SCROLL 2023

SLSPI HIGHLIGHTS SAFETY MEASURES; IGNITES RESILIENCE, EXCELLENCE

Toalign with the agenda launched by Department of Education Secretary, VP Sara Duterte, St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok, Inc. conducted a simulation of activities in association with safety aids, protection, awareness, to accommodate students amid disasters.

Responding to the call of the Vice President, the school’s faculty and staff, Grade 12 Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) students, and selected Red Cross Youth (RCY) members participated on the Disaster Risk Reduction Safety Training in coordination with Provincial RCY - South Cotabato chapter, Bureau of Fire Protection, Municipal Disaster Risk and Reduction, Department of Education South Cotabato, October 17, 2022.

MAking things possible.

With the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management (MDRRO), in collaboration with various organizations majoring in safety measures to make the school instill the aims of MATATAG; to improve the embodied educational curriculum and system for decades, making more resilient and academically wielded schools, four sectors were simultaneously operated: psychological first aid, fire safety, ropes manship, medical basic first aid.

“I am beyond thankful for the services and the hands who offered help to our school become resilient, strengthened, mindful for the next following years,” said Madonna Sua, School Principal, as she expressed gratitude to the people attending the workshop.

According to her, there are tentative plans to set this workshop as a yearly event in purpose to cater and give everyone, especially the juniors, the set of survival skills. May it be physically or mentally armor a person, to survive.

Supported by various education partners, the components of the agenda include 4 goals: MAke the curriculum relevant to produce competent citizens; TAke steps to accelerate delivery of basic education facilities and services; TAke good care of learners by promoting learner well-being; and Give support to teachers to teach better, the training aimed to employ SLSPIans the knowledge in safety and psychological services for a protected future.

While, the faculty and staff of SLSPI along the Grade 12 Senior High School students took part in learning the Psychological first aid needs that a victim may use throughout a recovering process.

“The school continues to seek for your support in hopes that the implementation

of these programs would help each of us tenaciously rise,” Vice President of the RCY, Rizen Nacorda said, ending the program with a measured hope to fulfill.

TArgets intensified higher academic excellence.

To be upgraded and to meet the demands of time, St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok has proposed to employ information and communication technology; advanced in journalism and broadcasting; and creative media and performing arts in Junior High School classes.

The said plan is to upgrade what the school system has started to initiate in lieu of developing the ICT room that will also serve as supporting component for the school’s compliance on the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) requirements.

Further, with the scouting of the coaches from main elementary schools, the Journalism team has consolidated the plan on coordinating with the Local Government Unit (LGU) in providing more organized financial recovery to upgrade the skills of the students.

TAkinG ahead

Onset of the opening of classes, an educational refresher for teachers was realized to reorient, update and refresh on the strategies, methods and thrusts in teaching – learning delivery participated by all subject teachers with the respective department / subject heads.

The activity, ensuring the quality of the delivery of learning, highlighted the giving of Performance Tasks (PeTa) to learners giving emphasis on the appropriate competencies aligned to the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCs) set forth in each subject.

An agreement to adopt the School Monitoring Evaluation and Plan Adjustment (SMEPA) as a tool or mechanism to strengthen not only the academic side but all aspects of the school operations underscored the event.

Representative (IPMR) Mr. Jerome Ante took part in the debut of the Blaan Day.

The representatives of the Culture and Arts and Marketing and Promotions Section from the Local Government Unit of

Challcy Karyl C. Indico

scroll

GRADE 12 IMMERSION THRUSTS BEAUTIFICATION

Grade 12 Senior High School students devoted their time and efforts to beautify the front and back yards of the Senior High School Building as part of their Immersion subject by planting seedlings of various vegetables.

Composed of STEM, GAS and ABM classes, it took them two weeks of gardening and renovating their areas by incorporating colors and design to their yards, to add more vibrancy that would catch the attention of SLSPIans with the purpose of influencing the younger students.

Signages encouraged by the School Principal herself were also placed in their gardens to convey their various environmental advocacies.

Some of them used recycled bottles directly from the waste produced by the school community and turned it into garden fences or barricades.

Stones and pebbles near the school covered area were also taken into account of usage by the students to elevate the landscape.

HIGHLIGHTS

SLSPI

ventures

into new building

Paving way for the full implementation of face-to-face classes, the school administration already made possibilities for catering all students in enjoying complete classrooms.

Page 4 >>>

SLSPI supports

MHO’s war vs. dengue

The Sanitary Inspectors of the Polomolok Municipal Health Office (MHO) have led a concurrent communication campaign for strengthening the implementation of programs in managing solid waste and leading clean-up campaigns in every barangay of Polomolok.

Page 4 >>>

Alumnus sponsors admin building repainting

The St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok (SLSPI) received a token of sponsorship from an alumnus, Sherwin Costello, the owner of S. WORKS New Zealand, to recolor the buildings of the institution.

Page 5 >>>

Former Scroll Cartoonist to conquer

According to Jaime Khalil Acac, a student from Grade 12 STEM 4, enhancing the areas made it easier for them to clean thoroughly. Its organized arrangement of plants, decorations gave more emphasis to the advocacy they speak.

“As SLSPIans, we live up to one of the institution’s core values which is service. We open our arms to impart simple but impactful works toward our fellow students and as well as our school itself. Just like what Miss Karen Ibasco, Miss Earth 2017, said: Our Micro-efforts will have a Macro-effect. So, let’s work handin-hand and be an advocate for nature,” said Jansen Loquias of Grade 12 STEM 1.

Red Ants blaze one of a kind

‘MASS-terclass’ performance

Vincent Jerome M. Bayan

The Grade 9 Red Ants’ mass dance performance had been flawless, with perfect timing, immaculate formation, absolutely stellar choreography, enlivening chants, and out-of-this-world creative props.

These were the key features that distinguished them as the best of the best during this year’s historic debut of the Mass Dance Competition led by a savvy performer and adviser Sir Roniel Alupit, who shared his wisdom, expertice and experience in capturing the elusive title.

When eco bag takes over

Nothing was given; everything had to be earned. They had to pass through the gritty Blue Crickets, who finished second runnerup, and the talented Grade 11, who finished first runner-up. But this red ants squad outperformed all of its rivals.

Huge kudos to their dedication and hard work. “That was only the tip of the iceberg, we were practicing almost every day every hour to master our craft, I am happy that our group has won, and I was full of jubilation in this one-of-a-kind experience,” exclaimed Sir Roniel.

As of writing this article, it has been several years since Polomolok has fully implemented disallowing the use of plastic and polystyrene foam packaging materials by various establishments in within the municipality. Since then, the community has begun using reusable bags, aptly named ecobags, and it has become the new norm.

These eco-bags are made from a cheap but relatively strong fabric, and are sold almost everywhere in Polomolok, especially in the market place, by stalls and child vendors alike. Without a doubt, they very easily outclass the use of plastic bags for carrying goods simply because they are much sturdier, which means they can carry much more weight without the carrier having to worry about tears.

It is worth noting, however, that they are much more expensive than plastic bags. Usually, they cost Php 10 apiece, five times their cellophane counterparts. However, the eco-bags practically pay for themselves, as their reusable nature makes it so that you only have to buy one bag, and you could keep using it over and over for every trip to the market, as long as you remember to bring it with you.

Mr. Model

Int’l

in Dominican Republic; pushes street children benefits

The 2009 – 2012 student cartoonist of the school’s official publication (Scroll) will represent the country in the Mister Model International in Dominican Republic slated on May 18-28 after bagging the Great Man of the Universe – Sports and Education title. Page 5 >>>

Additionally, the use of eco-bags in the municipality has definitely made the whole place cleaner than previous years, since there are no longer plastic bags being twirled around by gusts of wind that end up along the streets and in canals. There are definitely less pieces of dog poop intermingling with undigested bits of plastic. Also, the reasoning behind their name becomes most apparent due to the fact that plastics can take up to centuries to simply decompose, whereas the fabric used to make the eco-bags only require months. That being said, the quicker decomposition time does not mean that it’s all right to just toss them anywhere as if it were fruit peelings. We still have to be responsible for our waste. With all that said, how did the switch from plastic to eco-bags affect the community? As stated earlier, Polomolok is definitely cleaner and produces less plastic waste, but how about in the small scale? In the everyday life of an average citizen? Well, less plastic bags result in a slightly harder time finding a way to keep your wet clothes after swimming. That’s about it.

Arthur Angelo Serrano

Challcy Karyl Indico

BEAUTIFY HIGH. Jannah Mikylla Billones, 12-STEM, disposes dried leaves onto the trash can after sweeping the ground.

Photo Credit: Roan Ralph Yee

DOMINANCE. Grade nine performers of Mass Dance wave and move their hands up to the tune of “It’s Raining Men”.

Photo Credit: Roan Ralph Yee

SLSPI @ TENACIOUSLY RISING.

St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok,

TEAMWORK, GOOD-WORK

After the discussion about their performance task, Jules Calulo (right), Grade 9 and her group mates decide to have a business proposal regarding their small pizza business, February 27. Students are struggling because of their lack of time, schedule and even teamwork that compromised their work.

SNAP AND LISTEN

Sitting like listening with the students. A random dog roams around like a lost puppy at Grade 9 St. Bernadette classroom, as the class is still on-going the students let the dog stay in the classroom comfortably, February 17 at St.Lorenzo School of Polomolok.

SLSPI MAXIMIZES ONLINE-FACE TO FACE, SWITCHING MODALITIES

The students of St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok Inc. (SLSPI) continued to excel and hone their academic performance whilst utilizing different kinds of online tools such as: Office 365 – Teams wherein it is used as the platform for communication even during the strike of the world pandemic, COVID-19.

The pandemic that caused a widespread commotion all across the globe did not tumble the resiliency of the SLSPI community instead, strengthened their minds unto pouring and proving their flexibility to adapt into different environmental and social changes.

“Enrolling in an online class setting drained me but majority of my time were filled with peace of mind, knowing that I was still able to adapt and maintain my excellence. It took me plenty of time to adjust but at the end of the school year, it was paid off,” said Peavy Guellos of Grade 10 St. Mark.

After almost three years of the pandemic, its new journey starts off with students adapting to the new system of education, once again.

The SLSPIans were not the only one who had to adjust, even its faculty and staff had to take on the face-to-face system in order to efficiently teach its students.

Following the announcement of full face to face classes, a teacher’s evaluation was conducted not just to test the capacity of the students’ knowledge but so as the teacher’s efficiency of teaching.

The Senior High School Teacher, Rosie Sialana got a perfect mark from the School’s Principal and Administrator during Her class evaluation at Grade 12 STEM 1.

Principal Madonna Sua applauded Her excellence in teaching, “If all the teachers teach as good as you, SLSPI’s education would be beyond the expected standards,” She stated.

The mark Miss Rosie garnered gave Her the opportunity to perform an evaluation among the students of STEM 1 to show the other faculty members what the alternative yet, effective way of teaching.

The school continues to strive, living up to the spirited resiliency of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, providing the academia’s students the quality education regardless of the different circumstances they are put into.

PROUD THINKING

Efrime Berden, TLE teacher of Grade 9, practices his students to evaluate their own lessons and at the same time trains them of mindsetting through self learning method in St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok on March 1.

Polomolok’s besting the recovery facility

Aside from knowing that Polomolok is the reigning ‘Cleanest and Greenest Place in South Cotabato’, we should also be aware that with the cooperation of the well-mannered citizens here in Polomolok, fortunately, the municipality is known as ‘Best Materials Recovery Facility’ - Barangay Poblacion LGU.

To recover recyclable materials from municipal solid waste, Materials Recovery Facilities were established in different communities of the Philippines where Polomolok was one of the municipalities chosen to have a Best Materials Recovery Facility.

Materials Recovery Facility or MRF is a Solid Waste Management plant that processes recyclable materials to be ssold to manufacturers as raw materials for a new product. MRF operations here in Polomolok started with the registration, inspection, and placement of segregated waste into the receiving area. Bulky materials were removed for disposal or sold to recycling facilities, while the rest of the wastes were placed on sorting tables for manual sorting. For mixed wastes, biodegradable materials were separated from recyclables and collected for processing into compost in another facility or loaded into trucks for disposal in a sanitary landfill. The separated biodegradables were not be stored within the roofed section of the MRF and were being transferred to a composting plant or disposal facility, preferably within the day.

These components were temporarily placed in a paved section within the MRF compound which can be easily loaded into waste collection trucks. For source-segregated waste, valuable recyclables, such as paper and carton, tin cans, metals, plastic and glass, were separated either manually or mechanically.

Lastly, the recovered recyclables were weighed and temporarily stored in designated bins. When sufficient quantities had been accumulated, tin cans were compacted and baled; plastic bottles were pierced, flattened, and baled; papers were stacked; and glasses were broken, then bulked up. The residual materials were temporarily stored and then disposed of in a sanitary landfill.

Records of the amount of incoming and outgoing waste were kept for monitoring purposes and for regular validation of the facility mass balance. Typical MRFs operate 8 hours a day Mondays through Saturdays.

Save water, electricity – Medy Lamboso

Thus, said Medy G. Lamboso, St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok Inc. (SLSPI) school’s administrator to pursue conservation of electricity and water, this year.

Aiming to enlighten the SLSPIans, Mrs. Lamboso ranted about school’s conservation on electricity and water.

Due to the addition of the Senior High School building, the school faces electricity shortage these past months. She pointed out to those who charge their gadgets, and those who use excessive fans in their respective classrooms.

“There must be no phones or laptops being charged in your classrooms,” said Ma’am Medy. “If you don’t want to, then pay our electricity bill and you will know that we have power shortage,” she jokingly added.

She gave focus on those classrooms who use more than four fans and advised them not to use more or they will pay for it, jokingly.

“Keeping this practice up, this municipality, Polomolok, will sustain as a clean and healthy environment. This will further help revamp the community’s physical health, as well as the overall sense of people’s well-being as the state of the surroundings tells the conditions of the soul.”, Brgy. Capt. Jude Bontuyan said.

As of January 2023, electricity bill has stood at PhP 41, 842.622 and in February 2023, the bill rose up to PhP 55, 861.14.

School’s water major problem is opened faucet even though there is no clear one using it or just letting the water run.

“Most of you love to go to the C.R. who usually clean yourselves, wash your faces, and groom your hair. However, as you do these things, focused on what you wanted to do yet you just left and forgot to close the faucet”, she emphasized as an example.

As water from the faucet flows, thousands or even million cups of water are wasted just because of our irresponsibility. In just the month of January alone, PhP 54,092.60 bill of water is being paid. Mrs. Lamboso cannot conserve school resources by herself but if we all unite and conserve, we will make a better and more saving at SLSPI.

33.5%

increase of electricity usage from January to February 2023

24.3%

increase of water consumption from January to February 2023

Challcy Karyl Indico

Challcy Karyl Indico

Medy G. Lambos School Administrator

“Due to inflation, the prices of our daily needs especially electricity and water is hiking, conservation is a must.”

Key Leal

Photo by: Cleofard Keith Reyes

Eunice Marie Angelei Tayone

News Feature

MHO’s war vs. dengue

The Sanitary Inspectors of the Polomolok Municipal Health Office (MHO) led a concurrent communication campaign in strengthening the implementation of programs in managing solid waste and leading clean-up campaigns in every barangay of Polomolok.

With the pledged support, the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO), headed by Engr. Agustin P. Valencia, Dr. Chariz May Abalos and staff from the Municipal Health Office with Mahintana Foundation Inc., discussed the dengue cases in Polomolok as well as methods for slowing down and stopping the increasing numbers of dengue cases during the Local Health Board meeting with Mayor Bernie D. Palencia and Chairman of the Committee on Health, Nutrition and Sanitation, Dr. Calixto Salada, March 22.

In compliance, the St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok Inc. prepared and educated students as to how to prevent the manifestation of denguecarrying mosquitoes in the school by cleaning, flipping and destroying containers including empty bottles, pots, unused tires and drums.

The school clinic also took action in these times by posting information on dengue mosquitoes as well as the measures needed to be done in order to prevent the multiplication of these pests.

Along with the 4S Strategy of the Department of Health [DOH], SLSPI abided the first strategy which states ‘Search and Destroy Mosquito breeding sites’ as a response to the epidemic.

Furthermore, the Municipal Health Office stated that the proliferation of these mosquitoes depends on how we prevent and destroy them.

SLSPI ventures into new building

aving way for the full implementation of face-to-face classes, the school administration already made possibilities for catering all students in enjoying complete classrooms.

Designed with three separate classrooms, the newest SLSPI building finally had a formal launch last January 9, 2023 making grade 10 students its first occupants.

The 6.1 million building was constructed under the Fastruct Design and Engineering Services.

Within the classrooms are vibrant freshly painted walls, new armchairs provided for each student and newly furnished black and white board for teachers.

Located beside the building is also the newly opened school canteen. SLSPIANS can now choose different variant of food and beverages. These include Pizza, Milk Tea, Fishball, Maruya, and more!

The building began construction during pandemic and finally opened for students and educators after their long Christmas Break.

Municipal Tourism Office pushes Polomolok branding

This completes the new slogan of the tourism campaign being launched by the Tourism Office of the Municipality of Polomolok.

Saints support curfew hour implementation

In a post from Bagong Polomolok Tourism Facebook Page, it mentioned that the Municipal Tourism Office discussed their progress and its objectives which included the formulation of Polomolok’s brand and identity, increased in tourist arrivals, and promoting sustainable tourism.

Along with the above-mentioned propositions, the tourism council also included codifying the tourism code of the municipality, conduct of tourism inventory for 23 barangays, initial crafting of municipal tourism development plan, and assessment of categorized tourism properties of the municipality.

Relative to the agenda, the Municipal Tourism Office of Polomolok headed by Michelle F. Jayme, RN, attended the 1st Quarterly Meeting and Drafting of the Provincial Tourism Promotions and Marketing Plan at Balai Lake View, Sitio Lamsufo, Poblacion, Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, March 17

The Tourism Council and Association of Tourism Officers from different municipalities in South Cotabato namely Lake Sebu, Tboli, Norala, Koronadal City, Banga, Surallah, Tupi, Tantangan, Sto. Niño, Tampakan, and Polomolok also attended the said meeting.

INNOVATION TO RENOVATION: SLSPI LIBRARY GOES

After almost a month giving the place its maintenance, the students are now able to access its new and additional upgrades. WIFI wirings can now be easily connected to computers, allowing the students to browse, download, and even send their files without any unnecessarily slow hindrance.

‘Every reader’s dream is a place that would speak silence in its ambiance.’, a quote posted at the library which brought a dream into life as the SLSPI funded to renovate its insides, from the creaking ceilings to fully concealed undersides, from sagging floors to neatly concreted flooring.

“Firstly, the plans for renovating the academia’s library involved

UPDATED

in flourishing the placement of bookshelves, tables, chairs. Not only that, installations of free internet access to SLSPIAN’s were also planned to be implemented.”, said Jocarl Cadiao, School Librarian.

He further emphasized that its past years revolved in letting students access internet connections but only through using the school’s computer, making it harder for them to access or move files. However, in this school year, the heads of SLSPI were finally able to assess the important needs and concerns of the students.

“Almost every day, the library is filled with students that not only needs the library’s new equipment’s and advantageous offerings, but also the essence of being surrounded by their

fellow SLSPIAN with the same goal, to tenaciously rise and be wielded with knowledge.”, he shared.

“During our free time, we are able to hang out and share our perspectives on academic stuffs at the library,” said Mary Azurin of grade 12 STEM one.

According to Princez Yndee Billanes, renovating and rearranging the library made it become more spacious than before, allowing it to cater more students.

Lastly, printed research papers from the senior high school students that now had designated shelves also became fulfilling for the problem of other freshmen who are most of the time, struggling to look for references online.

With the administration’s appeal, St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok Inc. (SLSPI) emphasized its full cooperation with the Local Government Unit’s implementation of Executive Order No. 019-2023 in pursuit of safeguarding the populace of Polomolok.

Vested by Mayor Bernie D. Palencia, the implementation of the 10:00 PM to 4:00 AM curfew patrol within the areas of Polomolok has been urged to be observed by the students as expected by the school’s faculty and staff.

The section two of the previously mentioned order states, “Guardians and wards are enjoined to ensure that their children or ward stay at home during curfew hours.”

Upon embodying the memorandum, SLSPI encouraged students to:

• Go straight directly to their respective houses.

• Refrain or limit staying late inside the school premises without valid reasons.

• If there are plans to stay late, an excuse letter or permission from the administrators and adviser must be secured.

The curfew is only exempted to those with emergency and humanitarian reasons.

Parents of SLSPIans agreed with this as this is also for the safety of their children.

“As to my daughter who actively participates in extracurricular activities, her staying late was never new to me. But of course, despite of getting used to it, I still worry most of the time for her safety. Therefore, hearing the news about this made me worry less,” said by a parent of the school’s SSG officer.

80

out of Grade 12 STEM SHS students prefer BS Nursing Course

grade is very difficult to achieve according to SLSPI students

This school year tallies the biggest number of teachers who are left-handed compared to one teacher only in the previous years.

Peavey Kate G. Guelos

Peavey Kate G. Guelos

John Mathew B. Porras

Challcy Karyl Indico

Challcy Karyl C. Indico

“Polomolok is Ready!”

SUPPORT-READY. Michelle F. Jayme, RN, head of the office, delivers speech to the anticipants of the meeting.

Photo Credit: Bagong Polomolok Tourism

Sinawal river protected against Dole expansion

Barangay Sinawal Captain and locals stand in protection against the expansion of DOLE to cultivate lands near sinawal river during the Stakeholders forum at SM Mall, General Santos City, November 24, 2022.

The stakeholders’ forum on local climate action and partnership for carbon neutrality: a SOCCSKSARGEN climate agenda became the ground for raising questions, advocacies, awareness by the organizations that collaborated with DOLE.

A spokesperson representative raised the concern of barangay sinawal captain and the locals to DOLE.

“We cannot prevent and deny the accusations thrown by the majority to DOLE in regards with the flooding at silway river” Allan said to begin his concern with DOLE.

“The Sangguniang Panglusod declared sinawal watershed as a protected area. They are pushing me to take actions. Now, I am looking into the impact of operations of the DOLE Philippines and I’d like to ask this in terms of applying regenerative agriculture and in terms of mitigating the impacts of monocropping or pineapple plantation, what are you exactly doing in sinawal because I heard some recent moments from the communities there that the plantation is causing a flood to the sinawal river area unlike before when the plantation were not implemented yet. In the recent investigations, the Environmental Management Bureau also reported there are problems with the water’s quality.’ Allan stated.

One of the disadvantages with the expansion is its effect on the locals living nearby the aforementioned river. Many of the locals get their income from the river’s tourist spot attractions. Implementing DOLE’s expansion will only ruin the welfare of the locals.

“I want to hear your end with regards to these matters after knowing you are into sustainability. I want to know what sustainability measures are you doing to address all this impacts?”

He questioned.

However, DOLE assured once they cultivate the lands, they will use technologies that would lessen the “negative impacts” the cultivation may cause.

DOLE Philippine VP and managing director, Reynaldo Doria said they have standards to comply that even global agencies ensure those since they ship out products. They assured they operate within the bounds of regulatory local and international. The DOLE Philippine VP also said they take in concerns and directly address them after investigating into it. Thus, He was unable to answer the concern of Sinawal locals.

Alumnus sponsors admin building repainting

The St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok (SLSPI) received a token of sponsorship from an alumnus, Sherwin Costelo, owner of S-WORKS New Zealand, to recolor the buildings of the institution.

The maintenance of the academia was limited due to catering a wide scope of reconstructions all over the areas and an additional building thus, when this news reached Mr. Sherwin, he offered help in reconditioning the buildings of SLSPI.

During the early months of the school year, the application of the plans to enhance the school, started. The upgraded visuals of the structures gave an emphasis to the school’s adjustments and preparations for the upcoming full face to face classes.

Upon the implementation of full face to face, both interiors and exteriors of the following buildings: School Library, Senior High School (SHS) Faculty, Junior High School (JHS) Faculty, School Administrators and Staff buildings, were repainted.

MSU History Society solidifies SLSPIans’ nationalism

To instill the spirit of nationalism to the learners of St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok Inc. (SLSPI), the History Students Society of Mindanao State University of General Santos City conducted an outreach program in a form of symposium, April 1.

In observance of the Day of Valor, the history organization partnered with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in inculcating the spirit of nationalism to the 60 participants from both Junior and Senior High School Department of the school.

According to Jann Ardis Limjap, President of the History Students Society, “The Araw ng Kagitingan, is one of the key events in the pages of our history. This day witnessed our war heroes suffer in the hands of the Japanese forces, which reflects the experiences of those Filipinos who dedicated their lives for the country. “

Tagged as Oplan Magiting, the symposium discussed the events of the Second World War and its heroes, and how it shaped Philippine society today.

“It is our honor to support them in their endeavors. Our Samahan hopes that this will further fuel the passion of to widen the reach of their society outside the institution in promoting historical consciousness”, Mary Chryztel Azurin, the Hermeneutics Club President, stated.

Further, Mr. Herbert B. Nacional explained the components of the duties of a good citizen while Professor Ricardo Delambaca tackled about heroism.

The said society aimed to commemorate the sacrifices of our war heroes after responding to the invitation of the Hermeneutics Club or the Samahan ng Mag-aaral sa Agham Panlipunan of SLSPI.

PURPOSEFUL STUDENT

Lancelot Barte, a 13-year-old student, assists in making profit from their fish products in Polomolok Public Market. According to his brother, he always leaves school early after his classes to help his family and to have his own pocket money from his profit. March 3, 2023.

CONTROL SAFETY

Lhyanne Delopiere studies the basic methods of bandaging in First Aid so that she would be well prepared when there is an emergency at St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok, Inc., March 3.

YOUR WATER MATTERS

Barangay Konsehal of Barangay Poblacion, Polomolok feeds the dogs on his motorcycle and keeps them hydrated despite the weather conditions. A reminder to nourish our pets to keep them healthy and hydrated by providing them food. March 2.

INFLATION EXCHANGE

A young student in the public market does her duties to help her sister sell a fish. Most people are experiencing a lack of budget due to inflation, but the family of this student is still grateful to have income on a daily basis at Polomolok Public Market on March 2.

ROAD WORK

St. Lorenzo School provides a pedestrian lane so that the students can cross the road safely and to prevent traffic. The guards in school always make sure that the students and drivers are attentive when crossing the street to avoid accidents, March 1.

FORMER SCROLL CARTOONIST TO CONQUER MR. MODEL INT’L IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC;

PUSHES STREET CHILDREN BENEFITS

he 2009 – 2012 student cartoonist of the school’s official publication (Scroll) will represent the country in the Mister Model International in Dominican Republic slated on May 18-28 after bagging the Great Man of the Universe – Sports and Education title.

Besting among 100 contenders trimmed down to 40, Jupheter R. Franco, a three-time Division Schools Press Conference winner in Editorial Cartooning, presented South Cotabato in the Great Man of the Universe Philippines 2022 pageant, Novotel Araneta, Quezon City, November 14, 2022.

The BS Mechanical Engineering graduate of Mindanao State University – General Santos City capped the Best in Advocacy Video and belonged to the top three awardees in Best in Runway Challenge and Best in Fashion Overload Challenge in the said

As the current Ambassador of Batang Star Philippines, a non-profit organization, the country’s bet for the international pageant has been volunteering for 10 years to help street kids who are suffering because of poverty and abuse.

“I want to connect with more organizations to continue volunteering for programs and activities that help street kids”, Jupheter stated in an interview.

He also stressed his passion for platforms involving activities that help alleviate the living situation of street kids in the Philippines.

“I have learned a lot in my days as a student journalist. I learned how to use language to really connect to people. Not only through writing but even in my everyday life”, he pointed out.

In addition, he said that he learned how to make real meaningful connections through language and would continue to nurture such gift.

A volunteer of S-Works removes dust and dirty particles of the wall.

Photo Credit: MLS Lovelight Grace O. Habla

Challcy Karyl Indico

Judie Mae C. Belonio

News Editor: Challcy Karyl C. Indico

Opinion Editor: John Mathew B. Porras

Features Editor:

Judie Mae C. Belonio

Science Editor:

Marianne Chloe M. Secular

Sports Editor: Samantha Erni

Managing Editor:

Vincent Jerome M. Bayan

Photo Journalists: Key C. Leal

Krl Eivn F. Alolod

Roan Ralph Yee

Staff Writers:

Lhouis Miguel G. Prado

Yen Andrei Belandres

Lovelight Grace O. Habla

Czairen Joy A. Felisilda

Jireh Faith Fernandez

Alexa Zeal T. Gines

Peavey Kate G. Guelos

John Lloyd S. Galvan

Ericka Gwynne Torreon

Kaecyl Rayne F.Lagradilla

Jansen H. Loquias

Jashin Ayesha Tapat

Mikhaela Amarante

Contributors:

Klint Cleo B. Tacadao

Yotu T. Koda

Arthur Angelo Serrano

Claire Marie O. Habla

Dale Anthony B. Sembrano

Joseph Luke Dumlao

Carlo Visande

Cleofard Keith Reyes

Denlee Rui Egaran

Earon Lei Hasigan

Moderators:

Wayne Klyde M. Balbuena

Madonna L. Sua

Administrator:

Medy G. Lamboso

scroll

MATATAGnabata,MATATAGnabansa

The Department of Education (DepEd) announced its MATATAG: Bansang Makabata, Batang Makabansa agenda in January, which intends to finally fix the shortcomings, cracks, and holes in the Philippines’ basic education system, the K-12 curriculum and improve upon it by creating a more relevant curriculum to the students’ futures. While this will solve one of the nation’s current problems on a national level, how can we students contribute to our nation and become MATATAG students?

The cracks, holes, and shortcomings of the K-12 curriculum have become ever more visible to every student over the course of their high school journey, even here at SLSPI. We were promised that by undergoing the compulsory additional two years of high school, we would be better prepared for our college courses, and if we chose, could find immediate employment after graduating the 12th Grade. However, as Vice President and Secretary of Education Sarah Duterte eloquently put it, it was a promise that is still a promise.

Although advanced concepts and lessons were taught to prepare for respective college courses, there were too many subjects to keep track

of and manage, with some not being as vital as others, thus inevitably and unintentionally losing attention to one and seeing performance plummet, that would affect the entire general weighted average grade. While the students were given a choice in Senior High to choose a strand that would prepare them for the future, the preparation could have started much earlier in education, and as discussed in the recent January 2023 Basic Education Report, cut some subjects, and focus on fundamentals as the current curriculum is too “cramped”.

Not every student is the same and has the same exact requirements or field to grow and develop in. Not everything can be learned from school, nor can a school teach everything a student needs to know. Thus, a student must be versatile, and to do so must enrich his foundation to account for every aspect of learning, through reading, science, technology, and math, which is one of the projects of the new

MATATAG agenda.

Although a student can grow past what the school provides, at the end of the day, the school is the foundation of every student and thus must be able to cater and facilitate his growth. Thus, to become a MATATAG student, individual effort with the support of the school is required.

Courses intended for various fields already exist through the K-12 curriculum. Special programs for Journalism, Arts, Social Sciences, and others exist to develop the skills and talents of various students and provide them with further preparation for their futures. Currently, not all high schools have these special programs, but with the support of the Department

of Education and the new MATATAG agenda, this will surely be applied to the entire nation.

Through the MATATAG agenda, significant change is finally coming to our nation’s curriculum. Further support for the students, schools, and teachers is coming, and with it, a brighter future for our nation. Hopefully then, every student will become MATATAG and be prepared for their respective futures.

Thereintroduction of the curfew is a brilliant idea to block the growing lawlessness in our community.

We all must have heard the news: a man shot at gunpoint along the main Cannery road at night. A government employee’s attempted assassination just outside the plaza gate in broad daylight. An iota of malice and lawlessness has infiltrated our quaint municipality. Fear has festered, and everyone fears for their safety.

Alas, it has happened. Now we must react and retaliate. We must quench the disorder in our community. but firstly, we must ensure our own safety.

The Local Government Unit (LGU) of Polomolok has issued an Executive Order: no one, unless for express reason or purpose, must be outside their homes between 10 PM and 4 AM. A curfew has been established to promote the safety of children and their parents.

Polomolok is no stranger to curfews. Having recently suffered through the Covid-19 pandemic, wherein a similar curfew was established to reduce person-to-person contact, the inhabitants should understand the necessity of such a freedom-obstructing order. The sneaky students out on a night prowl, burnt-out workers looking for a break, and other denizens of the province’s nightlife

Ain’t go home late

would simply just have to wait for it to pass.

The curfew’s main goal is to reduce the number of stray people during the night. If a person were to walk during curfew hours, with no express purpose, would that not make them suspicious? The main assumption is, therefore, those who break curfew hours are those who harbor ill intentions, and warrant investigation.

Thus, it is up to each and everybody to be responsible for their own safety. Parents must be aware of how long and where their children go every day, and not allow them to go out late at night. We must not be overly reliant upon the authorities to keep us always safe.

Will this curfew be effective? Unlikely.

The logistics of Polomolok’s police and first responders leave much to be desired.

The flashing police car parked on the main highway near the Flying-V gas station is often seen uninhabited, an intimidating display becoming nothing but an empty threat. The local police also only seem to conduct their checkpoints during the night, as if criminals

only travel during the cover of darkness.

Recently in the shooting of a government official near the plaza, a video shows local police loitering around the scene of the crime, not opening the car doors to see if the victim is still alive. In such an incident, Scene of The Crime Operatives (SOCO) would be called, but they must drive all the way from Marbel.

If our local police cannot properly achieve a simple checkpoint, how can we expect them to patrol our municipality, and make effective use of the curfew? How can the children, who expect the police to keep them safe, be truly protected if they are this lousy?

Without the necessary follow-up operations, the once brilliant curfew will be rendered useless, and a pointless restriction of people’s freedoms. More checkpoints, patrols, and investigations are required, given that our local police will be diligent, actually follow through, and not leave our citizens instead with a false sense of security.

Parents must be aware of how long and where their children go every day, and not allow them to go out late at night. We must not be overly reliant upon the authorities to keep us always safe.

Lexis Gerald Oberes, 9 – St. Anne

“For me, okay lang siya [PDA] pero naay iban na sobraan man gud; too touchy ug too close kaayo sa isa’t isa.” (For me, PDA is okay but there are some who are too much; too touchy and too close with one another.)

Samantha Zoe Regalado, 10 – St. John

“I think PDA should not be normalized. It’s fine to enter a relationship but keep it lowkey only. Then, it should not be publicized because it is inappropriate [in the school].”

Carelle Juliyah Mucho, 10 – St. Mark

“PDA? Para sa akoa, samok ug disturbing siya sa iban.” (PDA? For me, it’s annoying and disturbing toward others)

Lerd Anthony Batucan, 8 – St. Jude

“Something hadlok siya nga bagay; kanang makakita ka’g gagakos-gakos. I feel threatened and scared.” (PDA is something that is scary; when you would see them [couples] hugging. I feel threatened and scared.)

Christy Shane Gido, 12 – STEM 2

“I had an experience regarding with PDA before; like when I was young, I would see others doing PDA. As audience, I would wonder what they are doing: Is it okay? I would also wonder that it’s normal, which is actually not.”

Deanielle Navio, 12 - ABM

“They are in public place, they should keep it privately. For others, it [PDA] is unpleasant to be seen. “

Khate Limbaga, 9 – St. Lucy

“I really don’t care about PDA but dili lang unta nila i-violate ang norms or rules regarding PDA.”(I really don’t care about PDA but they [couples] should not violate the norms or rules related to PDA.)

Jysller Oliveros, Science Teacher

“I believe there is a right place and a right time to do stuff like that [PDA], especially in displaying affection. I mean, no one is stopping you to fall in love because love is a universal feeling. But at least abide with the basic social norms that we have. Not that I’m against PDA, because as I said, love is a universal feeling but there is a right time and place to do everything, and the school is not one of them.”

Genesis Bunsocan, Social Science Teacher

“For me, I will agree to allow PDA as long as they are not stepping on other people. If we will respect their feeling, we will also respect the feeling that it is where they are comfortable — showing their feelings in public… ‘cause why not?”

OOPS! FALSE ALARM

Marianne Chloe M. Secular

Fake news and the spread of misinformation, of course, have been romulgated for centuries to one degree or another. Misinformation about the death of famous celebrities, politicians lying about their accomplishments and calamity predictions are the false alarms giving worries to the netizens on social media.

In October 22, 2019, Facebook identified a network composed of 95 pages and 35 accounts, and 12 of 134 accounts that violated the policies on spam and authenticity, taking down their false or misleading articles shared by their accounts and pages.

We assume that people form their opinions and make their decisions based on facts. In other words, facts matter. Without them, opinions won’t or at least would less matter. But these recent years, with the wide and rapid dissemination fuelled by the digital revolution and the rise of social media, fake news made it difficult for some students to determine fact from fiction.

As the product of this new generation, students spend most of their time sticking their eyes on their digital screens while scrolling through their newsfeeds and timelines. And with the rapid spread of fake news, it would make it hard for them to find reliable sources for news and research through the use of social media. Students are educated with minimal knowledge of how media affects their daily lives and process of thinking and receive information from a variety of sources, but are unequipped with the mental tools necessary to determine what the sources deliver.

This sad phenomenon is not just harmful to the credibility of the news media and the profession of journalism, but also to the public, our society and our community. In this age of misinformation, the obligation grows in importance as never before. This situation depends on us. We, the citizenry, have an obligation to think critically. And that obligation starts nowhere but within facts. If all of us won’t accept facts as facts, how would we hope to resolve our problems and differences? How could we meet our most important obligation? How could we detect fake news?

Let’s make it clear, we can’t easily prevent fake news, but we can help our fellow students and netizens make more informed decisions when they encounter fake news through engaging in reliable sources and educating them in making an opinion with facts. We are not helpless against fake news, but together, we must break out of our echo chambers and act against it.

PDA: NO rmalized

Prohibition. Distraction! Attention?

You may have not noticed it, but many eyes are already caught and distracted by it.

Public Display of Affection (PDA) is one of the most polarizing issues when it comes to relationships. To define, PDA is the way of showing love publicly through physical touch such as holding hands, intimate hugging, kissing, or even sitting on lap. In school setting, where students inevitably tend to be in a relationship and be youthfully in love, they are introduced and highly involved into PDA.

With this, its relevance captivated the attention of the school, and different reactions have been conveyed toward this. Some may find it cute and romantic. Some consider it gross and inappropriate. But, how should it truly be addressed? Should it be allowed and accepted? Or should it be not normalized and be prohibited?

Displaying of one’s affection is nothing but obviously normal. It is our freedom, our right; thus, no one and nothing should stop us from doing it so. Additionally, expressing of love truly prevails upon us. It is universal — it is within us. However, as each and every thing must be, it has its right time, right place. School, for instance, is a place to learn; to improve one’s well-being; and to impart discipline. What will happen if the school community itself failed to follow the fundamentals implemented by the institution?

If the students are being ignorant and oblivious of how they negatively influence others? If they are disturbing and threatening the majority? Is the society now too judgmental? Or some are just abusive, inconsiderate, and are now detrimental?

Ground breaking news about theoverturning of an open-pit mining ban shook the land as the development of a $5.9 billion copper and gold mine project resumed in the province of Polomolok, South Cotabato.

On may 16, 2022, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources rescinded a nationwide prohibition on open-pit mining, soon enough, the largest undeveloped copper-gold mine field in South East Asia , the Tampakan Project, was set in motion.

Wasting no time, Sagittarius Mines Inc, operator of the Tampakan Project cracked down on excavation on geographical landforms adjacent to the dormant volcano, Mt. Matutum, some 50 km north of General Santos city, still, vowing for “responsible mining”, local denizens grow weary about the effects of the Tampakan Project to the environment.

Talks about deforestation, erosion, siltation, and irreversible damages to the Bong Mal River became public concern, cries for help to prevent such natural disasters are louder than ever, yet the sound of tailing facilities in pursuit of economic growth dampen the outcry of the people.

To this day, I am still shaken up by how drastic change to the environment can be determined by

Fool’s Gold

those who are not affected by such change. I share my remorse with the locals who to live the consequences of other people’s actions as I feel the ground beneath me starting to crack. We, as a nation, are slowly forgetting that our best chance of survival against floods, typhoons, and other hydrological disasters lie in the mercy of the vast geographical landforms that are at risk of open-pit mining, we must fight for their preservation and conservation before it’s too late.

Natural Resources are worth more than the weight of gold and copper combined, no amount of economic growth can buy back what is lost in the environment.

I am still shaken up by how drastic change to the environment can be determined by those who are not affected by such change. I share my remorse with the locals who to live the consequences of other people’s actions as I feel the ground beneath me starting to crack.

There will be no instances in a teenager’s life where their elders will forget to remind them of the importance of enjoying a life free from motherhood responsibilities that will tie them to obligations of supporting a family and raising a child of their own. They were right about that; a mother’s life is indeed one of the hardest yet most fulfilling adventures one can take. Is the life of a mother really that hard? Some may say that it is not because eventually when your children grow up and can stand on their own, all your hard work will be paid off. Surely this will happen after a few years, but it does not change the fact that there will be days in a mother’s life when she will feel like losing hope while carrying the burden of being a mother. No one will truly understand their struggles until they become one.

Just like art, mothers can also take any form. They may amaze us in certain ways with how flexible they can become. Some mothers may prefer to stay at home and serve the need of their

families and some prefer to strive for a career that will create a secure future for their children. No matter what form they may take, they will always be the ones nurturing our souls and every single effort they exert is for the sake not for their own.

Mothers can certainly do anything for the greater good of their families and despite being the “superwomen”, they are also the ones who need the most love and appreciation. To honor the greatness of every mother, we celebrate Mother’s Day across the world to express our warm appreciation to them by giving them simple yet meaningful gifts to make them feel special. Not only did they provide a meaningful life for us, but they have also shown us the true meaning of living our lives to the fullest.

They were indeed the backbone of every unwavering verdict we have done in the past years of our lives. We cease to exist if it would not for them and for that, we can only repay them by showing our gratitude by doing our

best to give them a comfortable future. From our first words to our first day in preschool, they have been there at every glance, and they never left our side. They were our first teachers, our first friends, and the very first person that truly cares for us. We must always take with us every learning we have gained from them and never forget every lesson they have taught us. They are the one who cultivates the very existence of who we are today. We should never underestimate the true struggles of every mother. They are not the ones that never struggle, for they are the only ones that never give up every time they struggle. They have been through different circumstances, and they play the hands of their fates by hammering every responsibility nailed to them. The life they have provided us should always be valued and we should, on no occasion question their shortcomings. For what reasons they have, we must understand them like how they endured the struggles of raising a family. Every agony, every happiness, and every moment we shared with them will always be meaningful as they are irreplaceable.

“It’s not that hard, right?”

Let’s hear out the opinions and stand of SLSPIans in line with PDA.

lhouisCENT

Lhouis Miguel G. Prado

Academic

Pressure:

A Topic Kept Under the Sheets

A student’s life does not mirror each other. Each individual has a different story. Now, what makes each story a little bit identical? One way could be through the ambiguous word named, academic pressure.

The academic pressure that we students have is quite unreal. The constant need to do better to reach a certain goal, while not considering the fact that it will affect our mental, social, emotional, and physical strength is something. This pressure might be put on ourselves or from the judgment of others. For what? Just so they can congratulate us while having the mindset that what we did was so easy to do

Some people can be the very first to congratulate us when we achieve something. In social media, gatherings, and other events. Unfortunately, they don’t see all the sorrows and pain we went through to reach that goal. All the

RESPONSE

‘Til Classrooms Do Part Us

The number of teenage pregnancies and Human Immuno-Virus (HIV)-positive individuals continuously rise and become a problem in our country. The Commission on Population (POPCOM) cited that around 196,000 Filipinos aged 15 to 19 get pregnant every year. While the Department of Health (DOH) said that 36 new HIV infections are recorded daily. Most of the cases belong to 15 to 24 age bracket. Data from the same institution recorded that from January to April, there were 529 cases of people who acquired HIV after engaging in transactional sex.

With these problems going up, the head of the country’s National Youth Commission (NYC) suggested that there should be gender segregations in schools grades 7 to 12 to curb the rising cases of HIV and teenage pregnancy. That’s the only solution a government official can come up with, to separate male and female students without thinking that they couldn’t even provide students enough classrooms.

Separation of male and female students means to double the facilities, and we already lack enough classrooms. Even teachers sacrifice their own seats to their students because their classroom also lacks chairs. The proposal of separating male from female students in schools cannot solve these problems. The heterogeneity of students in one classroom is not the cause of these social problems but the lack of proper sex education and thoughtful regard to values at

Get Out!

China’s illegal incursion into the West Philippine Sea continues until today, and our country is unable to stop it.

Even after the Philippines’ numerous protests against the unprecedented and unlawful occupation of the Scarborough Shoal and its adjacent exclusive economic zones, China never once took respite and continued its incursion. Since then, fishermen have been harassed, China’s navy patrol there now extended borders, and the Philippines continues to lie helplessly at the hands of China.

But, what else can our puny and small country do? The explicit United Nations verdict that the shoal belonged to us has done all but naught, as it seemed to spurn China into redoubling their efforts, and target another island.

Our country, despite mostly composed of water, has insufficient and critically lacking maritime capabilities. Equipped with only outdated aircraft and few ships to patrol our seas, it is inevitable that a large part of our territory will be left vulnerable.

Luckily, for the country, there is always a bigger fish. Although the Philippines is laughably small, it has behemoth friends. America has lent its support in defending the nation’s territory. Sending out warships, and formally declaring their side in the dispute, America seems bent on not letting China have its way.

The country must take measures to increase its maritime capabilities. To this end, the country acquired C295 planes, built for combat and freight, and CESSNA planes to increase the nation’s patrolling capabilities. However, this is still insufficient. As the recent Mindoro oil spill has proved, the country’s available resources to handle maritime issues remain insufficient as the country failed to immediately and effectively address the problem.

home, in communities and sometimes, in school. In reality, doing sex is a natural act. It’s not wrong when you do it before or after marriage. But, imposing abstinence won’t work every time. The root cause of this problem is not the over knowledge about sex, it’s the lack of education and the lack of proper usage or not being able to use protection.

Some students in school are equipped with minimal knowledge about sex. Sex education is the key solution for this since students in highschool and college are open-minded. Educate them, instead of isolating them with one another. However, if the government insists on separating these students, then they should first prioritize adding classrooms.

Hopefully, we could come up with solutions to solve these problems, making way for the bright future of our students since they are the hope of our country.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Mr. Editor,

A fine rainy afternoon to you. Schools been canceled due to heavy rainfall so it would be a perfect time to converse with you via letter. In this letter there may be things that may offend you but please pay no mind to it for I show no malevolent intent but just to voice out my perspective and my fellow students woes.

First, the school’s restrooms. This is the place that I’ve always hated because it is uncomfortable to use when it is uncleaned, it had unflushed excrements, urine all over the place and some damaged cubicles. In my perspective though it is mostly the student’s fault. Because they are the people who mostly causes restrooms to be so filthy and to be damaged. Though I can see the effort of the staff to keep the restrooms tidy, they just can’t keep up with the unpleasant behavior of the students. Maybe the school should impose rules when it comes to restroom hygiene. A good rule would probably be “whatever classroom is near a certain restroom and that restroom becomes displeasing, filled with filth and dirt, the nearest classrooms will be put to blame”. Just to make the students more aware and maybe they’ll help with keeping the places tidy as well.

The next thing I wanted to talk about is the idea on prices of food sold that I usually hear among students. Though I understand that prices of the other food items in our school canteens varies based on the kind of food they will buy.

Another is something the school is not at fault at but something that I think they can fix. Student hygiene. Yes, student hygiene, I understand some people who have unpleasant odor like students who like to play physically, Athletes, and I guess people who have sweat glands issue. But some students just have displeasing odor without sweating. I don’t usually mind it but if the odor lasts for so long that’s the part where I get a bit riled up. To athletes and people who like to sweat a lot, please don’t forget to bring hygiene necessities like extra t-shirts, towels, cologne or whatever to keep ourselves tidy and squeaky. Hoping that schools would set simple reminders on hygiene and maybe students would take action upon it.

Lastly and the most common and famous and the most complained thing in school by students are on the number of tasks given and how short the deadlines are. Yes, I understand why they’d complain but in all honest, the tasks given are a lot easier than the tasks given to higher grade levels. In my opinion, students only need a breather. What I meant by breather aren’t holidays or random days where there will be no school days or break days, but I think what the students really need is something that will inspire them. Fun activities like Valentine’s day, Intramurals, school contests or activities that can be an avenue for them to release their pent up stresses or something which they can say in their minds “it was worth it coming today” and much more just to increase their morale.

Well, in general, problems our school has now are pretty common and mostly students are at fault. I know, the teachers have it rough already. Most students don’t really recognize the efforts of their teachers because they don’t even visualize how much work it is to become a teacher. But all I hope is that the school, teachers, staff, and students would work together to make each other’s role even just a bit easier. Though in our current state it seems like a far cry. Nevertheless, there are still many chances and opportunities for these hopes to happen. We’ll only have to observe.

With respect and great gratitude

Lovelight Grace O. Habla

headaches, tears, paper cuts, and late nights that put us all in a swirl of constant agony. That’s why they still dare to think about how trouble-free the journey was and judge us even more if we are not constantly at the top.

Due to this, multiple severe cases can be seen in schools all over the world. With symptoms ranging from loss of appetite, anxiety, and depression, to intrusive thoughts. This pressure will forever be entwined to us like a weight that we can’t get rid of. Like a wound that would never heal nor scar. Unless we take action now.

Fortunately, there is something that you can do as a person going through this. Studies have shown that talking to someone can be a way to release this stress. Positively talking to yourself can be another way since what’s more important than the love we have for ourselves?

Dear Yuriel,

A pleasant day to you. First of all, I would like to appreciate your courage for reaching me directly in order to express your concerns instead of stirring the hodgepodge of rumors and misunderstandings in the school curriculum. You have made a good choice by doing so.

I have read your letter twice and I am in favor of your perspective towards the issues arising in our school. I agree with the notion that issues or problems could not be avoided in schools. Thus, it is essential to address these in order to prevent the worst case scenario.

I agree with the thought that students should be held responsible when it comes to the facilities they use, including the comfort rooms. It is a must that they clean up after themselves and not be dependent towards the staff. Even the school requires the proper practice of the CLAYGO or “Clean As You Go” rule. The staff have done their part by cleaning the comfort rooms, it is the students’ responsibility to maintain the cleanliness.

Regarding the canteen’s food prices, it is obvious that some of the products are a bit pricey, but there are also affordable food items that are within the students’ budget. Buying food items that are within their price range is a proper way to practice budgeting, another is by making homemade food they can bring to school. Due to our country’s current inflation rate, it is normal for products especially food, to become pricey, which is why it is important for students to have the capability to manage their daily allowance and distinguish the feasibility and availability of a certain product.

When it comes to students’ personal hygiene, I do agree that students with unpleasant odor, especially athletes who often engage in physical activities required for their training, should bring a hygiene kit. If we know that we give off unpleasant odor whenever we sweat, it’s best if we improve our hygiene routine. We should be conscious about ourselves and sensitive towards the people surrounding us.

We can’t avoid complaints regarding the amount of school work. Aside from school, we also have other responsibilities at home. Some of us are dealing with mental health problems as well. Learning to be optimistic about certain aspects in life will help us overcome these. A breather like special events would really benefit the mental health of students since they get to take time off from the negativity surrounding us, it will help us become more optimistic about life. Time management is also essential; this will help us accomplish our tasks on time and will give us enough time to rest. Being optimistic and a pro at time management will benefit students a lot. This will help them get through highschool and life as well.

Thank you for bringing these matters to my knowledge. I really appreciate your initiative to take a step towards addressing concerns that have brought disruption and discomfort to our teachers, staff, and fellow students. However, I would like to request your patience regarding the solutions to the rest of these matters because it is impossible to solve all of these at the same time. We will take this one step at a time.

The school, together with its staff, teachers, and students will do their best to work together in order to solve these problems and prevent the occurrence of more issues in our school. From what you mentioned in your letter, working together will help us make each other’s roles a bit easier, and I agree. This will help us tenaciously thrive because where there is unity, there is victory.

Sincerely,

Editor

Sincerely yours, Yuriel

Illustration by: Klint Cleo B. Tacadao

secuLORENZO

Marianne Chloe M. Secular

But, imposing abstinence won’t work every time. The root cause of this problem is not the over knowledge about sex, it’s the lack of education and the lack of proper usage or not being able to use protection.

John Mathew B. Porras

Need a Ride?

John Mathew B. Porras

they can be confronted through thorough inspections and more law implementations. But if they have a deeper, more ulterior motive, then this strike will hold for as long as it can, as the drivers with no livelihood and money for themselves will inevitably fail to support their families, forcing them to go back to work.

(Don’t) dance the night away

The government’s modernization program is an inaccurate step in the right direction. Implemented back in 2017, the plan intends to radically change the country’s road transportation structure. Despite all its good intentions, its implications and implementations are too much for the country’s jeepney drivers to tolerate.

After many setbacks and delays, the program finally launched in full swing in 2023 with its first stage: phasing out the traditional jeepney. The reasons why this action is warranted can be attributed to the vehicle’s lack of safety, the frequent absence of proper permits and licenses, and often being the main cause of accidents. However, the main reason seems to be the vehicle’s significant amount of carbon emissions, as stated by several government heads during interviews, including President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.

Instead of their current and obsolete vehicles, the government insists that jeepney drivers acquire a new, eco-friendly electric jeepney with its revolutionary design, accommodations, and safety standards that the traditional jeepney lacks. These jeepneys use electricity stored in their lithium-ion batteries, instead of gasoline as fuel, completely eliminating carbon emissions. These new rides can prove to be far more economical, with the absurd price of gasoline, compared to significantly cheaper electricity.

The problem, however, is while it may prove cheaper, safer, and better in the long run, these jeepneys are simply unaffordable to simple jeepney drivers, and the government has issued an impossible deadline for the drivers to abscond with their old jeepneys, and switch to the new, modern, and eco-friendly jeepney. This instigated the March transport strike in Metro Manila, and the government and jeepney drivers have been in a standoff ever since.

If the government’s main aim with the PUV modernization program is to reduce emissions, as multiple government officials in interviews have stated, then phasing out jeepneys does not come close to being the most optimal and efficient solution.

For one, electric jeepneys, while not producing carbon emissions during their operational use, are not as eco-friendly as the government would make the public believe. Electric jeepneys produce a large amount of greenhouse gases during their production, offsetting the possible

environmental benefits of electric vehicles, a fact mentioned by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during an interview about the topic.

Secondly, Jeepneys are not the main cause of air pollution in the Philippines. Carbon emissions produced by vehicles are significant but are largely overshadowed by emissions produced by industries and factories. Jeepneys are also more environmentally friendly than normal cars, even when belching the blackest smoke possible. A normal car can transport five to seven people at most, whereas a jeepney can ferry at most, twentytwo people, becoming more economical in the sense that it can transport more people with fewer trips.

The transport strike in Manila continues until today. Although the number of jeepneys on strike is significantly lesser than what was originally expected, it nonetheless disrupts many people’s lives. If the true aim of the program is truly environmental, then this modernization plan does not need to happen, or at least, not happen now as the government can focus on reducing carbon emissions by industries, and simultaneously resolve the issue causing unrest. As for safety concerns,

Worker strikes are uncommon in the Philippines, but as this situation has shown, all it takes is one bad day. Strikes are not limited to jeepney drivers. Supermarket workers, local palengke vendors, teachers, and medical workers can also go on strike, which would be devastating as their services are vital to the community. The Jeepney strike in Manila may inspire worker unions all over the country who feel unfairly treated by the government or society, causing a chain reaction of worker strikes that may even affect our quaint municipality, Polomolok. Thus, the National Government and Local Government Units (LGUs) must uphold good governance, respond to the community’s needs, and treat every member of society fairly, lest the wrath of the people is tested, and everyone ultimately suffers.

The return of full-on face-to-face classes in January reunited the students with once-familiar school events, group collaboration activities, and large-scale competitions. This reunion left unchecked will do more harm than good to us students.

We can all agree that school activities and events are vital to the high school experience as they offer a break from regular schoolwork such as quizzes and seatwork. Nevertheless, an overabundance of such can overlap each other, leaving the students to ration and budget their time, energy, money, and focus, just to keep afloat of their current activities. It is expected for subjects to issue group activities, such as roleplay, reports, dances, and other projects. Thus, it is unavoidable that activities will be assigned, regardless of how many the students are already dealing with. This is observable in the current school landscape, where, ever since the return to full school hours, students are bombarded by activity after activity and event after event.

It is also important to consider that along with dealing with long-spanning, timeconsuming activities, students are also expected to keep up and excel in their academics. While this may not be as noticeable in the Junior High School, it is most pronounced in the Senior High. Creating research papers, applying for colleges and scholarships, and studying for exams and quizzes in difficult strand-exclusive subjects, while also expected to cooperate with a group and create a five-minute dance routine consisting of different genres, just to pass a minor subject? It appears rather out of place.

Minor subjects like Physical Education, take up too much of the senior high students’ time as physical tasks, especially dance activities, take the longest time to prepare for. When a dance performance task is announced, an increment of 2-4 weeks is usually present between the announcement and the actual performance. Thereby consuming most of the students’ attention from the subjects that have more relevance in their future paths.

These long-spanning activities may also cause activities from major subjects, such as Math and Science, to be cancelled due to conflicting schedules, as a mercy on the already occupied, exhausted students.

While true that a variety of activities must be given to students for them to develop, and thus these types of activities are necessary, it also must be considered that the students must focus on subjects and topics that are relevant to them. This is again, pronounced with the Senior high department, where, by aim of the K-12 program, is to develop the students for college by introducing them and preparing them for their preferred career paths and futures, but instead, take most of their time worrying over their minor subjects.

Indeed, a review or further deliberation on this matter is an appropriate option for aligning the competencies and providing a clearer matrix or line up of performance tasks can be considered for improvement to be made.

Closer look on Senior Citizens

It’s more fun being a senior citizen in the municipality of Polomolok, South Cotabato, a lot of benefits and astonishing privileges come with being a senior. But despite the benefits, it still has some disadvantages. As a centennial, especially when you’re looking after your parents or grandparents, it may take 30 to 40 years for us to enjoy these rights and benefits. But some people in this generation think that being a senior citizen is somewhat humiliating because they can’t relate to what’s new and ‘hip’ nowadays. Example, if they go out with their grand parents they’d often feel ashamed because they’re with someone who walks slow and flimsy. Millenials and Centennials seem to respect people their age but tend to look down on people especially senior citizens. Sooner or later we’ll get old and wrinkly too, and we’ll be laughed at by kids, now tell me is this the kind of place we want to live in?

Some individuals don’t show respect to the elderly, like for example, when a senior citizen falls in line for a cubicle at the mall, the younger ones enter first without bothering to ask the seniors to

take the cubicle instead, without minding how tiring it is to stand, without caring because they think of themselves first. When our parents or grandparents are talking to someone that may seem just at their age, we don’t pay respect or do the ‘mano’ at them because we’re too shy since it’s our first time meeting them or too shy to communicate because we all knew some of the elders are annoying, asking questions about your love life when in fact you don’t really have one and also, we’re used to talk with our friends that we fail to communicate with the elder ones.

For us Filipinos, especially in our culture, it is understood that we must pay respect to elders. To kickoff, let’s take a look at the brighter side and discover the benefits of being a senior citizen. First, as you can see when we go shopping, there’s that thing called the ‘Priority Lane’, wherein you can witness assistance and seats provided for pregnant women, people with disabilities, and senior citizens.

Ideally, there are some VAT Exemptions for senior citizens; medicines, domestic air, sea travel fare and public land transportation fee, hotels, places of leisure, restaurant, funeral and burial services. Thus, VAT exemptions are deducted first from the medical bill before deducting it at

the PhilHealth benefit. You just have to give your senior citizen card and get a 20% discount. The discounts don’t stop there. In the market here in the Polomolok, called ‘laray’, our grandparents tend to ask for a discount and as a sign of respect or because they don’t want to be annoyed anymore or they badly wanted to sell their products easily, they’ll give them what the customer had asked. Speaking of vegetables, while we are eating junk foods, sweets and other carbs, they would scold us and they’ll start taking about their lives back then, telling us about how all they ate were vegetables and healthier stuff.

If your parents or grandparents are too weak to buy food and groceries, being an attentive teenager, you can claim the senior citizen discount on their behalf but make sure that they’re the ones who will use the discounted products.

Lastly, you can gain Php 500-6,000 a month social pension from the government every month. Right now, the government is planning to add the amount for our senior citizens’ mileage. Thus, being a senior citizen isn’t something to be ashamed of. In fact, it is a blessing for they have reached that age. Because of that, well just watch.

Ericka Gwynne Torreon

For us Filipinos, especially in our culture, it is understood that we must pay respect to elders. To kickoff, let’s take a look at the brighter side and discover the benefits of being a senior citizen.

Illustration

by: Denlee Rui Egaran

Despite all its good intentions, its implications and implementations are too much for the country’s jeepney drivers to tolerate.

walking be thy worth

walking be thy worth

After two years, youth can now walk, ride, and enjoy the morning sunrise, feel the scorching sun, run against time, and frolic with friends. The school educates us, but how about going in and out of it? Do we still learn about life? Can we still grow and mature? Or does learning stops as we go out of the four-cornered rooms?

School teaches us history, formulas, scientific reasoning, arts, computer systems, values, and language yet, apart from these, as we leave the campus, learning goes on. This may not be included in our curriculum however as we walk and ride home, every step of the way enlightens us with brighter ideas not only encircling on what is written in books but also what we can write for ourselves.

We surveyed 166 students of St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok Inc. In different grade levels, it is reckoned that 91.6% of them are riding home and towards school, while the remaining 8.4% walk. The majority are accompanied by their parents 45%, 23.5% are by themselves only, 17.5% are with their classmates, 7.2% are their siblings and the remaining are for close relatives, trusted people and others available. Some also, say that their mode of transportation affect them and causes delays. Others say it never did. This result defines as well what they are comfortable with and felt safe for, the reason why it is tiring to even try, and this has never become unanimous, sometimes it makes us think, why can’t we just have wings to fly directly?

The result consists of various numbers hard to read and think about; however, one thing is for sure, we may walk down from different paths, cross the roads, walk around those rocky ground, riding and bumping our heads, turning in different directions, we still arrive in one place, our school where we ought to learn.

Students view this daily routine differently, it takes hard work, time, and peace of mind. It keeps us wondering: Is it worth doing? What feeling motivates them to do this every morning and on time? Interviewing pupils and their perspective, they can’t deny being bombarded with activities but they still find it exciting to reach and leave school.

SLSPI Grade 10 students on their last year in Junior High School

I am Lloyd, your Grade 10 student, who is venturing into an adventurous and prosperous year as we learn with SLSPI.

Today marks a remarkable year, as this is now my last year of being a junior high school student. Since this is my final year in the junior high school department, I have a lot of thoughts and feelings. I have reached the end of the line of this high school journey, and the doors are now open as I and my fellow 10th grade students venture into the Senior High School world. But, before I share my thoughts and insights, let us know what our fellow 10th grade students have to say.

I interviewed my classmate, Zipporah Michal Talo who is also now in her last year in junior high school and this is her statement. “I feel sad now that I am in the last year of being a junior high school student. At first, I was happy that I’m almost done with my high school life but then I realized more upcoming stress will hit me once I am a senior high school student. Being a grade 10 is not easy. Pressure, stress, and expectations are looked upon you. Pressure because this is my last year at junior high school and I will slack off? If I ever transfer to another school and they can see that I didn’t do well, are they willing to accept me? Or am I even qualified? I think not. Stress, the lessons are not that hard (compared to other grade year levels) but a lot of lessons are preached and tasks you need to complete. You feel relieved finishing a task rather than accomplishing it. It’s more like “Ah yes I’m done!” not “YES, I did that!”. And lastly, Expectations, of course with us being said that we are in 10th grade we need to do well, A lot of people are expecting. Teachers, Parents? Even students because they’re the one who is looking up to us. They expect us to shine because this is our last year, the highest grade level you can attain in junior high school. Also, I am attached to my classmates, so it’s hard for me to leave junior high school. I’m sure a lot of us will be separated because a lot of us will choose different strands. Although I am slightly disheartened by that fact, I am looking forward to my senior high school life because I am genuinely interested in the strand I’m taking. I want to deepen my knowledge with the course I’m preparing for. It’s not that I expect that the lesson I wanted to learn is the only thing that is going to be taught but I have an idea of how to deal with the course I’m preparing for. They said it’s hard but I think this is better because there’s a lot of time I can prepare for the “real” battle”. -statement of Zipporah Michal Talo, a grade 10 student from 10-St. John

Finally, this is our last year as junior high school students. I will miss all of the happy memories we’ve made. I feel like I’m in a dream because it feels like I was in 7th grade yesterday and I’m now in 10th grade. I, for one, felt excitement and sadness at the same time. The friendship and the happy memories we’ve made as a class were so overwhelming and heartfelt. Even though we must accept that we will grow up, we will treasure the memories we make of each other as we journey through life, achieving our dreams and becoming the people we have always wanted to be.

There were a lot of obstacles we faced during the previous years in junior high school, and they must come to an end. Some people might find it easy, but we have different capacities when it comes to difficulty. Others might find it arduous or hard, and others might find it facile or simple. Everything depends on the situation you’re in. I’m looking forward to the events that will take place during my senior year of high school. I hope they will be enjoyable and that we will learn a lot from our diverse strands. It’s very nerve-wracking to think that we are no longer juniors but seniors. College life is also just around the corner since time really flies so fast. Me and my fellow students in grade 10 are now ready to face what lies ahead as we venture into senior high school.

Isha Seronio said and I quote, “sometimes taking a tiny stroll with your friends is all you need.” It levels their stresses and gives them time to think less about activities and more about life in the outside world, they are able to grow with friends and smile with them as they go further.

Now a question struck me, how was every step of the way, and every orbit of the wheels taught us, students? When we only have to move our feet back and forth, watch the sky turn grey and dark, cover our heads in daylight raindrops, sit as different mechanisms works, listen to loud noises on streets, and wait to reach school and home, does it all make any changes? Gyien Matthew Mahinay answered, “ As I walk and ride home it gives me various emotions, walking gives me a moment and see the world as in different stages, and different situations are witnessed while riding home relaxes, I get to observe briskly.” He added, “That’s why I prefer walking than riding, I may do this by myself, however, I get to learn. Just like in life, if things are done slowly, we get to ponder on them and realize somehow their beauty and deeper meanings.” People get to have their interpretation, this shows that doing such activities improves them in some way, it can be in their understanding, emotions or deeper than what we can possibly think of..

Pandemic weakened not only our stamina but apart from this is our motivation to go out of our houses. We locked ourselves in close doors, got stagnant in what social media offer to entertain us, and miss the old times where outside seems exciting than under the shade of our roof, where talking is better than messaging, where life seems happier when we are closer than being farther from each other.

Jireh Faith E. Fernandez

to my home felt like I had reached the peak of my youth.”

Students shared as well their experiences: the dangerous fitting of 10 people in one tricycle, the inaudible stories of drivers, the terrible steps towards wet animal excrements, them unlocking their capability and strength to cross roads, their fortunate mindless passing, forgetting and returning back to their homes for IDs, being unable to pay with not enough money, and their smelly and muddy shoes due to profuse raining. Experiences they can look back, laugh at, and talk about. Memories they can hyperbolically share and be proud of.

Before they reach and after they leave the campus, there are things students went through, some dry their tears as they walk to home, acknowledge mistakes, talk about pain, and hide this as they set foot on their doorstep. Youth are secretive, one’s journey is not only fun but also their way to weigh themselves down,

This is the reason why school is not just the only place for learning but also towards and away from it. The journey of one student does help them become better individual, not just as a student but as a person born to be. Besides, school teaches us equations where we can only find one value if we correctly substitute their corresponding quantity and perform using the correct formula, Science teaches us that if the frequency increases, the wavelength gets shorter. In subject-verb agreement, a singular noun requires a singular verb, while plural nouns need a plural verb. But through our adventures, A person can either walk by himself and learn by himself, or can ride with others, and discover with them.

John Lloyd Galvan

Illustration by: Earon Lei Hasigan

filipino heroes:

Giving VALOuRable lessons to Generation Z

Scars make you beautiful.

Everyone has scars, both visible and invisible, both past and present, for we all have encountered being hurt physically and emotionally.

Our heroes lost blood, sweat, and tears as they fought for days and days to gain freedom from the no-good colonizers. Whereas now, great misery comes from all of the bruises we got as we played outside till we stumble and fumble to the yells of our parents which we had to endure every single time we made a mistake.

Those wounds turned into scars that will permanently be imprinted into our bodies.

Are we willing to rise from the ashes much like our heroes, or stay in a bottomless pit of our sorrow?

The Fall of Bataan remains a tragic chapter in history. But unlike the fictional stories and love tales that “Younger generation” or “Gen Z” enjoy reading and watching, this one depicts a tragedy that has been marked in the gloomy pages of our history.

Ironically, Araw ng Kagitingan is a commemoration of two significant defeats in the Philippines in the period

during that conflict. However, these were defeats that left the heads of the Filipino soldiers “bloody but unbowed.”

“Babagyo nalang makikita mo parin ang ngiti ng isang Pinoy,” a well-known aphorism that circulates throughout the globe, stands for and represents the positive traits of Filipinos despite challenges. This is a parallel about our heroes from the Battle of Bataan, “bloody but unbowed,” and it demonstrates how, despite defeat and hardship, Filipinos are always able to see the bright side of life because that is who we are.

This serves as a hope of inspiration to us millennials, our heroes back in the day show us that eventually, everything is gonna be all right, you just need to hold your ground and keep your head up. Our younger generation, in particular, is dealing with a slew of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and other kinds of mental illness. The impact that this kind of patriotism makes on this generation’s confidence and mental state is to the point where we ourselves have become

EducNation :

‘

Amplifying DepEd’s role

modern-day heroes in the sense that we sacrifice time and effort in studying to help generate a much better world, to become vocal in politics to fight for our future and to those who face challenges every day but still keep going.

As captives, the soldiers were forced to endure the infamous 140-kilometre Bataan Death March to Camp O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac. Along the way, thousands died due to famine, heat prostration, untreated wounds, and wanton or executionstyle murder.

Historians believe that only 54,000 of the 76,000 prisoners were able to reach Camp O’Donnell. The exact number of deaths and escapees was difficult to assess.

There is no excuse for why our generation won’t rise again after facing challenging battles throughout our lives if our fallen heroes were able to recover from that sort of beating and loss. Let the Araw ng Kagitingan be a source of inspiration and a gentle reminder to persevere and not give up, not only to the “Gen Z millennial” generations but also for previous and future generations.

We shape the society and the society shapes us.

Children as great imitators gradually consider what they see in our society their basis and building blocks as to what they need to be. School is a perfect path that the youth choose in order to gain knowledge and skills since a child’s mind is incredibly immense that all of the space can filled with multiple different things. As the schools continue to shape the minds and personalities of the youth, they are creating students with individual differences but similar basic knowledge that can soon help their fellow people.

MAture individuals shaping the youth

Current Vice President Sara Duterte launched the DepEd program MATATAG: Bansang Makabata, Batang Makabansa. She stated that this program cannot happen overnight, they need the help of the society. Teachers are the competent individuals who strive hard to teach their students. They give extra effort to help their children to fully understand and comprehend the different components of education. Their efforts are what shape and influence the hope of tomorrow.

Modern-day heroes also help the youth as they enter their second homes to feel safe and welcome. They provide a support system to multiple at-risk students to showcase that they are people who the students can freely go to in times of problem and misery. Lending an ear as their children state their resentments. Providing a shoulder to cry on when their students are upset. Understanding the different lives that their students have. Teachers are supernatural humans with multiple responsibilities.

TAckling all the different components

Learning should not center around academics. Different components such as physical and emotional knowledge help students to be well-rounded and versatile. The vast knowledge in a pupil’s mind can help them be adaptable to any change in the environment. All the information that they have absorbed can help them to perform well with the different tasks that might come their way.

Extra-curricular activities in school such as sports and socio-cultural events help a student to be aware of their skills and capabilities. It opens them to new opportunities that can lead to their great success. Republic Act 10676 helps student athletes to continue their academics while being able to play against other schools and carry the name of their school through the beneficiaries they get such as free tuition, allowances, learning materials, and so on. Less inconvenience is given to the student athletes though these benefits which is a big reason why students work hard to maintain being an athletic scholar.

TAking initiative for the students to be enlightened

As this program was launched, it shows the idea that education is a vital part of life. The government has dedicated its time to improve our educational system and realize their flaws and weaknesses that needs to be improved. Their mission to create a better system is their message to the youth that may this action great competent adults in the near future that will help for the betterment of our nation.

Maria Clara at Ibarra:

Bridging History and Present

always invalidated.

As I was scrolling through TikTok, I came across many fan edits and reviews for a very interesting GMA teleserye. I was particularly intrigued because it is based on Jose Rizal’s famous novel, which I was required to read back in Junior High School. I only intended to watch a few episodes to get a sense of the hype, but now I can’t stop watching and waiting for the next episode to come out. Maria Clara at Ibarra piqued my interest in our history and influenced me to learn more about my rights as a woman in society.

Maria Clara at Ibarra was a GMA TV series about a modern Filipina lady who went inside a noble and historic book called Noli Me Tangere. Maria Clara at Ibarra celebrated the beauty of Philippine history and raised the bar for Philippine television with its inventive story and thought-provoking interpretations of Rizal’s novels. Its goal was to travel back in time with the edgy and outspoken Gen Z, Klay, from GMA’s historical drama, Maria Clara at Ibarra.

The story’s protagonist (Klay) despised history but possessed a commanding and bubbly personality. She is a nursing student who works part-time. Her difficulties caused her to underestimate the significance of her minor history subject, which prompted her professor to give her a chance by handing her a worn-out copy of the novel. This eventually led her into the fictional world, where she met the characters herself.

Klay met the Noli Me Tangere characters and taught them many modern gestures and words, such as teaching Ibarra the Gen Z word, Marites. She also experienced firsthand the struggles of pure Filipinos during the Spanish period. She witnessed the violent management of the government at the time, which was primarily influenced by selfish, hypocritical, and cruel priests. Men also discriminated against her, saying her opinions were unimportant. Then, she learned that women are not allowed to participate in serious meetings and are

The serye emphasized the stories’ injustices’ connection to modern injustices. Klay was able to empathize with the characters as they fought for their rights and freedom.

Because of the protagonist’s experience with her abusive stepfather, she did not hesitate to defend women. On the bright side, she witnessed traditional Filipino courtship. How a man and a woman should never touch or hold hands; how a bachelor should visit a woman he was courting and offer harana and how modest and composed women were back then.

Klay was even taken aback when she discovered how Filipinas expressed their feelings for someone they liked by

that they liked the person, whereas using their fans slowly indicated that the person meant nothing to them.

The show brilliantly combined elements of romance, drama, comedy, and patriotism that we rarely see in primetime television. Through the perspective of a stubborn yet hardworking middle-class college student, it effectively bridges the gap between reality and fiction, as well as history and the present.

As a young lady of this new generation, the series had a profound effect on me. I’ve learned a lot more about Filipino history and culture, and I’ve come to appreciate our heritage. Now, I regret not reading the famous Noli Me Tangere with eagerness.

Patriotism runs through our bloods. We all want to help the country where we have lived most of our lives. As the youth’s education is now constantly given attention, all of what’s lacking is being fixed step by step. The perseverance and dedication of the government to continue this action to help every struggling student are a great influence to their mindset of being grateful for what they got and giving back with what they can.

Giving them ample knowledge

With all the efforts shown and given, the youth is extremely supported. We are given the convenience to learn new things and new knowledge as the schools are continuously improving to help materialize what we need. With the convenience presented, our minds are constantly open to new ideas that will and might help us in life. All of this knowledge are our sources to continue to be the youth who speaks out their voice.

We all are greatly influenced to state our opinions about different things since the scope of our lessons are wide, ranging from Math and Science to History and Home Economics. As we learn new things everyday in these different subjects, we are enlightened with the diverse facts. Now that these facts are glued in our heads, we can openly state our opinions regarding the different topics and share our insights and observations.

Factors that create a nation where the future is bright.

A future where the people who will influence the next generations are well-spoken, intelligent, and precise. Since there atmosphere is a place where knowledge is preserved. The educational system is taking a turn for the better.

As the schools are factoring the convenience of the students and the recognition that the teachers deserve, there is no doubt that the educational system of the Philippines will continue to progress. Plus, this educational system will create competent adults that will soon serve this nation and make it better.

Lovelight Grace O. Habla

Alexa Zeal T. Gines

Vincent Jerome M. Bayan

New Normal: A Feature Story Trilogy

Marianne Chloe M. Secular

Life’s No Longer the Same

When we hear the term “New Normal,” most of us consider it as a label to describe the changes that the world is braving due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but in the oncology setting and for cancer patients like the 48 year-old mother Sheila Mae Secular, it also meant the changes that she has to go through as a result of cancer and its treatments.

In June 26, 2021, Sheila was clinically diagnosed with Cervical Cancer, a type of cancer that occurs in the cells of the cervix. When her physician uttered the words:

“You have cervical cancer”, her complexion immediately lost color; the sunshine from her face had been sucked out of it as the first thought that occurred to her was: “What about my kids?”

Physical and emotional pain, as well as activity constraints are just a few of the adjustments she has to make as her cancer defines her new normal, but those are the least of her concerns as she is more worried of how her children will process this situation and how she can continue to provide for them. It was a drastic change that she had no choice but to face. Life struck her with an upheaval she barely even expected, and it made her worry about the welfare of her children since majority of them are still in high school.

When she tried to ask for a second opinion, all three of her ob-gynes (obstetrician-gynecologist) had the same diagnosis. That’s when she finally accepted that she can no longer hope for a miracle that what she had been experiencing wasn’t a life-threatening illness like cancer. All she could do was take good care of her already vulnerable body, especially that COVID-19 could be further detrimental to her health.

It was challenging for Sheila to go to back and forth to the hospital whenever she has a check-up since there were a lot of COVID-19 health and safety protocols to follow. She had to take extra precautions because of her body’s fragile state. Aside from the hysteria she experienced due to cancer and the pandemic, costly medical expenses have also caused her frustration due to financial instability.

“I went through the stages of grief, and one time, while I was praying I asked God kung ngaa ako kag kung ano gid kadako sang sala ko para hatagan ako sang sakit nga amo sini ka hinali,” (I went through the stages of grief, and one time, while I was praying I asked God why did it have to be me and how severely did I sin for him to give me an illness this detrimental,”) said Sheila during an interview, her tears falling as she explained what she felt during times of difficulty.

That same year, before she found out she had cancer, she applied to various international health care organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and Hellen Keller Intl. When she went to the hospital for her regularly scheduled check-up, she received an email

from one of the organizations she applied to, informing her that her application was accepted and she could start anytime.

As the days passed, all the organizations she applied to messaged her one by one, telling her that her application was accepted. She felt an ounce of joy by this news, but dismay consumed her more as her health was no longer in a condition where she could work for these great organizations due to her cancer. She felt regret, realizing that she should have taken good care of herself instead of neglecting her health.

“It’s true when people say health is wealth and prevention is better than cure. That is why every one of us has to take care of our well-being, may it be physical, mental or emotional,” shared Sheila. It was a piece of advice she failed to apply to herself, because as a health care worker, she was laser-focused on taking care of other people and helping them improve their health that she forgot to take good care of herself as well.

Change is inevitable; it’s a major part of our life we can’t fully control. But for Sheila, change doesn’t have to be a hindrance for our lives to go on. That is why we need to adapt, it may be difficult, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Sheila is striving to adjust to her new normal as she prepares herself for all the challenges she might encounter. For now, she could only hope she would be able to live long enough to witness her children grow, become successful and live a stable life.

Life is no longer the same for Sheila. Aside from the pandemic, being a cancer patient also had to become her new norm. Both of those tragic events deprived her of so many opportunities in life, but in the midst of this tragic event, she finds comfort in knowing that everything has a reason, and if her current situation is God’s will, she could only hope that what he has planned for her will successfully serve its purpose.

(August, 2021 – November, 2022)

A New Phase to Face

“Sakit gid ya. Indi ko na kaya, daw mapatay ko sa kasakit.” (It hurts. It hurts so much, I feel like I might die from the pain.)

Those words, no matter how many times I have heard them, they still never pass through my ears softly. The impact of the pain they cause is still as severe and excruciating as the first time I have heard them; it’s never healing nor is it numbing, it’s still a fresh wound.

Nothing beats louder in my head than the sound of my mother’s cries, pleading for the pain to stop as it drains the life out of her. It’s a constant, overwhelming, pulsating and deafening noise I could never silence. A sound that’s ironically playing through my mind like my favorite soundtrack on repeat, but unfortunately, I couldn’t put it on mute. The sound made my eyes bleed tears as though my ears were splintered by pieces of

comfort could easily reduce the pain those brutal words inflicted, and the guilt that comes along with knowing that there’s nothing you can do to stop something so detrimental from happening is worse.

It was excruciating for me to witness the suffering and hysteria my mama’s cancer had caused her. Her pleads for the pain to stop was a constant heartbreak for me. But instead of giving up, I was laser focused on taking good care of her. During the day, I would feed her, give her a bath, help her brush her teeth and remind her to take her medications at a certain time. During the night, I would stay up to watch over her in case she needs anything.

I wanted my mama to live longer. I wanted to spend more time with her. My mother’s health became my top priority among anything else, which meant I had to sacrifice passing modules on time.. Fortunately, my subject teachers were very understanding with our situation. I started spending as much time as I can with her while trying to keep up with my studies. It was extremely challenging but I was able to adapt to it.

We all have dealt with change at one point in our life. There is nothing permanent in life except change whether it is something as simple as visiting a new place or a major event like the pandemic. But whether these changes are good or bad, we eventually adapt or get through them if we have the determination to do so. As they saying goes, “When there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Aside from the pandemic, taking care of my mama who has cancer became my new normal; it was a new phase I had to face. It caused a drastic change in my life in many ways. It also made a significant impact to my growth because not only has it taught me to take care of myself, but it also taught me to not take anything for granted, especially the time we get to spend with our family or the people we love and care about.

(August, 2021 – November, 2022)

A Change to Embrace

“Please save her, I’m begging you,” I muttered in between tears and heavy breathing as I prayed to the Almighty after my mother was rushed to the hospital because she had a lot of difficulty breathing. The night she was admitted to the hospital, I got a message from my father saying that her lungs were filled with too much water and the doctors were having trouble getting it out. This happened due to her organs failing caused by her cervical cancer. And that night, I could only hope and pray for her safety.

It has been more than three years since we have been inconvenienced by COVID-19, a life-threatening virus that caused a worldwide pandemic and has altered the course of our lives. A lot of changes have surfaced that we had to embrace as we were all placed in an unfamiliar environment. A lot of events also happened that we needed to cope with, including the deaths of our loved

that I could have spent more time with her, that I could have been more of the daughter she wanted me to be, that maybe I could have done something to prevent her death and prolong her life. I still wanted to have the mother who annoyed me every morning with her shrill voice; the mother who scolded me because I was too lazy to do household chores; especially the mother who never failed to show how proud she was of me. But unfortunately, it was too late.

While browsing over the photos for the wake, I realized how little time we had together. I regretted the times I didn’t document the important moments, the times I talked back and played deaf, the times I took her for granted. The photos showed the happy life of a good woman, the woman I will always remember.

The last day of the wake came and almost everyone expected me to break down. I shed a few tears, but that was it. I didn’t cry out loud, I didn’t even bargain silently with God. I just watched her disappear together with everything I believed in. I was too exhausted, too drained, to even say goodbye. No words, no matter how poignant or beautiful, could bring her back. I kept still, hoping that the tears and weeping around me were enough to drown the silence inside me.

I don’t know how to describe the feeling of seeing the remains of someone you love. Every emotion I tried to evoke couldn’t surface. The void seemed to swallow everything but the pain. Is there a word for feeling so much and nothing at all at the same time? Is there a word for the moment when you realized you had taken a huge leap of faith and landed on the dark cold ground and not the other side? Are there words for these moments, for those feelings? Well, if there are, then they are still not enough.

I turned my gaze to the mourners at my mother’s funeral and I couldn’t help but think about their lives after that moment: They would go home to their families and realize that nothing has changed. They would return to their daily routines, sympathizing with but not really giving much thought about the family who lost everything that day.

I’ve seen many movies featuring bereaved families. I’ve watched how the children grieved but managed to move on. But unlike movies, I couldn’t skip the time following her death. I couldn’t just say “10 years later” or even “six months later.” I had to live each passing day, unsure what tomorrow would bring. I knew she didn’t want me to suffer the loss of her, but knowing that she’s no longer around for birthdays, graduations or holidays was excruciating. It was truly heart-breaking to realize how much we have outlived her.

But here I am a year later. I’m not sure how I got here. I moved on without exactly knowing when and how. It’s like falling asleep: You close your eyes, feel time as it passes by you and you wait. Eventually, you doze off. That’s what happened. I just woke up one day and realized it doesn’t hurt like it used to. I don’t know what day or what month it was when I finally accepted that she was not coming back. There are days when I feel guilty for feeling okay, but despite everything I’m grateful because she held on and waited until I was strong enough, until I was ready to

A Step into the Old New World

You will never know the value of something until it’s gone. Students have longed for the resumption of face-to-face classes.

Now, it is in the palm of our hands once more.

Before online classes began, we took a lot of things for granted as students which have now become an important and meaningful part of our school routine.

The cold water we use to take a bath that sends chills to the very core of our body and keeps us awake. Taking a bath, dressing up, eating, and brushing our teeth as speedily as we could just so we won’t be late. The rush of waiting for the “manong driver” and the awkwardness of creating small talk. Finally, the interactions we share with our friends, classmates, and teachers.

These things have really become a staple to our student life because it serves as a brand-new trial like in a game. After years of trying this new game, we went back to what we used to play. Right then and there, we realized how fun and exciting it is, plus the addition of these little eccentricities creates this ultimately wonderful game. It is what most students feel now that we step foot back in our old ways.

Now that we go to physical classes, we see our classmates most of the time which believe it or not, actually helps us in multiple aspects.

Having classmates surrounding us gives us a sense of comfort that we are not alone. They can be people you can ask when you have questions regarding the topic or people you can laugh with, about your low scores or embarrassing moments. They are like a clan that you can vent to when you feel overwhelmed or stressed with academics. They are human beings that can understand us because they go through the same circumstances.

Since we are on the verge of full face-to-face classes, it seems only right to keep on being grateful for all of these little things that result in a meaningful day. We must be able to adjust, to adapt, and be appreciative of these things. Reject modernity, embrace tradition.

BLAANS: Ones that Plan

F’lomlok. Tufi. Tamfaken. Kolon Datal. These terms are all thanks to the pioneering inhabitants of the four connected communities situated within the land of the Dreamweavers. Dreamweavers, the name acknowledged to the T’boli tribe, usually situated on the western part of South Cotabato are known for their handwoven T’nalak which now begins to conquer the international fashion industry.

However, T’bolis are not the only ones who are soaring high and are trying to prove their existence on the community, as well as their educational, political and social capabilities. Trailing down from their native hills and mountains is another group that is trying to get along with the flow of progress.

Beside their tradition-based way of living and daily routine such as chewing betel (mama or nganga) and smoking tobacco, one representation of the B’laans’ rich and undeniably unique culture is their own manufactured crafts that are also made from their creative and resourceful hands.

Showcasing the different and uniquely manufactured cloth, apart from visiting the actual residence of the fellow B’laans, is best executed during festivities such as F’lomlok Festival, where students are able to use clothes to imitate the culture of different tribes by programs such as street dancing, where the B’laans, who are the pioneers of the town, are also featured.

Unlike the T’bolis who’re inspired by their dreams to produce a new pattern of cloth, B’laans have a precise and systematic collection of patterns, showing symmetry and consistency, that is used as basis to materialize their hope for their culture to be the pride of the Filipinos. Their cloth is usually formed by frieze patterns, showing the beauty of linear designs.

which is formed by the horizontal reflection of slanting lines, following a green to red-colored sequence.

Beadworks are the trademark of the B’laans and they maximize their functions, not just for accessories but also used in creating their another type of upper garment, ‘Albong Slah’, which is typically long-sleeved and used by women. Frieze patterns are present such as the overlapping triangles formed by interconnected beads, representing pine trees.

‘Salwal Ansif’, known to be the short pants of B’laan men, is observed to have series of triangles on the hems, consisting of a pair of large succeeded by a pair of smaller ones, showing the continuous pattern as it revolves the lower part of the pants.

Also, apart from the cloth, B’laans precise creativity is also shown on the carvings of their musical instruments. ‘Kumbing’, their traditional flute made of bamboo stick, has intersections of diagonal lines, giving complexity on it. Their sevenstringed instrument, ‘Sluray’, shows verticals reflections, also following the same trend. Household utilities do not exclude their art for complexity as they also form those with effort. ‘Buos’, the box that is used as storage for their ‘mama’, can also present patterns on the surface such as waves and curls, may be horizontally reflected or not.

As what was mentioned, beadworks are where B’laans best showcase their creativity. Their beadworks include body accessories which are belts, girdles, anklets, earrings and necklaces. All of these works are made through uniform series of shapes, be it diamonds, squares and triangles.

Reference: A View of the Frieze and Plane Crystallographic Patterns of the B’laan Crafts by:

With the use of the eyes of people on visioning the cloth of B’laans, patterns can be observed and they usually represent the different creatures of nature, given that they’re animists. Women’s upper clothing, ‘Saul Ansif’, has arrow-heads

B’laans are the first people to enjoy the beauty and richness of the eastern South Cotabato. However, due to the progress made by other groups, they are hindered in the remote parts of the region. Even though they undergoing that kind of situation, they try to connect with the world, through their creativity and uniqueness.

Look: Mindanao’s Dayok

and allow to stand for a week.

Appearance

will always be the first basis of our judgement. When it comes to people, destinations and of course everyone’s greatest love ñ food. With all honesty, would you dare stuff food in your mouth that looks unappetizing? Majority of the world’s population wouldn’t, even I myself.

Studies show that Filipino cuisine could really be the original fusion cuisine, after all more than 400 years of Hispanic, American, Chi nese and other various influences have blended together in perfect harmony to create food that even the gods would enjoy. Throughout the Phil ippine archipelago, abundance of regional food is as wideranging and distinctive as the 7,000 islands. In commemoration, the contributions of all foreign influences had led to the development of Filipino’s penchant to create their own version of food.

Fish sauce which is a staple ingredient in numerous cultures in Southeast Asia and the costal regions of East Asia and features heavily in Thai, Cambodian, Vietnamese and Philippine cuisine. ‘Garum’ is a fermented fish sauce that dated back in ancient Greece, garon is the name of the fish whose intestines were used for the condiment’s production.

In relation, Filipinos specifically from Mind anao adapted this and created their own version, DAYOK. It is a mixture of different fermented fish intestines most likely including Tuna (by the folks of General Santos City). They started producing this condiment three decades ago and up until now. It is famous in the local commu nity as a food appetizer, enhances the taste of many viands. It is best used as a gravy for grilled fish, grilled pork, lechon or even a side dish for steamed potato and banana. It is a suitable pair for a piece of lemon mixed with red chili for spice.

As stated earlier regarding the looks, you won’t really be impressed of the food since it looks kind of weird at first glance or until the very last glance. You would be quite hesitant to taste it or perhaps it contradicts your taste buds. This product is similar with salted fish a.k.a.

‘Ginamos.’ What makes this dish unique is hav ing a mixture of vegetarian ingredients that add savor on the product.

Let me share to you the processes in making Dayok:

a. Prepare first the needed materials and of course wash thoroughly. You would need a plate, mortar and pestle, bot, seal and cup for cover and a jar or bottle of your preference.

b. Get the ingredients namely garlic, vinegar, spices (chili, pepper), onion, salt and the fish intestines (clean thoroughly). c. Pound the garlic,

f. Transfer in a sterile container and seal. g. Enjoy with a viand of your choice.

Keep in mind that food is what binds us together. Looks do matter but don’t easily criticize the food without tasting it, it’s just like the popular saying ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’. I’m not forcing you to like this fish sauce but I do hope that you would be willing to give it a try

Dale Anthony Sembrano

Claire Marie O. Habla

Mr. Live Angga

Photo Credit: Delna Sua

Lovelight Grace O. Habla

The ConundRHUM of a Tasty Victory

Do you hear those echoes filled with ire and dismay? Vile lines of judgement that chain us from our cages — hindering us to fly away. Voices sharp as a double-edged sword that can pierce deeply and wound you. Lines that are usually taken by those people who have lost and stumbled countless times while running in the race called life.

“You’re nothing but a failure” “Why didn’t you win?” “You could have done better!” as these lines were uttered, we were forced to wake up to the truth.

The reality that tells us that our mistakes won’t measure our capability as an individual. Rather, it stands as evidence that mistake increases our experience and experience decreases our mistakes. However in this race, what potential must you possess to achieve victory? Determination, endeavor, and patience are the attributes that you must consider in order for you to succeed.

A burning desire for triumph.

Just like roving flames consuming our mind to conquer the scorching trials and tribulations of life. A burning desire to win, to be known, to help, and to reach the peak of success. These are the aims of a student named Rhum Kheezler Payopelin of Saint Lorenzo School of Polomolok (SLSPI). An aspiring entrepreneur running a small business in the school canteen with the desire of becoming a successful businessman someday. It is also the very reason why he pursued the strand of Accounting, Business, and Management (ABM). Among the others who also seek a bright future, he stands out for his perseverance as a working student.

Cravings for comfort and food.

People find comfort in different things — some may find ease in music, dancing, playing and sometimes we find ourselves enjoying the presence of food. As the school bell rang, signifying the start of recess, students emerged from different classes — they hurried straight to the canteen, and were enthralled by the aroma of freshly cooked takoyakis, the juiciness as they take a bite of tender hotdogs, and the yummy-crunchy savory while eating nachos. As much as Rhum enjoys serving his customers with these budgetfriendly savories, these are also the preferred comfort foods of the students and teachers. Customers were unable to continue their day without eating his delicacies since it satisfied and comforted them.

A day in a life of resilience.

Rhum’s burning passion for business emerged when he was still 16 years old, rummaging ideas to innovate his products. He started from scratch — selling pastil in his school until he

Ang pagnenegosyo ay hindi para sa lahat. Kung mahiyain ka at walang diskarte sa iyong sarili, tiyak na talo ka.

scroll

Ma’am Aubrey’s

Sophomore Magic

History repeats itself!

The Lakers’ three-peat championship is nothing compared to SLSPI’s Queen Grandmaster Mrs. Aubrey Cagampan, who orchestrated the wins in the Mr. and Ms. SLSPI PALARO four times in a row as the main adviser of the contestants.

saved enough money. His thirst for success didn’t stop until he leveled up his business. Until this day, he continues to innovate his products into something more marketable and practical while considering his customers. With his dedication and hard work, he become financially stable and independent that he no longer asks for money from his parents.

“Ang pagnenegosyo ay hindi para sa lahat. Kung mahiyain ka at walang diskarte sa iyong sarili, tiyak na talo ka.”

For him, the most challenging part of being a working student is balancing your time with everything. There will be days where you can’t get any chance to sleep, eat, or incorporate studying. That’s a day in a life of a working student. A day full of resilience against all odds that hinders our path to victory.

Reasons behind the storm.

We may say that this story of a young entrepreneur is indeed remarkable and inspiring. The sufferings he went through

MUTYA NG POBLACION INTENSIFIES TRUE BEAUTY

This is a child with dream and a child that is expressed as beautiful by herself. Because beauty is attractive, and being attractive is a form of confidence, and the highest confidence above all can be found within yourself, and not with everybody else.

The Yellow Hornets have benefitted from Maam Aubrey’s wise and zen master-like game plan over the years given that she ended up winning four contests in 2017 with Carl Edison Yabamuto and Shane Acaylar, 2018 with Matthew Coronacion, Julia Rebekah Escolano during 2019, and 2022 (Briana Margarette Ilustrisimo), always leaving her mark and her touches in the crown.

“A candidate with such humility and perseverance is a very good sight to see, and I saw that in Briana. She is very humble and eager to learn, seeing the best in things, and she has a good heart and is passionate about what she does.”

Thus said Ma’am Aubrey in an interview.

As the epitome of what a true beauty queen should be, Briana Ilustrismo, her most recent winner, fiercely walked her way to the throne while combining her beauty and intelligence. “ I was very anxious and apprehensive during the rehearsals because my fellow candidates had expertise in the field whereas I did not. I just snapped out of it when I walked on stage and told myself that regardless of the outcome, I would be proud of myself because this would either be a lesson or a major focal point in my young career. I freed myself from the stress that was holding me back and started to relish the limelight. I felt as like I belonged here and that this was exactly where I was supposed to be. And when my name was announced as the victor in this year’s competition, I felt thrilled and pleasant I’m very delighted that all of my expenditures, sheer determination, and effort paid off. And i’m honored to act as a role model of this institution’s core values, and use this platform to help each student enhance their sense of self-worth and self-esteem.”

History truly does repeat itself, as her mother Mrs. Jade Tutong Ilustrisimo won in 1993 while also carrying the Yellow Hornets’ banner. Their family genes must resemble the blueprints for what it takes to secure the crown. Can the other clans make their own history? I guess we’ll have to wait until the following year’s intramurals to see whether the Yellow Hornets’ Zen master will continue her hot streak or if the other teams will finally have the courage to step up.

Mutya ng Poblacion 2022, Mikhaela Amarante, used her voice to influence her fellow youth, most especially women, to be confident in their own skin and in their identity, with the use of her platform ‘youth engagement.’

The 18-year-old beauty queen told her story of being so tall and being insecure about it. ‘I think that each and every one of us tonight has doubt or insecurities about ourselves. ‘As a child, I grew up not believing that I am beautiful. I grew up being the tallest and the biggest girl among the room, but tonight, I conquered my insecurities.’

In today’s generation, many people are suffering from people’s unsolicited opinions and judgements. The pressure on young people to conform to society’s beauty standards has

a serious effect their mental health and selfesteem.

‘This is a child with dream and a child that is expressed as beautiful by herself. Because beauty is attractive, and being attractive is a form of confidence, and the highest confidence above all can be found within yourself, and not with everybody else.’ That was Mikhaela’s winning statement, which elicited a round of applause from the audience.

The Grade 12-STEM student inspired people to see themselves as beautiful, to express themselves freely without having to think abut fitting in to the society. She emphasized that beauty can be found from within and that you can do anything as long as you believe in yourself.

Vincent Jerome Bayan

Judie Mae C. Belonio

Rhum Kheezler Payopelin

Mikhaela Amarante

Alexa Zeal T. Gines

A candidate with such humility and perseverance is a very good sight to see, and I saw that in Briana. She is very humble and eager to learn, seeing the best in things, and she has a good heart and is passionate about what she does.

Aubrey B. Cagampan

Class in SEAssion

Are You Satisfied?

by

MARINA

a song analysis

by Lovelight Grace O. Habla

The Only Chance I have to be Seen

Apopular song has been circling all around social media because many students find it relatable. The song is titled “Are You Satisfied?” by MARINA.

This song can be perceived variously, those perceptions are the toll of academic validation, the pressure to do your best, and the stress to be the best has given to the students, especially with the generation Z. According to the comments on this music video, academic validation is the only way that they are seen and the only way that they are appreciated. Their academic accomplishments gave them time in the spotlight. They earned the trust of their fellow students due to their over-the-top performances. These lyrics from the song: “High achiever don’t you see? Baby, nothing comes for free. They say I’m a control freak. Driven by a greed to succeed. Nobody can stop me,” became a popular motto to pupils all around the world because of their ambition to be the best that’s why no matter how hard they try and no matter how much accolades they get, it will never be enough for them, so to be blunt, they will never be satisfied.

This is the negative side to being over the top. You create a burrow for yourself in which nothing less than perfect will be tolerated causing you to eventually start to burn out. Plus,

Better life with books and iced coffee

the added expectation from others for you to continue to strive hard because they have already set this standard for you to reach creates a much more problematic situation since it will now be hard to let go of that type of life that caused you fatigue. Now, it will always seem like the lyrics in the song, we will never be satisfied with an average life. We will do whatever it takes, whatever it may be, such as losing the chance to meet friends, feeling the need to run away, and having thoughts of involving ourselves with bad activities is still not enough to make us realize that we are doing too much.

Success is not something you can achieve by planning this heavily scheduled life. You do not need to be great at every single subject in school to ensure this bright future ahead. If you try to perform perfectly in every single subject, you will never really know what subjects you truly excel in or what are the subjects you truly like. Perfection cannot be garnered at all, so instead of trying to aim for perfection, just try to notice what are the things you do well in so you can have a basis on what type of future you would want and love to have. Then there’s failure, it is only feared because people are scared to make mistakes. The fact that they feel this way is because of how judgmental our society is. People feel like they are being watched, in which one small move can cause the destruction of their

In today’s generation we witnessed drastic changes and innovations when it comes to our favorite drink coffee, may it be iced or simply the classic one our hot brew coffee. People from younger generations like me who is a Gen Z loves caffeine simply because it makes me alive. To gather some points, I’ve interviewed my fellow students here in SLSPI on their thoughts and deliberations on why they love coffee, but before that, I also personally love coffee because it stimulates my body in being active, especially in being a student leader.

My classmate, Ayen Jamilla Ileto from Grade 10 St. John, loves to drink coffee. She said, “People who know me well know how much I enjoy coffee, and they complain that I drink far too much at times. This is because coffee helps me get in a good mood. I enjoy drinking coffee while studying because it helps me focus, it is therapeutic for me, and I enjoy the aroma of coffee. I feel less tired when I drink coffee, and I can sometimes start my day productively with coffee.”

I’ve also interviewed Christian Luis Salvador a grade 11 STEM 3 student.

whole reputation. Yet we must learn to realize that the opinion of others should not affect our journey in life and failure can just be seen as a stepping stone to a bright and beautiful future.

It’s never too late to change this type of mindset. It is all right to do well and set priorities when it comes to academics, but it will never be alright to let academics destroy you. One thing that we should always put in mind is that our academic performances don’t define our personalities nor our intelligence. It defines our efforts, now one cannot do well with this said effort if our state in life is not well itself. A constant reminder should be set that we should always put our well-being first because you will not even for a moment do great at something when you are weary or in fatigue. Just like the lyrics of the song: “It’s my prob lem if I wanna pack up and run away. It’s my business if I feel the need to smoke and drink and sway” because it is in fact our problem if we have thoughts about doing this since this will not slip our minds for a second if we stop pressuring ourselves too much to continuously be great at every single thing we do. Per fection creates confusion and indeci sion, and failure is not something to be feared because you can always learn more in failure than you do in success.

“The main reason why I enjoy coffee because it tastes good and it helps me keep up at night when I need to do some work that’s due the next day or when I need the energy to boost to deal with people”, Christian stated. Coffee is a staple even if you’re still a student may it be a reason for energy or the good smell of the coffee beans which is mostly why coffee lovers enjoy coffee.

I’ve also noticed that in our class we bring instant coffee because hot water is easily accessible. Coffee isn’t just a staple for today’s generation but also in the past. Students like us lack sleep because of our hectic schedules which blunder our sleeping schedule and change our body clock that’s why we enjoy coffee to keep us awake into doing the task that we want to accomplish. Here in SLSPI, I can conclude that the reason why students love to drink coffee may be iced or hot for it makes us less tired and alive into doing our responsibilities as students.

Today, let’s tackle about a sea. The West Philippine Sea or South China Sea.

This vast glistening water filled with liquid gold has been causing years of dispute between the Philippines and China. The body of water has a lot of minerals. Is home to large amounts of fishes great for harvesting. Has tons of coral reefs in the depths. These resources are the reason why there isn’t simply an end to who actually owns the sea.

This sea is legally owned by the Philippines on paper. It was signed multiple years ago, even when looking at some maps and globes, the sea is called “West Philippine Sea”, Yet, this sea also lies within the South China Sea causing them to defend it as theirs. This dispute has been going on for years because nobody can seem to give up the mountain of luxuries you can gain alongside owning the body of water.

The vast blue waters is a great fish resource. It is home to a diverse amount of fishes great for harvesting and selling. Fish is a huge part of Asian Cuisine since with it being an easy harvest due to the multiple bodies of water located here in Asia, some Asians prefer fish instead of pork and beef. Fish can be quite versatile as some can be eaten raw hence sushi. Also, the meat of fish is not the only thing you can benefit from them; some fishes have eggs that are very expensive yet are bought by humans to be consumed due to the health benefits gained from it.

The minerals found in this body of water can be extremely beneficial to humans. Our body needs a lot of nutrients to function properly. With that, this can be found within the waters itself. Multiple products are shown to us as something that we should buy since it has a lot of minerals garnered from the depths of the sea. The minerals we need are mostly taken from the bodies of water and are turned into products we can safely use

The coral reefs that lie at the bottom of the sea helps lessen storm erosions and helps with the recreation of different fishes. This diverse ecosystem is home to multiple fishes which help them survive different tragedies and calamities causing their population to maintain. As their populations maintain, the harvesting is not affected ∞ the worry just keeps rolling in. Coral reefs can also be a great source of food and medicine

All of these benefits have been the cause of tension towards who actually owns the sea. Since who in their right mind can easily give up something where you can gain a lot of benefits from? The

John Lloyd Galvan

Lovelight Grace O. Habla

Image Source: Google Graphics by: voxel

Arduino Course strengthens SLSPI’s tech knowledge

In order to strengthen the knowledge and usage of this advancements, St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok Inc. took the baits to flourish the treasures of its minds using the Basic Arduino Course.

Students from 11 STEM 1 and some from the Junior High School department took part in honing their learning and extracurricular skills in line with technology for the youth.

Jay Amiel Ajoc, batch 2012, trained the 20 participants with his robotic knowledge in the school’s ICT room, November 26, 2022.

“In this modernized generation, any challenges can be surpassed most specially if wielded with technology”, Ajoc stated.

The program aims to introduce and apply a step-by-step guidance to its students that would use as a stepping stone to pique their interest with the scientific idea of prospering this advocacy till the future.

In a talk with the Senior High School Coordinator, Mrs. Kristine C. Sinfuego, she stated that despite the pandemic’s strike, no system of communication, education, business, and jobs were cut out that is why.

IT’S PAYBACK TIME!

Great mother Earth’s cycle of life is already at stake of the country to provide testing services to public transport vehicles, which we may consider that it will be wilted soon. including private-owned vehicles. There are no other souls or aliens that are responsible for this near devastation. The wisest monsters of this world are the ones to be censured. It is not impossible to happen that even the nations of this world will

Youth4 biodiversity assures SLSPI students’ environmental awareness

Challcy Karyl C. Indico

Executive Director of Foundation for the Philippine Environment, Jerome Montemayor challenged to lend help in protecting the biodiversity during a forum between the students’ leaders and organizations within school grounds of St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok Inc.

In a Stakeholders forum, the Foundation for the Philippine Environment (FPE) introduced their Youth4Biodiversity project that aims to advocate the biodiversity conservation, climate crisis, renewable energy.

The SLSPI Math-Science Club President who were present during the meeting raised a collaborated question formulated by all the school representative’s present that day of November 24, 2022.

“Since you have explained earlier that Youth for Biodiversity project can help lessen the natural disasters such as flood problems

their mandatory focus than encouraging cooperation and self-regulation among citizens and industries. It also enforces a system of accountability for adverse environmental impacts to heighten compliance to government environmental regulations. It was pushed to give birth to its existence for the purpose of enhancing the quality of air not only in the Metro Manila but also in other premier cities nationwide. The number one rulers of this act are the following departments: Departments

impact to people of the affected communities, much specifically, what else can this project help to the community especially to the locals? Can they benefit economically or financially? And what about resolving the prominent problems we are all facing, how soon can this sustainable energy be made available and accessible to the public? Just for your information, our school is prone to power interruptions, can you project help resolve this universal problem? Can you also cite the main benefits the locals can benefit from this project aside from ensuring the protection of biodiversity?” She spoke.

Following the question raised, Executive Director Montemayor answered this by stating, “Challenges related to biodiversity or climate may be addressed in a form of advocacy or project proposal to us. If the proposals fit the criteria, then we are more than willing to support the project.”

“Don’t worry, you will not be alone. We look forward to hearing your ideas on how you can help address some the most pressing environmental problems, climate challenges.” He added.

In line with the 13th anniversary of FEP, they are investing and catalyzing the youths genuity and idealism in terms of coming up with solutions towards conservations of our marine, terrestrial, wetlands.

For the following years, the Youth4Biodiveristy ensures their consistency in conserving the environment in hopes for strengthening the world we live in.

The promising abilities the youth possess in possibly becoming young entrepreneurs pursuing theBiodiversity friendly enterprises will significantly help the project fulfill its goals.

Kyster Deypalubos of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Transportation and Communication (DOTC), Trade and Industry (DTI), Energy (DOE), and local government units. This method of implanting discipline among the citizens was originated from the government of the West especially United States of the America (USA) and it has spread to the many regions of the planet.

What, then, has the country done so far to improve air quality? To curb air pollution from motor vehicles, the Clean Air Act requires smoke emission tests prior to renewal of registration. The DOTC’s Land Transportation Office (LTO) has already operationalized its motor vehicle inspection centers to large transport groups, while the private emission testing centers (PETCS) were established in various parts

Likewise, LGUS and partners from the private sector have been aggressive in initiating programs to combat air pollution caused by vehicular emissions. No less than five city governments in MM are involved in anti-smoke belching operations to make the 34-kilometer stretch of EDSA smoke-free! Even President Aquino himself has acted as an anti-smoke belching agent, demonstrating an initiative to report a smoke-belching bus to the LTO via text messaging.

Some cities have also promoted the use of alternative modes of transport, such as the bicycle for Marikina City and electricity-powered jeeps for Makati City. Motorcycle manufacturers have also voluntarily phased out two-stroke engines since

Global Check: When Reality Speaks

Issues about the global environment are one of the most common topics being tackled in the field of journalism. However, we cannot deny the fact that despite it being commonly used, the reality speaks that it remained what it is and even became worse and worse as time passed by, and is one of the reasons why our environment is constantly changing. As a student, focused on the evolving tide of the digital era, we usually are not aware of what is happening in our environment. In our day-to-day lives dealing with different activities, and struggling with different aspects of challenges, unknowingly, our physical health is affected as well due to the impact of one of the major enemies of our environment which is so-called pollution. Pollution is the introduction of substances harmful to humans and other living creatures. These harmful substances are called “pollutants” which are then formed when harmful solids, liquids, and gases are produced in higher than the usual concentration that reduces the quality of our environment. Thus, this enemy has been the reason behind the drastic change of climate and damaged nature till the present time.

As the years evolve, so as the environment evolve. However, it evolves in a negative way. Why? It’s because pollution has been the root of all causes since then. It is evident on news being reported every day about thousands and thousands of garbage being washed offshore and being collected in different areas. People have seen, heard, and known about this issue, however, some of the people chose to remain blind about the reality of how this affects the entire ecosystem. But, it is not just the “garbage” that is being talked about here, this includes the pollution that can be found on Air, Water, and Land. When it comes to water such as the ocean, aside from the floating garbage that can be found within it, comes the exposure of chemicals that makes the ocean a toxic habitat for aquatic life. This pollution mostly came from the oils and chemicals being disposed of or dumped in the waterways. When it comes to Air, harmful smoke that damages the atmosphere’s ozone layer and some airborne diseases caused by human activities serves a bridge to a polluted air. On the other hand, when it comes to land pollution, some of the main factors that contribute here includes deforestation and consequent erosion, agriculture, industry, mining, landfills, and illegal dumping of waste. These contributors eventually will lead to the degradation or even destruction of the earth’s surface and soil.

This environmental issue is inevitable yet it can be prevented. “Prevention is better than cure.” they’ve said and this is true. The destruction has already started and it can’t be stopped. However, we can slow down the process. The point is, as a school and as a human being, how can we be able to delay the deterioration that this enemy causes? In what ways can we be able to contribute at this very time? The answer to that is, as

2006 to give way to less-polluting model, the 4-stroke engines. The DOE has also strengthened its drive to use cleaner fuel, reducing considerably the potentially harmful content in fuel, such as benzene in unleaded gasoline and sulfur in industrial diesel oil. It has also promoted the use of alternative, cleaner fuels such as biodiesel blends especially in government vehicles and public transportation. As for industrial pollution, the Clean Air Act requires businesses to undergo compliance testing prior to operation of establishments. Many companies have also resorted to the use of alternative sources of energy that result in less emission. The DOH reports that the use of cleaner fuels has resulted in a significant decrease in the number of children with elevated levels of lead in their blood, which can lead to disabilities and even death.

This so called weapon of the decade may hopefully penetrate our culture and tradition. This may help our country soar from this common problem. Yes, this is a common problem but cannot be solved in a speed of lightning. We should practice this Republic Act so that it will create a new birth of culture. It’s not a loss or letting this idea dominate our brain a gamble. This is a huge step for the humanity if we overcome such problem as this that to think we made this trouble.

This is the right time to open our eyes. It’s payback time!

a school, we have to educate every student about the causes of our environmental issues and for us to raise awareness, emphasizing the importance of nature for our day-to-day activities. The generation of garbage is already a global issue, proper segregation has already been implemented yet it must be maintained. Participating in reforestation programs must be encouraged in school to assist our government. More trees added to our nature will significantly reduce toxic gases from our surroundings and prevents soil erosion which leads to flooding. Moreover, as a youth, these are just simple ways yet they could create an impact and contribution to delay the environment’s deterioration.

The environment is where we live and nature is what makes us breathe. The global issue might be a common topic for everyone; however, the truth lies beneath that from generation to generation, it is still what the earth faces heretofore. To wake up and to face the reality is what we need. Let’s not wait for the time to come that “regret” would be on everyone’s lips, instead let’s do what we can, while it’s not yet too late, and there is still something that we can do. After all, humans are the great enemy of our own home. Do not choose to obscure your own vision towards this serious event, but instead let us help one another in saving our own nature so that the future generation will have something to witness and we could build a much brighter nature ahead of us. Thus, when reality speaks the nature is seen.

Kaecyl Rayne F. Lagradilla

We have to educate every student about the causes of our environmental issues and for us to raise awareness, emphasizing the importance of nature for our day-to-day activities.

Lhouis Miguel Prado

A Dose of

When the day is high and the searing heat of the sun beats down on your skin, there’s nothing better than dipping into nice, cold, crystal clear water, no doubt the best way to spend a weekend afternoon, away from your worries and closer to the most breath taking view Polomolok, South Cotabato has to offer. Just off the ridge of Palkan at barangay Lamcaliaf, Polomolok, South Cotabato, where the scenic pineapple plantation stretches far as the eye could see, the dirt speckled trail winding up and down like waves in the countryside lead to one of the talked about hotspots for hanging out and cooling down during the hottest days of the season, Tangke Dos.

Experiencing the serene skies and mountainous cape that wraps the foreground of Tangke Dos is one you don’t want to miss out, dipping in the bone-chilling cold spring while soaking in the afternoon sunrays is exactly my definition of an ideal weekend, just enjoying the moment and far from the hectic pace of day-today life.

Tangke Dos Tangke Dos

photo op with nature, after all, a quick getaway is more than a trip, it becomes a memory that you can look back fondly every time.

I still recall the car ride on the way there, no roads, steep mounds, and an old pickup truck, not the smoothest drive, yet the laughter and the music drowned out the sound of the car engine breaking down, still, you could tell from the expression on our faces that we were having a good time.

These days, tourist attractions can be found in every corner, some only worth taking a first glance, but only a few can give you an experience you always want to go back to, and Tangke Dos is precisely what comes to mind when you think of new and worthwhile.

No cost, no stress, no problem, definitely a great place to spend your time without needing to spend a lot. Restoring your peace of mind doesn’t have to be expensive, sometimes all you need is a quick break from reality and take a dose of cheap thrills with some vitamin swim to get you back in your mood,

Don’t wait for summer to come around, seize the day and explore new places you have never been, Tangke Dos is surely a new destination you can cross off your travel log of hidden wonders the next time you visit the tranquil countryside of Lamcaliaf.

Piper Betel Leaf

the new muscle relief

Judie Mae C. Belonio

Mother nature is known for its bountifulness when it comes to herbal plants that can be seen anywhere even in our own backyard. Who would ever wonder that a simple betel vine commonly used as a mouth freshener for its aromatic flavor and a peppermint could be transformed as a transdermal skin patch to treat muscle pains.

Piper betel to help you feel better!

Piper betel leaves possess different health benefits against cancer, allergic reactions, healing wounds, preventing growth of fungi, and can also be used as an antioxidant. Knowing how beneficial this plant is, the young mind of a student named Samantha Gumawa from Saint Lorenzo School of Polomolok (SLSPI), found a way to turn piper betel leaves into an effective product that aims to relieve muscle pains.

Tension, stress, minor injuries, and overuse of the muscles are some of the common causes muscle pain. The systemic muscle pain that spreads throughout the body is commonly caused by an illness, a side effect of a medication, or an infection. As Gumawa conducted her research on these piper betel leaves, she discovered that its extract contained an anti-inflammatory effect and a peppermint oil that has a cooling sensation that can treat muscle contractions that causes pain.

Patch the pain away.

Through the process of preparation, extraction, combining, and packaging, the personalized transdermal skin patches were created. The product was a 4.5 cm square skin patch containing piper betel leaf extract intended to help six people who have suffered from muscle pains. These chosen respondents wore the formulated transdermal skin patch for 12 hours.

Each respondent’s observations regarding their experience using the treatment product were averaged together. It showed great results with regard to the effectiveness of the time the patches were used. The effectiveness has contradicted the null hypothesis and shown great potential for treating pain in the muscles.

A product for all.

To provide the groundwork for future studies who would explore the potential benefits of Piper betel leaves and peppermint as transdermal skin patches, Gumawa has passionately spent an estimated 60 days to finish this study. The transdermal skin patches’ efficacy and innovation were projected by Saint Lorenzo School of Polomolok to benefit not just the school but also the community.

SLSPI utilizes different products from the research of its students to achieve its full potential to serve as a contribution to the society.

Have you ever heard of the material used as controller of oil spills in bodies of water? Material that is utilised and processed to make ropes, mats, brushes, and mattresses. Also used as a substrate for hydroponics. A natural material that comes from coconut. An agricultural by-product obtained during the processing of coconut oil that is widely accessible in tropical regions particularly in Africa, America, and Asia. Actually, the Philippines is regarded as the second-largest producer of this in the globe. Is recurrently discarded as waste but is greatly beneficial. It is coir fibre.

Plastic pollution has become one of the most relevant environmental problems, as the greatest ability of the world to deal with it is being overwhelmed by the global modernization and exponentially growing production of plastic items. With regard to this, the unending prevalence of microplastics has also devoured the globe — polluting bodies of water and intoxicating marine animals. In reference to (Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric, 2021), the most common type of marine debris found in oceans, lakes, and other bodies of water is plastic. Plastic debris comes in all shapes and sizes, but those less than five (5) mm long are referred to as microplastics. Unconsciously, commercial cellulose sponges that you use in your household are considered as one of the most contributors of microplastics around the world. These are dangerous not only for our health but also for the environment because as dishes are being washed, tiny pieces of plastic are being scrubbed off then get washed down the drain. Since they are so small, they

InCOIRdible SPONGE

usually pass through the water filtration system and make it to the oceans. Nowadays, the majority of store-bought cellulose sponges are made of nylon, polyester, or polyurethane, which are all non-biodegradable.

Now, here’s the great thing. A grade-12 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) student of St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok, Inc. (SLSPI) has conducted a study related to this as compliance for their Practical Research subject. He looked for a possible solution to the abovementioned problem – an alternative product (sponge), and ended up with coconut coir fibres: seed-hair plant fibres made from the “outer shell” or “husk” of coconut. Due to its availability/ locality, composition, internal structures, biodegradability, and safety, the researcher was convinced and pushed on to execute the study which is entitled: Water Absorption and Greasecleaning Efficacy of Eco-friendly Dishwashing Sponge Made out of Coconut Coir Fibres. Through this, he aspires to successfully produce coir sponges – dishwashing sponges that are 100% organic and biodegradable; that could potentially reduce plastic wastes specifically microplastics and could be an efficient substitute to toxic cellulose sponges. In-coir-dible (incredible),

Jansen H. Loquias

right? Presently, he aims to help the community by increasing their awareness of how impactful recycling is in our lives, and widen their knowledge about the negative effects of commercial cellulose sponges which are non-recyclable and great microplastic-contributors; instead, they could use recycled, eco-friendly, organic sponges. With this, he is willing to share to us the things and processes he used and followed on how to obtain the product.

The study has proven that the coir sponge could also be an efficient dishwashing sponge as the commercial, cellulose “plastic” sponge – with the coir sponge possessing no harm against human health and to the environment, having water absorption and grease-cleaning property, and with the natural sponge having single-usability. As what the researcher has said, “The study was not perfect. It has its flaws and discrepancies, and there’s so much more for the coir sponge to improve. Yet, we have already took a big step regarding with this. The present study, the related past researches before it, as well as the future studies to be conducted, will be very impactful not only here in our community but also in the globe. So, I am encouraging each and every one of you to continue the walk we have started – to conduct again, research more about the study.”

Paddlers bring pride to St. Lorenzo

Samantha Erni

The stars were aligned in the favor of the table tennis players of St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok Inc. (SLSPI) as they showed that the saint’s spirit was still breathing after the pandemic slump and shot their way through the 2023 District Meet at Polomolok Central Elementary School, February 17.

About 20 participants in both men and women division was seen in action as they competed for a chance to play in the cluster meet in the following week.

The players proved that St. Lorenzo was not easy to defeat as they conquered dominance against other schools in the district, four boys and three girls prevail over their foes and brought pride to the blue.

Earl Terrence, with a 3-0 standing said in an interview that trust in oneself is one important trait an athlete should have to win a game, it is determined to the skills that is possessed by a player either to win or lose and that an opponent should be studied to assess the game.

The sets were easy for the athletes as the fight against other

schools was just a walk in the park.

Lady paddler Gwen Gillera never gave an inch to her foes as she harvested all the wins with a 5-0 standing showing her competence and deserving a spot in the next meet.

“I will practice more to prepare for the next meet. My strengths will be improved and my weaknesses will be practiced more. I will also prepare my body to become more physically fit because there were times that I almost can’t catch my breath while playing.” said Gwen in an interview.

All male table tennis players from St. Lorenzo were qualified to play in the cluster meet namely: Richie Angeluz Diendo, Earl Terrence Ecube, Adrielle Kiel Ileto, and Keno Sabornido.

All the saints lady paddlers were also qualified in the cluster meet, they are Gwen Gillera, Dhanna Octavio, and Kassandra Faye Descalzo.

On the other hand, all players should not be too complacent as they will face much bigger competition in the higher meets.

Targeting the real gold

Many have come and conquered. Many have triumphed. And many grown victorious.

In the recent concluded Cluster Meet and even Saints Palaro 2022 in St .Lorenzo School of Polomolok, several spectators have gathered and witnessed a whole new pool of young athletes who, sooner or later, will rise as future star players.

Who says being the ace player of the team permits him/her in beating up the elder one?

Who says being the team captain enables him/ her in going against the authority? We expect to see amateur players or even beginners, right?

Yet, why did they seem to act more like the veterans? Intramural Sports is known to provide better avenues in building up confidence in oneself and development of skills and abilities but what happened was likely the otherwise.

Several budding players were, in truth, conceited as a forgotten Hall-of-Famer.

As a matter of fact, if the world’s famous boxer can humbly accept his defeat even in front of millions and millions of expectants of his victory, why can’t a starter?

The problem of these young people is they aspire to be good yet they are overcome by so much desire for fame and fortune that they think they need not any practice or advice. Worse yet, they forget to manifest the true essence of this annual event which is sportsmanship--being able to accept defeat or victory will all humility.

If the sole purpose of this event is to promote fame-hungry athletes, then we must stop holding such activity, right now. After all, we are The only ones who can help ourselves acquire the important values. That’s the only time when we can obtain the true gold.

Saints Defenders escape PNHS ambush

Return the favor!

After the upset of the December 17, 2022 championship against Polomolok National High School volleyball girls team,

March 10 was history when the Saints Defenders’ volleyball girls concluded the Municipal Meet 2023 with victory over the same foe.

Despite the overwhelming tension of the crowd, the St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok Inc. Girls Volleyball Team centered their focus on the back-to-back champion and their current foe, PNHS. The girls started the match with a 3-service ace from their kapitana, Java (07), which led to a smooth eight-point lead.

Their defense was on point, thanks to their libero, Alba (17), and Bayona soon ended the first set with a cutting quick attack.

As the second set continued, SLSPI guaranteed the points with their sharp serves and unexpected saves from the Abbatuan twins (02 and 11). They have succeeded in sweeping the set with a score of 25-16.

Unfortunately, the Saints must’ve gotten lost in the zone and weakened their borders, so PNHS took that opportunity to get ahead of them; they gathered up their nerves and tried to get ahead of the latter. Their strong defense was tested when their libero got subbed twice due to her throbbing cramps.

The unexpected back row attacks of the ace player proved to be a game-changer for PNHS as it allowed them to take the lead, empowering them to turn the tide in their favor and eventually win the set.

Mikhaela Amarante

Disputes had never ended for both teams as they tried to keep the ball alive in the fourth set. The crowd was roaring and the players are panting, but the word ‘tired’ was not in their vocabulary as the championship game was on the line. With both teams refusing to give up until the final whistle blew, our girls didn’t want to extend sets any further, so the open spiker in line, Soriano (08), flew while aiming at the edge of the down-the-line court. SLSPI ended the continuous slide-two with a score of 28–26.

The intense game proved to be a battle of endurance and mental toughness, just as both teams pushed themselves to their limits. Regardless of the challenges they faced, the team’s determination and perseverance ultimately led them to victory in a dreadful 3-1 match.

The team expressed their heartfelt gratitude to their coaches, Mr. Raymond Lamboso and Mrs. Joyce Lamboso, for their unwavering encouragement and belief in their abilities, and to their trainers and former SLSPI alumni, Mr. John Loid Padillo, Mr. Kemuel Londres, and Mr. Alexey Osano, for their time and effort to unite the team and make them think as one.

Their teamwork and dedication were evident throughout the game, and they proved that they are a force to be reckoned with. The SLSPI and PNHS showed great athleticism, making the game a memorable experience for everyone involved.

Hornets devastate Crickets in Intrams Patintero

Vincent Jerome M. Bayan

he boys’ and girls’ Yellow Hornets patintero squad from Grade 8 stunned the Grade 10 Blue Crickets and ended up

The competition between the two elite teams stayed outstanding despite the oppressive temperature.

The yellow hornets started the match with an early lead (6-2), and the crickets attempted to come back in the second set, but the hornets’ defense simply locked them up, causing them to lose another set in favor of the Grade 8 team (8-5).

Zian Arsolon’s outburst gave the Crickets a convincing (12-6) set win in the final set while under

extreme pressure and being pushed to the limit.

At the time, the grade 10 team was the only one receiving cheers. However, when the final scores were announced, everyone was astonished to discover that the yellow hornets had defeated the blue crickets by a score of 20 to 19, stealing the game.

The patintero Girls turned to be surprisingly intense and contentious with tension.

Bernacer and Giducos led the Hornets’ charge with two home runs apiece, giving them the upper hand with a score of (15-7) in the opening set.

However, the blue crickets’ defense improved in the subsequent set, limiting the hornets’ point total to only 5 points.

The crickets felt in control and overpowered, but their errors and violations led to a null set, scoring 0 point, returning the favor to the hornets (5-0).

In the final set, when the match was on the line, both teams lined up their best players. Nacorda of the grade 8 showed off her fearless dives, which captivated the hornets to score 13 in the final set.

The mighty crickets wouldn’t be defeated easily; after an attack started by Millare and Tabiling, who each scored two home runs.

The cricket was able to win the third and final set (13-19).

Despite all of the efforts and strong runs, grade 8 managed to surprise the grade 10 by winning 33-26. This proved to be an outstanding triumph for the hornets team.

YOU CAN’T REACH ME.

Yellow Hornets patintero player Mark Norcos uses every inch of his body to extremely reach Grade 11 player Rusman RJ Ranara who is hugging Josh Fabulare in an exciting desperate measure to not be tagged.

SPIKE! Zhairra Lynn Bayona jumps to attack the high ball set by Amethyst Java (left).

Photo Credit: Bughaw Creative Club

Photo Credit: SOCOT Sports Dreamweavers Facebook Page & Reyman Rusty Jayme

Dreaming, Weaving, and Surviving South Cot Provincial Meet 2023

Just like the minds of the B’laan master weavers, every South Cotabato athlete started with the dream of showcasing his potential not just to the community where he rooted from but also to the biggest stage of the battle of regions. How big the heart put onto has always been equated to how great the aspirations are in the fulfillment of what sport talent one has.

For every game played, one has woven the capacity to poor out beast within, the unfathomable desire to execute the tactics despite the odds, the will to stand out among others, and the drive to finish the game bringing out what South Cotabateño sports enthusiast is.

After overcoming all the complexities and inhibitions, bouncing back from the errors and lapses, honoring the trust of the spectators, appreciating the worth and efforts of who came next to one’s dominance, and gaining the most valuable lessons felt by emotions, athletes successfully survived the showdown of the best among the eight teams and will get stronger to represent our division.

Sports Feature

Jayme Brothers conquer the sea

Dos Dominic Jayme and Tres Sonny Jayme succeeded in completing as finishers in the 1st MadWave Open Water Competition in Mabini, Davao Oriental, October 30, 2022.

When they heard that they would be participating in the said competition, they were both thrilled, but of course it comes with fear and self-doubt. However, they were undoubtedly successful thanks to their coach’s guidance and the support of their family.

The sky was blue and the water was clear during the 2.4km course. They were focused on pushing and executing their swim properly. The both of them felt really relieved when they finished the race.

After swimming in the open water, they still prefer swimming in a pool because of less drag. Yet they are proud to have overcome the challenges of the open water.

student athletes of SLSPI qualified for SRAA 12

Polomolok vanquishes Sto. Niño kickers; Dumio tops goal records

Coolness over hotness!

Polomolok Futsal team composed of Junior High Schoolers of St. Lorenzo School of Polomolok, Inc. demolished the taller and bigger ball attackers of the Sto. Niño municipality in the former’s first game during the Provincial Meet of South Cotabato, March 31.

Depicting the place’s original coolness, Polomolok kickers displayed intensified composure to let the rivals feel that the name of their town did not intimidate them to be threatened with the El Niño’s effect, valid enough to tally 8-3 record.

Delivering the goods, Sto. Niño caught Polomolok off guard in the second minute with a goal that surprised them despite in full focus and locked in with adrenaline from excitement and pride, considering Saints’ futsal never trailed in prior competitions.

Just in an instant, Saints’ Futsal responded quickly thru Grade 10 phenom Danity Dumio who sailed through the field to even the score in an effort to stop the bleeding and tied things up and marked the beginning of the end.

What started as a tight and intense match turned the tide for the Sto. Niño players as Polomolok’s strikers came up storming scoring five consecutive goals courtesy of senior Nikki Auguis and Grade 10 hopefuls Wexelsen Tabiling and Danity Dumio.

The favored team began to dominate and subjugate their opponents, leaving them like philosophers without an explanation.

Polomolok’s futsal club was already playing with a ball that has strings on their feet in the remainder of the game time and with a score of 6-3, things were looking well.

“That first goal was all we needed, it increased our confidence, and started to play well and the rest was history”, Wexelsen Marie Tabiling stated in an interview.

Dos Dominic Jayme forces it all in the battle of free style stroke.

Coach Sir Dave Marion Villacampa said, “Their experience and discipline is a crucial component, those are one of the primary keys to our early success.”

He further pointed out that they began the game with a bang and, more importantly, a mark in the victory column. They finished the game with another set of two goals to put the cherry on top.

Proving her prowess in tremendous tempos of scoring goals, Danity Dumio was declared the top scorer among the Futsal players of the province and awarded ‘Golden Boot’ of the tournament

She successfully pounded the pavement in cracking the defense of the opponents’ goal

“I really did not expect for it because I didn’t know it was part of the recognition. It gave me mixed emotions receiving it. Overwhelmed might be the exact word to describe how I felt at that time.”, she stated.

She added that she couldn’t get it without the support of her team mates, Coach Gil who mentored them, Sir Dave and Maam Yvonne who coached and chaperoned the team.

By the end of the tournament the Saints Defenders (team’s name) ranked third in the over-

Danity Dumio (center) maintains the ball possesion as Sophia Cassandra Gumawa (left) waits for the pass leaving the opponents back chasing her.

Samantha Erni

Vincent Jerome Bayan

Krl Eivn F. Alolod

Photo Credit: SOCOT Sports Dreamweavers Facebook Page & Reyman Rusty Jayme

Photo Credit: PitikNiDodongJanjan

sports

Polomolok to host Provincial Meet‘24; aspires Hall of Fame Award

We are hoping to be declared as the Hall of Famer in this year’s Provincial Meet.”

This was the very line of Mayor Bernie Palencia during the opening program of the District 1 Meet, at Polomolok Central Elementary School,

“For successive three (3) years prior to pandemic, the municipality

Crickets leap the track; Panthers sprint like flash

Male blue crickets and the girls pink panthers were the ones who garnered the championship title which proved the magnificent spirit of the blue and pink for the SLSPI Palaro 2022 Track Event, February 23, 2022

Amidst the sweltering heat, saints were ready to race the track to bring glory and pride to their colors.

The kickoff for the crickets silenced the field as Ervyn Sequito blasted across the 100 meters track followed by the Yellow Hornets and the Red Ants.

Crickets continued their triumph as other grade levels did not run close to them and prevailed in the next two heats.

The victorious domination were carried on by Carl Español and Earl Ederango as they showed no mercy towards their foes and captured the championship title for their category.

With giving all in efforts the Red Ants

still honored their first runner up win as they still have the chance to bag the win within the next years.

As for the girls, Grade 10 led by Wexelsen Tabiling still proved their overpowering prerogatives as she outplayed other grade levels in the first heat followed by Grade 11.

However, the chirping blue was left behind in the second heat as the biting red surged into a surfeit bliss of revenge ran by Keirstein Tigullo still trailed by the scratching pink.

The thirst for victory of the Panthers finally made them placed first in the third heat as Java gave her all for others to take exit.

Having the age advantage, proving once again that Panthers should not be underestimated as they seized the championship title for their category.

of Polomolok was declared as champion in the Provincial Meet” he added.

Acknowledging the skills and talents of the learners in sports, Palencia expressed all-out support in sports as the LGU alloted Php 5 million budget through SE Fund and

to increase the next’s years budget as the priority.

Since the municipality is eyed to host next year’s Provincial Meet, he is planning to enhance and improve sports facilities with swimming pool in order to be ready for the said hosting. The mayor is also looking into producing not only locally trained athletes but also ASEAN players.

YOU CAN’T MESS WITH THE AMETHYST. Grade 11 dasher Amethyst Java outruns all opponents scratching the finish line first.

SLSPI PALARO 2022 FUN FACTS:

unleash dominance in Provincial Meet

Sports Editor hauls 7 golds in swimming; 11 others

Not five. Not six. But seven. The Sports Editor of this school paper savored the sweet taste of victory after ruling over the pool in seven swimming categories of the Provincial Meet in Sto. Niño, March 30-April 2.

Conquering the water, Samantha Erni, grade ten, proved among eight municipalities who’s who in different strokes.

Cris Anthony Baculna, grade nine, mirrored Erni’s triumph when he also nagged seven golds in the male category.

Joining the two in the Regional Meet, co-swimmers Dos Dominic Jayme displayed dexterity with his individual events as he pocketed three gold medals and four silver medals and Tres Sonny Jayme harvested four golds, two silvers and one bronze.

Richie Angeluz Diendo never showed mercy to his opponents as he nipped his rivals in Table Tennis.

to the max, Raphael Joaquin Duay and Mardy Anthony Galvez outshined their respective foes in Lawn Tennis to clinch the first-two spots. Along with them, Angel Mae Belendres lorded over among the girls smashers.

The schools’ jins Maenard Paul Adloc, Theo John Alfred Banaag, Cedric Daniel Cornelio, and Renheart Rabut fished out their respective gold medals with their reliable agility and overpowering strength in high kicks.

The 12 creams of the crop will represent, together with other qualifiers, not only the school but also the entire province of South Cotabato in the SOCCSKSARGEN Regional Athletics Association (SRAA)

Patintero

Contributing also to the Polomolok team’s record of medals, Lavan Kate Cuyag and Gwen Gillera took home a silver in Lawn Tennis and Table Tennis respectively.

In swimming, Freby Angela Pogoy collected two golds, Haiah Beryl Samijon earned one gold and one bronze, and Rhyzah Zhyr Casidsid went home with a silver.

Other Taekwondo players who added to the medal tally were Akinnah Bagtidon –one silver, Nevenh Cornelio – one silver, Faze Marin Lumingkit – one silver, Kyler Evangelista – one silver, and Hodan Carl Alabado – one bronze.

The school’s Futsal Team

A Spanish word tinte which means “tint” or “ink” in references to the drawn lines, is one of the most popular Filipino street games. This game is the Most anticipated game every Intramurals in SLSPI.

Skipping Rope or jump rope

Children’s game played by individuals or teams with a piece of rope, which may have handles attached at each end while the other players take turns jumping it while chanting a rhyme or counting. The highest number of jumps reached by a team since the Palaro @ SLSPI was 581.

On Provincial Meet

SLSPI’s harvest of medals

Gold Silver Bronze

Provincial

19 4

Alexa Zeal T. Gines

Pink Panthers Mr. SLSPI Palaro candidate brings home better prize

The grade 11 Pink Panthers Mr. SLSPI Palaro representative demonstrated that win or lose, one can still bring home the bacon by receiving the bigger prize money of Php 5,000.00 (Php 2,500.00 being the first runner up and Php 3,000.00 from his Mr. Bio-Life special award.

Nestor Gil Pabillo, 11-ABM student, also bagged the Best in Interview Award and some other minor awards.

The SLSPI grounds flared up once more as the much-anticipated competition returned.

The Mr. and Ms. SLSPI Palaro pageant uplifted SLSPIans’ spirits as they cheered on their federation candidates.

The tenacious Yellow Hornets delighted the crowds once more when their Ms. SLSPI Palaro candidate took home the crown and gave their federation a back-to-back win.

Red Ants, on the other hand, was crowned Mr. SLSPI Palaro 2022 after winning nearly all of the pageant’s minor and major awards.

Grade 7 darts players girls upset seniors

A ground breaking news shocked the SLSPI community as the young darts players of Green Mantis showed no mercy against their seniors ll-Pink Panthers.

Precise aims thrown by the Green Mantis players made them win the game and made not only their federation proud, but all the people at the SLSPI grounds. That was a type of match where one can say “never underestimate the young ones as they can beat you in the most unexpected way.

SLSPI PALARO 2022

Samantha Erni.

Saints lifted the spirit high as they blasted their power in the 100 meter dash race.

Czairen Joy Felisilda

Samanthe Erni splashes through the water as she delivers butterfly stroke in her stint in the

Meet.

Photo Credit: Reyman Rusty Jayme

Photo Credit: Roan Ralph Yee