danas/ ABOUT DANAS
Danas is a Filipino online magazine established in 2020 in the advent of the COVID-19 pandemid. Because of the social separation brought about by the quaratine, Danas aims to bring us closer together by publishing
stories
that
humanize
our
experiences to each other. A passion project of De La Salle Univeristy Communication Arts students that wished to contribute to the Filipino experience wherever we may be. Adia Lim Editor-in-chz
Contents About Danas
i
WHAT BOTHERS YOU? The perspective of a youth suffering
1
from mental illness by Earlrich Ibon
Connective Action: Online protesting under lockdown
5
By Adia Lim
Stuck in the same space, a thousand miles apart by Guion Castro
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Tomo XX � August
Conceptual Photo: You don't really know what other people go through.
1
WHAT BOTHERS YOU?
The perspective of a youth suffering from mental illness
By: Earlrich Ibon
fatigue - one of Qtheuarantine first words to be mentioned by Angela [alias] when asked to describe how she first reacted to the suspension of classes and quarantine. She is a 2nd year college student from University of San Carlos. She is a mental health advocate as she is a person who has had their own fair share of mental health issues. According to her, it tore her to stay inside the four walls of her house and to roanm around the city like usual. She grew restless as she wanted to be free but couldn't, because of the surge of cases in the area. For a person with mental illness, one of the scariest things
to have happen is to be trapped in a single space. With enough solitude, a lot of thoughts may arise that weren't there before. There are no friends to cheer you up; no funny occurrences to distract you; just ‘me,myself, and I’.That is the case for Angela. She quoted the adjective ‘suffocating’ as she felt as if bundles of strings were wrapped around her neck and there is no way to unravel them apart. When asked to elaborate some factors that affect her mental health, she enumerated the following: a) National Government’s Incompetence b) Continuous oppression c) Online Classes. One of the things that affects Angela’s mental health is the competence of the national
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Tomo XX ‐ August 3
government in handling this crisis. She claims that she fears for the lives of the frontliners who sacrifice themselves every single day to compensate for the incompetence of the government. It is evident that there was never a concrete plan that could’ve prepared the nation like
mentioned as a factor affecting her mental health. “Losing the essence of learning” is probably the quote from Angela that encapsulates her thoughts on online classes. She feels drained doing twice the normal workload as the classes’ way to compensate and retain the ‘quality education’. Even
having enough PPEs or health facilities. The constant thought that “things could’ve been and could be better” boggles her mind. She knows that if the government were any good, the country wouldn’t be suffering. Still under the umbrella of a poor government, consistently having news of the government oppressing the people’s freedom also takes a toll on her mental health. The question “Is the enemy the pandemic or the critics?” lingers in her mind and continuously reminds her of the dire situation the country isn in. With COVID-19 already giving her so much anxiety, these actions against human rights only worsen the stress. This is especially true when she sees people in power violate laws they’ve set for the people and goes unpunished while she sees her fellow countrymen being overly crucified even when they have not gone through due process of the law. Departing from the government, as a student, online classes will inevitably be
going so far as saying that she only complies and passes requirements for the sake of complying and passing requirements. Most importantly, she feels guilty for resting or taking a break in her own home due to the requirements she is required to pass and work on in the same place she used to rest. Another issue that bothers her in terms of online classes is the fact that not everyone is fortunate enough to have the resources to commit to online classes. There are those with very weak, if no, wifi signal or those with no usable gadgets. Aside from that, not all houses are conducive for learning. “Hindi nga lahat makasabay sa paaralan, sa bahay pa kaya?” In these types of days, surviving the pandemic should envelop the whole focus of parents. Another problem that Angela thinks of is the fact that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of parents who lost their work or are unable to work in these conditions. Thus, their income flow remains stagnant.
Message for fellow youth: “If you have a trusted friend or relative, try telling him/her how you feel. They may not always know the right questions to ask, but I hope that their understanding would be enough to make you feel better. If you don’t have, get a pen and a paper and scribble down your thoughts to help you introspect. Don’t disregard your feelings; know that they are valid. You can read a book or watch movies and series. You can also try other activities such as gardening, sewing, and cooking to feel happy. The most important thing is to not be afraid to ask for professional help with either a psychiatrist or a psychologist. If you can’t go directly to their clinic, try looking for hotline numbers online. But let’s face it, not all people have the luxury to afford those. So it’s important to coordinate with local government units in order to address these issues. ” Message for adults: “Try educating yourself further about Mental Health. Read and understand, because it is a serious issue. Some adults don’t take this seriously and discriminate against people who suffer from mental illness, which makes it seem that their lack of empathy stems from their ignorance.”
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“
Don't disregard your feelings, know that they are valid.
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Action
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Conceptual photo: A Gabriela member holds her placard from the safety of her house during an online protest.
Tomo XX � August
Connective
Online Protesting under lockdown By: Adia Lim
T
he Philippines has had one of the longest lockdowns in the world amidst the pandemic. However, the lockdown restrictions have not only served as a way to immobilize physical movement for health concerns but are also recently seen as a tactic to squash dissent among increasingly frustrated citizens. Thus, the immobilization lost on physical platforms have pushed youth groups to progress even further in social media movements and online activism. People are forced to watch as issues like the shut down of ABS-CBN, the AntiTerror Bill, the Philhealth corruption scandal, the economic recession, and the descent into poverty of many individuals continue to paralyze the world outside the four walls of one’s home. As a result, some may experience these issues weighing heavy on their consciousness and made even worse by the restrictions that impede the usual physical ways one can help. Social media opens the door to welcome the struggle outside the four walls and gives people an opportunity to reach out their hand and cast out their voices.
Online Activism Because of this continuous suppression of dissent and physical immobilization, online activism has started to be the major platform by which youth groups are able to educate and express dissent. Since most of the lives of some have integrated onto social media, there has been a surge in politically charged postsÍž popping like mushrooms all over social media feeds. From small things like memes that serve as a satirical commentary to large scale donation drives that have helped many. An example of a youth group prominent in online activism is Gabriela Youth-Southern Tagalog (GY-ST). As one of the youth arms of Gabriela, GY-ST is National Democratic Movement (NDMO) established during the pandemic by young women purely online. The members of GY-ST have never physically met but managed to establish an NDMO and have since been rapidly increasing in members and social media reach. According to Megan Torrente, one of the core members and co-founders of GY-ST, social media protesting reaches a
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Tomo XX � August
different audience. GY-ST integrated several platforms as an alternate means of protesting for those who are unable to join their physical protests. Online rallies are done through zoom or placard templates to be used by people who can express their sentiments and share online. These
group, handles this weaponization of the law, Meg said that youth groups are targeted by trolls and are often red tagged and threatened. The youth group core members are conscious of this threat and have adapted security measures by monitoring those
methods emulate a physical protest but at the same time spread the message to a different set of audience as compared to physical rallying. Aside from alternate means of rallying, GY-ST also puts a creative twist to their informative publicity materials and seeks out to inform by holding Educational Discussions (EDs) that delve further into the rationale of the movement and the prominent issues society is facing.
who participate in their educational discussion through google forms. The participants are made sure to be real people and not just trolls or bots that may harmfully interfere with the discussions and those who are deemed to be trolls are mass reported.
The weaponization of the internet The recent passing of the Anti-Terror bill has created the infamous ‘chilling effect’ among media practitioners and politically active individuals both in and out of social media. To add to this, the Duterte administration is known and researched to be one of the most successful in using social media propaganda through trolls. Thus, with the lives of most slowly integrating online so do the threats. When asked how GY-ST, as a youth
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Protesting offline and online, facing these threats, youth groups have educated themselves even further on their rights and the basic legal implications of expressing dissent. Knowing their rights have helped them be more educated in their actions and helped them get through unjust arrests. Overall the threats they face, according to Meg, have not silenced them or made them tone down, if anything it has made their voices even louder. She says that if anything the youth should not be scared because activism is not terroism and now more than ever, should we not be silenced.
“
...now more than ever, should we not be silenced.
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Tomo XX � August 9
MIRRORS. In reflections, the soul peers at itself.
Stuck in the same space, a thousand miles apart By: Guion castro Long-distance friendships no longer feel so long-distance when in quarantine.
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S
ummer of 2018. We were eating 20-peso plastic tubs of ice cream in a
laundry shop along Leon Guinto when Joshua told us he was migrating to the United States. I remember the whirring of washing machines that cut through the silence,
and
the
laughter
that
soon
followed. The smell of the detergent and the fabric conditioner, suffocating. It was absurd, how something so monumental could happen while we’re surrounded by dirty laundry.
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TRAILS. On pavements, our footsteps are permanent traces.
Tomo XX ‐ August
Christmas of 2018. I’m fully convinced
Summer of 2020. It is the middle of a
that my friends have no idea what proper
global pandemic. We are talking to each
timing is. Hannah told us she was migrating
other through a video call, the screen just as
to the States through our Messenger group
much a physical barrier as distance is. We
chat. I could say break-up texts are worse,
reminisce. We laugh at old memories. With
but not by much. The December air felt
new experiences no longer possible, stories
especially chilly that year.
are forced to take their place, but in the end,
Hurt was my recurring theme for both of
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we still rely on the past to fill the silence.
them. I remember feeling betrayed, in just
Opportunities are the top reason as to why
half a year I had two friends leaving. But I
many Filipinos migrate to the States. The
didn’t consider how painful, how terrifying
promise of the American Dream is too
it was for them—they weren’t just travelling,
irresistible, and my friends are a testament to
they were leaving everything behind. “I was
this. They both mention financial mobility as
scared because of the uncertainty,” Joshua
an upside to migrating. But to most of our
said. They were foreigners in foreign land.
overseas Filipino workers, it’s not the strive
for success, but actual hunger pangs that keep them going. They need to sacrifice comfort and security just to put food on the table. I ask them both if they are happy, they look at me blankly and they laugh awkwardly. “Happy how?” Joshua asks. “Happy.” I reply, shrugging. They both say that they are, because they have to be. In a country that defines happiness with financial stability, you work with what you have. I can’t blame them for being selfish, or in their terms independent. As Hannah said after a moment of self-reflection, “It’s our attempt to assimilate.” Although it’s sad, what choice do you have in a country that prides itself on freedom yet
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cracks down on its immigrant population? In a dog eat dog world, selfishness comes from
a
place
of
self-preservation.
Fortunately, the Filipino in the both of them successfully keeps them grounded. “Ayokong mamatay dito,” Hannah says morbidly, “It’s such a bad time to die and a bad place to die.” With both the United States and the Philippines competing for top coronavirus cases and the worst government response in the world, it is a terrible time for all three of us. But I don’t know what’s ALONE. Shadows, our only companion.
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Tomo XX ‐ August
worse—experiencing crumble
firsthand,
your or
country
seeing
your
country self-destruct but there’s nothing you could do. Either way, we still have lives to live. I look at the both of them and I conclude: we’ve matured. Just two years ago we were fighting over where to eat lunch or what dessert to eat after. And now, we’re talking about what to take in graduate school. All three of us have changed, with new experiences, new dreams, and new lives. But then again, it’s still the same old friendship, only farther. It’s ironic how much closer to them I feel right now; the coronavirus a mutual experience. I miss them, more than I would care to admit. My heart lies with theirs, and theirs with mine. If home is where the heart is, then perhaps in a vast unknown world across the Pacific, they are home. We are home. After all, we’re all just stuck in the same space, a thousand miles apart.
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If home is where the heart is, then perhaps in a vast unknown world across the PaciďŹ c, they are home. We are home. After all, we’re all just stuck in the same space, a thousand miles apart.
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Tomo XX � August
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Danas/
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