The PANTOGRAPH Magazine Vol. V, Issue no. II

The Pantograph VOL V, ISSUE NO.II

MARCH - JULY 2021

The Pantograph THE OFFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL IN ENGLISH

EDITORIAL BOARD & STAFF P U B L I C AT I O N Y E A R 2 0 2 0 - 2 0 2 1

Editor-in-Chief Jibril Alleen Lorente Associate Editor Marinela Sabordo Managing Editor Hazel Valdeavilla News Editor Jeskha Trisha Cruzat Features Editor Charles Kryxian Lara Graphics Editor Rhynaphine Jabonillo

Writers Francine Ivanna Gabay Jayvee Fortuno Samantha Nicole Imperial Sarah Carinan Jay Vhie Abunda Danielle Frances Anne Favor Lexine Rust Francisco Clay, Jr. Mark Christian Allyson Federio Curt Jairus Perez Kyle Samuel Bautista Shiara Mae Hosmillo

Chief Photojournalist Judy De Jesus

Layout Artist Korina Anne Azutillo Graphic Artists Julieto Joshua Olithao Kia Mae Boitizon Photojournalists Anne Chloe Cartujano Sharline Berjuega Kyla Rentoria Pauline Angela Velasco Cartoonist Rye Exodus Prilles Technical Adviser Juvin Durante, LPT

about the cover As we scroll down our Facebook feed or even our TikTok For You Page, it is very unlikely for us to not see some of our favorite influencers not playing tricks or doing some practical jokes with each other, also known as ‘pranks’. However, there is someone outside the world of social media who has pranked every Filipino since 2016 and continuously plays lots of tricks until the present time. The illustration on the cover page shows a close-up shot of the greatest prankster who has ever lived, and he’s no less than Rodrigo R. Duterte.

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Class Valedictorian, Salutatorian on 2022 Elections: ‘Choose capable leaders, not tyrants’ 6/10 UNC SHS learners to continue education SHS students on 2022 polls: ‘Fix pandemic, corruption, poverty first’ Pantograph staffer wins 8th place in nat’l tilt SSG promotes poll awareness via ‘Project Tindog’ ‘Red-tagging not an issue’: UNC groups launch community pantries Bicol groups use art to aid COVID-19 frontliners UNC appoints Gurnot, Sibulo as new SHS principal, assistant to principal ‘SSG officers are here for you’: Women-led SSG wins pilot online elections ‘Character over intelligence’: Franzuela shares story behind AY Nat’l Discipline Award Amidst pandemic, academic struggles: Who is ‘outstanding stude-journo’ Lorente?

UNC-USG, LSB lead review of Filipina rights UNCeans take part in Int’l Environmental Summit 2021 2 UNC SHS alumnae sit as CYO councilors ‘Unity with social distancing’: City Youth Month empowers ‘Nagenyouth’ UFS ‘Akda’ dominates SiLab Dos: UNO SHS Dep’t holds 1st Sem Recognition, Mother’s Day tribute 65.3% UNC SHS learners satisfied with EIE SPREAD- survey UNC SHS CES’ ‘Project Sibol’ highlights urban gardening importance SHS students partake in ‘Project AKI’

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22 Found Treasure: Onward Substantial Journey 24 Hereos in Disguise: Parent-Frontliners in the New Normal 25 We Grow as They Grow: The Season of Green Sanctuaries 26 Supple Bloom: Empowered UNCeanas Empowering Others 28 Quincentinary of Christianity: Growing Faith to the Present 30 Creators in Action: Meet Our UNCean Vloggers 32 The Campus Misfits: Asians in Racist Society 34 LG-Be-Free 35 Beyond ‘He’ and ‘She’: Learning Your Preferred Pronouns 36 Roll Up, P-Pop!: The Future of the Filipino Music Industry 38 Fun-demic Adventures: SHS Students’ Tales Amid Pandemic Days

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COVID-19 Cases in Bicol Region NagaVax inoculates over 6,000 in just 2 days ‘Best compromise’: Bicol doctors call for MECQ in Region as cases pass 16,000 Friendship Over: No Caps on B.F.F.S. Online Elections? Your Right and Privacy Confused and Unvaccinated: Untangling the COVID-19 Vaccine Knots Doctorson the Web: The Rise of Telemedicine Services amid the Pandemic ‘No Excuses for Making ThemSuffer’: #SaveRalph Campaign Calls to Ban Animal Testing in Cosmetics

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The Greatest Prankster Breakthrough: Speed Up Fact or Bluff?Purpose and Interest Mirror of Incompetence: Antagonistic on Great Ideas Cutting Jib’s Jib: Boxing in Politics Busted: Shot of Uncertainty

‘Victory and Humanity’: ML tourney celebrates Lapu Lapu’s Mactan victory UNC Taekwondo Team kicks again amid COVID lockdown Stoked. Grind. Rad. COVID.: Skating through the Pandemic ‘Go For It’: Forging world-class Oragon Triathletes Breaking Tags & History: Diaz, Petecio bag Olympic medals

JOHN DOMINIC FRANZUELA SALUTATORIAN

JIBRIL ALLEEN LORENTE VALEDICTORIAN

Class Valedictorian, Salutatorian on 2022 Elections:

‘Choose capable leaders, not tyrants’ FRANCINE IVANNA GABAY AND JAYVEE FORTUNO UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA Caceres (UNC) Senior High School (SHS) Class Valedictorian Jibril Alleen Lorente and Salutatorian John Dominic Franzuela urged their fellow graduates to register and vote wisely in the upcoming 2022 Philippine elections.

During the fourth UNC SHS Commencement Exercises, Lorente said, “And at our age, we’re no longer just students without a care in the world. We now have the power to shape everyone’s future. As such we have to ensure that we select those who will bring peace and prosperity: those who care for everyone; those who empower communities; those who listen to criticisms; those who unite rather than divide; let’s choose capable leaders, not tyrants.”

Both of them emphasized the importance of the youth’s choices in upholding the present generation by using their voice in the upcoming elections, as they crucially discussed the detrimental effects of the rightful selection of leaders.

“Instead, let’s be more open to a changing society, we must learn when to speak up against injustices, and find a way to unite despite our diversity. You don’t have to change overnight because that’s unrealistic, but you can take baby steps, and expose yourselves to the elements of the community at your own pace. That way, we can create a just and humane society for everyone,”

ADANTE, JR. Third Honors

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GUIRIBA Fourth Honors

Lorente added.

Moreover, Franzuela urged the youth to don’t miss the chance to register in order to choose the best leaders and for the country to go back to its best shape.

“My co-graduates, it’s also going to be our first time to vote in the May 2022 elections. More than ever, get registered. It is also significant that no matter how far we achieve, let our skills and intelligence be helpful to serve our country. Let’s go hand-in-hand in reshaping our country into what it is supposed to be—for ourselves, our family, and for the Philippines—our country,” Franzuela stated.

According to graduation committee chairman Aldrin Alcantara, the recognition ceremony celebrates the success of the year-end academic and non-academic awardees and their parents and benefactors while the commencement exercises

MOISES Fifth Honors

OGARTE Sixth Honors

UVAS Seventh Honors

are also a celebration of the graduation of our Grade 12 learners together with their proud parents and benefactors.

“We have 201 academic awardees, 21 non-academic awardees, and 560 candidates for graduation for this school year,” Alcantara said.

Last July 6, the SHS Department officially released the honor roll wherein the following learners completed the list of the top 10 academic awardees: first honors - Lorente; second honors - Franzuela; third honors - Noel Adante, Jr.; fourth honors - Han Margarett Guiriba; fifth honors Dexter Moises; sixth honors - Jude Ogarte; seventh honors - Sachi Miguel Uvas; eighth honors - Lucky Jose Bueza; ninth honors - Cresell Soliman; and tenth honors - Francisco McCain Clay, Jr. The University’s 2021 theme for graduation was “The UNCean Graduate: Gifted to Give Towards a Preferred Future”, but the SHS Department per se does not have a special theme.

“This institutional theme is a fitting reminder of our purpose as graduates, the gift of education must be shared to the wider society,” Alcantara explained.

This year’s commencement speaker was Ryan Rubi, who’s currently the Senior Technical Director of Sony Pictures Imageworks in Vancouver, Canada. He is an alumnus of both the UNC High School Department (class of 2002) and the UNC Elementary Department (class of 1998).

The said program was streamed live on the official social media platforms of the University of Nueva Caceres last August at 6:00 PM.

BUEZA Eighth Honors

SOLIMAN Ninth Honors

CLAY, JR. Tenth Honors

6/10 UNC SHS learners to continue education amid distance learning JBRIL ALLEEN LORENTE SIXTY-FOUR PERCENT (64%) of the respondents from the University of Nueva Caceres Senior High School will be continuing their education for the next school year, even if it is still through distance learning.

This result came after The PANTOGRAPH held a survey among 101 learners. Sixty-four percent (64%) or 65 learners said that they will continue, 30.7% or 31 learners are uncertain, while 5% or five (5) learners will not.

Most of the learners who said that they will continue learning in the new setup emphasized the need to adapt to the changing learning environment brought about by the pandemic.

“Self-learning isn’t easy especially this time of the pandemic. We are adjusting to the learning environment, even though is not easy especially like me as a modular student, I want to pursue my dreams. By coping up to the lessons I will research through browsing online about the lessons, focus and concentrate in studying,” Kathleen Dacian, ABM 11 learner, explained.

Meanwhile, others also mentioned that they don’t want to risk taking a gap year, especially that the time when to return to face-to-face classes is still uncertain.

“As of now, I am still unsure whether I will still continue my studies or not. Online class/modular class was very draining for me & the amount of things to do is very overwhelming since most activities have the same deadline or, most of the time, overlap with e/o. The only reason [that is] stopping me from continuing with this decision is, I will be delayed, if ever. My batch-mates will be ahead of me if I stopped,” Rhoda Cabato, ABM 11 learner, discussed.

However, the learners who were uncertain about enrolling for the next school year also pointed out issues regarding the stability of the internet connection in their respective areas.

“I’m not really sure if I will be enrolling next academic year to pursue my college. First and foremost, I am flexible in learning online because there are few considerations I should take, like internet connectivity. In our place in Garchitorena, the internet isn’t as fast as the internet in Naga City. We also don’t have an internet provider here and only mobile data is one of our sources of the internet and we should buy load to access the internet. So, I am not quite sure about enrolling next academic year,” ‘A believer’ (not their real name), GAS 12 learner, said.

They also expressed concerns about the learning experience, citing difficulties in

SHS Learners’ (G11 and 12) Decision on Continuing Their Education Amid the Pandemic

Will Continue Will Not Continue Uncertain SHS Graduates Readiness for College

G11 Learners’ Decision on Continuing Their Education Amid the Pandemic

understanding and comprehending the lessons.

“To be honest at first, I like this setup because it’s a big challenge for me. I was able to practice my ability to multitask and also my time managing skills. However, as the school year ends, I find myself struggling, especially this second sem because of the piled-up school work, like research papers. We cannot comprehend the information and the lessons anymore. That is why I’m not sure if I will continue to enroll,” ‘Kara’ (not their real name), STEM 11 learner, expressed.

Those who planned to take a one-year gap, however, discussed that they will resume their education once face-to-face classes are in place.

“Knowing that the flexible/distance learning is not so efficient, it’s hard to pursue the college life that we want. It would just burn us out and make our mental state unstable even more so to those students who are unprivileged. My plan is just to work in the meantime until I get vaccinated and f2f learning will be implemented again,” ‘Krazzy Man’ (not their real name), ICT-CP 12 learner, explained.

5/10 G12 learners uncertain on college readiness In the same survey, there were 51 Grade 12 students who responded. Of that number, 56.86% or 29 of them showed concerns with regards to their readiness to enter college. The remaining 43.14% or 22 of them believe that they are adequately prepared.

While the learners acknowledged that they learned new things, they also believe that they are not enough to prepare them properly.

“Despite this dreadful setting, I have actually learned a lot thanks to the persevering learning facilitators/teachers who are willing to help us.

But I think that all of those things I learned weren’t enough. My knowledge and skills are still lacking for college. I am not yet ready,” ‘Unfated’ (not their real name), STEM 12 learner, claimed.

However, they still remain hopeful that they can manage through college.

“We faced a lot of challenges already and I think that I am ready enough to pursue my dreams,” Neil Flores, GAS 12 learner, hoped.

9/10 G11 learners to continue SHS at UNC Also, in the said survey, 50 of the responses came from Grade 11 learners. Among them, 96% or 48 learners said that they will continue their SHS at UNC, whereas 4% or two learners said otherwise.

Most of the learners who said that they will finish SHS at UNC reiterated their point earlier of not wanting to take a one-year gap.

“I will surely continue my year in UNC amid pandemic because I don’t want to stop, I don’t want this pandemic to be the hindrance why I should stop from going to school. If I’ll stop next school year, it is not just about my studies, it is also about the suffering of my mother on her work, another year of our life would be a waste. That’s why even if it’s hard I will still continue next school year,” ‘Matcha’ (not their real name), STEM 11 learner, said.

However, they also urged the administration to address the difficulty, number, and time allotment of the schoolwork given to them.

“The primary concerns that I would like for the school administration to address are the number of schoolwork being assigned to students (if possible only those school works with an equivalent grade should be given to us, to decrease the burden of the school activities to students), the amount of time given to us for the milestones and final outputs (if possible increase the amount of time tho this is just a suggestion), and lastly, if it’s possible and approved by DepEd, the University can hold faceto-face classes,” ‘Eclair’ (not their real name), STEM 11 learner, stressed.

School Year 2021-2022 is set to open on August 16.

NEWS 05

SHS students on 2022 polls:

‘Fix pandemic, corruption, poverty first’ JIBRIL ALLEEN LORENTE AND FRANCINE IVANNA GABAY IN THE RECENT online survey conducted by The PANTOGRAPH regarding the several national issues to be prioritized by any potential candidates in the upcoming 2022 Philippine elections, the majority of the University of Nueva Caceres Senior High School students picked the COVID-19 response, corruption, and poverty.

Among the 101 respondents, a majority of 74.3% or approximately 75 learners emphasized the pandemic response, 11.9% or 12 learners said it is corruption, and 5% or five learners highlighted the need to address poverty.

‘Tartaglia’ (not their real name), GAS 12 learner, criticized traditional politicians or ‘trapo’ for exploiting the current state of the pandemic to their advantage and is hoping that the next administration will prioritize the pandemic response to eliminate any future politicians who will take advantage of the health crisis.

“The current administration has been milking every situation of this pandemic, their incompetent decisions stir the people and keep them from other issues. They are also weaponizing the circumstances against those who have ugly views of the press, activists, and civilians. Now that the election is coming up every trapo politicians [have] been doing campaigns giving out medicines and vaccine in order to pose as that ‘savior’ in times of difficulties for the poor people. If we resolve this pandemic, the admin and trapo politicians will have no excuse in taking advantage of these situations.

No excuse to ignore the WPS issue,” ‘Tartaglia’ explained.

On the other hand, ‘Col’ (not their real name), STEM 11 learner, emphasized the urgency of addressing the pandemic as it is threatening the welfare and well-being of Filipinos.

“I think they should deal with COVID-19 pandemic first because it’s the one that causes our number of poverty [to] increase and unemployment also increases due to businesses that are closing.

Many people lost their loved ones because of this virus. Many students are struggling in their

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academics because they don’t have enough money, gadgets, and the internet. Many people took their lives because they cannot handle life anymore,” Col discussed.

Sunshine Ledesma, GAS 12 learner, also agreed with ‘Col’ saying that the government must address the pandemic first since the education system is also affected by it.

“We want face-to-face classes but we can no longer do that because of what’s happening in our country, many people are affected... We should be the focus on this issue so that we can already recover from this,” she continued.

Moreover, ’Qwerty’ and ‘Andeng’ (not their real names), both GAS 12 learners, also addressed the necessity of removing corruption in the country,

COVID-19 Pandemic

Corruption Poverty Human Rights Others

citing that with competent leaders, the issues hounding the country can be eliminated or at least lessened.

“All of the stated items are the issues that are needed to be addressed, but the MAIN problem here is the administration itself. If only we have the right leaders, every single issue that this country has would be eradicated or at least, lessened,” Qwerty stressed.

Andeng also said that corruption worsens not just the pandemic but any other issues of the government that’s why if we will have a total elimination of this, everything will be set.

In the same survey, the learners were also asked about their preferences in terms of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates’ characteristics wherein competence, loyalty, transparency, and leadership abilities were highlighted.

“We need a president that would fight for our land and not give it up for some other country that doesn’t know what boundary is. We need a leader that would raise our economy. We need a leader that is open and transparent to its people and would stick to their words, and we need a leader that acts with greatness and quality,” ‘Seresa’ (not their real name), ABM 12 learner, explained.

Genesis Diaz, GAS 11 learner, also said that the running candidates must have a strong vision for the country’s future, the ability to communicate formally with the public especially in delivering speeches, and can work hand-in-hand with the other government officials.

On the other hand, ‘Kkkkkk’ (not their real name), GAS 12 learner, emphasized the quality of consistency, “[A candidate should] not just [be good with] words but [also with] have actions, [they must] care for his nation and people, not just her/himself.”

Meanwhile, 3% or three learners responded with the human rights violations in the country, 2% or two voted for addressing unemployment, 2% chose all issues that must be addressed, 1% or one learner chose the West Philippine Sea dispute, and the remaining 1% was undecided.

As of July 2021, only Senators Ping Lacson and Tito Sotto confirmed their intent to run for the presidency and vice-presidency, respectively, in the upcoming elections.

Pantograph staffer wins 8th place in nat’l tilt KYLE BAUTISTA INCOMING ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jayvee Fortuno is hailed as one of the best in the premier National Campus Press Olympiad (NCPO), after ranking eighth in Pagsulat ng Lathalain among campus journalists across the country held last May 16.

In her category, Fortuno competed with campus journalists from grade 10 to first-year college.

According to her, despite the current situation of having a pandemic, she still decided to join in order to improve her skills as a journalist. She also said that the result was unexpected due to the numerous students participating in the event.

“It was hard and challenging because the topic given was something that I am not familiar with. The given video was short and it was very challenging to maximize the concept and be able to craft 20 paragraphs out of it. Given the minimal time, fortunately, I was able to overcome the pressure and finish my output, containing the ideas I wanted to include and the message I wanted to convey,” she added.

She also mentioned that she became a writer because of her love for reading and making her own stories. As a campus journalist, Fortuno started at the University’s Elementary Department’s publication The Children’s World. She would then continue to join The Trailblazer in Junior High School, and eventually, she would join The Pantograph and would serve as the Associate Editor of the publication in the next school year.

Fortuno also encouraged those who are aspiring

to become a campus journalists, citing that a campus journalist plays a significant role in the community.

“Being a campus journalist does not just mean that you have the skill in writing. Beneath that is the big responsibility and accountability you will hold while being the voice of your fellows. As you write, there will always be people who will doubt your capabilities. But do know that as long as one person reads your crafted article, as long as one person looks forward to being educated about a topic you may write on, it is already a reason for you not to stop, and to not let those words be a hindrance with your sole purpose, which is to educate and give awareness to the people that serve as a huge step towards change,” she explained.

NCPO was divided into two parts, the side, and main events. There are 10 side events that are open for all and consist of a wide range of journalism and creative contests that promote critical and artistic thinking. On the other hand, there are 15 main events that are exclusive for grade school, high school, and college students. The main events will cover interactive multimedia publishing, mobile journalism, and print and visual media.

The competition was organized by the Best-Designed Campus Papers of the Philippines (BDCP). It is the first online journalism tournament that features a series of competitions for grade school, high school, and college campus journalists throughout the country, with the theme “Promoting Community Development through Multi-platform Campus Journalism.”

SSG promotes poll awareness via ‘Project Tindog’ JAYVEE FORTUNO TO HIGHLIGHT THE significance of the elections among the Filipino public, the UNC Senior High School Supreme Student Government (SSG) has launched its final project for the school year 20202021, “TINDOG: Diving Deeper into Securing Our Future: Raising Awareness for the 2022 National Elections”.

The project is a social media campaign about voter registration, education, and participation. It was named Tindog, for it is a Bicolano word that

means to stand for the quality of life they want for themselves, their constituents, and for their country.

With the ongoing project, some of the SHS students have already registered as voters and shared their perception on why voting is important, such as the SSG President for School Year 20212022, Tishana Maria Bertiz.

“It is our responsibility. It is our part in making the Philippines better in the future,” Bertiz said.

Zena Ticiamae Chavez, a Grade 11 student from ABM B and the newly elected ABM Representative, emphasized the implications of elections to the country.

“Voting gives us the opportunity to choose

the candidates with pure intentions that would make a difference in our country. This is now our chance. Register and vote wisely,” Chavez stressed.

Joshua Andrey Doce, a Grade 12 student from GAS L and the current SSG vice-president, is also a proud registered voter. Doce also tackled the significance of a single vote.

“Importante, mahalaga, at may pakinabang ang boto mo! Stand up for all the Filipinos for this is your time,” Doce said.

According to data gathered by the Commissions on Elections (COMELEC), only 863,309 people registered for the 2022 elections during the voter registration period that began on September 21, 2020. This figure does not even come close to the four million people who are expected to be eligible to vote in the 2022 elections. With the SHS SSG’s perception that every Filipino has a responsibility to help secure our nation’s future, it is a way to ensure that the votes of the people go to the rightful leaders.

Meanwhile, in a survey by The Pantograph among 101 SHS learners, 44.6% or 45 of the learners are eligible but are not yet registered; 29.7% or 30 are already registered, and 25.7% or 29 learners are not yet eligible to vote in the 2022 polls.

With their hashtags #RegisterToVote and #MagpaRehistroKa, the UNC SHS SSG still continues to encourage everyone to be a registered voter by posting interactive publicity materials and videos that serve as the way of execution.

NEWS 07

‘Red-tagging not an issue’: UNC groups launch community pantries

SARAH CARINAN TO LEND A helping hand in this time of hunger and hardships, the University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) Senior High School (SHS), Institutionalized Community Extension Services (ICES), and the UNC Engineering and Architecture College Council (EACC), along with the UNC College of Engineering and Architecture (EA), launched their community pantries at different areas in Camarines Sur. According to SHS Assistant Principal for Student Affairs Melinda Susana Dy, the purpose of the initiative, which was conducted last May 26, was “to extend help to the indigent residents of Barangay Sta. Cruz.” She also added that more or less 250 individuals benefited from the community pantry.

The goods that were given include vegetables, canned goods, noodles, rice, and health kits such as alcohol, face shields, and soap which were donated by the SHS faculty, students, and private donors.

“The donations came from the SHS Leadership, Principal, Assistant Principal, Learning Supervisors (LSs), Learning Facilitators (LFs),

SHARE AND CARE. The UNC Institutionalized Community Extension Service (ICES) set up a community pantry at Gawad Kalinga Abangayon, Pamukid, San Fernando last June 5 to help its indigent residents. This is one of the many pantries launched by various University organizations. Photo

by UNC ICES and words by Sharline Berjuega

from their friends, their relatives, and from SHS students,” Dy stated.

Moreover, the EACC shares the same intent with UNC SHS stating that setting up a community pantry allowed them to help and spark up the Bayanihan spirit among UNCeans at this time of the pandemic.

“The Engineering and Architecture College Council along with the EA department decided to set up a community pantry simply because we saw an opportunity to help. The project will give us a chance to help the UNC Community in our small little ways. Initiating it will also foster camaraderie among the Unceans and build up the spirit of sharing with others,” EACC said.

They also added that the accumulated donations and support from 30 individuals and organizations were safely given to several beneficiaries who lined up at the location where the sharing table stands.

“The estimated number of individuals who were able to benefit from the community pantry is 60 to 80,” EACC added.

Despite the threats of red-tagging and possible profiling of individuals and organizations involved in this community effort, the UNC SHS and EACC continued the distribution of free food and goods to those who are in need with pure intentions and no worries.

Photo by UNC SHS

“With all honesty, red-tagging would never be an issue to us. The project aimed to help people who are part of the UNC family. Most donors were also Unceans who were most willing to share. We were able to sustain [it] for 10 days, not including the other days where food was served,” EACC said.

The community pantries began on April 14, when a 26-yearold small business owner Ana Patricia Non set up a small bamboo cart along Maginhawa Street in Quezon City filled with canned goods, fresh vegetables, packs of rice, and noodles, vitamins, and other necessities amid the pandemic. A handwritten cardboard sign was attached to the cart that reads “Maginhawa Community Pantry” and came with the slogan, “Magbigay ayon sa kakayahan, kumuha batay sa pangangailangan.”

This initiative was then spread across the country and had drawn the attention not just of the public but also of the anti-terrorism forces. Days after the initiative started, police officers arrived at the location to get Non’s personal information including her political affiliations. This certain action of the police created the red-tagging scare among the public.

Despite this, the community pantries that have been put up in hundreds of localities continue to provide free goods to those people who were greatly affected by the pandemic.

Bicol groups use art to aid COVID-19 frontliners SAMANTHA NICOLE IMPERIAL TO RAISE AWARENESS on the plight of the frontliners, the Harana Pagkilala Kick-Off, an event led by five different Bicolano organizations, united for “Harana Pagkilala Para Sa Frontliners” that took place last April 9 via Facebook Live.

“Harana Pagkilala Para Sa Frontliners” is the initiative of the artists and cultural workers in Camarines Sur with a goal to use the artist community as a gratitude to the frontliners in the health sector, education sector, and other workers through their music and art.

“Lumilikha tayo ng awareness para malaman ng bayan na itong ating mga frontliners, bagama’t napakaheroic ng kanilang role, at [may] ginagawa sa bayan, sila rin ay nangangailangan ng tulong,” Karl Ramirez, a speaker from Musika Publiko, said on the Facebook stream.

Together with Ramirez are Khryss Arañas, Roger Palacio II, Julie DM Bega, and Jude Buelva from Project Pesante, Rise Above Productions, Musika Publiko, Sining Banwa, and Pandalivery, respectively, who shared their experiences in handling these kinds of programs amidst the pandemic.

By posting their music online, Musika Publiko and Rise Above Productions took several episodes to raise funds for frontliners who are greatly affected by the pandemic, same as the other artists and musicians. For the farmers, Project Pesante has an online gig where they play music every 30 minutes for the whole day. They gathered funds for food relief for farmers throughout Bicol, notably in Camarines Sur and Albay, through their internet gig.

Sining Banwa is an Albay-based theatrical group, but when the pandemic hit, they struggled to keep their operations running. They continue to promote their theatrical acts by uploading them online and on social media platforms.

“A lot of people are looking for work and asking Pandalivery to apply. We had to say no kasi ‘yong protection din ng current team and ‘yong spread talaga iniiwasan namin,” Buelva, founder and CEO of Pandelivery, said when he was asked about their situation last year.

Currently, all these organizations are helping each other to give honor to the frontliners and to other people who need help. Palacio and Arañas said that their wishes for the frontliners are for them to have a higher income and benefits.

“As of now, ang kahilingan natin sa mga frontliners ay ‘wag natin iromanticize ‘yung pagiging bayani nila bilang bayani lang at wala tayong ginagawa sa kanila mismo,” Bega shared.

Harana Pagkilala Para Sa Frontliners is still trying its best to showcase the artists’ skills on internet platforms, particularly Facebook, in order to raise more funds to assist the frontliners and artists like them.

Screengrabs from Harana Pagkilala para sa Frontliners FB Page

NEWS 09

UNC appoints Gurnot, Sibulo as new SHS principal, assistant to principal FRANCINE IVANNA GABAY FORMER ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL for Academics (APA) Ernesto Gurnot and GAS Learning Supervisor Arvin Sibulo have been appointed as the new University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) Senior High School (SHS) principal and assistant to the principal, respectively, last June 1.

“Somehow, I already anticipated the extension of my service in UNC, especially now that we are in this ‘new normal’. But I did not expect that the principalship would be offered to me. Ms. Ronde San Jose is still capable of leading the SHS Team. However, her expertise and service are more valuable in other areas to provide better service to our stakeholders,” Gurnot shared.

Unlike the new principal, Sibulo did not expect the said promotion since he thought that there had been a mishap in the dissemination of meeting invites but eventually, he accepted the challenge.

“I think, what I’ve felt at that time is a mixture of different emotions but I’ve never acknowledged it right away because I was surprised… She (Ma’am Divine) and Sir Romy even told me that I am very young but they chose me because they know my capabilities and they know how I work,” Sibulo narrated.

Who is Principal Gurnot?

After a year of serving as the assistant principal for academics of the same department, Gurnot told us that his major accomplishment was leading the SHS Department in the transformation and development of the learning materials for the distance learning modalities (flexi-tech and flexi-kit).

“I remember that the learning facilitators and learning supervisors were on a very tight schedule to produce the needed modules. But we were able to deliver and submit everything on time. This effort shows that everything is possible if we work together as a team,” he said.

During his tenure as the APA, he observed the lack of engagement of the department with the learners, that’s why the SHS faculty attended a series of webinars and invited resource speakers from different institutions to share their expertise on how to facilitate classes in this ‘new normal’. In addition, the SHS Academic Team is revisiting and revising the modules to help the learners cope with their studies too.

“Since the learners are learning from their homes, we will further strengthen our partnership with our parents and guardians. This partnership is one of the keys to ensure that everyone makes it in a nurturing environment. We will involve parents and guardians in the learning process of the learners, and we will continue to have constant communication with them,” Gurnot said ensuring that ‘everyone makes it’ amidst the pandemic.

The new principal also shared that his experience in running the LINC Curriculum, his leadership skills, and six years of experience in delivering and designing learning

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experiences in a constructivist environment are his advantages for the said promotion.

“The discussion regarding my extension of service in UNC started back in 2019. Back then, it was a 50-50 decision whether or not I would stay because I was in Manila. Eventually, I said yes and accepted the position because there are still many actions and plans that need to be accomplished to improve how we do things,” he said.

It is also evident that the new principal is way younger than the former principals but Gurnot wanted to break the usual connotation that someone young can’t lead several people, as for him, the SHS Department.

“Age is just a number. Experience and leadership play an important role in leading a team… I am grateful to my mentors, who shared their wisdom and honed my skills,” he said.

Who is Assistant to Principal Sibulo?

Same as the new principal, the new assistant to the principal also shared the same sentiments in terms of age not being a qualification for someone to be promoted in the said position.

“When I had the meeting with Human Resource, they said that I was chosen because of the good feedback they received about me... One has the right character and attitude for us to attain work opportunities. Another qualification that I think is included would be the ability to easily work with other people. We are in a university and the office of the Senior High School Principal is working closely with the other departments for us to achieve our goals and serve our purpose,” Sibulo said.

He also served as the GAS Learning Supervisor for a year under the Social Sciences Domain where he shared the difficulties they experienced in creating the modules due to some connectivity issues. Sibulo is one of the people assigned to train the SHS faculty on how to use the Blackboard LMS. As the new assistant to the principal, he will assist the implementation of the LINC curriculum of the department, ensuring that learning supervisors are doing regular classroom observations, coaching and feedback sessions.

“I can also assist in monitoring and evaluating the performance of SHS academic and support staff.

There are also items wherein there is a need for me to coordinate with other departments and offices… I am also expected to perform duties/responsibilities which may be assigned to me by the SHS principal. I need to work very closely with Sir Ernest to ensure that the department can operate and achieve our targets,” Sibulo explained.

On existing concerns The Pantograph took advantage of the opportunity to ask the SHS Principal about their plan and reactions to the results of the recently given survey to 101 students, which includes the high percentage of students who are unsure if they will still enroll by next year in the university given the distance learning set-up.

“The SHS Academic Team is planning to improve the delivery of the courses this coming school year.

This planning will include some adjustments to how we facilitate synchronous and asynchronous sessions.

TURN TO 18

‘SSG officers are here for you’: Women-led SSG wins pilot online elections FRANCISCO CLAY, JR. “I WANT TO tell them that you can come to us and tell us your problem. We want you to know that your SSG officers are here for you,” newly-elected Supreme Student Government (SSG) President Tishana Maria Bertiz Party assured the UNC Senior High School community.

This was said after she won the presidency in the first online SSG elections.

According to her, most of the plans that they made throughout the campaign and in the next school year will be focusing on the betterment of the SHS learners.

Bertiz also shared some of the programs that will be proposed by the newly-elected SSG. One of which is a mental health awareness activity in October to help alleviate the pressure and stress among the learners.

“Our first plan is to focus on mental health awareness in October. We plan on creating webinars and uplifting daily posts to remind students that they have to take care of their mental health even though there’s academic pressure,” she explained.

The president also stated that they will have projects such as Battle of the Strands” to showcase the learners’ capabilities and it will also serve as online intramurals. The president added that there will also be an online “kumustahan” or portal for students to relay their problems and speak up their minds.

Meanwhile, according to the SSG Vice-President-elect Angel Rodora Mortega, they will still communicate with the student body in implementing their programs to ensure proper execution.

“We are going to do some surveys to know their opinions and the matters from the students. There will also be [group chats] with the prime ministers and representatives so that we can talk about it,” Mortega discussed.

Mortega also showed concern on the issues they might face with regard to communicating with the learners. However, she assured that the SSG will address it as well.

“We are in a pandemic and we are limited to go outside. We are planning to do the UNC tour, but there’s a chance that we can’t come back to [Modified General Community Quarantine]... We are also having problems communicating with the students, but we are going to resolve this. issue and ensure that all of them will share their matters with us,” Mortega added.

Bertiz also mentioned that countermeasures will be in place if some of their proposed plans don’t work.

“If there are problems, let’s say a calamity, we will make sure to postpone and move it so that everybody is comfortable and available to continue the project and if not, I think we are going to revise the events into a simpler form that it wouldn’t be a work overload for us,” Bertiz reassured.

Meanwhile, the Students’ Commission on Election (SCE) made several changes to the election procedure due to the pandemic.

According to SCE Chairperson Jude Ogarte, the main challenge was to ensure the security of the votes, especially ensuring that the voter turnout per strand will reach the 50%+1 threshold to avoid failure of the elections.

Compared to the SSG Elections last 2020 with a turnout of 86.90%, the 2021 Elections had a lower turnout at 58.23%. However, no failure of the election was declared as it reached the 50%+1 threshold.

“With all those difficulties that were encountered, sustaining communication within the body was our substantial countermeasure. Knowing that we do not have direct supervision of the entire election process,” Ogarte explained.

Due to the decreased turnout, the incoming SCE Chairperson Francine Ivanna Gabay vowed to increase it through raising awareness and earlier preparations.

The chairperson also said that the problems are raised in this latest election should be properly addressed next year. She plans on coordinating with class advisers for the smooth dissemination of student’s emails and voter ID a month before the election since students are from modular modality and said that they didn’t receive their accounts.

“We can also post some things that would help them know the importance of their votes since if they don’t know such things, how will they be able to know the importance of their votes in the upcoming national elections?” Gabay TURN TO 18

NEWS 11

‘Character over intelligence’: Franzuela shares story behind AY Nat’l Discipline Award FRANCINE IVANNA GABAY UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA Caceres (UNC) Debate Circle Minister for Training and Membership and STEM 12 learner John Dominic A. Franzuela was hailed as one of the recipients of the Alfonso Yuchengco National Discipline Award, along with other high school students across the country.

Photo by UNC SHS

Photo by John Dominic Franzuela

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The National Discipline Awards program was established in 1990 in response to Ambassador Alfonso T. Yuchengco’s call to instill national discipline in the country’s youth. According to the AY Foundation’s official website, it is not a scholarship program but it encourages awardees to pursue their studies by giving a cash award of P7,500 to help defray their college tuition together with the San Lorenzo Ruiz gold medal.

“I learned about the program during the moment when Mr. Paulo Panergayo was asking for my permission to be nominated... When I knew that the award can once again recognize all the efforts and time we (I, my co-leaders during projects, and my mentors) spent to serve the studentry and community from JHS to SHS, I heard the heartbeat to accept the nomination”, Franzuela shared in an interview.

According to Franzuela, he participated in the nomination process for his efforts and support from his mentors to be acknowledged, to bring pride to the institution, and to open further opportunities for the growth and development of his peers and the community.

“Some specific qualifications that further helped in the selection process are my burning passion... My optimism although I would admit that I get easily frustrated when the going does not go as planned... and I am determined to face whatever struggles come my way in achieving my goal, the best part of this is the humility to accept both victory and defeat,” Franzuela continued.

In the same interview, he also said that he’s not new with community programs since he’d been to some already just like the relief operation in Balog, Camarines Sur after the Typhoon Rolly havoc.

“Their gratitude through simply smiling and saying “thank you” makes all the struggle that the committee experienced beyond worth it,” he said.

Franzuela, being the class prime minister of STEM-L for two consecutive years, also initiated the Project Lingkayod where they donated face shields, face masks, sanitizers, and COVID-19 educational posters after witnessing that pedicab drivers in Sta. Cruz, Naga City is just wearing alternatives like handkerchiefs to somehow protect themselves.

He also shared that these projects that helped him qualify for the said program were made possible with the help of his co-volunteers in and off the campus and university administrators from both Junior High School and SHS. “These moments that I will truly treasure will not be possible without the support from the donors that made our projects successful... when I was in JHS, our own Asst. Principal for Student Affairs and Discipline, Ma’am Remy Cuyo. Meanwhile, our STEM-ENG and Natural Science learning supervisor, Ms. Sharmie Ann Abalan, and our class adviser, Ma’am Odessa Balmes, during my senior high school years,” Franzuela shared.

Despite knowing the harms brought by the pandemic, this never stopped Franzuela from extending help for other people since he believes that we still differ in the severity of conditions.

“We were worried that there might be little-to-no donations since everyone is in need. But we trusted the process...We directly encourage the public to support and participate in our projects through sending personal letters and using social media platforms as an instrument to spread the urgency and persuade them to support,” he stressed.

He also added that the best way to encourage other students is to be a blueprint or by showing them that serving the community does not make them less of a person or less of a person they desire to be.

Franzuela, who will be in college next school year, also said that he’s still going to live by the motto ‘Character over Intelligence’ by committing himself to the virtue of discipline, self-sacrifice, integrity, and courage until his last breath.

Amidst pandemic, academic struggles: Who is ‘outstanding stude-journo’ Lorente?

FRANCINE IVANNA GABAY OUTGONG EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JIBRIL Alleen Lorente was recognized as one of the Camilo Osias Arts Festival (CAMAF) Ten Outstanding Student Journalists, ranking fourth among campus journalists across the country, announced last March 27.

The said competition was organized by The National, the official publication of the National University, where Lorente also ranked fourth in News Writing and sixth in Editorial Writing, making him the lone Bicolano qualifier in the said group of awardees.

“We were gathered in a single Zoom meeting with our cameras on so that they can see us as we make our entries. We were all subjected to three writing tests: news, editorial, and sports writing.

Then, a Google Drive folder for each participant was shared where we can place our outputs,” Lorente said in an interview.

He also shared that since he never had the opportunity to join the National School Press Conference during the face-to-face setup, joining CAMAF was a great opportunity for him to see what a national-level competition looks and feels like.

“I joined the competition because I had a bit of free time, and it was a national event. The fact that there were not that many opportunities to compete also made me join even more, especially that there was no registration fee,” he continued.

Aside from the said competition, Lorente also joined national competitions that were also conducted online, such as the Ditto Sarmiento Journalism Cup, where he ranked eighth in Feature Writing, and the National Campus Press Olympiad.

Lorente, who is currently in Grade 12 under the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) strand, is not new to these kinds of competitions since he entered the field of campus journalism when he was still in the fourth grade.

“My first role was a photojournalist, then I became a copyreading and headline writer. The latter of which sent me to my first RSPC in Grade 6.

I kept that role until Grade 9 since I became a news writer a year later. As a news writer, I managed to reach the top 5 in DSPC for two years in a row: 4th during Grade 10, and 2nd in Grade 11. Grade 11 also marked my first and last RSPC in high school,” he shared.

Lorente joined the publication the moment he entered Senior High School where he also served as the assistant head for #Breakaway, Pantograph’s intramurals special coverage, before becoming the EIC for School Year 2020-2021. He broke the three-semester hiatus in the Principal’s List when he became an awardee of such in 2019 when he was just a grade-11 learner.

“The special coverage for the 2019 intramurals was the first time I saw firsthand that ‘The Pantograph really does things differently than what I initially expected.’ It was such an interesting sight to see our issues being posted on our social media and Issuu accounts since it is the culmination of the pubmily’s efforts. Our articles will be read by people. As an EIC, it also gives me relief that ‘Finally, we’re done. For now, that is,’” he

continued.

According to him, his academic performance benefitted from the skills that he learned as a campus journalist making it easier for him to write essays and research papers though there are times that he would joke about leaving the publication if he needs to write lots of articles.

“I already decided to join the publication since Grade 10, so when classes started last 2019, it was the first organization I approached when [the] recruitment opened. While I did consider the extracurricular points, I valued my time and my state even more - if I joined the publication and joined more organizations that needed much of my time, my commitment to those organizations would clash with one another, which might affect me negatively because of the stress and such,” Lorente shared.

He stressed that the SHS administrators must revisit the handbook and change the current pointing system since the members of the publication will only have an extra-curricular point if they were able to publish physical/online releases during the school year.

“I think it should be considered. After all, we don’t just write articles. We come up with the topics to write, we find people to interview.

During our typhoon coverages, we still try to post

updates even if the electricity goes out. During the COVID-19 watch, we wait for the official updates so that we can make ours. We don’t just write and edit, we also lead the staff,” he explained.

Lorente also said that campus journalists might run the possibility of being red-tagged, especially that the publication has been writing articles critical of the government since then. He’s also worried that trolls might attack the publication considering that they have more than 13,000 followers on Facebook.

“We emphasized heavily on the facts and evidence that each published article contained.

Are those correct? Valid? Unbiased? Do we have enough evidence to support our claims? And so on,” Lorente shared.

Despite the implementation of the AntiTerror Law, he still encourages aspiring campus journalists to join the publication especially if they have the passion to write, learn, and help people through it.

“If you have the commitment to your publication, then what are you waiting for? In campus journalism, you don’t wait for good things to come, you are the one who looks for them. As someone who has been a campus journalist for years, I believe that it is worth a try,” he asserted.

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UNC-USG, LSB lead review of Filipina rights JAYVEE FORTUNO IN OBSERVANCE OF 2021 Women’s Month, the University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) University Student Government (USG) and UNC Law School Board (UNC-LSB), in collaboration with JCI Naga Carinosa, launched the second installment of Project Iskomunidad, Juana Know: Reviewing Unpopular Rights for Every Juana, held last March 28.

The webinar aimed to educate and inform every Juana or Filipino woman about rights they may not be aware of with the help of the following guest speakers: Atty. Arlene Alangco, Commission on Human Rights Region V director, spoke about the Magna Carta for Women, which prohibits discrimination against women; Danella Bianca Bona spoke about Memorandum Circular 2016-07, which conforms to existing laws and relevant jurisprudence, allowing married women to keep and use their maiden names instead of their husband’s surname. Samira Gutoc, women’s advocate and former legislator, addressed the RA 11210 Maternity Benefit Act, and Amber Quiban, UP Babaylan member, focused on the SOGIE Equality Bill, which stresses equality among the rights of homosexuals and heterosexuals.

“Today, you are going to be acquiring knowledge sharing on the rights of women. May this knowledge this afternoon play into our purpose of life, whatever God’s will for you, knowing those rights will empower us more than by those rights, much will be done, if we have [the] knowledge to do so,” University President Dr. Fay Lea Patria Lauraya highlighted in her opening address.

Additionally, JCI Naga Carinosa President Marianne Edna Gomez reminded the public of their responsibility to fight for and defend women’s rights since these rights are made to protect them.

“Respect must always be the norm. We should be educating people through programs and policies on the National and Private levels. We must keep working every day to ingrain equality in the culture. It may be or not we realize it, but it

DR. FAY LEA PATRIA LAURAYA UNC PRESIDENT

can make a change in many lives,” Senator Risa Hontiveros tackled in the same webinar.

Moreover, USG President Marie Angella Averilla emphasized the significance of asserting women’s rights to defend their freedom and resist those who try to subdue them.

“Your essence lies upon your ability to decide for your own body, decide to whom you want to marry, to go to places you’ve never been without being restricted, to fulfill your passion without

Screengrabs from UNC University Student Government FB Page

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hesitation, to exercise your rights, to fight for your freedom and to resist misogynists,” Averilla explained.

The said webinar was made successful with the participation of different students from the university and with the partnered organizations as moderated by Krystel Sales, UNC Law School Board governor.

Among those who attended the webinar are STEM 11 learner Francine Ivanna Gabay, who shared her agreement about the Memorandum Circular 2016-07, citing that it could highlight a woman’s personal achievements before and after marriage.

“Yes, I totally agree with it because it’s one way of attaining gender equality and abolishing the evident patriarchy in our society. Before, a married woman is obliged to change her surname including their children according to her husband’s family name which can sort of neglect her personal achievements before and after she got married.

By implementing this law, women will now have the choice and freedom to do whatever they want, which is the main goal of Feminism”, Gabay discussed.

Moreover, Sofia Suzaine Jacinto, 17, STEM 11 learner, the incoming Supreme Student Government Secretary, also shared her opinion with one unpopular right mentioned which is the Magna Carta for Women.

“I agree, as Magna Carta is composed of every women’s right in such ways and there are many situations that need women to be protected, guarded, empowered with their equal rights and being respected without abusing, undervalue and discrimination. With this, they are probably valuing every woman that they are valid and must be treated right as they have a law for them,” Jacinto stressed.

Meanwhile, Jillian Gayle Tarrobago, 17, GAS 12 learner, shared that it is important for women to know their rights.

“It is what keeps us equal, a human being who also deserves to exist in this world without being discriminated [against], abused, questioned of their worth, or feeling inferior,” Tarrobago added.

JOHN DOMINIC FRANZUELA IES PARTICIPANT

UNCeans take part in Int’l Environmental Summit 2021 SARAH CARINAN Various UNCeans took part in the International Environmental Summit (IES) 2021 held from May 1-17 via Zoom, which was organized by the Association of Law Students of the Philippines (ALSP), in partnership with the Asian Research Institute for Environmental Law (ARIEL).

One of them was STEM 12 learner John Dominic Franzuela, who shared his insights on the significance of policies that address climate change and other environmental issues, saying that “formulating just and efficient measures and policies” should benefit everyone, from the upper class down to the marginalized people.

“It’s definitely not right and just to merely craft and pass pro-environmental policies, that, in reality, only favor the middle and upper class while the consequences are experienced by the vulnerable people such as the urban poor communities, marginalized sectors, national minorities, and indigenous people, to name a few. Not to mention that they carry the brunt of state neglect and they become the very victims

when violence becomes a law,” Franzuela continued.

According to him, his desire to be more knowledgeable about all the angles that surround climate change urged him to join and participate in the virtual summit.

“For instance, the level of catastrophic risks at the status quo further justifies that we are already at the above-surface stage of the worst-case scenario that scientists and environmentalists have expected for decades.

And in terms of the responses to this problem, it is worth considering that some approaches aren’t be-all and end-all or, in some cases, onesize-fits-all. I see how this event could highlight the importance of engaging in a dialogue with the vulnerable stakeholders that voice their concerns and needs amid climate change and unfair measures and resolutions,” said Franzuela.

He has also expressed interest in joining future summits for climate justice again since ‘these kinds of lectures send a powerful narrative to mainstream society that everyone can fight against climate change, regardless of our status in life, age, gender, and ethnicity, by

climate justice.’

“These meaningful conversations are an efficient instrument that spread awareness and prompt musing on the specific and exact stage where we are now at the status quo and the weight of our issues. These also arm everyone to have a fair exchange of perspectives and opinions. More than that, possible proactive actions that can be taken to protect our human rights in this battle are also inculcated,” he explained.

The virtual summit aims to provide an in-depth overview of key environmental sectors, such as sustainable transportation, waste management, ocean conservation, and renewable energy, to learn policy development and environmental litigation practices, to illustrate effective strategies and approaches in furthering environmental causes, to foster a network of collaboration between law students and the environmental sector, and to provide an outline on how to create an ordinance, file, and lobby until passage.

The IES 2021 was attended by law students, lawyers, and environmental advocates from different institutions around the world.

NEWS 05

2 UNC SHS alumnae sit as CYO councilors SARAH CARINAN NICA DEANNISE BERLON and Kaye Pauline Servidad, alumnae of the University of Nueva Caceres Senior High School (UNC SHS), were among the 2021 Naga City Youth Officials (CYO).

They were chosen to serve as its 6th and 8th youth councilors, respectively.

Berlon and Servidad were among the Top 48 students selected by the Naga City Government who comprise this year’s batch of CYO, out of 430 applicants.

According to Berlon, it was her utmost determination and willingness to serve the “Naguenyouth” that made her apply for the post once more after an unsuccessful bid last 2019.

“I reminded myself that my experiences will not betray me which was helpful in making myself stay calm and composed throughout the process,” Berlon said.

She also revealed that her first attempt was ‘more of a whim,’ unlike her second attempt, which was a well-thought-of decision.

“I actually had no plans to take a second attempt after my failed attempt but I was there when CYO 2019 conducted the first citywide Pride March. That’s when I thought that it would be nice to be able to be a part of a cause that is so big and reverberating, and inclusive. So there, I decided to make another attempt,” she explained.

When asked about her plans as the 6th City Youth Councilor, she mentioned that she will highlight youth empowerment within the City.

“Youth empowerment, as of the present, to

NICA DEANNISE BERLON 6TH CYO COUNCILOR

make sure that they, we, are given regard and taken into account for as much as we deserve to be, considering that there is still the ‘you’re too young to do anything’ stereotype, and plans to prepare the youth for the future since the youth won’t stay young,” Berlon discussed.

Berlon would serve as the youth counterpart of the 6th City Councilor Hon. Vidal P. Castillo.

Meanwhile, it is her passion for helping the people that made Servidad apply for the CYO. “I want to be a voice, I want to serve as a medium for the ordinary people and the officials.

And with this position, I am given a big privilege to make a move for the betterment of the people, for the youth,” Servidad said.

As for her plans, Servidad emphasized her knowledge and capabilities as a nursing student because she will be utilizing those things in crafting programs and ordinances that will cater to the needs of the health of the youth.

“This position is assigned to committees such as Health and Nutrition, Culture and Arts/ Tourism, and Games and Amusement. Now that I am taking up BS Nursing as my pre-med course, I will take this as an avenue for me to correlate my knowledge and create programs with regards to the youth’s physical, mental and emotional health.

I have a considerable number of programs in mind and I absolutely hope that this could be done face to face, yet with the pandemic, I will probably start with programs that can be done virtually such as webinars and seminars, “ she explained.

Servidad is the counterpart of Hon. Jose ‘Doc Sonny’ C. Rañola.

The new City Youth Councilors also shared some advice to any aspiring CYOs in the future.

According to Servidad, they must have the ‘heart of being a good leader.’

“You do not have to make adjustments about yourself, you do not have to prepare much for the exams and interviews, you just need to show them that you have what it takes to become a youth official by genuinely speaking with your heart. Always believe that what is meant for you will always make its way for you. Thus, have the heart of being a good leader, because, with that, everything will just follow,” Servidad assured.

Meanwhile, Berlon stressed the potential of the youth in achieving things that can bear an impact on the lives of other people.

“Always remember that even though we’re young, we’re still capable of doing extraordinary things that will surely impact not only our lives but the lives of others as well. So don’t doubt yourself,” Berlon added.

To be part of the CYO, applicants are subjected to a two-phase selection process: a written examination, which was held last March 28 at Naga College Foundation (NCF) MTV Building, and an oral interview which was held last April 9 at Sangguniang Panlungsod Conference Room.

After the oral interview, the new batch of youth leaders took their oath of office last April 12 at the City Hall.

The CYO will serve as counterparts of city officials and heads of departments and offices of the government of Naga. They will be allowed to handle the operations of the city government excluding areas that are policy determining or requiring monetary disbursements.

KAYE PAULINE SERVIDAD 8TH CYO COUNCILOR

Photos by Naga City Government

‘Unity with social distancing’: City Youth Month empowers ‘Nagenyouth’ DANCE OFF. Naguenyouths partake in the Ballet Dance Workshop in the Naga City People’s Hall as part of the 2021 City Youth Month Celebration held last May. Photo by Naga City Youth Officials and words by Sharline Berjeuga

JIBRIL ALLEEN LORENTE WITH THE THEME ‘Saringsing’, the Naga City Youth Officials (CYO) led the celebration of the City Youth Month 2021 to showcase the talents and skills of the “Naguenyouth” amid the ongoing pandemic.

The month-long event kicked off on May 8 with a live stream on the CYO Facebook Page, attended by the CYO led by City Youth Mayor Berlineth Nymia Montes, City Youth Vice-Mayor Christopher Cambe, Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President Mary Kyle Francine Tripulca, as well as City Mayor Nelson Legacion, and City Vice-Mayor Cecilia De Asis.

“Dai ta dapat pabayaan na magpundo an pag-uswag kan siyudad nin Naga, lalo na an pagtulod kan interes kan mga jovenes, nin huli lang ta may mga angat kitang kaatubang ngunyan.

Dapat ngani, mas pakusugon ta pa an mensahe niato sa mga jovenes na sinda kaiba ta sa laban kontra COVID-19,” Legacion said during the kickoff ceremony.

Two days after the beginning of the celebration, an online literary exhibit featured prose and poetry from Naguenyouth on the CYO’s social media pages. The said activity added more literary pieces from the youth until May 14.

One of the participants in the said exhibit was GAS 12 learner Bernadette Abainza, whose entry was the first piece displayed. Her piece, “Where would I?” tackles the struggles of the past, present, and future.

“The experience itself is something that I should be grateful for because the city itself read one of my works, and it is overwhelming for me not

because it had its limelight but because I’m able to show that I can be one of the voices of the youth in this kind of matter,” Abainza shared.

After the online literary exhibit was the Online Visual Arts Exhibit, which was held on May 21 with the theme ‘Sirang.’ The next two days then consisted of various seminar workshops for Dancing, Public Speaking, Theater, and Visual Arts - all of which bannered the theme ‘Parigonon!

Pagpaorog kan Talentong Naguenyouth’ was held at the Naga City People’s Hall.

The seminar workshops were followed by a two-day Naguenyouth Business Trade Fair that

Photos by Photo by Naga City Youth Officials

showcased small and big businesses ran by the youth. The fair was held on May 25-26 physically on the City Hall Grounds, and virtually on the CYO social media pages. An open mic was also held on May 26 for any aspiring performers.

And on May 28, the City Youth Month Celebration ended with a program that was also streamed live on Facebook. Aside from the people who were in the opening program 20 days prior, Philippine Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo was also present, who called for continued support and unity among the youth.

“Grabe man an kadipisilan, pirming mas dakula an pagkakataon. Pagkakataon na makiayon, makagibo nin karahayan. Kamo mismo an pruweba kaini. Magkatuwang kamong naghahanap nin mga oportunidad na maging mas matibay, mas makanuod sa kada saro na magin mas marhay na youth leader. An pangapodan ko saindo, ngonian, ipadagos. Ipadagos nindo an pagpapakusog kan saindong pag-iriba. Widen the path along the way, so that others may join your cause. You were made for times like this,” Robredo declared.

Montes also assured the youth that the CYO will continue working to improve their situation.

“Asahang patuloy na magiging bukas, malinaw, at maka-NagenYouth and aming mga polisiya at programa. Walang sawang tatangan sa panig ng mga kabataan ng Naga, at walang pagod na aakay at magbibigay ng lugar upang mapakinggan at matugunan ang inyong mga pangangailangan at hinaing,” the City Youth Mayor added.

Throughout the celebration, the Senior High School Supreme Student Government and The Pantograph and Malaya served as the CYO’s partners for the event.

NEWS 17

UFS ‘Akda’ dominates ‘SiLab Dos: UNO’ FRANCINE IVANNA GABAY UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA Caceres Film Society’s (UFS) entry, ‘Akda’, a film showcasing the societal status of women in an oppressive society, was declared as best short film of the SiLab Dos: UNO (SIning na UmaaLAB) 2021 Regional Short Film Competition last March 20.

The said film depicts the unfair treatment that women are experiencing up to this day through the life story of ‘Jane’ who despite all the things she suffered as a woman, took courage and left her miserable life at home. However, destiny seems too harsh on her when a group of drunkards took advantage of her innocence but in the end, someone whom she did not expect helped and made her believe what true virtue is.

The said character was brought to life by Vanna Rain Gepayo as created by John David Goyena, Aquinnah Tongbaban, and Shanley Ogayon. The film was also edited and translated by Romar Castro and Ian Geroy, respectively. Their win would also be impossible without the help of John Patrick Regidor, John Murphy Bustamante, and Gilbert Laguardia Jr. who helped in the set production, cinematography, and sound design.

“We would say that our film converts every word with equipped full emotions. We make sure that our film truly stands with all the women who suffered and continue encountering oppression and mistreatment from our society,” Zeus Tenerife, the Director of ‘Akda’, said in an interview.

Behind the team’s win, they revealed that creating their first-ever short film was difficult to do especially this time of the pandemic. They even resulted in minimizing the number of production staff and actors that really

tested their skills and most especially their teamwork.

“The team limited the shooting in a few days and we follow the protocols needed...we shoot during the weekends so we can assure that everyone in the team still focuses on their academics,” they said in an interview.

On a Facebook post made by the organizers of the said competition, Teatro de Sta. Luisa - Unibersidad de Santa Isabel,

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UNC appoints...

Plus, we will have an improved consultation period to coach and guide the learners, both for FlexiTech and FlexiKit modalities, to accomplish their weekly tasks,” Gurnot answered.

In the same survey, 54 Grade 12 learners also said that they are not college-ready after graduating in the online set-up but Gurnot said that the learning facilitators are doing their best to champion excellence and using their experience last school year. He believes that the SHS Department can provide better service to the learners to become college-

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they’ve mentioned that despite the pandemic, they still received a total of 21 entries from 11 different schools in Bicol. The selection process starts from choosing the top five among the total number of entries that garnered at least 70% of the judges’ scores. Once chosen, the top five finalists have to fill in the remaining 30% through the power viewing that occurred for five days on YouTube.

Upon knowing the number of entries for the short film competition,

ready and work-ready individuals.

“This school year, we are planning to implement the second run of STEM Engineering.

Aside from that, we will launch another program under the STEM strand-STEM Science. This program will cater to those learners who are planning to take science or medical-related programs in college,” he continued.

Based on the observation and recommendation of the learning supervisors, he will also implement free coaching and consultation hours for the learners to focus on specific activities related to the course scheduled for a day. They added that they will also enhance the students’ activities to be led

by Assistant Principal for Student Affairs Melinda Susanna Dy and the club moderators.

Gepayo, the portrayer of ‘Jane’, told The Pantograph x Malaya that she actually felt intimidated, “I was shocked to know that they picked me for the role, but it is what it is. A big shout out to my best friend Shanley who never left me on this AKDA journey, also to my UFS fam who helped me a lot.”

The SiLab Dos: UNO Regional Competition’s theme ‘Babayi: Pagyurak...Pagbangon...Paglaya’ aimed to tackle current socio-political issues that women are facing right now in celebration of Womens’ Month.

“As a woman, the role given to me let me open my mind even more.

It made me think that life is pretty complex, anything can happen to each and everyone, but the sure thing is there’s always a ray of hope, it’s your choice to pick it or not. In the end, chances were always given. All is in your hands,” Gepayo shared during the interview.

She also said that she can relate with ‘Jane’ as a woman who remains to be strong and resilient despite this judgemental society and uncertainties that are stopping every woman to excel in life.

Aside from their teamwork and being goal-oriented, the UFS would also like to thank their friends, family, and the institution for their utmost support in promoting the short film and helped during the power viewing for them to win the competition.

Last March 27, the team already received their trophy during the awarding of winners in Unibersidad de Sta. Isabel but when asked if they are preparing for another short film competition, they’ve answered that they are still quite unsure if they will join another contest since they are busy preparing for some activities in connection with the Dance Troupe’s Concert.

“Ang future competitions namin is the Peñafrancia Film Festival for the next school year,” they stated.

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‘SSG Officers are... stressed.

The rest of the SSG Officers are Sofia Suzaine Jacinto, Secretary; Babylen Belen, Treasurer; Janelle Louise Disuanco, Auditor; Czarina Jasmine Delos Reyes, Public Information and Relations Officer; Zena Ticiamae Chavez, ABM representative; Sandara Meaida Ricafort, GAS representative; Cris Paulo Tolosa, TVL Representative.

Meanwhile, Kyla Baniel will replace Kenneth Gavino as the STEM representative after the latter resigned a fews days after the proclamation due to personal reasons.

MAM-AWKWARD NO MORE. The Senior High School Department pays tribute to all mothers by showcasing their talents as part of the Mother’s Day Celebration last May 8.

Screengrab from UNC SHS FB Page and words by Pauline Velasco

SHS Dep’t holds 1st Sem Recognition, Mother’s Day tribute SHIARA MAE HOSMILLO AND DANIELLE FRANCES FAVOR LAST MAY 8, the University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) Senior High School (SHS) conducted its First Semester Online Recognition for the school year 2020-2021, followed by the Mother’s Day tribute.

At 10 AM, the online recognition’s livestreaming started on the university’s official Facebook Page. The awarding of the achievers started from the Grade 11 to the Grade 12 awardees in all the strands of the department.

“I was happy, of course. Although during the awarding my name was just flashed for a few seconds, it still gave me a sense of achievement and that someone has recognized all the works that I have done during that quarter [semester],” Babylen Belen, who qualified in the Learning Supervisor’s list, from STEM 11 said.

There were only 214 awardees for the first semester compared to last year’s record of 257. However, four learners from Grade 12 still managed to become Principal listers (PLs) wherein John Dominic Franzuela got the highest general weighted average (GWA) of 99.00.

According to Franzuela, he was full of gratitude towards his learning facilitators who consistently gave extra effort and time to give feedback to enhance his milestones and outputs.

He would also like to thank his mom for her constant financial support for the further resources needed and lastly, to our Almighty for the strength

and handling of the factors that were beyond his control.

“As a person, most especially as an incoming college student, this award has a possibility to open scholarship opportunities. On the other hand, as a student, this can give me enough pressure to strive for excellence more,” he added.

Moreover, Jibril Alleen Lorente, also a PL, shared that he was surprised because he was anticipating getting a lower GWA compared to last year due to the new learning environment.

“I wasn’t expecting to remain on the Principal’s List considering my GWA that barely made it to the list last year. So the fact that I still was on that list and with my average going up by 0.75, it was a surprise for me,” he continued.

Lorente plans to maintain his spot by adapting to the online setup first and finding ways to make studying more interesting and enjoyable to easily motivate himself to study and reduce stress.

“Teacher-student interaction is very important to ensure holistic learning inside the school.

However, because we have canceled all faceto-face classes, I think that’s one factor why the academic performance of the learners was affected. Nevertheless, the University offered FlexiTech modality (online modality) and conducted synchronous sessions as a substitute to the faceto-face class,” Learning Supervisor Arvin Sibulo, chairman of the ceremony, said in connection with the total awardees of the first half of the school year 2020-2021.

Sibulo expressed his gratitude for the efforts given by his whole team to make the first-ever online

recognition of the school year successful despite the struggle of crafting most of the job online.

An hour after the ceremony, the “Tribute to Mothers”, in connection with Mother’s Day celebration, was also uploaded on the UNC SHS Facebook Page wherein several students showcased their talents as a sign of love and appreciation.

“One of my biggest reasons on why I performed spoken poetry in front of my mother is to show the love that I have for her. Also, to tell the things that my heart wants to say. I want her to know that I am aware of the difficulties that she’s encountering and also, I am aware of the feelings that she has in every situation. Also, I want her to know and become aware of how much I care and love her,” Donita Alamer, ABM 11 learner, said.

The Mother’s day tribute was performed individually by SHS learners from the different strands of the department. As written in the post, the tribute was “dedicated to mothers who were deemed to be heroes and partners in nurturing better tomorrows of the students in the said department of UNC.” “I think the very essence of celebrating Mother’s Day is to showcase the bond we have for our mothers. We often forget to thank and commemorate the efforts of our mother due to day-to-day errands, and because it is sometimes ‘awkward’. Mother’s Day is a celebration that is dedicated to our mothers, and gives us a chance to thank them, shaking off the awkwardness of the situation,”, Anggechim (not their real name), Grade 12 learner, said.

Screengrabs from UNC SHS FB Page

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65.3% UNC SHS learners satisfied with EIE SPREAD- survey FRANCINE IVANNA GABAY AND FRANCISCO CLAY, JR. IN THE RECENTLY conducted survey among 101 University of Nueva Caceres Senior High School learners, 65.3% or 66 students expressed satisfaction with the English Immersive Environment (EIE) SPREAD program this school year.

Meanwhile, 23.8% or 24 learners were unsure if they were satisfied while the remaining 10.9% expressed dissatisfaction.

According to ABM 11 learner Rhoda Mae Cabato, the program helped them in improving their usage of the English language, especially during classes.

“During classes, we were always encouraged to speak in English. If we pronounce a word wrong, we will get corrected. This helped me and the others to improve our English skills,” Cabato explained.

However, this was refuted by STEM 11 learner ‘Kara’ (not their real name), who suggested that impromptu and extemporaneous speeches should be conducted rather than videos as it can further improve their ability to communicate in English.

“I think the students need some experience like impromptu and extemporaneous speech to improve their grammar and also the ability to communicate using the English language,” ‘Kara’ said.

Flexi-Kit learners have also expressed that they were unable to ‘feel’ the said program, saying that the activities are ‘for the Flexi-Tech’ learners.

“I am a modular learner, so I can’t feel it,” STEM 11 learner ‘Ami’ (not their real name) responded.

On the other hand, a Grade 12 modular learner from GAS L said that even if they are not required to submit their recorded videos, they are still obliged to speak professionally with their learning facilitators using the same medium that serves as their way to improve.

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Among the 23.8% unsure learners, four learners said that the program is good, however, they can’t really observe some improvements in their communication skills.

“I’m not sure, because honestly, I really think the EIE spread program is good and encouraging but this school year, as we all are struggling and coping up with the changes in the school systems and the new normal, I didn’t think much of the program and considered it as one of the school works and I sometimes do the EIE videos on a whim, without any effort as I have many due projects and activities. That’s why I’m not sure if I’m satisfied or unsatisfied with the EIE program this year, considering the extreme pressure and circumstances we all have,” STEM 11 learner ‘Eclair’ (not their real name) explained.

This was also agreed upon by STEM 11 learner ‘Matcha’ (not their real name) who’s currently. According to her, it is somehow helpful for the students especially to the online learners but eventually, it just became another task to be

65.3% Satisfied

10.9% Unsatisfied 23.8% Unsure

complied by the learners which makes her unsure of her answer.

There are also some students who are unsure since they don’t comply with this requirement anymore just like ‘Krazzy Man’ (not their real name) of ICT-CP 12, “I’m not sure because I haven’t really participated in that activity more often.”

In an interview, English Learning Supervisor Nikko Junio said that while the data as to the extent of the impact of the program on the mastery of the English language of the learners are yet to be released, the learners were able to analyze the reading materials properly.

“The SPREAD [program] has impacted us in terms of our skill in reading. Some learners, especially Grade 12, don’t actually go back to their strategic reading techniques. But, because of EIE SPREAD, some of them are able to use it. In being able to solve and analyze reading materials or something from the reading materials,” Junio said.

He also shared that despite the difficulty in encouraging the learners to submit their videos, they observed that the students’ pronunciation, grammar, and fluency (PGF) are more pleasing to listen to.

“I do understand where they are coming from.

It is just that they are very hard to motivate to make these videos,” he continued.

The low number of outputs sent gave Junio the general idea that the EIE should be strategically implemented to ensure the participation of the learners.

“Since Senior High School, ironically, is the only department that stopped integrating EIE in your grading system. What I’m going to do is I want to be more strategic next school year and I’m going to take this with me if we have a POC meeting with everyone in the university,” the learning supervisor explained.

Junio also said that they plan to make the reading materials more entertaining, allocate a certain date specifically for the creation of the videos, and let the students be more creative.

UNC SHS CES’ ‘Project Sibol’ highlights

urban gardening importance JAYVEE FORTUNO TO HIGHLIGHT THE importance of urban gardening, the UNC Senior High School Community Extension Service (UNC SHS-CES) launched ‘Project Sibol’ last April 5.

According to UNC SHS-CES President Eweneja Aquino, the said project was proposed to them by SHS Assistant Principal for Student Affairs Melinda Susana Dy, and even led the distribution of its materials such as pechay seeds, sacks of soil, and water bottles. A total of 26 participants, both from grades 11 and 12, joined the event.

“This project was proposed to us in December last year, but due to a fortuitous event, we were not able to push through it and decided to move it this year. It took us more or less than two weeks to gather information and distribute seeds, soil, and planters that the volunteers need,” Aquino added, referring to the weather disturbances that affected the Region during those times.

Aquino also mentioned that the project will not be successfully implemented without the cooperation of the officers and members, as well as the volunteers for their time and support.

“I can say that this whole experience can be described as a roller coaster ride. I, myself, started from scratch, clueless of what could happen to my plants. Facing different obstacles from time to time, and finding the best solution. But seeing my plants grow makes me so proud, and I could not wait to harvest my plants,” Aquino added,

SOWING THE SEEDS. As part of ‘Project Sibol,’ urban gardening materials were distributed to 26 participating students among Grade 11 and 12 learners. Said project aimed to highlight the significance of urban gardening. Photo by Melinda Susana Dy and words by Pauline Velasco

citing her experience with the project.

Meanwhile, UNC SHS-CES Treasurer Babylen Belen felt proud when she saw her plants grow after over a week.

“It was great, to be honest, but the experience is quite nerve-wracking because even if I have small knowledge about planting, there are still so many things to know and explore. I even remember, at first, I thought the seeds were not alive because it took almost a week and a half to have a sprout. That time, I was always watching youtube videos and searching for answers to why it wasn’t growing,” Belen continued.

Belen also mentioned some of the challenges she faced during the process.

“At first when my seeds were already growing our dogs played with it causing it to die. Luckily, I just planted half of the seeds so I was able to plant another batch and so far, they are growing. Another problem that I have encountered is that I was quite busy with my schoolwork so I wasn’t able to water it every day.

What I did was to remind myself early in the morning or late in the evening by using my alarm clock. It helped me because it became my breather from my schoolwork,” Belen stated.

Aside from conducting community service projects for its adopted communities, the pursuant of the said project linkages to one of the University’s core values ‘We are dynamic and Creative’ as they maximize ideas in forming a project beneficial for the volunteers, officers, and to the community.

It is also the organization’s avenue to encourage everyone to engage with environmental activities while being resourceful and creative.

SHS students partake in ‘Project AKI’

JAY VHIE ABUNDA TO BUILD RAPPORT, connect, and fill gaps between students coming from different departments of the University of Nueva Caceres (UNC), the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) conducted a series of training, known as ‘PROJECT Adopt-a-Kid Initiative’ or PROJECT AKI. “Basically, Project AKI is a training program wherein trainers are from the college department while trainees are from the Basic Ed--from Elem to SHS”, Democrat’s Associate Editor and head of the training team of the project in their publication Norene Cantor stated in an interview last July 2.

The official publication of the college department headed the said program wherein ten staff members of The PANTOGRAPH x MALAYA also engaged in the said project through a series of training in the different field in Journalism on the following dates: April 17, May 8, and June 3 via Google Meet.

The Democrat’s motive on the series of

training is to help their fellow campus journalists’ understanding and sense of purpose: “It is like an initial thought that older people are more experienced and therefore skilled than their juniors, and we believe this project is trying to bridge such knowledge on certain things in order for trainees to propagate their unique takes and eventually make their own creation using this knowledge,” Cantor added.

Despite the situation that we have right now, the said project gained positive feedback coming from the participants.

“I learned that there are more styles in writing news and editorial articles. As someone who mainly uses a few different ways of writing those articles, it helped me in finding better ways in conveying the truth to the audience as there are styles that can make a topic interesting to the readers,” Jibril Lorente mentioned in an interview last July 3.

Lorente’s statement was also agreed upon

by Jayvee Fortuno who said that PROJECT AKI helped her improve her writing skills because The Democrat introduced different ideas and styles that aspiring writers can apply in different writing fields.

“It made us realize that there are much more beyond what we know in campus journalism,” she continued.

Fellow participant Curt Jairus Perez also praised the personalities of the trainers saying that they are approachable making it easier for him to understand the concepts.

Cantor shared that it would have been better if they reached more audiences, however, it is quite understandable in every way because of our setup.

Despite a smaller number of participants, The Democrat also expressed its thanks to the editors who worked and put in the effort, as well as The Pantograph’s time and efforts to be with them in the project.

From the feedback given to them, Cantor believed they achieved the mission that the OSA gave “We have achieved our purpose of bridging knowledge and also discovering their creativity and skills, learned from them, and gave them ideas on what they can still work on.” Cantor stated.

The said project of OSA will be sustained and as for the Democrat, they are willing to continue this program when the OSA calls for their presence.

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FRANCINE IVANNA GABAY AND JAYVEE FORTUNO DESPITE THE STRUGGLES of learning amidst the pandemic, the graduating class of 2020-2021 successfully completed their Senior High School years and are now ready to soar towards the path of achieving their dreams. Among the graduates, two gems coming from the STEM strand together with other learners from their respective academic strands excelled and have shared their journeys in embracing and adapting to the demands of the current modes of learning, leaving remarkable stories in unraveling the treasures within them.

After conducting the selection process among the top 70 learners who passed the qualification process, the Senior High School Department hailed Jibril Alleen Lorente as this year’s class valedictorian, followed by John Dominic Franzuela as the class salutatorian.

These learners excelled both academically and non-academically starting from Grade 11 until Grade 12. The selection process was composed of 100% criteria, wherein the academic qualifications bear 50%, 30% for the non-academic activities, and the remaining 20% for the panel interview.

‘Valedictorian with a heart for public service’ ‘Success is more fruitful when shared with everyone.’

This is how Class Valedictorian Jibril Alleen Lorente described the academic year 2020-2021 in an interview with The PANTOGRAPH x MALAYA. Lorente, way back in Junior High School, has already excelled in the field of academics after sharing that he was a consistent top learner in their whole batch. Despite being a consistent honor learner, he was not able to fight the challenges brought by the new learning environment. In the same interview, he said that he faced many challenges before and during the pandemic, but he always went back to his main goal.

“There are times that I really don’t feel like doing anything but to play because I’m too lazy to do stuff. However, I would always bounce back because I would often think of what might happen if I am unproductive for a day: my work would pile up, and the thought of mounting work would bother me so much,” Lorente revealed.

He even jokingly said that there were times that he felt demotivated, a thought of repeating for a year would often escape his mind. Another challenge that he faced was time. Since the online classes began, Lorente said that the boundary between home and class began to blur which made him realize how much trouble it would be if he cannot find a way to draw the line where school ends and time for family and friends begins.

“To address that, I would typically do school and organization work during class hours even during asynchronous sessions so that the rest of the day can be used for myself, my friends, and my family. Although I generally continue working at night as it kind of became a habit for me to work at night after years of being a student,” he shared.

Lorente even honestly said that if he failed to address those two challenges, he might have lost his sanity at some point during the school year.

However, after being exposed to different Google

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Applications, he agreed that he was adequately prepared and only adjusted a little bit with the blended learning setup.

When asked if he would pick the new setup over the old one, he strongly disagreed with it.

“I’d take faceto-face classes over it any day, especially when I knew that some of our batchmates had to stop schooling because they lack the devices, the internet connection, or the additional expenses.

Aside from that, face-to-face classes were also easier for both LFs and learners alike as it’s easier to communicate with one another back then,” Lorente stated.

Despite the society conforming with the crab mentality, Lorente was able to break the standards after saying that he always ensures that no one will be left behind. According to him, the word that best describes his entire Senior High School journey would be ‘ONWARD’ since it was his classmates, ‘pubmily’, and him pushing forward to grow, tap onto their hidden potentials, and achieve great things together.

Oftentimes, people who are already on top would always aim for more, but Lorente is not that type.

“Personally, I, with the help of everyone around me, became more comfortable with the thought of exploring what’s outside my comfort zone... I was never alone. From group work at STEM O to editing articles with my fellow editors, we all did everything together.”

Aside from being hailed as the class valedictorian, Lorente was also the editor-inchief of the UNC SHS student publications, STEM commissioner and vice-chairperson of the Students’ Commission on Elections, and a member of Lupon ng Makata. During his tenure in the publication, he was able to become the assistant head for BREAKAWAY: The PANTOGRAPH’s special coverage of the SHS intramurals and secured the second rank during the Division School Press Conference (DSPC) in 2019. The pandemic did not stop him from collecting awards after bagging the eighth spot in the Ditto Sarmiento Journalism Cup (DSJC) and the fourth spot in the Camilo Osias Arts Festival Search for

Ten Outstanding Student Journalists (CAMAF).

Moreover, he was also a diligent public servant after being consistent in giving COVID-19 and typhoon coverages, with the help of the other staff members, that resulted in having 10,000 likes and followers on the publication’s Facebook page resulting in many partnership offers from various organizations.

‘Character over Intelligence’: Salutatorian “Senior years are the shortest chapter in our education yet what happened in my two-year journey being an active learner is truly a gem.”

That is how the Batch 2020 - 2021 Class Salutatorian John Dominic Franzuela, a learner from STEM L, described his journey as an SHS learner. Despite the sudden shift of learning, he is one of the learners who were able to make it through, and now moving forward towards another journey of achieving their dreams.

Franzuela, way back in Junior High School in the same University, has already showcased his leadership skills as a Supreme Student Government officer from Grade 8 to 9, and the President of the organization in his 10th-grade year. He initiated several student development events promoting and enhancing the student body’s camaraderie and sense of belonging, which made him a recipient of the Philippine Eagle Outstanding Youth Service Award, as well as the Most Outstanding Leadership Award, and Mayoral Award for Leadership for their batch 2018-2019. Amid enhancing his leadership skills, he was able to manage to be an honor learner from his 7th to 10th grade.

“When I was in JHS, I was not really part of the honors list because it was not my goal at that time. Instead, I want to develop and enhance my innate leadership and other skills and talents,” Franzuela stressed.

Just like any other Senior High School learner, entering the Senior High School years was a challenge for him, especially that there was a sudden change in the learning environment. During his Grade 11th year, he juggled his time engaging with different organizations while being a consistent Learning Supervisor’s lister for two semesters.

He was the minister of external affairs and the institutional representative of the UNC SHS Debate

Circle, STEM L class prime minister, the campaign manager of Tingog Party, and a University SHS student ambassador.

Compared to the previous school year and the present learning environment, Franzuela was able to adapt with the help of various coping mechanisms and transform his mindset by accepting the hybrid approach. When asked about his preference between the two, he said, “I prefer the face-to-face setup, of course. This is because the approach is more accessible and convenient to most learners if not all, therefore, no one will be left behind, everyone would make it. More than that, the interactions, pieces of learning, and discussions of the course are much easier because it is being done personally instead of in-between screens,” Franzuela stated.

Regardless of adjustments, he made sure to be active in his organizations, while balancing his time for his academics. In fact, he was a Principal’s lister in the first semester this year. Aside from that, he was the publications officer of the Bicol Debate Union and continued his endeavor in the UNC SHS Debate Circle as the minister of training, the class prime minister of STEM L, and a UNC SHS student ambassador.

With his active participation in his affiliations, he received prestigious awards throughout his journey as this reflects on his perseverance and passion in improving one’s self and for being in service for the studentry. He showed his skills in debating as he was a grand finalist and 2nd placer in the 5th Bicol Debate Open, a Philippine representative for the PreAsian Debate Tournament and Luzon Intervarsity, a Bicol representative for the Bicol Festival 2020, PSDC 2020, and 5th Bicol Debate Open.

Aside from debating, he also excelled in other fields as he was a recipient of the Alfonso Yuchengco National Discipline Award, 3rd placer for Student Life Gimmick Parade 2019, an English Immersive Environment (EIE) champion, a Synthesis speaker, a participant for the International Environmental Summit 2021, and a proud founder of the Project Lingkayod and Project TODA-max, which served as his avenue to help other people amidst the pandemic.

“I managed this by making productivity a habit and falling in love with the process/struggle specifically through using technical techniques that fit my body and energy,” Franzuela added.

All of these would not be possible without the help and support of his friends, mentors, and his family. Regardless of his knowledge on a certain topic or his possessed skills, he uses this as an instrument to help his friends out, and by making his mentors and family proud of him. This emphasizes him being in character despite his achievements, as he is always willing to be a helping hand to his colleagues, and people.

The abovementioned journey of two of the best students of this year’s graduating batch reflects the real world beneath academic achievements and awards. Being part of the honors list is not an easy journey as it requires extra effort and perseverance towards achieving one’s goal. It is indeed true that anyone is capable of being part of the honors list but at the end of the day, it depends on your willingness to step out of the box and go beyond your knowledge and skills, as you pursue to be one of the diamonds.

O PARENT-FR SAMANTHA NICOLE IMPERIAL AND LEXINE RUST AS THE PANDEMIC continues to bring unending challenges, tensions, and worries ranging from the safety of someone or their family up to how well they perform either be it in work or school, it is important to keep in mind that despite the uncertainty for the next few days or months, our front liners are still doing their best to cure people and make our nation safe from any dangers.

To honor our front liners, we talked to three (3) parents of Senior High School (SHS) students from the University of Nueva Caceres who work as front liners to know their hard work, efforts, and the difference between their workplaces before and now in the new normal.

Ramos: The Diligent Naturopathic Doctor Clemente B. Ramos, 50, is a naturopathic doctor, husband, and father to Joyce Ramos, a student in TVL FBS 11. He describes the pandemic as something that makes it hard for everyone to cope with, and yet he continues to be one of the front liners or modern heroes, dedicating their lives to the care and safety of others.

It is both a relief and a worry for the family to see Dr. Ramos comes home after a nine (9)-hour shift knowing that he will be exposed to active cases. Thankfully, he has a strong immune system that helps him fight off the virus and for all of the swab tests, the results came out negative.

Dr. Ramos also emphasized one advantage despite the situation we are in, where we have a lot to consider, such as policies and existing protocols. According to him, it is good that there are only a limited number of patients for him to see throughout the day compared to the normal setup, where he gets to consult a lot of patients.

The reduced number of patients was because of the safety protocols that must be followed.

As one of the

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hardworking front liners in this pandemic who cure patients, Dr. Ramos feels good not only with the thought but also the action of helping those people who are in need. Just like any other front liner, he is scared for himself and his family. As his family appreciate and feel proud for having a hero in disguise like Dr. Ramos, they are still worried about his safety and at the same time, Dr. Ramos makes sure that he keeps himself and his family safe from being exposed to the virus by continuously following the health protocols and disinfection measures.

“I just wanna say to always take care of yourself! Always drink vitamins that can help your body to fight this virus. We can all pass through this. We should not forget to pray every day for the sake of ourselves, family, community, country, and the whole nation,” Dr. Ramos stated, as he was asked his message to the community.

Chavez: The Bright Physician Jordan R. Chavez IV, MD, 49, a physician, is another front liner-parent. His children are Zena Ticiamae Chavez and Jordan Chavez V from ABM-B and STEM-O, respectively. He considers himself helpful throughout the pandemic since he is still trying to assist sick people to get better.

He works 120 hours per week and five (5) days per week both in his clinic and in the hospital

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to treat patients now that we are amid a pandemic. He has never isolated himself when going home since the pandemic began, but he does change clothing before leaving, change clothing when he arrives at home, and take a bath frequently to avoid contracting the virus.

Knowing that he is one of the hardworking front liners in this pandemic, he said, “I don’t feel anything extra about what I am doing because it’s my job.”

He also stated that his family is feeling sad, worried, and proud at some points. He is sad and worried since this pandemic is making our life hard, especially the work they need to handle. Also, he is proud because he can help to fight the virus and can help to bring everything back to normal.

As the pandemic continues to make everyone’s lives more difficult, frontline workers are taking extra precautions and measures whenever they perform their duties to prevent contracting the virus from those who have been exposed to it or from confirmed cases.

“This pandemic will not stop soon if only the health workers are doing extra protection and precautions by heart. It’s really a change in the way we live our lives.

No going back to the old habits,” Chavez said when he was asked about the front liner’s experience.

Malonda: The Incredible Police Inspector Just like any other front liners who are hardworking, Noel R. Malonda, 50, is not only a

hardworking policeman, who works seven (7) hours a day but also a loving husband and great father of five (5) children. He is the father of Jianne Malonda, a GAS-A learner.

“This pandemic has been groundbreaking, an entirely unexpected sort of involvement that caused change within our lives. I suppose, we can go back to normal yet it’s uncertain that we will, in any case, be similar to what our lives were before this pandemic occurred,” said Malonda when asked how he can describe himself and the pandemic.

Since police officers are the ones who are in charge of checkpoints and respond to calls for police services to keep everyone safe, they are also ensuring that their families are not infected. After work, he continues to isolate himself from his family, even taking a bath before touching or hugging them. He also washes his hands frequently, wears masks and face shields, and keeps a social distance from others.

It is ‘fortunate’ for him to help manage crises in this country even though it is a fatiguing setup and numerous occurrences. In relation, when he goes to work, he is putting his life and health at risk, making it difficult for his family to ensure that nobody is infected.

“The pandemic and [the] current situation has been hard on us all and it hasn’t ended yet so we need to accept the circumstances for what they are and act with [an] aim and stay patient,” stated Malonda.

The front liners ensure that everybody is safe and healthy as they are trained and supported. They are risking their lives to make us safe, so we need to give importance to them. Let us pay homage to them and let us remain safe by staying at home and just go outside if it is a significant meeting.

Nevertheless, it is undeniable that these front liners are heroes in disguise. From not only working just to provide necessities for their families but also working passionately and diligently to bring forth support, care, and safety for everyone. It is not just superman, batman, or even spiderman who are the heroes. In these times, it is essential to know the real heroes who fight for us and it is the front liners.

We HGrow As ETNhSAeNyC Grow T E SE TU GRE ASON OF

LEXINE RUST AND JAYVEE FORTUNO THE PANDEMIC HAS surely made everyone feel that they need a whole new level of adjustment to take as students get to study at home either by online or modular modality, workers work at home, and others stay in their homes longer than they have ever been.

Green sanctuaries have been created in people’s houses. Photos of delighted plant parents and their leafy infants have invaded our feeds, where people found themselves being more protective and more caring than ever as they participate in the ongoing trend of plant craze where males and females that take care of their beloved babies, which are plants, are called “plantito” and “plantita”, respectively.

Some people prefer cactus in tiny pots, while others prefer indoor plants with large leaves.

Others prefer edible plants, such as herbs and veggies. Plants are grown for a variety of reasons.

There are different levels of being a plantita. Some have indoor jungles, while others have pots in the corner. With all being mentioned, some of our fellow UNCeans have engaged in this plant craze, as they share their wonderful experiences being one of the plantitas we have.

Blooming Daughters Before the trend became viral, Genera “Ara” Hosmillo, mother of Shiara Mae Hosmillo, a learner from the General Academic Strand (GAS), has already been a loving and caring plantita. Ara had a moderate number of plants back then but after the trend boosted, she collected more plants than usual. With the plant craze going on, her number of plants grew because of her regular winning streak from online raffles causing her to win and have blooming daughters added to her existing collections.

When asked about her favorite plant among her collection, “My favorite plant of all is my expensive Monstera Deliciosa that I got at one raffle,” she

ARIES

stated.

Ara also mentioned that her unforgettable experience was the times where she won in every FB live raffle she joined and received plants as the prize. Repotting and seeing the plants grow served as her entertainment and stress reliever, indeed a chance to take a break from reality.

An Escape Aside from parents who engage with the craze, we also have students who enjoy being plantitas. Babylen Belen, 17, became a plantita as she decided to take care of the plant given to her by one of her former classmates. According to Belen, she added the plant to her collection and found it as her breather.

“It helped me to become less bored, most especially when there were still no classes. It also became my breather whenever I felt stressed with my school work”, she added.

Belen also finds Orchids as her favorite because the plant is beautiful as the flowers bloom fully. She also loves her fruit-bearing plants like the tomato, lemon, and chili plant because they can be used for cooking any dish. Connected to this was her unforgettable experience where she had her first-ever fruit-bearing plant.

“There was a time when my tomato plant died because the pots were too small for it. It already produced some tomatoes but it was very small. It was my very first fruit-bearing plant”, Belen added.

Aside from their aesthetic contributions to our homes, houseplants also help in maintaining our health in many aspects. They have a relaxing effect on us, reducing our stress levels. Plants assist to bring nature and wide-open spaces into the home by reminding us of them. Plants also help to improve air quality in our homes by emitting oxygen while taking up carbon dioxide.

It is also scientifically proven that taking care of plants will improve someone’s concentration and productivity, and also boost their mood that results in good performances that helps as we develop ourselves. Taking care of such plants does give us the benefits, and gives us an avenue to know that we are capable of doing and letting something grow, where we grow as they grow.

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SAMANTHA NICOLE IMPERIAL “ALL FLOWERS ARE beautiful in their own way, and that’s like women too” ‒ Miranda Kerr Flowers and women are somewhat alike. They add beauty and inspiration to those around them, making them even more unique. It is up to them when will they bloom, showing their true colors and when will they wilt or lose their chance to spread positivity and light to others.

In honor of Women’s Month, we will highlight three outstanding female alumni from the University of Nueva Caceres, as we gain knowledge about their efforts to promote women empowerment, as they share their journey and conquered milestones.

Leni: The Iris Since iris is known as the flower that symbolizes royalty, respect, and wisdom, this remarkable woman from our university is the current Vice President of the Philippines, Maria Leonor “Leni” Gerona Robredo.

She is the country’s 14th Vice President, the second female vice president and the first vice president who hails from the Bicol region. She graduated Law from the University of Nueva Caceres in 1992 and was a probono women’s rights lawyer before entering politics.

According to the official website of the Office of the Vice President, Leni has the anti-poverty program, “Angat Buhay”. Food security and nutrition, women’s empowerment, education, healthcare, rural development, and housing are among the six primary advocacies that have inspired this project. Also, she inaugurated “Istorya ng Pag-Asa”, a campaign aimed at spreading optimism and positivity by showcasing incredible stories of everyday Filipinos through words, photos, and films, which would be presented in events, exhibits, and social media. Moreover, Robredo got her latest award. The magazine PeopleAsia has awarded Robredo and the Vice President’s Office the “People of the Year” award for reaching out to communities and creating partnerships with the commercial sector for their COVID-19 response.

Robredo is also an advocate of women’s empowerment. She stated in her speech for International Women’s Day that there is so much to be proud of which are the freedom to vote, increased economic and political participation, and stricter legislation protecting women’s rights are all examples of a world that has become more gender-equal in recent generations. Despite these achievements, though, there is still a long way to go. The reality on the ground, however, paints a picture that is far from ideal.

“Today is a reminder of the imperative: We

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need to band together to continue the work. We need as many women and allies as possible banging against the glass ceiling and creating spaces where all genders can flourish and contribute to society. Because progress hinges not on the brilliance of a few, but on the sustained united effort of all,” Robredo said.

Alzel: The Gladiolus Alodia Berzel Laguardia, 20, is the gladiolus as she is known to have a strength of character, sincerity, and integrity. She served as the former Supreme Student Government (SSG) President in both Junior High School (20162017) and Senior High School (2018-2020), is the second outstanding lady who completed high school in 2019 and has been a student at the University of Nueva Caceres for a decade. She is now in her second year, pursuing her chosen course, Bachelor of Arts in Journalism at the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) Manila Campus.

According to our one-on-one interview, she competed in public speaking and broadcasting competitions when she was in high school, as these were her hobbies.

She even represented the university at Regional Competitions, but she claimed that she could not recall all of the awards and prizes she received since she is doing it for experiences and the prizes and awards are just a bonus for her.

Laguardia is an awardee of the Philippine Eagle Outstanding Youth Service Award (PEOYSA), a group that acknowledges achievements made by outstanding youths in the Bicol Region, the Isko Award given

by UP Harong, and the most recent, which is for placing fourth in the Flash Reporting Category at the recently completed Camilo Osias Art Festival 2021, are the only accolades she can recall.

Talking about women

empowerment, she recalled her experience in her public speaking competition when she was in Junior High. She said that she was the third contender and that all of her other competitors were male, which she claims is very ‘fulfilling’ because she got first place in the competition. She also demonstrates that women have a distinct communication style than men and that women are more adaptable.

Women empowerment is extremely important, relevant, and powerful to her. Women, not merely men, but people at all levels of society, have a unique perspective that has to be heard.

Women can be so much more, as she put it, “babae tayo, hindi babae lang.” They can work and raise their children at the same time.

“Women do not only speak from what they see or kung ano ‘yung beliefs nila, ‘di ba? We go beyond the limitations. We go beyond what is presented to us kasi nga, we have this kind of different vision,” Laguardia added.

Her advice to all women who are unsure about competing is to take their time, but first to recognize and hone their potential.

If a person is aware of her potential, she must shape it on her own. It is not necessary to imitate others because every woman is unique.

“You don’t have to be anyone else. You don’t have to be like me, you don’t have to be like them.

You are unique,” she said.

Liezl: The Hibiscus Liezel Anne Iñigo, a 19-year-old nursing student of the University of Nueva Caceres, is the third remarkable woman. She has delicate beauty and a feminine energy just like the hibiscus. She enjoys baking and cooking for her family. She also plays the ukulele and other musical instruments. She is also interested in creating content.

In 2019, she competed in the Miss Teen Philippines 2019 pageant, representing Camarines Sur, which was held at the New Frontier Theater. She also entered Daragang Magayon 2019 and Miss Bicolandia 2019 as an official candidate. As for the beauty pageants inside the university, she joined Miss HS 2014, Miss HS 2017, and Miss University 2018.

So far, these competitions have been the top three biggest pageants. She was unable to obtain any significant accolades but has received numerous minor awards. She also stated that she is fortunate to have had a lot of sponsorship from various brands and companies with whom she was able to work after the contest.

“Every time I step onto a pageant stage, facing a crowd while trying to act gracefully and holding my composure, is where I believe I can empower women by having the courage to face

pressure and maximize my voice. I know it is not always easy, but I will not allow our fear of the unknown to keep us in a toxic and unhealthy position,” said Iñigo as she was asked how she empowers women by joining beauty pageants.

When someone makes a negative remark about her, she attempts to see things from a different angle.

People who propagate negativity, she feels, have hatred in their hearts.

Rather than returning criticism, she seeks to understand them and assist them in moving forward.

“To empower other women, we have to empower ourselves first. It takes so much courage to instill confidence to achieve the things we wanted. We are independent enough to not rely on men to survive. By working hard to the best of our abilities, we can support our families, help those who are in need, and inspire other women to do the same thing.

We would be able to build on ourselves, and this makes women’s empowerment very essential,” she explained.

Her advice to ladies who are unsure about competing in beauty pageants is to believe in themselves and never compare themselves to others. ‘Do not weigh up your first step to the other’s tenth step,’ which means that each step counts, and all you have to do is focus and remember that you can do it.

These three extraordinary women represent a flower. They are all beautiful, unique, and bloom at different times. They are beautiful and unique because every woman has the potential to be a queen, a leader, a speaker, a journalist, or anything else she desires. Women are multifaceted and do not limit themselves to being a mother or a worker.

If a woman does not yet realize her full potential, let us encourage her to be herself and provide her with experiences that will help her shape her talents. By the time that she already knows how to be confident in her talent, she will immediately blossom, continuing to radiate happiness and be a ray of light to others for every woman to also be empowered.

Quincentenary of Christianity Growing Faith to the Present

JAYVEE FORTUNO AND SAMANTHA NICOLE IMPERIAL BANNERING THE THEME: “Gifted to Give”, this year marks a watershed moment in the lives of Filipino Catholics all around the world. This year marks the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines. The Portuguese adventurer Ferdinand Magellan, representing the Spanish Empire, arrived in the Visayan region of the Philippines 500 years ago, in 1521. The process of European colonization, which eventually led to the founding of Christianity, began at this point, where in the present, the Philippines continues to be Asia’s only major primarily Catholic country.

It is important to remember the circumstances that led up to this historic occurrence. When news of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the Americas reached Europe in 1492, fever and greed for gold, renown, and prospective Christian converts gripped those powers capable of expanding beyond their borders.

Due to the rivalry between the Spanish and Portuguese empires, the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas effectively divided the world into two halves: the Americas and Asia. The exploration rights to the Americas were granted to the Spanish Empire, and the exploration rights to Asia were granted to the Portuguese Empire. Enter Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese navigator, and explorer (1480-1521).

He sailed to the eastern coastlines of India and the western coasts of Africa for his Portuguese Empire from 1505 to 1513. He moved to Seville, Spain, and switched allegiance to King Charles I after problems with his own King Manuel over incentives for his services.

Magellan persuaded the Spanish king that the exploration rights to the Spice Islands or Moluccas were arguable based on his interpretation of the Tordesillas Treaty. There was only one way to find out: the king had to send someone out straight away to claim it for the Spanish Empire before the Portuguese did. As a result, on Sept. 20, 1519, the most ambitious exploration began, with the objective of not only seizing the Spice Islands, but also circumnavigating the globe for the glory, fame, and wealth of the Spanish Empire.

On Easter Sunday, March 31, 1521, Magellan and his crew celebrated Mass on a little island off the coast of Leyte, just northeast of Cebu in the Philippines’ southern area. There was reason to rejoice, as his fleet had arrived on the coasts of these islands two weeks before this Mass, during the week of March 20. Also, the Santo Niño, an image of the Holy Child, was given as a baptismal gift to Queen Juana, formerly Humamay, the wife of Rajah Humabon, by Spanish explorers led by Magellan.

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At the same time, their discovery began the process of converting the indigenous people to Christianity. Their aim was simple: if they could persuade the leaders of each island to convert, the rest of the population would follow suit. So Magellan focused his eyes on Chief Humabonreigning on the island of Cebu. Both leaders first exchanged gifts, with Magellan presenting 13 pieces of Spanish iron and Humabon presenting 10 pieces of island gold. There were debates regarding which God was more powerful, but it was the performance of a miracle that persuaded the chief to consider baptism.

Humabon was convinced and begged to be baptized after his grandson had been ill for two years and had been cured when the accompanying chaplain baptized him. After that, as expected, approximately 2,200 of his people were baptized.

After establishing a working connection with the islanders of Cebu, Magellan quickly set his sights on more ambitious and expansive aims, considering the colonization of the entire archipelago, which consists of over 4,400 islands and islets. Given the impact and influence that Catholicism has had and continues to have in the everyday lives of Filipinos, the quincentenary of the establishment of Roman Catholicism in the Philippines cannot be overlooked.

Talking about Santo Niño, the gift given to Queen Juana is just as old as the country’s Catholic faith. The statue of Santo Niño de Cebu, made by Flemish craftspeople, is now consecrated into the chapel of the Basilica of Santo Niño. The statue may be a little figure, but with its left hand clutching a cross-border orb, it stands royal and its other hand in a sacerdotal benediction. It features a crimson cape with complex designs and a crown on top of it.

The original Santo Niño brought by Magellan may still be found in Cebu, as stated by Valerie Caulin, a writer in Culture Trip. Devotees can see through the bullet-proof glass that is encased. His popularity has resulted in the construction of many forms of a Holy Child to which people may relate.

Santo Niño is widely venerated in Cebu and around the country.

The country’s continued commitment to the Holy image demonstrates that the faith introduced 500 years ago has now grown as a Filipino-brand of Christianity. The discovery of the image, also known as Kaplag, 44 years later set the tone for the start of a systematic process of Christianization.

The devotion to the Santo Niño as a significant icon of Filipino Christianity is intertwined with our archipelago’s eventual ascension on the global scene. The discovery of “torna viaje’’ by Fray Andres de Urdaneta paved the door for the advancement of evangelism in the country. The Filipino Augustinians have worked to

carry on the heritage of the early missionaries.

As the picture of Santo Niño at the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño continuously worships, these missionary custodians are calling for the conversion of the peoples of this magnificent emblem of Filipino Christianity. The study and understanding of the half-millennia path of faith offers missionary reason rather than a triumphant commemoration by humble recognition of past failures.

An unpleasant incident may have followed the arrival of the picture of Santo Niño in 1521 and his Kaplag or the discovery in 1565. However, both these occurrences gave our nation a legacy: the grace of God in Santo Niño we may now know. We continue to pave the way for the future as a land and a people of God through the same grace. We constantly trust with the Santo Niño in the grace that the Father remains in this path of faith.

Today, Catholicism is the faith of 8 out of 10 Filipinos. The Philippines, after Brazil and Mexico, has the third-highest number of Catholics, followed by the United States. Beyond the numbers, it is simple to see and appreciate how the Catholic religion has been woven into the various social and spiritual traditions that define Filipinos’ daily lives.

These include, but are not limited to: apostolic practices that are fostered within family systems; numerous devotions to the saints, especially Mary, as expressed through daily rosary recitations, novenas, and pilgrimages; the Simbang Gabi (“Night Masses”) series of Advent masses that continue to grow in popularity, and active participation of sacramental practices.

Filipino Catholics should celebrate this important anniversary of Christianity since this made us all united when it comes to our faith in God, the Almighty. It also assists us in adhering to His teachings as outlined in the New Testament and placing our faith in God’s promise of eternal life with Him. Catholics not only give thanks for the gift of their Catholic religion, but also look forward to the next 500 years, worshiping, glorifying, and continuously upholding faith in Christianity.

Creators in Acti n

MEET OUR UNCEAN VLOGGERS

JAYVEE FORTUNO WE ARE DYNAMIC and creative. That is one of the University’s core values that is still being uplifted among the students. Now that we are in a pandemic, many of us have been experiencing struggles, many have nothing else to do aside from staying at home, and some have found new hobbies to make their quarantine days worthwhile.

UNCeans, being dynamic and creative, have thought a lot of ways to spend most of their time with. It can either be by reading, watching, dancing, singing, and the most relevant way to entertain and as well as to earn money, vlogging.

Take One: Action!

Vlogging has been known since then as a form of a blog but in a video type. Here, the creator overlays photos and videos, effective enough to keep the viewers entertained and watch other videos as well.

The content of these videos depends on what the creator wants. But most of the time, the content focuses on entertaining and educating the viewers in different ways and ideas.

At UNC, some students are also immensely interested in terms of vlogging. We can see some videos posted on their different social media platforms but for students who have their own YouTube channels, among their population, we have here two (2) students coming from the Senior High School and College Department who shared their stories in crafting their video contents.

Take Two: Momshie and Three Sons “ To try to be more productive.”

Selwyn Geoffrey Flores, 16, a GAS 12 learner, started to become a vlogger in April 2020, with starter contents of covering songs and cooking demos. According to him, he decided to be a vlogger to entertain people as well as to earn money and help his family financially. He is not alone on his vlogs. He is with his mom and two other brothers and did not have the chance to collaborate yet with other vloggers.

When asked about who pushed him to start vlogging, Flores stated, “Of course, that would be our Mom. Back then we were shy/silent people who didn’t want to be seen or say something in front of the camera. But now we are confident enough to face through the camera. ‘Make all the shyness go

away.’ She is the reason why we still keep on going to upload more videos on our YouTube Channel.”

With the guidance and support coming from their mom, they were able to continue creating content that entertains people by doing challenges, playing games, cooking food, and mukbangs. Of course, as a student, it was a challenge to balance time and vlogging but the good thing is that according to him, they first prioritize academics, and once done, that is the time that they will do their video content.

Vlogging has both effects and benefits to him and his family. They were able to entertain the audience while earning money, and the most important thing is that they were able to go out of their comfort zone and gain more confidence as they do vlogs. Aside from wanting to achieve their goals, those two are also the reasons why they still pursue vlogging until now.

“If they can do it, we can do it too!” This mantra is one of their motivations to pursue and inspire students who would like to enter the vlogging world.

When asked about what message can he/they give to the aspiring vloggers, he expressed, “Just be yourself, be positive as always. Do the things you love. Don’t give up easily because you don’t know what’ll happen next. Everything starts with small things such as the views or subscribers, don’t mind it at all. Just do your best!”

You may support Flores and his family by subscribing to their YouTube channel: Momshie and Three Sons.

Take Three: The Sanguine Creator “Do something today that your future self will be proud of.”

According to Jayvee Soriano, 21, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Marketing Management student from the College of Business and Accountancy and an alumnus of UNC SHS, that is the mantra that keeps him doing things his future self will be proud of and one of those things is vlogging.

At first, Soriano did not intend to enter the vlogging world. His first vlog was crafted to entertain people, and just for fun. But as he was surrounded by supportive friends, plus his talent in public speaking and video editing, made him continue and pursue the vlogging industry.

His first ever vlog was way more different compared to the usual videos we see from content creators. According to him, his first vlog was way back in November 2018, where he filmed himself going to a spa named Facial Plus, as he used the coupon he won during their OrSem and he was able to avail the facial treatment for a cheaper price. Before this first video, Soriano had been watching vlogs of different YouTubers which inspired him and by gaining support from the people around him, despite the hesitation, he finally decided to enter and create his channel.

The contents of his videos were more on something the present generation would find interesting. According to him: “My first 3-5 videos I guess we’re just “mema videos” meaning - just anything under the sun, I just film myself doing random stuff, but as time goes by, I learned how to do videos of me doing tutorials and also travel vlogs.”

With the evolution of his contents, he was also open to collaboration with other student Youtubers he knew. Because of his influence, he was able to encourage one of his friends to also start vlogging, and there, they created video collaborations that

have kept their subscribers looking forward to more of them.

“Also, I have known some local vloggers as well, and we talked and planned on collaborating, but unfortunately, it didn’t just happen. But still, we support each other.” Soriano added.

Since Soriano is on his way to graduating from college when asked if he is still pursuing vlogging, he expressed, “To be honest, I am not sure, but I have this vision in my mind that I would fully invest my time being a vlogger or be active again once I already finish my studies and that I can already travel the world, since it has been a goal for me to do travels and filmed it, not just to upload it on YT, but of course as memories.”

Being naturally responsible and expert in managing his time, Soriano gave emphasis that just like other student vloggers, he also does vlogs when time permits him because his top priority is to be a student and his academics.

“I never pressured myself to be that consistent in vlogging since I know my priorities and one of those is studying,” he added.

Vlogging has paved the way for him to be confident with his crafts. Vlogging is something that boosts his confidence as he lets the people see what he got by showcasing it through his videos. Aside from that, his speaking skills were used and developed as well as him learning more about video editing that he may not just use for his vlogs, but also future work. Despite not having professional equipment for vlogging, it was never a reason for him to stop and to be belittled, as he believes that confidence, talent, and perseverance are things that would keep your feet on the ground of vlogging.

When asked about his message to his fellow students who are aspiring to be vloggers, he stated, “Considering that I am not really active in vlogging, I want to tell those aspiring student vloggers to just do it, don’t hesitate to do it. Yes at first, maybe people will make fun and will mock you, but you don’t need to put them all in your head, because what matters is you do you. If you believe you have the potential if you believe you can influence others if you have a creative mind to come up with your contents, and if even if you’re still hesitating and struggling with your confidence, just do it and don’t be afraid to try because everything is a process, maybe you’re not that good today, but someday you’ll be better and even best on it. So just push yourself, believe in yourself, and never doubt your capacity.”

You may support him on his YouTube channel, Jayvee Soriano.

Just like the two of the UNCeano vloggers, the pandemic can still be a reason for us to try new things and make our days productive. Just like them, we can also make our quarantine days worthwhile by doing something that we love that will keep us productive and be a source of happiness for other people. As long as you are ready to take on the challenges, and have the perseverance within yourself, that already is a stepping stone for you to be dynamic and creative in maximizing your talents, and for sharing them with your audience.

T h e

Campus Misfits Asians in Racist Society CURT JAIRUS PEREZ AND SHIARA HOSMILLO IN EVERY HIGH school movie, there are always the popular cool kids and bullies, who are known to rule over the campus, as well as the outsiders and misfits who “do not” fit in because they are likely different from other students. Similarly, this sounds familiar when you look at your environment and see how people interact with a distinct race or a darker skin color than theirs. In short, this kind of juvenile plot and setting can surprisingly resemble a wider scope of the subject, which is racism.

2020 was the year when the whole Asian-hate dilemma sparked primarily within the pandemic, whereas Asians were tortured and scapegoated as the main roots of the notorious COVID-19.

Some people even have called it the “China virus”, “Wuhan virus”, “Chinese virus”, and “Kung Flu” as the former United States President Donald Trump had always uttered in his press conferences and state addresses, according to The Hill. The said article was agreed upon by the World Health Organization (WHO) by warning people on preventing calling the virus on a specific location or race to avoid stigma.

Yet, it has happened again. Primarily, because racism has always been a part of human society due to the circumstances and actions done in the past. Racism nowadays gets its sustenance from social media and in how leaders address the issue judicially.

Untold by History Books It may come to your surprise how this entire ball of problem rolls back again from history to this present day. Likewise, the bubonic plague, which dates back to the past 1900s broke out in Honolulu, was blamed on Chinese people living in Chinatown consequently setting 41 of their buildings on fire as cited in a documentary of The Try Guys about Anti-Asian Hate. This is just one out of hundreds of anti-Asian hate acts and discrimination untold and unmentioned on today’s schools’ history books.

Back to the point, Asians were deemed to be dirty, diseased, and demented similarly as to how British and American imaginaries framed both Irish and the Chinese in the nineteenth century based on Open Edition Journals. This also leads to the point of how the Filipino ancestors in the past were denigrated for their uncivilized and unclean bodies in the early 20th century assuming that they are

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inferior, weak, and dumb just because they are who they are.

Around a hundred years ago during the American colonization of the Philippines, a historical documentary by Bani Logrono reported that approximately 1,200 Filipinos were lured by the Americans to go to their country but in the end, they were held as captives in one of the largest human zoos in history. The reason is linked to how Americans enticed Filipinos due to the need of cheap labor promising them a better life and better wages while being immensely unaware of how they were being portrayed by the American media in the US. They were commonly depicted as an incorrigible boy, a savage beast, a monkey, or a clown, based on ‘The Forbidden Book’ by Prof.

Helen Toribio.

In addition, racial discrimination still continues as Filipinos in the early 1900s migrated to Hawaii and to the West Coast of the United States to work on plantations that then became the driving force behind America’s agricultural industry. According to the NextDayBetter, they were severely accused of stealing their jobs and women along with facing mobs and oppression.

The Sick School System What happened before will surely have an effect in the present. As colonizers colonized our country, they have indirectly seized our perspective when it comes to races and skin colors, introducing colorism and racial stereotypes.

If you look at the Filipinos now, there are some apparent habits and instances where it falls under discrimination or prejudices. For example, complimenting people that they are ‘beautiful’ based on their skin color, mocking one own’s Filipino face features yet praising common Western features, mimicking other foreigner’s accents, dreaming to marry a foreigner because you thought they are wealthy, pulling back the corners of your eyes and say, “kung hei fat choi,” and pointing other foreigners or races as “intsik”, “negra”/”negro”, “kano”, and “bombay”.

Apparently, there are several racist habits and comments shared within the Filipino community if they were enlisted.

Still, as written in a Reddit Thread, what is worse is that Filipinos are “leaning more towards harmless ignorance than the harmful intent” to the point that their everyday conversations with racist comments and jokes, just seem to be normal until someone gets hurt.

According to Esquire, it would not be new

to say that Filipinos are lowkey racists as racism is ignorant at best and insulting at worst in the Philippines. It also stated that their “lack of racial diversity in the population” has made them blind and “tone-deaf to the unconscious racism of Filipinos” and unable to identify the “lack of cultural sensitivity until someone points it out”.

However, racism does not just linger in one country, but it also spreads on every corner of the world resulting in traumas, oppression, and torture to people that might be done irrationally due to hatred.

Learning and Decolonizing Racism, as well as stigma, is “the most dangerous enemy” as quoted by Mike Ryan, the executive director of WHO’s Emergencies Program at a news conference with The Hill. Indeed, it might be our dangerous enemy more than the current COVID-19 virus, yet there’s no way to learn about them unless people are educated.

Accordingly, here are some ways enumerated

by Forbes to tackle racial discrimination and to gradually free yourself from it: 1) first, make a conversation and keep it going; 2) embed antiracism into your values and actions; 3) spread awareness by speaking out more; 4) lastly, cultivate diversity and tackle unconscious bias.

Asians, who were discriminated against because of their color, features, and clothes might be considered as different or as a ‘misfit’. They are always beaten, kicked, and left behind by the socalled popular kids and bullies. But, no matter how many scars history has left them and how many beatings they have taken, they still stand and resist proudly waving who they are as an Asian.

In terms of racial identity, the difference has brought racism and superiority complex. To prolong humanity and create a utopia, racism and superiority complex should be disregarded and be replaced by acceptance of difference.

The racial and superiority complex is old-fashioned and has no room in the modern era. The difference between green apples and red apples is their color hence, they are still apples, same with humans.

In short, physical characteristics are not a basis on the value of a human.

FRANCINE IVANNA GABAY AS A CHILD filled with lots of questions in mind, I grew up thinking that those who are “not normal” are bad. I could even recall a movie I watched before where the antagonist was a gay person and when he was stabbed by the hero, he started to vomit green blood. This is the reason why I was afraid of them before because I thought that they do have green blood, which is weird for a kid since every time I got some wounds, a red fluid would drip on them.

Every time I share this with my friends, they would even laugh at me. This is also the same reaction that I get if I ask someone older than us.

No one even corrected me at that time, not until I joined the campus publication in elementary. I loved watching the news and reading some articles since the questions in my mind are being answered. As time passes by, I’ve learned that gay people are not bad. I even befriended some of them. They don’t just lift my mood but they are always there for me to help and educate me with the things happening in our society, which is different from the usual quotation that “gay people are just meant to be comedians only.” They, too, have dreams that they want to achieve despite all the hate that they are getting.

I always read some posts from those people who refuse to be educated about this stuff and who probably grew up in the same family with conservative ideologies as mine saying that “homosexuality is a sin” or that usual “you’ll rot in hell and your family with definitely disown you!” But, why does it have to be that way? Why should my friends experience this kind of fear? Why can’t they freely express themselves and love who they want?

According to The American Psychological Association (APA), sexual orientation is not a conscious choice that can be voluntarily changed. Sexuality is innate, not acquired which means that no matter how hard you pray and perform rituals it can never change someone’s sexual orientation.

That’s why I can never understand why homosexuality is considered as a lifelong sin, but corruption, incompetence, and murder can be easily forgiven by this society. If we are also going to observe the typical family set-up, straight children don’t have to prove anything in their family but those who identify themselves as part of the LGBTQ++ Community must always earn a high amount of money to be accepted for who they are.

This is also associated with ‘coming out’ since most of us assume that the right way for someone to come out of their closet is to reveal their identity to the public and he/ she/they should be ready to deal with the negative response that they will be getting from them where in fact, the only way to come out is that it when it feels right to you. For several years, members of the LGBTQ++ Community have been captives of society’s corrupt mindset, making weak-hearted members

feel terrified of coming out of their shells. They do excel in life, just like some of my friends, but there’s always a missing piece - true happiness.

Encouraging and helping the members of the LGBTQ++ Community to express their true identity is not just limited in the month of June. One way to do this is to make schools a safe space for the youth who belong to this community. According to Human Rights Watch, Filipino students who are part of the LGBTQ++ Community often find that their schooling experience is marred by bullying, discrimination, lack of access to LGBT-related information, and physical and sexual assault. We do have the Child Protection Policy of 2012 and the Anti-Bullying Law of 2013 but if we are to observe the status quo, these policies are strong on paper yet have not been adequately enforced.

To avoid these things from happening, first, the Congress of the Philippines must enact an antidiscrimination bill that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, including in education, health care, and public accommodations.

Second, the Department of Education (DepEd) must also create a system to gather and publish data about bullying based on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. They must also issue an order instructing schools to respect students’ gender identity concerning dress codes, access to facilities, and participation in curricular and extracurricular activities.

Third, school administrators must also adopt anti-bullying and antidiscrimination policies that are inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identity.

If these things will be implemented and acceptance will be normalized to everyone, that’s the time that these people will find their missing piece. Freedom is not just limited to self-expression but this is also applicable to people who don’t belong to the LGBTQ++ Community.

You are free to educate yourself, change your mindset, and accept them for who they are.

SAMANTHA NICOLE IMPERIAL YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD of the word ‘pronoun’ in your English class since elementary wherein we define it as a set of words in a language that are used as substitutes for nouns or noun phrases and whose referents are named or understood in the context.

He, she, it, and they are examples of this.

In the status quo, gender pronouns are utilized to create an open atmosphere and confirm a person’s identification.

Moreover, in relation to The Washington Post, LGBTQ++ activists and linguists all throughout the world have advocated for more inclusive language, both by coining whole new non-binary concepts and reorganizing existing grammar structures and words. It is not always easy.

It might be difficult, frightening, or simply tedious for those who have to explain why they need more inclusive language.

The concept of gender pronouns started in 1789 when William H. Marshall recorded the existence of a dialectal English epicene pronoun, singular ou: “Ou will that expresses either he will, she will, or it will”.

The modern feminine pronoun, she, first appeared in the mid twelfth century.

By the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the masculine and feminine pronouns had developed to a point where they were almost or wholly indistinguishable in pronunciation.

Around 1795, language authorities such as Lindley Murray, Joseph Priestly, and Hugh Blair, among others, launched a campaign against pronoun inconsistencies such as gender and number disagreements. This may only be done in the third person singular without coining words by using compound expressions like “his or her.” In 1879, 1922, 1931, 1957, and the 1970s, grammarians accepted ‘they’ as a singular pronoun that may be used instead of using ‘he’ or ‘he or she’, albeit they limited it to informal formulations in some cases, as stated by University of Wisconsin.

Nowadays, pronouns are always used whenever we talk to ourselves and others.

Learning Your Preferred Pronouns

Examples of pronouns that you could use include: she/her/hers, he/him/ his, they/them/their, zee/hir/per, and the name itself of the person.

She/her/hers and he/him/ his are pronouns that are commonly used. Some call them ‘female/ feminine’ and ‘male/ masculine’ pronouns, but many avoid those labels as they don’t feel like ‘male’ or ‘female’ to all who use them.

They/them/their are for someone who may not be strictly identified as a male or a female. This is considered to be ‘gender neutral’ and can also be used when referring to several people.

In the transgender community, pronouns other than “he/she” or “him/her” are used.

Zee/hir/ per provide inclusion and accuracy for people who do not identify with the male/female gender binary. It should be noted that not all trans people use these pronouns, many use “he” or “she.”

The pronouns that are stated above are the most common pronouns that we used. There are also less common pronouns which are humanist which means the foundation for all neutral pronouns and thon which means “that one, he, she, or it.”

There are also instances where we are unsure of someone’s pronouns. How do we approach and ask them? As stated by Chicago Tribune, the appropriate way to ask someone’s pronouns is to introduce yourself first with your name and pronoun.

Next, politely ask for their pronouns. Example of this is, “Hello, I am Maria! My pronouns are she/her/ hers. What are your pronouns?”

When someone has requested to be addressed in their given pronoun, they are asking you to respect their identity. If someone fails to use the correct pronouns intentionally, that person may feel disrespected, which can lead to dysphoria, exclusion, and alienation. If they do not want to reveal their pronouns, respect people’s wishes and do not press them to respond if they do not want to reveal their pronouns.

FEATURE 35

SAMANTHA NICOLE IMPERIAL NOWADAYS, TEENAGERS ARE into music, whether Korean Pop, Original Pinoy Music, or other foreign songs. They are supporting these kinds of music since it inspires them to do well in their lives just like these three learners from Grade 11 Senior High School of University of Nueva Caceres who share their stories when they discovered Pinoy Pop (P-Pop) and why they admire them.

“P-Pop is a Filipino Pop Music genre similar to what is more popular today as K-Pop (Korean Pop). I think, for me, P-Pop is our country’s way to keep up with the music industry today knowing that a lot of people from the younger generations today are really into this type of music,” Sandara Ricafort, a Grade 11 P-Pop fan from GAS B, shared.

Since the 1960s, songs popularized by large commercial vocalists. Many people believe the advent of a superstar pop-rock group, the Eraserheads, in the early to mid-1990s to be a turning point in the OPM music scene. Following their triumph, a slew of significant bands rose to prominence but at the start of the 2000s, P-Pop fell and it was because Filipinos were introduced and focused more on foreign songs.

P-Pop groups rose again, in 2018, as MNL48 showed their talents to the people. This group was followed by SB19, BGYO, BINI, Alamat, and other groups. Know more about their journey, as they became the stars as they are today, performing in front of different people.

MNL48: The First Idols According to The Guidon, Manila 48 (MNL48) has 13 sister groups all over the world, including Japan. The hunt for members was broadcast on ABS-CBN to develop an existing audience, and the first audition for MNL48 was held on November 10, 2017, by Hallo Hallo Entertainment. Anne Curtis, Billy Crawford, Karylle, and Jhong Hilario hosted the segment on Its Showtime in early 2018 that determined the members of the group’s first generation.

Over the span of their three generations, MNL48 has a total of 110 original members. They have a general election every year, that is why, as of May 2021, MNL48 has 35 members and 10 trainees. These members have a golden rule, which is a love ban, where they are not allowed to touch or shake hands with the fans and even celebrities for them to focus on their careers.

People who support MNL48 are called

“MNLoves” and some of their popular songs are Dalawang Pag-Ibig Niya, 365 Araw ng Eroplanong Papel, and River. This group is a recipient of the Huwarang Kabataan Award by PPOP Awards for Young Artists, and its 2nd Single, Pag-Ibig Fortune Cookie has garnered Gold and Platinum Record Awards from Star Music and Philippine Association of Record Industries.

SB19: Kings of P-Pop SB19 is under ShowBT Philippines and composed by Josh, Stell, Sejun, Justin, and Ken. Josh, the group’s lead rapper, revealed in an interview on GMA’s i-Witness that they would train for nine hours every day, with only one day off a week. He also stated that they would practice a song and dance routine 30 times a day to reach 1,000 practices to show a commitment to excellence considering that no one paid them much attention in the early days of their career.

“I like SB19 because they really have the talent and I can see that the quality of their music is really good. Each member of the group also has a very inspiring story and their journey to achieving their success now inspires me. I also wanted to support them because I can see their potential to represent Filipino music with the world,” Ricafort said.

The fandom name of SB19 is “A’tins” while few songs of the said group are Go Up, Alab, and MAPA. SB19 has a lot of awards but the recent nomination that made the Philippines proud is they got nominated for Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) together with other artists from different countries.

BGYO: Heartthrob Princes Under ABS-CBN’s Star Hunt Academy, this five-member group officially debuted last January 29, 2021, as the South Korean MC Doctor and Direk Lauren Dyogi led them. Becoming the change, Going further, You and I showing the world what it means to be, Originally Filipino (BGYO)

The Future of the Filipino Music Industry consists of Gelo Rivera, Akira Morishita, Nate Porcalla, JL Toreliza, and Mikki Claver. They had been training for approximately three years. According to one of their interviews, training was difficult especially because they were separated from their families due to the pandemic.

Having them stay in one place served as their training ground as well as a way to know each other more.

“The group that I stan is BGYO and Bini. I stan them because as I watch their training videos, I saw their dedication, perseverance, and hard work to become an idol”, Reign De Leon from Grade 11 ABM-A said.

Their fandom name is ACEs and the songs that they released for the first three months of their career are The Light, He’s Into Her, Feel Good, Pilipinas, featuring KZ Tandingan, and Runnin’ in collaboration with Keiko Necesario.

For this year, they debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Next Big Sound chart, announced

by Star Music.

BINI: P-Pop Princesses Same with BGYO, BINI is under ABSCBN’s Star Hunt Academy and is led by the South Korean MC Doctor and Direk Lauren Dyogi. They also trained in the same house and were separated from their families. This group is composed of eight members, namely: Jhoanna Robles, Aiah Arceta, Colet Vergara, Maloi Ricalde, Stacey Sevilleja, Mikha Lim, Gwen Apuli, and Sheena Catacutan.

BINI debuted their pre-debut single ‘Da Coconut Nut’ on It’s Showtime before making their official debut in June 2021. Everyone went crazy, prompting a barrage of praise for their stage presence and synchronization as they showcased their talent on national television.

Since then, the number’s official Facebook post has gotten over two million views, with a Twitter fan post getting about a million views, as stated by ABS-CBN News.

The fandom name of BINI is Bloom, with the infinity symbol replacing the Os as inspired by the group’s tagline “walo hanggang dulo”. Their songs released are just their pre-debut song, Da Coconut Nut, and their debut single, Born to Win. They were also nominated for Push Music Personality of the Year

last 2020.

ALAMAT: The Monster Rookies Under Viva Entertainment, ALAMAT began to demonstrate their capabilities by singing in several Philippine languages and expressing Filipino culture through their colorful clothing, rather than following the lead of other groups. Taneo, Mo, Jao, R-Ji, Valfer, Gami, Tomas, and Alas are now housed in a shared area where they are all trained for 12 hours a day. Together with their vocal instructor Zebedee Zuiga and dancing coach Jim Amen, they attend daily dance and singing courses, as well as acting seminars.

Another student, “Catherine”, not her real name, from Grade 11 GAS B stated that she discovered this group when she watched OPM and P-Pop songs on Youtube and after several videos, the song, ‘Kbye’ by Alamat played. By that, she started to admire this band since they support their fandom, as they express their thoughts and radiate positivity.

Alamat’s fandom name is “Magiliw” because it represents being loving or affectionate. Their debut song is Kbye that has Tagalog, Ilocano, Kapampangan, Bikol, Waray, Hiligaynon, and Bisaya languages, according to ABS-CBN News.

Also, PhilStar stated that this group recently charted on Billboard’s Next Big Sound, and is widely regarded as the fastest Filipino artist to reach the world music scene.

“P-Pop groups like SB19, BGYO, Bini, and Alamat represent the music of Filipino. We must support them because they are only spreading our music. If we can support other international artists, then why not support these P-Pop groups as well right? P-Pop music is created for the Filipinos. It’s always better to appreciate the things that we have or what we call ‘sariling atin’ because we should be the ones to support each other, not the other way around,” Ricafort explained as she was asked the importance of supporting P-Pop. The five groups mentioned above are just a few of the many uprising groups in the Philippines.

These groups are still developing which means that they are still training just to hone their skills in performing and being an idol or an inspiration to everyone. One way for them to grow is by us, getting a glimpse of their talents and giving them the love that they deserve. If we can support groups from different countries, then it is not difficult for us to recognize and support the true talents of the Filipinos.

Fun-demic

Adventures SHS Students’ Tales Amid Pandemic Days SHIARA MAE HOSMILLO ONCE UPON THE middle of this threatening pandemic and sickening society, there are students who feel sad and miserable but it is normal to feel that way. They might also experience it during the days of the online classes yet sometimes, the ones we never knew the most are the ones who make us laugh.

Chapter 11th Graders: Stuck In Freeze Learning Grade 11 learners of the Senior High School (SHS) department entered the University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) with an inevitable occurrence, the COVID-19 outbreak. Along the way of hoping its end and being stuck at home while joining in the online classes, here are some of their stories worth telling: “The unforgettable moments that happened in our section is when our session turned into an online consultation of our feelings. Our adviser became DJ Chunsai and we shared our struggles and fun experiences with Ma’am. We had fun and because of that, we became close to each other even though we haven’t seen each other,” shortly told by Kyla Baniel from STEM D. For Jayvee Fortuno, a student from STEM F, she generally shared specific moments that were said to be memorable ones. One of these was when one of her classmate’s siblings sat beside him/her and also listened to their discussion; when there was an intervention of inevitable background noises of chickens, construction sites, and background music; when a learner would recite but then he/she got disconnected or in mute or accidentally clicked the end call button; when the class shared photos of their dogs, or show their dogs during the Google Meet; and when almost 80% of the class got disconnected because of the power interruption.

In the end, Fortuno quoted that they were always said to be considerate about it since they believe that they share the same struggles and sentiments.

“Since it’s a virtual class, it’s a brilliant idea to build a connection with each other so that we feel like we’re in the same room laughing and enjoying the moment. We all chat as if we’ve only just met and talked about a variety of things as if someone will share their experience and others will listen. As though we were in a real room rather than a virtual one. And at last, we realized

38 FEATURE

that it was recorded, and the teacher will watch it again,” said Kylen Catorce from STEM C. On the other hand, Ambrouse Quintanar shared two scenarios in their class section of STEM A. One is when he was reciting in the class with an open mic, his mother entered the room and intruded then bawled him out saying that he should wash the dishes presuming that he was doing nothing. Another scenario was when their presentation in CPAR took a long time because one of their classmates told a story about his/her crush.

“There is this unforgettable story that happened in our section. It was when we’re having an asynchronous session for a synchronous schedule but the LF was busy and I decided on having the class play truth or dare virtually. I think it was our Deputy Prime [Minister], Babylen, who presented her screen and listed all our names down for the truth or dare game that had begun. It may be simple but it gave us a happy moment during that time. There is also this photo that I always send in our GC whenever classmates are late for classes. It was inspired by the 1st photo and the photo I’m sending is the 2nd photo. They would respond with a laughing emoji reaction to the photo,” told also by Lexine Rust from STEM B. Ghary Lance Bibe also shared his part when he and their adviser in GAS B pulled out a small prank on the whole class. It was the first month of the school year and there was an upcoming holiday, hence, Bibe thought to make a prank, by announcing that the milestone would be submitted amid the holiday, yet he can’t do it alone. Fortunately, their adviser agreed, and together, they did it in the class. Consequently, most of the class complained. Still, Bibe emphasized that after that moment, the whole class started to have a bond.

“I think it was the time when a certain course required time for us to absorb the lesson and a lot of us were absent during the discussion because of the power interruption. At the next meeting, our

LF conducted a quiz about the last discussion that was discussed in the last session. Since I was included in the list of absentees last time, I have no idea what the quiz is all about. So I sent a message through our group chat saying “Uy Pano to?” and my classmates laughed about it knowing that they also didn’t know how to come up with the answer to that quiz. You can feel the laughter in our GC because of it,” shared by CPJ (not their real name) from ICTCP. In STEM E, John Patrick Regidor narrated a funny story about what happened to them in their P.E. class. He was asked to make a demonstration about a specific pose where you will lie down on the ground and your arms are extended above your head. When he did it with his eyes closed, their Internet lagged as well as his frame froze in the video call. As a result, the class jolted in laughter when he didn’t respond on his end and his teacher also said, “John, tulog ka na ba, John? Na-stuck na si John.”

Chapter 12th Graders: Timing Is Not Perfect On the other hand, Grade 12 students once started their journey in SHS in a traditional setting of education but also never expected to end it in a virtual setting due to the pandemic. Despite the shortcomings of their adventure within the said department, they still had the bond connected since the 11th grade, hence, crafting notable stories to tell, and here are some: “After our class with Sir Eng, we decided to play ‘Among Us’. We joined a discord server and had a great time playing the game. After that, we had a movie marathon,” shortly said Kittycatz (not their real name) STEM P. Aquinnah Xaverine Tongbaban of ABM K also shared a moment when they had their extemporaneous speech. During those times, everyone felt nervous yet everyone cheered each other before one of them entered the voice channel where our LF is currently in.

The extemporaneous speech is said to have happened twice because it consisted of two Milestones. On their first milestone, most of them didn’t do well on our speeches and those who did great showed empathy and

encouraged us to study harder so we can do better on our next Milestone. After that, Tongbaban said that everyone took extra effort to practice for the upcoming speech and when that time came, the nervousness wasn’t the same as the first time they did it. She felt that most of them were prepared, determined, and confident.

“One funny thing about this online class setup is the tendency of the signal to become laggy and choppy. We had one class in P.E. wherein we were asked by our LF to follow the basic choreography steps being executed on the video that we were watching. Everyone had their cameras turned on and it was funny because some of my classmates were “lagging”, so if anyone would watch the meet, what happened to some of them was instead of showing the steps, they ended up doing a “stop dance”,” shared by Han, not the learner’s real name, from STEM K. On the side of Equestrian, a student from GAS K, he said that their synchronous sessions are always at their best when there is a “dog show” going on. It is the time when they bash and attack each other in a friendly manner. Even their LFs get along with them as they bash along their students. That is one of the reasons why Equestrian reasoned that their synchronous sessions are always light and jolly.

“Another experience was with our Physical Education subject. Our LF was new to us so we had to introduce ourselves, however, we had to do it by dancing. It was really funny how the boys in my

section really gave so much effort in dancing, some even had background music! Lakas nila kumembot habang nagsasabi “Hi ma’am my name is…” Sabi nga nila, ‘gumiling para sa grades’,” recalled by Jessica from STEM O. “Sa sobrang bagal at hina ng net, naglalag na. I remember when we’re having a discussion that made us laugh because someone threw a joke. May isa kaming classmate na nakausad na kami ng topic saka pa lang siya tatawa sa nagmistulang joke na tapos na. Kaya mapapatigil ang buong klase at natatawa na lang dahil late ang reaction niya,” creatively told

by ABMLOVES (not their real name) from ABM L. Vough Ree Cat, however, told two stories and scenarios from the class of GAS K. The first story is when one of their classmates greeted them as if they were “friends” yet she was just about to copy answers from their module. Additionally, Vough Ree Cat also specified the following types of their classmates after a year of their online class experience: 1) House Renovator, a student where at every recitation always has construction noises; 2) Cockfight Attendee, where the student’s pet rooster is much louder than the student’s voice; 3) Chatbox Ghorl, a student with a defective mic that is muted for the whole

year; 4) The “Ngurob-Ngurob” Girl, a student with a very small voice that you need to full up your volume to hear her; 5) The Chopper, the student who suddenly became a “ngongo” or a person who spoke in a nasally defective way whenever there is a recitation; and lastly, 6) The Glitcher, a student who has a perfect timing that suddenly glitches exactly when they were called in a recitation.

Ending? The Good Thing Of The Story Stories either funny, unforgettable, or inspiring, such as the ones that were shared, become a part of the lives of the people who TURN TO 43

#COVID19Watch

COVID-19 Cases in Bicol Region FROM MARCH 2020 - JULY 2021

NUMBER OF CASES

SOURCE: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH - BICOL

D AT E S C O N F I R M E D

NagaVax inoculates over 6,000 in just 2 days SHIARA MAE HOSMILLO AND KYLE BAUTISTA FROM ENHANCING THE system of COVID-19 testing to boosting vaccination, the Naga City government has paved a way for Vice President Leni Robredo’s NagaVax Express that helped in vaccinating 6,715 individuals in the city.

The said program lasted for two days, July 23 and 24, wherein a total of 3, 520 Nagueños were jabbed on the first day and 3,195 on the second day.

According to Robredo’s official Facebook page, the first day was intended for senior citizens while the next day is for those individuals with comorbidities.

“Maganda talaga na as many people as possible yung mabakunahan. Ang laking bagay talaga nitong Janssen vaccine kasi sobrang dami talagang nagpa-register. Yung mga seniors na ayaw magpa-register noong nalaman nila na Janssen tapos one dose lang nagdagsaan”, Robredo said in an FB live last July 23.

She also revealed that there is a huge

40 SCITECH

number of individuals that were hesitant to be vaccinated.

“Noon, in-announce ng city hall na sa ibang brand parang nasa 35% ang willingness pero ito nga nang in-announce natin biglang naging 85%,” she continued.

The said program aimed to target five selected vaccination sites such as the University of Nueva Caceres (UNC), Urban Site Pacol Covered Court, Camarines Sur National High School (CSNHS), Holy Rosary Major Seminary, and JMR Coliseum to accommodate those who belong to the following categories: A1 (frontline health workers); A2 (senior citizens); and A3 (persons with comorbidities).

These individuals were vaccinated using the Janssen vaccine which is a single-dose shot that provides full protection after two weeks. It is said to be 85 percent effective against severe and critical COVID-19 symptoms.

“Tayo naman ang ina-advocate natin is whatever brand na available, magpabakuna na kasi parang less protection is still better than no protection at all,” Robredo shared on the same FB live.

Through an online registration, those who

belong to the above mentioned categories will receive the details through a private message.

Announcements regarding the specified number of registered individuals per barangay are posted in the official Facebook page of the city government as well.

The local government have also sent its regard to the volunteered doctors, nurses, barangay health workers and officials, partner institutions, and its associates in implementing the program.

The said project was first launched by Robredo in Manila City to vaccinate more than 4,500 tricycle, pedicab, and delivery riders.

Focusing on Bicol, the region had already gathered almost 21,000 cases with Naga having over 2,500 cases. Due to the spike of cases, the local government of Naga have taken actions to improve it’s system of COVID-19 testing via their implementation of the use of three Swab Cabs, a vehicle that roams around the barangays of Naga to give Rapid Antigen test to those who made close contacts to COVID-19 positive patients and to those who have symptoms of the virus. Daily reports of the tests are provided by the Naga City Government and Mayor Nelson Legacion’s Facebook Pages.

‘Best compromise’:

AS OF JULY 2021

21,295 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

17,404 TOTAL NUMBER OF RECOVERIES

803 TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

JIBRIL ALLEEN LORENTE

Bicol doctors call for MECQ in Region as cases pass 16,000 JIBRIL ALLEEN LORENTE AS OF JUNE 20, there are 16,207 COVID-19 cases in the Bicol Region. The continuous rise in cases made the doctors in the Region sound the alarm and call for the imposition of the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) in Bicol.

This is a de-escalation of their original call for ECQ in Bicol, in a letter they sent to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) and Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano last June 14.

“Upon re-deliberation, like what was imposed in Naga City two nights ago by IATF, modified ECQ is the best compromise,” Dr. Carlsen Antonio, president of Albay Medical Society said on an interview with DZMM TeleRadyo on June 16, referring to the reclassification of Naga to MECQ for June 16-30.

In the June 14 letter, the health workers are worried that the outbreak in the Region might become similar to the situation in India.

“Once our referral hospitals are overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients and the other private hospitals have reached their

maximum as well, we may run out of vital equipment and the necessary manpower needed to treat people infected with the virus,” the doctors warned.

They also linked the increased rise in cases to localized transmission and household infection. The Region also recorded its two highest cases since the start of the pandemic 377 cases on June 7, and 300 on June 8.

“Laxity in the implementation of the Minimum Health Standards in a number of major business establishments; Inadvertent lenient application of the Minimum Health Standards in Local Government Units; Some local officials have also disregarded IATF regulations set by the Department of Interior and Local Government; Slow, inaccessible, and inadequate testing and much slower and poor contact tracing efforts; Unconducive and congested isolation and quarantine facilities; Lack of Personal Protective Equipment,” they enumerated.

The letter also contained the recommendations of the health workers, such as allowing private companies and regional or national agencies to provide isolation and quarantine facilities; consideration for persons TURN TO 43

VACCINATION BOOST. The Local Government Unit of Naga welcomes Vice President Leni Robredo’s NagaVax Express to boost vaccination against COVID-19, which inoculates more than 6,000 individuals, last July 23. Photo by OVP and words by Pauline Velasco

Photos by OVP

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SHIARA MAE HOSMILLO EVERY TEENAGER AND student knows this part of their life amid pandemic: getting intimidated due to lots of tasks; imagining that these screens disappear and wishing you and your classmates were inside an actual classroom; needing to balance household chores and school activities, and wanting to give up from all the things that make you unhealthy. These trying moments and depressing feelings that every student is experiencing were never invalid as mental health issues should never be neglected despite what most people say. But, what makes it an important issue?

Highkey Issues On Mental Health Mental health, as defined by MentalHealth. gov, includes the emotional, psychological, and social well-being that affects how people think, feel, and act. Experiencing mental health issues, on the other hand, are normal and are always likely to occur in the course of life of one person yet these are vital and if not treated properly, they might have a lasting effect.

Likewise, this pandemic and the new setup of education, which is ‘distance learning’ - a non-traditional and systematic remote education, totally made an adverse impact on the mental health of most students. As surveyed by the PANTOGRAPH, there are 51.5% or 52 out of 101 respondents, approximately 5 out of 10 of the Senior High School (SHS) students in University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) who claimed that their mental health was negatively affected due to the harsh circumstances happening recently.

Most of these SHS students reported that the new setting and setup entirely

affected their mental health, as well as the school pressure, the pile of school activities, tight deadlines, lack of social interaction, lack of electronic devices and Internet access, the intervention of household tasks, and other personal problems.

Additionally, one of the interviewees also shared their thoughts on this particular topic.

“I was affected negatively [in this new learning setup] because I always felt exhausted from using gadgets and social media. I felt that my life was unproductive because of this pandemic.

I am the type of student who learns well when educators discuss it personally,” shared by Iken (not their real name) from STEM B. However, there were 27.7% or 28 students who answered that they were affected positively by the new learning setup, 17.8% or 18 were not sure, and 3% or 3 were not affected at all.

The expert interviewed by the Inquirer.Net who was Liza Marie Campoamor Olegario, an educational psychologist, primarily mentioned the flaws of delivery and organization of this new remote learning in the country that led students struggling and suffering to keep up with their school lessons. Olegario also said that “the country is not used to distance education” and is “not prepared for emergency remote learning” even though the government continued education amid a health crisis.

B.F.F.S. Are For Real The effects of these factors that compromise the mental health of the students vary in degree and can depend on some aspects such as personal circumstances, circle of people, environment, etc. Hence, the following effects are simplified into four items, these are: Burnouts. Student burnout amid distance education swiftly became an issue after a few days as parents, asked

by Inquirer.Net, became alarmed at their children crying, skipping meals, and experiencing mental breakdowns while hardly trying to accomplish every task given by the teachers.

Burnouts happen when one person experiences a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. As this kind of stress goes on, the person may begin to lose interest and motivation.

However, their concerns were validated

by Cara Fernandez, a psychologist and a professor, who explains that one of the causes of burnout can be a lack of social interaction.

In addition, Fernandez also told Inquirer that this is a common but crucial part for children of school age studying amid pandemic that have been used to sharing their problems with their peers and friends. Therefore, taking this away from them in their development will make their mental well-being suffer.

Frustrations. Looking through the lens of the reality of the Philippine academic institution, it is undeniable that it has many flaws and that it opened very soon. There are raw and unfurnished plans that were released too early, making most of the people under it, especially the students, frustrated even more.

This also adds the technological “glitches” and “errors” that are casually happening during distance learning, the lack of signal bars and Internet connection, the unnecessary background noises, the difficult untaught exams, and the unscheduled power interruptions. According to Edex Live, all of these make every student’s feelings more complicated than they should be which might lead to disinterest in joining the lecture and classes instantaneously.

Falters. Ever felt the ‘draining’ part of your life in the middle of the pandemic when all of your energy just saps out to the drain? That’s the point when you falter. Moreover, the article from Newsweek even articulates that what falters students the most, or what exhausts and ‘drains’ them, is the lack of non-verbal communication.

Concerning this, feelings and attitudes of a person are heavily carried by non-verbal communication, such as facial expressions, gestures, and other body languages, which are easy to comprehend in face-to-face interactions. On the other hand, processing these non-verbal cues in the distance learning setup is hard thus consuming more energy.

Additionally, silence is also different in the said setup, because if it’s in real-

life conversation, it creates a rhythm and a smooth exchange of speaking time between the communicators. But, in virtual communication, silence makes a person anxious about technological errors and lags.

Stress, the main and most issue that students face nowadays as they experience threats to public health, burnouts on piled school work and such, frustrations on technological lags, and exhaustion on lack of personal engagement.

In relation to this, a study was also conducted by AlAteeq et. al. examining the level of stress among students in their university at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. The results revealed that moderate to high levels of stress were experienced among the students. According to a 2017 study by Bettinger et. al., this also makes students generally perform worse in online classes than in-person classes, especially those students who have not learned how to manage their time. Because of the flexibility of distance learning that makes student participation occur at any hour of the day and place, they will likely have the most difficulty in handling tasks.

B.F.F.S.’ Vibes — Hits Different

Everyone’s feelings and emotions are valid because being a student amid the tumultuous time is already hard enough to deal with altogether with personal problems.

Still, there are also ways to cope and to hope in escaping the reality that all of the people are living in.

Accordingly, the following are some of the coping mechanisms that are being done by some of the SHS students that might be beneficial for you: 1) Watch entertaining videos, music, and movies, and doing personal hobbies; 2) Interacting and bonding with family; 3) Talking to friends virtually; 4) Having positive thoughts; 5) Expressing out what you feel; 6) Writing thoughts on a notebook or journal; 7) Exercising before or after class; 8) Praying to God. Nevertheless, most of the students may have felt negatively about and throughout the distance education but every person must remember that every negative occurrence, there are positive ones as it was for every disadvantage, there are benefits. Similarly, students may have experienced severe effects of distance learning nowadays, such as burnouts, frustrations, faltering or exhaustion, and stress, but they must know how to use them as lessons to rise again and move forward for the better.

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‘Best compromise’... who may have difficulty in staying alone in the facilities, and the possibility of home quarantine; patients who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms to be isolated in dedicated facilities; augmentation of healthcare workers in public and private hospitals, as well as an increased supply of Personal Protective Equipment; explore the possibility of reverse isolation where the COVID-19 negative family members are the ones isolated to hotels so that the positive members can remain at home; only count the available COVID-19 beds in hospitals that admit them, and regular consultation of medical experts and professionals in crafting and implementing the guidelines.

“If you can provide us a reprieve from this virus by elevating the Quarantine Status to ECQ for at least 2-4 weeks, this would allow us to fortify our ranks and treat those in most need. This war against COVID-19 requires all hands on deck, for this is a fight wherein the cooperation and contribution of each and every one is vital and pivotal to the eradication of this virus,” they urged Ano. They also called for a continued and enhanced vaccination program in the Region.

As of June 20, there are 5,590 active cases in the Region, with 10,108 recoveries, and 509 casualties.

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Fun-demic... told, who are told, and who experienced it regardless of its theme or subject. What matters the most is why they hold and keep it as a part of their story.

With this, the interviewees also shared one of the benefits of these moments. Based on their answers, it calms their confused minds, reduces stress, and shuns anxiety thus promotes confidence allowing students to express; it let the students and also, teachers breathe even for a moment after a stressful hour; it made them closer together and get to know each other even though they might be strangers to one another; it makes the class loud and joyful like the pandemic never existed hence creating a bond that strengthens their connection and communication; and lastly, it taught them something and learned that they could still make memories despite the distance.

As students, this tumultuous time might be hindering for you but these stories, moments, and happenings, that became the ‘temporary escape’ of what’s happening outside, will be a part of your memories to keep. Based on one of the interviewees, “despite the problems that we are facing behind the camera, we still manage to laugh together in simple things.”

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Online Elections?

Your Right and Privacy JAYVEE FORTUNO IN THE CURRENT situation where there are limitations with our access to going out of our residences, the chances of people registering for the next election is minimal compared to the years where people still have easy access to going out of their homes. According to the data gathered by the Commissions on Elections (COMELEC), the number of registrants for the next elections during the voter registration that started last September 21, 2020, was only 863,309. The said number is not even half of the expected four million people who are eligible to vote in the 2022 elections.

Due to this, Gregorio Larrazabal, former commissioner of COMELEC, emphasized that the pandemic is not an excuse for eligible voters not to vote, especially that what lies within their votes is the future of the country for the next six years.

Meanwhile, people have been asking how the next election will happen, with the limitations of the setup. Given that not all Filipinos have access to the internet or are allowed to go out of their homes.

The Philippine General Elections, which will take place in May 2022, will provide the country with another opportunity to elect leaders who will contribute to shaping the country’s future.

Senators have been debating a mail-in voting method, where it means that the votes will be cast by sending it through an email. It was proposed in light of the pandemic, with varying degrees of interest; however, the Senate President has openly rejected the plan for grounds of inclusion and safety, while two other members have expressed support for it.

Regardless of whether there will be a shift to a mail-in voting system or a stick to an electronic voting system in the upcoming elections, the majority of registered voters believe that it will involve the use of electronic data processing systems, which come with their own set of cybersecurity risks. Aside from that, the fact that there are still more than three and a half billion

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people, nearly half of the global population who are not yet connected to the internet, several Filipinos are part of it. Given that in the setup with the online classes where the youth and professionals are already experiencing difficulties, with them being part of the eligible voters, accessing this kind of voting system will be a struggle.

Aside from the connectivity issues the whole country is experiencing, the critical factor that will hugely be affected

is the security of the voters.

Cybersecurity concerns are most prevalent in two sectors of the electoral value chain. According to the United Nations and European Convention on Human Rights, voter secrecy is one of the many elements of democracy. It means that everything must be accurate and verifiable under the possible online election to ensure that the system can be trusted. With the existing doubts and concerns, two of those must be given focus.

The first is the procedure of voter registration.

One example of an inherently exposed risk area is the security of voter registration databases. The data on voter registration is used to determine who is a legitimate voter and whether or not they have cast a ballot. It is vital information that, if stolen, might be used to affect voter behavior, encrypt data so that it or the database becomes inaccessible, or socially engineered voter behavior. Data privacy is a major worry for legitimate voters who have provided their personally identifiable information (PII) during the voter registration process, in addition to the data integrity issue raised by the data breach. There is also the more dangerous risk of data tampering by a hostile third party to skew election results in favor of specific politicians and parties.

The actual electoral procedure is the second area of concern.

Ballots filled out by registered voters are scanned by vote-counting equipment before being counted. The VCMs then aggregate all votes in election returns connected to the central and transparency servers at the end of election day. After then, the results are compiled and sent to the Boards of Canvassers at the local, provincial, and state levels. If left unprotected, the linked data networks are vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Given the risks, the government may find it hard to handle and find ways on how they will manage the upcoming elections. Besides being vulnerable to hacking, online elections cannot be audited effectively given that cyber attackers could potentially delete millions of ballots. It is also why several groups of computer scientists have argued against internet voting or said that instead, it should only be used in parallel with a paper system for verification.

An election is a uniquely difficult process to deliver under the pressure of high expectations, limited budgets, and a hard deadline. According to some, there is no technology yet available that can meet the challenges of delivering elections safely via the internet although, many aspects of our lives have shifted online, one thing that the current system should consider is the vulnerability of the things that could be put at risk, especially if it indicates the right and privacy of the public.

KYLE BAUTISTA CORONAVIRUS DISEASE 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are now here and they come in different variations. Out of the hundreds of vaccines that are being tested, eight (8) of them are approved and used in our country as of April 19, 2021 (Department of Health, 2021). They are Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Gamaleya, Jannsen, Bharat, Moderna, and Novavax. Each of these vaccines has different dosages and efficacies.

Which vaccine will you choose?

First, we should understand that efficacy and effectiveness are two different things. The efficacy of vaccines refers to how well they will perform in the real world, this means it measures how successful it is in stopping the virus from spreading. Efficacy of vaccines on the other hand refers to the degree it can prevent diseases and transmission in a perfect and controlled world, this means that it measures how much a vaccine reduces the spread of the virus in a population that was vaccinated versus a population that was not vaccinated.

To better understand these concepts, let us say for example that a vaccine has a 90% efficacy. This data was obtained by studying two groups of people that each has 100 members.

Group A was injected with a vaccine, while Group B was not. After a few weeks, results came and all 100 members of Group B got infected with the virus, while for Group A, there were only 10 members who got infected. In this data, we can see that the vaccine that was injected in Group A was able to reduce the number of infected members by 90 people or 90%. Take note that this example was imagined in a perfect world wherein everyone had the same conditions.

Effectiveness is almost the same but it also has to take into consideration factors like underlying chronic illnesses, medications, dosage storage, and many more.

According to the Department of Health (DOH), these are the following efficacies of the vaccines. Pfizer has 95% against symptomatic COVID-19; Astrazeneca has a 70.4% against symptomatic cases but 100% against severe cases; Sinovac has a 65% - 91%; Gamaleya has a 91.6% against symptomatic cases but 100% against moderate or severe

cases; Jannsen has 66.1% - 66.9% against moderate to severe cases; Bharat has 80.6% against PCR-confirmed symptomatic cases; Moderna has 94.1% against symptomatic cases but 100% against severe cases; and Novavax is still pending for the release of its official efficacy.

That’s a lot of numbers, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that all vaccines are equal and that they don’t lean on or recommend a specific vaccine brand. According to the CDC, the best option is to take the first FDA-authorized vaccine that is available because they are safe, effective, and will reduce the risk of severe illness. However, some people might still have preferences over other vaccines. But, why are there so many vaccines in the first place?

The World Health Organization (WHO) answers, having many developers of vaccines will increase the chances of creating a vaccine that is successful, safe, and efficacious. To better understand this, let us say for example that 100 vaccines are being tested on animals, roughly 7 out of 100 of these vaccines are successful enough to be tested on humans and only 1 out of 5 of those vaccines will be successful enough to achieve the intended purpose of immuning the people from a virus or disease. That is why, the more vaccine developers there are, the more chance that we have to create a vaccine that can fight the virus.

The only problem is that the virus isn’t giving up either. According to the New York Times, the virus now has two variants. The first variant known as ‘B.1.1.7’ that originated in the U.K is said to be more contagious than the original variant from Wuhan, China. The second variant known as ‘B.1.617.2’ that originated in India is said to be the most contagious among the three variants.

The symptoms and effects of these variants are said to be the same, the only difference is that the newer variants tend to spread faster.

As of the moment, the CDC states that there is not enough information yet on how well the vaccines will work on the new variants. They claim that they will first continue to monitor the situation

and observe how the impact of the new variants will affect the effectiveness of the vaccine. But there is one thing that we do know, current data suggests that the vaccines will work on most of the variants, but some might still cause illness even after a person is vaccinated.

Regardless, according to Mayo Clinic, fully vaccinated people can now not wear masks and proceed to do activities they weren’t able to do before unless they are required to do so by the law or an establishment that they are in. Whether or not a person is vaccinated, they should still obey the rules that they are asked to do so. However, the CDC suggests that fully vaccinated individuals should still get tested if they show signs of COVID symptoms.

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DOC

ORS ON THE WEB

THE RISE OF TELEMEDICINE SERVICES AMID THE PANDEMIC KYLE BAUTISTA CONSULTING YOUR DOCTORS or physicians has never been easier! We have always been used to physically visiting our doctors in hospitals or clinics for the simplest of reasons, but that will change because of telemedicine.

Dr. Liji Thomas, a medical doctor, explained in an article that telemedicine is a form of medical check-ups wherein the patient can discuss matters with their doctors simply through audio/video calls. However, telemedicine is only applicable when the consultation does not require the doctor to see the patient. This means that this only caters to non-emergency medical consultations like dosage adjustments, prescription refills, or lifestyle regimen suggestions. Medical emergencies wherein the doctor needs to physically examine and see the patient will not be of much value for telemedicine. On the bright side, those who suffer from chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood or cholesterol will definitely benefit through this process. (Thomas, L. 2021.)

Due to the ongoing pandemic, hospitals have started to adopt this kind of medical consultation.

Medgate Philippines is one of the few hospitals that offer free telemedicine. Other hospitals like the Eva Digital Clinic and Pasig Doctors Medical Center offer online medical checkups for a price.

Regardless, hospitals are not requiring anyone to avail of this type of medical consultation, rather, it is a personal decision and will depend on the situation of the patient. However,

not all hospitals have fully implemented telemedicine, other local hospitals are yet to fully establish online medical consultations. Some do provide and make an exemption depending on the doctor and situation of the patient’s health It is to be noted though that telemedicine is not here to replace clinics or medical check-ups, instead what it does is support and complement the already existing physical consultations with doctors. It only acts as an additional help to provide extra care for the patients. According to American Family Physician, 35 studies were conducted and found out that through telemedicine, there is a significant improvement when it comes to time and comprehensiveness of service.

This means that hospital visits were reduced but clinical outcomes such as treatments are not much affected.

Physical check-ups are still much more effective than telemedicine when it comes to serious matters because of the available apparatuses that doctors can use to diagnose and treat the patient. Apparatuses can include things like a stethoscope, CT scan, and many more that are usually not found in homes.

This is not to say that telemedicine does not have its advantages. In some aspects, telemedicine proves to be more effective in terms of providing convenience and ease of access, it also enables the doctors to accommodate more patients than the usual setting wherein they have to go by appointment. This is especially true now that we are in a pandemic and our movement is limited by the ongoing quarantine.

#SaveRalph Campaign Calls to Ban Animal Testing in Cosmetics CHARLES KRYXIAN LARA COSMETICS EUROPE STATES that cosmetics can help improve our mood, enhance our appearance, and self-esteem, and is an important part of social expression. These products undergo many processes to serve their purpose of enhancing our looks and taking care of our bodies.

But little did we know they also serve harm, pain, and death to poor animals, such as rabbits, and monkeys, that these cosmetic companies used as testers.

In April 2021, the Humane Society International (HSI) introduced the #SaveRalph Campaign as a movement to stop the suffering of animals at the hands of the big cosmetic companies. Save Ralph is a stopmotion animation film that was combined with the performances by an all-star multinational cast that includes Taika Waittiti, Ricky Gervais, Zac Efron, Olivia Munn, Pom Klementieff, Rodrigo Santoro, Tricia Helfer, and more, Ralph, the main character of the film, is a rabbit and is being used by a cosmetic company in government-required chemical poisoning tests for cosmetics and their ingredients. The film exposed the horrible daily routine of Ralph as a tester in a toxicology lab. The empathetic story of Ralph and many other animals that are suffering from cruelty engages viewers to support the ban of animal testing of cosmetics once and for all.

Spencer Susser, the director of Save Ralph, said that the animals in the testing labs don’t have a choice and it’s our responsibility to do something about it.

“When the opportunity came up to create a new campaign for Humane Society International, I felt that stop-motion was the perfect way to deliver the message. When you see the horrifying reality of the way animals are treated, you can’t help but look away. What I was hoping to do with this film was create something that delivers a message without being too heavyhanded. I hope that audiences fall in love with Ralph and want to fight for him and other animals like him so we can ban animal testing once and for all,” he added.

According to HSI, rabbits like Ralph are really being neck-restrained and cosmetic products and their ingredients are dripped to their eyes and onto the shaved skin on the back. They’re not given any pain relief and all of them will be killed in the end. Forty (40) countries have banned this kind of testing for cosmetic products, such as India, Taiwan, New Zealand, South Korea, Australia, and more. The European Union banned all animal testing for cosmetics in 2013, yet today this celebrated precedent is being weakened by European Chemicals Agency who demands that cosmetic companies perform new animal tests on chemicals used exclusively in cosmetics. More than 2,000 “cruelty-free” products are being sold worldwide, but HSI warns that these products are in jeopardy if chemical safety legislation continues to demand new animal tests for chemical ingredients used exclusively in cosmetics.

No more animals should be harmed in the name of beauty and to HSI President Jeffrey Flocken, “Save Ralph is a wake-up call that animals are still suffering for cosmetics, and now is the time for us to come together to ban it globally.

Today we have an abundance of reliable, animalfree approaches for product safety assurance, so there’s no excuse for making animals like Ralph suffer to test cosmetics or their ingredients.”

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The Greatest r e t s k n a President “CHANGE IS COMING,” pledged the person who made almost all of us think that he is the best fit for the position as the president. With that, people saw some light that may lead us into another way of living, but the question is: Is it for the better or for the worse?

Way back May 30, 2016, the 16th Congress of the Philippines proclaimed Rodrigo Roa Duterte as the President-elect of the Philippines after winning the votes of 16.6 million Filipinos. Pabillo thinks that his victory demonstrated Filipinos’ desire for change. He believed it represented the people’s despair to the point that, even if they don’t know what’s new, as long as it promises something new, they will seize the opportunity and take the risk.

This was also strengthened by the influence of Duterte’s track record in Davao City that worked in his favor during the election.

It has been more than five years since Duterte has been elected to the presidency. The one-ofa-kind leader who has consistently gone his own way and has been described as a president that is not hesitant to make bold remarks about the country’s important concerns, such as government corruption, criminality, and so on. Since he stepped onto the position, he has constantly reiterated his numerous promises that people are holding on to until now. However, as his final term comes to an end, it’s time to look back on promises made and broken. We should face and acknowledge the fact that all of these things happened---the essence of his words of assurance began to disappear, replaced by the overpowering impact of broken promises.

“I’ll behave when I’m President,” one of the simplest promises that happened in the month before he took his oath as president. Duterte pledged to quit cursing and to behave in order to honor the Philippine president. However, after two years, Duterte seldom made a statement that did not include multiple foul languages. His dreadful outbursts against critics, offensive jokes, and sexist statements have all become defining characteristics of his leadership.

If the simplest promise cannot be kept, there is a higher risk that the most difficult one will be impossible to fulfill.

Moreover, one of the greatest highlights during his term is all about his bloody war on drugs. His administration’s signature campaign continues to be the anti-drug crusade. As a result, a huge number of people have died due to the police anti-drug operations. Despite Duterte’s promise in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), he still made the wrong decision. He pledged that his administration would be mindful of the country’s duties to advocate, defend, and

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fulfill our citizens’ human rights, particularly those of the impoverished, disadvantaged, and vulnerable; social justice would be achieved, and the rule of law would be upheld at all times.

On the other hand, Human Rights Watch discovered that official police accounts of these instances usually claimed self-defense to legitimize police killings in the name of the drug war. However, several witnesses have alleged that police kill individuals even if they are not fighting arrest, and that the police frequently put firearms, empty ammo, and drug packets close to the victims’ bodies to support their allegations. They acted without hesitation since Duterte regularly calls on police to “massacre” drug suspects and tells them not to worry if they are accused of abuses for he will pardon them as if he didn’t mind taking innocent people’s lives.

Along with denigrating human rights and threatening human rights advocates, Duterte has also succeeded in suppressing and oppressing the press, proving that he is a determined opponent of the truth as if he is scared of them. He has prohibited journalists from attending Malacañang press conferences. In addition, his administration has concealed critical information about his drug war. He has also exploited the judiciary to antagonize journalists from the Philippine Daily Inquirer to Rappler, as well as the country’s biggest

broadcasting network, ABS-CBN, whose legislative franchise he persistently refused to renew. Duterte’s suppressing power could also well be observed in his numerous attempts to imprison the courageous journalist Maria Ressa and former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV with a bombardment of court lawsuits and arrest orders.

We can say that change has arrived, but it is not what we had hoped for.

Another harsh smack just landed on us recently. It was in May 2021 when he declared that his 2016 promise to ride a jet ski to the Spratly Islands and place a Philippine flag there was just a pure campaign joke, labeling those who believed him ‘stupid’. A promise that’s made in response to a query from a Filipino fisherman during the discussion about how the presidential candidates can assist fishermen in fishing securely in the West Philippine Sea without anyone being chased away by the Chinese coast guard. This proved that those reassuring words for the Filipino were just a publicity stunt.

“Hindi istupido ang Pilipinong botante kasi sa tingin ko, hindi naman sila naniniwala sa literal na pagsakay at paggamit ng jet ski pero naniniwala siguro sila na ang Pangulong ito na mahilig din yumakap ng bandila, maraming sinasabing proFilipino remarks, naniniwala sila na ipagtanggol nito ang pambansang interes ng Republika,” stated by Dr. Aries Arugay, a political science professor in UP Diliman. People put their faith in Duterte, believing that he would fiercely defend the Philippines’ claims and sovereign rights in the South China Sea, but he rather betrays and disappoints them.

“Lesson for young voters: Be wary of candidates making ‘jokes’ about serious issues such as national sovereignty, just so they can get elected. Mag-ingat sa mga swindler at manggagancho tuwing halalan,” Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr. said in a Twitter post.

Promises were meant to be fulfilled, not broken nor used as a joke.

Let these events become a wake-up call for those who are called “stupid,” and begin to reflect so that we are not duped again. As elections are about to come, we must be registered voters already to counter those who are not suitable for the position to avoid the same mistakes and negative occurrences all over again. Jokes are supposed to be funny rather than being offensive nor frustrating. National concerns should not be used as a joke, especially in serious matters.

Gaining trust and making people believe in him is not a joke. Perhaps, he is a joke. He became the greatest prankster who failed us, his citizens, to be happy and satisfied with his careless actions. We deserve better.

MOST OF THE time, we satirically compare the speed of the internet connection to a turtle’s pace. Who would also not feel annoyed whenever we get stuck in a traffic jam on the city roads or the long days of waiting just for the products we ordered online to arrive? As much as we want these daily situations to hasten, the people must demand even more for a better vaccination process in our country.

Breakthrough DANIELLE FRANCES ANNE FAVOR daniellefrancesanne.favor@unc.edu.ph

It was the 28th of February this year when the first batch of vaccines that will combat COVID-19 got imported to the country, a significant stepping-stone that brought hope to the Filipino community. The Philippines is getting enough support from different countries and private sectors knowing how alarming the threat of the spread of the virus is despite the hard lockdowns and strengthened minimum health standards for the past months. Despite those, the caseloads and number of unvaccinated

Purpose and Interest WITH THE RISING number of COVID-19 incidents, several government sectors are stepping up their efforts to find ways for everyone to be secured and comply with the current protocols and policies that must be implemented and followed by community members and countrymen as a whole. However, even amid the pandemic, there are still people with different perspectives and personalities who want to take advantage of the situation. Phony delivery, customers being duped, fake products and services harming people, and, perhaps most controversially, the inclusion of politics in contact tracking methods and rules are just a few instances.

A former official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has warned the public that some contact tracing forms being filled out in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak could simply be used to collect people’s data. Gregorio Larrazabal, an ex-Comelec commissioner and lawyer, stated that some parties may have been mining data from information provided by people upon entering business facilities as part of contact tracing regulations.

This act was supported by tons of sentiments coming from the public, that they have been receiving messages, targeted advertisements, and calls from companies offering products. Some people have also

AMIDST THE DOMINATION of darkness and hunger, Filipinos seem to have found a ray of hope when Ana-Patricia Non started the concept of community pantries. Bannering its motto “Magbigay ayon sa kakayahan; kumuha batay sa pangangailangan”, this small project turned into a huge movement. The Maginhawa Community Pantry gave birth to more community pantries by igniting many individuals and groups to contribute to those who are in need.

Mirror of Incompetence JAY VHIE ABUNDA jayvhie.abunda@unc.edu.ph

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Just like the antagonists in every series or movie we watched, some authorities dimmed the light that focused on Non and organizers of the pantries by calling these pantries communist propaganda. It was April 21 when Non was also called as a member of the underground mass organization, Artista at Manunulat ng Sambayanan (ARMAS). The Philippine National Police (PNP) also ran profiling to community pantries organizers last April 19. The modern Bayanihan is something good that happened in our days but it also means that the government failed in doing its responsibilities in our nation.

citizens are still high enough to achieve the goal of massive herd immunity to the whole Filipino community.

Missed Targets The National Task Force (NTF) is steadily managing the vaccine distributions up until this very time garnering a total of 10,443,407 doses inoculated to the Filipino citizens since June 30th.

Despite this effort, a discrepancy in filling their target sectors for vaccination is evident. “We are doing well with health workers but not so good with seniors and persons with comorbidity,” stated Dr. John Wong, member of Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) sub-technical working group on data analytics, as they missed the 21% target both for the elderly and people with comorbidities. This made the caseloads more vulnerable to rise as according to the Department of Health (DOH), 81% of the death records are from people aging 50 and above since the start

expressed their dissatisfaction with the lack of clarity regarding where the data points go after they have been filled in. With this, the opinion of the people is divided. Others argue that using phones to register upon entering is safer, or it may be preferable to write down information manually because it is not immediately entered into a database.

Aside from those data mining incidents, one controversial incident involved politicians that have been using the contact tracing registry logbooks, to gather information of potential voters for the upcoming election. Several photos have been circulating in social media that showed different names of the running candidates, with the information provided by the people through signing into logbooks upon entering establishments. As this incident triggers several Filipinos about the ideology of taking advantage of the situation, on the other hand, the contact

Lights, Camera, Action!

According to the American political scientist, Robert Rotberg, human security is the most important factor in proving the effectiveness of an administration. The citizens always have expectations and the leaders should keep their promises which gives birth to the Social Contract Theory.

If we are to have a retrospective analysis, community pantries arose because a lot of people are starving at this time and this is because the government has not given us the basic needs that we deserve. According to the survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) last November 3 to December 3 last year, there’s 62.1% of Filipinos experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity.

The people are in desperate times calling for measures and they found it in community pantries that take the initiative for the people to meet their daily needs despite having a low amount of budget.

Now, going back to what Rotberg said, the distinction between a strong state and a weak

Speed Up of the pandemic. As of the past month, only 2.63 million of the population got fully vaccinated which is still far from the peak goal of 70 million out of 110 million Filipinos this year.

Supply and Roll-out Lapses The country received over 17.5 million imports of doses of different brands of vaccines since the last week of February. A handful, right? The people’s need for inoculation is high, but the process itself is fluctuating due to supply issues from document and certification mismanagements according to the report of the Philippine News Agency (PNA). There are still more than 7 million jabs unadministered. It is evident that among the massive doses, the rate of vaccine inoculations is just 217, 511 per

tracing measures that maximized the usage of phones and convenient ways to trace individuals that might have been with closure to a COVID-19 positive is effective in reducing the chances of the increase in mortality rate, whereas with the help of this, people can be alerted if someone who was in the same facility with them at the same time caught the coronavirus. This allows potentially exposed persons to isolate themselves and monitor for COVID-19 symptoms, boosting the chances of early discovery and prevention.

“Treat you right and serve you right.” This is always part of the goals of a running candidate who would want to run in a certain position in the administration. However, people are not to be blamed for having doubts in terms of what they can do for the people, especially if they engage with such dismaying actions, implying insensitivity with the dilemma everyone is facing right now.

If a certain political candidate has been taking

day which is relatively lower than the targeted 350,000 to 500,000 jabs a day to achieve the 70% immunization rate among the Filipinos before the end of 2021. This even scared the possibility of expiration due to delayed inoculation of the doses.

Public Trust The enormous efforts for vaccination improvements are just a waste without the affirmations from the people. The Pulse Asia Survey noted this further as the results showed that 6 out of 10 citizens do not want to be inoculated with the given vaccines. This questions the effort of the government in boosting the trust and demand of the citizens for these aids. With this, massive population protection will not be

advantage of things, especially with a crucial thing like personal information of the people, it may lead to disapproval, especially with the truth that these things are happening before the candidate takes office. If one candidate cannot get hold of integrity in terms of executing actions to gain public support and trust, there will be a disparity between the promises and platforms, and to the candidate’s actions.

Since we are all affected by the current situation, may we all remember to keep within us the honesty and integrity that we should hold.

We should open our visions into ways on how to contribute to minimizing and preventing the spread of the virus, by being responsible enough to comply with the safety protocols and existing policies at hand. May everyone be more in control of what is the purpose of existing contact tracing methods, than the interest of a certain individual.

Antagonistic on Great Ideas state is in terms of their effectiveness in delivering the “most crucial political goods.” Our country doesn’t even have concrete plans made to feed millions of people and to properly govern them especially in this time of the pandemic. With the help of community pantries, Filipinos can help each other to maximize their sense of security.

However, these are only created as a temporary solution. It can’t save us from the virus itself. They can solve the problem at a definite time but the government must still address the complexity of the problems caused by the pandemic especially in the fields of education and health. It is sad that the tables have turned because the government leaders must be the ones to provide these essentials and not the community taking the initiative for the poor to meet their basic needs.

Out of Script Unfortunately, some organizers already

stopped their transaction last April 20 since they feel unsafe after the red-tagging and profiling, which is against the privacy law of each organizer whose only goal is to help others. These people shouldn’t be treated like trash and feel fear for doing the things that will help the people. Non also apologize to those who lined up early in the morning on the said date. These are the Filipinos who depend on their needs on community pantries because they don’t have work after the lockdowns happened in the past months. That day, those people didn’t have food caused by the red-tagging of community pantries.

The government should not block the things that are fulfilling its shortcomings. Like what President of IBP, Atty. Domingo Egon Cayosa stated last April 21 after the profiling of the PNP on organizers, “Community pantries should be praised, not profiled; replicated, not red-tagged; supported, not stopped.”

achieved instantly and the cases will skyrocket.

In addition, the agitating statements of the president himself waver the confidence of the people in the actions of the administration towards the health crisis. “You choose, vaccine or I will have you jailed,” Duterte said in a televised speech restated by CNN Philippines. He even threatens these “fools” to get immunized with Ivermectin, a vaccine for pigs. This became a hot topic as no Law justifies his words. It even opened up the allegations presented by the International Criminal Court on the war on drugs campaign of Duterte that is allegedly violating Human Rights.

Government Efforts Despite the glitches, the acceleration in the process of vaccination is seen since its beginning TURN TO 53

Fact or Bluff?

JAYVEE FORTUNO jayvee.fortuno@unc.edu.ph

We can never understand what’s on their minds because they are clearly missing one of the main targets in this time of the pandemic.

The administration had the wrong priorities at this critical time. Instead of giving long-term solutions, they even started debating who’s going to run for presidential position in the upcoming 2022 elections. They also spend a lot of money on white sand in Manila Bay instead of using it to suffice the needs of the people and give a proper budget for vaccination and frontliners work-related activities. According to the National Budget 2021 release, the Build Build Build has the second-highest allocation with PhP1,323.1 Billion higher than the Department of Health (DOH), being the primary government arm in responding to this pandemic, will only receive PhP210.2 billion.

CUT! Poverty and opening the economy are the TURN TO 53

OPINION 51

Boxing in Politics ON THE LEFT corner, the ‘Pambansang Kamao,’ and the President of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDPLaban) Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao. On the right corner, the rest of the PDP-Laban and its Chairman, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

They might be getting ready to rumble!

Cutting Jib’s Jib JIBRIL ALLEEN LORENTE jibrilalleen.lorente@unc.edu.ph

The stage was set on December 4, 2020, when Pacquiao became the acting party president after Senator Koko Pimentel stepped down from the post, and became the party’s executive vice-chairman.

However, the first punches were thrown on May 3, 2021, when Pacquiao criticized Duterte’s handling of the West Philippine Sea dispute, saying that he found the President’s stance ‘lacking.’

Later on, Department of Energy Secretary and PDP-Laban Vice-Chairman Alfonso Cusi called on the PDP-Laban to convene for a national assembly at the request of President Duterte. The said assembly, held last May 31, was condemned by Pacquiao and even urged members to boycott it as the decision was made without his knowledge.

(WHO). As mentioned in the guidelines, they advised countries with high Dengue infection rates to use the said vaccine. During this vaccination campaign, roughly 830, 000 children aged 9 and over received at least one dose of the vaccine.

By November 2017, Sanofi, the French multinational pharmaceutical company that developed the drug said that those children who’ve never been infected by the illness will have it more severely than those who already did. In 2018, the public has already lost their trust in getting the same vaccine causing trouble with the government since even if that happened roughly five years ago, a Pulse Asia survey revealed that 6 in 10 Filipinos did not want to get vaccinated against COVID-19. If the public will not be informed by the possible side effects and the vaccine content, more Filipinos will be hesitant to get an anti-COVID-19 shot.

IN AN ATTEMPT to fix the public’s vaccine hesitancy and vaccine preference, President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered local officials not to disclose the brand name of the vaccine that will be administered to the public. This was due to the increase in mass gathering and queues when the US-made Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was released making the vaccination sites for China’s Sinovac Biotech quieter than the movie ‘A Quiet Place’.

According to Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje, from now on, only people already in line at a vaccination site will be told which shot they’ll get and if they don’t like the vaccines that are given during that time, then they go to the end of the line. This statement sparked a huge debate among the Filipinos since we can’t basically solve an existing problem by creating another one.

In the status quo, our country has the second-highest COVID-19 infection rate in Southeast Asia but the rollout has been slow with only less than one percent of the population of 108 million being fully vaccinated each day.

China’s Sinovac vaccine, which has an efficacy of about 67%, makes up the bulk of the doses available in the Philippines. There were only about 200,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, with an efficacy of 95%. As of now, there is still no vaccine supply from Moderna.

52 OPINION

Then, President Duterte finally countered Pacquiao’s initial jab on the West Philippine Sea issue. In a televised address on June 8, he told the Senator to ‘study more.’ A day later, Pacquiao responded, saying that his statement agrees with the sentiment of the public - that the administration’s stance on the dispute really lacked.

On June 17, Pimentel recommended Pacquiao to be the Party’s 2022 Presidential nominee. Five days later, in an interview with Radyo5, Pacquiao declared that if he will indeed run for President next year, he will wage a war on corruption and deemed it more urgent than the war on illegal drugs.

This angered Duterte, who challenged him to name the corrupt agencies in the government or be subjected to negative campaigning from the President.

Pacquiao then called for a Senate probe on the agencies he claimed to have corruption, such as the Departments of Health, Social Welfare and Development, Energy, and Environment and Natural Resources.

Surprisingly, Pacquiao was absent as he was preparing for a boxing match in August.

With the stage for the match set, what does this tell us? As long as the conflict isn’t addressed, the situation can result in the weakening of PDP-Laban and eventual withdrawal of other members as the current administration ends.

As long as the possibility of Pacquiao running for President remains, there are multiple

DengVaxia Dilemma If we are going to have a retrospective analysis of why the public has been so reluctant in getting the vaccine, the fresh memories of the troubled 2016 rollout of the dengue fever vaccine DengVaxia would probably be the best reason.

This vaccine placed thousands of Filipino children in danger after the Department of Health (DOH) was influenced by the guidelines released by the World Health Organization

Let’s get our facts straight We basically can’t solve the problem with the public’s vaccine hesitancy by disregarding the principle of informed consent which is fundamental in medical ethics. According to the NCBI Bookshelf, a valid informed consent for research includes three major elements namely: 1) Disclosure of information, 2) Competency of the patient to make a decision, and 3) Voluntary nature of the decision. If we were to analyze what the government is trying to push for, the first element is going to be violated since the public

FROM PAGE 51

outcomes from this: he could manage to run under the PDP-Laban but is not supported by Duterte and his allies, resulting in lower votes; or he can leave/be removed from PDP-Laban and run under a different party which could draw some of the PDP-Laban voters that support him.

Either way, the conflict is already sowing the seeds for a difficult campaign for the PDP-Laban Presidential bet and Pacquiao.

This situation also begs the question: what will the opposition do to take advantage of this?

Although the conflict has taken media attention away from them, it is quite beneficial to them, because they could still be reevaluating their potential nominees.

In particular, this issue covered 1Sambayan’s problem back on June 13, after their nominees either declined or did not confirm their candidacy yet. If they want to take advantage of the situation, they have to show the people they are now capable of uniting everyone, not just within their coalition but also the voters themselves.

During the 2016 polls, 25.9 million voters did not support Duterte in 2016. Therefore, if the opposition wants to win next year, they have to make sure that the 25.9 million voters are supporting one candidate---a united opposition.

After all, that 25.9 million was divided among four other candidates, giving the win to Duterte who got 16 million votes. As such, the opposition must not be complacent with the number of votes that were not for Duterte because there is no guarantee that the same number will be supporting their candidate. They also have to consider the number of candidates for Presidency next year.

As the schism between Pacquiao and the rest of PDP-Laban goes on, all we can do is watch and see how this thing develops as we all try to make our decisions for the upcoming elections as it moves closer with each passing day.

Shot of Uncertainty will only be given less information the moment that they are already in the inoculation sites.

If we are to build vaccine confidence and empower the people, they should be given more information, not less. A real ‘informed consent’ is when the public is going to be given more details about the risks, benefits, type of vaccine, and the observed side effects. It is way too impossible for the Filipinos to understand scientific terms in just one sitting since mass vaccination sites don’t have the time to do so. That’s why informing them beforehand would be the best choice.

To boost the vaccine confidence of the public, our government officials must act as vaccine champions and provide more opportunities for the people to openly discuss their views and ask questions about each vaccine brand. They must also educate them about the development process and monitor for safety. The public also needs more assurance in terms of giving health assistance once they experience some severe side effects because we basically can’t neglect the fear that they are feeling given what happened in the past.

Dobol Trobol... four months ago. The PNA states that only 9% who got inoculated did not receive the second dose due to the differences in vaccination schedules according to vaccine type and cases of getting infected by the virus. The Philippines stands 2nd among ASEAN countries in the 7-day daily administered vaccines with 144,402 doses as of June 1. The IATF is widening its vaccine programs clinics, mall parking areas, and public schools and continuous negotiations for supply chain capability to achieve the goal of population protection. Legal studies to discern the COVID-19 situation in the Philippines are also being supported by the officials.

Willing to boost the widespread vaccination in the Philippines, local government, organizations, and businesses started up doing unique and encouraging ways to provoke the people to get inoculated with the vaccines. Just like getting purchase discounts in restaurants and food chains of the National Capital Region for example Jollibee, Burger King, and McDonald’s. The local government of Barangay Sucat in Muntinlupa conducts raffle promos to win a half-sack of rice. The hospital of the city even gives grocery packs to citizens who got inoculated. Also, the City of San Luis in Pampanga brilliantly started the “Baka Para sa Bakuna” raffle draw every month wherein the vaccinated citizens will have a chance to win a cow.

In the end, complementary government and citizens’ efforts must be observed. We see vaccination as the ultimate way to brawl further setbacks of this pandemic. Better management of the government of this procedure is a must particularly that the global supplies are scarce and mostly acquired by richer countries.

Execution is nothing without necessary efforts of improvement. And as always, the citizens must be disciplined on following health and safety protocols this time and educating ourselves with the overall impact of vaccines on our health.

Turtle episodes cannot be avoided knowing the poor state of our economy these times. Yet, let us trust the gradual process to give significant change for normalcy to be refined in our motherland.

FROM PAGE 51

Dobol Trobol...

Busted FRANCINE IVANNA GABAY francineivanna.gabay@unc.edu.ph

real problems that the government must focus on in this time of pandemic and not waste their time on accusing someone without any evidence. We should find a way to give the Filipinos a source of income to avoid the number of people who are experiencing food insecurity that will support and help people to survive in their daily lives. Maybe there’s a difference between the beliefs and color of the party but remember that right now the enemy is the virus and we need to support each other. In every situation where we’re wasting days on something that doesn’t help the community, some families are dying because of hunger that may end their life in the long run.

OPINION 53

‘Victory and Humanity’:

ML tourney celebrates Lapu Lapu’s Mactan victory MARK ALLYSON FEDERIO FIVE CENTURIES SINCE Lapu Lapu’s victory over the Spaniards at the Battle of Mactan in 1521, the team ‘Java Rice with Sisig’ won the Mobile Legends Challenge: Lapu-Lapu held on May 1 and was streamed live on the Senior High School Supreme Student Government (SSG) Facebook Page.

The tournament was a best-of-one match.

Among the 49 registrants, only 30 learners managed to move forward, composing six teams with five members each.

According to the ‘Java Rice with Sisig’ member Jeremy James Pascual, their team never encountered any difficulties as they managed to win three times in a row without any defeats.

“The teams were unknown species, STEM O NYO PAGOD NA, Midnight abyss, and OLS. We didn’t encounter struggles since we’ve prepared,” he shared, citing the other five teams.

Pascual also shared that each victory was a different experience.

“We didn’t suffer defeats but the feeling when winning every game was amazing since it boosts our confidence to play hard on our upcoming games to showcase our skills,” he continued.

Along with Pascual are teammates Kyle Francis Santillan, John Murphy Bustamante, Michael James Transona, and Ian Reblora.

However, on the day of the tournament, the team ‘Mamamo D’ was disqualified. According to member Hazel Valdeavilla, it happened because one of their teammates could attend the event due

to personal reasons.

“Our team already has a complete number of members which is five (4 ABM and 1 GAS) but unfortunately, one of our members didn’t make it on the day of the tournament. Lacking a member became the problem because the rules stated that there should be 5 members to play in the tournament so automatically, we are disqualified,” Valdeavilla explained.

Meanwhile, the team ‘STEM O NIYO PAGOD NA’ composed of Julyan Manahan, Cer Tena, Francis Mika Ibones, Jordan Chavez, and Charles Vincent Imperial were hailed as the first runner-up.

The prizes for the winners include 2570 Mobile legends Diamonds (514 per member) for the Champion. The first-runner up got 1715 Mobile legend Diamonds (343 per member), and 860 Mobile legends Diamonds (172 per member) for the participants.

Aside from Lapu-Lapu’s triumph in the Battle of Mactan, the event also commemorated the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines and the Magellan-Elcano circumnavigation.

According to Learning Facilitator Armando Sta. Cruz, III, the event focused on the theme ‘Victory and Humanity,’ as well as raising awareness among the public about Lapu Lapu.

“The National Quincentennial Committee chairman intends to use this event as an opportunity to put Lapulapu in his right place in history as he is less known in some parts of the country,” Sta. Cruz added.

The said tournament was organized by the University of Nueva Caceres Senior High School Department, with the leadership of Sta. Cruz and the SHS SSG.

UNC Taekwondo Team kicks again amid COVID lockdown CURT JAIRUS PEREZ AFTER A YEAR of lockdown, the University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) Taekwondo Team garnered eight medals at the recently concluded 2021 Smart/ MVP Sports Foundation Online Luzon New Face of the Year Speed Kicking Championships and Poomsae Championships.

“I felt excited and nervous, seeing that it was my first tournament after a year of quarantine. It also felt liberating, it’s almost as if you came out of prison,” Alexander Manugo, who placed 11th, said in an interview with The PANTOGRAPH. On the other hand, Jerome Sabido, a gold medalist, said that he felt sad due to the canceled and postponed events because of the pandemic that the world is currently facing.

“Malungkot pa rin po kasi nagko-cope pa rin sa mga hindi natuloy na events due to pandemic.

Pero, yah, new beginnings po,” Sabido said.

The Speed Kicking Championship was held on dates of March 20, 27, 28. Meanwhile, the Poomsae Championship happened last March 27-28. Both events were held online due to the restrictions set upon by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) and to safeguard the athletes’ well-being.

Speed kicking is a type of category in

54 SPORTS

competitive taekwondo, wherein participants would vie for the greatest number of kicks in exactly one minute. On the other hand, Poomsae is a demonstration of attack and defense stances to determine the knowledge and skill of the performer.

The Smart/MVP Sports Foundation Online Luzon New Face of the Year Speed Kicking Championships and Poomsae Championships is an event to revive taekwondo amidst the pandemic.

Participants who engage themselves in this event are scouted by scouts from different universities and professional leagues. The competitor who is successfully scouted could be given a scholarship or deals, which is profitable for the athlete to compete in other events and further the athlete’s studies.

Recently, the team received an award and praise from Naga City Mayor Nelson Legacion due to the excellence that they exhibited. The awarding ceremony was also posted online.

“There are actually many events, as I have heard. Most of them are national tournaments and I even hear that there is a regional competition coming up. as for the names of these competitions I have mentioned, I do not know yet,” Manugo stated.

He also shared in the same interview that the competition that they will be joining is not just limited to the Poomsae category. The team is currently shooting their entries for this year’s Private Schools Athletic Association (PRISAA) meet for the Poomsae category.

CURT JAIRUS PEREZ FOR SPORTS ENTHUSIASTS and athletes, the COVID-19 pandemic is an ongoing nightmare that has no certainty of ending. Because of the current situation, certain types of sports were restricted and one of these is skateboarding.

Skate parks were closed from the public and international and local skateboarding events were put in to hold. However, this did not extinguish the passion of two young Nagueno skaters, who are skating their way through the pandemic.

One of these skateboarders is Frederick Soriano, a junior at the University of Nueva Caceres (UNC). According to him, his love for skateboarding began when his cousin introduced him to the sport when he was still a kid. During summer, the two would bond together, his cousin would teach him the basics of the sports. He adds that they would often share one skateboard because there is no extra.

The second skateboarder is Rons Beltran, a former UNCean. Beltran started skating after being persuaded by his friend who was experienced in the sport during his sophomore year in high school.

Intangible Feeling People see skateboarding as a sport with great danger, but for Soriano, skateboarding is a sport that gives a massive ecstasy to a person.

Whenever he goes on a ride while listening to music along with his friends, he feels that he is at ease while being carefree and just enjoying the present. This for him is an irreplaceable memory.

He adds with conviction, “Skating isn’t just about the tricks you can do, it doesn’t matter if you can do a lot or a few tricks. The important thing is that you feel the joy of what you are doing.”

Pandemic, School, and Skateboarding Balancing school life and a hobby while in a pandemic is hard for everyone and the two also admitted this. In Beltran’s words, he faced challenges in managing his time between school and doing what he loves, skateboarding. Due to the pandemic and his academics, he limited his playing time. Now, he would only just play three to four times per week if he is not busy.

The Youth According to the two, the skating community in the Naga is still small and as such are encouraging their fellow youth to try the sport.

“Start skating right now! If you’re waiting for a sign, this is it. When skateboarding, you’ll experience a lot of misfortune, ​​you would be disappointed in yourself, but the best technique there is to try. Try, try, try, fail. Then, try again until you succeed. That’s how it is, it will also test your courage. It’s forbidden to give up right away,” Soriano urged.

Beltran agreed with Soriano’s sentiment, saying that they should not be discouraged by failure as it is needed to succeed.

“Don’t be afraid to commit if you (want to) play or you want to do a trick because all skateboarders have experienced stumbling.

Continue, if you like what you are doing,” Beltran added.

Although these times may be filled with uncertainty, passion is one of the things that can help you continue. Like Beltran and Soriano, sometimes all you have to do is to keep moving forward and keep rolling.

The world may be experiencing a pandemic, but that does not mean this is the end.

Stoked.

Grind. Rad. Covid.

Skating through the Pandemic

SPORTS 55

‘Go for it’ Forging world-class Oragon Triathletes

CURT JAIRUS PEREZ THE PHILIPPINES IS known in the field of sports as a country with a deep love for basketball and boxing, so much so that the country stops and Filipinos stay at home just to watch Gilas Pilipinas or Manny Pacquiao represent the country on the world stage.

However, a new sport in the country is gradually growing in number of athletes - Triathlon.

It is a multisport race consisting of biking, swimming, and running over various distances.

And one triathlon team based in Naga City is forging future triathletes that could represent the country.

Ironhead is a triathlon team based in Naga City that trains aspiring youths and sports enthusiasts to become triathletes. Its founder Benjamin Rana also serves as the team captain and coach.

Rana has been in the triathlon world for a decade now and in those years he has trained the Filipino youth. He is a professional athlete that has competed in different triathlon competitions, but one of his unforgettable memories was when he qualified to race in the prestigious Ironman Triathlon held in Hawaii.

“It was a dream come true for me to race in that prestigious event and meet different

professional triathletes in the world of triathlon,” Rana reminisced.

In the existence of Ironhead, organizations such as 94Cycle & Multisports of Jun Bongao have constantly supported and nourished the team. With this great bond and pact, the two organizations envision building world-class triathletes native to Camarines Sur, that could represent the country in the world.

Adrianjames Mancera or “Boi Wasak”, as his team often calls him, is a member of the team studying at the University of Nueva Caceres (UNC).

Initially a cyclist, Mancera decided to go further and try a triathlon. According to him, the sport had made him realize that anything can be achieved with effort, perseverance, motivation, and consistency.

Another member of the team is Harry Luns, who used to study at UNC. Unlike Mancera, Luns and Rana were already friends so he was influenced to try Triathlon. He admitted that he became physically and mentally stronger, pointing out that the sheer will and motivation needed for the sport led to the results.

Ironhead usually trains as a team during weekends to avoid conflict of schedule with academics and work of the members. However, it is up to the members, if they want to train individually on weekdays or with other members.

According to Luns, they generally cover distances up to 120 km in their training.

For those willing to give a shot at triathlon, Coach Rana has one clear message: try and strive.

“All I can say is go for it. Continue to pursue

your dreams of being an athlete. Because it can help us to develop ourselves to grow more as a better individual not only in sports but as a better person. Make this triathlon as a weapon to strive more in life to overcome any hindrances to make your personality strong and become the pride of every individual,” Rana encouraged.

Meanwhile, Mancera also highlighted the significance of studying while training.

“Train hard, always do your best, but always put your studies as a priority,” Mancera reminded.

Ironhead currently has 67 members, consisting of boys and girls, according to a member of the team.

The future of Philippine sports is in great hands and has a bright future due to individuals willing to sacrifice their time and energy in advancing their beloved sport. However, this bright future would not come to reality if Filipinos would not notice these sports and continue to doubt the process. What Filipinos should do is to equally support different sports and trust the process.

CURT JAIRUS PEREZ AND MARK ALLYSON FEDERIO THE 2020 TOKYO Olympics was special and Filipinos could not agree more. The nation won its first gold medal and the national anthem was played for the first time on the podium. It was also the time where the Philippines won multiple medals since the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.

All of this through the strength and determination of four olympiads, Hidilyn Diaz, Nesthy Petecio, Eumir Marcial, and Carlo Paalam.

Game Day Hidilyn Diaz and Nesthy Petecio were the only two Filipino women who won a medal for the nation with Diaz taking the Philippines’ first gold medal while Petecio competed in the women’s featherweight boxing where she won silver.

The battle for gold medal in Diaz’s match was tight as she faced China’s one weightlifter, Liao Quiyun. Both athletes recorded the same score of 97kg in the snatch portion of the competition but it was only in the clean and jerk portion of the competition where Diaz possessed an upper hand and beat Liao by a kilogram, Diaz lifted 267 and Liao 266.

On the other hand, Petecio was able to beat Irma Testa by a lopsided victory, giving her the chance to win the second gold for the nation.

However, Petecio lost to Sena Irie of Japan by unanimous decision, thus the Filipina receiving a

silver medal.

“Maraming salamat po sa lahat ng sumuporta.

Pasensya na po at silver lang ang naiiuwi kong medalya. Babawi tayo, Pilipinas, ” Petecio thanked her supporters and promised to vie for redemption.

Eumir Marcial and Carlo Paalam became the Philippines’ third and fourth medalists, respectively.

Marcial won bronze in the Men’s middleweight boxing quarterfinals, while Paalam was guaranteed of atleast a silver medal in the Men’s Flyweight Boxing Quarterfinals as of August 5.

Marcial traded punches with Ukraine’s Oleksandr Khyzhniakin but still fell short in the men’s middleweight division via 3-2 split decision.

However, during the quarter finals Hidilyn Diaz fueled Marcial’s campaign towards an Olympic Medal, he said “It’s a big achievement that Hidilyn won. First of all, we’re both from Zamboanga and we’re also together in the Philippine Airforce. I’m so inspired by her.”

On the other side of the ring, Carlos Paalam surprised Olympic champion Shakhobidin Zoirov by knocking him off his spot to become the Philippines’ latest Olympic medalist. This punched his way into the semi-finals where he won against the hometown bet Ryomei Tanaka via unanimous decision. This will either be the Philippines’ fourth silver in boxing or its first-ever gold.

Olympic Journey However, the journey of these five athletes were never smooth as all faced issues and underfunding from the Philippine government just like Diaz who expressed her sentiments in an Instagram story last 2019.

“Is it okay to ask (for) sponsorship sa mga private companies towards Tokyo 2020? Hirap na hirap na ‘ko, I need financial support. Sa tingin

niyo, okay lang kaya, nahihiya kasi ako pero try ko kapalan mukha ko para sa minimithi kong pangarap para sa atin bansa na maiuwi ang gold medal sa Olympics,” Diaz posted.

Aside from that, she was also accused by former presidential spokesperson, Salvador Panelo, as a helper of the left movement in the nation which she denied later on.

Just like Diaz, Marcial also faced underfunding and had to rigorously campaign for his funding in preparations for the Tokyo Olympics.

“Mga taong walang alam sa sports tahimik nalang kayo! Hindi niyo alam ang katotohanan.

Since last year nong nasa United States ako hanggang ngayon dito sa Zamboanga City tingin niyo sapat ang P43,000 monthly allowance para sa preparation para sa Olympics? (which is allowance ko ‘yun sa sarili ko as a national athlete),” Marcial posted on Facebook last May. Marcial continued to say that the government should not have high performance expectations if it does not adequately support its athletes in terms of allocating funds for plane tickets, accomodation, food, coaching staff, and other essentials. However, some Filipinos just made fun of him.

Not a fruit, but a sword The future of Philippines sports is on a rope between two cliffs. If it continues its old ways of underfunding and corruption, it would fall and collapse. If it changes its ways and successfully passes, the nation would record feats never achieved before in sports. The future of Philippine sports is bright, but it can turn into a nightmare, if changes are not done.

“Medalists do not grow on trees, they have to be forged,” a quote from Aamir Khan from the movie Dangal.