The BEACON NewsMagazine July-September 2018

THE VOL. 72 ISSUE NO. 1 • JULY - SEPTEMBER 2018

New Blood: Straight Outta Senior High

THE

CONTENTS PUBLICATIONS

editorial board Editor-in-Chief : Putli Monaira Amilbangsa II

Associate Editor for Reveille : Shekinah Crystal Batoy Associate Editor for Sinag : Sandy Beaufil Sisnorio

Associate Editor for Social Media: Fatima Mandangan Managing Editor : Mischa Jade Taup News Editor : Audrie Keith Sepe Feature Editor : Hasmina Alfad

Sports Editor : Christine Therese Oboy

Copy Reader (English) : Sylvia Lyssandra Tipoe Copy Reader (Filipino) : Rizanna Narag

Communications Officer : Candeline Galvan Head Cartoonist : Jonie Alaban

Head Photojournalist : Alfrancis Alcuizar Head Layout Artist : Eleazar Torres

Social Media Curator : Reyna Talitha Santos Adviser : Leah M. Panaguiton WRITERS

Fatima Dia Ahaja, Abdel Aziz Alfad, Nisa Marie Alfaro, Clairizza Arcillas, Dither Atayde, Vinz Harold Basilio, Annafer Francine Besana, Deanna Rose Bucoy, Sharmaine Canama, Sophia Therese Del Castillo, Dave Cervas, Kim Loyd dela Cruz, Mickaella Joyce Dumayag, Tash-a-Deanna Eugenio, Anne Louise Falcasantos, Yves Joey Flores, Aisha Puy Ibrahim, Darwin Lacbao, Shannah Maree Lomboy, Harmony Lucero, Shariful Mansul, Erika Jenn Quisil, Joshua Salvador, Renz, Marion Suarez, Katleen Mae Tampos, Kelly Cassandra Teja, Alyssa Tubilag, Ayesha Tulete, Yurshina Usman, Joseph Gerald Yu PHOTOGRAPHERS

Charmine Grace Bannister, Teriez Michove Bokingkito, Jean Clarice Bue, Lance Kirby Gigante, Jerecho Salinel, Mohammad Sarajan, Shannen Marthy Semil CARTOONISTS

Carl Anthony Amistoso, Josedel Ancheta, Gualbert Macaso Caces, Ma. Sofia Carro Falcasantos, Razty Guevera, Crystalane Hagonoy, Johanna Ismene Julian, Rania Malali, Karl Onayan, Nica Franz Visitacion LAYOUT ARTISTS

Kaheya Leigh Teano, Andrea Nicole Zamora

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04 SONA 2018 (Clean Version) 06 SONA Spotlight on GMA beside timid PDU30 08 CARNAGE: Killings of Priests and Mayors 11 China “Debt Trap” 12 A Chance to know more about Bangsamoro Basic Law 13 Dissecting Mocha`s “I-pepe, i-dede, ipederalismo” 14 Sen. Hontiveros Champions Safe Streets and Public Spaces Act 15 ENDO 17 She, Not It 18 Real Jobs Deserve More Than Shout-Outs 19 Is It All Rainbows for the Filipino Community?

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Return of the Freshies ORSEM 2018: Supernova #COLLEGECHEATS : Freshie Survival Tips

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90% ROTTEN MANGOES (A play of words with the film-reviewing website, Rotten Tomatoes) Entablado : The Beacon of Theater

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THE

New Blood:

The Beacon Publications has been the Voice and Light of the AdZU Community for over seven decades, and yet we admit to have been experiencing difficulties the past few years. As an organization, we ache in knowing that our lighthouse’s bulb became weak in shedding light to relevant events and issues in the community. It is evident through the deficiency of issues that we produced, the delays in our work, and our waning presence even in social media. The Beacon humbly apologizes for these. With less of us left here in this organization, we admit that we faced a lot of internal challenges that hindered us from giving you the service that you deserve. Despite all these, we have renewed our thriving light and we promise you this comeback.

Gasgas na kung gasgas itong linyang ito but, with a new beginning comes a new hope for all of us.

Re-dawn of the Taxi in the ‘18 Zamcelco: A Dying Public Utility The Call: Conflagration emplaces Labuan in ruins Sanggunian Kabataan Elections 2018 Women Power, Led the Philippines to Victory!

FIFA World Cup 2018

The implementation of Senior High School as part of Philippine’s Education Reform under the K+12 program has left a two-year void in enrollment at the tertiary level.

This school year, though, the wait is finally over as the Ateneo college community welcomes the first batch of freshmen, who came straight out of senior high school.

Straight Outta Senior High

Awakening from a remorseful nap

Sitti : Tita ng AdZU A Handkerchief for the Mother’s tears A Most Wanted Hour Facility Wars Round Table Discussion : Squaring Up Big Matters Earthquake Drill : Wake Up Ateneans

ABOUT the cover VOL. 72 ISSUE NO. 1 • JULY - SEPTEMBER 2018

- EDITOR`S NOTE -

Editor`s Note

The cover photo is taken during the Orientation Seminar for college freshmen students. The OrSem is a symbolic rite of passage for every Atenean as it depicts indoctrination into the culture of Magis, Cura Personalis, and Ignatian Spirituality. This year, the OrSem is made more special as it brings forth a revived sense of wholeness and familiarity, in the face of the freshies.

Finally, the void is filled.

Putli Monaira Amilbangsa II The BEACON PUBLICATIONS Editor-in-Chief

As we gladly welcome our much awaited freshmen, The Beacon Publications offers you a new set of torches to light our community. We hope to awaken the studentry not just with new views of what’s happening to the university and the city, but also a sense of “wokeness” and involvement in national issues. We may be in the southern islands, but that fact will not hinder us from being engaged in what’s happening everywhere else in the country.

Thus, we present you this issue with a wider scope of things. May this start of the school year plant the seed of engagement in all of us.

Model: Ma. Dayzzle T. Orabe-BSAC 1, AdZU SHS ABM Batch 2018

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EDITORIAL

The 45-minute address included the issue on drugs, how it is still far from over, how his ways on tackling the situation collides with human rights, and how it can destroy lives of the youth. Most of us fully understand this whether or not the President said it or not. President Duterte wasn’t able to give a straightforward solution, instead, he gave a personal explanation and vague claims such as “Your concern is human rights, mine is human lives”. But still a reasonable start and a clear description on what is currently happening.

The President also highlighted and has taken actions regarding the corruption within the government. He mentioned that he knew some individuals who are more likely stealing from government funds, but news on corruption are still so rampant. It seems like corruption is a long-term trend or almost as if it’s an old tradition within the government. Corruption has evolved itself from being a problem into being the government itself since it seems to be the case for a long time.

SONA 2018

P

(CLEAN VERSION)

resident Rodrigo Duterte has once again, for the third time, given his State of the Nation Address to the citizens of the Philippines. This SONA was quite unexpected; for someone as “spontaneous” as President Duterte, it was rather underwhelming and so unlike him. No “p” words have been thrown out in the open, no remarks have shattered the stained glass of the church, and no kisses were stolen. Just a plain and scripted 45-minute speech for a national event. Points were made, issues were discussed yet people still dwell on how much our President has changed.

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Remarks on passing the Bangsamoro Organic Law were also discussed, together with this he mentioned that war isn’t an option, and that he plans on being in peaceful terms with the Maute-ISIS rebels who have recognized their errors and wish to be part of the society again. Another switch in President Duterte’s known personality in comparison with his determination on the drug war. A war that hasn’t stopped, and isn’t showing signs of stopping at all. Yet he blurts out things about a warless option. Is this really Duterte speaking? He also expressed his goal on having a united country and equality amongst all Filipinos. Proposing unity and equality even though the government itself is divided.

He also shares the established friendship within the ASEAN. Transitioning to the “good” relationship with China adding that, although both countries are in good terms, Philippines won’t waver when it comes to defending what is rightfully ours. This puts our country in a frenemy relationship with China. How does President Duterte plan on keeping a close relationship with China and simultaneously defending our interest in the West Philippine Sea?

The SONA continues on with points concerning the welfare of Filipino migrant workers, the campaign against contracualization, the adapatation of the TRAIN law, the preservation of the environment, and equality amongst all Filipinos.

“Is this an improved President trying to become what is best for the Philippines or just someone who has lost his audacity?”

A known reputation is something etched on our minds, it being the basis of what a certain person does. President Duterte’s 2018 SONA has not been a clear reflection of his reputation. He pointed out important issues but gave half-baked answers and a lot of contradictions.

But he kept his reins in check, and uttered zero counts of vulgar or malicious words and statements. Is this an improved President trying to become what is best for the Philippines or just someone who has lost his audacity?

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tected from criminals, terrorists, corrupt officials, traffickers [of] contrabands.”

Applause also went wild on his “Your concern is human rights, mine is human lives.” And “You worry about the present; I am concerned [about] both the present and the future.” Two aphorisms that would later receive either praises for its paternal vibe or criticisms for being logically fallacious.

SONA Spotlight on

GMA

He then warned corrupt officials and stressed, in a strong voice, that when the day comes, “it will be the public who will have its retribution.” Thereafter thanking the Congress for the swift passage of the Ease of Doing Business Act “which is a significant fight against corruption and improving service delivery.”

beside a

timid

PDU30

WRITTEN BY SHARIFUL MANSUL

PHOTO COURTESY OF PHILSTAR.COM

T

he Monday SONA last July 23 came to us rather confusing. At the rostrum stood Arroyo, now without her cervical collar, instead of the President: What. In. The. World. Is. Happening. With her iconic shouting that later went viral online, netizens were reminded of Shancai of the Meteor Garden (which will anyway air sooner). It generated a considerable number of memes. It was only days after that the phenomenon actually made sense.

The “awkward, low, ugly, and disgraceful,” as Senator Lacson would later describe, event was the oath-taking of former President-for-ten-years Gloria Macapagal Arroyo behind which rallies 184 votes from the Congress for her to be the 21st House speaker, replacing Pantaleon Alvarez. This was the culmination of the series of events that can be traced back to February 2018 between Alvarez and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte. The former House speaker accused the presidential daughter of belonging to the opposition after the latter founded her own regional party, the Hugpungan ng Pagbabago. In revenge, Mayor Sara slammed Alvarez as boasting to a crowd that he could impeach the President anytime, which is denied by Alvarez. Add to this mounting problem Alvarez’s proposed no-election in 2019 which worried not just the majority of the people in Congress but even the President. Harry Roque in an interview said, “I noticed that the President was visibly concerned about the pronouncements of the Speaker on no election in so far as he related also no elections to federalism.” Plus, Alvarez was also known to threaten zero budget to opposition lawmakers who were critical of President Duterte and against the party’s agendas.

On the other hand, rumors of Arroyo replacing Alvarez started months before their concretization. One of the 184 votees, Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, asserted that it’s only natural for Gloria to be the replacement “because of her pedigree as a leader.”

The President himself emphasized his hope in a speech in Zamboanga Sibugay “that there’ll be changes because there’s a new Speak-

06 | The Beacon Publications

er. And it’s a good thing because Gloria is an economist.”

Now House speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was known significantly through her anomalies, notably the Hello Garci scandal, alleged corruption, alleged cheating in the 2004 national election defeating FPJ, and alleged human rights violations (to name a few).

Unusual Usualness

Roughly an hour later, all after the internal power struggle in Congress, finally, the President appeared. Beside him was Senate President Tito Sotto, and, peculiarly enough, Pantaleon Alvarez who was just ousted (well, at least not in his opinion at that moment) but chose to resist anyway which was tolerated, on the other hand, by Arroyo.

Now, after the necessary introduction, the issue first tackled by the former mayor was his War on Drugs whereon, persistent, he emphasized, “will be as relentless and chilling, if you will, as on the day it began.” And justifying the war to his audience, he redefined human rights through which Filipinos could frame the killings, a prerequisite as it seems, to “a decent and dignified future through social and physical infrastructures necessary to better their lives. The lives and freedoms and the hard-earned property of every Filipino whose condition we wish to improve shall be pro-

The next significant issue he tackled was on the South.

He brought up the concept of “Imperial Manila” while lamenting Mindanao’s condition of being “The Land of the Promise” because “what it got from the government through the years were promises and more promises.” And for the Bangsamoro Organic Law, as a respond to the centuries-old-yearning of Muslim Filipinos for autonomy, will be signed and ratified after 48 hours, as he promised.

Reaching the problem on terrorism, he warned ISIS-related groups that they will never gain foothold in our country, all the while providing a space that if ever they want to reintegrate themselves to society, they are welcome. A soft take compared to the adversity of the War on Drugs.

Then came the conflict with China which has been causing him criticisms for failing to assert the Philippine claim of the West Philippine Sea despite the 2016 victory ruling from The Hague against the 9-dash line among others. What he instead did was strengthen Philippine-Chinese relations through “an unprecedented level of cooperation between our nations on the war against transnational crimes.”

But against his critics’ assumption, he contested that “Our improved relationship with China, however, does not mean that we will waver our commitment to defend our interest in the West Philippine Sea.” He was applauded.

On his next most controversial issue, the TRAIN Law, he began by praising the Congress for the timely passage of the tax reform, saying that it has made available the funds for his administration’s Build, Build, Build Project which will later become his ultimate legacy.

He urged the Congress to pass the Package 2, the second part of the administration’s five tax reform proposals. Arguing that it “will lower incorporate income taxes, especially for our small businesses.” Because, “Lower taxes mean they will have more money to invest and create more jobs.” All the while imagining a mythic future, a utopia, (again) that “The enactment of the Package 2 is what stands between today and millions of jobs in the near future.”

And of course, the most pressing issue of all issues, the impending shift of our current form of government to federalism.

His first words: “I have no illusions of occupying this office one day longer than what the Constitution under which I was

elected permits; or under whatever Constitution there might be.”

He considered it “a distinct honor and privilege to have received earlier… the draft Federal Constitution,” where “four administrations” before him, merely trying to amend the Charter, have failed to do.

Despite the criticisms (largely from the Senate) of the Charter change, President Rodrigo Duterte was optimistic of it, numbing himself from the demerits of the move. He insisted that the new Constitution “will not only strengthen our democratic institutions, but will also create an environment where every Filipino—regardless of social status, religion, or ideology—will have an equal opportunity to grow and create a future that he or she can proudly bequeath to the succeeding generations.”

All in all, there are roughly 17 issues discussed in his Sona 2018 which includes Charter change, healthcare, TRAIN, mining, Boracay, telecommunications, farmers, contractualization, OFWs, China, international relations (particularly with the ASEAN), Mindanao, government service, corruption, calamities, proper consultations, and illegal drugs.

Noteworthy, too, was his usage (for several times) of the everyday Islamic phrase “inshaallah” which means “if God wills.”

He was, perhaps alluding to his Mindanaoan roots, strengthening anew his already rock-solid support gained from Muslim Filipinos, now in the light of BOL. Likewise, he also managed to end his speech in the Visayan language. Appeal to regionalism, a distinctive technique that seems only a Visayan-Mindanaoan-whohas-spent-college-in-Imperial-Manila-and-has-a-Muslim-grandmother could do? Maybe.

Nevertheless, amusing it is still, to see the most unusual of the recent Philippine presidents become usual for a change. Contrasting his 92-minute Sona in 2016 containing 6 curses and 16 for the one in 2017, this year’s Sona was devoid of such. It was a clear and ordered one. A short-but-pleasant surprise, lending moist to the chaos-weary eyes. What appeared on Monday was a liquid Duterte, a behaved, rules-bent strongman. Maybe a compensation for his past language abuse? Who knows.

The event on Monday was a weird one for 2 reasons: there occurred a power struggle never seen before in Philippine politics which featured a comeback theme, and an aberration in the event protagonist’s customary habits—not the familiar stain on a clear white sheet of paper, but a small space of clearness and whiteness situated in a visual chaos.

With the recent SONA, we were given a glimpse of the administration’s radical proposals getting actualized in gradation. As how it was presented, all are for the good. But the good isn’t good if it blocks the existence of the myriad of interpretations knocking on its door, begging for our attention. And yes, that includes listening to opinions opposed to ours and our favorite’s where through it can we really see a picture accurate and complete.

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CARNAGE:

The Killings of Priests and Mayors

GRAPHICS BY CRYSTALANE HAGONOY

BY VINZ HAROLD BASILIO

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hree years into President Duterte’s administration and the Philippines has seen the proliferation of reports on alleged human rights violations, suspected extra judicial killings brought about by his war against illegal drugs, and the growing list of shootings victims. And so it appears that these issues are

sparking up fear among PH citizens because of the ominous threats on the rights of every Filipino. This socio-political concern is a top discussion in various social media platforms, newspaper articles, news television programs, even trending worldwide on numerous occasions. Recently added to the list of identified problems under the current administration are the killings of priests and city mayors. These incidents have been deemed as perpetrating violence, lawless justice, and destruction of human rights of our countrymen.

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Some Catholic priests openly express their criticisms of the Duterte administration, especially on the issues on extra judicial killings and war against illegal drugs. Thus, people could not help but speculate on the motive behind the recent killings of some Catholic priests that it became one of most intriguing issues under the present government. Last June 10, a 43-year old priest, Father Richmond Nilo of Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija was shot to death 7 times by an unidentified gunman while he was preparing for an evening mass at the San Pablo Chapel. Investigation done by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) showed that he was killed because he raised a rape case against an ex-seminarian, Christopher Torres. Authorities arrested alleged suspect Adell Roll Milan but was later released due to lack of evidence. Father Nilo is the third priest who died in the three years of President Duterte’s administration.

There were two other priests who were shot to death prior to Father Nilo. On December 04, 2017, Father Marcelito Paez, a 72-year-old priest was killed in Nueva Ecija, apparently for facilitating the release of a political prisoner. On April 29, 2018, Father Mark Ventura, a 37-year-old priest, who advocated for ethnic minorities and fought against mining, was killed in the northern province of Cagayan supposedly because of a controversial love triangle issue.

The Demise of Mayors

Mayor Antonio Halili of Tanauan City Batangas is known for his Walk of Shame campaign where alleged drug suspects, users, and pushers parade around the city carrying placards with the statement, “Huwag gayahin adik ako.” On July 2, halfway down the singing of the National Anthem during the weekly flag raising ceremony led by Mayor Halili, a bullet hit Halili’s chest, killing him on-the-spot at 8:10 in the morning. Calabarzon Police Chief Superintendent Edward Carranza said Halili could have been shot by a sniper, based on their investigation. However, the gunman remains unidentified.

After Halili’s death, another local official was gunned down last July 3 of this year in the town of General Tinio. Mayor Ferdinand Bote was ambushed by a group of unidentified gunmen as he rode a car out of the National Irrigation Administration. The vehicle was hit by at least 18 bullets, implying his immediate death. According to the investigation, the shooting incident happened at around 5:30 in the afternoon. Chief Director General of the PNP Oscar Albayalde revealed that Christian Saquilabon from Nueva Ecija, a business rival of Mayor Bote, was behind the mayor’s death. The Bote family owns a construction company which allegedly got into conflict [with Saquilabon’s] over the construction of a P96 million tourism hub at the Minalungao National Park in Gen. Tinio. PNP says that they were looking for eight suspects, but only five of them were identified.

In light of this, the following list contains the names of the priests and mayors who encountered their demise under Duterte’s administration:

Father Marcelito Paez December 4, 2017 Father Mark Ventura April 29, 2018 Father Richmond Nilo June 10, 2018 Datu Saudi Ampatuan Mayor Samsudin Dimaukom October 28, 2016 Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa, Sr. November 5, 2016 Limbona Pantar, Lanao del Norte Mayor December 29, 2016 Mohammad Exchan Buenavista Mayor Ronald Lowell Tirol May 28, 2017 Marcos, Ilocos Norte Mayor Arsenio Agustin June 3, 2017 Bien Unido, Bohol Mayor Gisela Bendong-Boniel June 7, 2017 Balete, Batangas Mayor Leovino Hidalgo June 10, 2017 Ozamiz Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog July 30, 2017 Tanauan, Batangas Mayor Antonio Halili July 2, 2018 General Tinio, Nueva Ecija Mayor Ferdinand Bote July 3, 2018 Ronda, Cebu Mayor Mariano Blanco September 5, 2018

Reports reveal that Mayor Halili had been continuously receiving death threats since launching an intensive crackdown on drugs in the city. A motive on his killing was his alleged connection to various illegal drug 10 | The Beacon Publications

trades which reports say came in “stark contrast” to Halili’s reputation of being an ally to the government’s war against illegal drugs campaign. Halili was relieved of his supervisory post in October 2017 due to an increase of illegal drugs in his city. In November of 2017, the government linked him to an illegal drug trade and was included in President Duterte’s NARCOLIST government officials.

In a statement, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) urges the government to act on the appalling number of extrajudicial killing cases in the country and calls on the administration to strengthen the criminal justice system amid all these killings.

CHINA DEBT TRAP

ILLUSTRATION BY GUALBERT MACASO CASES

Death Toll on Catholic Priests

WRITTEN BY MICKAELLA JOYCE DUMAYAG

“

“China’s grants don’t have any strings attached to them and China’s

loan to financing construction projects will not make the Philippines fall into debt trap”

Chinese ambassador Zhao Jianhua has spoken this line during the groundbreaking of the two Chinese funded bridges, the Binondo-Intramuros and Estrella-Pantaleon respectively. Zhao assures that there is no collateral for financial aid they will provide the Philippines but can China’s word be trusted amidst the disputes between our country?

Over the years, Philippines and China has been in a relentless disagreement between the ownership of the West Philippine Sea and even though our country has won the favor of the arbitral tribunal, China still continues to claim the rights over it.

President Rodrigo Duterte shifted the tide when he made China fund the 10 “big-ticket” projects that will greatly help the economic growth of the Philippines. The first project under it, is the Chico River Pump Irrigation in Cagayan province. According to Department of Finance, worth ₱380 billion (US$7.34 billion) of loans and grants were pledged by China in which loans have 2-3% interest rates and grants are monetary gifts.

China is known for the “debt-trap diplomacy” scheme worldwide as they offer financial aid for development and creation of infrastructures to poorer countries by lending billions of dollars and once they cannot pay, they are forced to hand its nat-

ural resources or other assets to China as a collateral. One of the cases was how China took over Sri Lanka’s port and 15000 acres of land when it could not pay its debt of $1B. Debt-trap contributes to China’s economic and military influence over the collaterals it takes.

However, both China and Philippines deny the allegations of this “friendly loans” as a debttrap. “Under the wise leadership of President Duterte and his economic management team, they are smart enough not to allow the Philippines to fall into the so-called debt trap,” added by Zhao during his speech. President Duterte also said that China never asked for even one square of real estate in this country in exchange of financing the development of infrastructures. Ernesto Pernia, the Director-General of National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) also upholds that the Philippines is cautious not to fall into this so called “dept-trap diplomacy”.

What happened to Sri Lanka might also happen in the Philippines if ever the government fails to pay its debt or if China has really something up in their sleeves for lending and granting the government billions of pesos. It might cost our country the West Philippine Sea or the worst case scenario is, Philippines might really be a province of China.

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DISSECTING MOCHA’S

A CHANCE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT

“I-pepe, i-dede, ipederalismo”

BANGSAMORO BASIC LAW

BY DAVE CERVAS No less than the termination of Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson was demanded by the outraged Filipino netizens after her “Kain Pepedederalismo” video was posted online aiming “to create public awareness about Federalism.” The netizens, senators and the other draft constitution proponents’ shock over the released material was mainly because of the lewd and vulgar federalism jingle that saw co-host, blogger Drew Olivar distastefully perform a dance number by placing his hands on his chest and crotch area while chanting, “I-pepe, i-pepe, i-dede, i-dede… ipederalismo!” The colloquial terms pepe and dede pertain to a woman’s vagina and breasts, respectively. With Mocha’s statement through her Facebook post that the performance was only done for good fun, how do we assess her accountability in this incident?

BY JOSHUA SALVADOR

Mindanao- For most people, they consider this land as a place of war, violence, and hostile. This notion unfortunately paved the way of forgetting that this is more a land of diverse culture where there is unity and harmony among natives. This sad realization speaks that Mindanao anchors social and economic challenges in a turtle-speed motion in its development. It is undeniably alarming- that the people are left behind.

For years, this problem is seemingly put into action by amending the BBL or Bangsamoro Basic Law that provides Mindanaoans a chance to partake in the development with Luzon and Visayas. How could this affect the people in Mindanao? Will there be changes in terms of development?

The forty-five-minute SONA- Rodrigo Duterte in his third State of the Nation Address talked about the Bangsamoro Basic Law or BBL, which was the supposed crucial core of his passage. However, the attention was turned to the power struggle between Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who claimed the position as new House Speaker in Congress. But it was not only the reason why SONA 2018 was surprising. Duterte is known to insert irreverent asides and jokes his speeches, but this time, his declamation struck the bullet’s eye in such levels. At first, Duterte laid out the overall track of the administration and later on stated his order to the Congress— pass the stalled Bangsamoro— which he promised to sign within 48 hours of delivery to his office.

“When the approved version was transmitted and received by my office, the law has been passed. . . Give me 48 hours to sign and ratify the law.” Duterte said. Moreover, he said that he still needs to review the final version approved by the Congress committee, as there might still be points subject to disapproval.

The president’s official statement was met with applause from the lawmakers who attended the annual affair at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City. Duterte added that this administration will never deny our Muslim brothers and sisters the opportunity to track their own destiny in accordance with the constitutional basic conceptual framework.

Apparently, local representative Celso L. Lobregat of District 1 in Zamboanga City abstained on the passing of the BBL. “The people who are bashing me on my abstention of vote in HB 6475 (Substitute BBL) are ignorant of the provision of the BBL that was passed.” This was the rigid response of the Congressman after several negative remarks coming out in social media about his abstention. Lobregat pointed out that the amended law was his concern to protect Zamboanga City and the rest of Mindanao.

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Lobregat unveiled that in the amended version of HB 6475 which was approved by congress contained the following revisions: 1. There is no more “CREEPING EXPANSION” - In the original HB6475, six 6 plebiscites should be held, the 1st upon ratification of the BBL, and every five (5) years thereafter for a period of 25 years. In the Substitute HB6475, only one plebiscite will be held, and this is only upon ratification of the law.

2. In the HB6475 (original ones) all properties of ARMM were to be AUTOMATICALLY transferred to the Bangsamoro upon ratification of the BBL. In the substitute HB6475, all properties of the ARMM will be transferred to the Bangsamoro, EXCEPT those that are located outside the area of the ARMM. (e.g. CABATANGAN will not be transferred to Bangsamoro).

3. In the original HB6475, a barangay that petitions to join Bangsamoro through the 10% provision and obtains a majority vote in the barangay will be allowed to part of the Bangsamoro. In the substitute HB6475, a barangay cannot join the Bangsamoro without the expressed approval of the ENTIRE city.

Nevertheless, thorough clarification of the amended law is key for Zamboangeños and other Mindanawans to accept it. Mindanao has various tribes to consider with regards to the BBL. It is not enough that only Zamboanga City is excluded from the Bangsamoro just to be satisfied with the law.

PROLIFERATION OF FAKE NEWS

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS’ PROPER DECORUM

Literally reading from the script, they claimed that the countries that had adopted the federal system of government include the United States, France and Singapore. Among these, only the United Sates has such form of government. With this kind of “information campaign” setting precedence over other planned, public information caravan to be set by government, this is not a good way to go as factual errors and wishful thinking have no place in faithful representation of the truth, especially if the end goal is to convince people to favor the proposed change. Representation of the truth, especially if the end goal is to convince people to favor the proposed change.

Mocha’s involvement in numerous controversies, coupled with explicit demands for her resignation, yet she still holds her position in office making it appear that she is above reprimand. Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy said in an interview that only President Duterte can sanction Mocha because he was the appointing power. Nonetheless, presidential appointee or not, every government official is bound by the government Code of Ethics (Republic Act 6713), stating that officials must uphold norms in public service.

CONSEQUENCE OF ONE’S ACTIONS

Many wanted her fired from her position, some suggested a budget slash for her misconduct, while others called for her to be sanctioned, yet the response of her higher authority was a mere issuance of a memo serving as a written “reminder” for her to be more cautious of her activities.

With the hassle of her erroneous delivery of information, the disgraceful approach towards public awareness, and the unapologetic and unbashed responses against valid criticisms, how do we expect Mocha to accept her accountability in this matter? If we follow the rationalization of our President to just let Mocha follow her right to free expression, then we are doomed to contribute to a normalization of a pattern and we are back at it again at dissecting and stunt until that point.

Section 4 of the Code states: Public officials and employees shall perform and discharge their duties with the highest degree of excellence, professionalism, intelligence and skill. They shall enter public service with utmost devotion and dedication to duty.

Merely lashing back to criticisms with the defense that it was not within the PCOO’s responsibility and she was doing those game show videos just for fun are not manifestations of discharging her duties with the highest degree of excellence nor professionalism.

Furthermore, the said video was shot in Uson’s office in the Malacañang compound. The nasty dance performance was not in compliance with the rule that employees must observe proper decorum inside the palace grounds.

After words, what?

PHOTO COURTESY OF INQUIRER.NET

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O

ne of the most controversial labor practices in the Philippines was, once again, put into the limelight of news media, the “Endo” or Contractualization. It resulted from the issues that sparked in the last few months that involved large companies that engage in “labor-only” contracts. The most recent was the issue about NutriAsia, one of the country’s largest producers of condiments, and its 80 contractual workers.

Based on the report, the DOLE or the Department of Labor and Employment ordered the NutriAsia to regularize the 80 workers under one of its agency, the AsiaPro Multi-Purpose Cooperative. It is because these workers are directly involved in the company’s daily operations, therefore, it is against the labor code which says that a company cannot outsource jobs that is vital to the operation of the company. The controversy ended up in a violent dispersal made by the police force against the protest conducted by the contractual workers of the said company.

Sen. Hontiveros Champions Safe Streets and Public Spaces Act Psst! Pssst! Miss! Miss! Witweew!” Catcalls, wolf-whistles, winks, and stares are harmless gestures intended for flattery, claim the people who have done it. But those who are at the receiving end of these gestures tend to believe and feel otherwise. Catcalling as sexual harassment is an exhausting issue that many of those we know have to live with. In fact, the streets and alleys constantly stand witnesses to these acts, albeit silently. For in the eyes of the recipient, there is no dignity, nor compliment in Catcalls and other similar gestures.

Sen. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros – Baraquel has defined gender-based street and public spaces harassment to provide protective measures and push for penalties against sexual injustice. The Senator has filed a bill (SENATE S. B. No. 1326) which seeks to stop as well as to administer disciplinary actions to those who engage in any type of cat-calling towards Filipinas and LGBTs. Hontiveros stresses that this bill “[will provide] penalties against unwanted comments, gestures, and actions forced on a person in a public place because of their actual and perceived sex, gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation and identity, including but not limited to unwanted cursing, wolf-whistling, cat-calling, leering, sexist, homophobic or transphobic slurs, persistent requests for someone’s name, number, or destination after clear refusal, persistent telling of sexual jokes, use of sexual names, comments, and de-

14 | The Beacon Publications

mands, following, flushing, public masturbation, groping, and stalking”. She also shares that the bill contains specific provisions for public places like streets, alleys, public parks, schools, government buildings, malls, bars, restaurants, transportation terminals, public markets, and public utility vehicles. As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women, she mentioned that in light of the recently passed Manila Ordinance No. 7857 or the Safe City for Women and Girls Ordinance of 2018, this Bill could create a “snowball effect” among local government units to follow and trigger behavioral change as she pushes for the passage of similar policy on the national level.

Let this be an affirmation that all deserve to feel safe, comfortable, and secure wherever at whatever time, no matter the circumstances.

PHOTO COURTESY OF INQUIRER.NET

“

WRITTEN BY SHARMAINE CANAMA • ILLUSTRATION BY JOHANNA ISMENE JULIAN

ENDO

BY RENZ MARION SUAREZ

Aside from NutriAsia, there are still other giant companies involved in massive contractualization. One of these was PLDT, one of the country’s largest telecommunication companies. In 2017, DOLE ordered PLDT to regularize almost 9000 employees.

It is due to the findings of the department that multiple number of PLDT’s contractual agencies violated the Labor laws of the Philippines. Some of its agencies denied the rights of the workers to their benefits, such as 13th month pay. Aside from regularizing its workers, PLDT was also ordered to pay a specific amount for the unpaid benefits of its worker. As of June 2, 2018, PLDT started the regularization process of its employees.

Those were just some of the companies that exercise illegal labor practices, particularly, Contractualization. Recently, DOLE identified the Top 20 companies that are suspected or confirmed to engage in illegal contracting practices.

Even here in Zamboanga City, there

The Beacon Publications | 15

was a company that was included on the list—KCC Mall De Zamboanga. Based on the report, KCC Mall de Zamboanga, the city’s largest mall, has 1,598 workers under contractualization. The Jollibee Corporation, owner of the country’s largest fast-food chain, which has numerous branches in the city, was ranked number one on the list.

It is very evident that contractualization, also known as “Endo” in the Philippines, is very rampant since then. However, some people still don’t have the idea of what does contractualization or “endo” mean.

For the information of everybody, Contractualization is a short-term employment practice. It is usually referred as “Endo,” an abridge version of the phrase, “End of Contract.” Usually, workers under this type of employment do not have any benefits compare to those workers who are considered as regulars.

earners. They also cannot enjoy the benefits of a regular employee, such as 13 month pay and the contributions to SSS, PhilHealth and other insurances. Presently, having a permanent job is all the big deal because of the rapid change in the economy, particularly the surges in the price of basic commodities. It would really be unfortunate for those who do not have jobs because they cannot provide their basic necessities.

WRITTEN BY AYESHA TULETE ILLUSTRATION BY JOHANNA ISMENE JULIAN

B

ehind some relationships of grins and laughter are bruises and marks on a woman’s bare. Despite the many campaigns advocating women’s rights and women empowerment, it raises the curiosity amongst the people how relationship abuse continues to exist and persist.

Men have always been viewed by the society as more powerful than women. In fact, the patriarchal social system dominated the world decades ago. Sex roles-stereotyping comes along with this idea. With men holding the power, women are thought to be submissive and are under men’s control. Although patriarchy has not been totally abolished today, the Feminism movement immensely contributed in cutting down the explicit oppression of this ideology to women. However, the innate nature of men to gain and maintain power over women generates the conflict that leads to violence as an imposition of their superiority.

Violence Against Women, specifically relationship abuse, is deemed to be one of the most problematic social issue in the Philippines as shown in the 2008 National Demographic and Health Survey. Past cases usually involved women abuse between married couples. Nowadays, it is alarming to think that abuse now often occur among teenage couples or simply between boyfriends and girlfriends.

Why is it important to address the problem with Contractualization?

16 | The Beacon Publications

Not it

At the end of the day, it boils down to the commitment of the government to alleviate the situations of Filipino laborers. It is on their decision whether they want to end “endo” or not. Remember, if there’s a will, there’s a way.

Since “Endo” is obviously a national concern, the current President Rodrigo Duterte promises the Filipinos to end contractualization in the country. It had been part of his platform during the campaign period in 2016. However, up to this time, illegal contractual practice is still present. There are still Filipino workers who suffer in this kind of employment. The government tried to stop “Endo” by releasing an Executive Order.

However, people and the labor groups were not satisfied. The President then urges the congress to pass a law that will end “Endo” in the Philippines. It is only through the amendment of the Philippine Labor Code that we can genuinely end contractualization because the executive order is not enough. It only supplements the implementing details of what the law provides.

However, in all fairness, the number of contractual workers went down under the current administration.

In Region IX, 2,715 workers were regularized after the pronouncement against contractualization of President Duterte, according to DOLE Region IX.

Basically, the main issue about “endo” is the security of tenure. It is important to a worker to have a stable and permanent job. Unfortunately, they can’t get it from contractualization, because they will be automatically unemployed once their contract expires. That is unfair for workers, especially for the minimum-wage

She,

PHOTO COURTESY OF INQUIRER.NET

Recent case about UST biology student Diane ‘Kim’ Arcena’s physical abuse by her now ex-boyfriend--Kyle Viray-has sparked various criticisms from the netizens. Arcena shared her experiences with the latter through a series of tweets in Twitter. In one of these tweets, she disclosed her suffering of chest trauma and hematoma. Accordingly, Viray physically hurt her even due to petty reasons. Considered as a first offense, the University of Santo Tomas disciplinary committee penalized

Viray to render 250 hours of community service and prohibited him from attending the graduation rites of his college. This decision caused an uproar amongst the netizens. Many saw it as a light punishment considering his offense and given that he had reportedly beaten another one of her ex-girlfriends.

The truth is, what is disappointing is the failure of effective implementation of the existing laws protecting women against violence. Without a justifiable enforcement, republic acts such as R.A. 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act are considered ineffectual, thus leaving women vulnerable.

What Arcena had done is a step closer in veering away from the culture of silence that women have been practicing due to both shame in sharing their experience and doubt in the country’s justice system. Voicing out raises the awareness of how vast and dire the situation is when it comes to relationship abuse. This also helps in aggressively informing women regarding the rights they can benefit from under the laws.

It is indeed important to note that the conflict does not lie in the women’s hands, but in men’s. Women are never objects of violence, and never will be. The fight for women’s rights against violence does not just end with campaigns, but it is a continuous journey to be undertaken by both men and women with the aid of a functioning government.

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A

Real Jobs Deserve More Than Shout-Outs

IS IT ALL

Rainbows FOR THE

WRITTEN BY YVES JOEY FLORES

former Pinoy Big Brother housemate and a member of the boy group Hashtags, Jameson Blake is without doubt a performer—an artist. Whenever on stage, he never fails to beguile the crowd with his sexy dance moves, eloquence in speaking, and on top of everything, his handsome face and macho physique. Yet who would have thought that he, as an artist himself who’s very much aware of how difficult yet belittled the creative industry is, would “depreciate” fellow artists?

On July 4, 2018, the 21-year-old local entertainer waged an impromptu Twitter contest in search of a graphic designer who could make him a social media banner with the username “LucidExpress” for free. “Best one gets a shout-out from me,” he announced, perhaps assuming that artists would go crazy over his whim, seeing it as a golden opportunity to win his precious 24-karat shout-out.

In a cutthroat industry where creatives seek out each other’s support while striving to earn their place and make a name of their own, they constantly find themselves banking on their passion, along with literal blood, sweat, and tears. These people deserve better. Hence, to them, the “shout-out” felt more like a punch in the face rather than a helping hand.

Jameson Blake, for what his influence really is worth, could’ve used it where it’s needed: as an ally of the creative industry he’s supposedly a part of, to lead by example, and to support struggling artists who deserve more credit than they’re usually given.

“... people who think a mere ‘shout-out’ is enough compensation, the creative industry of the country will always be belittled at best.”

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WRITTEN BY CLAIRIZZA ARCILLAS

T PHOTO COURTESY OF INQUIRER.NET

iting fashion advice from stylists because “friends naman kayo.” It trivializes their skill sets and talents, making them seem worth less than they actually are. However, these are real jobs.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES

COMMUNITY?

To set the record straight, this issue does not only concern graphic artists. It trickles down to the entire creative industry and validates a culture that implies that what they do has little to no value. It’s practically the same as telling photographers to take photos since it’s their “hobby” or asking writers to think of a clever caption since it’s what they’re good at. In the same way, you can’t go on your merry way trying to score a free dress from designers because you’ll “tag them on Instagram,” and you can’t just go around solic-

As usual, the netizens were quick to react, pointing out that he should pay the artist for the artwork he’s asking for. Others also criticized him for allegedly looking down on graphic designers and sneering at their hard work. One Twitter user commented, “As long as people like Jameson Blake exist, people who think a mere ‘shout-out’ is enough compensation, the creative industry of the country will always be belittled at best.”

To his credit, Jameson already deleted the tweet in question and even posted a public apology on his social media accounts. “Regarding my tweet yesterday. Hopefully to stop all this fuss. I apologize to all the graphic designers thinking I’m trying to degrade their art work for something litter as a “shoutout”. I know graphic designing isn’t an easy job and it requires a lot of work. I did not expect this would become a big issue. I was basically seeking volunteers, no one HAD to do it. I wasn’t obligating anyone to make one. It was just a favor by promoting the artwork. Promoting in ways for the artwork to be known & exposed and you never know, people would actually like it. But if that’s not the case, just simply ignore my tweet. Once again, I’m sorry and have no intention to look down on graphic designers and their artwork,” he wrote.

The netizens were divided on how they took his apology to be. Some understood his point, while others underscored that just getting exposure wouldn’t help them with their bills. Worst case, some perceived his apology to be “immature” for instead of being sorry, he insisted that people could simply ignore his tweet for he was basically seeking volunteers and meant no offense, justifying his tweet and not being sensitive enough to what the netizens were trying to mean.

FILIPINO

he LGBTQIA+( Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual) community ended their celebration of Pride Month with a bang as they headed to wave their flag at Marikina Sports Complex this year on the 30th of June.

Pride Month isn’t just about rainbows but it is about celebrating love in many different forms and beyond something most people will ever know. Living in a conservative catholic country, it is difficult for them to express themselves freely.

Staged since 1994, the “Pride March and Festival is not only a safe space for LGBTQIA+ people to celebrate themselves. At its core, it’s a platform to protest and bring attention to the issues that matter to the community,” says Mikhail Quijano, co-head of the organization’s Communications and Campaigns Committee.

It is a yearly event for LGBTQIA+ Community to celebrate, empower and unite in a place where they all feel safe and own their space.

This pride month 2018 the theme is “Rise Up Together” and it is filled with love and so much fun shared not just by the LGBTQIA+ community but also their supporters.

As the community expands every year, it is not easy to organize and hold a big event. It requires much donations and volunteers. Metro Manila Pride has called for a help to fund for this year’s pride month celebration. According to them, the amount will cover all the expenses for the activities, staging and equipment, foods and drinks and some for utilities, security personnel and performers.

Aside from Pride March they have also a lot of activities that is covered with rainbows and unicorns. They had the marriage booth where couples can share their love with one another, food like grilled cheese sandwiches with rainbow popsicles, stickers, free shirts, free HIV testing, free condoms and accessories that everyone would love to take one. After the pre-march an acapella group “The Beary tones” made a rendition of some of the songs like “Akin ka na lang” and also “This is me” to empower and make their pride debut.

Speeches from guests followed, including Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro, and a representative from the Lagablab Network, whose speech aimed to open everyone’s mind and woo people about the situation of the gay community in the country.

After the noteworthy pride march, on an evening night the organization team talked about the passage of SOGIE Equality Bill and encouraging intersectional activism which the community has been fighting

for since it was first filed almost 20 years ago. “Your very presence here amidst a society riddled with misogyny, bigotry, sexism, and ‘macho-feudal’ culture is a protest,” said by Quijano. “We’re here to tell everyone that we’re not any different from them, but the same as everyone.”

“That’s 20 years of LGBTQIA+ people being rejected from jobs, denied access to education, blocked from health care, and struggling against discrimination simply because of who they are, who they love, and how they look,” says Nicky H. Castillo, one of the co-coordinators of Metro Manila Pride.

The bill passed in the House of Representatives last year but faces tough opposition in the Senate. In March of this year, Senator Tito Sotto said that the bill had no chance of passing in the 17th Congress. The Senate President then reversed himself earlier last month by saying that the bill could pass with the “removal of dress codes, encroachment into religious and academic practices, the use of women’s restrooms, etc. etc. etc.” but as Castillo continued her speech she said “Pride must not end today. Your voices need to carry past today,”

After the pride speech, it went on having a blast while celebrating solidarity and witnessing performances.

The 24th pride month celebration and festival concluded with a fireworks display to Katy Perry’s “Firework” and The Squareheads’ hit song “Happy.”

People enjoyed the fireworks until it faded away from the midnight sky, they were all shouting for one last drop “Happy Pride!” with beaming smiles on their faces while chanting ‘Pirmahan na ‘yan! (Sign it!)’ reiterating the community’s call for lawmakers to pass the SOGIE Equality Bill.

Support for the LGBTQIA+ community was also felt throughout the world through various social media sites. Many have shared their thoughts and feelings about being gay and many have shared their experiences as being one who is closeted or not. Many of the Filipino gay community expressed in social media that it is relieving to be finally free to express themselves and that “it’s a good time to come out” because most of Filipinos nowadays are being open minded towards their identity. Strong examples like Bb Gandanghari, Ice Seguerra, and Jake Zyrus, and the King couple being brave enough to become true to themselves have become a factor in inspiring people to be braver about who they really are.

Pride month has ended but not the fight for pride. In the end,

we remain hopeful that

#LoveWins.

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Return of the Freshies ORSEM 2018:

GRAPHICS BY REYNA TALITHA SANTOS

SUPERNOVA WRITTEN BY JOSEPH GERALD YU • PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE

A

WRITTEN BY PUTLI MONAIRA AMILBANGSA II & HARMONY LUCERO

nother school year had just begun, and along with this Ateneo de Zamboanga University welcomed its new batch of first year college students after some lonely two years. The time without these new batches had their Ate’s and Kuya’s anticipating for them. This eagerness shows during AtFest season, and all heads turn to the Senior High School longingly during cheers, wondering if they will be part of their Academic Organization soon. But alas, the wait is over and our “super seniors” are all the doting mother hens for their new “babies.” The success of ORSEM 2018 was a clear manifestation of how the current seniors missed having new faces around, and with this also comes the recognition of the differences of a two year gap could make.

The Reality of Aging Yeah, sure that technically they are just one year behind us in terms of age, but it does not erase the fact that we are still their seniors! Being a senior and interacting with first year students, every time they call us “Ate” or “Kuya” really reminds us that we are actually getting older. Homaygash gradwaiting na talaga tayo!

Fresh Faces on Fleek There are a lot of new faces in the campus, and of course we cannot deny the fact that we can be too observant towards them. Why is it that the freshmen now, actually look fresh? The freshies are living to their name, they are indeed “fresh” and looking very stress-free. The seniors would be reminiscing their first year of college and admit that freshmen year for them were their “neneng”and “totoy” days, completely fresh out of high school, and without much grooming on how to look like adults. Well, this fact is not true for our new bloods. They had 2 years to prepare for their freshmen looks.

The Distribution of Potentials New batch of first year students, you know what it means—more manpower! A new set of student leaders, and a new set of org members have been added this school year. It is to the relief of the senior students that they have more members welcomed into their respective organizations. It’s not just their number that makes the seniors happy, it’s the new ideas, talents, and skills that they can contribute to their organizations.

Space Wars We may all be happy in welcoming the freshies during OrSem Supernova

20 | The Beacon Publications

2018, but there also have been a few dilemmas that came along with the addition of students in the main campus. One of them is the difficulty of finding a place to sit in the cafeteria, kiosks and other places in school.

During peak hours, the cafeteria would be packed with hungry students with not much place to sit and eat. Most of the students would opt to eat outside of school rather than wait around for a free table and then be late to their next class. This is a bummer especially for those who are trying to save money. Students also have difficulties in finding venues for their activities, classes, or programs.

New Kind of Discipline It’s a new sight to see the front and back gates packed with students lining up to get their IDs scanned. When you come early in the morning, more or less 7 or 7:30 AM, you’d be shepherded to a line before you get into the Gate 2 of the campus. You wait in line, wait until it’s your turn for your bag to be checked and ID to be scanned, next thing you know, you’re running late for your 7:30 AM class. It’s all good though, at least we’re not fighting or pushing each other just to get in first, let’s just be patient and try to get to school earlier next time.

Pamana nina Ate at Kuya Some seniors feel that they have this responsibility to act as a role model for the freshmen since they just recently started their college life. Now that we have our new batch to become our successors, we would like to leave our legacy to them, whatever programs started during their time, or whatever good customs done in the Ateneo. We wish to impart with them the roller coaster ride of college life, all its ups and downs, all its beauty and gore. With most of the seniors only having 10 months to get to know their lowerclassmen, they would like to make the most of it and hopefully leave the university at a good note with new friends gained.

A

fter two freshmen-less academic years, Ateneo de Zamboanga University, once again, pulled up a warm welcome for the new batch of eagles in the 2018 Orientation Seminar (OrSem); a yearly reception enthusiastically prepared by the AdZU College Community for the new students. It is a two-day event designed to introduce the freshmen to the core of Ateneo culture and holistic approach of education, the school campus, the administration and the staff, and of course, the different clubs and organizations that would surely color the start of their college lives.

The event was successfully held last June 8 and 9 at the Multi-purpose Covered Court of the university. With this year’s theme, “SUPERNOVA,” OrSem 2018 encouraged everyone to look at the brighter side of discovering one’s self, the world beyond our personal boxes, and making one’s own journey meaningful with the Ignatian values of Magis, Cura Personalis, Animo and Discernment. Since this year’s OrSem marked an important milestone in history as the community welcomed the first batch of Senior High School graduates from the new K-12 curriculum into their first year in college, the OrSem committee hopes to aid the freshmen as they begin their journey in the flesh of the Ateneo.

The preparation for the OrSem 2018 was headed by the Office of the Student Affairs, together with the El Consejo Atenista (ECA) and the different college organizations of the university. The venue spelled out Supernova loud and clear with its space and galaxies ambiance; ornamented with planets and even a rocket hanging right above the stage of the complex, sending out a significant message to the different academic organizations (AAO, MAO, SITAO, LAAO, EAO & NAO) in the AdZU Community.

The rocket represented the Ateneo as an institution and a commu-

nity that brings its passengers, the students, to greater heights. The journey to space, implied to represent the real word, is ought to be challenging, cold and difficult. But, with the help of the rocket, the passengers will be well-prepared and ready for the problems reality will be throwing at them, in time.

“We want to tell them (the freshmen) that they’re here like a star, and when they reach their potential, they explode, and it would look like a negative thing, but, the point here is their journey towards maximizing their own potential with the rocket (the school) as a stepping stone towards their own journey to different experiences in college and after grad,” said Sitti Fatima Paula T. Chua (OSA), Head Coordinator of OrSem 2018.

Around 690+ freshmen enjoyed the two-day event which featured various talks, discussions, and promotional videos of the different college organizations directed towards inviting and informing the young bloods about what awaits them in the dawn of their college life.

The Beacon Publications | 21

6. Learn to socialize

#COLLEGECHEATS

Freshie Survival Tips WRITTEN BY CHRISTINE THERESE OBOY • GRAPHICS BY CRYSTALANE HAGONOY

G

oing to college is essentially restarting your entire life. Think about it— you are introduced to a new environment and are socially required to find a certain amount of friends. You start college with a clean academic slate, along with a lot of independence and a myriad of critical decisions as you begin the transition into adulthood. The decisions that you make and the actions you take during this first year of college will have a major impact on the rest of your college experience.

But wait! This article is not meant to scare you or take away any of the joy and excitement you feel about life in college. This article is all about the things you need to do to not only survive your first year of college in Ateneo, but to thrive in college. And many of the tools, skills, and habits that you can develop (if you take this article to heart) can not only be used to help you succeed in college, but in your future career as well.

1. Use the Internet Responsibly Don’t allow yourself to be that student who wakes up early for a class only to find out upon arriving at school that your prof actually announced a free cut last night through Facebook or e-mail.

Use the internet to be updated on important announcements. Be sure to use it responsibly, especially when you’re that type who tends to get soaked in it for a long time in a day.

2. Open your minds!

College is basically a field where you get to meet people with different backgrounds and lifestyle. Might as well not get too attached with the culture shock.

3. Develop Effective Study Habits Get organized. Know the kind of study habit that is effective for you—one that fits right in your schedule. It is crucial to manage properly the materials you need in studying as well as the amount of time you intend to allocate for them.

22 | The Beacon Publications

4. Be mindful of deadlines (Wag ma-late besh) Be responsible enough to finish your requirements on time as profs are strict when it comes to deadlines and meticulous in accepting excuses in case you don’t make it on time. However, if you think that you have a valid reason for not beating the buzzer, don’t hesitate to talk to your prof as early as possible for a consideration.

5. Study the Ateneo System Yup. The student handbook is actually as important as your academic books are. Make sure not to be that person who didn’t get to enter the campus for wearing an inappropriate outfit in accordance with the school dress code. Remember that ignorance of the rules and regulations excuses no one.

Being friends with the upperclassmen can help you a lot in gaining confidence as you venture in college because they have “been there and done that.” Upperclassmen can also provide you with good sources for studying. Be friends with them and don’t forget to address them as “Ate” and “Kuya”.

From a Super Senior’s perspective, surviving college is almost impossible without the help of good friends and batch mates who are there to help us get through the semesters. Get close with your blockies and batch mates and help one another in acing acads.

No man is an island, they say.

7. Get involved/Join Campus Orgs Organizations can help you discover your maximum potential and let you go beyond your limits. They make us realize that there’s so much more to college life than acads alone. It is also in different organizations where you make friends with students from different courses who you share the same passion with.

Like what was mentioned in the first tip, be updated.

Make sure to read the announcements by different student organizations in posters and online and the future issues of The BEACON Publications.

8. Stay Focused It is in college where you get a lot of “Acads bago lakads”, “Handouts bago hangouts”, and of course the walang kakupas-kupas, “Aral muna bago landi”. Thank God for the people who remind us of our priorities!

Moreover, in as much as extracurricular activities can be of so much help to you in your growth in college, don’t comprise your academics for such activities and learn to master the art of balancing them.

9. Say NO to cramming Having bulaw moments in college where you sometimes forget to study days before an exam is honestly something normal. It happens to everyone. This leads us to cram our lessons a night before or hours before our exam where we surprisingly become super genius for a while. It isn’t good in the long run as some lessons are not “crammable” but more importantly, cramming isn’t really an effective way of internalizing a particular lesson; thus, the concepts learned may only last in your short-term memory. Give your studies a quality a time!

10. Don’t block the run way Yeah, we understand that sometimes when while walking and you suddenly see your friend you haven’t seen in while, you guys might just give each other a kiss or a small talk before waving goodbye and continue walking. There’s absolutely no problem with that, just please be sensitive to others who are walking behind you by giving them way as they may be in a rush trying not to be late for a class.

11. AdZU isn’t a university with restos and coffee shops Whenever you eat at Cafe Atenista or at the kiosk, make sure to eat as if you are in a fastfood chain and not in some restos or coffee shops, especially during peak hours. AdZU’s eating facilities are limited at the moment and some students are in need of space where to eat. Also, just so you know, the library is a good place for studying.

12. Sleep as is important as studying We all get sabog at school whenever we pull an all-nighter for an exam to be taken the day after. This habit might be okay at first, however, in the long run, this might deteriorate your health. So be healthy and make sure to get enough sleep!

13. Don’t be afraid to grow Congratulations for making it in the Ateneo! This institution will surely form your mind and heart (academic and wholistic formation). Don’t be the know-it-all person and start embracing the idea that there’s so much to learn in college and be ready for it!

Sure, college is supposed to be about academics,

but academics is only the half of it! College is really about new experiences and how you can become a better person. Do not let grades discourage you. Do not let any person discourage you. Whatever you do, be sure to be yourself and try to enjoy your college experience as much as possible!

The Beacon Publications | 23

Sitti Chua:

TITA ng AdZU

WRITTEN BY VINZ HARROLD BASILIO & MARTHY SEMIL • PHOTO COURTESY OF JERECHO SALINEL

T

he undisputable Sitti Fatima Paula Tan Chua or “Ate Sitti”, marked her legacy as a popular former student of Ateneo de Zamboanga University due to her leadership advocacies, services and active participation and involvement through different kind of actions that destroy the barriers of building relationships with her fellow Ateneans. Now she is a staff in the Office of Student Affairs, where she caters to her passion in serving the Ateneo community. Presently she is labelled as “Tita Sitti ng AdZU”.

As AdZU students in the Salvador campus, it is impossible for us not to have even once laid our eyes to the standee of our own Tita Sitti that was previously displayed at the door of Cafe Atenista. This very own standee of her states the CLAYGO or the Clean As You Go project of her previous administration which Ateneans still practice.

It is actually one of her major accomplishments. Promoting the attitude of being clean inside the campus may be a tough job for her but promoted awareness among students on what they do that harms the community. Seeing the students gathering, listening, being attentive and united beside her standee makes her feel overwhelmed and calls

Continuing the alive, alert, awake and enthusiastic interview with Tita Sitti, she could not help but laugh at her labelled name, “Sitti: Tita ng AdZu”.

Describing what she feels, she chose the word “KALOKA” and despite the honourable feeling that she has, she also feels very proud through the comfortable connection that she established between her and the students, at the same time with the presence of respect. Being the Tita of a big institution may be pretty fun, but not until when others see you as a perfect person. Tita Sitti tries to emphasize that making a wrong move may get everything ruined, that is why she also feels pressured. Nevertheless, she looks on to the positive side and forward to more Tita duties.

Most of all Sitti Chua possesses the spirit of a vigorous persona.

She engages herself in different movements and shares current issues present not only in the Ateneo community but also in the bigger society we live in her social media accounts.

this as “Sense of Family,” especially the camaraderie among different organizational presidents. Tita Sitti values friendship and communication since these two aspect stands as one of the keys on being successful. Without these, she would not have been one of the greatest student leaders of AdZU and there would be no eye-catching standee waiting for us outside the school cafeteria.

According to Tita Sitti, she believes that some people think that there were no tangible projects accomplished under her, but despite this she also believes that one of her greatest achievements as a former president is gathering the students and the presidents of different academic and club organizations. When she invites them, they come together and they make an effort not just because they are required to, but because of the sense of family among all organization presidents. She also says that “there are more on the communication, interaction and friendship among org presidents, and also yung standee ko po; Her standee reminds all Atenean to be responsible in their own simple way like bringing their lunch boxes and tumblers that will truly help to less the continuous usage of plastic in the campus as well as in the whole community.”

Being grateful to God gives a big impact to her life, as well as the support she gets from her friends, relatives, family and boyfriend. Besides them, she is ever more grateful to the officers of El Consejo Atensita who finished their journey with her through ups and downs. Having them earned her the compliment of “Uy, ang ganda ng admin niyo.” She gives credit to the team’s strong bond and passionate urge to change an Atenean’s life into something more exciting.

Ending the interview, she left an inspiring message to all Ateneans: “Enjoy Ateneo, if mabigayan kayo ng opportunity to attend events, for self-development, grab the opportunity. If nabigyan kayo ng exposure, grab the opportunity, not because na-offer lang sayo but because we all start with something small na yung mga simpleng event na inaattend natin. Eventually, without realizing, nabubuild up na pala natin yung sarili natin. Then after nun, at the end of the day, after our stay in the Ateneo, we will realize na yung mga simple things na tinake natin, one day, yun yung magiging kabuuan ng self natin. Enjoy, Participate, and don’t be apathetic.”

Everyone is capable enough to be an active student, teacher, employee, and staff that can contribute for better change in the Ateneo Community!

A Handkerchief for

Mother Earth

BY AUDRIE KEITH T. SEPE

What was once lush and green is a paradise no more. In every corner of the Earth, from the deepest trench of the oceans to the mountain tops, we hear her compelling cry. She begs for help. Mother Earth is crying. Have we been listening? The world’s population is growing, and as we keep up with our on-the-go lifestyle, the greatest plastic pollution the Earth has ever seen stands on the front rows. It blatantly unveils itself, swamping the ocean that habits a number of species.

The Ateneo de Zamboanga University is among the many communities who stands as one in promoting a greener planet. Upholding the mission of Caring For Our Common Home, the Social Awareness and Community Service Involvement (SACSI) in partnership with the Vice President for Administration and University Environment Council initiated the #ADZUGoesGreen movement. This movement has garnered a lot of opinions from the students. Nevertheless, the results of the #ADZUGoesGreen has brought a great reduction in the number of garbage collected every day. Prior the movement, about 28-30 filled plastic bags are thrown daily. A few months after, more than 50% was reduced with 3-4 bags thrown every day.

A new school year has just begun. In order to keep the movement on track, the Beacon Publications asked different students on their opinion regarding the movement. With the Atenean Spirit and Cura Personalis, all these students have shown concern for the environment and were in favor of the movement.

It didn’t matter whether they were new to it or not, rather they wholly embraced the mission of the university. According to Ayra Sadain, a BS Biology student, “Most advocacies only promote awareness of the negative effects of single-use items on the environment and marine wildlife. While that’s not entirely a bad thing, I think what is more important is an immediate action to actually lessen the amount of trash. I personally think this was a smart move.” Although these students gave a positive response, they also noticed how others seem to disobey the rules. This initiative is of good intention and implementing it wisely and consistently, as well as discipline within the students will bring a better result.

Despite these positive responses, inconveniences in the usage of the cafeteria have also been claimed by some students. Recently, in a twitter rant, a SHS student voiced out her opinion and inconveniencies inside the cafeteria. This has stirred a misunderstanding between the Ecowatch and the student. “The tweet is about the crowdedness of the cafeteria and not about the rules implemented regarding the Ateneo Goes Green,” she said. “The movement is actually a great idea, I have nothing against it. I wish that before coming up with this movement, they should’ve thought of the rising population every year in Ateneo,” she continued. Indeed, the increasing number of students in the campus makes it hard for others to buy their meal. The cafeteria can accommodate only as much students, but not all. Given the fact that these reusable utensils are not allowed to be brought outside the cafeteria, students had to eat inside, thus congesting the place. “The idea of going green is great. Educating students regarding segregation and recycling instead of being strict about the usage of certain cups and etc. is more effective” She ended. Truly, there is no better cure than to treat the root cause itself.

Each one of us contributed to mother nature’s suffering. It is high time for us to do our part in protecting her. In response to the twitter rant, Ecowatch president, Neeza Hasiman clarified that the whole issue was a misunderstanding between both parties. “We only wanted to inform since the organization is one of the spearheads of the campaign. We wanted to emphasize the importance of the #ADZUGoesGreen Campaign, since one of the primary flaws of the campaign is the lack of understanding of the students on its importance,” she said.

Implementing this program surely has its downsides. However, for the better sake of our mother, a little sacrifice can do so much to alleviate her pain. Besides, there is no one to blame, but us—the creatures she nurtured.

Plastic pollution is found everywhere and statistics show that it continuously increases. Tons of plastic spectacle are disposed everyday and they do not biodegrade easily. Instead, they remain in the environment for hundreds of years. To put it simply, the plastics used in the 1900s are still present up to date. Over those years, they have accumulated. Now, we experience the wrath of the mother in pain.

Our wastes impact almost everything. It clogs our drainage systems which causes flood. Every year, reports show an increasing number of animals who either die out of starvation due to plastic-eating or are trapped in these synthetics.

Recently, we witnessed a hefty wave carrying our trashes crashing in Manila during a monsoon. It is as if mother nature is returning all our rubbish to us. Won’t we still listen?

Are her cries not enough for you to hear?

Our small actions affect the world largely just like how the flutter of butterflies affect hurricanes. Combining these small acts can lead to a greater change. By beginning in our campus, by simply disciplining ourselves, we can help her. It is not enough that we only practice solid waste management inside the campus. It must be extended in the bigger community outside the walls of the AdZU.

Are you willing to give her a handkerchief for her tears?

The Beacon Publications | 25

A most

WANTED HOUR WRITTEN BY KIM LOYD DELA CRUZ

Activity Hour.

Some of you might be thinking:

“Hey, I haven’t heard that since forever.”

“Oh, you mean that that activity hour?”

“Yeah, the good ‘ol days.”

Or others might be on their heads: “Activity hour?”

Not so long ago (two years to be precise) in a galaxy not so far away, we are fighting with lightsabers and travelling in distant planets. NO, we don’t! How I wish. But, actually, the most Jedi thing we do is using the Force – our involvement.

Back then…

The bell rings for the tenth time and it was a warm Monday, students are bolting towards the ground floor of the College Building. I can hear voices echoing in the whole structure. It is the voices of students, not of a professor, having a discussion about the certain national issue, not minding the classes they disturb. I can also see people walking by in groups from different courses going somewhere, not minding the classes they miss.

During Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when the clock strikes at 3:00 p.m. classes are called off. There is no such thing as 3 p.m. classes. No one can hear from his fellow classmate, “I am going to be late for my next class,” but we hear them saying they are going to be late for a seminar or a meeting.

School events, organization meetings, seminars, and all things extracurricular related activities are being held this time, most of the time. Microphone sounds don’t disturb any classes. You cannot miss classes because you don’t have any.

It is an hour a student can do anything without minding any class. This is the Activity Hour.

Activity Hour

To quote the bible, a text in Ecclesiastes goes this way:

ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”

And a time for activity, I added.

3 p.m. to 4 p.m. of the MWF days was known for being the Activity Hour. It was an hour sanctioned by school to allot time for students to focus on non-academic activities. This was a time the student body can actively involve himself to the school’s happenings and concerns not minding any missed class or letters to formally be excused by the professor.

In this hour, organizations can arrange meetings, seminars, and other events without worrying the members’ participation and absences in classes. The College Building Ground Floor can be used to host events like the Ateneo Debate Union used to without minding classes it disturbs.

And now became a forgotten lore.

What happened?

According to the Director of Student Affairs, Christine V. Calunod, the removal of the activity hour is because of the implementation of the new K-12 curriculum. Handling the Grade 11 was fine, but with the addition of two year level, the Grades 11 and 12, are much of a burden. Issues arose. The limited classrooms that the Ateneo can offer meant schedules should be rescheduled to cater the addition of students. And taking away the activity hour is one of the solutions considered to address the issue.

At the present…

The ringing of the bell for tenth time feels like the nth time. I can no longer hear voices, but just indistinctly talks from the students as I pass by going to my next class. I hear footsteps rushing towards the flight of stairs going up, not to the ground floor. I see group of student with books in their hands, surely, to review for next long quiz in their major subject.

It was far from before.

Stories from the members of different organizations tell organization suffers.

There are problems rise because of the activity hour’s exclusion. In the top of the list is the attendance. Low count of members going to meetings is one of the concerns of the organization. They can’t blame the members because there is an obvious conflict of schedule, being activity hour is removed. Arranging a meeting is hard and perfect attendance becomes a dream, an impossible dream. Finding a similar vacant period for all the members becomes a mission impossible. This results to big adjustments for the members and the organization itself.

FACILITY wars WRITTEN BY AISHA PUY IBRAHIM

Imagine this,

You just got off from class and want to eat, but the cafe is full and all the seats are taken. Blue and white shadows blur in your sight, and you step down from the stairs amongst the hopeful many who peep through the doors to look for empty seats. Frustrated, you opt to reserve venues instead. There’s a big event headed by your organization and you’ve been tasked to reserve for venues but to no avail. Instead of getting a room, all you seem to be getting is an exercise with all the jogging you do—bouncing from one building to another.

The bell rings and it’s almost time for your next class which…ironically, doesn’t have a classroom.

Now what?

Well, now you’re a certified tour guide for Ateneo De Zamboanga University. But jokes aside, this situation is more common than you think. You definitely don’t have to imagine this because it might have already happened to you.

There have been issues with reservations, due to the fact some people have reserved in advance which has taken up a lot of venues. With the College and Senior High together in one campus, things are bound to get a little overcrowded especially since the new Senior High building has not finished yet. Consequently, getting the MPCC can be a little tight and eating in the cafe might be difficult but it’s not something we can avoid.

Searching for answers, I headed to the College Registrars Office for an interview but they were hesitant and rejective. Consequently, I went to the Director of Student Affairs (DSA) where I scheduled an interview with Ma’am Tin Calunod. Opening up troubles about the overcrowded cafe, personal experiences with the reservation of venues and the first year fiasco led me to know that there was an alleged miscommunication between two registrars (the College Registrar and the Senior High Registrar) which led to another chain of misunderstandings and jumbled up classrooms.

Possibility of reintegration

My first question, why is the MPCC fully booked?

Requests and inquiries from the student body especially from the school organizations, which are most affected, in implementing the activity hour again.

The Office of Students Affairs carefully and patiently explained to them that the matter is not in their control. The integration of Activity Hour benefits the office as well, because they, themselves, call meetings regularly. It is not that the administration doesn’t like it, but it’s just impossible at hand.

Ma’am Tin: Fully booked because people have made their reservations ahead of time. The problem is, there were complaints already like “everything was reserved in Senior High” and then “college could not get in” because there were practices but things are already being arranged like internal conversations lang among people who have made the reservations. When people make the reservation, it’s on a first-come-first-served basis. Last time, we tried to address it by calling the clubs, the officers and talking to Fr. Richard because he is the overall physical plan coordinator. We’re supposed to schedule a conversation with the student orgs and Fr. Richard. Hindi lang pa nagagawa ng schedule.

The good news is the completion of construction of the new Senior High School building will resolve the issue. The complication in lacking of classroom will be addressed. This means that there will be enough classrooms for the College and Senior High to occupy, this means no more lack of classrooms, and this means better schedule assignments. And finally, Activity Hour will be backed.

But the discretion of the reintegration of activity hour is up to the Vice President of Academics and the registrar’s office. Let’s just hope for the return of the Activity Hour. Let’s hope the “good ‘ol days” be back.

Ano po yung plan of action niyo?

Ma’am Tin: Yun, to talk so that the students will understand. Hopefully, when the physical facilities gym of the senior high will be done along with their building, things will be a lot easier in terms of reservations. Nagkataon lang kase, college walang PE so sakanila nareserve. Pero for now, yun talaga yun.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARMINE GRACE BANNISTER

Yung mga action points, we encourage communication. The reservation system, we’re trying to fix it, plus the accession with Fr. Richard so that students will understand what really is going on. On my part, I would really remind the college students na wag makipagaway and all muna, dapat magadjust and the same thing with the senior high. Pareho, eh. These are things that are beyond our control in terms of space. Usually kung sino nagmamake ng reservation, yung moderator, sila na ang nakikipagusap and it doesn’t have to go through me.

Regarding sa cafe po, it’s really crowded. What would be your solution towards this situation?

Ma’am Tin: The same parin yung sagot. Marami masyado ngayon yung senior high, wala pang building. Hopefully, we can address the problem as soon as the building is built. Sila yung mas marami and yung regular so puno talaga. I think Fr. Richard has already placed some benches where students can make-tambay, notice that even the college lobby kahit hindi dapat mag tambay diyan, for now inaallow namin for as long hindi maingay. I would even allow the DSA office, the conference room, for them to stay and study so we’re making adjustments also.

Do you know what happened on the first day of classes? Are you aware of the miscommunication between the two registrars?

Ma’am Tin: Actually, it was brought up with the communication conversation with Fr. Louis. Yun, kaya nga I think part of the recommendation at that time was for the registrars to have their own reservation forms. Sabi nga sa meetings, hindi lang estudyante ang nagmemeet, pati ang OSA. Like for example, we made a reservation for the Campion Lecture Hall and eventually it’s like pinaalis kame. The other party did not make a reservation technically but we had to let go because we had to understand to keep the peace. Nangyayari siya.

Is there still an issue with the reservations and venues?

Ma’am Tin: So far, wala. Especially sa reservations, so far ngayon wala. I believe it was addressed; registrars came up with their own actions as well. Yung sa venue, naawa ako kase sometimes they have to go outside kaya additional requirements. Kaya nga importante, kahit si Fr. Louis hinihigi nya talaga yung calendar of activities of each organization. Even kami, sa Higher Ed para hindi mag ka problema. As much as possible we try to understand, pareho binabayaran, we always take into consideration those things so both ways, both sides nahihirapan. Both sides, both ways make adjustments.

What message would you leave to students who get frustrated with these kinds of events?

Ma’am Tin: Rest assured that we tried to mediate things, that your con-

cerns though the Consejo, through the OSA, we care. Nakikinig kame and we take into consideration basically your welfare, kayo yung clients namin eh. So talagang inaayos. But there are things talaga na beyond our control.

Nagkasunog sa gym, so nagkulang tayo but as much as possible we try to provide what we can. And that, if you have concerns, we are open; you can come and talk to us.

The Beacon Publications | 27

Earthquake Drill:

A

long with the approval of the Congress to the Bangsamoro Basic Law, the Social Awareness and Community Service Involvement (SACSI) Office of the Ateneo de Zamboanga University held a Round Table Discussion with the representative of the different student organizations of the institution regarding the said matter last July 20, 2018.

Round Table Discussion : Squaring Up Big Matters WRITTEN BY DITHER ATAYDE

This discussion tackled the implications of the Bangsamoro Basic Law implementation in Mindanao’s peace process, economy, and sociopolitical issues. Basically, the purpose of the discussion was to emphasize the importance of pursuing the peace process (BBL). The top reason is to completely end the wars in Mindanao and the costs that it entails: economic loss, human casualties, and social welfare disruption.

The common misconceptions about the BBL were also meticulously addressed and clarified in the session, paving the way for the participants to obtain a whole new understanding of the said matter. Prior to that, the participants were allowed to write their insights down on a piece of paper provided to them, and these were posted on the board. The speaker discussed these one by one and cleared the myths that they had, and replaced them with concrete facts.

The discussion proceeded to further identify the different points that needed to be understood in the implementation of the BBL such as the Bangsamoro Parliamentary form of government, which will be largely administered by a Chief Minister along with two Deputy Ministers, and other ministers to form the cabinet and the policing in the Bangsamoro region.

ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES

Before the RTD ended, the participants were asked to write down what they can do as a student to contribute to the success of the BBL. These activity enabled them to look into themselves, and sort out their strengths to find the simple actions that they can do. The overarching response was “starting with myself.” They explained that, for them to be able to encourage others to look at the matter in a whole new picture, they themselves should obtain adequate understanding of it first. As what one of the participants, Matthew A. Lim have said, “We break barriers with strong blows of wisdom.”

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WAKE UP, ATENEANS

WRITTEN BY TASH-A-DEANNA EUGENIO

C

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHARMINE GRACE BANNISTER

an you imagine having just a normal class at the 4th floor of the BC Building and all of a sudden, a strong earthquake strikes? All of your classmates are in panic and you don’t know what to do. It’s a scary idea, right? Being stuck on the highest floor of a building while it’s constantly shaking for a few seconds or more. Sadly, it isn’t just an idea. It can become a reality. A reality that most of us refuse to acknowledge.

Earthquake drills are commonly practiced in Ateneo de Zamboanga University two to three times per year but recently, some students seem to take it in a light manner. The estimated time for people to evacuate from a building during an earthquake is 2.5 minutes. Observing the most recent earthquake drill held in AdZU last June 21, the evacuation phase of the students took more than 8 minutes. People were moving out of the buildings casually and they weren’t taking the earthquake drill seriously. Isn’t it alarming? What if it was a real earthquake? Will any one of the AdZU students survive?

We all know that the Philippines is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire. This is the reason why our country is prone to seismic and volcanic activity. Many deadly earthquakes have already happened in our country but right now, a new threat is coming and that is The Big One. A 7.2 magnitude earthquake from the West Valley Fault is expected to hit Metro Manila and Quezon City. Some people may ask, why should Zamboangueños prepare for an earthquake that is most likely to happen in Manila? The answer is simple. The Big One is expected to occur in Metro Manila and Quezon City but it doesn’t mean that it is impossible for a stronger earthquake to hit the Zamboanga Peninsula. Remember the Moro Gulf Earthquake in 1976? With a 7.9 magnitude and almost 3,000 casualties, it is officially the strongest and deadliest earthquake in Philippine history that left almost 40, 000 people homeless. It was then followed by a massive four- to five-meter-high tsunami covering 700 kilometers of coastline bordering the island.

Let us take a look back at the earthquake drill last Jun. What if it was a real earthquake and not just a drill? Would we survive based on our actions? The answer is NO. Most of the students would probably be dead at the response phase.

Why? It is because instead of doing the duck, cover and hold, some of them were talking, using their phones and still do-

ing their requirements. They did not seem to care about the earthquake drill at all. It got worse when it was time to evacuate. Instead of walking in lines and covering their heads, almost everyone was just walking out of their rooms like there was no earthquake drill happening. Most of them were talking with their friends and even taking “selfies”. It was a very disappointing sight because the earthquake drill wasn’t successful. It wasn’t executed properly by the students.

Earthquake drills are important because we get the chance to prepare for an earthquake. With this preparation, we would already know what to do and how to react when an earthquake comes. This is why we need to takes these matters seriously because we will never know when a disaster will strike. During a major earthquake, the school population is expected to follow what they learned during earthquake drills in order to prevent casualties. Students should realize how earthquake drills are vital in increasing the survival rate of a school population during calamities such as earthquakes. In the next Earthquake drill, it is with great hope that we all try our best to execute the drill properly and take it seriously. “Everybody starts caring when it is too late,” but Ateneans, let us always keep in our minds that “it is never too late to make things right”.

The Beacon Publications | 29

those were really well-made too). From the physical costumes and props to the LED projected backdrops, these all shows how much preparation and thought went through this in order to make every performance worth your 150 pesos.

Stage play

A play of words with the film-reviewing website, Rotten Tomatoes I never expected that my first time would be exhilarating.

My first experience to watch a live play made me feel too many emotions to handle. I had certain expectations and Batang Rizal did not leave me hanging. From the opening scene to the very end of the play, I felt attached to everything about it. I’m not an expert critic on musical plays, but these are some of the things that I really found impressive: Ambience and Setting

The lights, the sounds, the atmosphere, and the entire vibes of the play are hard to ignore. It was very apparent that the staff and crew worked really hard to make every show the best show for everyone. There was even an announcement notifying the audience of their use of smoke screen and strobe lights; there was also a short segment before the play began where Sir Kiko explained to the audience the do’s and don’ts of the show. Both helped set the mood for the audience to really enjoy the show to the fullest.

Additionally, what I particularly liked the most in the setting up of the ambience were the soundtrack (I need this tbh) and sound effects (I am a big sucker for audio works, so yeah...) specifically whenever the looming bass starts up every time there’s a dramatic scene. That would give me chills. Even if my friend and I were literally freezing from the very low temperature of the hall, the play was passionate enough to kindle my cold soul.

Also, have you seen those costumes? The clothes were made very well that it really helped distinguish which character was from the past and from the present. Those props? I honestly need the transparent backpacks, those looked cool. Even the insignia of Rizal Elementary School was made thoughtfully. The “bantayog”? Those who made it were recognized for their work. Those animal mascots and the giant head of the Alcalde Mayor? They were really catered for the young audience (I’m not really a big fan of mascots, but hey,

30 | The Beacon Publications

The cast! The script! The directing! The. Sound. Track.

Everything! It made a great impression on me because they were so simple, relatable and understandable yet very deep and detailed in every aspect. The actors showed really good expressions on stage. Funny story, when I first saw how they acted I initially thought “...what, parang ang OA naman nila.” But then I realize that maybe they HAVE to be OA (but not too much I reckon) in order to clearly show the audience the different emotions that they have to express. And then I wondered, “I can clearly see their expressions up on stage because I’m sitting in the front row...but how about those who are waaay back of the hall?” In then it clicked to me: Voices. I remembered watching an acting teacher tell her students that the core foundation of acting is surprisingly not the facial expressions but the strength of one’s voice. And I saw that manifest in the Batang Rizal cast. So even if not everyone can clearly see the various expression the actors have made, everyone can hear how their voice would sound like. There may have been times where some of the voices were hard to hear, but most of the cast made it up with their powerful voices.

I also would not forget how the script and the directing mingled into a beautiful masterpiece that is Batang Rizal. Both helped make the characters have loveable and well-developed personalities. The lines are witty and entertaining and the way the actors stood on stage showed that they knew what they were doing. I also noticed how there were no idle characters on stage in every scene, even there was a lot happening in a particular scene.

I also can’t stress enough how I really like their sound track. And I can’t possibly just pick a favorite because I like all the song numbers. I believe it was a combination of modern, hip-hop, and ballad music and other genre that I’m probably missing out. The songs were catchy and ‘maka-masa’.

Concept

As a student who is currently taking up Histo104, I related a lot to most of the scenes because the things that I have read in text have been actualized into this very fun and inspiring piece of art. The play had a childish and fun vibe, was an eye-opener for cultural and political affairs, and gave me as an audience a rollercoaster of feels.

The concepts of time-travel, parallel worlds, and the youth of today being the hope of tomorrow were all fascinating ideas that would really engage the audience. Apparently, when I interviewed Pepe as a BEACON journalist, he said that the goal of the play was to dehumanize Rizal, in a sense that Rizal or Pepe was just like every other kid who did great things because of the people he loved and the country he lived for. It wasn’t a matter of how or when you die, but it is in the way you live and do great things for the greater good that makes you memorable and even a hero.

I somehow got the message Batang Rizal wanted to convey and I hope that others would too.

It was a great experience and I felt very lucky being able to watch my first ever comedy musical made by these amazing and talented people. If I could, I would give this play 9 rotten mangoes out 10. It’s definitely worth more than the P150.00 ticket, it serves a good cause, and it brings out a fun and enjoyable experience with eye-opening lessons.

ENTABLADO:

The Beacon of Theater WRITTEN BY SHEKINAH CRYSTAL BATOY • PHOTOGRAPHY BY MOHAMMAD SARAJAN

M

any have praised Ateneo de Manila University’s Entablado, not only for their great works, but also for its strong voice on their socio-political advocacies. Many have also testified how their plays and performances bear underlying tones—encouraging their audience to give light to their imagination and bring forth epiphanies. This time, the collaboration of ACCA (Ateneo Center for Culture and the Arts) and Entablado’s latest project, Batang Rizal, came knocking on AdZU’s doors and was greeted with great passion.

So let’s talk about the play: Batang Rizal. A lot of the audience have commented on its amazing theatrics, the good-looking actors, the entertaining acts, and the catchy soundtrack. Well, other than what the audience can clearly see up in the stage, how about the conceptualization and meaning of the play itself? If you didn’t get the chance to see the play, then here’s what you’ve missed:

Pepito is the smartest grade 6 student of Rizal Elementary School and is a fairly energetic boy of his age. While the school is preparing for their annual “Buwan ng Wika at Kultura 2018”, an awful circumstance arises, and incidentally, the monument of Batang Rizal donated by Mayor Rapcu breaks and becomes unrecognizable. For some reason, Pepito gets blamed for it.

With the responsibility now on his tiny shoulders, he has to find a way to repair the monument; or else he and his siblings studying in Rizal Elementary School will be kicked out. As he seeks for a solution for this unwanted predicament, he stumbles upon a book that literally transports him to the young days of our national hero Jose Rizal, who was only known as Pepe back then. Now Pepe is a young child with a great fondness of his mother, a lovely relationship with his brother and sisters, and a childish excitement when he learns of his ‘glorious’ future from meeting Pepito. Together, Pepe and Pepito discover and learn new things about each other, the fate of their own lives, and the great importance of friendship and youth.

Now, without spoiling too much of the performance itself (kase malay mo, babalik sila sa AtFest), it is also worth mentioning the observable parallelism that the story portrayed. Parallelism in a sense that Pepe of the past and Pepito of the present are two connected entities; that the two characters and the timelines that they belong to isn’t that much different at all. For example, Pepito is a smart kid who loves his family and gets along well with most of his peers. In the same page, Pepe is also a bright kid who is very affectionate and compassionate towards his family and friends. Pepito likes having fun and Pepe likes to play as well. Pepito is a witty kid; Pepe is a talented child. Pepito gets scared of the punishment for breaking the bantayog and Pepe becomes terrified when he learns that he will be shot to death. Imagine being a 12-year old child who suddenly gets told, “hey you’re going to get shot in this place.”

Wouldn’t you get horrified? Because Pepe certainly did.

Additionally, it’s not just the two main characters themselves that have parallels, even their own timelines have parallels. In Pepe’s time, abuse and injustice were apparent and even directly affected his mother. The death of GomBurZa made Pepe’s older brother Paciano tell the child how important education is in order to defend himself as well as instilling to Pepe how to love his country and his people. Though Pepito has not witnessed execution himself in his timeline, he did tell Pepe of the modern-day problems such as poverty, pollution, road traffic, and even EJK. Finally, Pepito is fully aware of how important education is, not just for his own future, but also for the future of his siblings.

Pepe and Pepito are two sides of a giant metaphorical coin that is the young generation of today; both having the same value despite being on different sides of the coin. What the two characters have been trying to convey to their young audience since day 1 of their 9 shows is that anyone can be a hero if they just do their ordinary duties extraordinarily well; that Rizal isn’t just a high and mighty character, but he too had started off as a young child with a passionate love for his family and his country. What they were trying to reach out to the viewers was that the youth of today is the greatest hope for tomorrow. If you think that you’re only an elementary student, it’s never too early to do great things—Pepito himself was a grade 6 student. And if you think that you’re already in your fifth year in university, it’s never too late—remember, El Filibusterismo wasn’t written in a day.

Entablado’s exceptional style of incorporating fine arts and socio-political advocacies has made them distinct and memorable to many viewers. This lets their audience enjoy drama, music, and arts while engaging with a great cause. In the same manner, The Beacon Publications involves itself in shedding light and giving voice to the current events with its creative writing, lay-out designing and photojournalism. Similar to the parallels shown by the two main characters of Batang Rizal, Beacon and Entablado are not that different in expressing significant concerns for the entire Filipino community in ways that are fun and appealing to their young audiences.

The Beacon Publications | 31

Re-DAWN

of theTAXIS

18’

zZAMCELCO A DYING PUBLIC UTILITY

WRITTEN BY FATIMA DIA AHAJA

ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES

D

WRITTEN BY YVES JOEY FLORES

espite the regular exhaust fumes from which passengers normally experience, jeepneys and tricycles are the main public vehicles in Zamboanga City. However, most recently, about 15 taxis have joined these public economical transportations.

With the expanding and metropolitanizing energy sniffed in the air of Zamboanga, the debut of the taxis is a clear step towards urbanization. It is no longer just an ordinary city in the south west corner or one marked with the embers of a chaotic warfare, but it sails along the path of transforming into an envisioned developed city - one with a visible economic growth bustling with commercial and industrial centers and that which delivers excellent quality of life for the people. Zamboanga is ambitious and competitive, essentially no less than any city. Partnering the numerous road rehabilitations design is thus the materialization of the awaited taxis. As one of the largest, and most important port cities in the Philippines, taxis in the big city will provide an important medium of transport for city-dwellers and tourists alike.

2. ‘Umupo lang, may 40 pesos na bayad na’

Of course, taxi fares are relatively pricey compared to other public transportations. In fact, one of the downsides of taxi operations is its flag down rate of P40 for the first 500 meters.

ne second, Zamboanga is a lively and busy city. The next, it’s dead.

Simple advice: do not ride a taxi if you plan on going somewhere on short distances.

3. Barkada/ Family Transpo

Whether hanging out with the family or with a huge squad of friends, taxis will provide us a sufficiently-sized private space for traveling anywhere. This will undoubtedly become one of the main signals that’ll make us love taxis.

4. The Hero during the bad weather

Taxis are found at the core of any sophisticated society, and yes, there is a wide-ranging list of reasons that can be profited from their implementation. Yet, have we looked at the factors that prove them otherwise? Here are a number of things that the typical us, would make them fall out of our favor or divergently rocket our enthusiasm.

1. Quality, Quantity and Privacy

When heavy rains come pouring down the undefiled lands, we are unwillingly applied in a hunger games for tricycles. Looking for public vehicles is very difficult in uncooperative weather seasons which is especially true for ones who regularly commute to school, office, or home. More so, doubled- fares are deceptively charged , and it is impossible to not get slightly drenched from these type of vehicles. Taxis may be our new savior during the rainy days!

Each taxi unit will be equipped with a meter reader with receipt printer, dash camera, Wi-Fi and a global positioning system for the convenience and safety of the passengers, according to the Chairman of the Transport Service Cooperative, Jerson Monteverde. There are no frequent stops to pick up other passengers with a taxi .With this quality insistence, taxis will ensure us a comfortable ride, not to mention it can squish in 4-5 adults in a cab. Also, we can freely use our laptops

If it ensues, such situation can be viewed from various angles. Somehow, subtracting tricycles would benefit road networks from lesser traffics . On the other hand, it may consequently promote the installation of more taxis or jeepneys which would mean more traffic (confusing?). In addition, we are left to choose between jeepneys and taxis, which have incredibly different price range! This may be troublesome for a few, or beneficial for those who can handle money wisely.

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O

and confidently wear beautiful dresses and full face of makeup without having to worry about people staring and judging.

5. No more tricycles in highways in the future?

ILLUSTRATION COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES

Following a decade-long wait, the first-rate grander transits of the average pinoy are back on the roads of the Asia’s Latin City. Taxis, which used to typify an experience of the past, are once again welcomed by the Zamboanguenos upon the issuance of accreditation by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). Taxis will navigate off the routes of the Peninsula and now transport the commoners outside the blossoming urbs in better quality rides.

Due to the abnormal power interruptions in the city, Zamboanga has been dubbed as the “Asia’s Blackout City”—another flashy title under the belts of Zamboangueños, but definitely something not to be proud of. In fact, it’s shameful for it reflects the city’s local government’s incompetence to deal with the problem. After all, it’s been several years since the long and frequent blackouts first pestered households. Yet, the situation only worsened.

What’s the tea?

Zamcelco has been silent and has never been forthright in telling the exasperated electric consumers of its precarious financial condition.

When Zamcelco started serving the city’s electric consumers, nobody has heard of its inability to pay electric providers.

But now, its debt has grown tremendously that it can’t even pay one electric provider fully and promptly. This resulted not only to continuous blackouts, but on a bigger scale, the growth and development of the city.

Zamcelco is a multi-billion business enterprise primarily engaged in the very important and critical business of distributing electricity to electric consumers of Zamboanga City. But the electric consumers are wondering why the people managing the daily operations of the cooperative and its policy makers are all lemons and have no track record in managing and policy-making.

Its board is stocked by people who should not be there.

The president is a retired public school teacher and its board members are mostly barangay chairmen. They were elected to their positions with the support of politicians who never thought of the consequences of their acts by pushing these people without any corporate education, ideas and training. Putting these people to run the multi-billion business of Zamcelco is disastrous and a great calamity. These people now appear hopeless and clueless on how to devise ways to repair the damage they’ve done.

The denizens of the city were glad when Zamcelco entered into an agreement with Meralco, where the latter will assume the management of the electric cooperative. The profit sharing will be 60:40, with Meralco getting the bigger share and Zamcelco doing nothing. But the Integrated Management Contract (IMT) prepared by Zamcelco and presented to Meralco for their approval, was rejected by the latter. No satisfactory reasons were put forward by Meralco as to why it rejected the contract. Corollary to this, a new power provider, SRPI, which has agreed to supply 100 MW of electricity to the city, is now in quandary because of this development. It is now finishing their power plant in San Ramon, ready to comply with its obligation. With Meralco managing Zamcelco, SRPI knew that the latter will be in good hands and it could expect the prompt payment of its power it will be supplying Zamcelco. Now with Meralco’s rejection of the IMC, will Zamcelco be able to pay SRPI their power supply, which will now be 100 MW, more than the total electricity of 95 MG needed by Zamboanga City?

If Zamcelco’s officials continue to prioritize personal gain over service, we are left with only blackouts after blackouts.

At that rate, there’d be no use complaining and hoping. We’ve voiced out our plight for years, and they’ve only passed through deaf ears. We might as well disconnect from their service and settle with candles and batteries. Maybe they’d finally do something about it.

The Beacon Publications | 33

Sanggunian Kabataan

Elections 2018

THE CALL:

Blaze emplaces Labuan in ruins

WRITTEN BY ERIKA JENN QUISIL

The unwanted fire ends the oblivion in ashes.

“At about 1: 10 in the afternoon, on July 22, a call was received by the Police station that a huge fire was in progress at Purok 5, Barangay Labuan, Zamboanga City.” Police station 10 commander Senior Inspector Janver Cabataña said.

One of the 98 barangays in the city was reportedly suffering from structural and financial loss as a consequence of the huge fire. The destructive fire has developed several problems including physiological need support resulting from the loss of properties. The houses in the coastal area were consumed by the flame and turned into gray ashes. No one ever imagined the massive ruins that the fire set and how the loss experienced by the fire victims after seeing their houses gradually burn and go up in heavy smoke. Through the unexpected incident, can people emerge compassion and awareness into life?

According to Cabataña, the bureau incontinently advanced to the affected area and responded to the fire scene while the police deployed to assist the fire victims rushing out from the burning houses. This statement provides a declarative view as to how the men in uniform immediately aided the victims.

Senior Superintendent Jhufel Brañanola of the Zamboanga City Fire District (ZCFD) said that the fire had reached the fourth alarm. The conflagration was under control at 2:05 pm and declared fire out at 3: 00 pm. The fire started at one residence and engulfed the nearby houses in the coastal area of Labuan. According to a fire official, the owner of the house with which the fire began had been placed under investigation following the information that he is into illegal sale of petroleum products. The huge fire devastated an estimated three-hundred houses made of light materials.

Estimates show that the conflagration damaged at least four million pesos worth of properties from the residents. Fortunately, no human loss and damages have been reported.

In response to the ruins caused by the fire, Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco Salazar supervised the distribution of relief goods to the victims accompanied by the City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) and City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) personnel.

The local government mentioned that it has mobilized its resources to

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A

WRITTEN BY SHANNAH LOMBOY • PHOTO COURTESY / FACEBOOK

fter numerous postponements, the Sanggunian Kabataan Elections 2018 finally pushed through last May 14, 2018. With over 1,000 precincts available among the districts, people have casted their votes in the hopes of electing the best officials for their respective barangays. The elected barangay officials are expected to be responsible, concerned and enthusiastic enough to go the extra mile for the betterment of their barangays; a manifestation of the spirit of Magis and Cura Personalis. Since the Atenean education incorporates these values in its teachings, some of the elected officials in the recent SK Elections are students and alumni of the institution.

Here is an in-exhaustive list:

PHOTO COURTESY OF ABS-CBN NEWS

supply goods and assistance to the fire victims. Aside from this, President Duterte himself led the ceremonial distribution of relief goods as he visited the barangay and assured that he will craft a plan on rebuilding the ruined shelters in Labuan.

Kim Villaflores SK Chairman, Sta. Catalina

Samantha Bucoy SK Chairman, Tetuan

Marimar Hajim SK Chairman, Baliwasan

Sheah Santos SK Kagawad, Pasonanca

Mathew Ramillano SK Kagawad, Tetuan

Nikko Piolo SK Kagawad, Tetuan

Erna Jalon SK Kagawad, Putik

Just like the hands-on support that the government bestowed unto the fire victims in response to the call of humanitarian duty, empathy, and compassion, the El Consejo de Atenista of Ateneo de Zamboanga University (ECA-ADZU) set an initiative in collaboration with Social Awareness and Community Social Involvement (SACSI) and other Atenean organizations, block sections, and individuals to take part in helping the fire victims through the simple yet powerful way of being men and women for others.

“Aside from heading the mobilization of goods in the tertiary level, ECA also donated a box of hygiene kits. The El Consejo requested that the donors donate the basic necessities and we are happy that they have responded. The donations consisted mostly of clothes, but there were also food and water donations. The Consejo hopes that in one way or another, our little effort of helping them has given them a head start in rebuilding their lives,” ECA President Alex Wee said. The university president supports the undying value of the Ateneo Community in Social Involvement and Development.

Facts and witnesses implied the damages of the conflagration which emplaced Labuan in various financial and structural losses. According to reports, 404 families were affected and lost their shelter and properties. The brighter side of the fire incident is that it opened people’s eyes to see the burning reality that all the people who coexist in the society are called for a purpose to stand one in good stead.

The reported conflagration in the coastal areas of Labuan devastated hundreds of people and consumed an estimated of three-hundred houses. But it ends with obliviousness in the mind of the many, oblivion of compassion and safety.

The unwanted fire ends the oblivion in ashes.

This is the call: to realize, serve, and help.

The National and Local Elections are fast approaching, but the people’s interest and motivation to vote seem to be dwindling down the wrong side. Many argue that their votes aren’t significant enough to make a difference, or that they aren’t particularly aware on the main issues the country and its people is facing, to the point that they consider they are better-off not voting at all; while the others complain that the application process to be a registered voter presents them much of a hassle and is typically not worthwhile. These people don’t necessarily disregard the essence of voting completely. It may actually imply that the reward of voting for them is too minimal compared to the comfort offered by not casting a vote at all. Such a mindset arises from a more egocentric account of benefits; thinking of the reward of voting in one’s personal life rather than for the sake of the state itself. It is very easy to confide with this line of thinking, and resorting to mediocrity for one’s convenience can be very tempting; but people often forget that these impermanent things do not come for free.

People must be reminded of just how important voting really is, especially in a democratic state. Voting serves as one of the

Adelyn Salvador SK Kagawad, Guiwan

most fundamental processes to keep the system of the government working. It also represents the very essence of Democracy; being a government for the people, by the people. Given that a vote can steer a country into the right path in a forked road, it is naturally rational for people to use their right to vote with a political power that goes beyond; as each individual’s vote, regardless of one’s socio-economic status, gender, and other probable biases in a society, counts only as one. It also serves as a reflection of what one wants to see in the country. Failure to put such an enormous tool into good or any use at means that these people are conforming to the status-quo; and accept whatever is handed onto their plates, regardless of their inner complains and regrets for the state.

Reading up on the issues, the candidates and their background, signing up as a registered voter this coming 2019 election is a good start in assuming your responsibility as a citizen of the state. Your vote serves as your voice, and in unison with your fellowmen, can change the direction of a community, and a state towards development.

The Beacon Publications | 35

Women Power, Led the Philippines to Victory!

The 2018 World Cup is now over, and the next one is four years away. Sixty-four games later, France emerged victorious, defeating Croatia 4-2 in the finals to win its’ second World Cup ever, and its first since 1998. As a month long football celebration in Russia was finally wrapped up, it would have been nearly impossible for a fan to catch every game, so here are a few key takeaways from this tournament.

WRITTEN BY RIZANNA NARAG • PHOTO COURTESY OF JASMINE PAYO

I

t was a show of women power as the Philippines pulled off an unexpected four-gold medal harvest coming from Filipina bets in the 2018 Asian Games held last August 18 to September 2 in Palembang, Jakarta.

The 27-year old from Zamboanga first made her name to the headlines when she won a silver medal in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She has dedicated her winnings to help out aspiring weightlifters achieve their dreams.

Moreover, the bulk of the Philippines’ med-

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BIG BOYS OUT EARLY

al tally came from the Filipina golfers. Yuka Saso secured the gold in the individual golf and also led the national women’s golf team of bronze medalist Bianca Pagdanganan and Lois Kaye Go to seal the gold medal.

It’s the first time that the country has sent Aside from them, another Filipina snatched a virtually 50-50 gender ratio to the continental the gold medal in the game of skateboard. games.

The 19-year old, Cebu native, Margielyn

Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz was Didal became the first gold medalist in the histothe first to capture a Philippine gold medal after she ry of women’s skateboarding in the Asian Games as lifted a total of 207 kilograms to rule the women’s she dominated her competition with 30.4 points in 53-kg event in the weightlifting competition. the women’s park event.

WRITTEN BY ABDEL AZIZ ALFAD & YUSRHINA USMAN • PHOTO COURTESY OF FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

With these results, the gold medals in weightlifting, golf and skateboarding, as well as the two silver and 15 bronze medals bagged by other Filipino athletes placed Team Philippines at rank 19 among 37 of the 45-nation games that clinched at least one bronze medal.

The Champions’ Curse still lingers on as Germany became the third-straight reigning champions to crash out of the World Cup at the group stage, following Italy in 2010 and Spain in 2014; and that was one of the biggest storylines of the tournament. Warnings signs were there as Manuel Neuer was rusty and the likes of Mesut Ozil and Thomas Mueller were out of sorts, but still, Die Mannschaft’s title defense was woeful.

Argentina’s organization was woeful throughout as Jorge Sampaoli basically surrendered control of the team to the players as they scraped by Nigeria in their final group stage game, then lost 4-3 in a thriller against eventual winners France in the Round of 16. Lionel Messi may never grace the World Cup stage again and Argentina were an unbalanced, top-heavy shambles in this tournament.

Omnishambles can be used to describe Spain’s World Cup. On the eve of the tournament they fired head coach Julen Lopetegui after he agreed to take over as Real Madrid manager without informing the Spanish Football Association and although they made it to the last 16 under caretaker boss Fernando Hierro, something wasn’t quite right as they crashed out to hosts Russia on penalty kicks in the last 16.

Portugal departing in the last 16 wasn’t too much of a shock but did deprive us of seeing Cristiano Ronaldo in the latter stages of the tournament.

For Brazil, this was supposed to be about redemption for four years ago, when Brazil went in with abundant belief and got routed

The Beacon Publications | 37

by eventual champions Germany like no host nation in history. It was supposed to be savvier this time, smarter, more structured, more European in some ways. Instead it found itself mired in an identity crisis, as they bowed out to Belgium 2-1 in the Quarterfinals.

Video Assistant Referee (VAR) made its World Cup

debut this tournament, and proved decisive throughout. Unlike Goal Line Technology (GLT) decisions of a binary nature, goal or no goal, VAR will always have a human person interpreting the rules. So a reviewed decision may not always receive approval from all parties concerned.

VAR was also crucial in the Finals, with a penalty awarded to France in the 38th minute coming after a controversial VAR moment: after first dismissing France’s claims of a handball, referee Néstor Pitana reviewed the video footage and decided that Croatian player Ivan Perišić had deliberately handled the ball, and awarded a penalty.

Deflated thereafter, Croatia trailed for the rest of the match. But France’s following goals—one by Manchester United’s Paul Pogba, and the other by 19-year-old Kylian Mbappé— showed Les Bleus were determined winners.

WORLD CUP AWARDS

The Golden Ball, presented to the best player of the World Cup final, was awarded to Luka Mordic of Croatia, who led the team to its first ever World Cup Finals. The Golden Boot for the top scorer during the entire World Cup was awarded to Harry Kane of England, who scored 6 goals. The Golden Glove award for the best goalkeeper of the tournament was awarded to Thibaut Courtois of Belgium. The Best Young Player award was awarded to Kylian Mbappe, who became the first teenager to score in a World Cup Final since Pele in 1958. The FIFA Fair Play Trophy was given to Spain.

CALL FOR ENTRIES THE BEST WORLD CUP EVER

By all accounts, the 2018 FIFA World Cup has a pretty good argument for being called the greatest World Cup of all-time.

Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, stated that the 2018 World Cup was “the best World Cup ever.”

There were 169 goals scored across all 64 matches, which was the second highest total in World Cup history (there were 179 goals scored at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil), and out of 64 matches, only one (a group stage match between France and Denmark) ended in a scoreless draw. The tournament started with a bang, as the first 36 matches of the tournament featured at least one scored goal, which set the record for most consecutive matches with a goal to start the World Cup (the previous record was 26, set back at the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland). With more late goals (90th minute or later) at this World Cup than the last three combined, we were treated to incredible drama. It ended on a bang too, as the

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final match featured six goals, which was the highest scoring final since 1966 when England defeated West Germany 4-2; for perspective, the previous two World Cup finals ended with 1-0 score lines.

It also featured some notable moments, such as the Japanese, in which the fans showed their discipline by cleaning their garbage in the bleachers, even until their elimination with a loss against Belgium in the Round of 16. The players showed this discipline as well, as they cleaned their locker room and left a “Thank You” note for the hosts.

Russia has exceeded expectations in their successful hosting, as some fans have even called the 2018 World Cup the last traditional World Cup of all-time, as the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will take place in the winter (November – December), and every World Cup from 2026 onwards will consist of 48 teams. If this is the last World Cup as football fans know it, then looking back on it, they saved the best for last.

Send your poems, short stories, plays, essays, photographs, and traditional and digital art, with the following requirements: • Entries must have titles; • Entries written in any of the regional languages must have either English or Filipino translations; • Visual artworks must have titles, alongside which, indicated in the fiFIle name is its medium (e.g. SurvivingTheWild-inkinpaper.PNG, SurvivingTheWild-CanonEOS1000D.JPEG, SurvivingTheWild-mixedmedia.IMG); •Photography entries must not bear watermarks; •Pennames are not allowed. Include your full name, course and grade/year level (for currently enrolled students); full name, course and year graduated (for alumni); or faculty/staff department (for faculty and staff), and a short description of yourself.

•Entries must be accompanied by a signed waiver provided by the Beacon Publications. Waivers may be submitted at The Beacon Publications ofFIce or emailed together with the entries to: beaconpublications@adzu.edu.ph ON or BEFORE JANUARY 11, 2019.

P U B L I C A T I O N S`

THE

Generation Z