Kaleidoscope

graphic art by Denie Aira de la Furente

From the Chief

What is life if not lived in all its glory?

To indulge in joy, to lament pain, to taste the sweet fruit of hard work and the bitterness that ravages behind one’s skin after a plight of failures. Every rise and fall of your chest serves as a reminder that you are human.

A being - flawed. A spirit - searching. A soul - limitless.

These stories magnify facets of life that bring to light the hopes, joys, and conflicts of every person who shared their narratives ; phases in their journeys that molded their characters and a celebration of differently-tinged personalities.

Unyielding and ever alive; even bounded in flawed vessels, we seek beauty and hope in the cracks and crevices that line our being.

Relentless and unshackled; beyond the din of naysayers, we celebrate our differences as we build a better world where being weak is not a sign of defeat and where our strengths are used to uplift others.

We hope that these stories will encourage you to forge your path, embrace your uniqueness and that of others, and to speak your story.

Bleed your colors.

About the cover

We breathe amidst the breathless beauty of life; its face unseen, its form abstract - humanity. We are all persons who make up the colors of life.

Each of our minds and experiences mold each fraction. We become our own kaleidoscopes. Our identities are tinted in the multicolored asymmetry of life.

Social constructs and its shackles continue to bring us down by determining beauty through its fixed perspective. But beauty, in its full hue, is unfathomable for it to be affixed by mundane theories. We are exactly who we are without anyone telling us who we should be. Shatter man’s blinded perception of beauty.

THEME BY JOELLE MARIEL PADEROG

FRONT COVER MODEL MARY PAULINE SANTOS

CONCEPT BY

FRONT COVER PHOTO BY REINHARDT FIRMEZA RAEVERLY ELENA RAMIREZ

CARLA JOANNE ROBLES RENEE SUALA ROMCHELLE CHRIS DANIELLE WAMINAL

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Contents 16

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WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE Learn what makes COVID-19 different from other illnesses with similar signs and symptoms.

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SA BINHING PAGKAIN NG DAIGDIG Dinggin ang pighati ng isang magsasaka.

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IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER: THE ALLURING CHARM OF PAGEANTRY Unravel stories behind pageants and pageant queens.

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GREEN KEEP: NEGROS ISLAND’S BREATH With the slow destruction of the country’s flora and fauna, let us hear the story of a Bacolod organization which aims to restore balance in the ecosystem.

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TREND MAP

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ADVOCACY PROFILE

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

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VIRTUAL TORCHES AND PITCHFORKS: MOB MENTALITY AND THE DESIRE TO BE “IN” One click may make or break someone’s reputation.

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HANGGANG MAKAALPAS SA KARIMLAN Ating bisitahinan ang iba’t ibang mukha ng pakikipaglaban ng ating mga kapatid na Katutubo..

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ONE RACE, A THOUSAND REMARKS Unearth truths behind colorism.

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SURVIVING COVID-19’S GAME OF TAG Surrounded by fears, questions, and stereotypes, let us hear a survivor’s personal recollection of the infamous disease.

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UNVEILING FACES BEHIND ONLINE CONTENT Know the stories of these student vloggers in their journey towards the limelight.

box out of the

26 Bitter Truths Behind Sweet Intentions

50 Objectification is Not Limited to Women Only

74 Look Back, Move Forward

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TATTOOED TALES BEHIND TABOOS A tattoo artists’s journey and the art that molded it.

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Kaleidoscope: Through Her Eyes 44

INTERNET DARLING: MATCH MADE IN DIGITAL HEAVEN

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Discover love in the virtual landscape.

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SWITCH IT UP: FROM PLASTICS TO REUSABLES

THE GOLDEN YEAR OF TWO INTERTWINED SOULS Journey throughh 50 solid years of married life.

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Catch businesses lead the switch from single-use to sustainable products.

LUSH GREENERY AND THE BLOOM OF PLANT PARENTING Green thumbs are sure to relish in this read.

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THE UNYIELDING WALLS OF BLUE AND GOLD Take a glimpse beyond the walls of the University and witness how it faced adaversity through the test of time.

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DOWN THE ROAD, BE FREE TO ROAM As the tides of time turn the wheels of change, take a look at how the concept of gender roles evolved over the years.

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ANG NATATANGING TIMPLA NG BACOLOD INASAL Tuklasin ang natatanging sarap ng Inasal na patok na patok sa mga lokal at turista.

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ENGAGING IN THE VIRTUAL BATTLEFIELD: OF VALIANT HEROES IN HEADPHONES Let us hear the stories of teachers and their joys and pains in treading a new educational platform.

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TALA-MBUHAY: ANG KWENTO SA LIKOD NG MGA BITUIN Alamin ang buhay ng mga taong nasa likod ng bawat kislap at nigning ng mga parol.

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IN THE PIT OF STAYING FIT: HOW TO GET THAT BODY BUILT Doing physical exercises is a way of ensuring good overall health.

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A MAN’S 21ST CENTURY ODYSSEY Take a peek at Engr. Laluma’s life and his photographic masterpieces.

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A GAMERS’ INTRICATE ARENA Dive into the triumphs and defeats brought by online gaming.

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kaleidoscope | Trend Map

As we look forward to more roads unwinding, let us look back and recall year 2020 compiled by Crisha Arroyo and Alea Jen Villahermosa graphic art by Ruel Duhaylungsod

January

February

January 7 Four days after the World Health Organization (WHO) was notified of the novel coronavirus (nCoV), China tallies its first 2019-nCoV -related death.

February 1 The Philippines records the first 2019-n-CoVrelated death outside China.

January 26 Basketball fans mourn the deaths of basketball legend Kobe and his daughter Gigi Bryant.

January 30 The Philippines records its first 2019-nCov-positive patient.

April

February 2 This day marks the first global palindrome since 11/11/1111.

February 11 WHO officially names the the new virus as SARS-CoV-2 and the disease it causes as COVID-19.

March March 11 WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic.

March 15 National government starts the Luzon-wide lockdown.

Just as the world is shocked by a new health crisis, it also relishes at the wonders of dalgona coffee.

March 16 The University suspends classes in all levels and offices.

May

June

April 27 A South Korean official says Kim Jong-Un is alive and well amidst rumors of his possible death.

May 5 ABS-CBN is shut down by the national government.

Bushfires in Australia affect five species of birds.

May 14 Typhoon Vongfong (Ambo) makes landfall over Eastern Samar and hits Visayas resulting to over a billion pesos worth of damages.

June 16 Filipina photographer, Analiza Daran de Guzman, wins international photography contest with a photograph capturing the thirst of ants.

May 25 The death of George Floyd, an African-American man, sparks the #BlackLivesMatter movement.

June 17 Frankie Pangilinan spearheads the #HijaAko movement to combat toxic sexism.

truth as it happens

July

September August

July 3 The Anti-Terror Bill passes into law.

July 10 House panel denies ABS-CBN franchise bid.

July 23 Comet Neowise dazzles Earth’s evening skies.

October October 7 Emmanuel Charpentier and Jennifer Duodna receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of a method in genome editing.

October 12 UNO-R adopts BacTrac scanning.

October 25 Rabiya Mateo reigns as Miss Universe Philippiness 2020.

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August 4 Two ostriches run amok in a Quezon City village.

August 28 Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman dies of cancer.

September 5 #CancelKorea trends on Twitter after a dispute between Filipino and Korean citizens on singer Bella Poarch’s tattoo incorporating Japan’s Rising Sun flag.

Ssssh! There’s an impostor among us.

November November 11 Cagayan Province becomes submerged in flood due to the onslaught of Typhoon Ulysses.

November 26 UNO-R alumnus Patrick Joseph Mabugat, RMT, MD ranks second in the November 2020 Physician Licensure Examination.

December December 9 Pantone reveals “ultimate gray” and “illuminating yellow” as 2021 colors of the year.

December 20 Police officer Jonel Nuezca shoots mother and son in Tarlac.

December 21 A bright Christmas star lit the evening skies as planets Jupiter and Saturn align after 800 years.

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WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE written by Joelle Mariel Paderog graphic art by Joshua Garita

The Coronavirus Disease 2019, known as COVID-19, streamlined for almost two years taking thousands of lives nationwide and has changed our ways and means - from the operations of companies in towering skyscrapers to the most mundane and domestic routines.

The struggles brought by this pandemic are nothing but familiar to the everyday person. Being a disease, it can take a toll in someone and their family’s living. Some might even panic at the slightest cough or sneeze.

COVID-19, however, may have symptoms similar to the common illnesses we often encounter which often leads to anxiety and confusion.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), influenza or flu and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses and may exhibit very similar symptoms but are caaused by different viruses.

Because of their sheer similarities when they affect a person, it is gravely important to learn how to differentiate COVID-19 symptoms from similar diseases to prevent confusion.

Although laboratory testing may confirm it to be either COVID-19 or a common cold, the flu, or a seasonal allergy, and other like illnesses, COVID-19 is one of the things that we should take seriously as scientists are still pursuing research on how to effectively avert this deadly disease.

How does one differ from another? Fever, chills, body aches, and cough - all these symptoms seem the same for a cold, the flu, seasonal allergies, and COVID-19.

COMMON COLD The common cold is often confused with the flu and, sometimes, COVID-19 as they have similar symptoms but are caused by different viruses – SARS-CoV-2 for COVID-19 and rhinoviruses for the common cold.

According to the CDC, the symptoms are sore throat, runny nose, cough, sneezes. headaches, and body pain.

CDC advises to practice handwashing with soap and water and avoid touching the eyes, nose, and mouth as a protection from contracting the rhinovirus.

There is no cure for a cold but CDC recommends drinking plenty of fluids and getting lots of rest. Over-thecounter medicine such as paracetamols may help ease the symptoms but that will not make the cold go away. The best thing we could do is to ease its symptoms. Always keep in mind that when your symptoms last more than 10 days or have become severe or unusual, call your doctor.

COVID-19 According to the World Health Organization (WHO), signs that one contracted SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, can be mild and occur gradually over a span of two to 14 days.

Among the symptoms of COVID-19, according to the CDC, are dry cough, shortness of breath, loss or change in sense of taste or smell, fever and/or chills, and vomiting or diarrhea.

There is no cure for the disease itself but there is a supportive treatment for the symptoms. So, if you seem to exhibit the symptoms of COVID-19, immediately contact your health care provider or your local authorities and cooperate with them honestly. More than being alert, we must also be vigilant and remember to stay home and follow minimum health requirements for the safety of everyone.

FLU Influenza (orthoflu) is often confused with COVID-19 as they share the same characteristics but, according to the CDC, the flu is caused by infection with influenza viruses. Its onset is sudden, unlike the common cold. People who have the flu may exhibit fever or chills, coughing, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle pain, headaches, fatigue, and, for children, diarrhea and vomiting.

It is important to stay home, get plenty of rest and fluids, and treat the fever with appropriate medicine. The flu may be milder than COVID-19 butit can lead to health complications like pneumonia and, ultimately, death.

The flu season in the Philippines spikes from October to February, coinciding with the rainy season. It is important to watch out for the nasty influenza virus. The Department of Health (DOH) advises the general public to keep their immune system strong by taking more water and fluids, getting enough sleep, making sure to exercise and eat fruits and vegetables, and by getting a flu vaccine every year to combat new influenza virus strains that might surface.

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Busting the Myths With our massive exposure to social media and the Internet, credible COVID-19 news becomes increasingly difficult to scrutinize but WHO clarifies some of the pandemic myths and misinformation.

SEASONAL ALLERGIES Seasonal allergies are allergy symptoms that often occur from March to June when the most popular allergen, pollen, is abundant. Among the common symptoms allergies and COVID-19 share are fatigue, headache, sore throat, congestion, cough, and even shortness of breath. However, COVID-19 symptoms are usually accompanied by fever and chills, muscle and body aches, the new loss of taste or smell, nausea, and diarrhea which makes it distinct from seasonal allergies.

If you are familiar with your allergens, then COVID-19 can be safely eliminated from your concerns.

On windy days when pollen counts are high, you may experience more allergy symptoms. Beyond simple avoidance, you can relieve the effects of your allergies by taking counter drugs such as antihistamines and decongestants to ease the inflammation caused by inhaling the allergens. Eye drops can also alleviate itchy or watery eyes.

STREP THROAT Strep throat is commonly confused with sore throat or COVID-19 but, according to the CDC, strep throat is an infection in the throat and tonsils caused by bacteria called group A Streptococcus (Group A strep).

These bacteria live in the nose and throat and can easily spread to other people through respiratory droplets when a person coughs or sneezes. So always remember to observe proper cough etiquette.

Strep throat is a mild infection but it can as its common symptoms include pain when swallowing, fever, sore throat that can start very quickly, and may also include headache, stomach pain, nausea, and, in some cases, a rash also known as scarlet fever.

A key difference between strep throat and COVID-19 is how quickly symptoms manifest. COVID-19 symptoms appear at a gradual rate while for strep throat, symptoms, especially sore throat, tend to manifest suddenly.

CDC advises that the best way to protect yourself and others is proper hand hygiene and practicing cough etiquette at all times.

5G mobile networks do not transmit SARS-CoV-2 Viruses cannot travel via radio waves or mobile networks.

SARS-CoV-2 is spread through droplets when one is in close contact with an infected person who coughs, sneezes, speaks, or when one touches a contaminated area then proceeds to touch their eyes, nose, or mouth.

Thermal scanners do not detect SARS-CoV-2 Thermal scanners cannot detect the presence of SARSCOV-2 in people. They are only effective in detecting people who are exhibiting high body temperatures due to a fever.

Regular rinsing with saline does not prevent infection with COVID-19 There is no evidence that regularly rinsing the nose with saline—an isotonic solution of water and salt - has protected people from infection of COVID-19.

Eating garlic does not prevent infection with COVID-19 Garlic is a healthy food that may have microbial properties according to several researches. However, there is no documented evidence that proves eating garlic may combat COVID-19.

Drinking methanol, ethanol, or bleach do not prevent or cure COVID-19.

Methanol, ethanol, and bleach are poisonous substances.

Drinking them can lead to disability and death. These substances are often used as cleaning products to kill viruses on surfaces but you should never ingest them as they will not kill the virus in your body - only harm your internal organs.

It is vital that whenever we manifest even minor symptoms of COVID-19 such as mild fever, cough, or headaches, we must stay home and self-isolate until recovery, or call a physician for medical assistance. Observing these protocols help keep you and the community safe from further illnesses.

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SA BINHING PAGKAIN NG DAIGDIG isinulat ni Leslie Marie Banaban mga larawan ni Joshua Garita

BAWAT BUTIL NG PAWIS. Ang magsasaka ay nagbubuhat ng kanyang mga ani.

truth as it happens

Kagaya sa mundo ng pagsasaka, hindi na bago ang mga hirap na dulot ng buhay na nakaukit na sa mga kalyo ng mga palad. Sa bagyong hinaharap, ang pagtaas lagi ng nakaupong sibilisasyon ng tao sa nakayukong tugon ng agrikultura at sa pagsasawalang-panig ng sistema sa ating magsasaka ay tila napapabayaan na ng lubusan.

Gayunpaman, ang mga taong tagapagtaguyod at tagapamatid-gutom sa ating kumakalam na sikmura ay umaawit ng pighati sa kabila ng hindi makatwirang pagpepresyo ng kanilang sinasaka.

Ngunit kasama sa pagsakit ng likod ng ating magsasaka ay ang pagpasan sa katotohanang na nakalimutan nang makinig ng buong bansa sa kanilang hinaing—sa tawag tungo sa masaganang ani ng palay at sa pagbigay halaga sa larangan ng pagsasaka.

PARAISONG BUKID Tila isang halik mula sa langit ang pinagpalang luntiang lupain ni Ramon Genada, 73, tubong Brgy.

Nabalian sa bayan ng Himamaylan. Mula sa pagsikat ng araw, unti-unting bubungad ang isang obra maestra na ipinagmamalaki ni Ramon - ang kanyang malawak na palayan. Saksi ang kubong pahingahan na siyang katabi ng kaniyang palayan sa mga dinanas na hirap ni Ramon mula nang siya’y musmos pa lamang hanggang sa pagtanda.

“Noong bata pa lamang ako, itinuro na sa akin ang pagsasaka. Kung paano mag-lay-ang hanggang sa pagbibilad ng aning palay,” kwento niya habang inaalala ang unang pagtapak niya sa maputik na palayan.

Kung tutuusin, salamin ng isang payak na pamumuhay ang kwento ni Ramon subalit, ito rin ay isang larawan ng halos lahat na pamumuhay ng mga magsasaka.

“Noong araw, hindi pa dagdag sa iisipin kung saan kami kukuha ng pagkain. Nakakapagkalakal pa kami noon ng ilang kilo o sakong bigas kapalit ng isda ngunit, ngayon, nakaranas na kami ng hindi magagandang araw,” sambit ni Ramon habang sinasariwa ang mga paghihirap na kanyang dinaranas bilang magsasaka.

Isa sa mga hamon na ramdam nila ngayong mga magsasaka ay ang pagtaas presyo ng bilihin, kuryente, at iba pang mga pang-araw-araw na pangangailangan.

Sa pananaw ni Ramon, malaking hamon para sa kanya ang pagtaas nito at lalong nagpapakuba sa kanilang pag-angat mula sa kahirapan.

Bagaman, namumutawi ang ngiti sa mukha ng matanda habang sinasariwa ang mga kaganapan noon sa mumunting Paraiso. Sariwa rin ang pangamba at pagsubok na kanyang kinakaharap sa kanyang palayan.

Bilang ama na tagataguyod sa kaniyang pamilya, panata na kung hamakin ang umasa sa luntiang palayan.

SA ILALIM NG ARAW Sa pagpatak ng dilim nagsisimula ang gawain ni Ramon, sa pagbati mismo sa umaga hanggang sa patirik na tanghali’t dumilim ulit. Bago pa man tuluyang magbukang liwayway nililisan na ni Ramon ang bahay upang salubungin ang haring araw ngunit kasamang bating bungad sa nakaugalian ang isang mukha ng pagod na larawan.

“Magtanim ay ‘di biro,” aniya ni Ramon. Bagaman ang buhay sa linang ang siyang basehan sa liriko ng kanta, ito rin ang sumasalamin sa kanyang hanapbuhay.

Maitim, pawisin, at halos makuba na ang katawan ni Ramon ngunit kahit pa ito’y sukli ng araw, ang panahong ginugugol sa pagsasaka ang siyang mas kinakaharap ng gayong katulad niya.

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Sa tag-init, kahit na mainit at masakit sa balat para kay Ramon, nagiging mainam sa kondisyon ng palay ang pagbibilad sa araw upang matulungan ang pagtanda nito. Ang anihan din sa mga panahong ito ang nagbibigay ng oportunidad kay Ramon upang makahanap ng rice dealer na siya namang bibili sa kanilang ani upang magkaroon ng kita ang magsasaka.

Ang tag-ulan nama’y mainam upang hindi na gumastos sa patubig para sa palayan.

Maraming beses ng nararanasan ni Ramon ang pagod at ‘di magagandang mga araw. Ngunit kahit ganunpaman, nakikita pa rin ang positibong panig ng mga suliranin na ito at patuloy nang sumasabay sa buhay.

“Buhay ko na ang pagsasaka. Dahil sa pagsasaka ko ay nabigyan ako ng pagkakataong ipasok ang aking anak na babae sa isang pribadong kolehiyo. Kahit pa kinakailangan ibenta ang aking kalabaw gagawin ko,” kwento ni Ramon.

Hindi man nakikita sa paraan ng kanyang pagiging masigla ang pagod, masisilip pa rin sa mga mata ni Ramon ang hirap sa pagbilad sa ilalimang sikat ng araw buong magdamag. Tila sanay na ang kanyang kayumangging balat sa pagsuong sa mainit na siga.

Ganun din sa pagsuong sa humihikbing ulap; hindi batid ni Ramon ang ginaw ng buhay na pinaparamdam ng mundo. Bagaman, salamin lang din si Ramon sa mga taong may pangarap para sa pamilya, ang kanyang anak ang isang magandang pinanghahawakan niya upang magpatuloy sa trabaho.

Sa pagpatak ng dilim nagsisimula ang gawain ni Ramon, sa pagbati mismo sa umaga hanggang sa patirik na tanghali’t dumilim ulit.

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PAGLATAG SA HAPAG Katulad ng kwento ni Ramon, ‘di na kinakailangang pang isipin kung saan sila kukuha ng pagkain dahil sagana pa ang pagpapalitan ng produkto sa merkado - bigas katumbas ng isda, manok, at karne. Masigla ang araw noon at lahat ay masagana sa pagbibigayan.

Ngunit, ngayon, kinakailangan ang pagiging makayod at matiyaga dahil katumbas ng pagod ang perang maiuuwi sa bahay.

Subalit kahit bata pa lamang at tumanda sa linang si Ramon, hindi pa rin nagbabago ang pananaw niya sa pagsasaka.

“Mula pagkabata, ang buhay na ito ang naituro sa akin ng aking mga magulang. Kaya hindi ko ipagpapalit ito.”

Noon pa man, mapaglaro ang buhay sa mga katulad niyang magsasaka. Kahit gustuhin mang magkaroon ng trabahong may malaking sweldo mas nanaisin pa nito ang pagyamanin ng tanim na palay ang linang na ipinamana pa sa kanya ng kanyang mga magulang.

Bukod doon, kahit gustuhin din niya ibenta ang ani sa mataas na presyo, nakadepende pa rin ito sa rice dealers.

Malaking hamon ang lahat para kay Ramon at wala siyang masyadong magawa. Noong abala pa siya sa nakaraang anihan, naibenta lamang niya ang kanyang ani sa halagang 14 na piso kada kilo. Nag-uumapaw man ang kagustuhang ng lahat na magkaroon ng pantay na kita sa presyo ng ani na kanilang ring sinasaka ay laging

BUHOS NG BUHAY. Ang palay ay ibinubuhos sa makinarya upang gawing mga butil.

tahimik at mababa ang tugon ng mga kapwa Pilpino at ng pamahalaan sa kanila.

“Ang pagsasaka ay parang sugal dahil ginugugol mo ang iyong oras at pera para lang magkaroon ng masaganang ani ngunit ito ay maaring mawala dahil sa mga kalamidad tullad ng El Niño at La Niña na maaaring makasira sa palay,” makahulugang dagdag ni Ramon.

Sa kabila nito, si Ramon ay nandoon mula pa man na nagbubungkal at nagtatanggal ng mga talahib ng poot sa ilalim ng pabago-bagong panahon. Para sa kanya, ang mahalaga sa pagkakataong ito ay marinig siya hindi lamang ang hinaing meron siya kundi ang lahat ng kanyang sinimulan.

Si Ramon ay isang mukha sa maraming mga magsasaka, hindi iniinda ang init at ang lamig para laman may mailatag sa kanilang hapag. Malinaw na dapat tayo ay magbigay ng pakialam at maghangad na magbago ang pananaw na pangmamaliit sa mga magsasaka. Maaaring hindi pa ngayon at hindi batid ng nakakarami sa atin ang halaga ng palay, ng nakakakubang anihan, at pagkukuwenta ng salapi sa pagbibili nito, pero kung lahat lang din ay may sapat na pagmamalasakit sa kapwa, mararamdaman mo ang sayang sa bawat butil ng kanin na ating pinupuno sa ating halang na sikmura.

15 truth as it happens

photo by Paolo Belonio

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IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER: THE ALLURING CHARM OF PAGEANTRY written by Alea Jen Villahermosa graphic art by Karen Joy Alexandria Tolosa In a diverse country like the Philippines, Filipina beauty consists of an exquisite fusion of physical charm and wit. From the traditional morena beauty of tanned skin and silky black hair to the light complexions and flowing auburn hair, each unique feature is a hint of our colorful culture.

Beauty pageants have risen to popularity in the Philippines dating back to 113 years ago when the firstever recorded beauty pageant way back in 1908 during the Manila Carnival started.

From massive arenas to local beauty pageants held in small corners of a barangay, pageants never go out of style and still manage to be the talk of the town. Pageantry and the cheers of Filipino spectators in carinderias, offices, and even inside homes are not to be missed as these pageants have become a staple in Filipino culture.

ON-STAGE CHARISMA We always wanted to know the answer to the milliondollar question “Why are Filipinos fascinated with beauty pageants?”.

In Natashya Gutierrez’s Rappler documentary on Filipino beauty pageant obsession, University of New South Wales Professor Dr. Mina Roces, who studies the history of women in the Philippines, thinks that this national captivation with pageants is linked to the Philippine culture of equating beauty to power and

influence.

“What makes the Philippines unique, let’s say with the West, is there is a connection between beauty and power.

American beauty queens don’t necessarily translate their beauty title into power as Filipinos can,” she says.

It was through this pageant-earned fame that Dr. Roces found out that pageantry brought insurmountable prestige to every Filipina beauty queen, considering how former Miss Universe titleholders Gloria Diaz and Pia Wurtzbach’s influence propelled them to succeed in their chosen careers after becoming beauty queens.

“People get prestige from a beauty title. Every Filipina wants to be beautiful because it means she’s virtuous and she’s powerful,” Dr. Roces points out.

Homecoming parades for pageant queens mean thousands of fans and curious onlookers waving banners and crying tears of joy trying to get a glimpse of their beloved beauty.

WHO RUN THE WORLD? It is a dream come true for “Lin-ay Sang San Enrique 2020” Mia Jalipa as she transcends her childhood fantasies into becoming what she desired since childhood - to become a beauty queen.

“I have been a fan of pageantry since I was a kid and because of that I decided to join beauty pageants,” she reminisces.

truth as it happens

Motivated in participating in on-stage events, Mia’s confidence was boosted by her mentor in elementary, Johny Jaudines, who rallied behind her in her journey for the title. It was Johny who aided Mia in covveting the silver-plated ends of her long-sought crown.

“We [Mia and Johny] dream big and work for the things I’ve wanted to become. We always keep on pursuing our goals as I continue my journey in the field of pageantry,” she says.

Beyond the glam and fame, Mia adds that the essence of pageants is to nurture the unique talents of Filipinas that tread the same path as hers.

People who see beauty pageants as expansive podiums to celebrate character beyond aesthetics would agree with “Lin-ay Sang Sipalay 2019” Juliet Angeline Alvarez who perceives beauty pageants as a platform to shatter stereotypes and break beauty standards.

“I grew up in a society where women like me, who are on the chubby side with acne, stretch marks, and body discolorations, are not considered beautiful. I decided to join beauty pageants because I want to break that stereotype,” she shares.

As the audience becomes enchanted with the on-screen perfection of beauty queens, they forget that these women also have flaws and imperfections; subtle or not.

Juliet points out that pageantry is about empowering women beyond the glitz of the stage.

More than being under the limelight, pageants celebrate Filipinas in their entirety and for both Mia and Juliet, the rave for pageantry creates opportunities to exude each woman’s confidence and, at its core, serve as an avenue to celebrate inclusive feminine beauty.

“Watching beauty pageants creates a huge impact around the world as it helps increase self-esteem and level of confidence,” Mia elaborates.

Both crowned queens think highly of beauty pageants as venues to celebrate holistic beauty, and as empowered women, Mia and Juliet have their unforgettable moments in the spotlight. Mia expresses how she is still charmed with her crowning moment; oblivious to how it would change her life.

For Juliet, it was the way she flaunted her body during a swimsuit competition and how she broke from the shackles of body shaming.

Beauty queens Mia and Juliet advocate for empowering women until they become who they want to be in a world smothered with criticisms on how one must look and act.

BACKSTAGE PILLAR What is a pageant without its critics, audience, and supporters? The glitz and glam of the onstage pageantry has not only pierced a light in his life but he was also wrapped in the holistic glimmer of feminine beauty.

Theater arts performer Joe Arnel Celestial Jr., known in the College of Education for his stage and presentation skills, sees pageantry in the Philippines as a platform that aims to discover women who have the power to influence and to deliver their respective advocacy.

“Filipinos are proud people. The Philippines, being a frontrunner in any pageant, brings these people hope and unity,” he expounds, bearing witness to a sudden agreement between opposing parties when a Filipina raises the Philippine flag on the international stage.

The rise of beauty pageants from small unknown stages to big crowded arenas does not only limit pageants to women.

Taking it from her four-year experience on the pageant stage, transgender beauty queen and social

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Each of our crowns is shaped by our milestones, the hurdles we surpass, and our unique qualities.

media influencer Carlo Cordovito, who had joined beauty pageants even before she transitioned to being a transwoman, says that the spotlight and loud cheers could not conceal the adversities she had experienced.

After all, she cannot please everyone no matter how good she is in doing something, especially if they have prejudices against other genders.

“We can’t beg them [society] to like us but we can educate them about how important we [LGBTQ+] are in society,” she explains.

As others are thrilled to see members of the LGBTQ+ community expressing themselves on stage, the glares and frowns among some individuals are far from surprising as some believed that beauty pageants are only for females.

Carlo eloquently shares how gay beauty pageants serve as a platform for LGBTQ+ members to express themselves freely - to be unique individuals with their quirks and personalities beyond the stigma surrounding the community.

“It voices out the aim of the LGBTQ+ community, and that is equality - equal treatment, equal judgment, equal opportunities,” she elaborates, implying how pageantry serves as a channel for them to seek equality and acceptance in a conservative society.

Carlo hopes that she serves as a voice for those who were mocked for joining gay beauty pageants. After all, we live in a diverse world and diversity makes the world a breathtaking domain.

Mia, Juliet, Jonel, and Carlo are some of those who decide to shine whatever happens and despite whatever people would say or think.

Pageant crowns may be imbued with stories of hard work and victory but courage and confidence are not limited to wearing crowns for we all have our crowns— unseen and more precious than the finest cut diamond in the world. Each of our crowns is shaped by our milestones, the hurdles we surpass, and our unique qualities.

Beauty queens and the limelight of pageantry remind us that every person have the capacity to be their best versions of themselves because we are more than our physical features.

18 kaleidoscope | Advocacy HAUNTING PAST. Rusa Alfredi also known as Visayan spotted deer, endangered due to hunting in the past and loss of habitats.

GREEN KEEP: NEGROS ISLAND’S BREATH written by Carla Joanne Roles photo courtesy of Talarak Foundation, Inc.

Negros Island is home to lush forests teeming with wild animals that roam the land, its waters, and aerial territories.

Our forests, before the onslaught of modernization’s ill-effects, was once home to brightly-colored birds, long-snouted pigs, and agile spotted deer. But wild animals are now so rare that some are lost in the remaining forests, its history forgotten by locals.

Poaching, hunting, and deforestation are only some of the harmful threats that directly affect our wild animals and their habitats. With these growing concerns, several environmental organizations merge efforts to protect not only the forests but wildlife itself.

Among these organizations is the Negros Forest and Ecological Foundation, Inc. (NFEFI) that started in the late 1980s aiming to protect nature by reforesting about a thousand hectares of land, educating communities, and leading forest protection programs. In 2010, the Talarak Foundation, Inc. (TFI) which had started as a satellite breeding center, took over NFEFI’s animal management when the NFEFI could no longer maintain the animals. Over the years, these organizations have helped restore our wildlife and gradually returned its lush vitality.

THE PROTECTOR’S REALM The moment you enter its large green gates, you would be welcomed with towering trees which branches spread across each other and commensal vines hanging against their thick trunks, and then the sound of birds echo in your ears – alas, you are in the Negros Forest Park.

The Forest Park had started under the NFEFI but was later managed by the TFI rooted in its mission

HIGH AND WARM. Warden Hornills or Rhabdotorrhinus waldeni endangered bird species, found only in Negros and Panay, sit under the heat of the sun.

and vision to manage and create environments for the endemic species, and to treat them as national treasures. “[Our mission is] to manage healthy populations of Philippine endemic wildlife, and create an environment that sees viable populations established back in the wild,” the foundation states on their website.

Taking her fingertips to the elastic bands of her face mask, Veterinarian of the TFI, Monica Marie Atienza, DVM, shares that the foundation houses 46 species of different mammals, birds, and reptiles. Among these species are the foundation’s big five or the endangered and critically endangered animals such as the Visayan Spotted Deer, Visayan Warty Pig, Walden’s Hornbill (Talarak), Tarictic Hornbill (Tularik), and the Negros Bleeding Heart Pigeon. “[The rarest animals in the Foundation are] the Visayan Warty Pig and the Talarak as they are critically endangered,” Dr. Atienza shares.

She adds that the Warty Pigs were popular in Europe and were dubbed as sensational being the second mammal in the world reported to use tools in acquiring food after the Orangutans. “[The Warty Pig] used stones to dig the soil [to look for food],” she says, emphasizing that pigs are actually smart despite the common notion.

Being the veterinarian, she reveals that it is quite tricky for taking care of the animals when they are sick, especially with the birds as they hide when lethargic.

Thus, the animals are monitored closely considering that one mistake can endanger a critically endangered bird.

truth as it happens

STROLLING PAST. The Visayan spotted deer or Rusa alfredi roams the corners of its temporary habitat.

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It takes a strong person to speak for nature and its wildlife reserves but it also takes conviction and a certain degree of consistency to keep the advocacy alive.

OF THE WEST. The Negros bleeding heart dove or Gallicolumba keayi that resides in the Park is one of its five remaining species in the Philippines .

WHAT LIES SOUTH OF NEGROS With the dry wind rustling the ornate greenery in the Forest Park and carrying the soft singing of the birds, Dr. Atienza reveals that the Talarak Foundation’s logo and name are taken after the critically endangered hornbill.

“It’s [Talarak] a rare kind of bird, so I think that’s why we are called the Talarak Foundation,” she explains.

Dr. Atienza shares that the Talaraks are not easily bred considering that their first-ever chick was achieved after 10 years in captivity.

“It took them [Talaraks] nine years to have an egg and successfully have a chick,” she adds with a sigh.

As the wind brushes her hair softly, Dr. Atienza reveals that the Foundation conducts different research activities to learn the behavior of the endemic animals, their numbers, and their nature as this information is unavailable on the internet.

“We have released animals in a protected area so we can learn more about their behaviors… because if we compare it to the animals in captivity, it is very different,” she says.

Moreover, Dr. Atienza reveals that they are also planning to conceive researches focusing on the surveying of remaining wildlife in Negros.

AS THE WORLD PAUSED The emptiness of the streets and the absence of visitors in the park did not directly affect the Foundation’s activities as the animals are tended to every single day with or without the lockdowns.

“We didn’t actually feel the pandemic. As a frontliner, I still had to go outside every day since the animals here are very important,” Dr. Atienza says.

Aside from the fact that there were no visitors and

occasional field trips from the students supporting a small portion of their finances, they still kept upholding their advocacies.

“In fact, during the pandemic, we have released animals in Bayawan but, then again, there’s not much of a difference.” Dr. Atienza laughs.

But as the community quarantines eased out, visitors had started to gradually come to the Forest Park and of course, each visitor must abide by their protocols: to respect the animals and sanitize their feet before entering.

“Of course there are a lot of threats outside like the African Swine Fever (ASF) which I know has not entered Negros yet but, if it does, it is very risky,” she explains.

Furthermore, she adds that the biosecurity in the Park was heightened since the risk of infection can also mean risking animal survival.

“If we lose these animals in captivity, then it will become totally extinct,” Dr. Atienza concludes.

Negros Island, with its flora and fauna, is in a fragile state now. With the threat of road construction in the Northern Negros Natural Park, we are risking the Negrenses’ final hope to restore the balance of nature.

If this continues to decrease, it will undeniably affect us and the generations to come.

It takes a strong person to speak for nature and its wildlife reserves, but it takes conviction to keep the advocacy alive. We must remember that each of our efforts contributes to conserving our environment, so start supporting these environmental organizations, volunteer, and act now.

20 kaleidoscope | Human Interest

VIRTUAL TORCHES AND PITCHFORKS: MOB MENTALITY AND THE DESIRE TO BE “IN” written by Romchelle Chris Danielle Waminal graphic art by Renee Suala

No man is an island – a classic mantra reminding us that, human as we are, we need and crave the comforts of knowing that we belong.

This insatiable human desire is reflected in the way we deal with life. From the get-togethers one so eagerly attends for socialization, in purchases of the latest gadgets, in sharing of controversial yet trending social media posts, no one wants to be out of season. Just as animals gather to protect their kind, we, humans, gather because there is a sense of security in being part of the crowd.

Swayed by the latest trends and gimmicks in fashion, romance, and even public opinion, the individual finds solace in the fact that he or she is not alone in walking the massive Internet landscape. But, should this always be so?

THE MADDENING CROWD No one is safe from the “bandwagon effect”. Often used in advertising, commercials use this tactic to appeal to a potential customer because it is part of human psyche to want to like what’s popular. Some might testify that there is a sense of gratification when you are part of something

greater than yourself.

Try visiting a mall and lay down for minutes on end.

Would you do it? Of course not. No one has ever attempted such a thing and branded it “normal”.

“Humans are, by nature, social beings. Our personality, behavior, emotions, and lifestyle can influence others.

People tend to be interested in what is trending and in anything that will spark their interests or curiosity,” Madeline Urpiana, College of Arts and Sciences and Information Technology counseling specialist, shares.

As we give priority to the virtual platform in communicating, our news sources are also mainly contained within the four corners of our screens. Data

by Statista shows that 59.5 percent of the globe’s total population as of January 2021 is on the Internet and is using social media like it is second nature.

With the ever-ballooning Internet community, like every other gathering, people tend to be drawn to what’s popular. Checking on what others have to say has its upsides, such as being more open-minded on certain topics, being aware of current events, and the like. Modern mob culture may also manifest in trial by publicity, cancel culture, and even the prevalence of misinformation. A simple click of a share button might change the course of the Internet forever – until the next thing trends.

TRIAL BY FIRE Recollections of a lone cyclist, a red automobile, and a stray bullet in Quiapo, Manila consumed every waking moment of Nestor Punzalan.

With one photograph posted online by Top Gear Philippines linking him to the crime of murdering a student cyclist in a fit of rage, Punzalan became the subject of Internet bashing and cyberbullying in 2016.

“I know that I did not commit the crime. I was just dragged into it. There are also [online] comments that said that I was the killer,” Nestor narrates in an interview

by GMA News.

According to reports, the confusion started when Top Gear Philippines was contacted by an unnamed netizen that led them to identify Nestor as the alleged gunman since he and the unknown killer had the same red automobile and, apparently, the same conduction sticker as seen via CCTV footage. However, further investigations by the authorities reveal that it was, indeed, not Nestor and a certain Vhon Tanto, an army reservist, who perpetrated the crime.

“This is not helping us. You know what? You destroyed our dignity and our name. All of a sudden, our name gets dragged into this. We’re just simple persons,” Sharolyn

truth as it happens

Punzalan, Nestor’s wife, comments on the issue.

The online photograph of Nestor and his red automobile signaled mob mentality among Filipino Internet users.

The now-deleted post by Top Gear Philippines is documented to have several comments crucifying Nestor of a deed he did not do. Nestor describes the experience as “traumatizing” according to several media outlets.

Punzalan, wanting to clear his name of baseless allegations, filed a cyber libel case against the editor of Top Gear Philippines for the trauma caused by the recklessness and misinformation of the post identifying him with the heinous act.

Sharing her take on the matter, Madeline shares that as social media become hubs for users to freely air their thoughts, people can be easily swayed by emotion and may be quick to brand someone as good or bad without truly verifying facts.

“Trending videos, photos, or online trends can definitely gain sympathy which often results in ‘cancel culture’.

This creates a negative impact on someone’s reputation and has psychological effects on those affected,” she elaborates.

TAKE A BREATHER Information access is a double-edged sword. Not everything you read or see, whether it be on paper or via the Internet, is true.

“With the rise of modern technology, we live in a society where everything is just a click away. It is always important to evaluate and deepen our understanding of certain situations,” Madeline emphasizes.

As long as it trends and is controversial, people will feast on it like a moth being attracted to a lamp – the phenomenon is natural and refreshing yet deadly when too much.

However, following the call of the crowd is not always a thorny path. Its effects can be positive, such as introducing someone to a new online game that they may enjoy, going

But, following the crowd does not necessarily mean literally jumping off cliffs.

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to restaurants that would satisfy the taste buds, traveling to a place you saw being featured online, and mobilizing people for an advocacy towards the common good.

“What is good with mob mentality is when it influences people positively and uses information for productivity, improvement, and the welfare of others. It affects our lifestyle and the way we perceive things in a positive way,” Ms. Madeline shares.

In order for us not to be entangled in the threads of the crowd’s toxicity, breaking the chain of misinformation is vital. The importance of fact-checking and asking oneself “Am I feeling this because this is what the majority of people dictates?” or “Am I standing on my principles?” are still relevant.

Madeline shares a piece of advice for us, sojourners of the vast virtual landscape.

“Continue to be vigilant and have a deeper understanding of certain situations. They say ‘think before you click’. One has to evaluate and reflect before letting mob mentality affect you.”

In all of this, be your own person. Take a step back from all the raging and ask yourself “Where do I truly stand in all of this?”.

“If your friends jumped off a cliff, would you do it?” serves as the rhetoric that initially molded one’s opinion on independent thinking.

More or less, it is a question that appeals to common sense rather than to a moment of epiphany. Let’s face it, a normal human being would not do it.

But, following the crowd does not necessarily mean literally jumping off cliffs. It may just be a matter of clicking that “share” or “retweet” button and that single act may make or break someone’s reputation.

The effects of mob culture may be scary but following the crowd is quite natural. Let us not fear it. Rather, knowledge of this should push us to always seek the truth, even if few tread that path.

22 kaleidoscope | Human Interest

HANGGANG MAKAALPAS SA KARIMLAN isinulat ni Lea Mae Galimba grapiks ni Denise de la Fuente

Sa likod ng nagtatayugang punongkahoy at nagtataasang kabundukan, nakahimlay ang matingkad na kulay ng kanilang kultura. Kasabay ng sariwang ihip ng hangin, huni ng mga ibon , at lagaslas ng tubig sa batis ay ang payak na pamumuhay ng mga katutubo at ang pagpapahalaga nila sa kanilang kinagisnan.

Nakalakip na sa kanila ang kulturang na nakaukit na sa balangkas ng kanilang mga katawan. Sila ay pinagtibay ng panahon bunga ng pagkakabuklod-buklod tungo sa kalayaan at kaunlaran. Ngunit sa paulit-ulit na pagkakataon, bakit tila ang ating mga kapatid na katutubo ay patuloy na iniinda ang sugat magpahanggang sa kasalukuyan?

Matitingkad na pula’t dilaw na mga bahag, mga pilantik ng kamay kasaliw ang musika, at maliliwanag na ngiti na pinagtibay ng panahon. Dahil sa ating mga katutubo, ang ating kultura ay nabubuhay. Dala nila ang marikit na kasaysayan mula pa sa ating mga ninuno ngunit, dahil sa modernisasyon, silay ay nabubuhay na humaharap sa iba’t ibang mga banta mula sa mga gahamang handang gawin ang lahat upang makuha ang kanilang ninanais.

Ang mga katutubo na dapat namumuhay ng matiwasay at protektado ng pamahalaan ay bakitl nakatali sa masalimuot na buhay ng karimlan?

NAUUPOS NA KULTURA Maihahalintulad sa isang mitsa na habang lumilipas ang panahon ay patuloy na lumalagablab ang pagnanais na maangkin ang lupain ng mga katutubo habang untiunting nauupos ang kultura nila. Ang tulay tungo sa sibilisasyon ang siyang nagsisilbing dalisay na hangin na umiihip at nagpapaliyab sa apoy na tuluyang tumutupok sa natatanging kasarinlan at kultura ng mga katutubo.

“Dito [Tarlac] na ako ipinanganak. Ang mga ninuno namin ay dito na nanirahan at dito na sila namatay,” ani ni Brigido Salazar, isa sa pinakamatandang katutubong Aeta sa Tarlac.

Namulat ang mga katutubong Aeta sa katotohanang nakaatang sa kanila ang responsibilidad na palaguin ang tradisyon at uri ng pamumuhay ng kanilang mga ninuno sa kabila ng pagsakop at impluwensiya ng mga moderno at dominanteng kultura. Lupa ang kanilang kayamanan at, ilang siglo man ang lumipas, nanatiling nakatatak sa isipan at pagkatao ng mga katutubo na ang lupa at kultura ay iisa at siyang nagbibigkis sa kanilang kasaysayan, dumadaloy sa kanilang dugo, at nagbibigay buhay sa kanilang pagkatao.

truth as it happens

“Dito kami talagang nasisiyahan - dito lang talaga. Kaya kung aapihin kami ay talagang magkakaisa kami,” wika naman ni Boy Galanga, isang kagawad sa pamayanan ng mga katutubong Aeta.

Sa pagdaan ng mga taon ay hindi natuldukan ang patuloy na pag-atake sa mga katutubo bagamat ito ay mas lalong lumala. Sa paglaganap ng modernisasyon, ang malawak na lupain ng mga katutubo ay pilit na inaangkin ng malalaking pribadong kumpanya upang pagtayuan ng mga imprastrakturang magsisilbing sentro ng iba’t-ibang klase ng negosyo. Sa kadahilanang ito, nangangamba ang mga katutubo na baka mabura ang kanilang kultura at komunidad.

“Kami, ang mga katutubong Aeta, ay hindi naman pwede sa bayan. Hindi po ba ang isda kapag inalisan ng tubig, namamatay? Kami rin po. Kapag wala kami sa bundok ay naghihingalo kami,” saad ni Brigido.

Mahigpit na ibinilin ng kanilang mga ninuno na alagaan ang kanilang lupain - ang dahilan kung bakit nagsusumikap ang mga katutubo na ipaglaban ang kanilang karapatang-pantao at karapatan sa lupa.

Subalit, ang patuloy na pagkondena ng mga katutubo sa mga proyektong nagnanais na galawin ang kanilang mga lupain, partikular na ang libingan ng kanilang mga ninuno at mga sagradong lugar kung saan sila sumasamba, ay naging mitsa upang sila ay tawaging mga terorista isang pangkat na sumasalungat sa mga hinahangad na kaunlaran ng pamahalaan.

“Ang gobyerno, siguro,ay itinuturing na hayop kami.

Basta-basta na lang kami itataboy sa sarili naming mga lupain. Wala kaming laban. Kapag inararo kami ng bulldozer diyan, aalis na kami,” dagdag pa nang matandang si Brigido.

Ang boses ng mga katutubo magpasang-ayon ay hindi pinakikinggan ng lipunan.

Sa mga nagdaang taon, ang mga katutubo ay nabuhay sa pang-aalipusta, diskriminasyon, at kahirapan.

Ayon sa isang pahayag ng Asia Director of Human Rights Watch Brad Adams, isang grupo ng sundalo sa Zambales ang dumakip at pinagbubugbog ang tatlong miyembro ng Aeta, ang isa ay pinilit pang kumain ng dumi ng tao.

Nakakayamot isipin na ang mga taong dapat na pumoprotekta sa interes at kaligtasan ng mga mamamayan ay siya pang nagdudulot ng pagdudusa.

Sa kabila ng simpleng pamumuhay, hindi pa rin nakamit ng ating mga katutubo ang kadalisayan at kapayapaan sa buhay. Ang mas masahol pa ay lalong lumalala ang nararanasan nilang pag-atake kung saan marami na ang bilang ng kanilang mga kababayan ang kinitilan ng buhay sa pagsusumikap na ipaglaban ang kanilang mga karapatan.

Sa isang pahayag mula kay Jun Aguirre, siyam na pinuno ang pinaslang at 16 miyembro ang inaresto ng Philippine National Police at Criminal Investigation and Detection Group sa layuning lusungin sana ang kuta ng mga miyembro ng New People’s Army. Ngunit, napagalaman ng mga grupong sumusuporta sa karapatang pantao at kalikasan na ang mga pag-atake ay konektado sa paggawa ng isang dam sa kanilang lugar. Ito ay ang mismong proyekto na siyang tinutulan ng mga katutubo dahil sinisira nito ang kanilang lupain.

Bukod dito, ang kanilang mga lupain ay unti-unti ng nawawala at ang kanilang kultura at tradisyon ay nasa bingit na ng kawalan.

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Sa pagsikat ng araw sa Silangan, taglay ng bawat katutubo ang pag-asang sila ay makaahon sa putik na kanilang kinatatayuan.

PAKIKIPAGHAMOK SA KAHIRAPAN Umalingawngaw ang tunog ng isang lumang ukulele at awitin ng mga katutubong Aeta sa kaluwalhatian ng kanilang kabundukan.

Suot ang kanilang kinagisnang kasuotan ay ilang kababaihan ang naghandog ng sayaw at awitin sa gitna ng iba pang mga katutubong sumasabay sa saliw ng musika.

Lapendeng ang tawag sa sayaw at awit na ito ng mga katutubo.

“Kapag anihan po ay ganoon ang ginagawa namin. Nagaalay ng baboy upang sa susunod, marami na naman ang aming aanihin. ‘Yung baboy na kinakatay ay sinasayawan bago katayin. Pagkatapos ay ginigilitan sa leeg at inilalapit ang labi sa dugo. Ito ay para sa Panginoon,” saad ni Angelina Blanco, isang katutubong Aeta.

Sa tuwing ginaganap ang Lapendeng ay umaagos ang isang sariwang alaala sa memorya ng bawat katutubong Aeta na naninirahan sa Sacobia Ancestral Land sa Capas, Tarlac. Isang alaala ng mga araw kung saan sila ay patuloy na nakikipaghamok sa kahirapan upang makaraos sa buhay at nagtitiis sa walang humpay na pagod sa gitna ng mainit na panahon upang makapagsaka. Hindi alintana ang tumatagaktak na pawis at kumakalam na sikmura. Ang tanging pamatid-uhaw ay ang pag-asang may maihahain sa hapag-kainan sa sandaling sumapit ang hapunan.

“Dito na po kami nagsimula [mamuhay sa Tarlac]. Ang itinatanim po namin ay kamoteng-kahoy. Ang bawat bata ay nagdadala ng kamote at itinatanim nila ang mga iyon.

Ang mga matatanda [nama’y] naglilinis ng lupa,” ani pa ni Boy. Sa pagsikat ng araw sa Silangan, taglay ng bawat katutubo ang pag-asang sila ay makaahon sa putik na kanilang kinatatayuan. Bumuhos man ang malakas na patak ng ulan o tumirik man ang araw, patuloy na iniinda ng mga katutubo ang hirap ng paglalakad ng ilang milya sa mabato at matarik na daanan upang makapag-benta ng kanilang mga ani at produkto sa karatig-bayan. Gutaygutay man ang mga sapin sa paa at maputik ang damit, hindi iyon naging hadlang sa mga katutubo upang suungin ang isa na namang nakakapagod na yugto ng buhay.

24 kaleidoscope | Human Interest

“Kung walang pera, kumuha ka lang ng kamoteng na tinanim mo at lutuin at lagyan ng asin, ayos na.

Makakaraos ka na,” dagdag pa ni Boy. Sa paglipas ng panahon, ang mga katutubo ay nanatiling nakatira sa isang silong na gawa sa kahoy at nipa. Hindi alintana ang kakarampot na liwanag na nagmumula sa gasera at ang malamig na ihip ng hangin sa tuwing sasapit ang karimlan.

Bukod dito, sila ay patuloy na nagtitiis sa lahat ng aspeto ng buhay. Sa sistema ng edukasyong nakasentro sa tradisyunal na pagtuturo dahil sa kakulangan sa makabagong teknolohiya. Isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit malimit ang pagkakataong maibigay sa mga katutubo.

Ang pag-atake sa mga katutubo ay hindi lamang nagtatapos sa diskriminasyon, pang-aabuso, at pagtanggal ng kanilang karapatan sa kinagisnang lupain kung hindi ay pati na rin sa patuloy na kahirapan na kanilang tinatamasa.

PAGMULAT NG MGA MATA Isang kahabag-habag na kaisipan na ang mga katutubo natin ay patuloy na naghihinagpis sa mga pang-aabuso at pag-aalipusta ng mga may makapangyarihan at nasa pwesto sa pangalan ng negosyo.

Ayon sa miyembro ng Student Catholic Action of the Philippines (SCAP) at Sekretarya ng Association of Civil Engineering Students (ACES) Christian Gensoli, nakakapanlumong isipin na ang ating mga katutubo ay patuloy na nabubuhay sa takot.

“Nakakalungkot isipin na sa pagdaan ng mga taon, patuloy pa ring naghihirap at nabubuhay sa takot ang mga kapatid nating katutubo,” saad ni Christian.

Ang diskriminasyong patuloy na nararanasan ng mga katutubo ay dapat na bigyang-pansin sapagkat malinaw na nilalabag ang kanilang karapatang pantao. Tungkulin ng pamahalaan na tugunan ang kawalan ng katarungan at hindi pantay na pagtrato sa kabuuang katutubong Pilipino.

Bilang miyembro ng SCAP at ACES, ang responsibilidad at malasakit ni Christian at kaniyang mga kapwa estudyante ay hindi lamang limitado sa komunidad ng UNO-R dahil sila’y handa ring tumulong sa pangangailangan ng

komunidad, lalo na sa pagsuporta sa mga katutubo.

“Hindi limitado ang aming pagmamalasakit dahil handa rin kaming tumulong sa mga pangangailangan ng komunidad. Kabilang na rito ang pagsuporta sa mga katutubong Pilipino,” dagdag pa niya.

Makabuluhan na mamulat ang bawat Pilipino sa kahalagahan at naitutulong ng mga katutubo sa bansa.

Nararapat na makilala ng mga Pilipino kung sino nga ba ang mga katutubo upang mas maintindihan nila ang kahalagahan ng pagsuporta sa kanila sapagkat ito ay pananagutan ng isang Pilipino sa kaniyang bayan.

“Kailangang buksan ng bawat Pilipino ang kanilang mga mata sa mga nangyayari upang mabigyang-pansin ang patuloy na pag-atake sa mga katutubo.” saad ni Christian.

Ang mga katutubo, sa kabila ng tinatawag na modernong sibilisasyon na siyang nag-alok ng makabagong paraan ng pamumuhay, ay nanatiling nakatali sa kanilang kasaysayan. Sila ang natatanging pangkat na sumasabuhay sa kultura at tradisyon ng bansa na siyang nag-uugnay at nagbibigkis sa ating damdaming makabayan. Ang ating mga katutubo ay dapat na ituring na pinakamahalagang pangkat ng tao sa lipunan sapagkat ang kanilang kultura, tradisyon, at uri ng pamumuhay ay naglalarawan ng katangiang pansarinlan ng mga Pilipino sa kabila ng mga impluwensiya ng mga dayuhan. Ito-ito ang nagsisilbing paalala na ang mga Pilipino ay natatangi sa sangkatauhan.

Bilang mga Pilipino, tayo ay kaibigan, kadugo, at kababayan ng mga katutubo. Ang kanilang kultura ay ating kasarinlan, ang kanilang bayan ay ating kanlungan, at ang kanilang laban ay atin ding laban. Nararapat lamang na sa bawat magiting na pagsigaw ng kalayaan ng mga katutubo, tayo ay magsilbing matatalim na punglo na siyang lalagot sa aserong kadenang mahigpit na nakaatang sa kanilang pagkatao.

Higit kanino man, tayo ang dapat na magsilbing gasera na siyang gabay ng mga katutubo sa pagtahak ng landas tungo sa liwanag. Tayo ang magsisilbing karamay ng mga katutubo - mga kaakibat nila na sisindi ng panibagong mitsa na siyang gagabay sa madilim na daang kanilang tinatahak hanggang sila ay maka-alpas sa karimlan.

25 truth as it happens

graphic art by Joshua Garita

26 kaleidoscope | Opinion

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ADOBE CRASH

BITTER TRUTHS BEHIND SWEET INTENTIONS Cristopher Villaruel Associate Editor

Being resilient is a feat we can be proud of.

However, those in authority should not just shower us with praise and applause when we are seen struggling.

We are fond of sharing stories of people overcoming struggles.

From families surviving the onslaught of typhoons, students studying under the mere flicker of streetlamps, teachers struggling to cross rivers to teach in classrooms, the plights of Filipinos leaving their homeland to find a better life beyond distant seas, and many more.

We often see them as figures of inspiration and an epitome of Filipino resilience. But we must ask, are they really resilient and somehow resourceful or do they do it because they have no choice?

As the country faces calamities every year - typhoons, landslides, and a health crisis, to name a few - Filipinos have always been known as people who always put a smile on their face amidst hip-high floods and heart-wrenching issues.

No one can forget the onslaught of Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 and that of Super Typhoon Ulysses recently as thousands of properties were destroyed and several lives were shaken. On top of the already present crisis, the Filipinos are faced with yet another - the romanticization of Filipino resilience and the lack of action towards our struggles.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the country is often struck by typhoons due to its geographical location where heavy rains, strong winds, and flooding in large areas often converge.

A study by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI) published in 2019 revealed that despite this reality of Filipinos since time immemorial, only 36 percent of Filipinos from their collated population feel that they are fully equipped for a disaster. The said research also stated that the lack of income to prepare for disasters was the top reason cited by respondents. If given the opportunity to gather the right resources, Filipinos are very willing to stay vigilant when faced

with danger because they have the means to do so.

I think that the romanticization of Filipino resilience should be stopped since it does not truly aid in the citizens’ plight for a concrete plan in alleviating the problems that caused us to be resilient in the first place. Although, indeed, we are known to be a breed of headstrong people, the praises and applause for resilience do not revive a dead family member or put food on the table.

Filipinos smiling amidst adversity may inspire others to laugh despite troubles, but, behind those smiles are hearts and minds drenched in the fact that there is a lack of support from authorities. We bear the sad reality that we should do things on our own and not wait for any government interference because, if we stay idle, it will be too late.

“If our people were as privileged as other countries, we may not have developed the coping skills distinct to Filipinos. Most Filipinos use humor as part of coping with problems and struggles,” Therese Castillo, a clinical psychologist, said.

Anchored behind smiles and inspiring stories are the fair share of struggles and injustices experienced by every Filipino.

We deserve more. We deserve systematic planning ahead of emergencies, knowing that our country is prone to natural calamities.

Being resilient is a feat we can be proud of. However, those in authority should not just shower us with praise and applause when we are seen struggling. It should mobilize them to implement a plan so that the burdens of having to deal with disasters may be alleviated in the future.

Stories of resilience and bouncing back to the normal way of life should not only touch the hearts of people. It should be a story that seeks to demand attention and immediate action for the government to address.

Kaliedoscope: Through Her Eyes

Beauty in its barest form is abstract. It is a plethora of colors, a medley of fractal lines, and, perhaps, a dab of stardust.

We are the patterns - the shattered and the unbroken - the polychrome of magic. Yet, we are also trapped in the hellscape of standards – unheard and drowned in the force of tradition and habit.

We may become peons of society - chained to normalcy that we forget the magic in us.

We are the vertices of sunsets and horizons. We are the silhouettes, the crossovers of dreamscapes and reality. We are the in-between of abstract and actuality. We are the multicolored asymmetry of life and we define what is beautiful. Like kaleidoscopes, we exist in phases of iridescent hues of the corporeal world.

Beautiful is not absolute. Beauty’s essence is transcending.

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Yet, we may fall prey to body shaming. A phenomenon when our features fail to meet what the world deems as beautiful.

Headstrong Even with her bubbly personality, her literary prowess, intelligence, and wit, Mary Pauline “Pau” Santos, second-year medical technology student, is no stranger to being body-shamed. However, she remains steadfast and refuses to be bothered by snide remarks some people might say to her.

“I’d rather not remember and enumerate the things that those people have said [condescending remarks about her body shape] for that would just be proving to them that their words have affected me and I have kept it in mind,” Pau says.

There are times when a person’s worth is reduced to their body shape and size, such as in social media posts and even in face-to-face set-ups.

Remarks like these imply that a person can’t reach a certain amount of success when he or she is not conventionally attractive or does not have physical traits that attract others.

“I was told ‘Dughan mo man lang gadala sang pagkagwapa mo,’ Pau recounts.

However, Pau chooses to be the better person and has developed her way of getting out of these rude conversations.

I didn’t want to stoop down to this person’s level so I just gave them a rhetorical question and snidely said, ‘So, you agree nga gwapa ko?’,” Pau reminisces.

Looking beyond the behavior and futile commentaries, body shaming would sometimes be tied to the Filipinos’ inclination to praise those who are skinny, fair-skinned, and the like - what many Filipinos think are traits of people who are “attractive.” But, Pau thinks this is not a native behavior.

“I believe that, as we go back to the roots of true Filipino culture, body shaming is not innate,” Pau remarks.

Reflecting on the Filipino tendency to adore Western culture, Pau believes this has resulted in an unhealthy standard of beauty.

Nonetheless, it is not a warrant to accept prejudice from strangers or family members.

Heartfelt Her confidence and unwavering courage have helped her deal with inappropriate labels people would give her. Pau knows what makes her happy and she refuses to submit to others’ beliefs and principles.

“I have my own goals and growth to deal with - according to my own time frame and priorities,” she firmly remarks.

However, there will be times when people will reduce themselves to their boorish nature but Pau often brushes them off for their opinions hold little weight for her. She adds that snide remarks from others must not affect one’s perception of oneself.

Moreover, Pau emphasizes that people who were body shamed or are being body-shamed must not be discouraged because there is nothing wrong with having a different body shape from what is conventionally “attractive”.

“If you want to improve yourself in certain aspects, always remember to do it for yourself and not for other people, especially [if the point of improving is] to try to get back to the perpetrators.”

We are our own persons. We are the captains of our lives and we steer the wheel to where we want our ship to traverse.

Like every situation, let us respect others, accept our differences, and learn to love the uneven curves and shapes of life - and our bodies.

Then and only then can we truly be happy with the diversity of colors that the kaleidoscope of life has to offer.

32 kaleidoscope | Advocacy

ONE RACE, A THOUSAND REMARKS written by Alea Jen Villahermosa graphic art by Ruel Duhaylungsod

As children of the Earth, our colors are imprinted on us in a variation of shadows and hues.

Each shade of our skin projects the earth’s beauty.

However, some judge the darkness or lightness of skin - a phenomenon called Colorism.

Colorism is discrimination, prejudice, and favoritism based on individuals’ skin color.

As immigration, interracial unions, and globalization continue, people move from one place to another to join other races, thereby creating a multiracial community.

However, as others see the beauty in diversity, we can’t deny that constant comparison may fan the fires of colorism. The varying spectrum and shades of skin color from unions of culture and races do not always create unification but, sometimes, inequality.

BACK TO ITS ROOTS When we try to trace the roots of colorism in the country, it will lead to hundreds of years of colonialism in the Philippines.

For 333 years, the Spaniards colonized the Philippines and took authoritative positions, power and wealth, and even impacted our perspective on beauty - from appreciating our dark-skinned roots to being enamored with pale skin.

Mentally, this created the connotation that people who have pale skin are above the natives as the political system at that time granted the colonizers higher social status and more privilege.

In her 2017 research, Francine Singson from the Virginia Commonwealth University states that since the Philippines had undergone Westernization, it impacted the Filipinos’ physical and psychological aspects.

Moreover, Dr. Alicia del Prado, a licensed counseling psychologist, shares how colorism links to colonial mentality which is an internalized oppression coming from one’s cultural inferiority as a result of colonization.

“Filipinas or Filipinos tend to value western physical features, such as fair skin and pointed noses, to the

point that some buy skin whitening products and put clothespins on their noses to try and create a bridge,” Dr. de Prado shares.

Moreover, she elaborates that her Filipino friends, colleagues, and some of her clients felt hurt when they were criticized by family members due to their skin color.

One may conclude that because Filipinos long ago were subject to racism and were conditioned by Western colonizers that the lighter your skin color is, the more distinguished you are in the social strata, some Filipinos today are still entwined in the mindset that pale skin is more beautiful - or so they think.

UNEARTHING ENCOUNTERS Voicing her own experiences, Abegail Jaylo, someone who suffered against the scathing words brought about by colorism at such a young age, shares how being criticized due to her skin color left a mark in her life.

“I was in elementary when I was belittlingly called ‘Negra’ because of my skin color. Maybe they think that having dark skin is ugly,” Abegail says.

Remarks such as “Negra” and “Ati” are no longer unfamiliar to her as people spoke them out of their mouths without much thought in hopes that these would provoke her.

Their snide remarks made Abegail question herself as

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thoughts of self-pity crept their way into her mind. “Is it my fault?”, “Why is my skin color like this?” were just some of the questions that kept Abegail’s days gloomy and her nights, long.

“Someone told me that ‘black is beautiful’ and then suddenly added ‘but too much black is dirty,” Abegail recalls a distasteful memory.

Some people may nonchalantly throw away these words at someone in the guise of being light-hearted or funny but to those struggling to find acceptance because of their skin color, the remark is a cut to the heart.

Abegail did try to stand on both feet amidst everyone’s piercing eyes filled with criticism but shaking legs are weak to carry such burden.

Standing in the Miss SK Queen stage of their barangay, everyone except Abegail was light-skinned. A barrage of negative comments about her physique clapped their way towards her. She was just 17 back then, a mere high school student, and the criticisms on how she looks were too heavy for her.

In the spotlight, 27-year-old Filipino-American TV actress Asia Jackson shared in her Twitter thread last 2018 how her dark complexion and curly hair made waves on and off of social media - not the good kind.

“I was bullied for having dark skin when I lived in the Philippines. Everything I did, everywhere I went, it felt like I could never escape people’s hurtful words,” Asia wrote.

Like Abegail, she was labeled a Negra and a bruja.

Asia knows that she is not the only one suffering from prejudice in the country due to having dark-tinged skin. She calls this Filipino way of thinking an “archaic mentality”, believing this tendency to resort to colorism - whether one is aware or not - is firmly rooted due to several hundred years of colonialism.

“Kids told me I couldn’t join their games because I was maitim. I couldn’t have a single conversation with anyone without someone mentioning how dark I was. Imagine the effects that all of these have on a child,” she openly expresses.

Abegail and Asia are just a few among countless women and men who have lived a hard and painful youth because of how others see their value because of their different skin tones.

Colorism may be explained by cultural and social factors but there is no excuse for an uncouth mouth.

EQUAL FOOTING Sometimes, someone unexpected steps into our lives to become our hero. Sometimes, we become our own.

At the beginning of her senior high school years at Doña Hortencia Salas Benedicto Highschool, Abegail’s skin color caught someone’s eye. A teacher openly expressed how she liked her skin color. From then on, she was not given side-eyes due to her differently-tinged skin color.

“Starting that day, I was already known for having this [dark] skin color. However, some people always praised me because they founnd my skin beautiful,” she happily shares.

Finally regaining firm footing after all the stones thrown

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at her, she had learned to embrace her skin color despite what remarks may come her way.

Abegail hopes to become an inspiration to her fellow beautifully dark-skinned women and asks everyone to stop judging people based on their skin color.

“I hope that someday we can find beauty everywhere, even in someone who has dark skin. Put in your mind that we are all equally made by the Heavenly Father no matter what your skin color is,” she remarks.

On the other hand, Asia shares how she started the 2016 online movement #MagandangMorenx, which continues up to this day, aiming to celebrate Filipino beauty diversity and to create a path to start conversations about colorism and its repercussions in society.

“Colorism can affect someone’s ability to get a job, the types of jobs they can get, how severely one is punished for a crime, and, oftentimes, dark-skinned people are killed extrajudicially and are imprisoned at higher rates whether the bias is explicit or not,” she continues in her thread.

We, no matter our physique, are made of power.

Not everyone becomes subject to the harshness of Colorism. We all carry our own flaws, externally and internally.

Abegail believes that no one should ever label themselves as a failure or someone ugly. Asia works hard to flip the script and dismantle Colorism and its overwhelming toxicity.

Both women strive to envision a culture where they, and countless others, can feel safer and prouder to show their colors without fear.

After all, we are the same - humans who know love, pain, and everything in between - regardless of our different attributes.

We, no matter our physique, are made of power.

34 kaleidoscope | Character Sketch

SURVIVING COVID-19’S GAME OF TAG written by Krystell Dianne Parcon graphic art by Renee Suala

The year started with the booming sounds of fireworks lighting up the night sky. Little did we know that the world was about to stand still in silence.

The virus does not spare anyone, it only takes. Upon realizing that, we are forced to adjust and move forward but what about those who were tagged in the virus’ dreadful game? With deaths tallied in daily bulletin reports, we are distressed as countless fears, questions, and stereotypes are planted in our minds. Now more than ever, a survivor’s voice needs to be heard.

COVID-19 may have shaken us but Mace and countless others continue to prove that we can persevere amidst physical and emotional difficulty.

THE DETAILED TRUTH On a typical Sunday, Maeyeen “Mace” Panes’ foot ached and she was shivering even when her temperature was normal. Later that week, she developed flu-like symptoms and had lost her sense of taste. On the day she underwent swab-testing for the suspicion of infection with SARSCov-2, Mace was alarmed with the fact she lost both her sense of smell and taste on that fateful day, And then came the result – positive. It was then followed by her family’s two-week home quarantine.

“We were inside our home but we still practiced social distancing,” Mace shares. Along with social distancing, Mace also elaborates that she also wore a face mask during the home quarantine.

For a span of two weeks from November to December 2020, she was home quarantined along with six family members. She reveals that despite being under quarantine, there were no alterations from her routines as a teacher, which is her job.

“I just stopped attending online meetings for two weeks. I can say there were no big differences in my job even if I was a COVID-19-positive patient,” Mace reveals, adding that online meetings were easy and comfortable since she got treatment in the comforts of her own home.

“My symptoms were mild and bearable. All it took were sleep- tons of it- and I made sure to rest to recover,” she explains.

Believing a study by Public Health England that most people who are infected with COVID-19 develop an immune response to the disease, Mace says that for the time being, she is temporarily less prone to the virus but can still be a carrier.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS Whether they are loved ones or strangers, helping other people boosts happiness and our overall wellbeing. Science suggests that the benefits of being kind do

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not stop there. Evidence shows that practicing altruism and showing compassion can elicit the production of oxytocin and dopamine. This means that, if nothing else, helping your neighbor through a seemingly random act of kindness does not only benefit them, it benefits you as well.

“One of our neighbors initiated to bring us vegetables and viands every day. They left it outside our gate. Some also left fruits and healthy drinks although I cannot fully appreciate eating them because I had no sense of taste,” Mace chuckles.

Recovery might become a bit easier due to emotional support from other people but there will always be those who think differently. Mace adds that some of her neighbors’ pessimistic thoughts cannot affect her since she does not let others’ opinions get to her.

“I never worry about the people who view us so differently. I was sick and I’m not obliged to think about their unhelpful assumptions,” Mace shrugs.

When the virus surged in various parts of the world, rumors and misinformation exploded and, along with it, was the stigma that when someone in the community is infected, it will spread like wildfire to infect everyone else in its path. These kinds of fake news create divisions that hinder the effective unity of the citizens.

SHEPHERD OF RENEWAL Reminiscing the time when Mace was still a COVID-19 patient, she confesses that it was also her faith in God that made her recover aside from physically taking care of her

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health. She says that the Almighty is more capable than all of us in alleviating any struggle.

“If you pray, things or sufferings don’t matter as much as you think. I feel invincible whenever I pray because God’s sovereignty will overcome all of these,” Mace shares.

After two weeks of isolation and home quarantine, no member of her family was severely affected and everyone got back to their normal lives due to their relentless faith, positivity, and compliance to health protocols.

COVID-19 can be mild or severe for some people and, in unfortunate cases, it may lead to death. Mace shows us that instead of listening to other people’s negativity and succumbing to the temptations of disobeying health protocols, she bravely stood her ground by making sure to get sufficient supportive treatment and made her faith a part of her guidance as well.

Adding to the strengthening of one’s faith and pursuing ways to become more optimistic, we also need to remember to keep our heads clear with the right information and inspiration to keep up with the supportive treatment when hit with any kind of disease.

COVID-19 may have shaken us but Mace and countless others continue to prove that we can persevere amidst physical and emotional difficulty. Even if we are infected with the virus, or inflicted with any kind of disease, it does not automatically mean that we are doomed but we must remember the one thing that everyone needs in the darkest of times - hope.

36 kaleidoscope | Trend

UNVEILING FACES BEHIND ONLINE CONTENT written by Krystell Dianne Parcon graphic art by Renee Suala

Social media connects us all around the world.

It is a playground, a stage, and a theatre, where our lives - our likes, dislikes, and the things that come in betweencan be put on display for all to see.

It is a place where creativity can flourish and a place where anyone can flaunt their uniqueness to the world.

A person has two choices - to watch or to be watched.

As the ones who are being watched, content creators have to entertain their audience. They have to portray an ideal character that can indulge the masses with entertaining skits and a charismatic demeanor.

However, social media can also be volatile.

As they bear the pressures of being a performer amidst a crowd of unnamed spectators, they also run the possibility of being judged and misunderstood despite the cheers and laughter that accompany their content.

Content creators tread on the delicate lines of algorithm between appeasing the audience and showing genuine passion for the craft. And, just like everything else, pursuing one’s goals takes grit.

CONTENT CREATING WITH JEFF Social media opens vast opportunities for people to present themselves and their unique personalities.

A great way to start growing as an influencer is to share and demonstrate your motives through the content you share.

This allows you to boost and, eventually, cement your career as a go-to destination for the millions of Internet users - whether it be for entertainment, education, or everyday inspiration. Effective content will help you build relationships with your audience and, ultimately, build bridges to ventures you never thought you’d reach like having to amass thousands of followers or even connecting with national and international brands and personalities.

But before reaching a certain kind of famous on the Internet, you must capture the people’s attention and hold it on a long-term basis.

Second-year Pharmacy student and Youtube content creator Jeff Bryan Encoy, 20, started his online career in 2012 by uploading his song renditions and original compositions on his Youtube account that boasts of 4.46

thousand subscribers.

“I started [content creating] way back when I was in Grade 7. It was my love of music [that made me pursue this]. Music is a universal language - limitless and it has no boundaries so, I chose it as my sole content,” Jeff shares.

One of the best ways to capture the attention of one’s desired online audience is to ensure content that reflects a personal and unique perspective while also taking into account the needs of your career - not pushing away the audience in an attempt to be original.

For Jeff, his singing skills make him stand out from others with the same niche and that made him invest in music creation since it is the main focus of his content.

He bares that music makes him escape overwhelming thoughts and that doing anything music-related is his passion.

“I am attached to music and the way it makes me feel whenever I’m singing. When I post original songs, the process is therapeutic and I can also have the opportunity to acknowledge my true emotions,” he says, rekindling his feelings towards his content.

Passion comes with consistency and quality. One of the most important ways creators can distinguish themselves from their competitors is not just through the originality of one’s content but also through how much effort is poured into the craft for all the world to see.

Choosing one’s niche and how to stick to it is the first task before making content and emerging into an online career. When one’s content is engaging, the audience will come back for more and, if it strikes their curiosity, they may even contribute user-generated ideas and, one day, you won’t expect that you have amassed thousands -even millions- of online interactions overnight by being a cut above the rest and being true to your work.

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The camera only captures what the vloggers want to show but the hardships built upon sweat and tears as they polish their craft stay hidden behind the production curtain.

BEHIND THE CAMERA WITH JOLLANI In embroidery, we frame the front stitches as majestic and neat but, on the flip side, it is a mess of entangled lines and intertwined threads. Just like the messy twists of thread, behind every successful vlog is a content creator’s unseen hustle. Like every other content creator, 19-yearold Civil Engineering student Jollani Lamiah Siason, who posts fingerstyle guitar renditions on YouTube, the process does not come as easy as just sitting in front of a camera, plucking a few strings, then hitting the “upload” button. A wide array of equipment must be prepared before she can start playing melodies on her trusted guitar.

“My recording essentials consist of my tripod, camera, my guitar, of course, my Universal Serial Bus microphone, mini Bluetooth speaker, and a laptop for editing my videos and mixing audios,” she enumerates, adding that she needs to prepare these essentials to also prevent retaking the videos and redo the work.

In the world of virtual careers, the famous line “if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” applies to the uncanny process of video-making. Jollani shares that it is challenging to sync her pre-recorded audio to her videos as the hassle of setting up her equipment is already taxing in itself.

But like Jeff, Jollani takes to heart her passion for music and manages to still find beauty in it despite the hurdles of content-creating.

“The most beautiful part of making guitar covers is that I can inspire aspiring musicians just like me and communicate with them through music. No arguments, no hate, just music,” Jollani shares.

Every behind-the-scenes hustle paves the way for everything entertaining and problematic about the recording.

A crucial part of an uploaded video happens behind the camera and the multiple pressing of the “Play” and “Stop” buttons showcase the daunting process of each result the viewers see on screen. The camera only captures what the vloggers want to show, but the hardships built upon sweat and tears as they polish their craft stay hidden behind the production curtain.

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WINS OF VLOGGING WITH JUZTIN In a palette of colors and chromatic paints, he finesses the process of his artistry. Juztin Tiu, 21, is a student vlogger and make-up artist who started his career in 2018 with a random thought of recording himself doing his make-up using his phone’s camera.

He is currently a third-year Business Management Accountancy student with 3.19 thousand subscribers on YouTube and 13.2 thousand followers on Instagram.

It warms his heart when his talents and his videos are acknowledged by his viewers which fuels his drive to pour dedication and hard work into his content.

“The amusement in their eyes had always touched me and I realized that I am happy with what I do. It makes me acknowledge my accomplishments and positive attributes more and, through that, it boosts my confidence,” Juztin smiles, reminiscing how people would sometimes approach him regarding his content with eagerness.

But more than the recognition from peers and strangers, Juztin shares that vlogging had also helped him pay his school expenses through partnerships with makeup companies.

“Unfortunately, I am still not monetized in YouTube but I earn a good sum of money whenever local and international make-up brands send me make-up kits for me to review and post on my Youtube channel or Instagram TV,” he reveals.

Product reviews, especially from social media influencers, are an essential part of a store’s branding and marketing. Vlogging has become a vital element of today’s brand communication plans and a driving force that shapes the new era of marketing.

Creators like Juztin are highly regarded as attractive and dynamic with engaging personal qualities since they help build trust and loyalty and typically describe what sets the products apart from others in their reviews.

Juztin was contacted by many local brands such as Vice Cosmetics, Revlon PH, and some international brands like UCANBE and By Vixi from the U.K. and paid him for his reviews and promotional videos.

As a note of inspiration, he reminds aspiring make-up vloggers and enthusiasts that it is never too late to start one’s journey as an influencer.

“Remember it’s never too late to start. Use your talent as your content and never forget to learn in the process of building your online name,” Juztin advises. He adds that when we are blessed with these talents, we need to share these skills and inspire other people.

A similarity of these student vloggers is that they began with only a few equipment and a huge amount of love for their craft.

Start doing what you love for you never know the paths it will lead you.

Silent beginnings may be discouraging but the fulfillment will be worth every second of your effort.

Content creating is, indeed, attractive with the recognition one receives from an audience as well as its monetary benefits yet one must also be passionate in puursuing this path. Beyond its technicalities, content creating also asks for a relentless desire to create and strive for individuality.

Influencers are the creators but the viewers are the power behind them. While we criticize and question their content, may we remember that these content creators are also humans who struggle behind the perky smiles and burn the midnight oil to establish a platform to share their passion and unique voice to the world.

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40 kaleidoscope | Character Sketch

TATTOOED TALES BEHIND TABOOS written and photos by Carla Joanne Robles

MAN OF BODY ART. Mark Dennis “Makoy” Madriago holds a tattoo machine ready for another tattoo session.

Faint pounding beats from black rectangular speakers in the corners of the room drown the soft mechanical buzz of the tattoo machine.

With his hair combed back and one hand snug inside a surgical glove, he traces the sophisticated trail of ink and pierces another person’s dermis in the process of making art.

Each needle prick delivers throbbing pain but, alas, the monochromatic skull, delicate roses, and thorough shades of black — the painstaking hours of hard work — will soon be complete.

According to the Ethnic Groups Philippines, tattoos, locally known as batuk, were thought to be widely seen in the Visayan Islands during pre-colonial times.

Mighty Visayan warriors who fought against the steelplated Spaniards were called Pintados for their skin immortalized victorious battles through the lines and curves of ink while for women, tattoos were used for beauty and believed to boost fertility.

Despite its roots in pre-colonial times as a sign of strength, having tattoos became a subject of controversy and prejudice today. However, tattoos, over the years, have become a channel of self-expression to some as well.

DYNAMIC AND LIMITLESS Fascinated with tattoos for more than half of his existence, Mark Dennis “Makoy” Madriago, 34, proprietor and tattoo artist of Makoy Tattoo, says that

it was the curious method of transferring ink unto the skin - the staining of the dermis - that drives him to be a professional tattoo artist.

“The designs [in tattoo-making] are limitless. Since the ideas are dynamic, you’ll never be bored,” Makoy smiles, reminiscing that in his 16 years of making tattoos, the excitement never fades.

His adolescent self might have scowled over the excruciating pain that comes with the sensation of the needle on the skin but, now, when he grips on the tattoo machine, the precise pricks and movements fill him with bursting excitement at the thought that each stroke he makes builds his craft. ”I motivate myself by saying that when I can do this [unique] design, it means that I can improve even when I am faced with hardships,” he says, chortling how he is fed up with generic designs like the words “faith” and “believe” and infinity signs.

He bares that the cultural crossover of music and enthusiasm for motorbikes and cars were the best part of his career as it expanded his circle of influence since these enthusiasts are also big fans of tattoos and art, in general.

However, there are wolves in sheep’s clothing among his colleagues. Makoy gently rubs his arm, faintly chuckling at how he was scammed with an unpaid tattoo job by an acquaintance. Despite the roller coaster of hits and misses, Makoy feels that the joy in fulfilling his artistic desire is irreplaceable and that the

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CRAFT ON SKIN. Ken Avi Peralta shows the tattoo art done by Mark Dennis Madrigal.

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Inked or not, we all deserve undivided respect because tattoos are more than just ink etched on skin.

READY, SET, DRAW. Makoy’a tools and equipment set on the table

simple recognition of his talent makes his heart swell with warmth and satisfaction.

ACCEPTANCE AND TOLERANCE With the curve of the corners of his mouth turning to a seemingly sarcastic smile, Makoy looks down and unconsciously rubs the tip of his nails.

He recalls how people would sneer at him and how his relatives would put him down with rumors believing that the ink on his skin meant that he was associated with illegal drugs.

“His tattoo business is just a front because he’s a drug pusher. How else would his life improve if he’s just doing tattoo jobs?” he remembers rumormongers saying.

The light atmosphere in the room suddenly feels lonely and almost agonizing.

He clears his throat and crosses his leg - an attempt to ease the discomfort. He confesses that the stereotype annoyed him at the start. That no matter what humane deed he does, it was always wrong and crime-related because he bears tattoos.

“It’s always wrong [actions] for them just because you’re different, right? You’re different and they would always find something wrong with you,” he mutters.

Makoy swallows his annoyance as he shares that it is a long-enduring battle with people who look down on him and those who share his passion - tattoos.

“I just accept the fact that there will always be people

who will say those [negative] things once they see tattoo artists, people with tattoos, or those who accompany tattooed persons,” he says.

Putting the uneasy events aside, Makoy wants society to erase the pre-existing notions that tattoo artists should be painted in a bad light because of their hairstyles, tunneled piercings, and tattoos - some things that the previous generation frowns upon.

He shares that people should eradicate the practice of belittling tattoo artists since, just like any other profession, it puts food on the table and makes them get through life.

More importantly, each inked dragon or infinity sign, both temporary and permanent, are not a basis for scaring or shooing people since this ink is just lifeless, irrational ink incapable of hurting anyone. It is a form of art; of self-expression.

While tattooed persons are subjects of courage and uniqueness as they deviate from the norm’s perspective, the pangs of rejection still ebb in the corners of their hearts.

EMBRACING ART AND ARTIST Bearing inked patterns and images on the skin is surrounded by a negative social stigma. This causes people to pull away when within one’s presence.

Tattoos have been associated with criminals way back in 12th century China and branding tattooed persons as criminals still exist today. Considering how the

42 kaleidoscope | Character Sketch

REVELATIONS. Makoy shares his experience as a tattoo artist.

Philippines faced colonization from Spain and America, it must be then that our cultural identity of tattooing was reduced to criminal branding rather than the glorious brand of beauty and courage.

Standing on his opinion that tattoos are considered taboo as part of a social phenomenon, Guidance Counselor to the College of Allied Medical Health Sciences Mark Jasson Garcelan, MAGCM, RGC, shares that this stigma is born from normalizing the representation of heroes as clean slated and the villains whose arms are wrapped in mad dragons.

“At an early age, people are being taught that this is what ‘good guys’ should look like. But, remember, that things that are learned can also be unlearned,” he explains, pondering that each person is entitled to their opinion and that is uncontrollable.

In Mark’s point of view, this practice of painting them in a bad light may not impact them greatly as tattooed persons are usually confident individuals who know themselves well and drown the voices of those who say otherwise.

“In the psychological perspective, if they love this [tattoo], then the stereotypes don’t have that much of an effect on them,” he points out.

A society where art is openly accepted and where tattoos are seen as luxurious rather than something “unclean” is a delightful thought and Sir Mark emphasizes that there might be a way for society to accept tattoos, once again. That change, however, might be turtle-paced or a thousand-year cosmic revolution of change but what remains important for Mark is helping the next generation be enlightened with the

meaning behind tattoos.

“Maybe, to make this world a better place, we can try to understand why they have these tattoos rather than judging them on why they chose this [body art],” Mark emphasizes.

Humans are rational beings capable of emotions and decisions and attaching tattoos to negative aspects, such as crime, may depend on a certain person’s perspectives and that may not be easily changed at a snap of a finger.

However, this does not give us an excuse to be harsh with our words when we encounter someone built differently.

“The tides might turn. The people we persecute may have done more good things compared to what we did as a person,” he stresses.

Mark highlights that baseless rumors are futile if you accept reality and do good to others as these traits are rooted in strong character.

“Remember that beauty will fade. The skin grows old. Always remember that a heart that is loyal and true [to oneself] never grows old,” he concludes, advising to not be quick to judge a person based on their physical traits.

Who would have thought that tribal traditions of glory and beauty would be linked with negativity today?

Inked or not, we all deserve undivided respect because tattoos are more than just ink etched on skin.

It represents a person’s life - the medley of colors, or the absence of it, and the nooks and crannies of the kaleidoscope that complete their individuality.

43 truth as it happens

graphic art by Ruel Duhaylungsod

44 kaleidoscope | Trend

INTERNET DARLING: MATCH MADE IN DIGITAL HEAVEN written by Alea Jen Villahermosa graphic art by Cristopher Villaruel

In the past, men in their Sunday’s best suits would visit the woman of their dreams for a demure date in the privacy of the family porch while stealing glances at each other and blushing behind folded napkins.

In the wake of technological advancements, seeking to woo the love of one’s life has become less difficult than having to rescue the damsel in distress at the top of a high tower.

Dating apps have become a go-to for the spunky risk-takers in the field of romance or even to the couch potato seeking a love match whose love language is bonding over shows and food.

Undeniably, love comes in all sorts of ways at different times. Way back, dating was traditionally done through physically courting and serenading a person.

Now, it can be accomplished virtually through swiping left and right, sending multicolored emojis, voice messages, and bantering through memes without the need for expensive dates and having to venture outside one’s home.

SWIPED RIGHT, FOUND MR. RIGHT Hands brushing against someone else’s or an accidental collision of papers, books, and stolen glances may ensue an electrifying spark that would mark the start of a budding romance.

Online platforms may not provide the kind of environment for these classic tropes to happen but the same electrifying feeling can still be felt.

While growing up, Marnie was labeled names and shamed due to her endomorphic body. People may think that her romances were almost next to impossible as it is initially thought that men, in general, are uninterested in women with a curvy figure.

Gathering the courage to try online dating was a big leap for Marnie who managed to meet TJ - attractive and interesting - who managed to romantically pierce her heart.

“You’re beautiful the way you are,” Marnie reminisces how TJ made her heart leap through these words on their first meet-up.

Initially, TJ thought Marnie was someone suspicious due to her generic profile details that would usually be

identified with scammers.“My impression of her [on the dating application] was that maybe she was [cat] fishing [me],” TJ confesses.

After a month of almost endless conversations on the site, TJ went for a straightforward approach and asked Marnie to meet face to face.

Almost naturally, she wanted to glam up and prepare herself as any woman would, considering how her previous crushes and romantic partners left a scar on her self-esteem from the apparent disappointments and criticisms they said of her appearance.

However, TJ refused this proposition. He wanted to see Marnie without the glitz and glam of make-up.

Although their union raised unwarranted attention due to their distinct endomorph-mesomorph body types, they tied the knot in 2019 and remain a happy couple amidst the challenges marriage.

NOT WHAT IT SEEMS Everything has its pros and cons - online dating is no exception. Due to its accessibility, a massive number of users are flocking to these applications.

Common features across various dating apps include a no-nonsense registration system where, based on the input data - preferred location, age range, gender, and the like, the application collates potential partners for the user’s ease.

As handy as it may sound for the hopeless romantic

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Like most social networking sites, like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, dating apps also serve as a channel for socialization and harmless fun despite being at home. in finding love in more ways than one, there are also thorns among its lush petals.

“Dating apps are a convenient way to meet new people and a potential lover. However, the modernized culture breeds other issues, such as identity theft, harassment, and even cheating,” explains Maegan, fueled by her and other people’s experiences.

As numerous dating app users have been victims of catfishing and human trafficking from poser accounts, it has been a culture to be wary of accounts that seem too good to be true.

In an article by Jeannette Andrade of Inquirer, Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group Spokesperson Senior Insp. Artemio Cinco Jr. describes these suspicious users as online “love scammers” who managed to trick romance seekers into taking the bait of unrequited love in exchange for some cash or material incentives.

“They [scammers] never ask for money outright because it would immediately cramp their style. A scammer who agrees to talk on Skype would dim his or her image or complain about a bad connection to avoid being identifiable,” Cinco says.

Balancing on the thin line of caution in using online dating platforms, former dating app user Shan Marc discloses his dismay when he encounters false personas on a dating application.

“The downside is their identity [if real or poser accounts]. So, you just have to be meticulous when analyzing one’s profile,” Shan Marc advises other users.

The risks of using dating apps are limitless but, then again, romance also demands risks.

Fond of crossing boundaries and conquering limitations, second-year Information Technology student Franz Kail Delima thinks that it also requires a sheer amount of luck to meet someone willing to enter into a serious relationship with you on online dating

platforms.

Personally, she believes that dating apps are not effective when one is looking to establish serious relationships since the person we are interacting with are total strangers and lacks the sense of intimacy physical courtship offers.

“I believe that some things your chatmate is telling you might not be true, although I’m not generalizing it,” Franz shares.

While there are numerous accounts of negative experiences, some users found the love-of-their-lives in these dating apps, like Marnie and TJ. TREAD WITH CARE The choice is ours. The use of dating apps does not lessen our worth as a person. Like most social networking sites, like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, dating apps also serve as a channel for socialization and harmless fun despite being at home.

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“Yes [they can try using dating apps], if they want to make it a thrilling adventure when finding their other half,” advises Shan Marc, to those who are thinking of emerging into the online dating culture.

Despite the thrilling adventures one might encounter, Franz thinks that it is best to wait for love than to look for it virtually.

“If someone is coming into my life [through dating apps] then good but if there’s no one then I’ll wait,” Franz concludes, adding that rushing things might incite regrets in the future.

More than the butterflies in your stomach, dating apps can also trigger feelings of social disconnection when the circumstances when no user swiped right or gave you a thumbs up - leaving one to wallow in insecurities.

While dating apps are a whole new world of risks for adults, Maegan suggests that minors should be prohibited to use these platforms since they are more prone to sexual predators and sexual harassment.

More than settling for convenience, Maegan feels that love is more than just an idea of how a certain person projects themselves online.

“Dating apps are a good starting point to find potential partners but it will take a lot of energy and time to find someone worthy,” Maegan concludes.

The old customs taught us that a man must serve the woman’s home to wash their dirty laundry, chop firewood, and serenade her in the night as she looks out the window to listen; only then can women gaze at their sweethearts under the moonlight.

The world is ever-changing and going with its flow is not a crime. Meeting someone in a dating app should not label both persons as desperate and destitute.

The convenience of online dating and the limitations of virtual romance is not a reason to discriminate against people who choose to nurture relationships borne from dating apps. Romance is romance. It thrives and survives physical or virtual boundaries.

truth as it happens

photos by Krizia Joy Guardafe

OF COLORS AND HARD WORK. Flower vendors along Palanca Street, near SM City Bacolod, prepare flowers for another day at the stalls.

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48 kaleidoscope | Advocacy

SWITCH IT UP: FROM PLASTICS TO REUSABLES written by Rialin Yasay graphic art by Denise de la Fuente

On a humid day in the Libertad South Public Market, busy commuters walk back and forth looking for the best quality of fruits and vegetables clutching their trusted plastic bags as they drink cold buko juice through a plastic cup.

While looking for healthy food and running urgent errands, we sometimes neglect our shared responsibility to minimize our use of single-use plastics.

Due to the convenience of plastic wrappers, a 2015 report on plastic pollution by the Ocean Conservancy Charity and the McKinsey Centre for Business and Environment reveals that the Philippines is the third-largest source of discarded plastic in Asia.

While we are unconsciously patronizing the convenience of single-use plastic bags in our everyday grocery trips, some people have started a different path to lead the change - for us and the environment.

UP FOR PLASTIC WASTE REDUCTION Earth - the only planet known to support life is slowly withering away due to pollution, among its many problems. and whatever happens to this planet we call home, nobody is excused of its effects.

Every single-use plastic straw, plastic utensil, plastic bag, and even sanitary pad contributes to the ill-effects of pollution. With the rise of single-use plastics, brave persons and organizations that drift from the norm have started the fight to protect nature from its drastic effects.

By selling all-natural shampoo bars and conditioners instead of bottled ones, The Eco Shift: Plastic Free Essentials is an international brand that promotes the shift to non-plastic items.

“Recycling alone will not address this huge dilemma [plastic pollution] mainly because we lack the facilities.

Even if we dispose of our trash at home properly, 91 percent of it still goes to landfills or our oceans,” Eco Shift explains in its Facebook post.

At the local scale, Bacolod City-based online small business with a penchant for environmental products Ecoverse.ph sells straws, coffee cups, and containers for commercial and personal needs using compostable sugarcane bagasse. Each item is made from the dry fibrous residue left from sugarcane stalks that can withstand refrigeration and microwave heat.

“These eco-friendly bagasse packaging food-grade

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Take that small step and try to switch some of your single-use items to reusable ones.

boxes have the ability to compost in as little as a month and can dramatically reduce our plastic footprint,” Ecoverse. ph says in its Instagram post.

Another Bacolod City-based eco-advocate is the Wala Usik Store that applies the zero-waste concept in its transactions with customers. In hopes of reducing plastic waste that ends up in the ocean, Wala Usik was launched by the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation, Inc. (PRRCFI) as Bacolod City’s first zerowaste store.

“The main motivation behind this business is the goal of reducing the amount of plastic waste that ends up in the ocean through the application of the zero-waste concept,” explains Wala Usik Community Facilitator Leolyn Castillo.

Though not as famous as well-known as other Instagram or Facebook shops that typically click with the masses, these small businesses thrive through the loyalty of their handful of customers and through holding on to that hope for a sustainable tomorrow.

FALLING ON THE SLOPE With the announcement of a nationwide lockdown, several businesses were forced to close shop, small businesses, which most Philippine-based eco-friendly stores are, were not spared. However, this does not mean that the advocacy for a greener planet is put to a stop. Wala Usik is a testimony to that despite it deviating from inperson visits.

“Before, we could easily push the advocacy [zero waste concept] but due to pandemic, it became hard because of the health sanitation protocol that needs to be followed,” Leolyn says lamenting the closing of the store’s doors.

Driven by its passion for sustainability, it transitioned to become an online store joining the ranks of Ecoverse. ph and Eco shift in channeling the call for a greener planet through the Internet.

Part of its wide array of products are ceramic bowls and cups, handmade soaps, and handbags, and consumables such as rice and turmeric powder, to name a few.

Proceeds from purchases go to the conservation and environmental education programs of the non-

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government organization PRRCFI to further widen the reach of the advocacy and make more people aware of the current environmental crisis.

Aside from the decrease of customers due to the pandemic’s ill-effects, Leolyn reveals the changes in the products they offer to the consumers and in the mode of receiving orders.

“We shifted to providing non-perishable products. The customers can receive their orders through picking the products up [at designated places] or via delivery,” she clarifies.

Meanwhile, employees of other Wala Usik community sari-sari stores in Negros Occidental, such as those in the cities of Sipalay and Bayawan and the municipalities of Cauayan, Hinoba-an, Sta Catalina, Basay, and Siaton are also enduring their fair share of adjustments and hurdles in operations.

These branches of Wala Usik and other small businesses that push forward against the use of single-use plastics for a sustainable future continue to persevere still with that same fire just as before.

ASCENDING AGAIN “There’s a future for zero waste,” Leolyn speaks with confidence.

The management does not lose hope in the future reopening of the brick-and-mortar Wala Usik Tiangge when the situation improves.

When that time comes, the possibility of Wala Usik reaching out to more places in Negros and all over the Philippines to follow the zero-waste concept in purchasing goods will be inevitable.

“When the pandemic comes to an end, I hope to see a better system for the future of a localized, circular, and zero waste economy not just in Negros but in the whole world,” Leolyn beams.

The store may have suffered a decline in sales but its goal towards a safer and greener planet serves as the fuel that drives the management to continue maintaining the store despite the challenges.

Wala Usik, Ecoverse.ph, and The Eco Shift are only some of the eco-friendly shops that show boldness in leading the change and advocating for a zero-waste future despite the hurdles encountered in business, especially due to the challenges brought by the health crisis and even in the difficulty of most people and industries to forego the use of single-use plastics.

Awareness is key. Take that small step and try to switch some of your single-use items to reusable ones. At the end of the day, each of our efforts, when added up, will spark a massive change.

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box out of the

SUBMEOWER

OBJECTIFICATION IS NOT LIMITED TO WOMEN ONLY Carla Joanne Robles Feature Editor

Society needs to see everyone as equals despite the differences in personality, race, skin color, or how they identify themselves as a whole.

We have become painfully aware of how the world views women and, for the longest time, feminists and allies have been fighting to change these preexisting notions. It is good that the world is now more aware of the fact that women are capable of thinking for themselves and, in the process, becoming more empowered. But have we given a thought to how other genders also face objectification?

Sexual objectification has been conceptualized as the separating of a person’s body, body parts, or sexual functions from their overall personality. It is reducing them to the mere instruments that are supposed to represent them.

Women often report these cases but men and other genders usually don’t.

But it doesn’t prove that men are not objectified at all.

Jennifer Aubrey, professor at the University of Missouri, found that both men and women have encountered objectification from society and social media. Objectification of men is everywhere ranging from widelydistributed advertisements to a single social media post of six-packed abs and topless photos that are always subject to objectification that most people are not fully aware of.

A study entitled “Advertising

Stereotypes and Gender Representation in Social Networking Sites” published by Comunicar, a media education research journal, reveals how the psychological effects of objectification on men are similar to those of women, leading to negative body image among men.

There is no safe zone for objectification whatever gender you have. People are most likely aware of objectifying women, however, it seems that objectifying men feels usually overlooked.

This pre-existing notion of objectifying people needs to end. Society needs to see everyone as equals despite the differences in personality, race, skin color, or how they identify themselves as a whole.

Some people may feel entitled to comment about others’ appearances and choices, however, one does not need a special degree to learn to respect others.

May we remember that all women, men, or LGBTQ+ member - everyonedeserves the benefit of the doubt and is deserving of respect. Old or young, binary or non-binary, cats or dogs. By acknowledging and respecting our differences, we create safe spaces for everyone to express themselves and be their best versions. Respect comes first, let us start with that.

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photo by Raeverly Elen a Ramirez

BEYOND BUSY STREETS. Tatay Berto Baulit asks for alma is at his usual spot in front of San Sebastian Cathedral.

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52 kaleidoscope | Human Interest

THE GOLDEN YEAR OF TWO INTERTWINED SOULS written by Lea May Galimba graphic art by Renee Suala As we pass by a couple with greying hair strolling handin-hand with wedding rings faintly gleaming in the gentle sunlight, we can only imagine how the woman in her white-as-snow wedding dress with a bouquet of fresh flowers in hand, walked down the aisle as the groom waits in anticipation for his bride at the altar.

In the comes-and-goes of life, a tinge of luck and a stroke of destiny increase one’s chances in finding “the one” but maintaining relationships is not as easy as just sending “Good morning” messages. There are toil and hardships in between the joys and laughter of romance.

To be able to speak marriage vows entails a lifetime of tantamount responsibility. Setting foot on the 50-yearmarriage mark is an astounding milestone to celebrate.

THE FIRST ENCOUNTER On a frigid and glorious afternoon in 1968, the gentle melody of a 60s love song was playing on a gramophone resonating along with the gentle pats of rain. Then twenty-two-year-old Fe of Valladolid was at her cousin’s home veranda at Passi City, Iloilo, while sipping tea to supplement the chilly breeze.

Her eyes were fixed at the sight of a famous coffee shop just across the old-fashioned abode from where she sat and, by chance, she saw Jun for the first time - a then twenty-three-year-old hired hand, a resident of Passi.

“It was [the first day of my vacation] when I saw him outside the coffee shop across my cousin’s house. He was laughing with his friends,” Fe narrates dreamily as she reminisces the joy of love at first sight.

It was a typical afternoon when the car service of Jun and his coworkers dropped off at the coffee shop. Amidst the mayhem of the rainy town and the laughter of his companions, he heedlessly looked at the house across the coffee shop and noticed Fe. “The split second I set my eyes on her, I was captivated by her gentle impression,” Jun says, looking at Fe with full admiration.

He was a loyal customer of the coffee shop but never, in his years of visiting the place, did he catch a glimpse of Fe, a fair beauty yet a stranger, until then. With the help of Fe’s cousin, Maria Espinosa, they were able to get to know each other and that was when their story took its course.

“The day after I saw her, I asked her cousin, Maria Espinosa, to introduce me to her,” Jun chuckles vibrantly.

The moment they shared conversations and found the common ground to establish trust, Fe and Jun found solace in each other’s arms.

The empty streets of Passi witnessed their long evening walks and conversations about their dreams and aspirations. When Fe returned to her hometown of Valladolid, ink on special papers became their channel to express their love.

Being apart while in a romantic relationship was filled with a repeating cycle of gaiety, longing, and occasional fighting but the couple endured.

“It was love at first sight when I saw him in Passi. I knew right then that I was blessed immensely with someone I could spend the rest of my life with,” Fe smiles sweetly with eyes sparkling with happiness.

Then Jun takes a breath and remminisces that rainy afternoon at the port. Fe had just arrived for another vacation in Passi and he was there, holding a vermillion box cradling a ring that would mark the beginning of a lifetime together.

TYING THE KNOT Clasping an old frame with a faded wedding picture in his hands, Jun beams as if he was taken back to the 18th of June 1970 - the day Fe and Jun tied the knot. Reminiscing years that have gone by, 75-year-old Jun, with wrinkled skin and shaky voice, confesses that being married has its fair share of hurdles.

“Obstacles in marriage are inevitable. It was never easy to raise five children and to deal with financial struggles, daily stress, and poor communication,” Jun smiles dryly.

He rests the frame on the table while half-laughingly reminiscing both the victorious and defeated years they endured.

Smiling veritably with eyes brimming in fascination and love, beside him sat 74-year-old Fe who shares that life had thrown a series of challenges in their lives that impacted their marriage but they managed to overcome them.

“In the years that we have been together, life threw countless stumbling blocks along our way to appraise the

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Nothing is more important than being able to understand and be understood.

resiliency of our marriage,” Fe mutters.

Misunderstandings, extending their patience to persevere even at the brink of giving up, and accepting painful changes in their lives were only some of the struggles they had to deal with moving forward.

“I have shed many tears at different times and was on the verge of stepping out of our marriage,” Fe remarks as she rubs her gray hair and puts her spectacles in position.

However exhausting married life is, the most difficult aspect is being devoted parents to one’s children.

It took a toll on the couple to provide for the financial, emotional, and parental needs of their children. But despite the raging storms that tested their marriage, they fulfilled their vows. Jun further reveals that the stereotype of marriage being rainbows and butterflies are far from reality because once a person becomes a spouse and a parent, their life will revolve around sacrifices and raising one’s offspring.

As for their youngest child, Evelyn, her parents were never on the verge of laying down and giving up on the family for it was the commitment, willingness to compromise, and patience that pushed them to continue with life.

“The love of my parents for each other was beyond limits. The time that they have invested in our family is more than enough for them to have a strong marriage” she smiles.

LEGACY OF LOVE The soft glow of the sun’s rays tinted the couple’s eyes that were drenched with glee.

Despite having blurry vision, the couple stared at each other as if they were in their twenties still buttered up with young love. Fe shares that they had learned to compromise for the sake of being together – for better or for worse.

“My husband and I have been weathered by tons of storms and we had to compromise to be with each other’s arms through thick and thin,” Fe says as she raises her left hand and gladly showing off her gold wedding ring.

There were days when married life was like a hard and exhausting roller coaster ride of emotions but, at the end of the day, it simmers down to moving forward to live the life they chose several years back.

Fe pulls out a photo album beneath a wooden table and reminisces how their children spur them to give their best in whatever they do as parents and as a couple.

“The gentle faces of our children - their laughter and voices, their dreams and aspirations motivate us to continue with life,” Fe smiles, revealing the faded sepia photos of their children.

Throughout these years, the couple’s symbol of hope and strength are their children. As they have been together for almost half of their lives, they could not imagine themselves giving up the family they painstakingly built.

Fe adds that the secret to a lifelong marriage is constant communication.

“Nothing is more important than being able to understand and be understood,” Fe concludes.

Fe further points out the importance of effective communication, not only in marriage but in any relationship, saying that no matter the hurdl­ es and misconceptions in life, hurt feelings and resentment will simmer down once those involved will try to meet an understanding through open communication.

“The young couples who aspire to have a long-lasting marriage must be ready to invest all that it takes to make their relationship work. Let your love grow and do not let go before time,” Jun adds.

Marriage binds two individuals into one and it is important to let a couple internalize that. To tie the knot is to know the importance of sacrifice, compromise, and to pour unconditional love because a marriage is not just about peaceful and happy days - it is love in its full color.

As a couple who withstood the weight of commitment and responsibility, Fe and Jun show that romance can blossom into a family and can serve as an avenue for self-growth as well.

Love, no matter the kind, aids a person to overcome life’s hurdles with grace and confidence.

Some might say that enduring love is something too good to be true but Fe and Jun, and other couples, prove that marking a fifty-year marriage, and even more, is possible with the right person, honest communication, and generosity.

54 kaleidoscope | Trend

HANDLE WITH CARE. A plant under the care of a plant parent.

LUSH GREENERY AND THE BLOOM OF PLANT PARENTING written by Reinhardt Firmeza and Carla Joanne Robles photos by Reinhardt Firmeza

Rising at daybreak, the warm glow of the sun beckons the city to rise and shine as the fresh smell of morning dew fills the air - marking the start of a brand-new day.

One may find themselves glued to the kitchen table sipping a cup of coffee while discussing the morning news with the family while some immediately head outdoors, watering can in hand, to meet with a different kind of family – a family comprised of baby cacti, rose

cabbages, lilies, orchids, and any plant you can name.

Gardening’s popularity is traced back to ancient times in different parts of the world. This historical trend managed to capture the awe of Filipinos then and until today. Taking care of dainty to gigantic plants is often attributed to stress management, especially when hit with feelings of loneliness – more so in the middle of lockdowns and social distancing.

Plantitas and plantitos emerged to the scene, sprightly in their succulent plant purchases and educating the public on how to properly care for them.

More than jumping on the bandwagon, what else could be a requirement to be a plant parent?

INDULGING IN THE PLANTITA LIFE Dainty succulents, the adorable roundness of cacti, and the enticing harmony of the hydrangea’s vivid blues and purples ignited the inner green thumb of Ma. Victoria “Mavic” Rio, a barangay kagawad of Isabela, Negros Occidental . When the pandemic started, Mavic shares that taking care of plants in her front yard eases her fatigue from household chores and working in the Barangay Hall.

“My exhaustion fades and I feel relaxed [when I tend to my plants after a long day of work],” she says At first, it was her neighbors’ multicolored potted plants that piqued her interest until she finally decided to venture into urban gardening through growing caladiums, million flowers, jade plants, and succulents.

“It’s [growing plants] influenced by my co-workers and friends since they have a lot of plants displayed in their homes,” she confesses, adding that her plants are usually given by her co-workers at the Barangay Hall

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she works in and from different places she had visited over time.

Her occupation as Barangay Kagawad and as a desk officer would sometimes hinder her bonding time with her plant babies but a plant parent must be relentless as potted plants require tender loving care every single day since they don’t water themselves.

“I take care of my plants every day or whenever I’m not busy with my duties,” she shares.

Lockdown after lockdown topped with a lack of human interaction, horticultural therapy serves as that cure to an ailing heart distant from the warmth of physically being with loved ones.

Harvard naturalist Edward Wilson calls this biophilia emphasizing on that innate human tendency to be surrounded and connect with nature.

In an article by CNN Philippines, Associate Director of the Horticultural Therapy Program at Rutgers University, Prof. Gary Altman says that “horticultural therapy promotes positive healing.”

He adds that houseplants promote a certain kind of calmness in one’s surroundings and support one’s psychological and physiological needs.

Putting houseplants in small corners in our homes turns it into a haven promoting peace of mind and relaxation.

As our mental health becomes more at risk while in a pandemic, the soft sway of lush green leaves under the sun’s rays tells us that, despite adversities, there is still an opportunity to thrive. As they fill us with satisfaction and peace of mind, may we remember to take care of them as they have taken care of us.

SUPPLY VERSUS DEMAND From teeny succulents to large peace lilies, a simple tap on social media will bring you to a wide world of plant selling and trading.

Despite social gatherings being banned nationwide, the demands for plants did not stop, it even increased as people turned to plants for a source of joy and fulfillment.

However, as demands for certain species skyrocketed, rates also quadrupled. Before the pandemic, some varieties of monsteras have escalated to a roaring Php800 per pot.

In an article by Josiah Antonio for ABS-CBN News, Instagram-based plant and equipment seller Jayson Cainglet says that the sudden surge in the demands of potted plants caused plant prices to increase.

“The demand increased and we had difficulty sourcing plants with a lower price. Due to the increase of the demand, some prices increased to 200 to 300 percent or more,” he shares.

As potted plants became the fad, the increase in prices raised criticisms from netizens. However, Cainglet notes that small businesses are also trying their best to cope with the pandemic and buyers should avoid comparing prices of plants that come in plastic bags from plants that are cared for by the sellers for several months – even years – before reaching one’s abode.

“These shops are only small players. Let’s stop the bashing, especially of small businesses in the time of the pandemic,” he emphasizes.

Cainglet adds that plant sellers are also trying to cap prices to hinder price increase and to encourage interested buyers to purchase more plants.

As we de-stress through caring for plants inside our homes, may we remember to do the same for the greenery around us.

PATIENTLY POTTED . Potted plants grow temporarily in plastic pots.

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56 kaleidoscope | Trend

More than the money that one receives in plant sales, he adds that one must also be passionate in the ins-and-outs of the trade since gardening is not only a financial proposition but something that would lead a person to inspire others to pursue the same passion.

“We believe that taking care of plants should be a positive and stress-free endeavor. The passion and love should not be lost while making a profit,” he concludes.

ODE TO FORESTS Despite the positive impact of this habit on both the economy and mental health, a heavy toll is carried by the forests.

As the demands of rarer plant species increase, so are the dangers that pose a risk to wildlife.

Plant poachers in Zamboanga have multiplied from March to November 2020 as Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR) officials noticed some species, that can only be found within the region’s protected area, are being sold on social media platforms.

“This act only became popular during the lockdown.

Before the pandemic, we had not observed many plant poachers,” DENR Zamboanga regional director Crisanta Marlene Rodriguez says.

However, catching plant-nappers are increasingly difficult since officials cannot prove that the plants came from the protected area since certain species can also be found elsewhere.

“Once the plant has been dug up and sold, it is hard for us to prove that it came from forests or our protected areas,” Rodriguez laments.

BASKING IN SUNLIGHT. Plants in brown pots are placed under the light of the sun.

It should be taken note of that protected areas like forests in Zamboanga are safeguarded by Republic Act 7586 or the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 1992 which states that the illegal possession of any plant or animals without a permit from the Management Board is prohibited.

The demand for dainty potted plants has become popular now more than ever, however, the risk of suppliers resorting to illegal methods of sourcing plants have also become rampant. But, as much as we love the greenery in our plastic or clay pots, let us remind ourselves that trees are also nature’s children and forests deserve equal tender loving care just as much as our houseplants.

Having to deal with a health crisis can be overwhelming but, no matter the circumstance, this hobby has affected us in a myriad of ways and, to most, a pause from carrying the burden of reality.

As citizens turn to growing plants, to propagate and sell, to protect or exploit, may we remember that each leaf, petiole, and stem is part of a living, breathing whole — it lives, it thrives, and it perishes.

Regardless of color, shape, or size, all kinds of plants are nature’s gifts and serve a purpose in the overall symbiosis of life because potted plants are not the only things that deserve our love and protection.

When we start each day infused with our daily dose of sunlight and morning dew, may we learn to care for nature in its entirety - with or without the urge of trends.

57 truth as it happens

graphic art by Joshua Garita

58 kaleidoscope | University

UNYIELDING WALLS OF BLUE AND GOLD written by Krisha Marie Semellano graphic art by Renee Suala and Carl Andro Vallejera

Months before we found ourselves grasping at the fraying ends of the effects of the pandemic, we bid our friends goodbye unbeknownst to us that it was the last time we would see the wrinkle of their noses, the smudge of icing on their shirt, or their funny yet endearing mannerisms.

Merely easing into the year 2020, we were met with blaring announcements of border control and lockdowns of cities and whole countries as we witnessed the world hold its breath.

Our beacon of comfort lies within the four screens of our gadgets with its flicker and rings keeping us in touch with those we want to be physically by our side.

Who would think that the noise of students racing to the canteen during breaks, the soft buzz of students studying by the library balcony, friendly banters that filled the University Park, and all the hustle and bustle of college life inside the campus would be missed?

Passing by the towering blue façade of the University campus feels as though it was still an afternoon in March with our unfinished businesses covered in the dusts of yesterday. Time seemed to have stood still with only the swaying of leaves, chirping of birds, and honking of jeepneys nudging us that this is, indeed, our now.

AN UNFORESEEN TURN Late mornings greet students with the thick smell of metallic rainwater, the musky scent of black smoke from speeding jeepneys, and the line at the main entrance that seems to extend to the ends of the earth excruciatingly annoying - but the University experience is not complete without the classic ups and downs of campus life.

Things changed as a memorandum from the Office of the University President was released on Mar. 14 instructing that classes and offices in all levels will be suspended from Mar. 16 until further notice and that employees must refrain from entering campus premises.

At the brink of suspension and lockdowns, the lobby that brimmed with chatters and hurried footsteps turned to empty hallways. With this, the Safety and Security Department (SSD) shines in the spotlight as the vanguard in ensuring safety inside the campus.

SSD Supervisor Mars Olea, RCrim, MSCJ, shares that the department’s responsibility used to be providing for security needs and enforcing University policies but the pandemic had somehow increased their responsibilities as the health crisis revamped the usual ins and outs inside the campus.

“Before entering the University, all visitors are required to wear face masks and face shields, undergo

truth as it happens

proper hand hygiene, and accomplish the health symptom questionnaire if they have no BacTrac cards,” Sir Olea explains.

With the gradual easing of Bacolod City’s quarantine status, campus visitors may now be allowed to enter but at certain numbers at a time to facilitate social distancing and must be clad in face masks and face shields.

Not only are those who access the University main entrance subject to protocols before entering the campus, those inside vehicles who are entering the University also undergo a disinfection process through immersing the vehicle tires in disinfectants.

As we take long strides inside the lobby that was transformed by the pandemic into empty halls decorated with health and safety infographics about the health crisis, we would see the security personnel in their familiar white and navy blue uniforms reminding campus visitors to instill the minimum health protocols mandated by the government, such as the wearing of face masks and practicing social distancing.

Over-the-counter transactions halted when the pandemic hit and each exchange with the Registrar’s Office was made using virtual modes of communication.

It is not without its challenges as unstable Internet connectivity on all sides – administration, faculty, and students – posed a big issue.

University Registrar Engr. Christopher Taclobos reflects on their struggles when catering to clients.

“It really affected our service to clients, particularly for those requesting for documents,” Engr. Taclobos laments.

Having to traverse through the wide-scale changes this year is no easy feat and, time and time again, our patience and overall well-being are being put to the test. But, as we learn to adapt to these changes may we also display our sense of solidarity and pride as part of this institution.

TRACING THE TIMELINE Being one with the students and their families, the University remains steadfast in the call for solidarity as the School Board granted enrolled students in all year levels a three-percent discount on tuition fees and the waiving of some miscellaneous fees, namely the cultural, medical-dental, and sports fees, for the first semester.

“It is all in the spirit of Caritas (love) and solidarity,” Director of External Affairs Dr. Carlos Eduardo Legaspi Jr. shares, emphasizing the University’s goal to foster the spirit of solidarity in such trying times.

On Aug. 12, the Office of the Vice President for Academics released guidelines entailing the use of Schoology as the main Learning Management System for the first semester of academic year 2020-2021 and the use of a video conferencing application for meetings and live classes.

With this, the teacher-student interactions are expected to continue amidst the distance. A few adjustments on the grading system and the observance of a phasing system instead of the semestral terms

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Time seemed to have stood still with only the swaying of leaves, chirping of birds, and honking of jeepneys nudging us that this is, indeed, our now. pushed through as a way to cope with the different learning environment. “[The University] implements a platform which pursues quality education notwithstanding pace, path, space, and time using a flexible/enhanced online learning.”

Aiming to keep the campus safe and sanitized, Memorandum No. 004, dated Aug. 13, from the Office of the University President was released prohibiting campus entry for five days due to a University-wide disinfection in preparation for the opening of classes on Aug. 17.

As the City’s community quarantine status was downgraded to General Community Quarantine, Fr. Besana issued Memorandum No. 026, released on Oct. 15, allowing a skeleton workforce scheme to take effect permitting University employees to report to work three times a week. This, however, excluded the READS scholars to report to their respective offices.

Along with the gradual reopening of offices, stricter

60 kaleidoscope | University

observance of health protocols and guidelines with limitations and prohibitions for the safety of everyone are still in effect.

“Everyone is enjoined to observe the guidelines and observe healthy and safe measures to avert the spread of the coronavirus in our campus,” University President Rev. Fr. Don Besana, OAR emphasizes in the memorandum.

With the implementation of physical distancing, temperature checks, wearing of face masks and face shields, and manual logging-in of information for contract tracing, the University ensures that health protocols are religiously observed upon entering the campus.

In compliance with the guidelines of the local government unit and tuned with the skeleton work scheme, the BacTrac was adopted by the University on Oct.12 to make contact tracing easier, should there be a need.

Right before the chaotic first semester ends, the Office of the Registrar and the Accounting Office finally resumed office to entertain 15 clients at a time.

This transition from pure virtual transactions to limited physical processes was allowed due to the downgrading of the city quarantine status into MGCQ - all the while adhering to the strict health protocols of the City and the University.

As the holiday spirit emanates afresh from students, the on-site enrolment was officially announced through Memorandum No. 05 issued by the Office of the Vice President for Academics dated Dec. 16, giving way to multiple entries to the University.

By the fourth of January, students clad in masks and face shields with flashy haircuts and colors, finally saw the University at its calm glow for the enrollment for the second semester.

Bearing witness to the socially-distanced students outside the University, one may sharply breathe under the heaviness of each of our masks and face shields with each of our CCTS cards held to QR code scanners.

OVERCOMING STRUGGLES All due to the pandemic’s repercussions, the most sought-after annual celebrations like the University Week and the glorious graduation rites were forced to be canceled. But when virtual learning started, online platforms where students could interact became the new campus. With the wide reach and easy accessibility of social media, students can join a webinar or any activity of interest hosted by various campus organizations.

For sprightly students like Rowel Huera, a thirdyear Mass Communication student, who used to be

always on the run to whatever campus activities and events you can name, be it dancing, acting, or student council events, going virtual was a big leap from the normalcy he had lived for almost two years.

Rowel does not only face a great challenge in getting used to the new set-up but also found himself facing the big question of whether to continue his studies or not.

“Despite everything that happens, my trust in God and my mindset ‘no matter what happens, I will never quit my studies’ stands out,” he says.

Rowel bares that the pandemic took a heavy toll on his family as his father became unemployed due to sickness and was forced to early retirement. Rowel did what he needed to do and applied for a scholarship but was declined.

However complicated the circumstances were for Rowel, an opportunity found its way to him. He was then able to sustain himself despite the financial demands of online classes with his small earnings from tutoring a family friend’s child. “ If I want to achieve something, I just need to be patient, persistent, and faithful that the Lord is there to supply my needs and to listen to my intentions,” he says, ablaze in hope and determination.

To Rowel, the pandemic serves as a stepping stone to see the bigger picture of life as he uses his experiences and struggles to seek his Great Perhaps as a student.

The dark and chaotic year 2020 taught us to value small victories and to remain strong with our heads held high as Rowel and several others - employees and students- prove that no matter how deep the waters of adversity may become, one can learn how to wade through it and survive.

From the shifts and turns of the University to the remarkable stories of those who continue to withstand the tests of time, we could unravel that no amount of challenges can stop a man from growing and creating something good out of the peculiarities of life.

This pandemic shook us and broke us in one way or another but, despite the uncertainties of our paths with its sharp twists and turns, become the light to illuminate shrouded tomorrows and share the glow with others in your journey.

61 truth as it happens

graphic art by Ruel Duhaylungsod

62 kaleidoscope | Society

DOWN THE ROAD, BE FREE TO ROAM written by Rialin Yasay graphic art by Joshua Garita

For as long as mankind can remember, people are defined by their genders and are often linked to basic items and favorite colors - dolls with pink dresses for girls and blue cars for boys.

As the tides of time turn the wheels of change, the concept of gender roles has evolved over the years and the affixing of pinks and blues to a specific gender is already blurring. However, stereotyping and subtle versions of it still exist today.

Socially constructed lanes for gender roles influence how a male or a female should act, dress, behave, and interact. Once someone steps beyond the border, the fine is society’s discrimination. However, there are still brave souls that courageously go beyond the borders and are not fazed by discrimination.

In the 21st century, we are made aware of being open to changes because girls can like blue and boys can like pink. Women can take previously male-dominated positions and males should not be discouraged to do household chores even as adults.

SWITCHING ROAD SIGNS “What will you do in that profession, ‘day?

Mechanical Engineering is just for males,” Ma. Salvacion Gelera, 40, recounts her father’s words when she told him about her college entrance exam result. Even though engineering is a previously male-dominated field, Salvacion did not back down and still chose to take the entrance exam. But due to filial piety, she changed gears and took up Industrial Engineering - a course once believed to be “more suited” for women.

Believing that her father had only made such remarks based on his wisdom as a parent, Salvacionremains thankful for his guidance.

“Even though during that time, his perception limited my path, I am grateful because I know he guided me based on what he already experienced,” Gelera says with conviction.

As for Twitter user @Prince_Green, he laments at the mere thought of people pushing the gender stereotype on him for wanting to feel pretty and wear skirts.

“I just want to feel pretty in skirts without the immediate gender stereotype shoved on me,” he tweets, adding two crying emojis.

Meanwhile, another Twitter user @Sal_Robins thinks that children should have the freedom to explore and play with gender, believing that gender identity ideology harms children by re-affirming gender stereotypes.

“Let them find their own way without surgically modifying their bodies and pumping experimental drugs to make their body fit a sexuality or gender stereotype.” @Sal_Robins tweets.

For the majority of us, living and breathing gender stereotypes might limit a person’s capacity for selfexpression. Life is already limited. Why not add some excitement to it by adding colors more than the shades of pink and blue?

truth as it happens

WALKING WITH EMPOWERMENT During a time when Salvacion had not yet found another job after spending four years abroad, relying on her husband while she remains as a housewife in the country made her feel as though she had no say in the family’s finances.

With the desire to help her husband and be a woman of her own, Salvacion paved her path in being a financial advisor at Sun Life Philippines.

“It feels different to have a job even though you are a wife. Whenever you want to go to a salon, you wouldn’t feel the guilt,” Salvacion shares.

Along the way, she became aware of the promotion ladder in the company. Even though many of her coworkers told her that she could be a manager, she thought she was not ready for such responsibility hence, does not see herself as being one back then. “ I realized that if I will accept the promotion, I would have the power to hire and make others feel empowered also. Being a manager is more of a calling than a position,” she states with confidence.

She admits that she has not experienced discrimination as a manager in her workplace, especially because, under her management, mostly females are applying as financial advisors. However, she cited one scenario concerning genders in her workplace.

“There was a female financial advisor who was hired in our Hinigaran Branch under the supervision of a male manager. But when she saw that I was excelling, she thought of planning to transfer to the branch where I was working,” she narrates.

In the push-and-pulls of gender stereotyping, women were often depicted as compliant to the demands of the husband or a passing shadow in one’s household but as the lines between what is male and female begin to blur, female empowerment, amidst years of stigmatization from a patriarchal society, also began to bloom.

CROSSING INTERSECTIONS Perhaps, people would not feel as though life was a narrow space if they would not be shoved into a corner and feel restricted by stereotypes.

Student Development and Placement Center Associate Guidance Counselor Fritz Palma, MAGC explains that gender roles are not uniform in all communities. This concept emerges differently in every society depending on its culture.

“People strive to meet what society expects them to be. The moment you do not obey [society’s] rules and regulations, there will always be a consequence.

However, we cannot neglect the fact that the world is fast-changing,” Sir Fritz says.

He adds that one’s perception in the past may not be the same in the present time. Salvacion, a woman of impeccable capabilities who once lacked the confidence she has now, can attest to this.

As she reminisces the past, her mind is painted with the long route she has traveled when she was still the shy girl in the corner to the empowered and headstrong

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woman she is now.

“Now, I am confident and empowered. Back then, I could not say my opinion on certain things but I now have my own decision,” she says.

More than being an empowered woman, it is also her commitment and dedication to lead others to feel the same.

She adds that one’s job would not define his or her success - it is always the attitude and response to whatever challenges may come.

“I believe that when you do everything excellently and not mind society’s [backlash], everything else will follow whether you are a male or a female.” Salvacion adds.

Although society may dictate such roles and limit our choices to what it thinks is appropriate, Salvacion shows that we may be bound with obedience and conformity at the start but we can still redefine ourselves differently as we approach the finish line.

Upon seeing life through her lenses, may we realize that gender roles are made fragile not because these should be handled with care but because these stereotypes can be shattered with one’s willpower.

In our quest for equality and inclusivity, may we realize that men are not expected to be stoic while women are not always vulnerable and emotional figures limited to housekeeping duties. It could also be untrue at all.

We are all built differently so that we may all be free in crafting and roaming our paths, regardless if you wear skirts or pants.

Perhaps, people would not feel as though life was a narrow space if they would not be shoved into a corner and feel restricted by stereotypes.

64 kaleidoscope | Culture

ANG NATATANGING TIMPLA NG BACOLOD INASAL isinulat ni Leslie Marie Banaban mga larawan ni Tiger Andrén SA USOK AT INIT. Binabaliktad ng tagapagluto ang inasal na manok upang malaman kung luto na.

Tanaw mula sa malayo ang pagkukumpulan ng mga tao.

Sa mabangong amoy na bumabalot sa paligid, hindi alintana ng mga tao ang init na dulot ng bagang pinaglulutuan.

Nakakapagod man sa mga binti ang paghihintay habang kumakalam ang sikmura, sulit na sulit naman ang panahon na ginugugol mo sa oras na maihain na ito sa iyong hapag. Kapares ng toyo, suka’t kalamansi, dagdagan mo pa ng mapang-akit na chicken oil, sino ba ang makakahindi sa nuot sarap na inasal na manok ng Bacolod?

Sa pagitan ng bandang tanghali’t hanggang gabi, ang lusong ng parokyano ay hindi nagmimintis at kahit saan ka man lumingon ay tiyak na may nagtitinda ng inasal na manok. Pero papaano nga ba ginagawa ang pinagmamalaking putaheng ito? At ano nga ba ang sangkap na likod kung bakit ang chicken inasal ng Bacolod ay binabalikbalikan at dinarayo.

BAGO ISALANG SA BAGA Sentro ng nagdaang mga taon na pamamayagpag ng chicken inasal ay ang ‘di kumukupas nitong sarap na pamilyar na sa panlasa ng mga tao. Isa sa mga nagpapatuloy na panatilihin ang sarap na ito ay ang Manokan Country na hanggang sa ngayon ay bukas sa paghahain ng chicken inasal sa kanilang mga suki mula sa iba’t ibang lugar.

Ang Manokan Country na matatagpuan sa Ferrero St. sa lungsod ng Bacolod ay kung saan mayroong mahigit dalawampu’t limang pwesto ng hile-hilerang tindahan na nagbebenta ng iisang putahe lamang - ang chicken inasal. Ayon sa Tourism Operations Assistant ng Negros Occidental na si Raymond Alunan, napagdesisyunan ng punong lungsod na itatag ang Manokan Country para

hindi makakaabala ang makakapal na usok mula sa mga nilulutong inasal sa mga tao sa gilid ng daan.

“Inilipat ang mga nagtitinda [ng inasal] roon dahil na rin sa nakakaabaala sa mga motorista dumadaan ang usok ng inasal,” sabi ni Raymond.

Sa kasalukuyan, nauuwi sa tanghali’t gabing kompetisyon ng panghihikayat at pagbebenta ng iba’t ibang bersyon ng inasal sa Manokan Country sa bawat taong dumadayo rito.

Pinagmamalaki ng mga inasal vendors dito na hindi mauuwi sa kawalang gana ang bawat kagat ng paboritong inasal , mapabisita man o sa mga lokal.

Ang pagkatuto sa paghahanda’t pagluluto ng inasal ay ilan lamang sa pagsubok sa ilalim ng baga at usok. Kagaya ng prosesong dapat isaalang-alang, ang pagluluto rin ng inasal ay kailangan ng iba’t ibang klaseng istilo.

Kailangang marahan ang paghahanda ng manok, kasunod ng dinikdik na luya, bawang, pulang asukal, at sandamakmak na kalamansi na ihahalo naman sa toyo at suka.

“Ang luya at bawang ay siyang nag-aalis ng lansa ng manok at nagbibigay ng anghang dito. Ang paglalagay ng pulang asukal bilang sangkap ay isa sa mga orihinal na sangkap mula pa noong dekada 70s,” wika ni Kara David, ng itinampok niya ang chicken inasal sa programa niyang Pinas Sarap,.

Matapos ang paghahalo ng sangkap, saka na ihahanda ang manok. Ibinababad ang manok ng tatlo o higit pang oras sa marinade para manuot sa manok ang mga sangkap. Kapag tapos na ito sa pagmamarinate, saka na tutuhogin ang manok sa barbikyu stik para gawing inasal.

Ang mga tinuhog na parte ng manok ay isinasalang

truth as it happens

HALINA’T TIKMAN. Ang mga inasal na manok ay nakalatag sa ihawan na malapit ng hanguin.

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Sa bawat simot ng kanin sa plato ay ang natatanging galak na naibibigay sa atin ng inasal.

NUOT SA SARAP Ang mga mamula-mulang kaluluto lamang na mga inasal ay nakalagay sa bandeha.

sa ihawan sa loob ng 20 hanggang 25 minuto - sapat na oras para sa tamang luto. Kasama rin ay ang pagpahid ng chicken oil habang ang manok ay iniihaw sa baga na gawa naman sa bawang, atsuete, at taba ng manok. Ang chicken oil din ang nagbibigay ng ibang mukha sa inasal ng Bacolod kung kaya’t naging patok ito sa karamihan.

SIMUT-SARAP Kapag handa at puwede nang ihain sa hapag ang inasal, oras na rin para ito’y tikman. Kung susuriin, naging bahagi na ng hapag ng bawat Pilipino ang inasal.

Hango sa panlasang Pinoy, hindi rin mapagkakailang iba ang hatid na sarap sa bawat bersyong itinatampok sa mesa ng bawat pamilya.

Bilang isang pagkain, ang inasal ng Bacolod ay masasabing puno ng sarap na kung tatanungin ang karamihan ay siguradong walang makakapagbago sa pananaw na ito.

Bagaman, hango sa sarap ang panlasang pinalalasap ng putaheng ito, mahiwaga rin ang buhay sa likod mga taong gumagawa ng inasal.

Sa karamihang kwento ng mga tagatinda ng inasal, minsan ang buhay ay parang isang marinade sauce na napasobra sa paglagay ng toyo at suka.

Ito’y mapait at maasim - ika nga ay palaging mapaglaro. Totoo ngang komplikado ang panlasa ng bawat tao, ganun din sa buhay. Subalit, walang duda na ang mga Pinoy ay mayroong labis na pagmamahal sa pagkain at ganon din ang pagkahumaling ng lahat sa pagkaing hinahanap ng ating panlasa.

Sa pait o tamis man na dulot ng buhay, ang inasal ay kadalasang hindi lamang pumapawi ng gutom ng bawat sikmura, subalit nagdudulot rin ng galak sa lungkot ng bawat Pilipino.

SA PAGKAIN AT PAGKAKAMAY Sa nanunuot na sarap ng chicken inasal ng Bacolod ay siya ring naging sangkap sa makulay na kultura’t tradisyon ng lungsod na nagbibigay pa ng kakaibang lasa sa kanilang pagkakakilanlan. Kaakibat ng masaganang kultura ay ang nakasanayang pagkakamay habang kinakain ang chicken inasal kapares ng isang plato ng mainit na kanin na ininasaw pa sa toyo’t suka.

Kung ang inasal ay tampok sa bawat hapag na hindi na nangangailangan pang gumamit ng kubyertos, sino ba naman ang hindi nanaising magkamay kung sa ganitong paraan lamang ay malayang mong nasisimot ang bawat hibla ng inasal na iyong nilalasap?

Sa pagkain, isang nakasanayang paraan ang paglalagay ng chicken oil sa ibabaw ng kanin. Bilang pares ng manok sa kanin ang mga nakalapag na iba’t ibang sawsawan sa mesa - patis, sinamak (sukang maanghang), sili, at kalamansi - kailangan lamang na paghaluin ang mga ito depende sa iyong nais.

Mapadayuhan man o mga suki na ng chicken inasal, iisa lamang ang laging bukambibig nila, ang napakasarap at naiiba ang lasa ng chicken inasal ng Bacolod.

May katotohanan nga na ang paghahanda ng chicken inasal ay nangangailangan ng kakaibang istilo, mula sa paghahanda ng manok, pagtitimpla ng pagbababaran nito, at hanggang sa pagsalang nito sa nagbabagang ihawan. Sa bawat simot ng kanin sa plato ay ang natatanging galak na naibibigay sa atin ng inasal. Kaya bitbit ang isang matamis na ngiti, ating pagsaluhan ang nuot sa sarap na lasa ng inasal at sumambit ng isang mapanghikayat na, “Kaon ‘ta!”

66 kaleidoscope | Character Sketch

ENGAGING IN THE VIRTUAL BATTLEFIELD: OF VALIANT HEROES IN HEADPHONES written by Christian Jay Plaza graphic art by Renee Suala

Unkempt hair, a furrowed forehead, and eyes stoutly dilated with fingertips tapping pugnaciously on a keyboard like it’s a never-ending cycle. Anticipating to finish a report before the deadline drops, one’s eyes remain glued to the screen with teeth grinding in a skirmish between drowsiness and exhaustion.

Rushing to the battlefield with mind and body equipped for a seemingly endless match is akin to what a teacher faces- be it in the old or new normal.

Uncertain of the battle’s permanence and the possible menaces that could emerge, a teacher still chooses to endure draining long hours of combat - a true warrior on the battlefield.

Warriors fight for honor and victory while putting their lives on the line as with our teachers.

They are the ones who sacrifice their time, efforts, and risk their safety as they commit to establish the future of every student.

TEACHERS ARE SEEKERS A great teacher does it all. Across all ages, languages,

ethnicities, and courses, they are among the most skilled professionals that make all other professions possible.

Adapting to varying changes, teachers also seek the best methods to adjust to the ups and downs in the Philippine educational system - from the implementation of the K to 12 curriculum to the adoption of distance learning and everything else in between.

While some teachers, having been already exposed to the online platform, may find it easier to adjust to distance learning, there are still those who find the task arduous because of their strong preference towards the traditional method of teaching brought about by years upon years of teaching in physical classrooms.

Religious Education teacher Sir Jovito Moral, known for his light-hearted jokes during lectures, is one of those educators who prefer the chalk and blackboard and admits that teaching a class through a computer screen is like traveling on a rough road.

“This new educational set-up is very hard for me

truth as it happens

I know it’s tough to adjust to this new set-up but seeing my co-teachers and students’ hard work gives me the motivation to continue

since I’m not used to this. But, I am trying my best [to adjust],” Sir Moral imparts.

He shares that, aside from having difficulties mastering the digital learning space, he struggles with a sluggish Internet connection.

“It’s really hard to communicate with my students via Zoom because of the slow [Internet] signal. I live far away from the city that’s why there is a slow internet connection in my place.”

The traditional way of teaching was undeniably facile for Sir Moral considering that traditional classrooms make it easier for him to deliver lectures compared to the limits in the digital space that can easily be disrupted by poor Internet connectivity either on the teacher’s or student’s end.

“I know it’s tough to adjust to this new set-up but seeing my co-teachers and students’ hard work gives me the motivation to continue,” he says in delight.

Sir Moral may be drenched in apprehensions as of now due to his difficulty in adjusting to this new normal but his heart remains persevering and hopeful for the future of education.

Even with the obvious frustrations and difficulties in terms of interacting and communicating with students, the teaching staff manages to make it work after days and nights of burning the midnight oil in order not to compromise the quality of their teaching.

Although it may be difficult at first because of how most of them are inclined to the traditional method, their dedication and passion to pass on knowledge and their love for their field, despite limits brought by distance and the corners of a screen, are commendable.

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A TWIST OF FATE Over the last few years, teachers have been through a series of vicissitudes. From the clamors to increase the salary of entry-level teachers after the enactment of the Salary Standardization Law of 2019 to the current reformation of the education system due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Struggles in meeting the demands of online education are not only felt by students but also by educators.

Having devices such as a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone and a stable Internet connection are the essential requirements needed to operate an online class but a teacher also has to have certain knowledge and good command of gadgets and technology.

On a humid day in March 2020, when the pandemic was not yet able to sound the city’s alarms, it was a hectic yet normal day for Electronics Engineering Professor Engr. Rue Gustilo, MECE. He was preparing for the upcoming final examinations and the last week of classes when, all of a sudden, classes in the University were suspended until further notice and his plans for the next few days were canceled.

“The suspension of classes [was something I least expected]. The pandemic brought us into dark times,” he says on how everything was going well for him before the announcement of a lockdown.

Just like any other student, teachers are also loaded with tons of school work and they, too, have to deal with piles of written reports and chase seemingly endless deadlines.

Engr. Gustilo shares his concerns in teaching virtually due to the added amount of work and effort that he and his fellow teachers are exerting and experiencing.

Yet, in light of the struggles, online interactions and community quarantines cannot hinder him and the rest of our relentless mentors from delivering quality education.

CHANGE IS INEVITABLE The pandemic brought out the best and the worst in everyone.

Behind the off and closed devices of every teacher after classes are their unseen endeavors, frustrations, and disappointments towards canceled meetings, corrupted files of learning materials, and delay of other miscellaneous works due to factors that are definitely beyond a teacher’s control.

Bombarded with tons of paperwork, Miss Brendly Ann Mateo, senior high school guidance counselor, never forgets to put a smile on her face and utter encouraging words for struggling educators and for herself during these difficult times.

“I know they [teachers] are all struggling. We are all struggling and it’s normal as we are adapting to this new-normal school setting. We are also learning and becoming better every day which, I guess, is a good thing,” Miss Mateo assures.

Despite the hurdles that she encounters in her path, she continues to persevere and strive for the better. Filled with hope and optimism, she shares that

68 kaleidoscope | Character Sketch

consoling other teachers is just about making them feel that there is someone with them to share their burdens with.

“Generally, if I were to talk to a teacher [about their struggles], I will just let him or her feel that he or she is never alone,” she then adds.

The efforts that teachers pour into doing all the learning materials, together with the assessments and other kinds of paperwork that need to be expedited, deserve to be appreciated more because of their unparalleled courage to press on in their profession despite these strange times and unfamiliar methods.

Our teachers serve a vital role in society as they mold us, students, to become efficient professionals in our respective fields. Despite the burden that is entailed in their work in the new normal, they manage to hold their heads high as they pick up the mantle of breeding future professionals despite the uncertainties.

For first-year Civil Engineering student Charles Matthew Palomo, the teachers’ efforts in trying their best to cope with the shift are admirable, only proving that teachers are a force to be reckoned with.

“The new set-up may be difficult at first but, still, they were able to put all of their efforts to fulfill their duty as teachers and I admire them for that,” Charles says.

A day in the life of a teacher is not as easy as one might think. As they lean back and rest their heads against a chair’s headrest with heavy eyelids, their hearts remain unchanged and fill with hope and unparalleled courage as they greet a new day for the sake of their students.

Their patience and determination are continuously tested but teaching is more than just speaking in front of a class then logging out of a video conference; it is about having that passion to touch a life.

Chaos precedes all great changes. Sometimes, the enormity of war overwhelms the fact that all great struggles are just a part of a greater masterpiece. Each story is a tale of an individual’s sacrifices and duty in hopes for a better world.

A teacher’s purpose inspires sacrifice, stimulates innovation, and encourages perseverance - not just for this generation but for more generations to come.

69 truth as it happens

graphic art by Renee Suala

70 kaleidoscope | Culturea

KISLAP SA GABI. Mga parol na may iba’t ibang hugis at kulay ay kumukutitap .

TALA-MBUHAY: ANG KWENTO SA LIKOD NG MGA BITUIN isinulat ni Cristopher Villaruel mga larawan ni Rheymar Reyes

Kumikislap. Umiindak. Bumubusilak.

Sa paghimbing ng nakalalapnos na araw sa Kanluran ay siya namang pag-usli ng takipsilim na unti-unting bumabalot sa liwanag.

Sa lilim ng buwan at maginaw na ihip ng hangin, dahandahan ang paglitaw ng nagagandahang tala sa bawat sulok ng kalye.

Kumukutikutitap – nakabibighaning ilaw na repleksyon na masaganang pagdiriwang, mga talang hindi makikita sa kalangitan, ngunit sa mga mumunting sulok at tahanan.

Habang nakasabit sa mga bintana’y tila umiindayog ang mga parol sa malamig na hangin ng kapaskuhan. Kasali ang mga batang umaawit ng karoling, ang ilaw ng parol ay lalong pumupukaw sa kaluluwa ng paskong Pinoy. Sa likod ng kislap ng mga ilaw ay ang natatanging tingkad na mga kwento ng mga kamay na gumawa nito.

ANG TALANG BALANGKAS Marahan niyang itinupi ang mga asul, pula’t dilaw na mga papel na may iba’t ibang disenyo. Inihanda ang mga patpat, mga lubid, at alambreng gagamitin niya sa kanyang obra maestra. Sinigurado niyang itinali ng mabuti ang mga patpat gamit nga mga lubid na magsisilbing balangkas ng parol at unti-unting pinalamutian ng makukulay na papel.

Sa loob ng anim na taon, ito na nag nakagisnan ni Aling Rebecca Reyes, isa sa mga taga-gawa ng parol sa Caliban, Murcia.

“Sa simula, sinubukan lang naming gumawa ng mga parol dahil sabi nila maganda raw itong gawing negosyo,” punong kagalakang sambit ni Aling Rebecca habang sinasariwa kung paano sila nagsimula.

Pagpasok pa lamang ng buwan ng Setyembre, na siya ring hudyat ng pagsisimula ng mahabang kapaskuhan sa Pilipinas, nagsimula si Aling Rebecca ng paghanda ng mga gagamitin para sa nalalapit na kapaskuhan. Ngunit, kagaya sa karamihan ng mga negosyo, hindi puro galak

ang kanilang kinakaharap. Kaakibat nito ang pagsubok na kanilang naranasan sa mga unang taon nila sa industriya.

“Sa pagsisimula namin, may kahirapan kaming nakaslubong sapagkat hindi pa gaano kumikita [ang negosyo] pero hindi kami nawalan nang pag-asa. Sabi ko sa sarili [ko] na magpatuloy lang ako,” wika ni Aling Rebecca, tanaw ang katapangan sa mga mata.

Sinong mag-aakala na ang negosyong nagsimula sa mumunting kubo lamang ay makakapaghahandog ng liwanag at makukulay na mga bituin sa iba’t ibang parte ng mundo.

“Maliban sa Negros, marami rin ang bumibili sa amin.

May bumibili na mula sa Iloilo, Manila at sa ibang bansa tulad ng Amerika,” dagdag pa ni Aling Rebecca.

Ang mumunting kubo kung saan nagsimula ang lahat ay naging tahanan din ng mga alaala nina Aling Rebecca at ng kanyang pamilya na kapitbisig na nagtutulungan sa paggawa ng parol. Kapares ang mainit na kape at katakamtakam na amoy ng meriendang inihahanda habang sila ay nagtatrabaho, ito’y naging oras nilang magbuklod.

“Naging oras na rin naming magkakapamilya ang paggawa ng parol. Mula sa paggupit nga mga papel at pagtatali ng mga patpat,” pahayag ni Aling Rebecca na ibinahagi ring kahit ang maliliit niyang apo ay tumutulong din sa paggawa ng parol.

Sa bawat papel na dinidikit at sa bawat tinataling patpat ng magkapamilya ay ang pasasalamat sa mumunting tala na nagsilbing liwanag ng kanilang buhay.

LIWANAG SA DILIM Ang parol na siyang liwanag sa iba ay siya namang gabay sa landas ni Willy Suarez, tubong Murcia at dating preso sa Negros Occidental District Jail. May pait man ang nakaraan sa malamig na selda sa kulungan, ito ang nagsilbing silid niya upang matuto ng paggawa ng mga parol.

“Sa kulungan ako unang natuto kung paano gumawa

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Mula sa mga payak na palamuti hanggang sa magagarbong disenyo, ang liwanag ng parol ay sumasalamin sa masaganang kultura nating mga Pilipino.

ng parol kasama ang mga kapanalig ko doon [Negros Occidental District Jail],” salaysay ni Willy habang binabalikan ang kaniyang mga alaala.

Minsan mang nawala ang kalayaan sa likod ng mga rehas, napagtanto niya naman dito ang masasabi niyang magagandang bagay na nangyari sa kaniyang buhay.

“Ang mga kasama ko sa paggawa ng parol ngayon ay pawang mga kakilala ko rin sa kulungan na tinulungan ko ring makalaya,” pahayag ni Willy.

Sa kadahilanang salat din sa hanapbuhay, kalbaryo kung maituturing niya ang paghanap ng pagkukuhanan ng puhunan sa pagsisimula ng negosyong paggawa ng parol.

“Ang pinakauna talagang problema namin ay ang pinansyal na aspeto [ng pagtayo ng Negosyo] dahil wala ring mapagkakakitaan. Nahirapan kami iraos [ang aming sarili mula sa pagiging preso] at kung paano kami makapagsisimula muli,” daing ni Willy.

Kung natiis ni Willy ang ilang taong penitensya sa kulungan, hindi kailanman magiging hadlang ang mga pagsubok na pinansyal sa kaniyang kagustuhan. Matapos ang ilang sandali, binalikan ni Willy ang kaniyang mga karanasan at kung anong galak ang binigay ng mga parol sa mga bumibili nito. Subalit sa gitna ng pandemya, tila isang sugal ang pagtitinda ng parol para sa kaniya.

“Dahil sa sitwasyon ngayon, walang kasiguraduhan kung maibebenta namin ang mga gawa naming parol.

Subalit, wala kaming magagawa dahil wala rin kaming mapagkakakitaan,” iling ni Willy habang puno ng pangamba ang kaniyang mga mata.

Wala mang kasiguraduhan, ang tanging gusto lang din niya ay ang makatulong sa mga kasama niya sa trabaho na kahit mahina ang kita, puno naman sila ng galak at saya sa kanilang ginagawa.

NANINILIM NA KISLAP

Ang parol ay naging simbolo na ng kapaskuhan sa ating bayan. Tulad ng isang putahe, hindi kumpleto ang karanasan ng paskong Pinoy kung walang maririkit na mga parol na nakasabit sa bawat tahanan.

“Ang parol ay isa na talaga sa sumisimbolo ng kapaskuhan nating mga Pilipino. Tila kulang ang pagdiriwag kung wala nag mga ito,” pahayag ni Willy.

Subalit sa kislap na dulot ng parol sa madilim na gabi ay patuloy ding nawawala ang ningning nito sa kadahilanang kakaunti na lamang ang mga taong may kakayahan at kagustuhang gawin ito.

“Huwag nating kalimutan ang ganitong tradisyon.

Patuloy lang nating ipalaganap ang liwanag tuwing kapaskuhan at sana’y maging instrumento ang mga parol upang mas lumiwanag ang buhay nating mga Pilipino.” saad ni Willy.

Para naman kay Aling Rebecca, pumuti man ang buhok at lumipas man ang kanilang sigla, hangga’t humihinga siya at ang kaniyang pamilya ay patuloy silang gagawa ng mga naggagandahang parol.

“Habang kaya ko pa, patuloy kaming gagawa ng mga parol at ipapamana sa aming mga apo,” wika ni Aling Rebecca.

Mula sa mga payak na palamuti hanggang sa magagarbong disenyo, ang liwanag ng parol ay sumasalamin sa masaganang kultura nating mga Pilipino.

Kulturang nililok ng panahon, hinubog ng panalo’t pagkabigo – ito’y pilit na iniingatan para sa mga susunod na henerasyon.

Hindi man puro kislap at maniningning na ilaw ang buhay ng mga nasa likod ng mga kumukutikutitap na parol, sila’y patunay na sa takipsilim ng buhay, mayroong liwanag na sa atin ay gagabay.

72 kaleidoscope | Experience

IN THE PIT OF STAYING FIT: HOW TO GET THAT BODY BUILT written by Jusalanne Matulac photos by Raeverly Elena Ramirez

IN GEAR. George Ditching shows how to wrap the hand properly for protection during boxing sessions.

Exercising and being fit are more than just push-ups and carrying weights. It is not merely a one-weekto-trim-that-belly-fat scheme; it is a long-term commitment.

Working out may not be everybody’s cup of tea.

Doing a plank for one minute may equate to almost an hour of hard work for beginners and sit-ups might evolve to “sit-downs” to some. Your journey to stay fit starts when you make time for yourself, set a goal, and continue down the long and winding road of leading a healthy lifestyle.

BEGIN WITH “A THING” Productivity starts when you know where to begin and when to act on it. Working out means achieving something for yourself as it is also a form of selfcare, whether it is to obtain a ripped summer body or improve one’s mental wellness, every leg-raise or push-up matter.

A very important tip by trainers for beginners is to start small. Based on an article by Matt Skeffington, a performance coach, he stated that as you begin your journey in making exercise a habit, the most important principle next to getting started is starting small.

Afterwards, working out would be more manageable and it would even be enjoyable.

Beginning with mini-workout sessions is a necessity because every small routine matters as it helps in wiring your brain and body to the highs and lows of exercise.

It would be best if you remember that no one goes

from zero to a hundred real quick. Exercising is a process to be filled with a bucketload of sweat before success.

Maintaining fitness is no easy task. One needs to be determined with a goal just like workout buddies Luke Rafael Ceballos and John Patrick “George” Ditching who share the same vision of being physically and mentally fit – making working out almost second nature.

Making physical activity a habit, however hard, makes exercising even more effortless and an enjoyable pastime in the long run.

“A thing” is your bullseye as you engage in workouts or any physical activity. Whether it be a personal drive, someone that inspires you, or a quote you have read to inspire yourself – begin with that and make it a turning point to start a habit.

TRIMMING DOWN INSECURITY Since the lockdown happened, gyms were temporarily shut down and this forced gym junkies to stay home and shift to home-friendly workout routines.

Luke, 21, looks back on how the pandemic changed his habits in managing his time between exercising and attending classes.

“Since the pandemic happened, I jog and do calisthenics, given that gyms are closed,” he shares. And on his busy weekdays, he does high-intensity workouts to not miss out on his daily dose of energizer – exercise.

Working out for Luke has been a part of his growth, not only for his physical attributes but also in life, in

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JAB AND BLOW. Ditching strengthens his upper body and core muscles through boxing exercises.

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Build the body you want to achieve, do it for yourself, and remember to keep your mental health in tiptop shape as well.

STAYING FIT. Pulling levers is part of Ditching’s exercise routine.

general.

It is a known fact that every day is not always sunshine and rainbows where you feel at your best at all times. Admit it or not, insecurity knocks you off from time to time. For Luke, with a little commitment and effort, exercising boosts his confidence.

“Aside from boosting my physique and confidence, I feel a sense of accomplishment [in exercising] and, with that achievement, it feels like you want to keep doing it,” Luke says.

A CNN Philippines feature called MedTalk Health Talk mentions that getting fit is key to self-improvement since it helps increase self-confidence and that simple exercises can boost our energy and improve our mood – explaining why Luke feels a sense of fulfillment after exercising.

Simple exercises, such as walking can improve overall mood and boost one’s energy to do various tasks.

All in all, building confidence is rooted in improving a person’s overall health.

MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY BUILT HEALTHY Being fit is not solely focused on the physical built of the body. It is also tied to one’s holistic well-being.

With this, it is important to keep everything at a stable pace and ensure that all aspects of health - physical, mental, emotional, and the like – get the right amount of attention that it deserves.

Wearing his red boxing gloves for another one of his boxing sessions, 22-year-old George is filled with

passion and enthusiasm in his eyes as he beams that even before the pandemic, he exercises four times a week.

“I train inside or outside the house, like boxing training for cardio and stamina,” he says.

George has been attending gym sessions since 2019 and he takes days off from the workout sessions on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays to let his muscles rest and develop. Focusing on whole-body toning chest, triceps, biceps, shoulders, back, and legs – he never forgets to put the same amount of effort into his mental health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the benefits of exercise can reduce short-term feelings of anxiety for adults, and engaging in regular physical activity can sharpen thinking, learning, and judgment skills as well as reduce the risk of depression and anxiety.

George also shares that, in addition to his workout regimen, he wants to maintain a balanced diet and achieve adequate amounts of sleep everyday to aid in his journey towards a healthy lifestyle.

“Because that’s [exercising] what our body needs [since] our health is very important,” he emphasizes.

Working out is an enormously heavy responsibility to commit to. When you have self-discipline and have a crystal-clear vision of your goal, it will be as easy as pie.

Build the body you want to achieve, do it for yourself, and remember to keep your mental health in tiptop shape as well. Begin with a small step and do it now.

74 kaleidoscope | Opinion

box out of the

ROYAL WIGGLES

LOOK BACK, MOVE FORWARD Renee Suala Multimedia Editor

We can choose to provide and express gratitude towards those who looked after us but it does not mean we have to devote our whole life to it.

We are taught to always look back from where we came from — to those people who helped us reach where we are now as part of our success and to our family that provided for us.

Having close family ties is one of the traits that mark one as truly Filipino and that is not a bad thing.

Providing for one’s family after you graduate, giving financial support to your siblings’ school fees after getting a job, and still attending to the family’s needs even after getting married, can be some of the things we can do to show appreciation to our parents and relatives when we reach a point of success in our careers, however, it should not be an obligation. It should be a choice.

According to an article published by Inquirer.net in 2019, we, Filipinos, have a trait of looking out for our families due to our sense of familial love. It is common for us to extend help to our families, even after we get married or after we have graduated and flown from the nest.

Having a breadwinner in the Filipino family structure is nothing surprising.

Usually, this title is given to the most capable child who can be seen, in the future, as someone contributing a lion’s share of financial support for one’s younger siblings and distant relatives. Looking out for one’s family is an honorary act, especially in a culture that emphasizes love among relatives, however, how far is too far?

To live, to be fed, and to be given education are rights of every child as stated in Article 220 of Executive Order No. 209 also known as the “Family Code of the Philippines”. Parents must provide for their children’s needs because that is the right of the child and it is the adults’ responsibility to raise them.

Raising children will always be the parents’ obligation and children, when they grow up, should not be pressed to a corner to oblige to bend to the parents’ whim.

Giving back to our families for whatever we have received during childhood is an act of gratitude but, I believe, it is a matter

of personal virtue as well. If the person wants to continue looking out for the needs of the family then he or she can but if he or she feels as if it will compromise an aspect of his or her life, then not doing so should also be acceptable.

I think it is toxic to inculcate to one’s children that someday they will be the ones who shall provide for the family that provided for them since birth when, in fact, that is a child’s basic right - to be automatically taken care of by the couple that brought him or her into this world. The child is not bound by any law to support his or her family.

However, once the child fails to act upon this expectation, people would be quick to criticize saying, “Hindi marunong magpakita ng utang na loob” when, in fact, a child never has to work for the sake of his or her family when he or she grows up.

Children should not be the substitute of their parents if they decided not to fulfill their duties as parents anymore.

Yet, many Filipinos tend to forget about this. Some view their children as someone who will save them from poverty or replace them in providing for the family.

Parents should be the support of their children in reaching their dreams and not because they want their children to be their source of financial stability one day.

Parents, although loved by their children, should support their children and not expect much from them when he or she grows up to the point of micromanaging the lives of their grown child. By deciding to have us, they should have already know the weight of responsibility in raising us.

And as for us, children, we can choose to provide and express gratitude towards those who looked after us but it does not mean we have to devote our whole life to it. Live your life how you want it to be lived and independently decide what path to take without being held back by a misplaced feeling of indebtedness and a sense of obligation - to the point of withholding one’s dreams.

You may look back on your past but, afterward, continue moving forward to a future of your own.

75 truth as it happens

photos by Reinhardt Firmeza

76 kaleidoscope | Photographer’s Spread

A Man’s 21st Century Odyssey words by Romchelle Chris Danielle Waminal photo courtesy of Engr. John Kimwell Laluma, ECE

A photographer for 13 years, Engr. John Kimwell Laluma, ECE, is always up for an adventure - backpacking with his camera and creativity. Laluma prides himself in capturing nature’s raw beauty as he travels to countless places -breathing in inspiration for his next portrait.

Photography has been an avenue for him to express his feelings. He incorporates these feelings into his photographs as he infuses a part of himself in his creations - making the art as unique as the artist.

Laluma shares to aspiring photographers that they must put into mind that photography is a never-ending process of learning and unlearning. He also shares that when one chooses to tread the path of photography, one’s inner voice must be the guide amidst life’s noise.

No journey is ever easy and the path of photography is no exception. Despite this, continue to capture what enthralls you. As Laluma says, “the world begs to be photographed.”

*Engr. John Kimwell Laluma, ECE, granted permission for the use of his photos.

Fading Light, Murcia

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Sojoton Point, Cauayan

Tempestous Waters, Batanes

Ebb and Flow, Hinigaran

78 kaleidoscope | Photographer’s Spread

Buddha Tooth Relic, Singapore

Rho Ophiuchu on the Rise, San Carlos

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Density, Macau

Cloud Control to Major Tom, Kabankalan

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Singapore Before Dawn, Singapore

Blue Hour at the Bund, Shanghai

80 kaleidoscope | Character Sketch

A GAMER’S INTRICATE ARENA written by Rialin Yasay photos by Reinhardt Firmeza

IN A NEW WORLD. An online gamer immerses himself in an online gaming session.

Enemies are slain by utilizing weapons of varying playstyles, bullets are evaded through skill enhancement, and victory is attained through the shield of cooperation.

Several warriors compete for the battle’s top spot yet only one victor. emerges from the rubble to be declared the tourney’s.

Through computer or mobile gaming, we can immensely dive into new dimensions of excitement - into vast realms of virtual kingdoms, dungeons, and on paths of almost limitless adventures.

As the pandemic has wrapped the world with restrictions in physical interactions, a survey conducted

by Rakuten Insight, an e-commerce company, shows that 75 percent of Filipinos find other escapes from reality. By exploring massive virtual domains through the bliss of online gaming.

THE GAMER’S VIEWPOINT Gliding through vast terrains, enhancing your hero’s skill set, and fulfilling quests for power-ups are some of the things that a gamer faces aside from battling enemies on the field. And when the scale finally drops to zero and the final boss is defeated, the long hours of practice and patience become worth it.

For second-year Mechanical Engineering student Venz Jovic Guanga, gaming is a pastime that started when he was still a young boy in third grade until, eventually, it had become a big part of himself.

“I choose to spend my free time playing online games because, ever since I was young, it has been a way for me to escape boredom. I don’t just play for the sake of playing.

I play because I also get lots of positive things from this hobby,” Venz says.

He also shares that he had experienced the gameplays of Crossfire, DOTA (Death of the Ancients) 1 and 2, and Counter-Strike among many others.

As he continues to recall his first steps in online gaming, he cannot help but excitedly remember the first triumph of his team after long hours of practicing.

“I was so glad because it paid back our efforts and the time we allotted in practicing,” Venz adds with a smile.

Acknowledging that some people might see gaming as a form of a bad habit, Venz shares there is no harm in being a gamer as long as one knows how to prioritize between gaming and things that are important to a student, may it be academics, doing house chores, and the like.

“Not every impact of online gaming is negative. One positive effect is that you might meet new sets of people whom you can socialize with and become close friends with,” he beams.

Despite the barrier of an unstable Internet connection, Venz continues to be triumphant along with his online gaming team members who are his college friends as well.

“Our team, Tantan Esports, was recently recognized as the champion in the first Mobile Legends Tournament of the UNO-R Engineering Student Council,” Venz shares, adding that their team was also the back-to-back champion in the UNO-R Mobile Legends Online Tournament of the MLBB Players of UNO-R last September.

With humility, he unveils that it is their efforts as a team that brought them the title of champions. Pandemic or not, their team continued to achieve greater heights proving that gaming is more than just pressing attack buttons – it is the collective effort and hard work of the whole team.

BUILDING BRIDGES In the past, relationships were forged through faceto-face interactions – handshakes and real-time conversations but upon the strike of COVID-19, people resort to fostering virtual relationships. Even before fully embracing the virtual platform, groups of online gamers have already thrived while this concept is something that people have just started to puzzle out recently communities can be built online.

As a gamer and a student, Venz realized that one of the things gaming emphasizes is the building of bonds and improvement of relationships.

truth as it happens

A VALIANT TOUCH. A gamer skillfully presses the keys of his keyboard and mouse during a game.

“Although gaming is addictive as many people perceive it, I believe that it depends on how a gamer controls himself. More than just playing, we, gamers, are creating friendships,” he asserts, adding how bond and understanding are necessary to build cooperation among the group.

The keys which his team utilizes in unlocking achievements are team efforts and proper practice.

Though his team encountered a few losses, they take every failure as a lesson that would drive them to figure out what went wrong with their gameplay or teamwork and improve those lapses to another level.

As one of Venz’ allies, be it through virtual plays or the real-world, TanTan Esports member and second-year Mechanical engineering student Janbenzel Rivera states how gaming has positively influenced his communication skills since good rapport between teammates contributes to his sense of belongingness.

“I have improved my social skills, especially in communication because synchronization is needed in a team,” Janbenzel reveals.

He also confirms that gaming has brought him and Venz closer together as they play online games almost every day and talk about plans for upcoming tournaments.

“Whenever we lose a game, we just laugh it off and talk about what went wrong.”

With this, Venz and Jabenzel testify that online gaming is not just about getting technical on the equipment and specs but also must be integrated with laughter and fun in the journey towards the top.

WEIGHING THE SCALES Behind every battle conquered are personal pillars of strength and winning strategies.

Contrary to the negative perception of online gaming of most people, especially from the older generation, Venz’ family supports his gaming activities but it comes with a price. He may pursue his online gaming ambitions as long

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Living reality is akin to playing a game - with commitment, efforts exerted, and passion entailed in every action.

as he remains committed to his studies and does not flunk his courses.

As a student in the new normal, Venz does his best to juggle between the demands of online classes and online gaming. He emphasizes that he does not let gaming addiction wrap his being and reset the progress he painstakingly builds step by step to reach his dreams, virtually and in the real world.

“I prioritize studying over gaming because I know that the latter is essential to my future. During the times when I need to focus on studying, I restrict myself from playing games,” Venz admits.

Compared to the common belief that gamers are apathetic towards their academic endeavors, Venz reveals that gaming has a positive impact on his life as a student.

He considers gaming as an outlet to release all the pentup stress he acquired from studying.

“The lessons I gain in every game have made me realize that I can improve in the next try — both in gaming and in real-life situations,” he states.

Every time a flashy sign of “Game Over” surfaces the screens of one’s devices does not immediately equate to carrying the burden of giving up and ultimately, defeat.

Venz proves that life, just like the online playing field, is a grindstone that conveys another chance to play again and conquer one’s lapses.

Living reality is akin to playing a game - with commitment, efforts exerted, and passion entailed in every action. As we carry the weight of our responsibilities, may we remember that whatever we do online or offline adds to the greater scheme of our personalities. Improvement does not come without a price and is built through days upon days of devotion and practice.

82 kaleidoscope | Reviews

From the Archives Movie Review

Honor Thy Father: A Turmoil’s Trumpet

by Rialin Yasay

Directed by Erik Matti, “Honor Thy Father” illustrates the modern faces of justice and inequality in the the Philippines. In its simplest sense, the the film tells of the irony that someone who has less privilege and a questionable past can show more compassion than those standing on pedestals with immense power to change the world still choose to unlock the door of violence while.

It portrays the story of Edgar ( John Lloyd Cruz) and his wife, Kaye (Meryll Soriano), as they are caught up in a sham investment scheme run by Kaye’s father. As Edgar’s father-in-law is killed and tons of his family’s money goes missing, things start to fall apart. Spiraling into nothingness, Edgar chooses to do whatever it takes to protect his family, even if it means returning to the dark side of his former life.

The movie does not consist of fast-paced sequences.

Rather, it is centered on the slow-paced transformation of a man who is being pushed to the edge of madness.

It employs remarkable camera angles to indicate Edgar’s evolution and his conflicts It evaluates the darkness of his life by contrasting it with self-righteousness and religion, symbolizing moral superiority in the film. However, the film leaves

the audience lacking since it does not provide a clear conclusion to culminate the narrative.

Fearlessly portraying the rawness of reality – narratives of family, conflicts, oppression, and greed the film presents itself as a blaring trumpet attempting to awaken the viewers of the highs and lows of the current society we live in. Despite the hollow feeling it radiates at the end, it is a compelling film that makes each one ponder beyond its final act.

truth as it happens

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Book Review

Cloud Atlas: Weaving Timeless Tales

by Romchelle Chris Danielle Waminal

“We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.”

Surreal, timeless, relevant - words that I would describe Mitchell’s piece. Cloud Atlas immerses the reader in the push and pull of time, letting them wear different shoes (or the lack of it) in a myriad of ways.

Featuring characters that differ in more ways than one - from a clone in neo-South Korea that gets exposed to human suffering in its quest for selfidentity to a queer musical genius who struggles with his craft to a headstrong journalist in her journey to combat corporate greed - Cloud Atlas introduces to the readers several aspects and realities of life told through different chapters that serve as narratives of people living in various timelines while, at the same time, lacing their stories through interconnected mementos from the past and of the present.

Despite the weaving of several narratives in one book, it successfully brings to light a simple yet enigmatic universal principle - the consequences of our actions know no bounds.

The book’s theme becomes all the more relevant in today’s time as calls for being aware of one’s actions

and being sensitive to the needs of others become more emphasized.

If you are someone who has a longing for books that answer the big “what-ifs” of life as part of the selfawareness process, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell is the book that will take you through a vast universe (or several versions of it) once your nose digs in within its 554 pages.

84 kaleidoscope | Reviews Food Review

The Sushi Box: Unboxing Hidden Delights

by Rialin Yasay

With its twist that presents the modern version of sushi in different flavors and facades, The Sushi Box captures the hearts of sushi lovers — and even of haters.

The Sushi Box is an Iloilo-based online shop with one of its branches situated at Brgy. Villamonte, Bacolod City. It offers maki sushi in three different packages, namely the Assorted Maki, Party Box, and the Cheese Bomb which cost P180, P795, and P220, respectively.

In the past encounters with sushi and my taste buds, I was disgusted by this kind of food. Nevertheless, the visuals of maki on the shop’s Facebook page seized my attention.

With cheese, spam, bread crumbs, and sweet and salty sauce as additional recipes, the ingredients of the Crunchy Spam maki variation complemented each other throughout my consumption. The ma hu variation, on the other hand, had pork floss and scrambled egg which contributed to the overpowering greasy taste at the first bite yet ended with a balanced blend of flavors due to the cucumber. Moreover, the Bonito Bonita which had fish flakes was not dominated by the fishy flavor due to the presence of spice and sweet mango. In my opinion, the Tropical is the best maki combination among the four with the appetizing blend of ham,

mango, cucumber, and hot sauce.

Other than the aforementioned flavors, Sticky Mango, Crunchy Tuna, Cordon Bleu, Cali Roll, and Crunchy Nutella are other maki variations that are also available in the shop. Additionally, it offers different beverages. I ordered the Lemon Fruit Tea to pair with the sushi that I purchased. They were a great pair since the drink has the right kind of tanginess and it is very refreshing.

All in all, The Sushi Box altered my perception of sushi.

If you are looking for a shop that can satisfy your cravings for modern sushi, consider ordering at The Sushi Box. However, if you are not residing in Bacolod City, it is better to check the availability of its branch in your location as the Villamonte branch is only available for delivery around the City.

Game Review

Valorant: Facing Dangers at the Frontier

by Paolo Belonio

Valorant is a good go-to game for those game junkies looking for something fast-paced and action-packed.

One of the best first-person shooter (FPS) games being played in today’s generation of PC gamers, Valorant is a 5x5 tactical game with “gun-for-hire agents” facing the frontline and you control one.

It is like a combination of FPS and RPG gameplay with skills for every character you pick. Valorant has similar great gunplay as CSGO [Counter Strike: Global Offensive] which is also an FPS game but what sets Valorant apart is that it has game mechanics that make it so that the overall gaming experience does not get stale.

If you are new to the game, the basic tutorial feature got your back helping you familiarize yourself with the game itself.

The game’s graphics allows a computer with lower specs to still be able to run the game, which makes the game, along with its free-to-play nature, more acces-

sible to a larger audience For FPS gamers, it is highly recommended to start exploring and playing this game since it has already accumulated tons of praise despite it being in its early stage of development.

What are you waiting for? Open your PC, download the game, and travel to a world of new experiences.

truth as it happens

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Album Review

Folklore and Overcoming Quarantine Blues

by Joshua Garita

Well-known for her songs on telling different prisms of stories, Taylor Swift is a multi-awarded music artist from West Reading, Pennsylvania. She is one of the most famous and outstanding singers and songwriters of her generation having thirty-nine music awards and counting.

Released in a lonely summer, Taylor’s eighth studio album “Folklore” surprised every Swifties heart in the middle of the quarantine season.

The Grammy-nominated album broke the record for the “most-streamed” on its first day on Spotify. It also reigned number one for 48 weeks on Billboard 200 and became 2020’s best-selling album in the US, her fifth best-selling album of a calendar year.

Folklore is composed of songs that talk about realities in her life as well as those that others can relate to as she sings about universal truths.

Some songs are said to be about fictional characters created by Taylor, namely James, Betty, and Inez. The song “Betty” talks about regrets and apologies and her story is weaved into the songs “Cardigan” and “August” while the song ”Marjorie” is an ode to her grandmother,

who was also a singer.

The subjects featured in Folklore prove that her songs are more than just the melodies that make them but the lyrics, together with her unique tunes, blend into a symphony of stories that portray her life through different lenses.

Going mellow, the songs are brought to life by the harmony of piano and strings, a deviation from her past albums which contained songs that were more upbeat and used more bass, and had lots of guitar riffs.

I hope to hear more of Taylor’s stories through her songs of bliss and melancholy.

Tv Series Review

Master the Games of Alice in Borderland

by Christian Jay Plaza

Do you love playing games? If you are someone drawn to shows full of mysteries and puzzles, this Japanese thriller series will probably spark your interest.

Based on a manga series that was written and illustrated by Haro Aso, the live-action Alice in Borderland series will take you down a delightfully deranged rabbit hole.

The series follows the story of a gamer, Ryohei Arisu, together with his two friends, Karube and Chota, as they are transported to Tokyo in another dimension where they are forced to compete in a series of games - until death.

As the plot thickens, more of the characters’ lives are unraveled as they face multiple rounds of games between life and death.

Not only should the players be equipped with the right equipment and excellent wit, they should also learn of the bitterness of their team mates’ betrayal order to proceed to the next round in this game of life and death.

More than the strategic games or the ones that employ speed and stamina, there are also games that test relationships and the extent of one’s sacrifice.

Alice in Borderland is a Japanese thriller series full of conflict, unexpected twists, and tension that will have you on the edge of your seats. This series is something that you should watch out for, since it is addictive and filled with emotionally intense moments you will definitely want to binge and add this to your next watch list.

photo by Paolo Belonio

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WORKING DAY BREATHER. A trisikad driver crouches behind his trisikad trisikad after a long day’s worth of pedalling.

TOLENTINE STAR Truth as it happens Since 1947

Acknowledgement Tolentine Star extends its heartfelt gratitude to the following people:

Editorial Board AY 2020-2021 Romchelle Chris Danielle Waminal Editor-in-Chief Cristopher Villaruel Associate Editor

Desk Editors

Technical Editors Renee Suala Multimedia Editor Reinhardt Firmeza Multimedia Associate Writers Lea Joy Galimba Christian Jay Plaza Rialin Yasay Graphic Artist Ruel Duhaylungsod Contributors Crisha Arroyo Denise Aira de la Fuente Shanly Yanna Granada Krizia Guardafe Joelle Mariel Paderog

Mary Pauline Santos for sharing her time and for gracing the magazine’s pages; The interviewees for trusting us with their stories;

Jusalanne Matulac Managing Editor

Carla Joanne Robles Feature Editor

God Almighty for the guidance, protection, and inspiration as we pursue stories amidst the health crisis;

Leslie Marie Banaban Literary Editor

Alea Jen Villahermosa Online Content Manager

Cartoonists Rheymar Chua Joshua Garita

Layout Artist Paolo Belonio Krystelle Dianne Parcon Raeverly Elena Ramirez Krisha Marie Semellano Karen Joy Alexandria Tolosa Carl Andro Vallejera

Engr. Ashraf Khater, ChE, MEnE for the patience, encouragement, and constructive criticism in all our endeavors; Alyssa Marie Arceño for guiding us and believing in us despite the challenges; Kaye Eunice Lamera, RSW for the words of counsel and for being our shoulder to lean on; Dr. Dexter Paul Dioso, CSASS for always believing in the publication’s pursuits as we continue to uphold the banner of campus journalism in the University; and Rev. Fr. Amadeo Lucero, OAR, for the confidence in our efforts and entrusting the inclusive development of the student body through campus journalism; This output was brought into fruition by the confidence, trust, and support given by these people to the publication.

We could not have done this without you!

Kaye Eunice Lamera, RSW Human Resource Consultant Alyssa Marie Arceño Technical Consultant Engr. Ashraf Khater, ChE, MEnE Technical Adviser

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