ECHOES August 2012 by Echoes

August 2012

ost o ! r y e v on ssueE I

Taheux, please! 21 FEATURED MEMBER 4

Committee News

INSIDE ECOSOC

Quezon: 36 Manuel 21st Century

FEATURES

22 Hardballin’ Katotohanan 24 The of Ecosoc and Conyo

Save the Filipinos from Filipino!

Jolina The Next National Artist

38 CULTURE 39 40

Five Things Better To Do Than Reading Fifty Shades of Grey Tweetable Tweets

42 On the Concrete

Different Kind of 30 AFamily 44 Gossip G. Contributors:

Editors HORACE CIMAFRANCA Editor-in-Chief DEREK PARREÑAS Associate Editor AYLA REYES Managing Editor BEA BAYUDAN Features Editor JOBY GUERRERO News Editor SAM GONZALES Culture Editor JR NEPOMUCENO Digital Content Editor GJ AGREGADO Photos Editor KENNETH REYES Layout Editor JUDITH PASCUAL Creative Director RALPH DANTES Logistics Director

MAAN ARIATE

ISSA POCO

Staff

TIMMY JACOB

JUDE GERON

RAMM ADVINCULA

FLORA PALABRICA

PAULO DAMIAN ARIANE RODILLAS

Cover Photo by GJ Agregado

Previous Issue

Echoes is the official publication of the UP Economics Society (UP Ecosoc), a non-stock, non-profit, student organization based in the University of the Philippines Diliman School of Economics. Since the 2nd semester of the academic year 2010-2011, Echoes is released four times in a sem and eight times in a year, on the months of January, February, March, July, August, September, October, and December. It draws its funding from a subsidy from UP Ecosoc, sponsorships, subscription revenue, and other small funraisers. For this semester, 40 subscription copies, 5 tambayan copies, 1 archive copy, and a complimentary copy for each of our sponsors, featured members, and featured alumni are produced. This publication is printed by Yza Copy Systems and Trading, located at Stall 22 at the Shopping Center, UP Diliman, Quezon City. contact us

upecosoc@gmail.com upecosoc.echoes@gmail.com visit for more information

upecosoc.org Echoes.PH facebook.com/up.economics.society No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.

From the Editor A

ugust is a very eventful month. A quick analysis of your two-color Chinese hardware calendar reveals that a lot of your friends, if not most, were actually born this month. (And that the full moon will br out on Saturday!) Go figure. It’s also Ghost Month for the Chinese. That means creepy face will be creeping on you in bed tonight. Great, that’s two references to the Chinese. I can’t help it. There are billions of them! Finally, August is Buwan ng Wika (English: Language Month). This used to last for only a week but a frantic attempt from our prententiously nationalist society expanded the celebration of the Filipino language to a month. A close examination of speech in Ecosoc reveals that the Filipino language is lacking in a lot of NOW THAT’S THE SPIRIT! aspects: vocabulary, form and Photo by GJ Agregado uniformity. Arguably, a lot of people would even say that the language does not exist. Most of us who speak Filipino are simply speaking in Tagalog with an admixture of borrowed terms from both foreign and regional languages. While many laud Manuel Quezon for this determination to unify the country through a common tongue, a lot of scholars argue that he instead left a nation in confusion. I, being an Iskolar as well, share the same sentiment. Is Filipino really necessary? Or was it just born out of a bias towards the ruling Tagalogs? Prior to the imposition of this national language doctrine before the Second World War, the Philippines already had its own

national language, Spanish. It has been the sole official language of the country for more than three centuries under Spanish colonial rule. Then on, it was the very same language put forward by our native liberators when they established an independent Philippines in 1898. Why Spanish hardly flourished was the fault of the Americans who introduced English through the public education system. Quezon himself was caught in this whirlwind of western tongues that maybe, just maybe, he decided to negate them all with the inception of a native national language. Yet instead of getting rid of a problem, he created even more problems. Outside of Luzon, Filipino was hardly embraced by the natives. It faced opposition from the Visayans, who then outnumbered the Tagalogs. They are outraged because Filipino was never the manifestation of all the native languages as it was envisioned to be. It’s simply just Tagalog dressed up for national consumption. Anyway, these language matters are just trivial. Whether we like it or not, with the backing of mass media, Tagalog has gained solid ground over other languages in the country. Those who refuse to acknowledge its overwhelming influence try to dilute it in informal speech. That’s why we have hybrid languages like conyo. So there you go, kids. Just some food for your little thoughts. Happy Buwan ng Wika!

COMMITTEE NEWS Don’t you guys think that August is so kakaexcite? So dami the things that are going to happen and so dami the things that we have to expect that we have to tigil and pause nang saglit to catch a breath. First of all, the super kakagigil na internal events are set to happen this August, namely Sports Cup and Tambay Week! All committees have been super making pagod for this so this is something we all have to make abang for. Can’t wait to see all your ganda and guwapo faces tambay! Siyempre who can forget, Treasure Hunt na this August! CDC-Echoes-Cocoy will win this shiz. All the other teams can suck it. Choz. August is also special dahil magbabalik na ang ating super na-miss na Saturday CDCs! After weeks that we didn’t see our favourite Pook Ricarte kids, finally we can make laro with them in Sports CDC and CDC Treasure Hunt. Of course, our GK Build is there pa rin so we can still help out our dear partner community GKNTC Pinag-isang Palad. Big events are in store this August: first, Foodgasm, our bonggang-bonggang fundraiser for the semester! Please yaya your friends and family to kain with us, and also make yaya friends with food businesses to join. Next, the pinaka-prestigious high school economics forum, the National Youth Congress is also happening! This is one of our organization’s greatest endeavours, true to our mission of promoting economics as a tool for national development, so, like, let’s show our support. Like, yeah. And lastly, SEPTEMBER IS ONE MONTH AWAY! My dearest Ad Hoc, be resilient in the most difficult times. As I’ve said, do your tasks with love, and believe in what you do because I believe in all of you. And don’t fxck it up.

COCOY | Ad Hoc

My dearest Renegades, you know na. Proud of all of you! Ecosoc, we’re reaching the climax! Hope you’re all in it for the ride.

How are you? Is August deadly din ba for you? Cause it’s like, deadly for me! Anyway, can you believe it’s already halfway na ng semester? I know right. Ugh I’m not making sense anymore. Sooooo here na lang hihi: To the ever bonggacious Task Force! Congratulations for a successful Orientation Seminar! Sobrang haba na my message sa Facebook about it teehee! But it just shows how proud, appreciative and happy I am! :”> So kilig :”> 2 months nalang, Musikapella naaaa :”> So exciting!!! We’ve been through a lot, and we’re stronger that ever :”> I know we can do this! Challenge Accepted, right? Teehee (Thank you so so much for listening and understanding my long looong speech that one GA haha Love you all mwah hugz) To Task Force’s lovely interns; Josh, Alyssa, Francine, Toni, Dea, Chelsea, Maan, Paola,Tanya, Renzo, Jus, Vito, Adriel, Aileen and Shannon; welcome!!! We’re like so kilig that you chose TF! It’s like, one of your best decisions ever! Swear. Please don’t make kalimot to check Pintas Facebook page for our super gandang products! Challenge Accepted V-neck shirts for only 220 pesos and Green Lantern and Flash hoodies for only 899! So cheap, right? So buy 10 na! And make libre all your friends, lovers, fans, yayas and drivers!

HANNAH | Task Force

To this year’s Grand Trad winner, Porn, kabugin mo silang lahat! We are sooo winning this. Go TAE! Wink wink Cocoy and Horace and Echoes teehee. Renegades, we are so, like, owning this semester! Last push babies ;) And cause my message to you was cut last Echoes, hi Bing, sorry for being mataray the past few weeks :( :-* <3 H

Grabe ah, another month has passed! Time seems to be so bilis, one day it was just July then suddenly it’s August already! Wow diba! I just want to make banggit everyone who continues to keep me up and running (and sane din ahihihi):

ANGEL | Secretariat

Seccom, we only have August and September to show everyone how great each and everyone of us here in Seccom really are. We still have Treasure Hunt, the rest of Environment Month, the Ecosoc Gallery, AND Grand Trad to express the greatness of our committee, so let’s not waste these wonderful opportunities of growing in this beautiful organization. Pat, Justin, Geoff, Patty, Matt, Kevin, Angeli, Arsenio, Ryan, Bing, Denise, Janina, Kyla, and Irra, I really hope we become stronger as a committee and bring out the best in each other. To our lovely applicants, Dianne, Cheska, Shannon, Miguel, Trisha, and Monty, always remember that you’ll find a home here in Ecosoc, so keep on tambaying!!! To Monty, knock ‘em all up! Let’s show everyone how powerful Imelda Marcos is!!!!!!! Finally, to Yasmin and Lara, onting push na lang sa’tin then we’re done! I hope you’re learning from every experience. :) Renegades, promise we’re so lapit the finish line na, and I know deep in my heart that we can finish this race with a b-a-n-g!

To wrap this all off, don’t miss out on the different projects Seccom has in store for you, especially the bigger and better Ecosoc Gallery! We’re in the middle of the sem already, and I hope you all remember by now that we should all keep the tambayan clean. I do hope I don’t have to be the Hulk on you people and tear apart every person who won’t make an effort in keeping the tambayan clean. As what the Hulk always says, “You don’t want to see me when I’m angry.” <-- Yeah, that is a threat from Angel “The Hulk” Espiritu. So clean, clean, clean after yourselves!!! PS: Can I just say, please make pansin my effort of making the S-E-C-C-O-M acronym of my previous comm news. Thank you for the chair, Gelo!

Hello Ecosoc! I’m sorry I CUN’T write in conyo language because I’m not conyo at all! ECOSOCERS. Thanks for your continuous support to all of our events, those who have already ordered the Ecosoc hoodies (ORDER PA KAYO! ), those who attended INDULGENCE, those who buy our baked goodies every Bake Day Wednesday, and to those who like and share the posts of the Foodgasm page!

JESS | Finance

MY FIN LOVES, ESPECIALLY MY VICE CHAIRS. You guys have amazed me with your passion in everything you do. Whenever I check the gmail, kinikilig ako! Keep up the good work and keep that positive attitude! Whenever you feel tired and hopeless, just look back at where we all started! We’ve come so far! I’m so proud of each one of you! Two weeks before Foodgasm! I hope you’re all excited as I am! This is going to be legendary!

MY APPS. Congratulations for a very successful Indulgence: A Chocolate Appreciation Workshop by Heavenly Chocolates! You have no idea how kilig I was when I saw that everything was going well when I got back from my exam that day. I’m so proud of each one of you! Keep it up! JOMAC. Thank you for accepting the challenge! I know we’re going to win Grand Tradition! SECCOM & MEMCOM. Ngayon pa lang, sa pagandahan at pamachuhan, panalong panalo na tayo! RENEGADES. I CUN’T thank you enough for your support and understanding. See you at MERCATOW! MT. OLYMPUS. “I’ll run away… ay, walk away ba yun?” Ang busy nating LAHAT forever but I’m glad we still find time to bond. Thanks for everything! See you all in FOODGASAM in MERCATOW in BGZ (Hi Bing), dapat complete!

COMMITTEE NEWS Maraming thank you again sa all who made tulong tulong for Start UP! Lalo na those who made sama their relatives or friends for the program. Ecosoc: Something exciting is making daan in the Philippines this September 8! “Get ready to conquer the summit!” Bonus will be made bigay to volunteers/ participants (apps and GW families) for NES. Also, TEN Moves is already like, 1/10 competed! For just Php10 per day per committee, we can make tulong in the pagpapagawa ng classrooms! Lastly, make tingin out our ENN board! :) Externals: I know, like, you are all stressed right now L but, I do make pangako that all of this is like sulit! Don’t be takot, kasi I know that like, all of us can do this. We just need to make tiwala in each and every one. Remember, just make lapit to me for any and all concerns, I don’t make kagat naman, or make sabi to me if you’re busy and I’ll make intindi. We have, like, medyo a little time left to make gawa this, and let’s’ make gawa the most out of every day!

CHILA | External Affairs

P.S. I already know what we will make gawa after NES! :D Be like excited, because you should be ;))) P.P.S. Please take my message seriously though it may sound otherwise K

JEJEMAE PILAR! Sorry na friend :) haha, so pa-importantee K chos! :) Interns: Like, hello my dear interns! J I will like, try to make gawa this experience the best for you! Like, welcome to NES team: (ER) Jenina and Adrian, (LogA) Monty, (Log B) Jude, and (Pub) Lerrize! Enjoy and don’t be scared to make tanong! :) Renegades: Salut tout le monde! It’s so hirap to make conyo the commnews K . I’m like so excited para sa September :) good luck to all! Keri to! Mt. Olympus: Friends! Anyare sa bucket list? :) let’s make gawa soon!

Hey there Ecosoc! I can’t believe that we’re like almost halfway the semester na! Super bilis naman the time, my gosh! Anyway, I just like to make balita to everyone about our upcoming projects in ACAD! A week from now will be the most awaited Quiz Bee every semester. Handa yourselves na to make sagot our jologs questions in the Jologs Quiz Bee so you can be panalo and make uwi our awesome prizes!!!! Also, it is time to honor our orgmates who were super galing and talino last semester! So I suggest to the US and CS Ecosocers out there, don’t be hiya when we call your name sa Recognition Day next week, okay?

VON | Academic Affairs

Before I end my commnews I have a favor to ask pa pala from everyone, please help us in making pakalat the videos and pubmats of NYC 9 please! And continue supporting our Letterman Jackets rin especially now that

the ulan keeps on pouring which makes us feel lamig most of the time! OMG, don’t forget pala that we’re always open to your requests for sample exams and tutorials. We’ll do everything to help you pasa your exams, so don’t be shy to padala your requests, okay? Remember to send it to upecosoc.acad@gmail.com or 09279169179. So there you go guys, I’m done making kwento about our events and projects na. Good luck in your exams! PS. Hi Luis aka the very legit Marilyn Monroe: we’re gonna win Grand Trad for sure!!! So for the other ‘icons’ out there, ewww you guys, no chance na of winning!!! *insert conyo giggles here*

Erhmergad! I’rm like writing my secornd cormnews. I just wanna say hey to my OMWTH amaaaazing team! They’re like the best! Sobrang galing lang us sa Med Mission and Saturday CDCs! Hey to mah VCs, Xp and Mariel (please don’t judge me. :(.) Go lang us sa Service project! Halfsem naaaa!! Hello dears, Alex, Anj, Bettina, Carmel, Chie, Gio, Klaud, Kevin, Mark, Migs, Romano, Sarah, and Simone! Thank you for like all the help and effort. We should keep the fay-ehr (fire) burning!

CARMI | Community Development

To my oh-so-awesome apps, I’m so sorry if we started out working agad! Bawal stressed! I hope that you feel loved (and bullied, chos!) in CDC. To Carlo, Coleen, Giselle, Iya, Kim, Mark, Paola, Rich and Tanya, go lang ng go!!

There’s more to come for CDC! After our success in Med Mission, we bring you GK build electives! We’ll like paint (this is eww-ie but fun!) the houses and make patong-patong the hollow blocks to make a bahay. Eggziting! Not only that, we’ll have a big boodle lunch (scratch that, fight) there! Bonggabels! Watch out for our remaining Saturday CDCs and Electives and how we’ll make todo for our Service Project! Ciao! Carmi. Tangina bro, it’s August na. After a year’s hiatus from celebrating Buwan ng Wika, here we go with a fitting tribute to the month of the Filipino language. This issue is ridden with articles celebrating the unprecedented linguistic diversity that has come to define the Filipino language today. That is if such a language exists in a purely distinguishable manner from Tagalog. So don’t judge the Execom. They have written the committee news in conyo upon our request. Aren’t the photos very appropriate? Now don’t go hating! This is all just for fun. By the way, a lot of the articles you will be reading are satirical and are meant to highlight the relevant issues emanating from the national language debate.

HORACE | Echoes

Anyway, bombs away.

Thank you Echoes for the great theme, the hilarious photos and the very intellectuallystimulating content! Your auteur is everywhere in this issue. Napakahusay! Props to GJ for the Execom photos, Kenneth for the cover photo idea, Sam and Judith for their help in its execution and Derek for the theme! Bea and Joby, amazing as always. Sam, thanks for updating the site and for that Dick in a Box video.. Shinichi, I know you’re trying hard. We have not lost faith, Master. Apps, thanks for the thoughtfulness. Plus one for you all! I don’t want to dwell much on my personal gratefulness but you all know how thankful I am to have you all in Echoes. Free food for next commeet! Paintball this month! Thank you Ecosoc for the continued patronage. Keep on checking the website! Who knows? You might be ripe for an embarrasing revelation! Lastly, prepare yourselves for some real hardcore Pornication!

COMMITTEE NEWS Everything seems to be really fast! Alam kong it’s everyone’s midsem exam, interview, or whatever so good luck to all of you! Anyway, we can all do this. September is getting near na and few weeks after that, sembreak na! So let’s think na lang na malapit na din ang sembreak! For us in Liai, we’ve been busy preparing din for our events and services for all of you! August 16: Ecosoc’s Career Talk with Alumni! This event is brought to us by our applicants and interns so let’s all support them! I heard it’s gonna be really awesome so don’t dare miss it. Go Erwin, Ryan, Jus, Gel, Telle, Jena, Dea, Toni, and Jeremiah and Cheska!

MARK | Liaison

August 22: Our Corporate Relations team would like to make imbita the marketing officers (Ad Hoc, Task Force, Finance, NYC, etc.) for our focused group discussion regarding our current status sa mga companies. So ididiscuss natin what are the possible roots of the problem, possible solutions, our solid branding, and many more! It’s also open for everyone so daan kayo if you want. Push na push na ‘to CorpRel team: Loice, Cel, Sel, Nicolle, Bea!

September 1: Alumni Night! It’s gonna be a super different alumni night kasi it’s outside UP na! Let’s relive all the tambayan vices before – how were they, what were they doing, and how wild they were back then! So after Ecosoc Month launch, don’t go somewhere else but Alumni Night okay? KAPIT LANG Ramm, Pai, Chrissie, Shanica, Briana, Cesca, CJ, Darrell! Also, don’t forget your Ecosoc Privilege Cards! Claim yours from Marte or Nina. I know this has been a very hard sem for all of us, pero let’s not make isip isip that everything’s a hassle! Kasi it will be a hassle talaga. What we should do is to think of the success of our efforts a motivation for us to do and strive harder as Ecosocers. Let’s all go guys! Kaya pa :) What’s up pare/tsong/dude?!? Oh em! Can you believe it? We’re like in the middle of the semester already! Can you guys feel the August stress? We should all aral na and make palakas to our professors because super near na ng midterms! Super dami the events of Ecosoc this coming August and September pero let’s not forget about our academics ah! Let’s make balance all of our activities! Pag na-achieve yan, happy all of us! I just want to make pasalamat to everyone who is supporting the Memcom projects like the Photo of the Week, GMTBS Tasks, and GW Tasks! Thank you for making it a success, as in, super! Make paclear na your September 14 because the grandest pageant of them all is making balik! The Grand Tradition 2012 will be super memorable because I know all of the committees will surely make paganda their candidates! Make paalam na so that you can punta on the 14th of September! To the funnest and happiest committee, thank you Memcom for making punta to the commeets and genmeets! I can say that the commeet is not a waste of time because we are being productive and having fun at the same time! Super worth it ang di ko pageat ng lunch! Thank you dudes and dudettes! You guys are like, the best talaga! All of you make Memcom work fun and worth having! True story, tsong no halong joke!

JR | Membership

To Himmy, Trisha, Cheska, Bam, Jena, Mel, and Erwin, I will forever be super grateful kasi you made pili to intern for Memcom! We’ll have super fun making Grand Tradition 2012 the grandest ever! And of course, Matthew! Thank you for making payag to be Memcom’s candidate! You made the right decision, tsong! Kami bahala to alaga you nang super solid as in wild! Welcome to Memcom, guys! Can I just say, you made sali the best committee kasi we’re like super fun and work won’t feel so hirap! To the Fiesta Applicants! Congratulations! You’re like halfway there na! Please continue being bibbo kasi you guys are the fuel to Ecosoc’s apoy! If you have any concerns, do not hesitate to make sumbong to me, I’ll make them suntok ng so hard they’ll cry! Good luck on the other half of the application process! It is time to make tiis and tiyaga! It will all be super sulit in the end, I promise! Jologs Quiz Bee? Treasure Hunt? Grand Trad? Naman, bro. Sure win.

Here we go again! It’s commnews ulit and I’m like so excited to give you guys a sneak peek into next week’s.. WAIT FOR IT.. TAMBAY WEEK, TREASURE HUNT AND VICE NIGHT NAAAAA WOOHOOOO!!!! Spev is definitely sobrang excited na for next week kasi we will make sure to give you the best tambay experience ever AS IN EVER FOSHO!! Also, Treasure Hunt’s only a week away na lang so you guys better be ready to make takbo around UP again HAHA! It’s okay lang naman kasi you’re all going straight to vice night where we’ll party all night long and swim together and like eat together and stuff like that. We’re excited na and I hope you’re all excited na rin!

MIGUEL | Special Events

RUN. HUNT. HIDE. What’s so special about this year’s Treasure Hunt? Feeling ko kasi, it’s something NEW to everyone in Ecosoc na dapat i-look forward ng lahat. Feeling namin nakakapagod, but it’s sulit naman, lalo na if you’re going to Vice Night after, WE’RE GOING TO HAVE SO MUCH FUN!

I would like to shout out to my SUPER BIBO AND ACTIVE APPS Ayi, Hazel, Jude, Cara, Bam, Matthew, Josh, Adriel and Melissa, who made super effort to plan for Tambay Week!! GALING NIYO I’M SO PROUD AWWW! And finally, to my ever-so-creative team, LOVE YOU GUYS! Good job sa ideas niyo it’s super creative omgeee!! HAHA! Pau and Andee thanks for helping me lagi sa work lalo na pag wala ako! To Cyril, Bruno, Pito, Kelvin, Sol, Noreen, Patmen, Lesley, Jason, Angelica, Jacques, Ryna, Kat, Maika, and Risa, thank you for sharing your creative ideas lagi and for making this sem a memorable one for me!! Let’s do thiiiis! PS. Treasure Hunt incentives: UP FOR GRABS DURING TAMBAY WEEK SO YOU BETTER MAKE TAMBAY OR ELSE.. PPS. Hello to my super gandang Grand Trad-er na si Renzo :) Talbog sila sa beauty mo, we’ll take care of you, and we’ll make sure na ikaw mag-uwi ng crown this year :)

Hello ECOSOC! We’re so like halfway na ng semester and I hope na somewhat you guys enjoyed our Sports Workshops. Also, THANK YOU to the members and applicants who attended MBA, it’s so like super touching and it almost made me iyak. Congratulations to us members for winning MBA again! We’re soooo galing!!!!! Anyway, I’m inviting you guys to come and join the upcoming The Last Olympian: Sports Cup 2012 this Saturday (August 11). Sobrang daming sports like Basketball, Volleyball, etc. and also some will happen on weekdays starting Thursday which is Chess, Games of the Generals, Jackstones and many more!!!! And there’s more kasi we’re so bibbo, Sports-CDC is happening this August 18 wherein we will play Philippine games with Pook Ricarte kids! Sports Members and Applicants: Super I want to thank all my members and applicants for being so awesome and so galing! Never niyo kong pinabayaan and you guys always ask if I needed any help which is so nakakakilig on my part. HAHAHA! I really love you guys! To the applicants and also my interns, galingan niyo sa Sports-CDC event and DON’T DEFER!

JANEEN | Sports

Renegades: Ito na to last stretch na and we’re almost there sa end! I know there are a lot of challenges pa to come but I know na kayang-kaya naman natin to. Hello! Strong strong kaya natin! Let’s have more bonding sessions please.:) Miguel Salvacion: You know na kung anong gagawin!;) Taray mo special mention ka pa sa commnews ko girl!

INSIDE ECOSOC

No one’s as happy to build houses as Kelvin Tagnipez! The others are just being plain fierce. Photo by Jude Geron

Ecosoc, Gawad Kalinga forge partnership BY JOBY GUERRERO The UP Economics Society embarks on another step in attaining its goal of extending service to the community. Headed by the Heart of Ecosoc, the Community Development Committee (CDC), the organization partnered with Gawad Kalinga to extend a helping hand to more of those who are in need. Gawad Kalinga NTC, also known as Pinag-isang Palad, is a community composed of 94 families with an estimated total of 600 people. The community is situated within a compound accessed through Calderon St., near Commonwealth Avenue. It is

just behind the Toyota Commonwealth showroom. Most of the families in the community are families who have already lived in the area for a long time. Even before Toyota Commonwealth was constructed the families have resided in the place. According to community leaders, the houses in the area have been demolished numerous times until the owner of the lot sold the property to the community at a generous price. A former commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) donated the initial amount that served as Gawad Kalinga’s

capital to jumpstart the construction of houses. CDC has already scheduled Ecosoc’s participation in building the community every Monday. As of the present, Ecosoc has offered to manual assistance in the construction of houses and the conduction of Monday day care sessions for the youth. The organization wants to build a long term partnership with the community by progressively offering additional services. It is believed that it’s time to show our new beneficiary that we are an organization ready to help and serve them.

Ecosoc holds medical mission in GK NTC BY JOBY GUERRERO

Beneficiaries wait in line for a free check-up during Health Mission Photo by Horace Cimafranca

The UP Economics Society met its new beneficiary for the first time through a medical mission held in the Gawad Kalinga-NTC premises near Commonwealth Avenue amidst heavy rains. In this semester’s medical mission, Ecosoc partnered with a medical organization from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), PhiloMedicaScientia, in providing health needs of our beneficiary. Medicines and Cash donations were also sponsored by different medical corporations. About 170 people registered for the free medical check-up. Most of these

were children who were susceptible colds and fever due to the unpredictable weather. Adults, meanwhile, mostly asked about their arthritis and blood pressure problems. Seventeen doctors offered their services to the patients throughout the whole mission while Ecosocers mainly handled the logistical needs of the event. The event culminated with a speech from Mr. Roland, the Gawad Kalinga community representative. He said, “One thing we should keep in our hearts is that giving service and being one with the community is the most important thing.” Volunteer doctors were also recognized.

Sparkle Club GW families bond in unleashes creativity Photo Marathon BY PAULO DAMIAN

BY PAULO DAMIAN

For the entire month of July, the Secretariat Committee held Sparkle Club sessions, every Thursday, 4pm onwards at the Ecosoc tambayan. The first Thursday was a diagnostic session on drawing which aimed to gauge how much creative juices Ecosocers have. It was handled by Seccom Vice Chair Yasmin Sehob. Yasmin awarded stars to all the beautiful artworks. The next session was a lesson on Photoshop, specifically about pentool and vectoring, two of the most commonly heard Photoshop terms in Ecosoc. The members got to learn from Photoshop experts Kyla Rivera and Kevin Estopace. Sparkle Club is a staple event of the Secretariat Committee allows VICO UBALDO IS NOT which A PRO IN Ecosocers to show their creative side PROCRASTINATION and the same time learn more about Seeatstory on the next page. how to use software used for making Photo by GJ Agregado publicity materials.

GW Families roamed the campus taking creative pictures of themselves to compete in the GW Photo Marathon, an event organized both by the Special Events and Membership Committees. The competition began on July 16 when SPEV gave the GW Families clues regarding the location of where their photos should be taken. Aside from the cash prize of P2000, this contest also served as the first lap of GW Tasks for the GW Families. The creative shots, put into a story, were posted in a Facebook page for viewing. Judges Miguel Andres, JR Yambao, Cocoy Vargas, Horace Cimafranca, along with 2 secret judges, graded the photos and announced Justin Apostol and Tracy Miranda’s GW Family as the winner. Other special awards include Most Photogenic, received by Hazel Lim and Best Story, given to Camille Juco and JM Alcañeses’ GW Family.

BOOM! A victory bump between our two winning homies Photo c/o Tracy Miranda

INSIDE ECOSOC

Members sweep MBA BY MAAN ARIATE Once again, the members of the UP Ecosoc owned the applicants in the Members Bersus Apps last July 28 at the UP Bliss Court. From the beginning, the mems dominated the games. The Volleyball game didn’t even reach a third set as the mems ended the match with a smashing lead. The mems also commanded Futsal, scoring the first two goals of the game while the apps scored their first goal

towards the end. The mems once again won with a score of 2-1. Despite the consecutive losses, the apps weren’t disheartened. They gave a close fight during the Women’s Basketball match but the mems still won with a score of 6-4. The apps also put their game faces on for the Men’s Basketball match but the mems still overpowered them ending with a score of 26-18 in favor of the mems. The last game played was Agawan

Buko, which was observed to be one of the most physical games. At the middle of the court sat an oiled buko while teams waited at the corners for the go signal to race toward the fruit. Despite minor injuries, it was a victorious match for the apps winning with a score of 2-1. The MBA is a friendly competition which aims to bond the mems and apps

And a floor to shine for the applicants

Shiny on the floor for the members

Photo by GJ Agregado

Photo by Janeen Cayetano

Apps sweep after MBA BY MAAN ARIATE The Barrio Ecosoc Apps weren’t afraid to get down and dirty last July 28 during their Clean App. The event was spearheaded by the Seccom who made the apps’ jobs easier by posting guidelines, division of tasks and a floor plan for the tambayan. After a few reminders from Seccom Chair, Angel Espiritu, the apps moved fast – moving all the furniture, boxes, and appliances out of the tambayan. Others, meanwhile, scouted for

cleaning materials. When everything was moved out, the apps proceeded with their designated tasks. The apps swept cobwebs, brushed the floors, cleaned electric fans and benches, and wiped trophies. Others sorted out trash from cabinets and other containers and arranged the remaining contents too. There were apps singing as they washed down benches and there were also apps that really got into cleaning, going barefoot as they brushed the

tambayan floor. After all the cleaning, the apps formed a human conveyor belt in order to return everything back inside the tambayan. The line went from the outside-in where apps arranging the inside were barefoot to keep the floor clean. The Clean App definitely achieved its goal of cleaning the tambayan. It served as a reminder for everyone the importance of keeping the tambayan

Apps ‘reminisce’ with Mems BY FLORA PALABRICA The semester’s crop of Ecosoc applicants organized “Reminisce”, the Applicants’ Acquaintance Party, last July 13 at the UPSE Lounge. This fun-filled night gave the applicants an opportunity to bond with the members and showcase their talents through a series of high school themed games and activities. Hosts Matthew Mercado and Dana Dee kicked off the party with a game of Human Bingo. The small yearbooks, given out after registration, contained the game. The high school graduation

pictures of the members of the Executive committee and trivia about their individual high school experiences were in the yearbook as well. Following the ice breaker, there were song and dance performances from various applicants namely, Adriel Arguelles, Carlo Fernandez, Jude Geron and the Flash Mob Group. The High School Musical Song Game and Picture Day were a hit, as the committees banded together and gave their all. The Community Development Committee took the prize for the HSM

Song Game while GJ Agregado won Picture Day for the Echoes. After dinner was served, all the applicants were grouped into families and the Membership Committee took over to start the Guardian-Ward Bidding. Tension and excitement ramped up quickly as the families tried to outbid each other for their chosen guardians. Two groups even reached the maximum bidding price of PHP20,000. As the party wound down, each GW Family grouped together and discussed their first GW task.

THIS

is probably not a Catholic school. Photo by Janeen Cayetano

Ecosoc goes loco over choco BY RAMM ADVINCULA Chocolate lovers, foodies, and people who have a sweet tooth gathered last July 27, 2012, for a Chocolate Appreciation 101 Session. The event was held at Room 125. It was organized by the Finance committee particularly the Finance apps as this event gives the public a taste to their major fundraising event “Foodgasm”. Approximately 60 participants from the UP Ecosoc Community and students from UP were all ears as the speaker, Sir Benjie of Heavenly Chocolates, started his lecture. He

discussed some basics about chocolates and its history. Arguably, the most anticipated part of his talk was when the audience was given samples of different kinds of chocolate. Three kinds of European chocolates were given at first followed by some hot chocolate and lastly by some Japanese truffles, which is a hit for everyone. The event culminated with Sir Benjie asking questions and giving out some big chocolate bars to those attentive listeners. This event is a teaser for Foodgasm, coming this 25th of August.

Here’s what chocolates can do to you Photo by GJ Agregado

INSIDE ECOSOC

Tree planting with alumni BY RAMM ADVINCULA Ecosoc’s alumni returned for the biannual CDC with Alumni held one Saturday in July in the School of Economics atrium. The program was organized by the Liaison, Secretariat and Community Development Committees. The event was attended by the UP Ecosoc members and applicants, Pook Ricarte’s CDC kids, and 20 alumni from batches 2010-2012. The program was entitled “Binhi” as it was a different take on a Saturday CDC, as it aims to impart environmental awareness to its

participants. The Saturday event was hosted by Bea Dela Torre. Meanwhile, welcoming remarks were conveyed by the organization’s president Cocoy Vargas. Games such as the “Boat is Sinking” and “Amazing Race Green Edition” were played. The Amazing race has 6 stations designated over the UP Grounds as they do challenges in order to get an article needed for the tree planting activity. The tree planting activity

was facilitated by the Secretariat Committee. Seccom showed the participants on how to properly plant the trees. They also taught the kids on how to designing their recycled pots. Tips on how to take care of the plants were also discussed. It was a fun day for Ecosoc as it welcomes again the alumni just like in the good old days. It was a refreshing CDC for the kids too, as they bring their plants home alongside with the integrated lesson learned regarding

IT’S THAT BIRDS EYE VIEW GROUP SHOT AGAIN. The first one who can point where Pai Nieva is in this photo to the EIC gets a treat from Echoes. Photo by Horace Cimafranca

SE goes to BSP, NEDA and ADB for Econ-at-Work BY RAMM ADVINCULA Students of the UP School of Economics went to BSP, NEDA and ADB, for Econ-at-Work, an exposure field trip spearheaded by the SESC Education and Research Committee, in partnership with the UP Ecosoc, UP ETC and UP OBEM. The organizers released the online sign-up sheet last July 19, 9pm, with 25 slots each for each year level batch, for a total of 100 target participants, but ended up with only 93 students, due to last minute cancellations. The first stop of the trip was at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Students got to know more about the structure of

the institution through various AVPs. The students were shown around the public library of the BSP and were also given a tour around the Money Museum. The next stop was at the National Economic Development Authority where the students learned about the current economic standing of the Philippines from data gathered by NEDA. The second half was a talk about job opportunities in and international scholarship grants given by NEDA. The last stop of the tour was at the Asian Development Bank. A talk was given which tackled about the

Orgs celebrate Friendship Week

SE finds itself in Serendipity

BY FLORA PALABRICA

BY ARIANE RODILLAS

An open tambayan scheme was organized by the School of Economics Student Council, with the help of the School of Economics Advisory Council, UP OBEM, UP ETC, UP ECOSOC, UP DEBSOC, UP CAP, UP SIDHI and UPSE RVC, last July 31 to August 3 for the celebration of UPSE Friendship Week. The week of daily movie screenings, and other games was launched with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. A karaoke contest, free massages, courtesy of massage therapists from Aksem Homes and a Food Eating Contest was organized as the second dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s final activity. On Thursday, Moon Leaf set up shop and free makeovers were available from Reyesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Haircutters. On VICO UBALDO IS NOT A PRO IN the last day, milk tea and free massages PROCRASTINATION were once again available. Jologs Quiz See story on the next page. Bee brought together the members of Photoorganization by GJ Agregado each as they all competed for first place.

UPSE people gathered inside the Economics Auditorium last July for Serendipity: The 2012 UPSE Acquaintance Party. The School of Economics Student Council (SESC) in partnership with School of Economics Advisory Council (SEAC) filled the night with fun, surprises and performances. UPSE Faculty and Graduate students, headed by Dr. Raul Fabella and College Secretary Agustin Arcenas, serenaded the undergrads with a Visayan song. It was followed by the performances of E-Sound and the SE Dance Crew. Each batch also prepared performances. The freshmen and the seniors did flash mobs while the Sophomores showed their batch pride with a dance number. The juniors played a guitar act. The Supply and the Band performance ended the night leaving the whole UPSE community singing and dancing along.

completed projects of ADB around the country. Insights from the speakers on how students can get jobs in and scholarship grants from ADB were also discussed. Econ-at-Work I is an event funded by Union Bank Grant for Financial Economics through the UPecon Foundation as a part of their thrust to promote financial education. It invites SE undergraduates from all year levels to an educational tour of different economic institutions in the metro for a first-hand experience of how these institutions actually work.

Partying like your mama in the 70s! Photo by Issa Poco

NEWS

Struggle for Panatag Shoal Mayor Lim to Phelps

BY FLORA PALABRICA The discovery of eight Chinese fishing vessels containing large amounts of illegally obtained corals, giant clams and live sharks in the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal last April 10 by the Philippine Navy’s lone naval patrol frigate, BRP Gregorio del Pilar, and prevention by Chinese maritime surveillance ships of their arrest set off the two-month standoff on the Scarborough Shoal territorial dispute. The China vs. Philippines dispute over the ownership of Scarborough Shoal, a 150-square kilometre lagoon,

is an issue that the two countries have been in discussion about since 1965. Aside from abundant marine resources, the West Philippine Sea is also estimated to contain as high as 213 billion barrels of untapped oil reserves. China substantiates their claim on the shoal by citing historical maps dating to the Yuan Dynasty while the Philippines defends their sovereignty on the basis of Public International Law. Scarborough Shoal is located approximately 124NM from the coast of Luzon, and its rock features are therefore within the

Philippine 200-NM exclusive economic zone. Effective occupation and effective jurisdiction was also exercised through the erection of Philippine flags and a lighthouse in 1965. Tensions ran high with China’s refusal to remove their ships even with the Philippines’ withdrawal this June, however in a speech at the Chinese Embassy last July 31, Chinese Defense and Armed Forces Attaché Senior Colonel Chen Fangming expressed confidence that the territorial dispute will be resolved peacefully.

SO, ano NA? BY MAAN ARIATE On July 23, 2012, President Benigno Aquino III gave his third SONA at the Session Hall of the House of Representatives, Batasang Pambansa Complex under the watchful eye of the Filipino Nation. He enumerated anomalous transactions of the previous government which left his administration with only 6.5% of the original budget his administration should’ve received to address problems of the country. He proudly announced the 6.4% GDP growth which placed the Philippines second to China in

Asiain terms of growth, improved health services by Philhealth, reduced unemployment rate, 3.1 million jobs created, energy provided to 1,520 sitios, and improved disaster preparedness. The government system is continually being cleared of corruption and inefficient systems. He also mentioned projects to be completed within his term such as addressing backlogs in chairs and tables, increasing the budget of state universities and colleges, increasing tourist numbers, improving, constructing and addressing structural

defects in infrastructure, exporting rice, distribution of lands under CARP, acquiring up-to-date and sufficient armory for national defense and planting trees to restore forests from illegal logging. The SONA was news on the country’s progress, yet there are still skeptics questioning the administration’s achievements and goals while there are those who say that there are still a lot of issues the administration has not addressed.

NEWS

THE GREATEST OLYMPIAN OF ALL TIME American swimmer Michael Phelps wins four gold and two silver medals in the London Olympics, bringing his career total to 18 golds, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals, more than any other Olympian in history. Photo: AFP

NEWS

NEWS BY

NUMBERS BY JOBY GUERRERO

472

millimeters of accumulated rainfall measured during a 22-hour period at the PAGASA office in Quezon City last August 7, higher than the 455 mm measured in a 24-hour period during the onslaught of Typhoon Ondoy. However, the bulk of the rainfall during Ondoy fell in five hours.

42 11 O

net satisfaction rating of President Aquino as of the latest Social Weather Station survey, down from 49 and his lowest since coming to power

athletes sent by the Philippines to the London Olympics to compete in 8 sports, the smallest delegation since the country’s 1932 contingent

Olympic medals won by the Philippines since 2000. The last was a silver medal from boxing in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

OOO O

get back here, you bloody round thing!

7,200,000,000 loss, in US dollars, from the current net worth of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg yet he still ranks 72nd among the richest people in the world

I’m still probably richer than you will ever be.

11,500,000,000 agreed spending cuts, in euros, over the next two years reached by Greece’s coalition government after the Socialists dropped its opposition to public sector wage cuts

220,000 Hyundai Santa Fe SUVs and Sonata sedans currently being recalled by the Korean carmaker in the United States citing problems with faulty air bags

those darn koreans!

25,000,000 US dollars set aside by the United States government as their “nonlethal assistance” to the Syrian opposition. Another $64M will be given as humanitarian assistance for the Syrian people.

FEATURES

The Darling of Ecosoc* WORDS / BEATRIZ BAYUDAN PICTURES / GJ AGREGADO

AMED DRAMATIST GEORGE BERNARD SHAW once said “There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart’s desire. The other is to gain it.” Be careful what you wish for, because when you say in all seriousness, “Gusto kong maging cover girl ng Echoes!”, well, you just might get it. This is exactly how Carmel Baquilod managed to land the cover of this month’s issue. Ma. Carmel Baquilod is the youngest child—and only daughter—of Mario and Marina Baquilod. The interview has barely started and Carmel issues her first punchline: “Yes, I have two older brothers, Tom and Martin. Bunso po ako. And am I the princess? No way—more like the dominating queen!” I asked her to describe herself in her own words. “Well,” she said. “I try to be everyone’s sunshine. Tries, ha! Even though I’m sad inside, I always try to be happy. And I fall in love with life! Yung tipong I get affected with the smallest things. Yung parang kahit normal lang yung araw mo, I try to find something special.” What is a normal day for this bubbly sophomore? “I wake up, and listen to music first thing in the morning. Then I walk around the house for thirty minutes—music video mode ako pag umaga,” she said. “Then go to school of course. Try kong sipagin umattend ng class? Of course, joke around with my friends! Then most importantly: eat. I love Wendy’s french fries and Frosty!” “Masarap talagang kumain,” she enthused. “In high school, ganito na talaga ako.”

She shared more about how she was like in high school. “Feeling ko, all around talaga ako ‘nun. I balanced extracurriculars with academics. I was in student council for four years, part of the honor roll, and the theater club. So may acads, service, and fun ako noon.” It’s definitely a multifaceted experience, but which one did she enjoy most? “Yung theater talaga. I was an honorary member lang dun, kasi student council talaga yung club ko, pero ang fun talaga ng gumagawa ng scripts, lines ganyan tapos kasama mo yung friends mo.” She doesn’t dismiss her other priorities, though. It may not seem like it at first glance, but Carmel was actually part of the student council for four years, serving as president during her senior year. “I was in student council for four years, and even back then in grade school. Dati kasi parang yung student council, for popularity, para makilala ng tao, pero iba na nung high school. Pero mahilig talaga akong mag-volunteer; I don’t know why. Bibo talaga ako. ‘Pag sinabing kailangan ng magmumukhang tanga sa stage, ako na yun,” she joked. “It started sa ganoon lang, yung pagiging part ko ng student council. Tapos tuloy-tuloy na. That was where my love for service showed. I wanted to do something bigger.” She cites this same passion for service as her reason for taking up economics. “I really liked the social sciences since before pa,” she said. “It’s practical. Political science actually *Carmel’s words

yung first love ko, pero naisip ko, ano yung gagawin ko after? The way I saw it, parang, ang tuloy lang nun was either law or the academe. What if ayaw ko pala, diba? Sa econ, marami kang pwedeng gawin, and yung relevance ng field na ‘to is very clear to me.” She adds, “Pamilya kasi kami ng doctors. Yung parents ko, sa WHO and DOH... eh ayokong maging doctor. Dati, nung bata pa ako, tinatanong ako ng mga tao kung ano yung specialty ng parents ko. Hindi ko alam kasi parang hindi interesting, so sinasabi ko, sa office lang sila. I think econ din kasi makakatulong sa akin sa future plans ko.” What exactly are her plans, maybe five to ten years from now? “In the shurt run?” she said, displaying exactly why she is on the Baroque Jar shortlist. “Ugh, oops, shurt... I meant short. Marunong talaga akong mag-English! Hindi ko talaga sinasadya. Nahuhuli kasi ako pag nagkamali, tapos sa Baroque Jar, mas nabubulol pa ako when I try to defend myself. Sana hindi mababa ang tingin niyo sa akin!” On a more serious note, however, she said, “Anyway. I am definitely going abroad to study. It’s my life dream to experience that; and gusto ko immersed talaga ako sa culture ng country. If you study abroad, that’s how you’re really going to do that. Of course, pagkatapos, I want to go back here to help. Ayokong maging ‘cubicle worker’ talaga. I want to work for UNICEF or UN or for a charity. Okay lang talaga sa akin if I don’t pursue a corporate track. Hindi naman ako mabank na tao.” “I have a back-up plan, though, if that doesn’t work,” she grinned. “Nandyan naman yung ANTM (America’s Next Top Model). I was really devastated when I heard about the Philippine edition kasi hindi ako umabot. Dito sa Ecosoc, yung ENTM naman... well, they just didn’t see my potential. They just didn’t see my fierceness, right?” Was that why she wanted to be featured in Echoes? “Wow!” she said, a little defensively. “Joke lang kasi yun. Pero natutuwa ako sa Echoes, parang sa tambs, nagbabasa ako tapos tinitingnan ko yung mga cover nila Yasmin, Sam, and Janna, ang ganda. Tapos being

PECKING SOME WOOD Carmel with Gab Sollano at the Woodpecker Frameshop

featured in Echoes, parang... nakikita ng lahat na there’s more to you than what they see everyday. Parang yung kay Leus, hindi ko alam na ganoon pala yung buhay niya. So lagi kong iniimagin noon kung ako yun. Kami ni Mark Manguera, pinaplano na namin yung mga bagay na art direction and styling sa utak namin. Pero of course I enjoyed the articles and mas napatindi yung love ko for Ecosoc kasi nalalaman ko kung ano yung mga nangyayari.” Evidently, her passion for Ecosoc shines through. Carmel is now the Sales Director for Ad Hoc, a position she says completely took her by surprise. “I didn’t expect that they would appoint me as a director,” she said. “Second year pa lang kasi ako, pero I said yes because I saw the opportunity to be part

of something amazing, which is Ecosoc month. I made it a challenge to myself din, kung kaya ko ba. It’s not easy to do sales, lalo na may pagka-mahiyain din naman ako. But I was a sales intern, and na-enjoy ko talaga siya.” Like during the final interview, I asked her for her plans in Ecosoc. “Aww, wag kang ganyan!” she answered. “I don’t know. I would definitely stay in CDC because I really love that committee. Hindi ko pa rin masabi today, this time, if ever I’m going to run for a position. Nag-iiba din kasi yung priorities ng isang tao, di ba? But I plan to be active. Ayokong maging mem na sobrang active one sem, tapos mawawala na lang bigla. I owe my growth and happiness to this org, and I want to give back.” What a sweetheart!

FEATURES

HARDBALLIN’ EP. 1

Earned, Not Given

BY THE CRUZ MACHINE & TRACY “THE QUINTESSENTIAL” MIRANDA

LOOK-BACK on the King’s coronation: the hate, the greatness, and the lesson Ever since basketball was introduced in the 1891, there has never been a force like LeBron James. His athleticism for a 6’8, 240 pound frame is unmatched by everyone. Be it his dunks, or his pregame antics of tossing powder into the air, he became a staple highlight in the nightly sports news. However, year-by-year playoff disappointments marred LeBron’s image. Dubbed by many as a choker, a showoff, and many other insults, James was the most scrutinized player in basketball. He cannot carry Cleveland to a championship. Then came The Decision.

After months of being courted by other teams in the free agency period of 2010, the King announced that “he would take his talents to South Beach” alongside D-Wade and all star ostrich Chris Bosh. Cleveland loyalists see this as pure audacity, a sheer betrayal to his hometown. Nonetheless, it was a wise move. When he chose Miami, he implied that he could not win a championship single-handedly. He needed help. Because of this, he became a villain to many. He was the target of constant criticism, the disrespect of hypocritical fans, and his on-court endeavours became more publicized as ever. LeBron became the center of attention in the league, no matter how one looks at it. But despite all this, LeBron carried the Heat in the 2011 NBA Season to meet the Mavericks in the Finals. In a shocker, Dallas upset Miami in 6 games to win the NBA Championship. The blame was directed to LeBron James’ offensive struggles. His 4th quarters were nothing short of abominable. This gave more ammunition to his haters and many in the basketball world argued that he doesn’t have what it takes to win a championship. Skip Bayless, an avid LeBron critic, would go on further to say “Miami would only go as far as where D-Wade could take them.” The 2011 NBA Finals changed LeBron’s approach. Gone were his promises of 5, 6 or 7 championships. The challenge was to win one. The next season was championship or bust. Miami breezed through the regular season, and in the playoffs advanced through New York, an upstart Pacers team, and an aging Celtics team who took the Heat to the limit. In the process, LeBron captured his 3rd NBA MVP award, further cementing his legacy as one of the best individual players to ever grace the court. In reaching the Finals for the 3rd time in his career, LeBron (and the Heat) faced a young but talented Thunder team who cruised through the Western

Conference en route to their first Finals appearance since their relocation from Seattle to Oklahoma City. After splitting the first two games in OKC, the Heat took Games 3 and 4 at home and was set to celebrate in Biscayne Boulevard. LeBron was in the precipice of basketball glory, a goal so elusive for the past 8 years of his career. In Game 5, LeBron, however, didn’t take over like he did against the Celtics when he tallied 45 pts & 15 rebs. in Game 6 to keep the Heat in contention. He didn’t need to. Playing arguably their best game in the playoffs, the Heat blew the Thunder out, with the game out of reach by the end of the 3rd quarter. As the final buzzer sounded, there was no doubt who is King of the NBA. The unanimous choice for the Finals MVP, LeBron stated that “it’s about damn time.” However, LeBron’s 1st championship will not silence his critics. He did not have a “take over” game or a game winning shot. But LeBron did something he hadn’t done before. He stopped proclaiming himself to be great, he stopped focusing on the glitz and the glamour. He simply focused on winning, on enjoying the game he has loved since he was a little boy being raised by a single mother. LeBron and the Heat’s championship should remind us that in life, nothing is given. We have to fall so many times and overcome so many problems before we succeed. The 2012 NBA Season is a friendly reminder that adversity has a way of bringing the best out of us, it has a way of forcing us to question ourselves. In the end, adversity and struggles in life are meant for us to improve as people. LeBron’s championship was not served to him on a silver platter. He had to go through so many failures, fall so many times and endure so much criticism. In the end, you have to respect him for rising above all the struggles, all the hate. In the end, it was indeed EARNED, NOT GIVEN.

Quotations Corner On LeBron “The man’s a tank when he’s going to the hole” — Gasol “LeBron knows the cheat codes for god mode.” — Your Honor “LeBron is one of the greatest passers of all time. — The Gentle Giant “They hate what’s already great.” — The Flex “[LeBron] captures the true essence of life. Falling down and getting back up.” — The Cruz Machine On girls “Hot girls, we have problems too. We’re just like you, except were hot, hot, hot, :>” — Sports Chair Janeen Cayetano On life in general “People say love is the best feeling. But I think finding a toilet when you are having diarrhea is better.” — The Prodigy

FEATURES

The Katotohanan of Ecosoc and Conyo A

NO BA ANG CONYO? Kung titingnan sa talatinigang Espanol, ang salitang coño ay tumutukoy pala sa isang bahagi ng ari ng babae. May gamit rin itong palasak, at dito ay nagiging mura ang conyo. Sa kulturang Pilipino ay naiba nga naman talaga ang salitang conyo. Una, nag-iba ito ng baybay: naging conyo, at minsan naman ay konyo. Pangalawa at mas mahalaga ay naging salitang balbal ito. Ayon sa UrbanDictionary.com, dito sa atin, nangangahulugan ang conyo bilang isang tawag sa mga taong wikang Taglish ang ginagamit, partikular sa mga pa-sosyal at anak-mayaman. Hindi naman ito ibig-sabihin na lahat ng gumagamit ng Taglish ay mga pasosyal at anak-mayaman, ngunit sa ganoong klaseng tao daw ito kadalasang naririnig. Nakakahawa ang magsalita nang conyo. Kung dati ay sa iilang tao lamang ito naririnig, ngayon ay tila ito na ang naging pambansang wika ng lahat. Taglish na naging conyo daw ang ginagamit ng Pilipino, sa simpleng dahilan na hindi tayo matatas sa Tagalog at sa Ingles. Taglish ang ginagamit natin da-

hil mayroon tayong gustong sabihin sa Ingles na walang tiyak na katumbas sa Tagalog, o ang kabaliktaran. Tama ba na maging conyo ang isang tao? Napaka-interesante ng mga sagot na aming natanggap mula sa aming palatanungan, at narito ang ilan. Mayroong malugod na sumasangayon na ang pagiging conyo ay isang magandang bagay: “Yes, because it shows that we has swag”; “it is because you can express yourself much much better :D”. Para sa iba naman, depende sa sitwasyon ang pagiging conyo. Tila may nagiging conyo para makibagay sa ibang tao: “Depends on the crowd you’re with. Depende sa mga kasama mo. Pag atenista ka tapos sinabi mong ‘I’m from A-high’ imbes na AHS, gugulpihin ka namin HAHAHAHA.”; “Depends. What really matters is his or her overall attitude.”; “it is neither a good thing nor a bad thing. it’s just a way of talking. as long as you understand each other, then everything’s ok”—(Substance over style, ika nga.)—“It’s not a good thing and it isn’t a bad thing either. Somewhat we just mixed up tagalog and english

words in the very ‘malandi’ way.HAHAHAHA.”; “Not always a bad thing. Some things are just nicer and easier to say in conyo, or not. :))”; “It’s not bad. I can’t say that it’s good either”; “Well, sometimes people don’t realize that they’re being ‘conyo’ already so that’s okay. It’s funny also! But, there are certain people who do it on purpose (or overdo it) and personally that irritates me. Like they use that language to fit in—a form of alienation from oneself I believe—for they are scared that people won’t accept who they really are and that should not be the case.”; “On one side, it’s an inevitable manifestation of a sub-culture. This goes to show that we aren’t much of an heterogenous society. On the flip side, some see conyo as a vulgar language (and even way of life), born out of a person’s inability to express one’s self in a single language. I don’t know. I’m torn. HELP ME.” Siyempre, mayroon din namang sumasalungat at ayaw sa pagiging conyo: “No. Code switching can be really annoying for some people and it’s hard when you start getting used to it. However, I think most people in Econ are

conyo not because they’re just being maarte or pasosyal. Most of them really just got used to speaking in English and there are words in Filipino that don’t have an exact English translation so they end up making conyo statements. :P”; “Well it’s not a bad thing if that’s really how they speak. Just don’t overdo it to the point that it just becomes annoying. If you speak English, speak English. If you speak Filipino, speak Filipino.” Ito nga ang payo ng mga ayaw na ayaw ng Taglish. Mukhang epektibong paraan din ito para mahasa ang iyong kakayahan sa wika: “I don’t think it’s a good thing. It messes with proper Eng-

lish and is pretty annoying.” Balbal nga raw ang pagiging conyo: “No, because it’s so irritating in the ears. It seems that you’re pretending to speak in English fluently but they’re not. What I mean is conyo people is extremely different from people that their mother tongue is English”—(Kung tutuusin, medyo marami ring mali sa pahayag na ito. Mas maganda yatang pakinggan yung “Hindi, dahil nakakairita sa pandinig. Parang nagpapanggap silang matatas sila sa Ingles pero hindi. Ang mga conyo ay ibang-iba sa mga taong Ingles talaga ang unang wika.”)—“No, because it shows how out of the Philippine Soci-

ety we truly are.” Mayroon namang pinag-isipan talaga ito, at nagbigay ng mga argumentong magandang pagnilayan: “ito pala. hmm. Define ko muna ang conyo in my own perspective. para sa akin ang conyo ay economically driven yan na pagcategorize sa isang tao. sinasabi natin na conyo siya if he lives in the metro or in the city, maraming kulturang western ang kaniyang naadopt at isinabubuhay, somewhat maluho lalo na pagdating sa mga gamit na uso, maintains a high standard in his preferences, opposite ng pagiging masa. For me, kaya naman nagkakaron ng konyo kasi tlagang distinct at

THE ACCUSED Here are the people you named in our survey

FEATURES obvious yung pagkakaiba-iba ng social classes natin, kitang-kita yung hati sa lipunan kung san ka nabibilang. maraming mahihirap, oonti ang nakakaraos, at mas lalong onti ang mga pinagpala... hence kitang kita mo kung sino ang economically stable and secure, hence the stereotypes to collectively refer to them. “Kung titingnan, hindi kasalanan ng konyo kung bakit siya konyo. hindi masama ang pagiging konyo dahil buhat ito ng socio-econ structure na meron tayo, na umiiral ngayon. ang problema ay hindi sa agent (konyo) kundi sa structure (capitalist econ system with great econ disparity between social classes) na nagpapala ng kulturang mapanghati sa mga may kaya at walang kaya, sa kulturang consumerism na lalo pang nagpapatibay sa status quo, sa kasalukuyang sistema. patronizing and living the conyo way of life is driven by the very “consumeristic” culture we have due to influences brought about by globalization and by the mere fact that we are striving to maintain a particular social status, securing ourselves economically from any instability that this system may bring.” Tama na siguro ang pagiging seryoso. Layon naman kasi talaga ng artikulong ito na makalap lamang ang mga katatwang sinasabi ng mga miyembro ng organisasyon. Ngayon, ang tanong ay may conyo ba sa Ecosoc? Ayon sa inyo, marami-rami rin sila. Hindi naman sa pinatatamaan namin ang kanilang karakter, ngunit mayroon lamang silang mga nasasambit na talagang kakaiba at nakakatawa. (See The Accused image) Halimbawa na lamang ito. Mas masaya siguro kung huhulaan niyo kung sino ang nagsabi ng mga sumusunod:

“Can I make sabay?” At lahat ng mga pahayag na sumusunod sa ayos na Make + Pandiwa

“I only wear Italian jeans” Maraming ganyan sa ukay-ukay.

“Let’s go jeeping!” Ano kayang ginagawa dito?

“Mercatow” “Foodgazm” Sosyal!

“I didn’t mean this afternoon. I meant kaninang MORNING!” “How’s life with KURYENTE?” Ayos lang naman.

“I’m not na busy this week!” O sige, let’s make kita!

“How many takals of rice do you need?” I don’t make takal my rice eh.

“No kaya!” No kaya = no way? Tapos, of course = yes naman?

“Pa-have?” Bawal mag-give eh.

“Parang.. like, you know?” Hindi eh.

Huling tanong: conyo ba ang Ecosoc?

30% Oo

50% Oo yata?

20% Hindinghindi

Agosto ay Buwan ng Wika. Conyo o makata, huwag sanang kalimutang magbigay-pugay sa ating sariling salita! :)

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Save the Filipinos from Filipino The case for adopting English and discarding Filipino in public education BY KENNETH REYES

YEAR AGO, THEN-ADMU senior James Soriano’s Manila Bulletin article “Language, learning, identity, privilege” elicited a tsunami of reactions in the online world. With lines like “[Learning the Filipino language] was a chore, like washing the dishes... It was the language we used to speak to the people who washed our dishes,” perhaps it was inevitable, especially for the notoriously thin-skinned Filipino people. As with all flame wars, the issue eventually died down with its fundamental questions unresolved. And so one year on, as another Buwan ng Wika comes along, I want to revive that discussion— a terribly pressing discussion that lies right at the heart of Filipino consciousness. It is the discussion of our national language. Four decades before James Soriano’s article, Renato Constantino published his seminal essay “The Miseducation of the Filipino,” which accused the American-modeled public education system of being a form of cultural imperialism, causing generations of Filipinos forget their past as they strive to become like their colonial masters, the United States. The “master stroke” of this colonial subjugation, Constantino

argues, was the adoption of English as the medium of instruction. Thus, Filipino children, who must learn a foreign language that they will eventually discard, are prone to memorization, mastering neither native nor foreign tongue. Lacking a language, the child therefore has difficulty expressing his innermost thoughts, becoming more willing to leave intricate decision-making to the elite class who monopolize power. Constantino’s words in 1970 are still eerily relevant today: Now we have a small group of men who can articulate their thoughts in English, a wider group who can read and speak in fairly comprehensible English, and a great mass that hardly expresses itself in any language… The result is a leadership that fails to understand the needs of the masses because it… can communicate… only in general and vague terms. This is the reason why issues are never fully discussed. This is the reason why… demagogues who rant and rave are the ones who flourish in the political arena.

Soriano agrees, saying that “while Filipino may be the language of identity, it is the language of the streets. It might have the capacity to be the language of

learning, but it is not the language of the learned.” The difference, however, is how they view this phenomenon. While Constantino passionately advocates a dedicated push towards cultivating the Filipino language in an effort to supplant English, Soriano makes a more value-neutral observation: learn Filipino for interacting with the masses, and learn English for the more important stuff. It’s a tad indelicate, but I’m sure it reflects the attitude most of us espouse. It’s clear though that there is a problem. How can we end the alienation felt by the great mass of our people who contribute little to political discourse but are significantly affected by them? How can we end the de facto politician strategy of spouting truisms instead of proposing real solutions? In short, how can we get the country to think? I agree with Constantino that it is fundamentally a language problem, and there are two ways to address it. There is the Recto-style Filipino First policy that Constantino advocates: he recognizes that the Filipino language has yet to be sufficiently intellectualized, but this is only because its usage takes a back seat to English. Given enough time, Filipino can achieve the standards of intellectualization as defined in 2000 by Rey

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Carlo Amio (following Rosario TorresYu), which are that “(a) Filipino is widely used by intellectuals and experts in their discourse; [and] (b) there exists adequate vocabulary through which abstract thought can be expressed and conveyed.” Only through its widespread and constant use can the language fully develop, and once it is, the masses will begin forming independent opinions that can break the intellectual tyranny of the elite. The other strategy is one I propose, which is that we embrace the adoption of English and direct our efforts in spreading the mastery of it to the whole of our nation, both elite and marginalized. I also want to take it a step further by abolishing Filipino class in the primary and secondary levels. Constantino prefers a bottom-up approach (bring to the elites the language of the masses) while I prefer a top-down approach (bring to the masses the language of the elites). I will argue that my strategy is the more feasible and desirable one. The first argument is on feasibility. Constantino’s proposal of intellectualization through widespread patronage is a catch-22 conundrum: for Filipino to be viable for usage, it must be intellectualized, but for it to be intellectualized, it must attain predominant usage. The state can get the educational system to teach students to read, write, and think in Filipino in the hopes that if this is done long enough, Filipino will eventually develop, but this is unlikely to occur. Outside the classroom, English is still the preferred language of the workplace, the law, and the academe, and the state cannot force these institutions to shift to Filipino. Furthermore, the Filipino-speakers the students interact with—jeepney drivers, vendors, their parents—use a highly informal Filipino with weak grammatical rigidities and is prone to sociolects (Taglish, Conyo, Swardspeak, Jejemon). The kind of proper, intellectual use that can cultivate a language will therefore only happen in the classroom, so chances are very small that Filipino (or Proper Filipino to distinguish it from Colloquial

Filipino) will indeed develop. On the other hand, English is already capable of expressing intricate, abstract ideas using a well-defined grammar system, and it just becomes a matter of implementing a competent teaching plan for all students to be able to employ it. The state should devise and implementing an educational plan that seriously takes to heart the goal of increasing English proficiency. Such a plan would include proficient teachers, the consistent use of English in all classes, and the assignment of pertinent reading materials written in English. Admittedly, informal Filipino will still be used outside the classroom, linking back to our earlier problem of the students’ use of the language being cultivated only in school. There are however two advantages in having the classroom as a place of English rather than a place of Proper Filipino. Firstly, studying in English makes it easier for students to cognitively dichotomize the language of the classroom from the language outside it, whereas Proper Filipino runs the risk of being approached the same way as Colloquial Filipino is. The informalities of their everyday conversations could seep in. Secondly, there is an abundance of English-language works available for classroom consumption, from the historical writings of Ambeth Ocampo and Renato Constantino to the fiction of F. Sionil Jose and Nick Joaquin, and these can help students learn to think in English. Tagalog works, however, are scarce, and most are radical in nature, making it necessary for students to rely on their teachers to learn how to think in Filipino. This is worrisome because the demand for English fluency is much

The Filipino language embraces English more than the Filipino people do!

greater than that of Filipino fluency, meaning chances are good that the supply of truly fluent Filipino teachers is inherently small. (Fluency here, of course, means the ability to think and discuss in Filipino with depth, not just the ability to speak it.) In the end, learning to think in a language is hard either way, but chances are higher for learning to be half-baked if Filipino is the main focus. The second argument is that of desirability. Given the choice between nationwide mastery of Filipino and nationwide mastery of English, the latter is the more desirable option because our globalized world runs on the English language. Like it or not, most major world news outlets report in English. Textbooks, journals, websites, computer programs, and instruction manuals are primarily in English. Proceedings of international institutions like the UN are published in English, or if not, are automatically translated into English. Clearly, students will benefit greater from mastery of English over mastery of Filipino. The average foreigner does not learn Filipino to interact with the Philippines the same way he might learn Chinese to interact with China or Spanish to interact with Latin America. One might argue that this is the tragedy of our colonial past, that we have embraced English so much that it has become one of our national languages and in the process have irreverently murdered our native dialects. Is it not then more patriotic to free ourselves from the shackles of English and work towards making Filipino at par with Chinese and Spanish? This is an argument that stems from the assumption that nationalism entails the promotion of all things endemic: Filipino customs, Filipino food, Filipino fashion, and Filipino language. However, the line of what is and isn’t Filipino is often blurry. Why is it Filipino to be Catholic when Christianity was a Spanish import? Why do we consider democracy an ideal when authoritarianism better resembles our ancestors’ systems of government? Obviously, it’s in-

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sane to consider only endemic Filipino things to be truly Filipino, and a better view would hold that national identity is constantly shaped by history. We were animists and Muslims before Spain, and we had warrior societies before America. Now we are a Christian democracy. The question is, has English become a part of our national identity? I want to argue that yes, it has. In Amio’s 2000 article “The Intellectualization of Filipino Through English,” the title says it all: Filipino has been drawing words from English using Spanish as a “template.” For example, calculation is translated into kalkulasyon in imitation of Spanish phonology (even if the Spanish of calculation is cálculo). Another example is technical becoming teknikal (while the Spanish is técnico). Indeed, the Filipino language embraces English more than the Filipino people do! For those who reject English for the sole reason that it is American, I point to this passage from poet Carlos Bulosan’s moving semi-autobiographical novel America Is in the Heart: America is not a land of one race or one class of men. We are all Americans that have toiled and suffered and known oppression and defeat, from the first Indian that offered peace in Manhattan to the last Filipino pea pickers. America is not bound by geographical latitudes. America is not merely a land or an institution. America is in the hearts of men that died for freedom; it is also in the eyes of men that are building a new world. America is a prophecy of a new society of men: of a system that knows no sorrow or strife or suffering.

To deny English because it is American would be to insist on some “cultural purity” that attempts to erase the last one hundred years of our history, an undertaking that is both futile and foolish. Constantino’s misgivings weren’t so much that English is used in education but that the educational system as a whole stifles patriotism and subjugates Filipinos under American rule, of which English is but one of the tactics. Today however, twenty years removed

THE PATRIOT Claro M. Recto, advocate of the Filipino First policy

from the paranoid frenzy of the Cold War, colonial mentality isn’t as tangible a problem as, say, the present language divide, and the stigma attached to English needs to wither away. Instilling patriotism and focusing on English can go hand-in-hand in our educational institutions. In fact, Constantino’s article is written in English, and works like that are precisely the kind that can and should be required reading for high school students. What we do now is the token practice of taking up Tagalog works just for the sake of taking up Tagalog works even if students detest the incomprehensible language they use, which may be Filipino, but not quite the kind they are accustomed to. The state can instead pursue a sort of “perceptive nationalism” where students learn of great Filipinos and the turbulent, sometimes tragic, but always engrossing, events of Philippine history using a language that is intellectualized enough to avoid the kind of vague, impetuous thoughts that the haphazard Filipino language is wont to fuel. I do not however wish for Tagalog and all native dialects to die out. My point is just that it is unnecessary and counterproductive to teach them in classrooms. Indeed, we learn Filipino not from the classroom, but from the streets, and

whatever grammar lessons we obtain in the former are promptly abandoned when interacting in the latter. Colloquial Filipino cares not whether you write iyon, yon, or yun, or whether you use ng instead of nang, and those conscientious enough to stick to grammar rules receive no payoff. My vision for Filipino is what Hokkien is to the Chinese: a dialect used in informal situations that needn’t be taught in schools to be picked up. I would, however, encourage the study of it in universities as a special topic under Linguistics or Literature, ensuring that only those who actually want to learn it formally would do so, the same way Latin and Ancient Greek are offered to language enthusiasts in Western universities. This is where Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag, Florante at Laura, and Ibong Adarna should be discussed, for it is here where their messages would be better understood and appreciated. Language is nothing but a method of communication. It may carry significance for a culture, but let’s remember that it will always just be a means to an end. We must ask ourselves: is English still a weapon of Western imperialism? Or do we cling to Filipino out of blind nationalism? Happy Buwan ng Wika to all!

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A Different Kind of A Family An ode to the Ecosoc Tambayan’s tambays BY DEREK PARREÑAS

H, TAMBAY, the greatest Filipino past time. Almost lahat ng orgs in UP have a tambayan. A place where people eat their pagkains, make laro card games, make kwento, and, siyempre, to pass the time. And here is, like, a tribute to the tambayan’s greatest tambays, the people who make the U.P. Economics Society’s tambayan what it is, you know? Those voices you hear always resonating in the tambayan, the laughter that welcomes you into it- these are the people responsible for those memories. And they always seem to be there, smiling.

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Brian Cruz + Jomac Conty (BC + JC)

Brian and Jomac, like, the two vice-chairs of Finance. What would Finance be kaya without them? Probably the same. Nevertheless, this duo always seems to be the tag-team of the tambayan. Kung saan yung isa, the other is probably also there. They always just keep on breaking each other’s balls, regarding anything that they can think of to annoy the other. BC tells me, “Sa totoo lang, I really hate the Jomac,” and when I asked JC about Brian, “I love Brian.” I think that’s enough for now.

Gab Sollano (GaSol)  The tambayan’s resident non-frat frat boy. This man is almost responsible for all the malupit na tawanan. Plus, he’s somewhat a walking encyclopedia of women. Gab told me to let others tell me about him. That’s how confident he is! When I asked one of his paramours about Gab, she coyly tells me, “I should probably thank him for last night.” One other just blatantly says, “Gab is Gab.” Another says, “Yuck!” But whoever he is, he’s still Don Cheadle and he’s there to protect all men from the inequities and the tyranny of evil men.

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Marte Caroñongan (Arthel)

Have you met Marte? Let me rephrase that better, have you not met Marte? If you haven’t met Arthel Caroñongan Jr., sorry to say, you have not made tambay. Arthel is truly one of a kind. He’s usually found playing with cards or using his laptop. Arthel tells me, “Kung hindi ako nag-Ecosoc, siguro I’ll be in class. But the hands of fate have decreed me to be here, so nandito ako.” If his warm smile won’t cheer you up, then his booming voice definitely will! And if you are lucky enough to receive an invitation from Arthel to eat out during breaks, then make sure you can provide the transportation!

Mik Sison (Mik)  If you have a videogame, he probably knows about it. If he doesn’t, you should tell him. He’s always in the tambayan, sitting around, or even taking part in conversations when he feels like it. Hell, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mik outside of the School of Economics. He may look like a freshman, but don’t let his youthful looks and reserved manner fool you; this man is a man who’s got his opinions straight. When there’s a debate, he’ll argue for his side, and don’t expect nothing less than everything he’s got. And more.

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Bruno Santos (Alvar)

The tambayan’s go-to for all things indie and fashionable. I spent an entire summer with this guy, and I’m lucky I’m still not a hipst- I mean, an indie person. He has a wicked repertoire of artists he fondly calls his “music”, plus he knows a whole lot about obscure films (at least obscure in the sense that those films aren’t in mainstream consciousness). He loves playing music in the tambayan, to the delight of some and the nonchalance of many. When you listen to music with this man, be prepared; prepared to go back in time to revisit the hits that made our childhood and prepared to learn about new artists. He’s one crazy guy, this guy. Seriously though, beneath this man’s bevy of branded clothing and musical class lies a heart of gold.

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Arsenio Lukban (Ars)

The tambayan’s dark knight. Arsenio Lukban has a very keen eye on cleanliness and he does his part very well. He is the most environmentally-aware of all, and he even taught me how to speak to strangers (That’s true). He takes awesome shots, has a folding bike (or sometimes, a board), and he’s very eloquent. Ars is a friendly guy, and is there to make you feel at home. Just be sure to keep the tambayan clean, and this guy will always be there for you.

Justin Yap Apostol (JYA)  Justin Yap Apostol may appear to be shy, but don’t let that fool you. He’s a very friendly person and he’s the anti-hero of sorts. Chill, but always alert. He’s a son of a god, and his inhuman strength will attest to that. Once, he even tells me, he saved a girl from nearly dying in a well of souls. Yet that doesn’t compare to when he saved Athens from the Titans. A herculean man with a soft spot for the underdog, JYA is a man you can count on when the going gets tough and the tough are all gone. But you should definitely ask him about his pet pig, Phil.

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Pito Morales (Fernando)

Quite often than not, you see this tall and handsome man with a goatee sitting around the tambayan. He laughs along with everyone and plays games with everyone. He is Fernando, the runner. He’s slick and fast, and he likes to get into hard to reach places. Pito loves everybody, but most of all, he loves his abs. “What can I do eh, I’m so sexay,” he quips when I talk to him. Obviously, it takes a lot of effort to look as good as Fernando, and what can I say, he’s got the abs. “I look so good, baby,” his abs even adds. This is the sexiest man of the tambays, and there’s no denying that.

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Tracy Miranda (Erol)

Tracy Miranda is a man beyond words. The quintessential chill dude. This short and chinky-eyed guy always has a thing or two to say about anything, be it basketball, videogames, or even what you’re eating. And the best part about this dude is that he’s always so laid back. According to him, he is a responsible man, who loves to look after the younger ones in his family. He never lets anything get to him and he performs well under pressure. If you need a guy to stand by on during clutch time, this is your guy.

Paul Ugalde (The Paul)  Quite simply, the king of the tambays. There’s always this person sitting around the tambayan, he’s dark and he likes to touch people. No, not like that! Paul Ugalde is a person you are sure to meet when you make tambay. He probably knows all the card games, all the songs, who’s who, and what’s what in the tambayan. If you have a question about making tambay, this is the man to approach. He taught me all the things needed to make tambay when I was still an applicant. Paul always has a topic to talk about with you, and, above all, he makes you feel as if the tambayan was truly your home (Please don’t forget to throw your trash).

You know what? I don’t think I was able to encapsulate exactly everything about these people. You shouldn’t be reading this. You should be making tambay and getting to know these people. After all, the tambays are always welcoming and they, in their own way, make Ecosoc what it is. Can you imagine the tambayan without Gab laughing, or Mik sitting around, or Paul shouting his lungs out? I can’t. That’s why they’re so great. *the statements made by the above might not be entirely accurate due to the author being “totally hungover” from being “so drunk last night” while “raping people”

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Jolina

The case for a Jejemonic National Artist BY HORACE CIMAFRANCA

ITH THE RECENT death of Dolphy, the debate on the grounds for selecting our National Artists has been again the talk of the palengke. Tinderas and manongs all have their arguments, backed by decades of exposure to B-movies and evening teledramas. However, it takes more than a penchant for everything domestic pop culture for one’s arguments to be valid. The selection for the National Artist, even with how encompassing ‘national’ sounds, is still reserved for the elite. Ecosoc, it’s time we lay our manicured hands on something as important a cultural concern! And no one in Ecosoc does selection extraordinaire better than Echoes! So here it goes, the case for Jolina Magdangal, our next National Artist.

Who the f*ck is Jolina? Yes, the cool people of this generation will deny any knowledge of Jolina’s existence. DO NOT LIE. Jolina’s popularity transcends into society more than Britney Spears’ ever did. Unless you were raised in purist bourgeois captivity like Ralph Dantes, you should have seen, heard or even felt (gasp!) Ate Jolens at least once in your pitiful life. Walang laglagan, bro.

This is just the plain truth. The origin of Jolina remains obscure, a testament to her divinity. However, sources point out that she was indeed born some time in 1978. Eight years later, democracy was restored in the Philippines. During the 90s, now affectionately referred to as the Jolina era by nostalgic old-timers, the economy was flourishing and the political climate was largely stable. One sociologist suggests it was because everyone was so glued to Jolina that differences were set aside and a Jolinaworshipping culture took over the national consciousness and united the entire nation.

Butterfly hairclips, anyone? Many scholars agree that it was during the nineties when Filipino ingenuity in fashion reached its peak, thanks to Jolina. While the fashion capitals of the world were busy churning out baggy jeans and pale oversized sweatshirts, Jolina was already sporting a mash of everything kitschy and colorful. Her signature red hair, pulled back and shaped by countless little plastic hair clips was the in thing for the masa tweens. Critics were also quick to dismiss her wardrobe as tacky and wasteful of fabric, but still many considered them as ingenious.

Adapting to the country’s conservative culture, Jolina even made sure that her ripped clothing did not reveal any of her womanly goods by putting another layer of cloth under it. Tangina, smart bro.

Paper Roses Unbeknownst to many, Jolina was also a singer. Since many attributed the golden age of OPM in the 90s to alternative rock bands such as Rivermaya and Eraserheads, we tend to overlook Jolina’s contributions to the local music scene. All Jolina songs made it to the top of jeepney playlists across the country. Her most prominent single, “Chuvachuchu,” sung in duet with another great artist, Nikki Valdez (tangina bro, who’s that?!), has left an enduring mark on Filipino gay lingo. And who would ever forget her rendition of the American classic, “Paper Roses”? She was so immersed into the song that her hair, for a

time, seemed like paper roses.

The Jologs Legacy Jolina bequeathed this generation the most enduring legacy of her era – the jologs culture. Jologs is said to be a portmanteau of Jolina and some other word, probably the Latin logos, which gives the term some intellectual appeal. Even with Jolina now being a has-been, the bottom line is her cultural legacy lives on. Her undying popularity has even spawned several attempts to revive the Jologs culture, such as Seventeen, so kaka!, Daisy Siete and even Salbakuta. Unfortunately, rising incomes and globalization set forth a trend towards the abandonment of the jologs culture. The growth of the bourgeoisie and the clamor for the passage of the RH bill (aimed at controlling the jologs population) imperil the sustenance of this distinctly Filipino cultural movement.

Nevertheless, thanks largely to Pinoy Big Brother, Willie Revillame, and the Filipino people’s resiliency, the jologs culture has held up and has now mutated into what we call jejemon. Only Jolina Magdangal could’ve produced a cultural movement so everlasting and penetrative. Her crass antics are one big middle finger flashed to the country’s hegemonic ersatz elite, which has spurned a generation of Taglishspeaking conyos. She is the torch of the counter-cultural movement against these conyos, the dagger that stabbed the predominance of the pa-sosyal, the muse who unified the haves and the don’t-haves against the pa-haves! Truly, her plastic hair clips have freed us from a homogenizing pseudo-elitist culture. That is why, with all her Technicolor glory, she deserves to be our next National Artist. Chuvachuchu!

ANG REYNA NG JOLOGS Jolina Magdangal with long-time leading man Marvin Agustin. Clockwise: I Luv NY, featuring a Jologs-ified New York; Labs Kita... Okey Ka Lang?; Adik Sa’yo

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Manuel Quezon: 21st Century BY VITO CASTAÑEDA

N THE MIDST OF the cultural festivities of Buwan ng Wika, let’s take a moment to reflect on the works of Manuel L. Quezon: the second Philippine president, vampire hunter*, and the “Father of the National Language.” Quezon believed that a single, homegrown national language was essential to unifying Filipinos all over the country under a real Philippine identity, regardless of their regional backgrounds and dialects. At the time of his presidency, there were already over 16 million Filipinos, from a dozen different ethnicities, spread across a seven thousand-island archipelago. Whenever he traveled around the Philippines, he admitted to feeling dismayed whenever he had difficulty communicating with other Filipinos simply because their dialects differed from his native Tagalog. As a president and representative of the Filipino people, Quezon saw how the numerous language barriers within his own country could become an obstacle to proper governance and national unity.

Within a year of the creation of an “Institute of the National Language,” President Quezon signed an executive order that made Tagalog the basis of the Filipino national language. While laws were passed to mandate the teaching of the Tagalog-based national language in schools across the country, the invasion of the Japanese vampires military forced Quezon’s government into exile, where he died of tuberculosis before seeing the long-term effects of his plan for the Filipino people.

In fact, let’s also assume that he doesn’t have tuberculosis anymore. Or is wearing one of these.

THE END ...of the first half of this article. Here are some things to think about: What if Quezon was around to see how the Filipino language grew and defined the nation? More so, what if he were here today, in our time, to witness how Filipinos have come to use the language in the 21st century? Granted, he’d have to be either 137 years old or a time traveler of some kind, but since this is all hypothetical, it doesn’t really matter.

Assuming that he starts hanging around in Metro Manila, one thing that President Quezon would probably notice is the continued and frequent use of English and Tagalog. While Quezon believed that it was practical for Filipinos to learn the English, he stated that he didn’t want Eng-

lish to become the national language. As for Tagalog, he might be puzzled to discover that, according to the latest Constitution, Tagalog is no longer the “official Filipino language,” even though it is still technically used as one anyway. While Quezon may be unfazed by urban Filipinos using English and Tagalog (it was probably normal even in his time anyway), he might raise an eyebrow over the many ways people are modifying and mixing these two languages into peculiar forms of speech. Isa sa mga pinaka-obvious na example ay ang Taglish. Isang cause nito ay ang “i-structure” ng wikang Tagalog, na ginagawang madali ang pag-borrow ng salita mula sa ibang language. Bukod pa diyan, widespread ang “western influence” dito sa Pilipinas, lalo na sa mga urban areas, kaya mas madaling gumamit ng English words at phrases para ipahayag ang mga ideas mo. And there’s like, *conyo-speak din, which is like, parang, super-nakakaasar na version ng Taglish, right? I mean, in fairness, it’s like mas-easier to makesalita this way naman, diba? (No.) 4n0Th3r th!ng th4t wOulD m@k3 Qü3zZzon’’s h3Ad $p!N iz d r!dICuL0s T3xT D3v3L0p3d bY Jej3m0n$. 4Ls0, k@pg n4-c0Mb!n3 i2 sa T4gLiSh, l@l0 ng ssk!t ang uL0 ny@ p0wHZzZz jejejejejeje. Even if Quezon set that linguistic circus aside, it would be easy for him to see that his vision of a national, Filipino language that unified everyone in the country has not yet come to pass. All across the archipelago, Filipinos from many various ethnicities still use their regional dialects to speak with communities similar to their own. As it stands, the Philippines is still waiting for that special, domestic language that will bridge the cultural gaps between Filipinos and promote the national identity that Quezon envisioned so long ago. With that said, is there anything from this time period that would definitively impress him? Well, I guess he’d be happy about how the way he looks on the 20.

*A NOTE ON THE VAMPIRE HUNTING CAREER OF MANUEL L. QUEZON Though the official Malacañang line is that Manuel Quezon never took part in the sport of vampire hunting, most scholars today agree that President Quezon was indeed a vampire hunter from his early teens to his death. The picture above is an outtake of his presidential photoshoot, which was kindly provided to Echoes by the Quezon family. According to an aide who was present during the shoot, “When a vampire photobombed the President’s portrait, he promptly brandished his favorite vampire hunting knife and decapitated the hapless creature with great skill.”

CULTURE

Five Things to Do Instead of Reading Fifty Shades of Grey BY TIMMY JACOB

IFTY SHADES of Grey is a book that has been making a lot of buzz lately among avid readers around the world. Even those not too fond of reading have heard about it only as the “book with a lot of sex in it.” To give a brief background, it is a story that revolves around Ana Steele, who through a series of events finds herself in a situation where she must decide whether or not to sign a contract to participate in a BDSM sex relationship with incredibly successful and young entrepreneur, Christian Grey. Being someone who is not too fond of either reading books or BDSM sex, reading this particular novel does not really seem to be a pleasant way of spending my free time. There are several different things one could do instead of reading this book to entertain him or herself. Of these several, I would like to suggest just five other things to do to those who are planning to read this book.

1. Go on a food trip “Would you rather give up food or sex?” That’s obviously a really difficult question for someone to answer, but if someone asked me to pick between eating or reading about sex, I would definitely pick eating. Going out with friends, eating good food, and being able to just hang out, to me, is a much better alternative than spending time isolated and

just reading a book about a girl who can’t decide whether she wants to have BDSM sex or not.

2. Watch a movie Don’t deny it. Like most people in this generation, you’re probably kind of lazy and have a short attention span. You could spend your time relaxing and watching any movie instead of having to think and imagine the scenes in a book. You could even wait for the movie version of the book so you could sit down, eat some popcorn, and have everything just displayed in front of you for your brain to absorb instead of having to read. If you’re reading the book for the sex parts (you perv), I guess watching the movie would be a better alternative to you.

3. Watch a clock tick This might sound extreme, but sometimes it’s more entertaining to just watch a clock or watch’s second hand tick instead of doing something. I find this especially more entertaining when the second hand you’re watching is an automatic watch (I don’t know about you, but to me it’s fascinating to watch the second hand move smoothly). Maybe watching a second hand tick could be a better alternative to reading a book about a girl deciding whether or not to have BDSM sex.

4. Sleep If none of the suggestions above appeal to you, I’m sure sleeping is a good alternative to reading Fifty Shades of Grey. Sometimes it gets tiring to read a book even when it is entertaining and with all the school work that you accomplish both in class and at home, I’m sure getting some rest is a better alternative to exerting extra energy in reading Fifty Shades of Grey.

5) Get a girlfriend/boyfriend Instead of reading the book and thinking to yourself after, “Why can’t I have a magical, non-romantic, BDSM sex relationship with someone?,” why not preoccupy yourself with finding someone who shares that same BDSM sexual fantasy as you? Go search for your own Ana Steele or Christian Grey and live happily ever after! INFOBOX!

What is BDSM? BDSM is a combination of three acronyms: bondage and discipline (BD), dominance and submission (DS), and sado-masochism (SM). Basically take those six things and add ‘sex’ and you’d get BDSM. For more information, ask your local BDSM practitioner!

CULTURE

Tweetable Tweets @ArisHilton31 bet ko kapag totoong zombie apocalypse na, wala nang oras magpantalon. praktisado na tayo @chototoy @ hiMEDYAS @onionuevo @lancetlim Watching my calories now. So far, so good! @loicenipa Ang ganda mo @mikDC wow turuan mo naman ako ng mga byuti zikrets mo @TheVargasm Why does your hair look perpetually greasy? Not that I mind touching it @bodojessica @mmmatibag your song=)) jk RT @ pjtal: Bakit nga ba mahal kita kahit ‘di pinapansin ang damdamin ko? Ipaliwanag. @PauloTayawa i hate this feeling... the fat feeling. @Pau13au The UP Fighting Cocks would be much more nationalistic I think ... @atienzagelo I’ve always known myself to be a risk taker. But why can’t I take one with you? @paaatmen Momol time!!!!!!!!!!! @MarteteKoMaliit iPhone autocorrected “pareho” into “Pareto” nooooooooooooo Econ lubayan mo ko kahit isang oras lang @ChickenBaquilod Di ako naligo todayyyyy i gotta feeling!! Mmmmm stinky

@ChickenBaquilod You make me feel like a real woman @ alanorqui @MarteteKoMaliit Home! Date with Varian the whole afternoon :) momol time @horacecima Wouldn’t it be more fun to cut class and just run against the wind? @kevestopace yesss, may chicken nuggets pala sa ref. @angeeelespiritu WHAT bakit ang wild ng ulan :( Baka time of the month niya @Ben_Bismark My room needs a ctrl+f function @Ben_Bismark Sometimes, I’m totally tempted to buy you load @kelvinator123 haha @Camille_Cruz U r my jeje @camillejuco #tayawamoves on the prowl ka na naman Jason ah RT @PauloTayawa: “Kontinente nga naghihiwalay” :)) @RammariusMarkus Nastress ang medulla oblongata ko sa 131 kanina. Heteroscedasticity -favorite word ever @RammariusMarkus There is a difference between a natural conyo and a pilit na conyo. Ugh! @HarHarCzar Near heart-attack because of the whole class screaming suddenly in unison. #ratinclass

CULTURE @enzoclemente531 Sa mga ganitong weather masarap na may kahug eh! Haha. @alanorqui never thought making a food journal was this depressing @klaudmoreno I think I need a good cry. Haha pinagplanuhan? =))) Pero seriously... @Shumawarma Musta? #RejectedUPCATessayQuestions @kelvinator123 Me: Hi Sir Jocano! STS tomorrow at 8:30! Sir Jocano: Sureness!#STS #uhhh @HarHarCzar Sayang lang oras ko. :| #putangprof #kulangsabeautysleep @beetriz to be or not to be is not the question; may pasok ba definitely is @klishling i love the basic windows fonts @bruyes_mars #MyAugustWish IKAW :> :> hihihihi @_AnnaMon When you’re working with a batteryless laptop... the plugging off is the hardest part. @inespagdanganan almost completely sure my classmates are freaked out by how i use the class projector as a personal bonfire to keep myself warm f u all @PB_andGeli When I walk, I try to imagine the GOT opening credits soundtrack playing in the bg so it feels like I’m heading off on an epic adventure. @juanmig Stupid meralco, fix your shit I need entertainment @PB_andGeli Now accepting piggy-back rides.

@kelvinator123 Can’t find coffee... can’t do paper @solsslice i want to sing like sisa! @jryambao @camillejuco “so if you get raped by a dolphin... will your baby be a mermaid????” -camille @jryambao My dad just said ‘bro’ to the waiter hahahaha @solsslice age is just a numbaa, cause i look young forevaa @mmmatibag Tigidong @rynaclaro GJ Agregado: I dnt really look like *toot* Me: He’s skinnier GJ: Wala siyang abs? OMY OMY GJ A! @modernmannerist Darkness of the morning in an envelope => did someone throw up on your twitter? @ria924 I think I need a new “study” hairstyle. My hair needs to breathe from all the high buns. haha #random

CULTURE

On the Concrete BY SAM GONZALES As a fan of the rain, I’ve enjoyed July and August especially when I see people in lovely and cozy seeming sweaters and basics. Anyway, spot the new faces in this article!

Stef Go Her gold accessories that she matched with her grayscale palette

Flora Palabrica Her romantic sundress contrasted with all the gray.

Andee Aguila I just really like how it’s put together. Wow wow wow.

Ramm Advincula Those Khaki pants. They’re folded. FOLDED!

Tracy Miranda Is that he likes what heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doing. Also his shirt.

Paolo AĂąonuevo His simple sweater made special by the neon details.

Pat Men Her monotone sweater paired with simple sweater which reminds you of a nice December evening.

Rino Lamarca The tassle-esque aglets/laces of his boat shoes. Damn.

CULTURE

Gossip G. No introduction. Straight to the gossip!

1 A certain Creepy Thin Man is on the prowl for his next prized possession. Having used his Creepy Thin Man moves on 2 men already, it’s not that surprising that he’s doing it all over again. But then again, there’s a reason why this man is called a Creepy Thin Man because apparently, the apples of his eyes don’t have a clue of his love… his creepy love. A little warning to all my unsuspecting readers: it could be you.

2 Two creative K’s developing some fun loving over the semester and from what I’ve heard, they make each other really happy. But, girl K, sweet, innocent, girl K, are you really ready for a relationship with the notoriously moody boy K? I hope you know what you’re getting into before both of you get into each other and do something not so sweet and innocent.

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There’s a storm coming, ladies and germs. Word on the street is that most of our second in command have a lot to say to our precious Execom, and the former is determined to make their thoughts heard. Not satisfied with how we’re treated now are we? I’ve even heard the word “utusan” being tossed around and the occasional cat fight just amuses me so much. I hope you’re ready to face the truth… and handle it.