violence.

As the grieving mother hums a lullaby to the life that would never be, I reach out to collect the child’s soul. It is faint and flickering, like a dying ember in the pouring rain. The witnesses are complete. I will it, and I find myself back in space, once again orbiting the bright blue ball.

The third witness reasons with me. Its death had nothing to do with mankind’s inherent malevolence.

It just never got a chance at life, plain and simple.

It has no special memories or experiences it can go to beyond the womb, but it still had dreams. It had dreams of what life would be like were it to live.

They are with me, the three witnesses. They are not from the same place. They do not speak the same tongue. They do not believe in the same god, but they are all human, and more importantly human children — mortal children. Finite lives cut short. Who better to witness the finality of their world than these lost and broken souls before me?

That is enough for it.

This is enough for me.

Mortals live, and then they die. That is the universal truth that all humans live and die by.

I make my intentions clear to them. I explain that human civilization has managed to hang on for

Humanity would get a second chance. I think of it as a final request from three dead children granted by me. I watch as the three bright souls begin to slowly fade away. The last one, like a dying ember in the pouring rain, flickers as it looks back one last time at the blue ball.

I go back to watching the planet with a thousand eyes and none.

Illustration by Mar Eway

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Today’s CAROLINIAN

JULY 2015 | Vol. 3 No. 2

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

Photographed by Christine Suson

“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Today’s CAROLINIAN

JULY 2015 | Vol. 3 No. 2