Echoes November 2016 by Echoes

20 38 46 54 58 Ecosoc News

News by the Numbers by Anton Castillo

Whispers Of The Silenced by Carlos Cabaero

Ken’s World by Ken Recasata

Cover Story: Vive Le Vim by Bianca Rañola

68 76

How To Be Single by Chino Vitriolo

The Fresh Prince Of The Province by Chito Balindong

82 98 Farewell #12 by Selena Yao

Takeoff and Takeover by Neena A., Alysson L., Mike B., Chili P.

116 Ecosoc Stats by Chili Perez

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ECHOE S 58B PUBLICAT ION S e l e n a Ya o Ke l s e y M a r i a n o Dominic Carreon Bianca Ranola Katrielle Abrenica Patricia Isabelle Perez Maxine Capili Maya Paraguya Roland Oliquino L AYO U T E DITO R A l f o n s o P a n i s EDITOR IAL S TAFF G u s t a v o V i t r i o l o Maria Pilar Ochave Antonio Castillo Anna Pagdanganan Vilmar Gayutin III Faulene Manzanilla

EDITOR -IN -CHIE F ASSOCIAT E E DITO R MA NAG IN G E DITO R CREAT IV E DIR E CTO R FE ATUR E S E DITO R CULT U R E E DITO R NEW S E DITO R PHOTO E DITO R S Echoes is the official publication of the UP Economics Society (UP Ecosoc), a nonstock, non-profit, student organization based in the University of the Philippines Diliman School of Economics. Echoes is released 3-4 times a semester and eight times in a year on the months of February, March, April, May, August, September, October, and November. It draws its funding from a subsidy from UP Ecosoc, subscription revenue, and small fundraisers. For this semester, 30 subscription copies, one tambayan copy, one archive copy, and a complimentary copy for our featured member 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 ecosoc.echoes@gmail.com for more information, visit:

upecosoc.org echoes.ph issuu.com/echoes

All errors are corrected when uploaded on issuu.com/echoes. If you spot an error, please email us.

NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION.

WE B E DITO R C a r l o C a b a t o EDITOR IAL S TAFF R a m o n T i m o t h y B a n t a

TV EXECUT IV E P R O DU CE R K e n R e c a s a t a P R O DU CE R P a o l o Te j a n o DIR E CTO R A l i B a l i n d o n g I I I

E VE NT S DIR E CTO R S M a x i n n e M e n d i o l a Miguel Juico Paul Rondario Alvar Santos

CONT RIBUTORS Rio Dayao Cyril Cornelio Gabe Japlos Eryel Benitez Louis Arceo Benjie Gana Alysson Lucas Mike Buenaventura

Neena Ame Javi Vilchez Cielo Versoza Karla Tuplano Alex Vitasa Jerm Racela Carlos Jacinto Shellie Tannagan

Rella Gloria Angeli Garcia Dianne Sibayan Sab Go Alfonso Roces Carlos Cabaero Mia Ochoa Tin Santos

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ME SSAGE F R O M T HE EDI TOR We’re now down to the last issue for Echoes 58, and what better way to cap off this great year with the theme FREEDOM? Before my term even began, this was already a theme that I knew I wanted to do. I guess it’s my lowkey personal resentment towards systems that govern our world and dictate the way I/we behave—not just the law, but all these norms, gender rules, social cues that I’m supposed to already know, what have you. I have daydreams of turning against them. You could say I’m silently an anarchist, but I’m also a rational being who’s smart enough to act in accordance with the general public to ensure my survival. Oh, did you see that? It’s my anarchy flying out the window... For this issue, we did something that hasn’t been done in a while: we put an Echoes member on the cover. I don’t know how or when it was decided that only non-Echoes people could grace the front page of the publication, but it was just too tempting to break from tradition for the final issue. After all, who could possibly embody the theme better than VIM GAYUTIN? He’s a young, confident artist on a personal journey to self-discovery, uncompromising in his principles with quick wit to match. Vim does his own thing—and here at Echoes, that’s exactly what we want you to do, too. If there’s one thing I learned from my post here in Ecosoc this past year, it’s that there’s nothing wrong with going your own way sometimes. Never forget to look back at what was, but always keep on marching towards the exciting future. Trust your gut. The possibilities are endless, so why let what’s comfortable hold you back from exploring what could be? Cheers, Sel

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C H A S U R DA R L I N GA M PRESIDENT, ECOSOC MONTH CHAIRPERSON ANNYEONG HASEYO ECOSOC!!!! Last commnews na sana basahin niyo tong part na to ng Echoes!! I would like to take this opportunity to thank the people who made the past year bearable HAHA. First, to the Roots 2016 team, thank you so much for joining the team and pulling off a SOLD OUT UP Fair night!!! We all it owe to you guys! To the Roots BOD, Thea, Blej, Mix, JP, BArroyo, Ken, Chino, Jude, thank you guys for stepping up and giving it your all for us to be able to make Roots a huge success!!! ECOSOC MONTH TEAM!!! Huhu thank you guys for joining EM and making all the events possible! Kahit na di kayo lagi pumupunta ng GAs haixt :((( I hope you guys will still join EM next year! EM 58 Core, SOBRANG TY FOR STEPPING UP!!!!! Blej, Julia, Danes, Thirdy, Jay, Ken, Marianne, good luck sa endeavors in life!! Plus support thirds!!!! TO my cochairz, Ana and Raffy, I love you both!!!! Couldn’t have asked for better cochairs THANK U GUYS!!!!!!!!!!! To the tambayan constants, Im happy that people like you guys really stay in the tambayan and enjoy staying there playing bridge & iba pang card games ni Josef haha Thank you so much #12 for the past year. Sobrang daming nangyari but we made it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE ARE DONE YAY!!! You guys can rest na but ya know let us complete our 10 CDC counts still next sem HAHAHA And of course, to all the members of the org, maraming salamat for supporting #12. We couldn’t have done all our plans if it weren’t for your support and active participation. Thank you for going to events, supporting the initiatives, joining adhoc teams, being active in your home committee and completing your CDC counts. I hope you won’t lose your passion for Ecosoc. :) Good luck Execomm 59! It will be a tough year but everything will be worth it for sure. :) Saranghae!!!! To boayo!!! OFFICIALLY SIGNING OFF, Cha Surdarlingam President, Ecosoc 58

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JJ SALLIMAN VICE PRESIDENT, TASK FORCE CHAIRPERSON Hello for the final time Ecosoc! To Task Force, you are the best. Thank you for always pulling through with this quiet brilliance. It was and always will be TF that holds steady the fort that is Ecosoc, valiant in our battles. Thank you for all the sleepless nights, for the missed deadlines, for the skipped classes, everything you gave up for Task Force. I know it’s not an easy sacrifice and a lot of times it seems like a thankless job, but you grit your teeth anyway and do it. Precisely because that will never be the point of our actions. Despite the huge levels of stress, despite everything, I’m sure you have all discovered the fulfillment of being in Task Force after that night. We do this not to impress our fellow Ecosocers. We do this for the schools, the scholars, and all the other stakeholders our event actually caters to. My happiness for your actions is immeasurable. More than anything, I had wanted you guys to experience this firsthand, because I sincerely believe that this is the best form of service that Ecosoc will ever teach you. There is always greatness in wanting and working for others. You are the ones who made it happen. It is in your collective strength that we were able to mount this huge event, all toil and trouble, but also all heart. It’s not love at first sight, but you stick with it anyway. Love accrues, in the form of an increasing number of text messages and calls, of things to do, of deadlines. That night, we culminated a semester’s worth of love and hard work into one wonderful Musikapella. However, the tragedy of being in Task Force is never getting to fully watch it, but I hope all of you had at least one glance at the audience, or talked to the kids, or the choirmaster. I hope you had that one defining moment of clarity, seeing everything you have worked for fall right into place. Part of the joy is seeing their faces light up with excitement, and knowing that you gave them an experience is fulfillment enough. It wasn’t perfect, but it was amazing. To all of you, keep the Musikapella magic alive, always, and spread that Task Force loving. To my interns, I swear you could not have picked a better opportunity by applying for Ecosoc and Task Force. You have all been very impressive! To the BOD, thank you for trusting JP and I with our decisionmaking and judgment calls. To JP, it has been a wild ride throughout the Musikapella years and more especially this semester, but I am grateful and humbled to have been your best friend, co-worker, and chairperson. More than the events, you all are the legacy of Task Force, and I am proud. Again, never forget your Why’s. Why Ecosoc? Why TF? Because we love. We love Ecosoc and everything it stands for. And that’s why we keep moving relentlessly forward. To #12, as I write this all the memories come rushing back. For the many late night random conversations, the rants, the sabaw-ness, thank you. For the unending support, thank you. I am very blessed to have known and worked with you all, I really mean it. This is perhaps the best and most dedicated group of people the organization will ever witness. Finally, our term ends, but our descent does not mean downfall at all, as #12’s triumph and legacy is everlasting. And to Ches, thank you for loving me, in spite of my despites. Knowing all my flaws yet accepting and loving each one of them, thank you for being so perfect amidst all the imperfections in this world. I love you all, and may the force be always with you!

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NIKA ESPIRITU SECRETARY | SEC RETARIAT CHAIRPERSON Thank you Ecosoc for giving me the chance to serve. Gago, I love this org. 10/10. Kinda sad to let go of my post, but my love for this org has not wavered. Ok so um that’s it. I don’t know what else to say or how to mema this. I’m not like JJ who says “petrichor” in his comm news (uuuuy aling issue kaya ng Echoes) and can manage to fill 2 pages of the sigsheet for his writeup. But to the people who matter most to me in Ecosoc, here’s to you. To my 2 sets of VCs, Sheena, Carlo, Pat, Rella, and Alyssa, thank you for helping me build Seccom. You all have been wonderful people to work with. I am more than indebted to you guys. To my members, old and new, Sam, Arlene, Alex, Alba, Rowell, Paul, Fau, Joleena, Genebe, Patanc, Mia, it has been an awesome sem/year with you guys. Thank you for sticking it out. I love you guys. To my 2 sets of apps (the other set are mems now, good luck to 58B!), Alex, Hans, Ivana, Gail, Shai, Bel, Dave, Kerr, I hope I made you love Ecosoc in more ways than one. To Arlene, I’m entrusting you this committee, and I feel more than confident that you’d be able to take Seccom to greater heights. Ecosoc, thank you for giving your trust to this girl right here. To all the mems and future mems Arlene will train, I hope you see why Seccom is vital, why it’s a committee you can never remove just because we’re not an events-based committee. But more than anything, I hope you see what’s there to love about Seccom. I hope you see how else the committee can grow. I hope you guys continue to innovate Seccom. #12, alam niyo na ‘yan. I love you all. :(( I didn’t expect we’d be this close. Thank you for being a solid support system. You guys are the best. Lastly, to anyone who ever said or thought about that Seccom should be removed, that it’s irrelevant, that “it doesn’t have a lot of things to do compared to the other committees”, fuck you. Read the consti. And fuck you. (Damn, feels so good to get this off my chest!)

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N I K U O TA I TREASURER | FINANCE CHAIRPERSON Tick tock tick tock tick tock. A few weeks left until the end of our term — the 58th Executive Committee. I must say 2016 was one hella year. In efforts of the different Ecosoc teams to provide qualityproduced and member-centric events and initiatives required more expenditures to make entrance fees to internal events like the Halloween party and Hiking as much as possible close to zero, provide giveaways and tokens during Recognition Day and Sports Workshops, and so much more. With that said, I want to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who has helped raise money for this organization. Fundraising definitely is not one of the easiest job — from conceptualizing what type of sales effort — a merchandise, a service, or an event; to publicizing it and working with different people to get things done; to actually getting people to avail of your product or attend your gig, bazaar, or what not; AND to top it all of, the constant pressure of beating that breakeven point and earning a profit. To add to all those, properly and consistently accounting all the inflows and continuous outflows here and there adds to the “easiness” of the job. Fundraising, no matter how great the idea may be, will always be measured by the amount of money earned — how much was profited. And that is the story of every team that deals with fundraising and managing the money flows, most especially the Finance committee, whom I’ve dedicated my time, effort, and ~luv~ for my whole membership in Ecosoc. <3 I understand the amount of work load that was put upon my members and I want to thank each member I’ve worked with. It was definitely a pleasure working with all of you. Thank you, especially those who stayed for the whole duration of my term as Finance Chairperson, you guys da real mvp!!! Big shout out to: Aaron, Abby, Aina, Ana, Blej, Bea A., Cami, Carina, Danes, Emira, Erin, Erveen, Giulia, Hezi, Jas, Jay, Jericho, Joel, Monje, Julie, Kazel, Krista, Lawrence, Lino, Nicco, Nina, Quinz, RD, Renzoo, Rizel, Rodd, Theresa, Tin, Gelie, Iyla, Layug, Joshua, Marco, Miguel, Kim, Greggy, Ivan, Kristine, Nuie, and Sol!! And last but not the least, my apps for this semester na uber bibo, my goodness! Shoutout to: Angeli, Claire, Joseph, Jung, Mikayla, Stef, Tyra, Yana, Annika, AJ, Ian, Janine, Karla, Klaudia, and Klause!! Love you all #iyak 9

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CHESCA ALBA PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER | EXTERNAL AFFAIRS CHAIRPERSON Happy December, Ecosocer! I can’t believe I’m writing my last commnews? #SENTI I have always believed that leading a large group of people takes a lot. Being given the opportunity to head Ecosoc and Externals this year was both a challenge and blessing for me. It’s been one heck of a ride, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. To my Vice Chairpersons--Bear, Jecs, and Benn, you have made so proud. Thank you for all your hardwork and for turning our plans into reality! All of you were new to the job in one way or another, and I am in awe at how well you executed your tasks and plans. I honestly wouldn’t have chosen a better set of VCs to work with this semester. To my lovely members—Angel, Apa, Bea A, Bea B, Cabae, CLim, Cielo, Daryl, David, Enrique, Ian, Isa, Je, Joleena, Josef, Josen, Josh, Lia, Louise, Lyon, Martin, Mio, Thea, Sean and Shai, I love you all so, so dearly. The excellent work ethic you guys showed this semester is something I will always be thankful for. I have always seen potential in all of you (no matter how “low-key” some of you may be), and it delights me to know that I will be leaving the committee in good hands. Externals has achieved so much and all of that wouldn’t be possible if it were not for you. Lastly, to my Externapps—Alanis, Buma, Daphne, Gulaps, Glenn, Jad, Javi, JV, and Mari, congratulations on passing the app process! Never have I doubted your skills and love for this organization and I am extremely proud of how much you have grown. I know I may not always say this, but I hope you know that you guys will always hold a special place in my heart. And to you, Ecosocer, I hope you never get tired of loving this organization. Ecosoc will disappoint you, it will make you cry; but at the end of the day, Ecosoc is and will always be your family. It will accept you. It will make you grow. It will love you.

Signing off, and always with love, Chesca

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T R I C I A C A N AV E R A L ACADEMIC AFFAIRS CHAIRPERSON What a year it has been, Ecosoc! The two sems of me serving as the Acad Chair, with 3 convener duties on the side, have been the most eventful and fulfilling days of my college life AS IN. I remember having a lot of doubts when I was deciding whether or not to run for an execomm position a year ago because I knew that it meant sacrificing a lot of things, including freedom to use my time because I will have no choice but to dedicate most of it to the org. But now that I’m looking back, I can say with confidence that it was THE BEST decision I made in my life so far. The sacrifices I made came with bigger rewards. I went through a lot that I wouldn’t have experienced otherwise, and I am most thankful for that. Acad’s many projects and initiatives and every major event I convened wouldn’t be as successful as it was if it weren’t for every single amazing person I worked with. Thank you for making my ambitious vision and plans come to life. Walang akong mapapala sa term ko kung wala kayo by my side. I love you all! To the pinaka-maingay na Acad 58 mems and apps, thank you for keeping up with our non-stop initiatives. Dami nangyari during the past two sems and I’m glad to have worked with each of you. I will super duper miss the special bond that we have and our wild chichi sessions in the locker area! Naubos pera ko sa pakain pero okay lang, love ko kayong lahat. To The Rundown 2016 Team, congrats on making Ecosoc history! Though our team was very short lived, we achieved things I never would’ve imagined to be possible. I will always be proud to say that I was part of the team that organizes the solid senate-elections forum hosted by Karen Davila in the Univ Theater. To the NYC 13 Organizing Body, SOBRANG IBA KAYO! I couldn’t find the words to express how proud I am of you, especially the best directors – Iyla, Bea, Trysh, Je, Martin, Cielo, Kyanne, Kaia – and my co-convener, Dale! I was so overwhelmed with the success of our event kaya napaiyak ako in an Ecosoc event for the first time. I really am so so so proud of everyone for making it THE BEST NYC EVER. It was all thanks to the officers, facilitators, and volunteers who did their best to make NYC 13 really special. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Ecosoc! It was a great pleasure to serve you. As cheesy as it sounds, you have changed lives for the better, including mine. Good luck to the new execomm, I am excited to see the greater things Ecosoc will achieve during your term! 11

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CA R LO S JAC I N TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CHAIRPERSON Hello, Ecosoc! *waves* Our term ending equates to finally being free from the never ending responsibilities and the stress that we had to deal with in the past year. It means waking up in the morning and not necessarily having to think about all things Ecosoc. In my case specifically, it may even mean coming home on a Friday more often. That’s not to say, however, that we’ve not had an absolute blast. The truth is, despite all the work, I’d say the feeling of freedom was still up front and center. Freedom came in being able to attend some of the finest events and projects Ecosoc had to offer. Freedom was working with some of the best people to bring to light these events and projects. Freedom was getting to meet new people (even for someone like me who gets scared of people sometimes), and witnessing great things from them. So on and so forth. In a sense, the whole experience has been like an encapsulation of the feeling of freedom. To #12, it’s been a pleasure to be part of the Execomm with you guys. I may not have been the most outspoken, but I will always admire how funny, yet at the same time incredibly insightful you all are. To Ecosoc, always remember the purpose of whatever kind of work you end up doing here. Thank you for supporting us over the course of our term. To CDC, if this comm news had no word limit, I would be mentioning all of you individually, and giving specific reasons why I am thankful to each of you. I’ve already said a lot, but know that words will never be enough to emphasize how much I appreciate you all. Ask any outgoing Execommer, and we will all probably say the same thing: we’re happy that our term is finally ending. At the same time, ask any outgoing Execommer, and we will all probably say the same thing: it was all worth it. 21

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S E L E N A YA O ECHOES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Hello Ecosoc, Welcome to my last commnews ever… What a relief! I’m kidding. This entire section is a sacred space that immortalizes Execomm’s gratitude for the lovely members of Ecosoc. The opportunity costs are high, but commnews is worth it. Charot! Sabaw ko na bes. To begin, shout out to the team behind ALA+ALA! It was great seeing everyone work together and forging new friendships in the process. I think we all learned something along the way. Hehe. Maxinne, you’re a great leader and I think we get along well. HAHAHA. To Agatha, Sam, Digong, CelPac, and Rio—our event was so legit because of you. I’ve read all the emails you guys sent, and appreciate every one. To Bruno, Kels, Carlo Albay, and Luis—*fistbump* because you took care of our bands and our program was smooth af! To Paul, Katie, Bel, Cyril, Antoine and Icon—thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into creating the publicity materials. Everything turned out beautifully! To Miggy, Dom, Buma, and Castoner, I have nothing to say you to all. KIDDING. Thank you for being the strongmen of the evening. LOL. Again, I’m so proud of everyone for the success of the event! No regrets taking this leap with you all. Thank you to those who supported ALA+ALA in their own ways as well! :) Next on my kill list… Joke lang. HAHA. Shout out to my wonderful VC’s this semester! Kels, thank you for always delivering and working hard even though I know you’d rather watch Hamilton. Hehehe. Bianca, you make every shoot so fabulous. It was a blast working with you! Dom, you are one of the most reliable people I’ve met. I am so proud of you! Looking forward to the great things you’ll accomplish. To my editors for 58B—Maxine, Katie, Chili, Maya, Rolly, and Alfonso—thank you very much for ensuring that every issue makes it to the printer! And to the rest of the publication staff— Fau, Vim, Anna, Anton, Pita, Paul, and Chino—you make our issues come alive by giving a piece of yourselves in each one. Couldn’t have asked for a better bunch! To the web team, Cabato and Monty— props to you for keeping our little corner of the worldwideweb alive! My film series dreams finally came true thanks to y’allz. Hehe. To Kenny, Tej, and Chito—you never neglected Echoes TV despite it being such a busy semester for you three. I really appreciate all the effort you poured into the videos! Echoes 58B, you know I adore you all. Even though I didn’t give a final speech or never said anything sentimental, this whole semester will stay in my heart. I’ll miss hanging out with you during commeets and bonding with you over mundane life things. I’ll always be grateful for the love and support you gave to me, the committee, and the organization. This goes for you my apps, Digong, Rio, Carlo, Luis, Sam, and Cyril. At the end of it all, you made made me proud! PS: Miss you Peaches. To #12, I love you guys so much. I can’t believe this entire year with y’all just happened, but it did, and I’m so thankful that the universe brought me closer to you guys. Looking back, it was such a fun term, and a big part of that was because of you. Shout out to Echoes 58A for teaching me everything I needed to know to stand on my own this semester. I wouldn’t have been able to without your support that first sem. :D I love and miss you! Thank you for this crazy but fun ride of a year, Ecosoc! It went by too quickly, and that can only mean I enjoyed it (despite saying otherwise). I’ve always felt your support for Echoes, and I hope that you provide the entire organization with even more of that for the years to come. Love you, Ecosoc! 13

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L E A N C A C AT I A N CENTRAL COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER | LIAISON CHAIRPERSON

“Freedom lies in being bold.” –Robert Frost Hi Ecosoc! What is freedom? Freedom could be as simple as freedom from schoolwork or as deep as being free from oppression. Freedom makes the world a happier place. It lessens the stress that we have in this world because being free means that you can be creative; you can choose not to and have no one to say that you’re wrong. Although, I believe that everyone deserves to be free; I also believe that freedom is earned and not given. We need to work hard every day to reach the freedom that we deserve. As this semester comes to an end, we the current execomm will be finally FREE!! WOOOOOO! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. But before this episode of Ecosoc comes to a close I would like to thank every Ecosocer who made my term a memorable and experience-filled one! I would like to thank all of my Liai VCs – Roma, Karen, Harriet, Migs, Karla and Elle! To all the Liai mems for the past two sems – Eryel, Josef, Kiss, Meeka, Angelie, Maica, Kim, Khy, Carlo, Howie, Ricci, Mae, Thea, Koleen, Frances and Gio! To all the Liai apps this semester – Diego, Jego, Janis and Matthew, I know you guys will all pass Ecosoc so I hope you will be active next sem. HAHA. Make me proud. To my Foodgasm BOD! Thank you for the hardwork that we’ve put together! Also, to the Launch Team thank you for all our bonding especially our Divisoria adventures. HAHA. Lastly, to #12 you’ve made this year a fun crazy ride for me. You guys are the best! I would repeat everything again and again as long as you’re the people who are with me along the journey. With all sincerity, I will miss you guys. I hope we can continue to bond together with each other after this term ends! THANK YOU ECOSOC! SOLID KAYO!

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PONCHO ROCES MEMBERSHIP CHAIRPERSON The end of my term not only signifies the end of my role as Membership Committee Chairperson but it also marks my final year as an Ecosoc Member and culminates everything that happened, what I’ve done and what I’ve learned in my Ecosoc life. I’m very thankful for this organization for making me a better person, for improving my leadership and social skills. I am thankful to everyone for making this journey possible, starting from my GW parents who have already graduated, to all four Executive Committees I’ve served under, and most especially #12, to my App Batch, to the Ecosoc Leadership Councils I’ve worked with, to all the applicant batches I’ve met and of course, my Vice Chairpersons, Directors and members who helped me with the Membership Committee. There are just so many people I’m grateful for and no words can describe how much I feel. If there is one thing I can impart to you all, it’s the recurring message mentioned – “Love Ecosoc and it will love you back tenfold.” Yes, if you give Ecosoc your all, then, you will find a family who is always there for you and who shapes you into a better person. You will find avenues also to shape the country into a better world to live in. That’s why I joined Ecosoc four years ago, and it was the best decision I made in my college life.

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F AT I M A D E PA N O SPECIAL EVENTS CHAIRPERSON Hello Ecosoc! I can’t believe I am writing my LAST commnews ever. :( The theme of Echoes for this issue is so timely as we are about to end our term already – you know what that means?! We’re freeeeee! Ending my term is definitely bittersweet. It’s been a really bumpy rollercoaster ride. I still can’t believe that you guys allowed somebody as pabebe as me to be your Special Events Chairperson but I thank you all (except the 9 people who abstained me LOL) for trusting me with the responsibility. Ending my term, I want to thank Ecosoc for all the support you’ve given Spev. Ultimately, it’s you guys who have helped me grow into a better person and let me learn new things from this experience. Being part of the Executive Committee is really no joke – there’s a lot of money, time, and effort (sometimes) wasted. There are times when we (speaking for everyone hehe) just want to quit. But you know what makes it all worth it? It’s the members you get to work with, the relationships you get to build and the new lessons to learn from the good and bad experiences. Spev 58A and 58B, you guys were nothing short of amazing. Thank you for not living up to the stereotype of SPEV as the “chill-committee” and actually doing work. Without you guys, our events wouldn’t have been as successful as they were – especially my vice chairpersons and event directors: Ila, Julia, Ann, Juvi and Justin. Thank you for putting time and effort into organizing our events and initiatives, even if it was tough on your schedule. I’ll miss our short commeets, bugging you guys to finish your CDCs, and messaging you all to do your work. Last but not least, thank you for making Spev such a fun and easy committee to work with. I will miss being your boss. :( Last, but definitely not the least, I’ll miss you, #11 :( I’m really glad I got to know you guys more and have gotten closer to all of you throughout our term. Thank you for always being my number 1 support system and also my number 1 critic. I don’t know how I would’ve survived my term without you guys by my side. I’ll miss having lunch with you every Friday, our random inoms, pre-plansem in Tagaytay and all the chichi (execomm secrecy <3). I love you all. :)

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BENJIE GANA SPORTS CHAIRPERSON AT LAST. I am nearing the end of my term as Sports Chairperson. It’s been a marathon for me this year. A marathon that feels like a sprint. I would like to take this time to thank all of my VC’s ( Juancho, James, Ysa, Dindo, Dianne, and Meghan) for all the work they’ve done for Sports. They turned my visions into reality. Aside from them, thank all my sports members as well. Sports wouldn’t be what it is today without you guys (and girls). I wouldn’t trade them for the world. I believe that I’ve done the best I can for Sports and I have no regrets. All good things must come to an end. This may be my end but it is only the beginning for Sports. I’m writing this after the elections for 59th executive committee. I want to congratulate Gabe Japlos for winning the elections. I know that he will keep the fire burning for Sports. I have witnessed how hard he works and how much he loves the committee. Most of all, I am happy that the is next in line and I am blessed to have found a friend.

Benjie out. #ExceedYourself 17

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The Iconic Fashion Dash. A Swell Time At Coastal. A New Home For SEAC. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. CDC Caravans Bring Smiles To All. Pub Workshops For Life. Nom Nom: Foodgasm Goes 2 Maginhawa. Trick Or Treat Yo’self. Ecosoc Does Zumba. Fliptop Spreads The Ecosoc Love. Remembering ALA+ALA. One Too Many. National Youth Congress 13: New Eyes On Development. A Little Night #Musik. Ecosoc Town Hall. News By The Numbers. Unfinished Business. Why Trump Won. Drugs: Freedom Or War? Whispers Of The Silenced.

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T H E I C O N I C FA S H I O N DA S H by ANGELI GARCIA

Iconic: A Bazaar and Fashion Dash held on November 15-19, 2016 at UP Technohub is a fundraising event organized by the Finance Committee of the UP Economics Society. It was an event that targeted on women and families. Iconic offered a wide range of goodies from a variety of sellers, mostly those from online shops. They sold best-selling novels, hyped make up products, cute gift items and trendy pieces of shoes and clothing. It was a chance to get in some holiday shopping, in addition to a splurge for a new wardrobe. There were several food concessionaires as well to cater to everyone’s cravings. The highlight of the event was definitely the Fashion Dash, which was held on the afternoon of the 19th. Participants were given the chance to fit at least 10 pieces of clothing in their ziploc bags. The event was meant to bridge the different buyers and sellers and to give the stores an opportunity to gain more recognition and patronage. The externals project of Ecosoc App Batch 58B was not like how other app batches in the past did theirs. This semester’s app batch deviated from the accustomed community service activities, and ended up with a social gathering for Ecosoc’s mems and apps. Some may have thought that it was just another wild party to attend, but the apps intended for this social gathering to be a de-stressing event, for everyone to forget about their academic problems, or any problem for that matter, even just for that one night. The party was held poolside, and just like any other party, there was overflowing booze. There were drinking games such as beer pong, and never-ending games of bridge, which will always unite the people of Ecosoc. The months long preparation for this event was very evident with the smooth execution of the apps’ plans. Since this was an event by the apps, they made sure that they were working conscientiously on their individual tasks, while ensuring that they were still enjoying the ride.

A SWELL TIME A T C O A S T A L by 20

SHELLIE TANNAGAN

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A N E W H O M E F O R S E AC Finally, Ecosoc has a new home. Sometime during the past month, the econ orgs were told to move out of their old tambayans located at the side of the hallway and move into the new one, formally called the “Student Activity Center”. This sudden move was indeed a big change to Ecosoc; from the sort-of spacious side of the hallway to the small space in between two other Econ orgs. Problems were also present during the move. One of these were the many items left behind by the members as well as the decorations and stands from various Ecosoc events. This was resolved by the collective effort not only of Seccom but the whole organization. Personal possessions that their owners thought were lost forever were returned to them, materials of the

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by RELLA GLORIA

different committees were given back, and some things were thrown away, all to make the new tambayan as neat and clean as it can be. Siince we’re having a new home, it’s just about right to have new furniture as well. After asking for donations in the form of furniture, a group of alumni heeded our request. We now have a new table and benches thanks to “The Hustlas”! Now it won’t be as life threatening to play bridge as it used to be! While some things have changed in the tambayan like it’s now farther away from the lounge and from the back parking, other things never will like the #BridgeisLife lifestyle of Ecosocers and the bonds we strengthen and relationships we create while making tambay.

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A I N ’ T N O M O U N TA I N H I G H E N O U G H by GABE JAPLOS

People find happiness in different ways. Some people find happiness in video games. Some find happiness in playing bridge. Some find happiness in clothes and shoes. Others find happiness in other people. But me, I find happiness in adventures. Ever since I was a kid, I loved adventures. I loved going on field trips, road trips, outings and almost everything related to adventures. I love adventures because first you get to spend time with yourself and bond with your surroundings and also you get to interact with other people. I love adventures because of how they make me feel. I love the feeling of having a destination and the journey you must have to reach it. Just recently, I had one of the most amazing adventures in my college life so far. This was no other than the SPEVxSPORTS hiking. As soon as they told me we were organizing a hiking event, I knew I had to sign up. I was so hyped and excited for it that I was already planning what to bring and wear even before the sign ups. During the night they were going to release the sign ups, I was refreshing my phone constantly to make sure I get a slot. In the end, they said that I was the first one to sign up for the hiking. The day of the hike, I was so ready. Despite having only 2 hours of sleep I was so pumped and full of energy to conquer Mt. Pamintinan. I didn’t even need an alarm clock because soon as the clock struck 2 am, I was up and about ready for another adventure. Arriving in Mt. Pamintinan, I was already imagining the things that I’d see and the things I would go through during the hike. I was already thinking of poses to do during pictures and who I want to have pictures with. During the start of the hike, I was so confident that I would reach the top with no worries and that it would be chill and easy. As usual, my expectations were wrong and it was actually the complete opposite. The hike was not even close to easy or chill. I don’t know how it was supposed to be a mountain for beginners but the chillest part of the mountain, most of us were already tired. At one instances we felt like we were

no idea on how to finish the hike. I was so tired already I felt like it wasn’t worth it. But when I saw the view for the first peak I was mesmerized by what I saw. I was fascinated on how small and far away the people were below. I felt so far away from the city that it made me feel peaceful. My spirit and drive to reach the top was still there and I knew I couldn’t give up now. Finally, we reached the top. This was when I knew that it was all worth it. All the hardships and obstacles we went through were nothing compared to what we’ll experience on the top. The view was amazing. The feeling of the wind against my face as I raised both my arms into the air was a milestone. We were so high up, I couldn’t even stand up straight without my legs shaking. But I didn’t let this fear stop me. I still had the courage to take so many pictures. But how I wished I didn’t because some things are better of being experienced once and kept only as a memory.

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climbing for so long already but in reality we haven’t even reached 1/4 of the mountain. I think what kept me going was the thrill of seeing a better view. As we got higher, the view got better. This made me so interested on how amazing beautiful the view was if we reach the top. But like everything in life, the beautiful things are hard to reach or grasp. We had to go through so many obstacles. There were some parts of the mountain that I had no idea how to go through alone. It’s like this mountain was meant for us to work together. But sometimes even with help it was so difficult. As we got higher, the rocks got sharper. As we got higher, the path got steeper. As we got higher, there were more things that could hurt us. But despite this, we persevered. We grasped onto the sharpest of the rocks. We crawled on all fours just to make sure we don’t fall. When we got to the first peak, my shoes were gone. It was completely destroyed and I had

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C D C C A R AVA N S B R I N G S M I L E S T O A L L by CAR LOS JACINTO

Staying true to its goal of giving back to the community through various acts of service, whilst also bringing about social awareness to members and applicants alike, Ecosoc, through its Community Development Committee held two of its Caravan events in the span of one week, brightening up the days of the beneficiaries that were visited. Last October 24, the first Caravan was held in partnership with the Virlanie Foundation. The event was held at the foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aime Home, which houses around 30 kids with special needs. It was Ecosocâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second time to visit the Aime Home, having already held a Caravan there last semester. The kids welcomed Ecosocers with the same enthusiasm that endeared them to the members and applicants the last time around. Volunteers happily engaged with the kids in a morning of fun-filled activities such as storytelling, coloring, as well as origami, which surely gave a sense of fulfillment to everybody involved. The second Caravan was held on the 29th of October, in partnership with the Sto. Nino Home for the Aged in Marikina. Having been a long time since the last time Ecosoc visited a home for the elderly, it took a while for the volunteers to warm up to the lolos and lolas that were there, but eventually, continuous exchange of stories and experiences led to a strong bond between the volunteers and beneficiaries, and leaving a lasting impact on each person involved. A pakain was held at the conclusion of the event, which the lolos and lolas very much appreciated. Service-oriented events have constantly at the forefront of Ecosocâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s priorities, and these two Caravans are proof of this. One must never take for granted the experience of holding these activities for our beneficiaries, and surely, our own little ways of changing their lives will not go unnoticed.

PUB WORKSHOPS FOR LIFE by RELLA GLORIA

The second one was more focused on Illustrator. This meant vectors, drawing, and basically just creating your own thing. Here we had one of the Ecosoc Month Co-chairpersons, Ana Buban, lead the workshop. First, she taught the basics of the platform; what tool is this, what is it used for? She had also prepared an activity for the participants to do in order to let them experience the wonder of Illustrator. Creatives related works definitely aren’t easy, and it takes some time to think of what should be done. And a lot of times, the creatives department is overlooked and underappreciated but through these workshops, we’ll be able to see how hard it is and how much time and effort these people put into their work to be able to give a decent output. These workshops aren’t just for the members to learn something new, but also for them to appreciate the art of pub.

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One of Seccom’s initiatives included enhancing the members’ literacy on Adobe platforms, which led to the pub workshops! Throughout the sem, we have had two workshops. One was a general overview of the three types of platforms, namely Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. The lecture also tackled on the difference of each, what makes them unique, and why you need them in your lives. It was a great opportunity for Ecosocers who want to get their creative on to learn something. Of course, the talk would not be as successful as it was if it weren’t for the speaker, Musikapella’s Creative Director, Anna Pagdanganan. She also shared stories of how she came up with the designs for Musikapella. Tips were also shared on choosing colors, the difference of colors when you’re making it and when you’re posting it online, choosing fonts, font pairing, picking pegs, and much more.

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NOM NOM: F O O D G A S M G O E S 2 M A G I N H AWA by SAB GO Foodgasm is one of UP Economic Society’s biggest food events. For P250, an attendee could enjoy several food samples, free giveaways from sponsors, prizes from games, a chance to be a food judge, and even utilize the Pokémon Go lures dropped in the vicinity of the event. This year’s Foodgasm featured celebrity food chefs as judges, new food concessionaires, amazing performances, a food eating contest, and many more! Many food concessionaires were pleased by the event and even volunteered to join the next Foodgasm. Chef Jessie, the CEO and head chef of the Chef Jessie restaurant, was one of the food judges who attended the event. She favored the ping gu mushrooms, which unsurprisingly won the overall best food category. The food eating contest was another highlight of the event. The contestants were out of this world. They

ate so much pasta, pizza, and other food so quickly and in such large amounts you’d think that the servings were for a whole family. The musical performances ended the night with a wonderful note, with performances from amateur artists from different universities and walks of life. The event overall was fun and despite the not so pleasant weather, the attendees still enjoyed the event and what it offered. Since the event has been in Maginhawa for the past 2 years, it makes us wonder where it will land next to satisfy our food cravings.

>> Sab Go mostly frequents fine dining establishments but the event did not fail to impress her yet again and she was pretty satisfied at the end of the day.

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TRICK OR T R E AT YO ’ S E L F by ALEX VITASA

Before the long weekend, Ecosocers enjoyed a Halloween themed Game Night last October 28, 2016 at the Loyola Grand Villas, hosted by Spev and Memcomm. Some were spotted wearing their costumes, while those who were not able to dress up had to pay an entrance fee. The event was a well deserved break from all the stress caused by acads, accompanied by abundant drinks and snacks, video games, karaoke, and of course, bridge. Game night wouldn’t be distinctly Ecosoc’s without bridge. A tournament was held to find the best players, and of course, for the cash prize. The final round was a best of seven game. With a tie at 3 sets each, the atmosphere was tense as spectators anxiously watched the final match. In the end Benjie Gana and Jason Layug were the ones to walk away with the prize along with the bragging rights as tournament champions. The crowd thinned as the night came to a close. All in all, it was a really solid night that brought the members and applicants together over some lighthearted fun.

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ECOSOC DOES ZUMBA by DIANNE SIBAYAN

Ecosocers unleased their inner titos and titas as they participated in the Zumba workshop organized by the Sports Committee on October 6. Led by licensed Zumba instructor (ZIN) Martin Canate, the workshop became a huge social dance party as the room of SE 111 was filled with Ecosocers dancing to the fast and upbeat mix of soundtracks. Zumba is a dance fitness workout popularized in Colombia. It involves a lot of dance and aerobic movements performed to energetic music. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good about this workout is that in just one session, a person can burn between 500-1000 calories! Yes, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s absolutely true but it still depends on the energy the individual puts into the session. From swaying and turning to squatting and jumping, Ecosocers were so game in following the dance steps and

seemed to not lose a bit of energy at all; they were on a Zumba high. During the end of the workshop, Sports Committee Chairperson Benjie Gana handed the certificate of appreciation to ZIN Martin and announced the winners for the special awards: Zumba King and Zumba Queen. Hailed Zumba King and Zumba King were Kerr Carlobos and Mabel Gonzales, who were both applicants of the organization. Zumba workshop is one of the workshops offered for the semester, along with Kendama and Yoga. These workshops are aligned to the objective of the committee of promoting health, fitness and overall well-being to the organization by bringing new opportunities to members that help them find activities that work for them best. These avenues will surely bring them a step closer to achieving the goal of a healthier and more active lifestyle. #ExceedYourself

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by DOM CA RREON

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TOPFLIP SPREADS THE E C O S O C LOV E

Last October 13, Echoes introduced another innovative rap battle for the masses. They held the first ever Topflip battle, which is uploaded on the Echoes TV YouTube channel. Topflip is the 180-degree reversal of Fliptop. Each battle consists of three rounds. Each team has one minute per round to drop the nicest compliments for the opposing team, and the team judged to have the best compliments wins the round. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Topflip was contested by Sports + Acads, Finance + Memcomm + Cha, Liaison + CDC + JJ, and Externals + Seccom; Spev acted as judges for the competition. The final matchup of the day saw Finance + Memcomm + Cha take on Externals + Seccom in a praiseworthy showdown. Carlos Cabaero of Externals was the MVP for the day, dropping blessings on blessings on blessings on everyone in the audience with his smooth poetry and leading his team to victory. The praise fest was a great way to end the day on a positive note for everyone in Ecosoc.

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REMEMBERING ALA+ALA by CARLO CABATO I’ve always been a fan of the gigging scene— from the dim lighting, to the (relatively) cheap beer, the variety of music lovers, and (most importantly) the music. Getting to experience a myriad of soundscapes and creations by different people within the span of a single night just amazes me. It shows the ingenuity and creativity of people, especially those in the local indie scene. This gig, ALA+ALA, was no exception. A whole slew of bands, some old, some new, were not only able to express themselves and evoke in me various kinds of memories, but they also gave me wonderful new ones to cherish for the rest of my life. It started off with an open mic featuring various Ecosocers. Watching my fellow org mates perform showed me just how versatile and multi-faceted our organization was. Kelsey Mariano with her voice, and Emil Apostol with his wonderful songwriting skills further proved this. It was a great way to start off the night. The first band, Sour Cheeks, certainly was a misnomer. Their various songs filled the room with sweet melodies and lush chord progressions. The vocalist, though very subtle and unassuming before the beginning of the set, filled up the room with her songs and her cloying voice. The guitarists further added to this with their ambient melodies and soft tones. Following this sweet and marvelous band were Ourselves The Elves; another magical band that certainly left a lasting impression on me. Although the lead singer said they hadn’t played in a month, it certainly didn’t sound so; the sound felt polished and smooth, and the whole thing was quite well-done. The guitarists lead lines had a certain tone to it, almost fairy-like. The lead vocals certainly 30

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After listening to Slow Sink I had so many conflicting emotions running through my mind. Happiness? Sadness? Anger? I don’t know exactly. Luckily enough, all this confusing emotions took a dive when Lamb St.

started to perform. Their catchy lyrics, upbeat drums and guitar, and the unmistakable voice of Marl Pua (lead singer of Lamb St.), made me just forget about all the emotions in my system and just e njoy the music. I sang along to the songs I knew, and happily bopped along to the ones I didn’t. They left me with a feeling of enjoyment.

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Little did I know that I was in for a whole different kind of magic when Slow Sink started to play. Armed only with a guitar, a harmonica, and a set of vocal chords, this one-man band certainly brought back various memories; sad ones. His songs consisted of much more bitter things, such as loving a woman who already is in love with somebody else, or making oneself completely vulnerable to the pain and tragedy of love. One song that struck me in particular was his cover of Leonard Cohens’ Dance Me ‘Till the End of Your Love, in tribute of his recent passing.

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added to the fairy like, elvish (get it?) quality of the whole ensemble. I was hypnotized, and was quite startled when they suddenly finished.

The final band, Lola Amour, certainly didn’t feel nostalgic; which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, they left a great lasting impression on me after they finished. They were an 8-piece band consisting of two guitarists, a drummer, a singer, a bassist, and two brass players. They filled the room with their jazzy, bluesy, pop sound. In the end, it was an enjoyable gig. I was wholly impressed by the different kinds of bands and their take on the theme of ALA+ALA, and I hope to see more gigs like this in the future.

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ONE TOO MANY by JEREMY GEMZONTAN Last November 22, the UP Economics Society and the School of Economics Student Council held their bi-annual discussion group. Each and every semester, these two organizations partner up to tackle relevant social issues, many of which find a way to evade our focus as students. Ever since Rodrigo Duterte’s win during the 2016 Philippine National Elections, there have been a slew of killings happening all over the country, with vigilantes coming out in the cover of night to kill alleged drug pushers or drug users. This semester’s discussion group, entitled ‘One Too Many’, chose to go head-on in the aforementioned issue of extrajudicial killings. The program began with hosts Chito Balindong and Javi Vilchez welcoming the audience to the event, and soon introducing the first speaker, Atty. Jacky De Guia, a lawyer working for the Commision on Human Rights. She went on to discuss the role of the CHR in ensuring that the proper rights of the people were observed and also explained the difficulties working in the 32

government presented in terms of fighting for these same rights. Next up was Armando Paragat, a member of the group Amnesty International, who also advocates the promotion of human rights. His talk focused more on the efforts of the organization in pushing for their advocacy whilst also bringing more light onto why it is so important for us to understand and be aware of our rights as humans. Finally, Prof. Agustin Arcenas rounded out the discussion by giving some insight on the economic implications of these killings, as well as bringing some personal experience from the Marcos regime that put today’s happenings into better context. The program concluded with a short question and answer portion where members of the audience were given the opportunity to raise their concerns and queries. All in all, the event was a success with regards to its aim of shedding more light onto this important issue that is relevant to today’s society.

N AT I O N A L YO U T H C O N G R E S S 1 3 : NEW EYES ON DEVELOPMENT by CIELO VERZOSA

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The National Youth Congress (NYC) is an annual 3-day convention, jointly organized by the UP Economics Society (UP Ecosoc) and the UP School of Economics Student Council (UP SESC), that aspires to provide high school students an engaging introduction to the field of economics and to show the power of economic analysis in clarifying relevant issues in our society. Now on its 13th year, NYC continued its legacy of empowering the youth to think critically as the future leaders of the nation by bringing together over 300 delegates and teachers from all over the Philippines to put their heads together in tackling issues in light of the current administration. This year’s theme, New Eyes on Development: Deciphering Trends in Economic Growth, seeks to evaluate the nation’s recent economic history, with the goal of exploring various untapped avenues that set the track towards inclusive growth. The 13th National Youth Congress is endorsed by several government agencies such as the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), the National Youth Commission, the Department of Education (DepEd), and the University of the Philippines Office of the President. Speakers for this year’s congress were Mr. Carlo Abad Santos from NEDA; Deputy-Director General of Policy and Planning, Ms. Rosemarie G. Edillon from NEDA; Farmer-preneur and organic farming advocate, Jonjon B. Sarmiento; Former Senator and Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary, Mar Roxas; and opinion columnist and media pundit, Professor Richard Heydarian. The event was held from November 19 to November 21, with the first 2 days were held on campus at GT Toyota Auditorium and the UP School of Economics respectively, and the third day featuring an educational trip to the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos, Laguna.

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A LITTLE NIGHT #MUSIK by ANNA PAGDANGANAN

FOUNDED IN 2005, Musikapella has evolved from a simple amateur band competition to one of the most prestigious chorale competitions in the greater Manila area for high school students. Apart from serving as a fundraiser for the Economics Society Scholarship Fund (ESSF), this event aims to highlight the musical talents and potential of Filipino youth through celebrating homegrown music and promote and uphold choral music and culture across the country. The theme for this year’s Musikapella was the kundiman, a genre of traditional Filipino love songs. Characterized by its Tagalog lyrics and its smooth and flowing melody, this art song’s structure was formalized by classic Filipino composers. The piece “Ang Aking Bayan” by the great National Artist, Nicanor Abelardo, was the chosen contest piece for the night. Featuring nine of the best high school choirs, the choir competition was held last November 26, 2016 at the Assumpta Theater, otherwise known as the CCP of the East. The event was also judged by some of the most celebrated musicians and

conductors, such as Prof. Janet Sabas Aracama, Prof. Emmanuel P. de Leon Jr., Prof. Arwin Q. Tan, Prof. Angelito E. Ayran Jr, and Mr. Ghysevert Galon.

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On the other hand, the Sales team was

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Behind the scenes, the Corporate Relations team and the Sales team spent months ensuring that the event would be well-funded and sponsored. The two teams also heavily coordinated with one another for the effective exchange deals liquidity. The Corporate Relations team, led by Cami Estampador, took charge of creating and maintaining sustainable partnerships with companies. Not only was the team able to achieve their initial goals, but they were also able to surpass them.

Without a doubt, Musikapella’s pre-event publicity campaign was the best the organization has ever seen in years. The MRP team, led by Ram Bonsol, improved the previous advertising strategies executed by the past Musikapella teams. Making use of more videos to hype the event, the choir competition’s social media reach has drastically improved throughout the entire semester. With each school profile video averaging almost 6,311 views, this move is promising for future Musikapella MRP teams.

For starters, this year’s Musikapella there was an already well-established relationship between the schools and the organizing body. What made this event historic was the fact that this was the first time School Relations department had no problem dealing with the schools during the School Orsem and with the stage parents after the winner of the prestigious choir competition was announced. The School Relations department led by James Baluca was able to get the following schools to compete: St. Paul College, Pasig, Ateneo de Manila High School, School of the Holy Spirit, Manila Science High School, Marikina Science High School, Diliman Preparatory High School, Ramon Magsaysay High School, PAREF Southridge High School and Quezon City Science High School. Apart from securing a lineup of some of the best choirs in Metro Manila, the School Relations department was successful in properly addressing the concerns of each school from the pre-event to the event proper itself.

In addition to overseeing the money flow and transactions of the event, Harriet Guillen, the Finance director, also monitored the ticker sales of Musikapella 2016. Apart from this, she was also in charge of managing the budget allocations of the departments operating under the Task Force committee. She was also able to ensure an efficient financial system through a series of regular reports of the event’s financial status.

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Without a doubt, Task Force has taken the event to greater heights by throughly researching about its theme and paying attention to even the smallest detail. From conceptualization to execution, the organizing body did not leave any seemingly insignificant detail unattended. Alongside Jimael Salliman and JP Monje as the chairpersons for Musikapella 2016, the choir competition was headed by an elite team of the best of the best of UP Economics Society.

headed by EJ Gruezo. Under Gruezo, the Sales department was able to execute various successful fundraisers for financial liquidity and stability of the event. From coming up with several small-scale initiatives like rummage sales or large scale ones like the Santa’s Stockings Bazaar in UPTC, Sales delivered more than what was expected of them.

Apart from innovating the campaign strategy, the Creatives team put an insane amount of thought and effort in the quality of output produced. Led by none other than Anna Pagdanganan, the team was consistent with the theme through their use of intricately vectored patterns which was inspired by the “Barong Tagalog”. In addition to this, the team was very particular with coming up with their own images and digitally painting them to add an authentic kick to the aesthetic of the publicity materials. Creatives was also ambitious by attempting and succeeding in coming up with Musikapella’s first SDE (Same-Day-Edit) Video, showing what went on backstage. On the day itself, the venue itself was breathtaking. For the first time, Logistics revamped the stage design by make use of gold tassels as opposed to the typical panel boards. 35

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Apart from this, the department came up with a giant Musikapella logo which blew audiences away onstage. Under Jela Generosoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leadership, the Logistics department was able to ensure a smooth and organized event execution by providing for the physical needs of Musikapella. Musikapella 2016 would not be what it is without the Programs department, which was led by Roma Orcullo. Responsible for ensuring the quality of the overall event flow, the Programs team

maintained grace under pressure despite the high stress of the event itself. Apart from the general ease of communicating with the schools, another additional factor that made this Musikapella historical was the fact that it ended on time. Overall, the event lived up to its long tradition of excellence. Without a doubt, Musikapella 2016 will go down as one of the most beautifullyexecuted and memorable events organized by Task Force.

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ECOSOC TOWN HALL

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by KARLA TUPLANO

Last November 23, the Academic Affairs Committee and the Liaision Committee held “Townhall Insider: A Government Career Talk.” The first speaker was Undersecretary Agabin from the Department of Finance. As an alumna of UPSE himself, he discussed the benefits of graduating with an Economics degree in his field of work. After leaving the school, he continued on to UP Law where he found distinction amongst his class for being an SE student. According to an old professor, “Magaling talaga ang mga taga-Econ.” Next, we heard from Miss Eina Concepcion, fresh graduate and former SESC Marketing and Alumni Relations Councilor. She briefed us on her work in the Philippine Competition Commission and how it is like being part of Ma’am Stella Quimbo’s Technical Staff. Her presentation was on millennials and their importance in working for government. “Millennials run the government,” she insists, and relates how political figures recruit yuppies to be part of their team. Miss Samantha Cinco, also from Batch 2015 and former STRAW councilor, rounded out the speakers for the night. Working for the National Economic Development Authority is a tough job, she says, and one that entails long nights of unpaid overtime. Despite the hardship, she does it all for the love of her country and a passion for her work. Being in the Transportation sector, she found great use to her minors in both Political Science and Geology. She also mentioned that working for government is a great stepping stone for people who eventually wish to move up to multilateral companies like the Asian Development Bank, etc. All in all, the audience learned a ton from the symposia, and will hopefully have been convinced to eventually pursue a career in government. 37

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NEWS BY THE NUMBERS by ANTONIO CASTILLO

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hours notice were given to Indian citizens of the Indian Central Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scheme to demonetize 500- and 1000-rupee notes.

tropical cyclones have hit the Philippines as of November 2016. The thirteenth is named Marce.

gigawatts of wind and solar energy will be purchased by Google to power its entire operations around the world.

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million people were present at the height of the protests against the recently impeached South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

is the minimum allowable age for criminal responsibility in the latest bill filed at Congress.

out of 76 passengers died on a flight from Brazil to Colombia, including top players and officials from the Chapecoense football club from Brazil.

11/18/2016 The date Ferdinand Marcos was buried at the Libingan Ng Mga Bayani, which took the public by surprise.

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7.1%

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GDP growth rate in Q3. The Philippine economy is valued at roughly USD $272.1 billion.

1,917,830 The difference in individual votes between Clinton (64,156,255) and Trump (62,238,425) in the 2016 US Elections.

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UNFINISHED BUSINESS THERE WAS A FLURRY OF OUTRAGE LAST OCTOBER 19 when news broke that protesters— composed mostly of indigenous groups—were violently dispersed by policemen outside the US embassy. Footage of a police car intentionally running protesters over drew thousands of views and shares online. People were quick to condemn the act as a gross abuse of power and Ifugao representative, Teddy Baguilat, declared that “heads should roll”, following the incident. Indeed, heads did roll. Nine officers have already been sacked by the police and while I am glad there has been some accountability, I worry that this will not be the last show of police brutality we will witness in the coming years. I was deeply disturbed by the pictures I saw online of people ducking for cover against the batons of the police. Seeing pictures of our policemen hitting unarmed protesters in their jeeps reminded me of pictures I had seen in my history books on Martial Law, and I wondered: Why hasn’t anything changed? Why—after three 40

by PITA OCHAVE

EDSA revolutions—does a culture of violence and corruption still abound? When President Duterte declared his administration’s unrelenting support of extrajudicial killings in the war on drugs, many of his critics likened him to former president and dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, a man who presided over decades of widespread repression and human rights abuses. They exasperatedly remarked that the wheels of history were turning once more and that we were inevitably doomed to repeat our past. While I agree that Duterte’s public blessing of mass genocide is akin to Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law, I do not believe that this event was merely history repeating itself. I believe that what happened was that we failed to fulfil the promises of the revolutions before to abolish and dismantle all vestiges of the past that allowed for such gross abuses of power to happen, thereby allowing a culture of impunity to continue to abound.

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It is easier to declare the present to be evidence of the past repeating, to view ourselves as passive passengers of history rather than to acknowledge our dual role as both the makers and products of history. The failure of the 1986 People Power to transform our institutions is just one strand that gives context to our circumstances. Our present “antagonists” weren’t born evil—like the characters we read about in fairytales. They are produced by institutions and practices that tolerate and encourage their inhumanity. Viewing people as good and evil discounts the role context has to play in shaping human beings and events. Ferdinand Marcos became a dictator because he could and he stayed in power because many passively accepted oppression as their fate. Rodrigo Duterte was voted into office and was enabled by a citizenry fed up with the same crony corruption of the Martial Law years and were thirsty for change—no matter how bloody. In a Philippines where the oppressive regime of Marcos is sung with high praise, it is no wonder why the increased support of police power and authoritarianism has become the norm. Thus, the importance of history. In order for us to break the wheel, we must acknowledge the threads weaved by our corrupt past and untangle ourselves from them. We must be careful of the kinds of actions we condone and the kind of society we choose to create because they will shape our posterity. We must become more conscious of the kind of leaders we elect and the kind of values we uphold. Nation building requires revolution, not always in the cataclysmic sort of way like the 1986 EDSA revolution was, but revolution in our everyday acts, in the way we move in society. We must ask ourselves important questions such as: when we give our policemen or other government officials—men who are supposed to serve and protect us—the power to kill and hurt others with impunity, what kind of society and people are we creating? Will we create generations of Ferdinand Marcoses and Rodrgio Dutertes, who believe that killing and hurting others is excusable? Or will we create generations of Filipinos who respect his fellow men because they were brought up in an environment where their basic rights were respected and protected?

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The similarities between the present and the past can certainly be uncanny, but as a history major, I am trained to study events not as isolated phenomenon, but as parts of a bigger picture. It is my job to weave together the strands of the past and the present to point out the old that continues on with the new. The 1986 People Power revolution was a watershed for the Philippines and the world. In the march of human civilization, it represented a great leap forward for humanity as it redefined the very concept of revolution: revolutions need not always be violent upheavals but could also be peaceful and non-violent. The People Power Revolution illustrated that unarmed ordinary citizens, in their multitudes, could bring down a repressive government. Yet, despite it being such a defining moment in Philippine and human history, it was incomplete. It cannot be denied that the People Power Revolution and the subsequent “revolutions” did not result in the complete transformation of Philippine political, economic and social structures. This is EDSA’s problem. Revolutions are expected to create social change and transformation. But two decades after the People Power revolution, majority of the systemic problems born of the dictatorship still persist in the Philippines despite the restoration of democratic institutions and processes. Poverty, naked violence, and corruption still abound. During the Marcos dictatorship, the Marcos clan and their cronies amassed wealth through monopolies and cartels in the agricultural, energy, construction, manufacturing, and financial sectors that left the Philippine economy in deep debt. Until now, economic and political power remain to be concentrated in the already wealthy and powerful few. According to the Center for People Empowerment in Governance, economic power remains in the hands of an estimated 250 political families. In addition to the concentration of power to the few, naked violence still abounds. Despite our democracy, violence against minority groups and journalists persists. The Philippines is still one of the most dangerous places to be a reporter based on the report of Reporters Without Borders, a nongovernmental organization that promotes freedom of the press. President Duterte even said that the assassination and murder of journalists could be excusable so long as they were corrupt.

BREAKING THE WHEEL

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THE INCOMPLETE REVOLUTION

>> Pita Ochave is an ex-BSBE major now juggling five Kas subjects. If you pay close enough attention, you can hear her wailing over readings in the Main Library. 41

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WHY TRUMP WON by ALFONSO ROCES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, I HAD BEEN ROOTING FOR A THIRD PARTY OPTION IN THE US ELECTIONS. I COULDN’T SEE MYSELF SUPPORTING TWO OF THE MOST DISLIKED PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES THE TWO MAJOR PARTIES HAD SHELLED OUT.

On one hand, we had a loudmouthed, crazy, orange-skinned, immigrant-deporting, “p*ssygrabbing” businessman. On the other hand, we had a questionable, e-mail-deleting, Wall Streetloving, position changing, traditional politician. Now, despite all these controversies, we would have expected the more experienced and less brash Hillary Clinton to win. However, come November 8th, I was proven wrong. We all were. Donald Trump had done the unthinkable and emerged as the victor. Was I shocked by the win? No, I wasn’t. Judging by the factors (and the rising trend of nationalism and populism around the world), I knew it could have happened. And it did. Let me tell straight up reasons why he won, from the viewpoint of a simple spectator interested in politics: HILLARY CLINTON PLAYED IT TOO SAFE I am probably sure Hillary was feeling great when the Republican Party had announced Donald Trump as its standard bearer for President. She knew that Donald Trump, despite him winning over the Republican Party (by gaining 42

only 40% of the primary votes though over other candidates), stood no chance against her on a national scale. She was right; all the polls I’ve seen were her winning over wide margins in polls (one poll done by Fox News – yes, the Republican-leaning Fox News – placed Hillary beating Trump, 49% to 39%). Even the elections itself reflected this through the popular vote; Hillary won against Trump by 2 million votes. However, one should know that, in order to win the presidency, one must win through the Electoral College. To put it in a nutshell, you win by winning states, regardless whether or not you won the most number of votes nationally. Each state has a certain number of points and the candidate must earn 270 in order to win. The problem with Hillary was that she played it too safe in the states she was expected to win. She thought she could easily gain states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania where she was leading in the polls by 5- to even 20% and so, she did not exert as much effort as much as Trump did in these places. Instead, she focused her campaign efforts on states which weren’t necessary in her

path to winning, like Arizona. And, thus, Hillary lost all those states I mentioned. Speaking of disavowed voters in rural America…

THERE WAS NO ROOM FOR HEALTHY DISCUSSION Hillary Clinton and many of her supporters immediately dismissed all Trump supporters as “racists, misogynists” or to sum it all up in her own words, “deplorables”. Yes, Donald Trump has done many things worthy of condemnation but her campaign didn’t bother to find out why in the first place anyone woulds upport someone as abhorrent as Donald Trump. Instead, Clinton spent her whole campaign attacking him (and at the same time sending celebrities to perform and campaign for her) instead of focusing on the issues. If she had listened to what the other side did have to say, then, maybe she could’ve gotten them to her side, by, perhaps, substantiating her campaign and convincing them why she would be better for the economy and the working man in the first place.

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PEOPLE WHO VOTED FOR TRUMP VALUED OTHER THINGS There’s no doubt something was wrong when Trump called Rosie O’ Donnell and some other women degrading comments in the past and when Trump made outrageous announcements (deporting illegal immigrants, building a wall and making Mexico pay for it) that could be called discriminatory. It is absolutely true anybody, even a Trump voter, would condemn those statements. However, those comments weren’t enough for people to vote for Hillary (or not vote Trump) because there are some things people value more over others based on their demographics. For example, it’s true an urban millennial from a university would care a lot about race relations but a 33 year-old worker from rural middle America (where wages have been depleting) would look past Trump’s comments and instead focus on jobs and the economy rather anything else. Many felt that the taxraising, regulation-creating, government-spending policies of Clinton (who once said, “Don’t let them tell you that it’s businesses and corporations that create jobs) wouldn’t accomplish as much as Trump’s (or his party’s at least) more market-friendly initiatives.

Now you’re thinking, But, hey I didn’t know that. Well, that’s because...

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HILLARY CLINTON NO LONGER REPRESENTED THE WORKING CLASS When I think of the Democratic Party, I think of the party of the working people, the average Joes with a 9-5 job. However, it is hard for the ordinary worker to accept someone who had accepted millions of dollars speaking for Wall Street corporations like Goldman Sachs and thousands of dollars too from them or her campaign, to accept someone who vehemently supported (and then later insincerely disavowed from) a “Free Trade” deal that may affect American workers negatively and someone who voted for a war that cost the country trillions of dollars that fruited nothing but chaos and could have been spent instead to fix “America’s crumbling infrastructure” (a phrase always uttered by Bernie and Donald). Donald Trump, on the other hand, to his credit, had been campaigning that he would not receive any money from lobbyists and always magnified Hillary’s “corruption”. Even back in the 1980s, there were many interviews of him warning the American public to be very cautious of the “Free Trade” deals he was making. And, departing from the foreign policy of Clinton and other members of his own party, Trump said the “Iraq War” was a mistake and he would not support an expensive, interventionist

policy in Syria and the rest of the world; he believes that the US must “end current strategy of nation-building and regime change.” But then despite all that, Trump hates illegal immigrants and is a misogynist, you may say. But then...

FINAL THOUGHTS My final thoughts of what has happened is this; we are seeing a backlash against traditional politics. People are feeling as if their politicians are no longer working for them and instead, are working for themselves. The people have been resisting centralization and have been wanting their government closer to them. Perhaps, it’s time for our leaders to start being down-toearth and start listening again. >> Alfonso Roces loves 90’s music. 43

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D R U G S : F R E E D O M O R WA R ? by RIO AQUINO-DAYAO

ON CAMPAIGN SEASON The past few months have been alarming for the whole nation. After being elected last May 9, President Duterte has since actively advocated the war against drug users. This is primarily anchored on his promise of real change, even when he was just still campaigning. Known for having an iron fist, the President has blatantly encouraged people to denounce, or even worse, kill the lives of these users. The campaign against drugs is the most notable from the President. Even when he was still Mayor in Davao, he made name already across the nation after being linked several times to the Davao Death Squad – a hired group who kills drug users considered criminals. In fact, according to Amnesty International, the President has alleged that the Philippines is becoming a narco-state already. DU30’S WAR AGAINST DRUGS In our current everyday life, it has become normal to see on news individuals who got shot to death. The number of killings related to suspected drug users have significantly risen and in fact drew attention globally. As of November 22 from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, there has been around 1,639 killings both identified Extra-Judicial and unidentified.

The Philippine Drug War, or in Filipino giyera laban sa droga, is also known as Oplan Tokhang or Oplan Double Barrel. It got its name Tokhang from Cebuano words tuktok (knock) and hangyo (persuade). On the other hand, the Double Barrel refers to the explanation provided by the AFP Chief Dela Rosa. According to one of his interviews on Rappler, the Double Barrel refers to the one shot-two triggers strategy conducted by the police. There will be a barrel for the high-value individuals as well as another barrel for the street-value personalities. But the cases of extra-judicial killings did not only appear just recently. Extrajudicial killings have already been reported ever since. According to an article from Rappler, it was the late President Marcos who institutionalized Extra-Judicial Killings as a means to silence the political opposition, including the activists and the members of the revolutionary underground. Historian Alfred McCoy cites more than 3,000 killings during Marcos Regime. MOVING FORWARD However, despite the strong reception by the general public, the claim of President Duterte has little to no evidence to be proven. The Philippines has a low prevalence of drug users, compared to the global average, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC). That’s why aside from gaining international attention, various sectors have called out the administration’s take regarding the matter and have proposed various resolutions for them.

illegal activities. The family and friends should also stand up and demand for justice. The last challenge is for human rights groups to expand their advocacy and include those that got involved on purely criminal and non-political offences. Because the use of EJK is an unwritten state policy, the only way for it to stop is for the people themselves to demand a stop to the practice. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE E C H O E S

Just recently, the author was able to personally witness an incidence of an unidentified killing. Before writing this article, the author tried to search for the information of that incident he personally witnessed, but to no avail. Attached is the Facebook post of the author regarding the killing:

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According to the Court of Appeals, there are five suggestions which the current administration can choose to adopt. Firstly, there is a need for a clear-cut definition of what extra-judicial killing is. Because likewise, murder and homicide are considered EJK. Any killing outside the court can be considered extra-judicial. Two, the evidencegathering, investigation, and witness protection must be strengthened. Third, the administration may consider to establish a multi-sectoral agency that will focus solely on such human violations crimes. Fourth, there is a need to reorient and educate our policemen. They must be reminded to work within the bounds of the law. And lastly, the judiciary will have to bring back the confidence of the people to them, by expediting the cases involving human rights violations. The challenge for us now is to take an active stance on calling out for justice. According to an article from Rappler, denouncing the killings should not equate to tolerating the

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>> Rio Dayao believes that due process must be upheld, and that justice is in the hands of law and not of few.

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WHISPERS OF THE SILENCED by CARLOS CABA ERO

CHANGE HAS TRULY ARRIVED IN 2016. As if the world didn’t have enough lunacy in it already, this year saw the country – the world even – transform into an echo chamber of utter madness. From the rise of draconic, divisive strongmen, to shattering disasters, to crimes spurred on by hatred and fear, society has been shaken by the worst of its elements. Yet, in this echo chamber of madness, there are atrocities that remain, though they are only mere whispers, as they always have been. Such is the story of our national minorities. Centuries ago, foreign interests came to colonize our country, for benevolent intentions driven by malicious agenda. Knowing that they can only do so much with the sword and the cross, they decided that the way to conquer is to divide our people. They gave a select few of us power and a semblance of freedom, as if this was not ours to have from the beginning. In return, they asked us preach their ideals and spill the blood of our own brothers and sisters in their name. These men became complicit in the stealing of lands, the killing of lives, and the near erasure of an essential part of our identity. This, of course, was the story centuries ago. Today, we are made to believe that, like the Filipino movies and teleseryes we have been fond of, everything has stabilized, that the good have prevailed and

down with tribes to come up with beneficial enterprises for both sides. Yet when patronage, leverage and political pressures muck their way in, it tends to be much more convenient to just chuck justice of the window and simply exploit a land and a people who simply cannot fight back. The final words of the Lakbayanis to us were that of a plea, that perhaps we as the next generation may be able to grant them the justice that the state and our institutions have failed to bequeath to them. The prospect of it is daunting. In all our youth, where do we begin to fix a country confused of its identity, whose every institution reeks of self-indulgence and utter corruption. Cheesy enough as it sounds, the best way we can help them is to let their stories be heard, to use whatever discipline or medium we have as a platform to bring their issues to the national consciousness. In the end, we can only hope that our screams will be loud enough for their whispers to be heard in this echo chamber of madness that our world has become, with the dream that someday, they may finally feel safe, and free in their own lands and homes.

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come back to. They lament at how all government programs assigned to them, from the National Greening Program, to the Indigenous People’s Act, to the movements against illegal logging and mining were not made to its purpose of giving them the right to run their land. Worse, they share their anxiety over a state that sometimes even act as an accomplice to corporate interests in furthering their agenda at indigenous people’s expense. The unusual thing is, these not things that we haven’t heard of before. It’s in the internet, in our books and readings and part of our lectures. Yet it struck how, before all this, I treated their stories as if they were expendable artifacts from a faraway place, in a foregone era. To hear these stories from their crackling voices and sullen eyes makes me question how I could call myself an Iskolar ng Bayan and set all of these aside. The injustices committed to our indigenous brothers and sisters transcend generations, leaving behind razed lands, broken bodies, and silenced screams. They were done before in the name of God, while today it is for progress; and yet the story is just the same narrative of oppression with different labels and characters. The economics of it all is blatantly simple. Give these people their ancestral lands. Banish all corporations who have muscled their way to them leave. Build infrastructure that would allow the IP’s to harmoniously interweave their ethnic heritage with the advantages of modernity. Sit

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that justice has been served. It has not. The fact we barely hear of it only emphasizes the tragedy of it all. The ethnic tribes that were saved from the purging of centuries past face almost the exact same problems that their forefathers have. Corporate interests, both local and foreign, exert their economic leverage to ancestral land for the growth of their industries. Under the name of legality, they take these lands and treat them as if it were their own. Meanwhile, their true owners are banished, with the more vocal of them being silenced. It is this depressingly monotonous narrative, these tearful whispers that were brought to the forefront when the minorities entered the University for Lakbayan 2016. A group of UPSE students came along to hear the stories of these minorities. Admittedly, it was bit unsettling to begin with. The event, after all, is organized by a group whose political beliefs I mostly opposed. Beyond the usual indoctrination and appeals to join their group though, it is the stories of these minorities that would always stick with me. They talk of corporations acquiring paramilitary aid to drive the tribes off of their ancestral land. They talk of their gratitude to be able to say in the University because it is the only place where they feel they can sleep without the fear of being attacked. They share about having to beg from their local government units for provisions because they have none to give, and no home to

>> Carlos Cabaero suffers from ideological schizophrenia from dabbling over practically useless things like social sciences and philosophy. One day, he hopes to be the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

F F E AT U R E S

Notes From An Existentialist. No Idea Is Safe. Kenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World. The R-Word. Vive Le Vim. How To Be Single. The Emancipation Of Katie. (Not) Legally (And Not) Blonde. The Fresh Prince Of The Province. #Freedom? (0,0). Farewell #12.

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NOTES FROM AN EXISTENTIALIST

by CHILI PEREZ

I SPENT A GOOD CHUNK OF MY FRESHMAN YEAR WALLOWING IN AN EXISTENTIAL FUNK. In an almost Kafkaesque fashion, I woke up one day feeling as if I were infinitely miniscule in the face of all things, and since then I could not shake that feeling off. What is the meaning of my life? Why am I existing? For every second I spent trying to get work done, I spent the next ten trying to quell an overwhelming, incomprehensible anxiety at the growing number of questions I could only leave unanswered. Days melted into endless hours and minutes stretched into some monotonous tune of why am I even doing what I am doing, who am I, what is the purpose of all this. I could not understand how and why I was feeling that way, and I (regretfully) refused to even acknowledge my fear and unease at this feeling, this thing, whatever it was, that materialized as holes swallowing me in my nightmares.

Jean Paul Sartre, the poster boy of popular existentialism, described something close to Camus’ Absurdity—Anguish. Humanity, according to Sartre, lived in a constant state of anguish, not because of the poorness of life, but because we are “condemned to be free”. We are anguished because when we are born into this world, we are basically thrown into an existence in which we realize that our self, our existence can be distinguished—and that this awareness of a self is what forces us to make choices. Our entire lives are shaped by choices (even not making a choice is a choice) and thus our freedom to choose is a constant affirmation of this Anguish—that we are indeed alone, and on one’s own. Freedom borne out of anguish is thus absolute. In an existentialist’s world, there is no God, there is no Higher Purpose, and there is no preordained meaning for our lives. Thus this recognition of aloneness causes us to absolutely and completely rely on one’s own freedom, and one’s ability to choose.

Albert Camus would’ve called it my first encounter with the Absurd—the divorce between the universe and the self, where we exist drifting endlessly, meaninglessly, into a cold, silent universe. I had all these questions that seemed so clear and significant to me, but with no one out there to answer them. Through some miracle I’d spare you the trouble of hearing, I first came across Camus’ The Myth of Sisyphus and it forever changed my life. Thus I began my spiral into an obsession with Existentialism.

Thus we bear the weight of this freedom. Each and every decision we have causes our lives and thus our beings to go in some direction that is unknown to us. In many cases we choose with little to no information, but we cannot succumb to inauthenticity. Authenticity calls for us to embrace this absolute freedom and the responsibility and consequences that come with it, no matter how staggering it is. If inauthentic, it is in Bad Faith, which is a situation wherein we try to run away

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everything we can think of. I find that there is something very assuring about this philosophy, regardless of its depressed outlook and its dark appeal. I think that at the core of this philosophy lies something empowering—there is a call to become one’s authentic “self” only through owning up to our own actions and decisions. That freedom is not a license to do everything, that it is situated in the world you exist in, that freedom must not be taken lightly but carried with its awesome weight and responsibility. And from freedom, there is no escape.

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We are our choices; what we do is who we are. Thus our own choices also paint our view of how we think humanity should be. In designing one’s self, one paints humanity— therefore one must act as if everyone is watching him/ her. Freedom then, in the existentialist’s paradigm, is not merely about the absoluteness of choice, but also a responsibility to humanity. One does not exist in a vacuum. A human being cannot be extracted from the world because its presence, its being-inthe-world is the critical ontological existence of itself. A situated-ness in the world must not be forgotten, and so we debunk ideas of freedom as some sort of excuse to do anything and

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from making our choices by denying our freedom through making others or “the universe” decide for us, or through equating ourselves with mere roles and moulds. Thus, freedom in a Sartrean sense, is very much like Kant’s where freedom is autonomy. Simply, we are our choices, and thus every choice we make is a determination and an announcement of what we deem ourselves to be. Every time we make a choice authentically, we say who we are, and thus from a meaningless world we create our own meaning. What does it mean to be a human? There is no manual on how to live. For an existentialist, this cannot be answered if one does not exist and live authentically. In the absence of a higher design, “existence precedes essence”.

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WE TALK A LOT ABOUT ACADEMIC FREEDOM HERE IN UP, HOW IT IS BEING THREATENED BY THE UNIVERSITY AND THE NATIONAL ADMINISTRATIONS, OR ABOUT PROTECTING IT AS PART OF THE INSTITUTION. HOWEVER, WHAT IS IT REALLY ABOUT?

NO IDEA IS SAFE b y CY RI L C O R N E L I O

WHAT IS ACADEMIC FREEDOM? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, academic freedom is defined as “a scholar’s freedom to express ideas without risk of official interference or professional disadvantage.”

This is meant to encourage free discourse. No idea is safe.

Academic freedom has also been used as an excuse to purposely politicize issues, and become selective in analysis, thus creating logical flaws. We must use academic freedom responsibly, with respect for truth, other people and the law. Irresponsible use of academic freedom only

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In our daily routines, we can see this in action. We have professors and teachers bringing in different points of view, and inviting students to question these views. Because of these views, students and faculty take part in actions to make them more real. Some

In the United States, academic freedom has been used to defend systemic harassment and bias based on race, ethnicity, and religion. In universities in the Philippines, it has been used as an excuse for destructive behavior and damage to university property (the burning of chairs and textbooks as a protest to tuition hikes, for example).

At the end of the day though, furthering academic freedom starts with us. Rather than be closed off in our echo chambers and bubbles, we should not be afraid to ask questions, and learn more about our ideas and defend them better. The UP administration and USC may sign a declaration, but it is up to us as students to make that academic freedom, that idea of free inquiry a reality.

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UP AS A CENTER OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM In the UP Charter of 2008 (Republic Act 9500), it is stated, “UP has the right and responsibility to exercise academic freedom.”

WITH GREAT LIBERTY, COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY An issue with academic freedom is how it has become an excuse for questionable or irresponsible behavior.

HOW CAN WE FURTHER ACADEMIC FREEDOM? In the same manner as the University of Chicago, the UP administration and the USC should make a declaration on what academic freedom means for the institution. The charter is vague with its statement, and it is important that our university have a strong foundation of principles to better exercise that academic freedom.

Many people would not necessarily comfortable with this, but that is the whole point of academic freedom. You are not supposed to be comfortable, and stay in some echo chamber where your ideas are accepted. Rather, you should be ready to defend those ideas.

In UP, academic freedom is not merely a concept that can just observed in class discussions, it can also be seen in the choices and actions students and faculty make outside the classroom. Academic freedom becomes a part of you, and it is a lifestyle.

curtails the freedom of others in discourse, and thus stifling that very idea.

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Academic freedom means that in the university, we are free to have express any idea without facing any retribution or censorship. However, this also gives others the freedom to attack our ideas, and present their own.

students join protests and mass actions in the university political parties, others apply what they learn in the work they do in their organizations.

>> Cyril Cornelio always seems unsure about being in the right course because he is very interested in almost everything. He may be shy (or just have a horrible resting-bitch-face) but once you get to know him, you can have the most wonderful conversations with him.

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KEN’S WORLD by KEN RECASATA

I FIND THAT THERE EXISTS AN INVERSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RESPONSIBILITIES AND SELF-WORTH in that, as the pile of work goes up, shit goes down. Times like these, there really isn’t anything else to do but sit down and contemplate on your very existence (or nonexistence, depending on where you are on the Emo Index). One afternoon, as the firmament turned into a pensive orange, I couldn’t help but have one of these moments and I began to ponder on the idea of fine lines. It dawned on me how baffling of a feat it is to draw a line between a utopia and a dystopia. I am only certain that the idea of both societies equally creep the fuck out of me. I imagine a dystopian world is somewhere, sometime where the sky is always blue no matter what time of day it is; a society without rulers or conquerors, and no religion of any sort. Freedom is a bountiful harvest. Somehow, my dystopia, like trash and treasure, can be another’s utopia. It is precisely this nuanced distinction that confounds me. For reasons beyond my ken (this is a real word, I’m not self-advertising), the idea of a utopian society unnerves me. In all my naivete, I view a utopia as an ideal world where everyone is satiated in the satisfaction they bring upon themselves; and yet the idea of contentment and happiness varies from person to person. Rational as we are, we are enslaved by our unique utilities and therefore can never have an absolute convergence of indifference curves—that is, a utopia. In the slight chance we actually achieve this perfect society, because we are not so pliable as to willingly give up our own happiness for others, there must be some form of code of conduct for which our individual freedoms are

compromised in a subtle and non-obtrusive manner. Still, freedom is compromised. All this serious talk of ideal worlds and utilities really just diverts us from what really matters... me! Kidding aside, there are some things we only think of in the back of our minds, or at night keeping us in a constant insomnia. These are thoughts that can really only exist in the antithesis of reality. Here, I will share a sliver of my own personal utopia. We all have one, but everyone’s utopia is different from each other. I often wonder and question the truthfulness of superstitions because no matter how unrealistic, I still find myself actively skipping those cracks on the road thinking that if I don’t I would be the reason my mother broke her back, and this is bound to be challenging in a developing country with “developing” public roads. In my world, superstitions are just as real as the struggle. Imagine if you could actually grow taller while jumping like a bean on New Year’s Eve. I wouldn’t have to have my jeans cut or deal with height standards or requirements; a line of schoolchildren arranged according to height would start with the tall ones and end with the venti ones. Whenever I’ll feel lonely, I’d just gather up all my spoons and forks, toss them on the floor, and have a party! Of course, this world would also have less broken mirrors and indoor umbrellas, but I can live with that. On a more serious note, in my ideal world, love is not a social construct but an absolute truth with all the struggle and pain that comes with it; a collection of the same memories in different perspectives. There is only falling in and falling out, but never unrequited. These days the culture of romance wafts in

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In one way or another, we are slaves. Either by equations, by ideas, morals, or other people. We are never truly free for the only absolute freedom, one that is completely and forever only ours, is the freedom to dream.

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In the universe where we exist, it seems as if everything can be defined in a mathematical equation with all its limits and all its infinities. It makes you wonder whether your experiences and choices are your own or just complex calculations and probabilities.

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an apparent hypostasis and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always those who are left second guessing, those who cling on to false hopes, who lose and never really live. It seems the culture of romance is closely linked to fear for those afraid of rejection and impossible standards. This is a world where all we gamble with are the very things that were naturally given to us, immutable and dreary. This is, however, the only reality.

P.S. This one is for you. You, who only exists in my dreams. P.P.S. In my ideal world, all vegetables would taste like eggplant.

>> Ken Recasata believes in forever with eggplants.

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THE R-WORD by ANONYMOUS

TRIGGER WARNING: This article or section contains information about sexual assault and/or violence which may be triggering to survivors.

I’LL ADMIT THAT I’M SCARED OF WRITING THIS ARTICLE. In all honesty, it feels wrong to be hurt over something that could have been my fault. In fact, I probably don’t have the right to be vocal over an experience I cannot seem to classify myself. For the longest time, I’ve been scared of the R-word, because of the possibility that I was using the wrong word to describe what happened. After all, it was my fault for answering his stupid text. It was my fault that I wore a low-cut sweater and a decent bra that night. Sure, I said “no” four times after every time he asked me to do something for him, but I ended up succumbing so he would just go away. As I look back and try to play the scenes again in my head, I find myself searching for the warning signs and sugarcoating the actual events. Perhaps, I missed something along the way. Because no matter whatever I can actually recall from the mental playback of the events that transpired, I always felt like I did not deserve to be mad at him. I may not have given my consent on one night, but I sure did during other occasions. I had this all coming for me. Because really, what did I actually expect from him? Did I expect to get something meaningful from someone who insisted on becoming friends-with-benefits over actually dating? What he did was wrong

and unforgivable, but I was also unbelievably stupid. I could have fought back harder. I could have called someone and showed them the bruises. I could have called for help, but I didn’t.

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And while I could write paragraphs about how “yes” means “yes” and how “no” means “no”, it took a long time for me to believe that for myself and a lot of strength to find it in my heart to stop blaming myself for what had happened. I guess I was too afraid to admit to myself that (1) rape stories aren’t always on crime shows, and that (2) I have my own story to tell. Accepting the reality of the ordeal has always been the most difficult thing to come to terms with, but I’m glad I’ve moved past my self slut-shaming and that I am finally free to tell my story.

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I stumbled across the term “grey rape” while trying to come up with a PG-13 way of telling my story. And for those who

Looking back, I guess the reason I was so scared of saying the R-word was because it could have been the right word to use all along.

Time and time again, this term has proven to be extremely problematic. It deals with the very troublesome implication that consent is something debatable. When the truth of the matter is, there is not much to discuss when it comes to dealing with consent. Rape will never be a miscommunication problem for it has, and always will be, a deliberate act of violence.

When it comes to rape, no two cases are comparable. Whether he’s the guy you’ve been dating for 2 months or some random stranger, sexual violence cannot be quantified on a scale. We have to get rid of this outrageous notion that some cases are more evil than others. Failure to recognize sexual assault for what it truly is excuses rapists from any semblance of guilt or sense of responsibility for the crimes they have committed.

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It is an entirely different burden to be an accessory of a crime committed against yourself. Because really, could I blame him for wanting something he already has gotten from me before? What if I forget that I was on it? What if I was just imagining how unhappy I was about what had happened? Maybe my bitterness clouded my judgment and I was just as much of the bad guy that I painted him to be. However, despite all the warnings, I still gave him the chance he never should have gotten.

don’t know, “grey rape” was a term popularized in a 2007 Cosmopolitan magazine article, “The New Kind of Date Rape You Must Know About” by Laura Sessions Stepp. In this viral article, the author defined grey rape as “sex that falls somewhere between consent and denial and is even more confusing than date rape because often both parties are unsure of who wanted what.”

VIVE LE VIM words by BIANCA R ANOLA photos by MAYA PA RAGUYA

It’s Tuesday afternoon, a few hours after Echoes decides on its November cover star, when Vim messages me on Facebook, “Am I worthy to be on the cover?” After almost two weeks of this humble sentiment being buried in my inbox, I finally see it and laugh out loud. This guy to many of us is a living, breathing embodiment of what it means to be free: the poster boy for shirtless photoshoots in dimly lit hallways, the self-proclaimed ratchet hoe who will tell it like it is, the rulebreaker, gamechanger with the brown leather clutch envelope. Plus, he has good taste in men. I laughed out loud because o f course he’s worthy to be on the cover. It was a no-brainer. Putting EcHOES on the cover rarely happens, if at all, but if you step into the world of Vim like I have been given the privilege to, you’ll understand why we were adamant in exercising our freedom on this one.

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BGC IS ANNOYINGLY HOT AND HUMID ON THE DAY OF OUR SHOOT, and the fact that we’re plunging right into hell week merely intensifies the urge to stay in bed and escape reality. But Vim is ready, and by that I mean he’s got Sel lugging around his maleta full of clothes everywhere we go and me handing him different shades of lipstick from the other side of the men’s bathroom at Fully Booked. His eagerness and effortless model disposition are what drive the team to keep going—walking around BGC to avoid paying for parking and helping him change outfits in secluded pockets of the city. Passersby stop and stare as this boy wonder with bright eyeshadow poses and turns mundane murals into masterpieces. Even people from the other side of the road are compelled to look, probably wondering, “Who is this guy?” To them, Vim says, “I’m a temperamental brat who believes that Marcos is not a hero. Also, I like to believe that I have reached a certain level of domestication: I find solace in doing the groceries, marinating meat, cooking stuff, and cleaning my room. I think I’m a big fan of pleasant aesthetic, but to be honest, I don’t have a solid ‘type,’ like I know it’s a esthetic if I feel that z ing when I look at [it], and immerse myself in the artwork.”

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Art has been crucial in the formation of Vim’s brand and being. He says, “I haven’t really told anyone this, but all my non-org-related artworks were inspired by some sort of emotion. I am motivated to paint or to write poems if I went through some memorable moment, be it good or bad. There was this one time I was super frustrated because the person I used to date wasn’t giving me enough attention, so yeah, it was some sort of escape, or a release.” As a Spark App, he was a creatives intern for UPFront and part of Seccom, and was held in high regard by thenchairperson Raphael Jambalos. Pub Queen Anna Pagdanganan, his GW parent, says, “Vim was Oustanding Applicant material from the very beginning. I remember Jamby used to describe him as the gold mine of Seccom when he was still an app. And honestly, he’s evolved from being the best at pub among the Spark Apps to one of the best artists and graphic designers of Ecosoc.” Today, if you look closely at the bylines of some of Echoes’ most chilling, eye-catching artworks, you’ll most probably see Vim’s name. To many who don’t know him, Vim may seem quite intimidating. And if you happen to spot him passing by with his eyes narrowed and his cardigan draped across his shoulder, his infamous brown leather clutch envelope in hand, I don’t blame you. But after getting to know Vim, I do believe that this aura of intimidation is rooted in years of forming an identity that he’s been sure of ever since he was young. On how he found out that he’s gay, he says, “I’ve known all along that I am not straight. There was no defining moment, I just know I’m not. There was this one time back in preschool, I kissed this fair-skinned boy on the cheeks, and it was a big deal for me back then because I remember I found him cute.” Vim is the only child in a conservative, religious family that has never been open to other spiritual views and where homosexuality is taboo. Like most gay Filipinos, the dominance of Catholicism in the country was one of the struggles he had to face. “Somehow, I was able to free myself from that grip,” says Vim. “I don’t believe in any religion, and I also believe that I am not a heterosexual male. My family was very hostile when they learned that I am not practicing their Roman Catholicism, but I can’t really do anything about it. The dogmas, the hypocrisy of the church leaders, and all those kinds of stuff turn me off.”

We get a taste of how society still stigmatizes homosexuality when we’re getting ready to shoot at Mind Museum. Context: a guard points at a topless, made up Vim as if reprimanding him, and we all get seriously p issed. He and another guard proceed to throw us furtive glances as we finish prepping Vim, and we hurry to leave out of sheer anger. We’re all thinking the same thing: Really? Just because he’s gay? Vim adds, “My struggle of being gay started when people in school started to bully me, and when I took notice of my parents’— especially my dad’s—aversion towards homosexuality. I was in denial back in my pre-puberty years, I actually dated three girls and one of them became somewhat my girlfriend. I was trying to pretend I was straight, I was trying to disassociate myself from things that society would label as ‘ pang-bakla.’ In the back of my mind though, I knew who I really was.” On his relationship with his family, he says, “I haven’t really ‘outed’ myself to my

parents but I don’t think I will, and I don’t think I have to. I have freed myself from that unnecessary burden of making it known that I am gay because really, why is it necessary? To give people the convenience of knowing how to treat you? That’s bullcrap if you’ll solely be basing it on sexuality.” Truly, Vim’s journey towards emancipation from societal, religious, and his family’s standards is the ultimate testimony to the person he is today. His unrelenting demand to own his character in spite of everything that has been thrown his way isn’t just inspiring, it’s extraordinary. Especially in a time where everyone’s got a heightened sense of caring what other people think of them, it’s only right—you owe it to yourself—to aspire to be Vim, whose self-assuredness from the very beginning has been a cornerstone for his success today. Here is a man who doesn’t let anyone dictate his identity, who is proud of who he is and celebrates what makes him different from other people. If that isn’t freedom, then I don’t know what is. —BR

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HOW TO BE SINGLE b y C HI NO V I T RI OLO

BEING SINGLE, AND FREE. It’s halfway through the BER-months and the cold, perfect-for-cuddling weather of December is already near our doorsteps. Yet, some of us still don’t have anyone to cuddle. If you don’t know, the BER-months - September, October, November and December - are infamously known as breakup months as well. On behalf of Ecosoc and ECHOES, we send our condolences to whoever is reading this -- if you’re going through some lonely phase in life, whether you’re single, NBSB (No Boyfriend Since Birth), NGSB (No Girlfriend Since Birth), going through a breakup or it’s just plain complicated with your someone (not-anymore) special, here in ECHOES we’ve got for you a list of things to remember to survive, and most importantly, enjoy the single life. You are now FREE, dude! Here are 5 simple ways to enjoy being single (and free).

ON FRIENDSHIPS: KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE, AND YOUR HOT FRIENDS CLOSER.

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Let’s face it: it’s gonna be lonely most of the time now that you’re single. There will be that empty void as well if you’ve just gone through a breakup. While people who have been single all their lives might be accustomed to the notion of doing things alone, heartbroken ones will feel extra lonely. When you are in a relationship, it is much harder to maintain relationships with friends and make new friends because your partner consumes most of your time and affection. Now, you should enjoy the ability to maintain friendships and build new ones. Trust me, it’s always better to have friends around. You’re single and you might have lost that certain someone, but why let it bring you down? Sure, they might be an investment of your time and effort, but now is the time to redirect that investment to your real friends. You might be surprised at how much they will be able to help you through this. If you’ve always been locked down spending time with your special someone before, now is the perfect time to catch up with people in your life. Visit your best friend, hangout with your childhood friend or neighbor, your thesis partner, your drinking buddy or your go-to buddy in school. Drink (responsibly) and get to know what’s in the now with your circle(s) (wow social butterfly) of friends. But then again, why limit yourself to spending time with your circle? Make an effort to be friendly to your friend’s friends, heck, even to your ex’s friends! There are a lot of fish in the sea and it’s time to make that extra effort to more attractive fishes, even in the most subtle of ways. Smile or greet them around the corner, support them in their events or endeavors, or invite them to hang out with your friends. Although really, make an effort in simple ways, not stalk them, directly flirt or message them in Tinder (heck Tinder is not the way to go, guys) or other dating sites. Don’t rush just yet to that battlefield, thirsty-one. Make friends with your peers. Wala namang malisya, just being really friendly, right? Then again, you never know!

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ON TASTE: LOOK AT ART, LISTEN TO GOOD MUSIC, AND WATCH INDIE FILMS. Don’t be bitter when you see couples around and repeat “Breakeven” for the 99th time on your earphones. There’s a lot of untapped potential around, be it from local or international artists. Switch and play around with your genre -- you never know what you might be missing. There’s also Spotify to help you, making your everyday commutes and drives more bearable in Manila. As a single person, you might dread being alone when commuting/driving without someone to talk to but heck, sing your heart out in the car or goof around and listen to your inner soul music. Tune in to the radio and listen to the hippest songs today. Go to local gigs and acts with friends and enjoy the scene. Going alone as well will do, as long as you appreciate and enjoy the music, and escape the loneliness in the spectrum of songs. If you don’t like crowded, hip and dark bars, take a trip to an art gallery. For starters, National Museum has recently offered its gallery for free viewing as of May. Find your inner peace and look at the beauty of #ahrt in all sorts of places. If you’re not a fan of still pictures, MMFF is just around the corner and will feature a lot of indie films (thank God wala ng Vice Ganda or Vic Sotto) that will surely captivate you. No offense to our (sirang-plaka) comedies every year, but watching works of art in the form of indie films might just renew your appreciation for the Philippine film scene.

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ON LOOKS: CONTROL YOUR WEIGHT. EXERCISE. Dealing with a breakup or having no one around to impress or attract may lead you to eat without control or in excess. It’s really bad for not just how you look, but more importantly for your health as well. Some might express that they don’t give a damn on what they eat and what other people say, but then if you don’t eat healthy and get your grind, it will definitely affect you in the long run. Instead of sulking around eating that tub of ice cream or that fourth cookie because no one’s looking, make time for exercise. However, the key to staying fit is always 80% diet, and 20% exercise. Prioritize first what you eat and invest on those gain-worthy foods, and the exercise will come later. According to some studies (and yes, believe me just because I said “according to some studies”), having at least a minimum of 15 minutes of exercise everyday will improve your overall health. Not only that, sweating it out every day will not only clean your body, but it will leave you spiritually and emotionally better as well due to the constant release of oxidants and the improved circulation of your body. It’s the perfect way to feel good about yourself, and to forget about him/her or being single. Hit the gym, run in your village, sweat it out in UP or join the Ecosoc jogger’s club! You might also meet other individuals here as well who are in the zone to be fit. Just remember that you should love your body first and must always strive to take care of it.

Who needs a lover when you’ve got a brother?

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Being single means that you’re not obliged to spend for someone else. Whether it be fancy dates, gifts, or concerts (RIP to those paying for Coldplay tickets for their special ones), being single means having more money to spend for yourself rather than for others. What better way to use your money than to spend it in your hobby or interest? Save up for a collection, enroll and try out a new sport, hike a mountain or travel around-you name it! A hobby will either keep you distracted or even make you a better person by acquiring new skills. Having more interests and skills in life would be more attractive to someone and will make you less boring. Being in a relationship is much expensive than you think and you should enjoy the perks of being able to spend what you want. Of course, maybe a girlfriend/boyfriend will give you lots of gifts and treat you around but then you’ll feel the need to reciprocate as well.

Now that you’re single (or still waiting for that mami/papi to come), you have a truckload of time in your hands – and it might disappear at any second. Have fun as a single person while you still can. Do all the things you want, fool around (wink wink) and embrace your own unique personality. Enjoy this time to build yourself as an individual, and strengthen your relationships with your friends and loved ones. Always remember that a better you will attract a better next. One day, you might meet someone unexpectedly. Someone who’d fit you and sweep you off your feet. Someone who might actually enjoy doing the things listed on this article with you, and enjoy the freedom of life.

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ON TIME: YOU HAVE TO ENJOY THE LITTLE THINGS.

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ON MONEY: EXPERIMENT AND INVEST IN A HOBBY.

>> Chino Vitriolo had his fair share of failed relationships, but he loves being single for now just as he loves Jollibee spaghetti. You may contact him at 09053655386 for any love “concerns”.

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T H E E M A N C I PAT I O N by ANONYMOUS

DISCLAIMER: It’s a small world. If, by any chance, you come across any of my relatives, do not make me sumbong. Freedom is something we experience in many ways – freedom from a past that constantly comes back around to haunt us, freedom from a situation or condition that has kept us under its cage, freedom from the things that hold us back – these are but a few ways that a person can experience freedom. Each of us have our own stories of freedom – we’ve all been liberated in some way and it’s changed our lives in one way or another. If you ask me, no other experience has given me a greater sense of freedom than that of living alone. Let me start by illustrating my living arrangement back in high school. Back then, I used to live under my overly protective parents’ harsh conditions. I barely had any extra-curricular activities even though I wanted to be part of a lot of organizations, I’d only be allowed to go out around once a month, I literally had no idea how to drink alcohol or anything of the sort, and I knew like, less than ten guys. My entire high school life was dedicated to academics and

nothing else. Needless to say, I was completely miserable with my lack of a substantial life and I looked to a future where I could live under my own terms and conditions. As in, I’d cry about it in my mom’s office, which was where I spent my last summer of high school. While my friends were all out of the country or meeting up with one another, my mom dragged me to her WiFi-less office every morning at 9AM because there was no one to watch over me at home and I couldn’t be left alone. So, what happens when you put an overly curious and exploratory girl under parental guidance? She goes to college. Once I got to college, my situation changed completely. Moving into a dorm gave me the taste of freedom that I had been longing for. Unlike most dormers, my situation’s a little bit different. For starters, I no longer go home to Makati. I haven’t seen my real house in months. In fact, my bedroom in Makati has turned into a storage room for my parents. I literally live in Sofia Bellevue with only my sister and zero parental supervision, although I do see them on weekends and on holidays whenever they drop by to give us allowance and eat

dinner with us. Of course, it comes with a lot of hassles like doing my own chores, having to budget my allowance all the time, foregoing home-cooked meals and replacing them with fast food delivery. But those are nothing in comparison to the things I’ve received from this freedom. The first thing that my newfound freedom has given me is an actual social life. I wasn’t very outgoing back in high school, I knew very little people outside my circle of friends and classmates. I hung out with the same people over and over again. None of that was by choice, though. If I had it my way, I would’ve gone out and met new people. Which, of course, was exactly what I did upon getting to college. Ever since I started living alone, I’ve been able to expand my circle of friends, since I get to go out way more and have great experiences with many different people. I attribute a lot of my personality now to the fact that I live alone – from being introverted and not knowing how to interact much, I’ve been a lot more outgoing and enjoy the company of people.

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Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Katie, gaga ka.” I am aware of this, but hear me out. Although I do admit to have abused my freedom quite a bit (I’m sorry, I’ve cut down on a lot of my bad habits, don’t judge me, I will take care of myself, etc.), the same freedom has taught me so many life lessons that I would not have been able to learn if I were still living under many restrictions. I would not have been able to know the repercussions of these actions if I hadn’t tried them out for myself. I learn which things are worth

doing and which things aren’t because I have the freedom to fully experience them for myself. Instead of having other people tell me what’s right or wrong, I think it’s a lot more effective that I am able to see for myself exactly why they are right or wrong, based on my own experiences, my own context.

Living alone has given me so many newfound experiences – which for some of you may be regular things that you do on a daily basis – but for me, it’s an adventure.

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The second thing living alone has given me is adventure. The longer my stay in college, the more things I’ve been able to try out – things that I would not have been able to do if I were still living with my parents. I experienced so many things for the first time when I started living alone – from small things like first time to commute by myself, first time to be out on my own, first time to cut class, to slightly more malala things like first time drinking and getting drunk, first time trying to smoke, first kiss. I also made takas a lot. My many escapades include always going home late, going to Scav Hunt and LIV, and holding inumans in my dorm. I went from never going out, to becoming one of the most kaladkarin people in existence.

Overall, freedom has opened me up to the many possibilities in this world and a huge part of my life has changed because of the fact that I now live alone – my lifestyle, my relationships and my perspectives.

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( N O T ) L E G A L LY (AND NOT ) BLONDE by KELSEY MARIANO

I’M SEVENTEEN, AND I’M A COLLEGE SOPHOMORE. I‘m constantly teased about being younger than everyone else. People seem to find it so weird that I’m “only seventeen.” In fact, people find it so weird that they made it my “trivia.” Being “younger” than everyone else wasn’t so much of a big deal, to be honest, ‘til I reached college. In fact, I didn’t even pay attention to it until everyone started pointing it out, and you know, turning 19 as I turned 17. In my high school, it was perfectly fine. I was a year younger than most but I still had a few friends who were even younger than me. (I have a classmate in Computer Science who’s actually turning 18, December of 2017. Our valedictorian, who’s going to med school because of her intarmed acceleration, is a month younger than me.) But, being “younger” has its disadvantages. I.e. I’m typically the only one who worries about getting in a bar/club (on the rare ocassion that I am allowed to go) and the “kid” everyone worries about. Also, some nicknames just stick. Like when you get hit on by a law student and everyone just calls you jailbait. Or JB. Yeah, that kind of thing. So, my turning point for legality is only a few months away (5 months, 13 days—not that I’m counting) and there are some things I can now do legally. Here’s a couple of them that I’m looking forward to (and expecting).

1. DRIVE BY MYSELF I can actually drive, regardless of what other people think (Yes, I can reach the pedal. I’m not THAT small). It’s more of a choice not to drive, and also, my parents don’t really trust me that much. (Can’t blame them—I almost drove the car into a wall) Aside from that, LTO decided to change the driving age to 18 from 17 the year before I turned 17, so I legally could not drive by myself. 2. VOTE! The thrill of voting and the fact that I get to exercise my right and duty as a citizen is something I look forward (And something everyone should be doing). Though it was really sad when everyone else was voting and I couldn’t join. (Really, though? First the driving age, and then I miss the presidential elections?) But, hey, if I could have voted this year, I’m pretty sure I’d shade just one circle for president! 3. DONATE CONSENT

BLOOD

WITHOUT

PARENT’S

I’ve tried a couple of times to donate blood, only to have the volunteers tell me that I’d need to have my parents’ consent before I could donate. In 5 months, I wouldn’t need consent. Yay for helping and getting more CDC counts!

4. GROWTH SPURT

10. WILL NO LONGER BE THE BUTT OF AGE JOKES

Apparently women stop growing at 18. That means I have 5 months and 13 days (as of this release) to grow taller. Or, that would mean I stopped growing at age 12. Which is really sad.

Not being legal does not make me a child. I don’t think the jokes will stop but maybe I won’t be called jailbait anymore.

5. GO TO R18 MOVIES

11. STOP USING THIS AND GET IN BARS/ NIGHTCLUBS LEGALLY

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Some people sneak in R-18 movies. I was never the type to, considering that most R rated movies are typically gore. Or horror. Which I am absolutely terrified of. And maybe that’s why I don’t sneak in. Actually, who am I kidding? I’m not looking forward to that. Nope. 6. GO TO ADULT JAIL Oh, how the tables have turned. Jailbait no longer!

No longer will the bouncers in Pool Club look at it closely and say “Fake ‘to, ah!” while I adamantly shake my head and say “No lah, I’m here lah for vacation lah.” My little friend here has served its purpose and its finally time for it to retire. Exciting!

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Now, this is just a fun one. To get married, you’d technically have to have been in a long, stable relationship (unless you’re in one of those reality shows where you base your marriage on a kiss or compete for a rich bachelor), and to be in one of those, you’d technically have to have a partner. And in order to have a partner, you’d technically have to go out and socialize. To go out and socialize, you’d theoretically have to go out of your house and stop sleeping and binge watching old comedy sitcoms.

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7. GET MARRIED

8. BUY ALCOHOL! Well, legally now. It’s amazing how much older people think I am! Now, I’ll get to do it guilt-free. 9. GO OUT MORE OFTEN Not very likely, but maybe my parents will let me go to a lot more parties! But that would generally involve me wanting to go out of the house once in a while. But hey, maybe they’ll be a little more lax? Oh, who am I kidding?

These are just some of the things I look forward to. Though, admittedly, it’s not that exciting to turn 18 when some of your friends are already nearing the 20 mark. I’m probably still a child at heart, but adulthood, I await you.

>> Kelsey Mariano is 17 years, 6 months, and 17 days old. No, she will not have a debut. Instead of 18 roses she will have 18 hours of sleep. And no, turning 18 will not make her sleep later than 9PM.

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THE FRESH PRINCE OF THE PROVINCE By CHITO BALINDONG

THREE AND A HALF YEARS AGO, I LEFT THE COMFORTS OF MY HOME IN THE PROVINCE TO PURSUE MY COLLEGE EDUCATION HERE IN MANILA. It has nothing been short of challenging but in those three and a half years, I learned so much more about life than I could have ever expected to learn. Probably the only thing I haven’t learned, but should’ve learned by now, is how to commute. On the topic of being from the province, I’m probably as “probinsyano” as it can get. I was born and raised in Cagayan de Oro City, and it’s where most of my family and my closest friends are. Though my primary language is Filipino, the way I use it is very Bisaya-influenced (“Saan man tayo magkain?”). I know the people, the culture, and most importantly, the best places to eat in the city. CDO may be more on the urban side relative to the other cities in Mindanao but it still manages to retain the probinsya charm that people fall in love with. CDO is 76

also one of the best places in the Philippines to live in if you’re a Muslim-Filipino since the locals and the establishments are very sensitive with regards to religious restrictions and as a Muslim myself, I really love how everybody back home treats each other with respect and warmth, regardless of religion. These are just some of the reasons why I find it a bit hard to fully adjust to life here and to leave all of that behind, even after three and half years. I mean, I usually go home during school breaks but time always seems to pass by a lot faster when I’m in the province and before I know it, I’m on a flight back to Manila. I don’t get to enjoy affordable food, light traffic, clean air, and the luxury of having everything near my house, as often anymore. Mornings seem less bright and nights, lonelier. Seeing planes in the sky don’t excite me as much as it did when I was a kid. Instead, it makes me wonder what it would feel like to be a passenger in one of those planes, travelling back to the

province after a long semester. Also, one of the saddest parts about the entire experience is when you get struck with the realization that after a long day at school, you don’t have anyone to go home to and to talk about your day with. But eventually, I really just got used to it. Although I spend a large chunk of my time thinking about home each day, I never let it get in the way of me finding out the best of what life here in Manila has to offer. I have met some of the most interesting and most diverse set of people I know during my time here, and I couldn’t be happier to call them my friends. I joined various organizations in school that, besides from keeping me occupied, have opened up a lot of opportunities and exposed me to different ideas and environments that helped me realize the value of keeping an open mind. The tremendous freedom I get by living alone makes me feel more in control of my life, as well forcing me to teach myself how to control

ourselves with people that will make us feel that we are still home away from home. And for me, I am lucky that I have built relationships with people here that I know I can always count on.” Being a “probinsyano” living in Manila can surely be one hell of an experience. You see and experience new things almost every day and being independent gives you great fulfillment when you are able to learn stuff that you know you learned on your own. Like, “Hey! I finally know how to cook rice!”. The best thing about it all is that you don’t even have to change yourself one bit. Save for developing important life qualities, you can keep your accent, your peculiarities, and everything else that make you unique as a person. You can keep being yourself and people will love you for it. Once you come to realize this, it makes the experience of being a “probinsyano” in Manila so much better. Then, it won’t be too long before you find yourself loving Manila as much as you love the province, in spite of all its imperfections.

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JACKIE “When I first entered UP Diliman, I felt scared. Scared because my notion of Manila is that it’s super dangerous. And also, scared because I was the only one from my batch in high school that actually went to UP. I felt like I’m starting a new life here which is great and at the same time worrisome. But I was thankful for being able to spend my Freshie life in Kalayaan dorm, the dorm for Freshies. There, I met people from same and different provinces and they became my college barkada. If I didn’t live in a dorm when I was in first year, I don’t think I’ll be able to adjust well with the hotter weather, the need to speak Filipino instead of Bisaya (and when I run out of Filipino words I speak in English and mix it together so I somehow at some point I got branded as conyo). I just realized, in order for you to really adjust to the chaotic life in Manila, all you need to do is find friends who can go through it with you so you wouldn’t feel alone.”

SHAI “Studying away from home is really challenging. From having to live by myself, to dealing with a new environment, to managing my allowance, to getting through homesickness and a lot more, I have to learn how to be strong and independent in order to survive. I have to make adjustments like coping with the way of living of the people, speaking and understanding the language of the place, knowing how to commute from one place to another. Although for me, I have experienced being away from my family because of my co-curricular activities in school and learned to handle myself on my own, but still I find it hard. It will always be hard being away especially from our family. However, this experience has allowed me to grow to be a strong and independent individual because at the end of the day, we’re not going spend our entire lives having someone to do things for us, we need to learn how to stand on our own. I have also learned the importance of surrounding

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myself well enough to not do anything stupid. There’s also the additional comfort provided by the idea that there’s a number of people like me here in Manila. Kids from the province who travelled all the way to Manila to study in the country’s best universities, and I’m very fortunate enough to have gotten to know some of them. For this article, I decided to ask my fellow Kagay-anons Jackie and Shai to share their thoughts and experiences being away from home, which are not all too different from mine.

>> Chito Balindong’s favorite hobby: daydreaming during Econ 153

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#FREEDOM? By: RIO AQUINO-DAYAO

WHEN ONE HEARS THE WORD FREEDOM, A LOT OF THINGS CAN POP OUT FROM HIS/HER MIND. IT IS ARGUABLY A VERY WIDE CONCEPT THAT CAN NEVER BE BOXED IN A SINGLE DEFINITION. AFTER ALL, THE WORD ITSELF IMPLIES A REBELLION FROM ANY FORM OF CONTROL OR LIMITATION.

Freedom has lots of forms. When you are able to openly criticize your government, that’s freedom. When you are able to disclose your gender identity without harassment from others, that’s already freedom. When you are able to worship your faith without judgment, that is again a form of freedom. And the list continues. Undeniably, freedom has a lot of manifestations which are evident in almost all the things that we do.

As what Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Watch your thoughts, for they become your words. Watch your words, for they become your actions. Watch your actions, for they become your habits. Watch your habits, for they become your character. Watch your character, for they become your destiny.” But how can we really do this? It starts with YOU. The moment that you start to realize your responsibility is the moment that your mindset and actions would be geared towards it. Through our thoughts and actions, let’s foster a culture of responsible freedom.

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Freedom comes with a heavy price. As I was internalizing for this article, I was able to read an eighth-grader’s essay online of what freedom means to him. He was a son of a military officer and as early as seven years old, his father had to pay the price of the freedom he enjoys. His father

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This should not be the case. This has to change. Like power, freedom comes with great responsibility. The more freedom that you get, the more responsibility comes alongside with it. Failing to do so guarantees an unhealthy set-up such as those mentioned above.

The challenge for us is its responsible usage – Responsible Freedom. It is time for us millennials to put a stop to our self-entitlement and ensure that we do not take it for granted. It is now time for us to exert efforts in ensuring that others will do the same. We must be the agents of freedom who advocates the responsible use of it, by shedding light to others and not losing hope in inspiring others.

Freedom is often misused or abused. Case in point, when you browse the net nowadays, misinformation is highly prevalent. Fake news all over the internet can be seen, and it will require you to thoroughly search before you can find an accurate and reliable source of information. Because we are free to share anything under the sun, others use it to misinform. Another case in point is the abuse of speech. When you browse on social networking sites, you would often encounter “Opinyon ko ‘to. Respetuhin mo.” This might have been used against us already especially whenever us UP students argue online over controversial issues. But sadly, instead of an ideal open discourse, the discussion usually ends up in a dead-end self-entitlement of respecting their opinions, without leaving any room to at least acknowledge other perspectives.

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Sadly, freedom today is often taken for granted. We speak of freedom as readily given inherent possession. We speak of freedom without utmost care and value. We speak of it with so much entitlement as if everybody is obliged to guarantee this freedom to us.

died during one of the military missions abroad. How about the cussing-heavy film Heneral Luna? In this movie, we saw the struggles of our forefathers and how they paid the price for us to have the freedom that we enjoy today. Although packed with a balance of comedy and drama to lighten up the mood, the underlying sacrifices for freedom is undeniable. And lastly, have we long forgotten the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution? It was the first peaceful protest on Asia which received worldwide commendations. In fact, our neighboring countries were able to do the same because of our example. Bottom line, freedom is not free. Somebody paid the price for us to benefit from it.

>> Rio Dayao hopes that Ecosocers will become trailblazers of Responsible Freedom.

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(0,0) By JAVI VILCHEZ

IF THERE’S ONE THING THAT I’VE NOTICED WITHIN MY FIRST THREE MONTHS TAKING ECON 11, IT’S THAT WE USE GRAPHS A LOT. One concept Econ 11 teaches is that of marginal utility. The Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility states that the amount of satisfaction a consumer gets from utilizing a specific product diminishes with the quantity of product utilized. This law can be drawn as a downward-sloping line on the graph. This graph starts off at point (0,0), goes really high up along the y-axis but eventually ends up kissing the x-axis at a certain point down the line. In other words, this kind of graph highlights decay. This is the kind of graph we wouldn’t want to see our college experience as. If I were to express my high school experience in a graph, I would quote the late Augustus Waters who once said, “Life is a 80

roller coaster that only goes up, my friend.” That’s really what it seemed like. My high school life started off as an upward incline from (0,0). I was a new student in a new school and I felt like I had a lot to prove. But by the time I had gotten comfortable—at a certain level—my upward incline started to plateau. I had reached a wavelength where there was no more significant growth. Sure, there were peaks and troughs—but otherwise, life was pretty predictable. I think that’s what makes a lot of us college freshmen miss high school—the predictability. Regardless of where you found yourself peaking and dropping on your graph, somehow you had this level where you felt comfortable. This range was your niche, your role, and your safe place. Moreover, this was where the people around you

expected you to be. In high school, I transformed myself from nobody to, well, somebody. I was elected class president for four years, I directed a few plays, I did a bit of writing and I ended up giving a speech during graduation. Most importantly, though I had made a lot of great friends and I had the time of my life. I’m not saying any of this to brag. I’m saying this because I thought all these “achievements” actually meant something. I thought that, given my personality and background, I could go back to that wavelength I had plateaued at in high school where I felt comfortable and safe. Little did I know that college was not the continuation of that same line and graph, oh no. College was an entirely new Cartesian plane where everyone starts from (0,0). I remember walking into the

discovered my niche. It wasn’t the same wavelength as before, but it was a place where I felt safe and useful. Most importantly, I felt like it was a place where I had space to grow. In college, everyone starts from a brand new (0,0) and works their way either up or down the graph. Whether you plan on continuing whatever wavelength you were on, or if you’re planning on seizing the opportunity to start anew, regardless of whether you liked high school or not—college is the place for you. It’s a place where the overabundance of freedom piles up into an overflow of responsibilities— but nothing that we can’t handle. In just a few short months I’ve learned, lost, laughed, and lived more than in my entire life before that. Don’t worry if you’re struggling a bit out of the gates—college may just be getting started, but so are we.

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to cut class, and the freedom of living on your own for the first time just to name a few. Some freedoms are less visible than other freedoms—but so much more important. I remember in high school I spent lunch with the same people talking about the same things laughing over the same jokes for three years. And at times, it did get redundant. One freedom college affords is the freedom to choose your friends. And in doing so, choosing your friends actually sums up to choosing what kind of person you want to be, what kind of interests you’ll have, what kind of advocacies you believe in, and many more. One of the most important freedoms I’ve found in college is the freedom from other people’s expectations. Freedom from other people’s expectations doesn’t mean we should take it as an opportunity to reinvent ourselves entirely. It simply means that we exercise the freedom to be ourselves and find people to be ourselves with. After a rough first few weeks of college, eventually I

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first few student orientations for UPSE. I’m always really shy in new environments and it takes me a little while to warm up. Needless to say, my RBF came off he wrong way and I didn’t make a very warm first impression upon my batchmates. The first day of school came around and I found myself late to my very first ever 7 AM Math 17 class. I was only a few minutes late but I distinctly remember the teacher telling me “If you’re going to be this late, just don’t show up”. Pretty soon, I was one of the unlucky few my Math prof singled out for recitation nearly every Math class. I had set two bad impressions and it shocked me. Being a bad batchmate/student was an entirely new concept to me. As petty as these dilemmas were, I felt like I didn’t know who I was anymore. I think that’s when I realized that it was time to delete the old graph and start from (0,0). With college comes many freedoms for many freshmen: the freedom to pick which classes to attend, the freedom

>> Javi Vilchez really wants a girlfriend. Text 09989881604 for inquiries.

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FAREWELL # 12

by SELENA YAO

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a wonderful year with some of the people Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come to love most on this planet, #12. Life has its own weird way of unfolding itself sometimes, and about a year ago it presented to me the chance to work with eleven of these great individuals in the photo below. As my own tribute to #12, I asked them a a few questions related to the end of their (our?) term, among other Ecosoc things.

CHARIE 1. DESCRIBE YOUR FEELINGS AS AN OUTGOING EXOMMER. OMG I’M DONE!!! MORE TIME TO WATCH K-DRAMA.

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2. WHAT’S YOUR ONE WISH FOR EXECOMM 59? I hope you guys will be able to achieve your visions for the organization. 3. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WISH YOU COULD’VE DONE BETTER? Ecosoc Month celebration.

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CARLOS 1. WHAT WOULD YOU YEAR HAVE BEEN LIKE IF YOU WEREN’T EXECOMM? A lot less stressful! But at the same time, I don’t think I would’ve gotten to know and appreciate as many people as I do now. 2. WHAT’S YOUR ONE WISH FOR EXECOMM 59? Growth, not just for themselves, but also for the members under their care, and therefore, growth for the org as a whole. 3. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE NEXT SEMESTER? I’ve actually been telling people that I still want to attend all CDCs because I can no longer imagine my week without them. I’ll most likely still be around a lot, so I hope people don’t get tired of me. :( HAHAHA

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JIMAEL 1. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY AS EXECOMM? My favorite memory would have to be #12’s very first pre-plansem, the one in Tagaytay. More than the usual aligning of vision that transpire therein, I felt that instant click, this certain forging of bonds. Needless to say, I’m proud of what #12 was able to achieve over the past months. Not just for Ecosoc and outside of it, but also the friendships and connections we’ve made with each other. From that day on, I was certain that this Execom would be unrivaled in dynamics and excellence. Love you guys! 2. IF YOU COULD LEAD ANOTHER COMMITTEE, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY? I’m pretty sure any President or Vice President would always have that “what-if-I-ran-formy-home-committee” at the back of his or her mind, no matter how small. In my case, I would have probably run for Acad, if not for the Vice Presidency. Although some people would jokingly tell me that my home committee is Task Force since time immemorial anyways, Acad will always hold a special place in my heart, given that I was there from my app days up ‘til I ran for Execom. NYC and Upfront were my favorite events (next to Musikapella and Roots of course), but more than that, I really fell in love with the services aspect of the committee, the book-alikes, prof and class reviews, among others. I guess fate has a way of putting all the pieces into place, since I probably would not have been able to achieve what Tricia has done for Acad. 3. WHAT WOULD YOUR YEAR HAVE BEEN LIKE IF YOU WEREN’T EXECOMM? Ches and I would probably have gone to all the possible weekend getaways and any other fun date places by the greater Manila area! Execom term or not, I definitely would have spent most of my time with her (and still no savings eitherway HAHA JOKE). Besides that, I would have probably applied for BOD for both sem anyways haha. One thing’s for sure, would not have spent my potential (loads of) free time for studying.

LEAN

1. IF YOU COULD LEAD ANOTHER COMMITTEE, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY? It would be CDC because I believe that this committee encapsulates what Ecosoc is truly all about; which is service through the development of our country in our own small initiatives.

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2. WOULD YOU DO IT AGAIN? WHY OR WHY NOT? Yes, I would do it all over again because I think that being an execomm, despite its hardships and challenges, made me a better individual not just skill-wise but also in my decision making as a leader of the organization.

3. WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON YOU LEARNED AS AN EXECOMMER? When life pulls you down, you just need to pick yourself up and stand up. No one will be the reason of you standing up other than yourself.

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NIKUO 1. DESCRIBE YOUR FEELINGS AS AN OUTGOING EXECOMMER. Sad & excited. I’m really gonna miss a lot of things. 2. WHAT’S YOUR ONE WISH FOR EXECOMM 59? Be better than us. :) Which I’m sure you guys will be. There’s no other way to go but UP! 3. WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON YOU LEARNED AS AN EXECOMMER? I have 3... Sorry, I couldn’t choose 1… —Be a little bit less serious and little bit more chill but always still push for what is needed. —Learn from past mistakes. —Money is incredibly important! INCREDIBLY.

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1. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY AS EXECOMM? All of #12’s sabaw moments during pre-plansem. Did you know we were supposed to have a Pinoy Big Brother Theme this semester? MY GOD. I also really enjoy chichi moments with Execomm. Yup we talk about all of you. (No shame, our term is ending anyway MWAHAHA) 2. WHAT WOULD YOUR YEAR HAVE BEEN LIKE IF YOU WEREN’T EXECOMM? Oh I would probably have had a lot more time and money. AND LESS WEIGHT!!! Grabe Execomm 15 is real guys, so watch out future execomm… It would have been a lot more boring too, I guess? As a workaholic, I enjoyed being execomm. I knew that although it took up a lot of my time, it was for a good reason. I’d have to say I wouldn’t be as active too. I would’ve probably gone on exchange as well since it has always been one of my dreams ever since I got to college. 3. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS NEXT SEMESTER? For Ecosoc, I want to try out a new committee so I can play in Scav Hunt this time. I might apply for TF next semester, since I have never experienced their kind of work. Most of my time will probably be devoted to acads, family and myself though. It’s about time to give myself some loving! Lol.

FATIMA ALFONSO 1. WHAT WOULD YOUR YEAR HAVE BEEN LIKE IF YOU WEREN’T EXECOMM? I think I would have been the same except not execomm. 2. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WISH YOU COULD’VE DONE BETTER? I wish I could have innovated things further. And watched my diet. 3. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE NEXT SEMESTER? I want to play Battlefield 1.

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BEN JA MIN

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1. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST SACRIFICE YOU MADE FOR ECOSOC? The biggest sacrifice I gave for Ecosoc was my time. Before becoming Sports Chairperson, I used to play video games, read comics, and watch tv shows etc. I gave up all of that because I simply had to devote my time to Sports and Ecosoc. Honestly, it never even felt like a sacrifice because the work I was doing was fulfilling in many ways. It is only now, when my term is coming to an end that I realized I even gave up those things. 2. THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON YOU LEARNED AS AN EXECOMMER? The most important lesson I learned is actually related to my previous answer. There are things that are worth the sacrifices. I may have given up my free time in order to fulfill my responsibilities but I gained so much more. I met the #12 who I probably would never have gotten to know if not for Execomm. They are one of my closest friends in Econ and I am truly #blessed for it. I have an amazing team in Sports, who I consider my family as well. They made my dreams become a reality and that is more than I could ever ask for. Sacrifice isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t easy but in the end the best things in life are worth the sacrifice. 3. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WISH YOU COULD HAVE DONE BETTER? The only regret I have is I wish I got to know my Sports members and apps even more. I could have pushed harder to create more interactions and have found ways to get to know them better. They are wonderful people and it saddens me that I did not become as close to them as what I would have wanted.

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1. IF YOU COULD LEAD ANOTHER COMMITTEE WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY? I would want to try leading Memcomm. Pretty weird HAHAHA. But I think it’s the best opportunity for me to get to know the membership more and to build more personal relationships with then. I may not be the loudest and most approachable person, but trust me when I say that I really want to be friends with all Ecosocers.

2. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST SACRIFICE YOU MADE FOR ECOSOC? Time. I admit—I was never one of the “star applicants”. But ever since I became a member, I can say that I dedicated almost all of my time to Ecosoc. That includes setting aside time for studying, bonding with my family, and SLEEPING. ‘Di ko na to ie-expound pero sobrang worth it pa rin kasi mahal ko talaga Ecosoc in10s.

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3. WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU LEARNED AS AN EXECOMMER? PWEDE SUMUKA, BAWAL SUMUKO! Being an execommer is not an easy task, but never can you ever give up. With that entails believing in yourself and your people, above all else. Also, I realized that you can never really do things alone in this life. You have to believe that your team will have your back, no matter what happens. I have always been vocal of how I don’t need other people to survive (HAHAHA), but I guess I was wrong! Dapat strong pero pwede rin humingi ng tulong and ma-fragile sometimes.

NIKA

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3. THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON YOU LEARNED AS AN EXECOMMER. Grabe, ang dami. But I guess the one that tops the list is people aren’t just their work ethic. It’s weird on how I put it to words, but Ecosoc has this tendency to say things like “wow solid ‘yung tao na ‘yon no’ng (insert event here)”,

2. DESCRIBE YOUR FEELINGS AS AN OUTGOING EXECOMMER. “fuck dat i can do anything i want right now.” OK, this is 30% of my feelings. Just kidding, this is really a coping mechanism on the feeling of letting go. The 60% feels sentimental. I’ve become too attached to my committee, #12, and really just being relevant. There’s so much to love about Ecosoc that I can’t see myself let go. There’s so much to see as to how the 59th Executive Committee will lead the org. So I #CantLetGo. As for the 10% left, I’m more than excited to be a guardian with Syl. Not sure about being a Roots Officer, but I’m also excited about that.

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1. IF YOU COULD LEAD ANOTHER COMMITTEE, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY? Probably Acad or Echoes. I say Acad because it’s a services-based committee like Seccom. Aside from that, the Acad Chair gets to lead the National Youth Congress and UPFront! NYC was the event I really fell in love with during my short stay in Ecosoc. On the event I didn’t win the post of Secretary, I thought of becoming School Relations Director (tbh, it was a deal breaker for me on running for Secretary but fast forward to now #noregrets!). As for Echoes has been a frustration of mine since I joined. I adore the culture of the committee, and the nature of their work.

“MOA ‘yung app na ‘yon”, “solid director”, or “10/10 officer”. Through the sems, I realized that in an org that is so busy and has a lot of facets to it, there’s always a different side to people. There’s a reason why they’re working so hard, or on the flip side, there’s a reason why they aren’t working so hard. You’ll encounter mems and apps who have had it rough in life. You see mems who have struggles on their family, the orgs, acads, mental health, and maybe trying to juggle all those. You hear it in their stories, you see it in their actions. Being an execommer, it helps to be emphatic and to not be quick to judge, because Ecosoc is quick to judge.

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1. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY AS EXECOMM? There really are a lot of memorable things that happened during our term, but #12 going to Tagaytay Highlands for our first execomm plansem has got to be my favorite execomm memory! It was a turning point in my life (chos) because that was the first time my super duper strict parents actually allowed me to go out overnight with friends, plus it was IN TAGAYTAY. My parents told me before that they would never allow me to attend overnight meetings, but for some reason, they changed their minds. It was the first of many. 2. WHAT WOULD YOUR YEAR HAVE BEEN LIKE IF YOU WEREN’T EXECOMM? If I were not part of execomm, I’d imagine myself mostly just being in the library studying and doing my thesis, not stressing over my never-ending Ecosoc to-do list. Basically, my year would have been a lot more peaceful and boring (lol). Although I think I would have still applied for a Rundown and NYC director position, and I would have still stayed in Acad to help the committee as much as I could. Nevertheless, becoming execomm was the best decision I made and I wouldn’t have it any other way. 3. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WISH YOU COULD’VE DONE BETTER? I would plan the Acad 58B DP shoot earlier (HAHAHAHAHA) because already had this amazing concept in mind, we just couldn’t find the time to do it. Sayang! Anyway, I’m happy with how everything turned out now that I’m looking back on my term. I really couldn’t think of doing anything differently. Sure, I may have made a bunch of mistakes here and there, but in general, I have no regrets. If I didn’t make the failures and mistakes I made, I wouldn’t have learned precious life lessons along the way.

PATRICIA 90

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THANK YOU FOR EVERY THING , # 1 2 . YOU GUYS MADE MY YEAR. 91

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Who Do You Wear Your Clothes For? I Want To Be Free. Takeoff And Takeover. Ecosocâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Most Eligible. 8 Ways To Free Your Mind. Staff Picks. Tweetable Tweets. Ecosoc Stats. Words. The Thief.

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WHO DO YOU WEAR YOUR CLOTHES FOR?

THERE IS A SAYING THAT RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN. A saying befitting that of the Marcoses. WOOPS. This isn’t the article I was asked to write about.

by BENJIE GANA

I’m here to talk about fashion rules and breaking them. First of all, I believe there aren’t any rules to begin with in the first place; no ironclad laws or rules set in stone that people have to follow. Having said that, I’m just going to talk about why it’s better to just go your own way when it comes to dressing up.

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Before I even discuss what I believe my style is, let me tell you about my journey into the world of fashion. It first began, in my first year of high school. I was still in an all-boys school and interaction with the ladies happened only through soirees. I still remember my first soiree, and what I wore to that day. It was a disaster LOL. I wore some ill-fitting jeans, a Nike compression shirt, and plaid long sleeves on top. I don’t even know what I was thinking trying to mix my sporty lifestyle with my social one. After that day, I began to become more self-conscious of the clothes I wore. I spent countless hours looking at GQ magazine, Esquire, and a lot of fashion websites (Lookbook in particular). I even consulted with my classmates who were more fashion conscious than I was and asked them for tips. This led me to follow the current trend which was skin-tight clothing. I had an abundance of skinny jeans and tight t-shirts. Fast forward to college, and I’ve changed 180° from my high school days. I wear looser shirts and jeans that will allow me to have children in the future. Being in UP made me realize the impracticality of having tight clothes because of the heat and lack of air conditioned rooms.

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When people try to become “fashionable”, they sometimes forget to be themselves. Clothes started as a means to protect oneself from the harsh environment. From functionality, it transitioned to being a representative of one’s style. At the same time, one’s style is lost in the never ending number of fashion trends. Consumerism has led people into a vicious cycle of having to keep up with the trends. I used to care about what these trends were and I would have a lot of impulse purchases. Next thing I knew, I had already amassed a ton of clothing items which I never really used to begin with. It was a waste of money, closet space, and time. In the end, what helped me escape the cycle was being true to myself and finding my style.

My style right now is super simple and basic. If you look into my closet, majority of my t-shirts are either black, white, or gray. Then most of my jeans are different shades of blue. I stopped reading fashion magazines and investing so much time in finding out what’s trendy. I just buy whatever I like. It just so happens that what I like is of the fuccboi and hypebeast nature. But so what? Why should I give a damn about what people think about me? You have to ask yourself, who do you wear your clothes for? For yourself? Or for other people?

>> Benjie Gana is deep in the streetwear scene. He's also into photography, food, sports, and 95

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I WA N T T O B E F R E E by RIO AQUINO-DAYAO WE ALL HAVE OUR FEARS. We all have something that we are afraid of or something that holds us back one way or another. As defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, it is an unpleasant emotion caused by being aware of danger. Nobody is spared from this emotion. No matter how big or not of a person you are in size or in strength, you still have something you are afraid of. That’s why given a chance to not have any fear, one would likely grab it. We would grab the closest opportunity to be free from it. After all, who would prefer to live with such restrictive state of emotions, right? We asked some of the applicants and members of the UP Economics Society regarding this matter. We asked them the question: “If you could be free from something, what would it be and why?” The responses that we got were varied. Some responses were personal while others chose to share their personal experiences. From their deepest could-have-been’s up to the immediate thing they would want to get rid of, the bottom line is that we all have an answer to the said question. Firstly, here are some of the serious responses: Marianne Bartolome of CDC answered, “I would want to be free from expectations. Because it hinders us from pursuing what we love.” Well, many of us may relate to this response. Primarily, it might be attributed to the pressures that we face in the things that we do. Our expectations range from our academic pressure, our peer pressure, or as simple as the personal pressure that we put on ourselves when we want something.

to try something that we want, we get the feeling of regret inside of us.

How about you fellow Ecosocer? If you would be given a chance to get rid of your fear and be free from it, what would it be and why? >> Rio Dayao believes that everything happens for a reason.

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On the other hand, here are some of the bizarre responses that we got: An applicant who chose not to be named replied, “I want to be free from the monsters in my imagination because I want to mature already.” The monsters referred to here could be interpreted literally or figuratively. The monsters may represent our deepest fears or could simply represent the creatures that we fear. Either way, we would want to get rid of them both.

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Furthermore, one of our applicants answered, “If I could free myself, I want to be free from regrets because it is one of those things that are holding me back from my full potential.” This response may be related to the fear of not trying. Whenever we fail

At the end of the day, to be free from our fears is liberating. It will give you a sense of fully owning your body, alongside with all the things that you can freely do. By being free from these hindrances, you will be enabled to have a different perspective in life – one that is more positive and engaging. E C H O E S

Other people may relate to the next response that we got. Jeremiah Racela of Sports Committee said, “Free from the fear of not trying. So that I could have taken all those risks that might have paid off.” Truly, the uncertainty of risks is paralyzing. It gives you all the doubts that may hinder you from doing or trying something. But like what the respondent said, it might pay off in the end. That’s why the next time you want something, give it a shot. You might not know what the great things ahead are in store for you.

We start to contemplate of the various possibilities that could have happened if only we try. That’s why like what was earlier mentioned, give it a shot. At the end of the day, the feeling of not being able to try something is worse than trying something but failed. Because after trying, you could always say to yourself that at least, you tried.

it causes every single time it occurs.

But for applicant Janis Sumait, if there’s one thing she would want to be free of, she responded, “Dysmenorrhea. Because it hurts af.” Many girls might be able to relate to this. Perhaps, many would want to be free from the pain and struggle

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TA K E O F F A N D TA K E O V E R Echoe s a sk s f o ur Ec oso ce rs a b o u t wh a t fr e e d o m m e an t t o t h em w h en t h ey f l ew t h e c oop an d la n d e d in fo r e ign te rrito ry, a lon e an d oh so f r ee.

MIKE’S AMERICAN DREAM For a person who never had the chance to see a different part of the world before, freedom means a lot to me. Freedom is experiencing my first plane ride sitting beside a complete stranger bound to a place I have never been to. It is that first step into a foreign land knowing that I am on my own. It is that moment when I realize that I will be living a totally different life than what I was used to. Freedom is when I never even cared about how time passed by. It can be that moment at the top of the Empire State Building or that night I spent with someone dear to me aboard a moving cruise along the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. It can also be defined by those few seconds of staring at the majestic beauty of the Niagara. 98

Freedom is crossing the entire USA as a part of my spring break trip without having to worry where I am going to get the money to fund it. It is that moment of finally fulfilling my childhood dream of visiting Disneyland. It can be a tour around San Francisco to see the places where “On the Wings of Love” was filmed or simply just a midnight drive with some friends to satisfy your quesarito cravings. There are unlimited possible definitions of freedom for someone who was finally given the chance to wander to his heart’s content. The word itself denotes boundlessness. So as long as I am in a place where I am genuinely happy, that’s when I can say that I am free.

ALYSSON’S SUMMER IN PARIS *cue La Vie En Rose instrumental version*

a place I’ve never been to before – that’s even more liberating. Just by being there offered endless possibilities and maybe, that’s why I didn’t want to leave, for there, I felt free the most.

But more than being able to do these little things without my parents with me or without the judging eyes of people who may know me, knowing that I could be in a different country just by a train ride, or witnessing in real life the culture I’ve only known from my French books, or meeting new people from all over the world and opening my eyes to their stories, or doing things on my own and experiencing life in 99

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From being able to go to the Euro 2016 fanzone in Champs du Mars on a school day, to eating choux à la crème in a random park somewhere in Notre-Dame, to chilling at Place du Trocadero until 11 in the evening just to see the Eiffel Tower twinkling, to eating Nutella or Speculoos crêpes at midnight, to running around the metro station to catch the last ride home at 1AM, I felt like a bird finally out of its cage, ready to see the world and to fly free.

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It was summer back then but it didn’t feel like it. It was 15C cold and I was wearing a light coat instead of a summer dress. I was looking for paintings to buy along the River Seine, taking in the ever picturesque scene that is Paris, trying to capture every moment and saving it in the little camera roll in my head. I was leaving in 3 days and though I’ve felt a multitude of emotions since the day I set foot on its cobbled streets, I realized that what I will miss the most is the feeling of being free.

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NEENA’S K-DRAMA OF A SEMESTER There is a certain thrill that comes with knowing that you could do anything that you want, but also knowing that each walwal could end up in a real disaster especially in a country whose language I could barely speak. This feeling accompanied me all throughout the months that I lived in South Korea on my own. It is there when my friends and I would hang-out at Hongdae or Itaewon until the wee hours of the morning, surrounded by fellow exchange students from all over the world and getting immersed in Seoul’s night life. It’s there when we’d go on outof-town trips and have no idea where we would end up sleeping that night – sometimes ending up at jimjilbang (bath houses), coffee shops, or even staying in the car. It’s there even on a regular night when we would just randomly go out and drink soju with matching ramyeon at the convenience store ala k-drama lead (Song Joong Ki na lang ang kulang hehe). More than all of these though, what I love the most about the whole experience is the freedom that it gave me a chance to step back and, cliché as it may be, find myself again. Being away from everything I ever knew – my comfort zone, my uncertainties - gave me the freedom to explore and learn who I really am and what I want to do. If my exchange taught me anything, it is that there’s always a special kind of freedom that comes when you take a leap with a fearless heart.

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CHILI’S EUROPEAN ADVENTURE Nothing can ever come close to the feeling I had when I first stepped onto Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. I was terribly alone, all 3 bags and 5 feet flat, in a sea of too-tall, too-blonde, blueeyed folk talking in their seemingly garbled English. I had travelled alone before but nothing was even close to this, this strange feeling of isolation, confusion, but also with a growing undercurrent of excitement.

I had never felt so free as I did in Europe. Oddly enough, I felt the most liberated when everything mellowed into a soft, comfortable normalcy. I felt truly happy just going for a walk in the neighboring park, or cooking dinner with a friend, or simply just feeling a spring breeze on a bike ride to class—it was the small things that made it all special. And isn’t that how life is supposed to be? Carefree, sincere, but full of meaning? Europe, in some very special ways, has got it right. 101

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But freedom was also endlessly beautiful. Freedom was biking back from the club at 3AM in 4C weather, drunk and with the friendliest strangers. Freedom was staring at my first Rothko in Paris. Freedom was eating ice cream along the Rhine; freedom was understanding the food labels in the supermarket for the first time; freedom was sending friends dancing in laughter; freedom was seeing snow melt and leaves growing back on the same tree in front of my window.

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Freedom, I learned the hard way in Europe. Like many great and wondrous things it is a double-edged sword. Freedom was getting my passport stolen from me; freedom was getting sick after cycling lost in a hailstorm; it was fighting with my professor; running wildly to catch a flight to Budapest; freedom was sitting in a bus seat to France for 15 hours next to a stranger.

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ECOSOC’S MOST ELIGIBLE by LOUIS AR CEO

“I’m a real crowd pleaser.”

“I am yours.”

PITA OCHAVE, 18. ECHOE S . LIBRA . Pet Peeve: Marcos apologists, mansplainers Ultimate Comfort Food: Chicken nuggets, siomai, Indian food Go-to Place: Bookstore or home Signature Line: “You’re cute.” Fetish: Listening to people chew Cardinal Rule of Dating: No rules, but won’t date Marcos apologists and Duterte fanatics Fun fact: She was a competitive gymnast. What makes someone attractive? “Wit and intelligence.” How will you know if he’s the one? “If the timing is right, we have chemistry, and our values align, then I’ll know this is someone I can be with.” What should a person do to get your attention? “Be funny. I have a short attention span so boys who have humor and wit catch my attention the fastest. I’m also super manhid so if a person likes me, they’ll have to tell me because I swear to God, I can never tell.”

THERE SA MORADA , 19. FIN. CAPRICORN. Pet Peeve: People who don’t use the oxford comma; extremely happy sunshiney people; LPU Ultimate Comfort Food: Microwaved Kraft cheddar cheese Go-to Place: The den at home Signature Line: “Don’t me.” Cardinal Rule of Dating: If something feels right, go for it. If it doesn’t, don’t pursue it. Fun fact: She’s a low-key softie. What makes someone attractive? “Confidence.” How will you know if he’s the one? “I’m banking on the cliche that you’ll just know when someone’s the one. If that’s not the case, then I’m fcked because I’m shit at anything ‘feelings’-related.” What should a person do to get your attention? “Break out the wit. I love creative wordplay, puns, etc. Plus points if you get me to experience a lag before I get the joke.”

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“I’m hoping my last sem in college will be the best sem ever!”

THEA MORALE S , 21. ACAD. SCORPIO.

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“I’m looking for someone to watch my horror movies with.”

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Pet Peeve: People who play with their toes in public Ultimate Comfort Food: Lots of chocolate Go-to Place: Wherever the food is Signature Line: “May lahi ka bang keyboard? Kase type kita. ;)” Fetish: When boys wear 3/4 rolled up polos and shorts (“YES +10 gwapoints”) Cardinal Rule of Dating: Generally funny, can carry a conversation, not clingy, same interests and hobbies Fun fact: She loves watching horror movies at night. What makes someone attractive? “Confidence, a sense of humor, and genuine concern for those around him.” How will you know if he’s the one? “They’re your go-to person for everything that you see your (long-term) future together. You’re happy to sacrifice lots of things for this person.” What should a person do to get your attention? “Make me laugh a lot and talk to me. Look me in the EYEBALL. Have a nice rolled up polo. Be saktong landi— that will grab my attention the most.”

BELLA VIAPLANA , 19. SPEV. VIRGO.

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Pet Peeve: Noisy chewers, litterers, smokers who smoke around non-smokers Ultimate Comfort Food: Pesto pasta, fried tofu, wings Go-to Place: BGC, Cafe Breton, Kaya Korean Restaurant Signature Line: “Those who look outside dream. Those who look inside awaken.” Fetish: The smell of coconut Cardinal Rule of Dating: Parents must approve of him Fun fact: She’s addicted to the K-variety show, Running Man. What makes someone attractive? “Good sense of humor, well-rounded, good-hearted, God-fearing, same wavelength as me, taller than me!” How will you know if he’s the one? “I guess if two people don’t ‘complete’ each other because they’re already complete as individuals. Instead, they always see the good in their partners and push each other to become better people. He has to value the same things i value in life as well.” What should a person do to get your attention? “Having a solid friendship is always the first step to having a good relationship.”

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“I can take you to a whole new world.”

KAYLA FABI, 18. CDC. ARIE S .

“I’m not sure what’s going on pero g na nga!”

IYLA FERRER, 19. ACAD. SCORPIO.

“I am not just a pweds, I am a tangina solid this girl talaga!”

CARA IGNACIO, 20. SPEV. LEO.

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Pet Peeve: Late people, those who are rude to waiters/guards Ultimate Comfort Food: Sushi, pizza, milk tea Go-to Place: UP Town Center Signature Line: “Hi friend. ;)” Fetish: Jesus Christ Cardinal Rule of Dating: Don’t date blockmates. Don’t date people who live more than 45 minutes away (“preferably they’re from QC”). Fun fact: She’s really shy. What makes someone attractive? “Humor and intelligence.” How will you know if he’s the one? “If he laughs at my jokes.” What should a person do to get your attention? “Be yourself... but funnier.”

Pet Peeve: People who mispronounce Iyla and stand on the left side of the escalator Ultimate Comfort Food: Ice cream, spam Go-to Place: Econ lib #AcadsIsLife Signature Line: “OMG.” or “HOMAYGAHD MY PAMILY.” Cardinal Rule of Dating: “Idk besh never pa ako nag legit date??” Fun fact: She used to plau the violin. What makes someone attractive? “Smart, has a great sense of humor.” How will you know if he’s the one? “If he leaves space for the Holy Spirit hehehe.” What should a person do to get your attention? “Be cute.”

Pet Peeve: GGSS Ultimate Comfort Food: Ice cream Go-to Place: “What do you mean by “go to”? As in like go to Church on Sundays?” Signature Line: “Hi. :)” Fetish: Scent of guy cologne, cute smile, biceps, arm veins Cardinal Rule of Dating: Never double text. Fun fact: Her parents don’t know she drinks (she’s not allowed). What makes someone attractive? “Gentleman with a sense of humor (and biceps hehe).” How will you know if he’s the one? “You’ll just know?” What should a person do to get your attention? “Make small gestures like: open the door; ask if I need help with my stuff; walk on the car-side of the road. ‘Di naman super kelangan (because gender equality) but major pogi points if someone offers to do it.”

TRINA ANDAYA , 20. CDC. SCORPIO.

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YNNA RUBIA , 20. ACAD. SAGIT TARIUS .

“I currently have 174 memes saved in my phone.”

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Pet Peeve: People who don’t close the door when the aircon is on, when people pronounce meme as “mimi”, mint chocolate, ‘No’ by Meghan Trainor, cats Ultimate Comfort Food: Cheetos Crunchy Cheese, any breakfast food Go-to Place: Electric studio, Econ back parking Signature Line: “Better sore than sorry.” Fetish: Nice neck, broad shoulders, thick eyebrows Cardinal Rule of Dating: He must be on the same wavelength as her, have a solid sense of humor (“bonus points if we have the same taste in memes”), shouldn’t be pikon, must pray to the same God. Fun fact: She used to plau the violin. What makes someone attractive? “Nice smile and genuine kindness.” How will you know if he’s the one? “If you share the same morals and values plus, if he/she gets along well with your family.” What should a person do to get your attention? “HAVE. DANK. MEMES. But legit, if you’re able to make me laugh you automatically have a special place in my heart.”

“I am a Belieber.”

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Pet Peeve: People who groom in public, spit on the streets, and are always late Ultimate Comfort Food: Ice cream, Twix Go-to Place: Home Signature Line: *Flips hair* Fetish: Smell of bookstores, books, and clothing stores; cozy blankets and old letters Cardinal Rule of Dating: He must be good friends with or at least liked by parents and siblings. Fun fact: She was supposed to be named Guadalupe because she was born on the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. What makes someone attractive? “Someone becomes attractive to me if I see how simple and humble they are. It’s also important that they are family-oriented. Good humour is a bonus too.” How will you know if he’s the one? “I don’t know, honestly. But I know that when the time comes, I’ll just feel it. No words can explain it. CHOS.” What should a person do to get your attention? “Being a gentleman not only to people they know but even to strangers as well.”

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JOSE ERICTA , 19. CDC. VIRGO.

“I can be your friend.”

Pet Peeve: People chew, sneeze, and burp loud (“Anything that’s too loud”) Ultimate Comfort Food: Burgers and fries Go-to Place: A basketball court (“???”) Signature Line: “Wag ako please.” Fetish: Really long and intimate eye contact (“I’m weird”) Cardinal Rule of Dating: Leave room for the Holy Spirit, especially on the first date. Fun fact: He’s had no girlfriend since birth. What makes someone attractive? “Smile, humor, and personality.” How will you know if she’s the one? “Everything just makes sense when you’re together.” What should a person do to get your attention? “Just say, ‘Oy pogi.’ Just kidding. Wala, just call my name or poke my shoulder.”

“I like big butts and I cannot lie.”

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RD LAGOS , 19. SPEV. LIBRA . Pet Peeve: Indecisiveness, dishonesty Ultimate Comfort Food: Mexican food Go-to Place: Gym, basketball court, Coffee Bean and Teal Leaf Glorietta Signature Line: “There we go!!!” Fetish: Girls who smell nice, sporty, and are physically active Cardinal Rule of Dating: Just be yourself. Fun fact: He loves cold showers, cold coffee, and dark chocolate. He’s writing a book. He loves to sleep for 10 hours. He used to be called Jollibee because he had a big butt when he was a kid. He has a 42-inch chest line. What makes someone attractive? “Confidence, honesty, someone funny and positive.” How will you know if she’s the one? “When you think of her randomly and you got a stupid smile.” What should a person do to get your attention? “It doesn’t take a lot to get my attention. To really standout, you have to regard yourself to certain importance and be funny.”

“I wish this happened two years ago.”

Pet Peeve: When toothpaste isn’t emptied properly, loud chewing, clapping in the cinema Ultimate Comfort Food: Breakfast food (“Toast, eggs, singangag, sausage, tapa, etc.”) Go-to Place: Econ lib Signature Line: “Earthquake ba yun? Or did you just rock my world?” Fun fact: His favorite color is green. What makes someone attractive? “Confidence, a sense of humor, good dress sense, a talent or two, and a nice face.” How will you know if she’s the one? “I don’t know. Will probably just know.” What should a person do to get your attention? “Make repeated eye contact and smile. And talk to me hehe.”

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MIGUEL YATCO, 27. FIN. TAURUS .

“I try to do well and to do good, though I am not perfect.”

JUANCHO SANTOS , 20. SPORTS . TAURUS .

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Pet Peeve: When things don’t go according to plan or when there are unforeseen disruptions (“I try to not be so impatient when it comes to these things coz I know that life is full of them”) Ultimate Comfort Food: Ebi tempura with rice Go-to Place: Alabang Town Center (Yabu, Santouka, cinemas) Cardinal Rule of Dating: “I’ve never been on a date - but I have asked a girl out!” Fun fact: He’s on meds. What makes someone attractive? “I am not really sure. You should consider that there are a lot of ‘subconscious factors’ that come into play when it comes to these things. But what I find—my observation lang—is that I am more attracted to people who are friendly, amiable, pleasant, positive, and cheerful - but not too “loud”. It might sound cliche, but after looking and dressing decently, binubuhat na ng personality mo. I take note of people who are mahusay din.” How will you know if she’s the one? “As I said, I have no experience when it comes to love; but I don’t really think in terms of “the one”. Things aren’t always perfect and shit happens. You’re bound to fight even the people you really love, and you can’t really tell if you’ll be with someone for the rest of your life, even if you want to. That said, if you really love someone, I think you’ll fight to stay with them and to fix any problems that might arise, rather than “throw them away” easily when an issue comes up. In general, I tend to be very cautious about categorical statements like this one about “the one” because i know that I am fallible, that I and other people can change, that there are many nuances and complicating things, and that shit happens.” What should a person do to get your attention? “Be friendly, responsible, and mahusay. Do the right/ admirable thing and be decent and respectable.”

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“I don’t want to be a bachelor.”

PAOLO TEJANO, 21. ECHOE S . TAURUS . Pet Peeve: Freeloaders Ultimate Comfort Food: Alley’s Reuben Sandwich w/ kamote chips (“Fuck sarap”) Go-to Place: Vargas Museum Signature Line: “Halika rito.” Fetish: “Tangina baboy ka Arceo.” Cardinal Rule of Dating: Respeto 24/7. Fun fact: His first love is Sel Yao. Joke lang. What makes someone attractive? “Intelligence, familyorientedness, social awareness.” How will you know if she’s the one? “You just do.” What should a person do to get your attention? “Recite in class HAHAHAHAHAHAHA just kidding.”

“I like potatoes.”

HANS LIM, 18. MEMCOMM. SAGIT TARIUS . Pet Peeve: Traffic Ultimate Comfort Food: Jollibee spaghetti Go-to Place: UP Signature Line: “Ni hao.” Fetish: A girl with a big heart Cardinal Rule of Dating: The girl must know how to carry a conversation. Fun fact: He hates mushrooms. What makes someone attractive? “Someone who pushes me to be better.” How will you know if she’s the one? “If I can’t imagine my life without her.” What should a person do to get your attention? “Make the first move.”

“I choose you.”

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JEREMIAH TOMAS , 18. EXTERNALS . ARIE S . Pet Peeve: Girls with no goals in life Ultimate Comfort Food: Pancakes Go-to Place: Home Signature Line: “...” Fetish: Chinese Cardinal Rule of Dating: She must be Chinese, parentapproved, Christian, and street smart. Fun fact: He’s full Chinese. What makes someone attractive? “Being able to submit to the Lord.” How will you know if she’s the one? “When she fits in to God’s plan for me. ;)” What should a person do to get your attention? “Talk to me.”

KEN RECASATA , 20. ECHOE S . ARIE S .

“i Phone.”

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Pet Peeve: People who have no regard for hygiene Ultimate Comfort Food: Original Lay’s Potato Chips, eggplant Go-to Place: Anywhere with lots of trees Signature Line: “Tangina what the fuck is this.” Fetish: Teeth—oddly shaped or perfect Cardinal Rule of Dating: No phones allowed. Fun fact: He’s not a fan of milk tea. What makes someone attractive? “When they can be lost with me in deep thought.” How will you know if she’s the one? “When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. Lol just kidding. If I want to know her past and be in her future. Luh.” What should a person do to get your attention? “Raise your hand lol joke. I dunno I think I become more interested in a person based on conversations. I like having the perfect balance of a smart and stupid conversation.”

“I can be your wildest desire.”

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Pet Peeve: Waiting for people, people who use their phones in his company, saying “bro” or “man” too much, pa-cool, replying “hahaha.”, people who can’t shut up and always interrupt, “yung mga taong hindi mo gets kung ano ba talaga gusto nila o sino ba talaga gusto nila” Ultimate Comfort Food: Yogurt, avocao ice cream Go-to Place: A place with a good view Signature Line: “They say happiness starts with an H but why does mine start with U.” Fetish: Domination and submission Cardinal Rule of Dating: “1. Friends come first. Don’t forget to spend time with them. 2. Don’t expect me to pay all the time. I’m not working yet. I’ll still pay most of the time but wait for me to offer. 3. Late replies are okay but like everything, there’s a limit. 4. Ditching is a big no.” Fun fact: He thought he had breast cancer back in high school. What makes someone attractive? “Someone who can make me laugh and someone who i can be myself with.” How will you know if she’s the one? “Nothing specific should happen or nothing specific about a person will make you know if he/she is the one. One day, you’ll just look at that person’s eyes and know, siya na talaga.” What should a person do to get your attention? “If you do something nice for me even in the smallest way.”

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GABE JAPLOS , 19. SPORTS . TAURUS .

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8 WAY S T O F R E E YO U R M I N D by PITA OCHAVE

COLLEGE IS AN INSTITUTION. As a freshman, entering the hallowed halls of UP was like entering the gates of heaven. Every little thing filled you with wonder and excitement. Twenty-peso meals, colorful professors, attractive classmates, and the UP brand of excellence fed our freshman delusions of grandeur. We thought we were going to graduate college with straight uno’s, meet the loves of our lives, and bloom into unstoppable social butterflies. What we did not know was that entering college was going to be more akin to entering a state of emotional purgatory. As college students, we are in a constant and perpetual state of stress and anxiety. Stress from the weight of our academic and social obligations. Anxiety from the fear that we won’t satisfy all of our obligations. We spend so much time worrying about all

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the other aspects of our lives that we forget about the most important aspect: ourselves. Given this, here are my top seven tips for clearing your mind: 1. MEDITATE Meditation is arguably the most foolproof way to clearing your mind. All it really requires is a quiet space and time. In meditation, you may either sit or lie down. If you choose to sit down, make sure that you have the proper posture: back relaxed and straight with your legs crossed. Place your left hand, palms forward, ontop of your right hand and close your eyes halfway so you can still see the line of your nose. This is to ensure that your mind does not become too excited or sink into sleep. If you feel that you have achieved a state of mental lucidity, breathe naturally

(preferably through the nose) and try to become aware of your breaths as your breathing should be the focus of your meditation. Continue doing this for at least five to ten minutes. Because meditation is so easy, you can squeeze in this activity before, inbetween, or after your classes. Personally, I find that after meditating, I become more focused and clear-headed, making me complete my tasks better and more easily. 2. READ A BOOK When I find that I have more time on my hands than usual, instead of meditating, I’ll pick up a book and read in a quiet corner alone. Growing up a bookworm, books have always been a pleasant escape for me. As the cliche goes, books brought me into other worlds-worlds where I was faced with problems that weren’t real and weren’t mine. It

3. WATCH A MOVIE

In high school, I had a friend who was both an

Music has long been recognized one of the most effective methods in dealing with stress. In fact, music therapy is already an established health profession used to help individuals cope with their emotional, cognitive, or social problems. And thanks to websites and applications like YouTube and Spotify, a wide variety of music can now be yours with just one click.

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5. GO ON A RUN

6. LISTEN TO MUSIC

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According to researchers at Brown University, distraction remains one of the optimum ways to clear people’s minds. Based on their research, people have the power to shift their brainwaves, thereby giving themselves the power to ignore on demand. If ever you find yourself feeling anxious or sad about that test you studied hard for but ultimately failed, remember that you can always numb that pain by focusing on building yourself a mini Millenium Falcon out of legos, scrapbooking, or fillinf out your application for McDonald’s.

As college students, we spend a lot of time worrying about failed exams, unrequited loves, and money woes. The best way to deal with anxiety is to focus on what you can control and do away with what you cannot. If you feel like you just failed an exam, don’t worry about it. It’s over and it’s now out of your area of control. The best way to deal with the possibility of a failed exam is to focus on what you can control: studying harder for the next one.

4. PUT YOUR HANDS TO WORK AND BUILD SOMETHING

Choosing to relax by running hits two birds with one stone. Not only are you becoming more physically fit, but you are also becoming stronger mentally. And unlike alcohol, exercising in general has been proven to increase a person’s dopamine levels, which is the neurochemical responsible for feelings of happiness.

in my universe, especially during exam season. Though it isn’t outwardly obvious, I am a very jittery and anxious person. The slightest change in plans used to trigger mild panic attacks. This changed, however, when my mom told me the following mantra: Fix what you can, but don’t trouble yourself with what you cannot control. E C H O E S

If you’re tired of reading and want a two-hour escape from life and all of your responsibilities, I suggest you watch a movie. It doesn’t matter how good or bad the movie is. The goal is not to have to think. Personally, I prefer to watch the scum of IMDB when relaxing. Some innane movies I’d recommend that don’t require any brain cells to process include Monty Python, White Chicks, The Rush Hour Trilogy, Airplane, The Hangover, and 22 Jump Street.

academic achiever and ridiculously hot. I asked her how she managed to look like a supermodel even if she had a schedule just as gruelling and stressful as mine, she answered that when she feels stressed or needs some time to herself, she goes running.

8. GET SOME SLEEP Sometimes the best way to free your mind is to surrender it completely to your unconscious. Make sure to have at least 8 hours of sleep every night.

7. REPEAT THE FOLLOWING MANTRA: FIX WHAT YOU CAN, BUT DON’T TROUBLE YOURSELF WITH THE THINGS YOU CANNOT CONTROL. I am the jedi of anxiety. Like the Force, I can feel my anxiety permeate everything

>> For all those suitors out there, Pita Ochave just turned eighteen.

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STAFF PICKS compiled by CHILI PEREZ

The story revolves around three friends who ultimately decide to escape their frustrating, suburban lives by running away and building a house in the woods, free from any responsibilities. It’s one of those charming, coming-of-age films that relate to you on another level. Oh, and Moises Arias is in it. –Chito B.

KINGS OF SUMMER (2013) di r e c t e d by J or dan Vo g t - Ro b e r t s

L A CAG E D O R E E ( 2 0 1 3 ) di r e c t e d by Ru be n A l v e s

La Cage Doree (The Gilded Cage) is one of my favorite films because of its humor when dealing with serious topics like loneliness and homesickness. Its plot centers around a working class, Portuguese, immigrant family in Paris, who find out that they’ve just inherited a large piece of land back home, much to the dismay of their French bosses who try to incentivize them to stay in France. Though it’s not a movie about Filipinos, I find a lot of parallels between the Portuguese family in the movie and my own family members who live and work abroad. —Pita O.

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (2004) di r e c t e d by M i c h e l G o n d r y

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is my favorite film, because it’s such a freaking honest love story!! I love it because it reminds me that there are some relationships that are doomed from the very beginning. And while we have the decision to move on and forget, we’re also free to do the opposite. We’re free to choose love again and fix things. We’re free to love again and get hurt anyways. And while it seems freaking scary to take risks, that’s the most liberating and exciting thing about the whole process. —Anna P.

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Because the path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger, those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee. –Paolo T.

P U L P F I C T I O N ( 1 9 94 ) di r e c t e d by Q u e n t i n Tar a n t i n o

E C H O E S

N OW H E R E B OY ( 2 0 0 9 ) di r e c t e d by S am Tay l or - J o h n so n

Somehow John Lennon before the Beatles tells us all about that part of ourselves we never really truly admit-- we are never enough. John goes through his youthful frolicking without ever really caring about the dreary system we are all put into at some or many points in our life. Everyone says he was going nowhere in life and we all know how that turned out. That, to me, is freedom. Freedom is going after what really matters to you; ignoring any system we are told to follow. There is not one path, there is only want. —Ken R.

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1 2 Y E A R S A S L AV E ( 2 0 1 4 )

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d irec ted by Steve M cQu e e n

Following Solomon Northup’s story made me realize how I took freedom for granted. You see this man suffer under the hands of men who took his fundamental rights away from him and you realize that being free is something you should cherish everyday because you never know if or when it will —Dom C.

Because sometimes we seek freedom from the sins of our past in the form of our own delusions and hallucinations. And I think that’s beautiful. –Carlo C.

SHUTTER ISLAND (2010) di r e c t e d by M ar t i n Sc o r se se

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T W E E TA B L E T W E E T S compiled by PITA OCHAVE

@jolozeee: Onti nalang, bibitaw na talaga ako #econ102 #math102 #gg

@jermracela: Ang bano ng tweet ko pero I made it to Echoes fam

@vimpromptu: UP JOGAS CLUB

@Africanloveyouu: Gusto ko ‘yan

@bananabub: Ok din

@ChachiSoriano: *late night meeting* Mom: may maghahatid ba sayo Me: wala akong boyfriend na maghahatid sa akin Mom: di ko na problema yun Mom- 1 Me- 0 @pusongCABATO: Me: I don’t know many girls who are into Dan Brown. Dad: to be brutally honest son, you don’t know many girls period. Pota ang sakit

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@benj_evar: ang lala siguro ng jebs ko bukas..... @theroyalspice: Omg i was watching yeah boi vids on my laptop tas yun pala yung earphones ko nakakabit sa phone ko..... #shame #sorry

@alfonso_roces i remembered when i was a freshie i was a freshman

@maizconcielo: friend: kamusta ka me: mataas temp ko masama pakiramdam ko kada uubo ako feeling ko mapupunit utak ko friend: *laugh”

@miggyjuix: duffel dog

@JustVillas: Stay strong @eriincheng ...pero mas stay strong @_solball

bes ikaw nanghawa @david_balmes: Life might be a joke, but I’ll be damned if I let it pass without getting a good laugh out of it first E C H O E S

@juliefrann: I never thought I could hate a series this much. #Math102series #TVseriesnalangsanaamp

@lagmanjulia: SISIW (Society of Intelligent Strong Independent Women) #chicks #walangdicks #sociocivicbutmostlysocial

@kencognito: Studied 0% percent for a major exam

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@humajaplos: I cried

“Mga teenager na naglalaro ng Pokemon Go, nanakawan ng mga mamahaling smartphone”

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@jeeecx: ang #goalz talaga nung kilikili ni katy perry

@ianserranooo: Mamaya sa balita

@BrotherAli11: Sorry irrelevant pero di talaga maayos yung pagjudge ni Vice sa Pinoy Boyband Superstar. -_-

*suspended* *contemplates on the existence of a supreme being* #blessed @prenchpries: ty McDo for being my source of strength pag wasak fml

@booyanca: just saw this in my journal: “i hope he’s happy but i also want him to suffer.” #chillcrushlangdaw

@telenobella: there are so many things in this world i will never understand and my classes decide to join in puta

@jandmagpantay: if there’s one thing I learned in attempting to study Econ, it’s that things find their way back to equilibrium @Keeve8: reading related literature to sleep

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ECOSOC STATS For this version of Ecosoc Stats, Echoes is switching things up a bit. We asked Ecosocers where they lie regarding some important social issues.

Total responses: 125

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E C H O E S

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WORDS by RAU L PONDARIO

E C H O E S

Words to express inner desires to create order to separate what is from what is not

Words are to hold back what is truly wanted to cause chaos are what separates what is and what is not

N O V E M B E R

no words none are needed to express love to be you to live

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who you are is far more greater than what you know than who you think you are than the words which define you there are none just live give what you want get what you want Standing Figure with Halo (1913) Egon Schiele

let go of the words be you

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THE THIEF by ERYEL BENITEZ He loved her and she loved him

Confined within four white walls

He gave her all of his time and love

Every change in her was watched and

but he knew she wouldn’t survive for long

she was no longer free to live the life she once loved “I’m sorry,” she said “I need to go. I can’t hold this off anymore.”

for there was something wrong They were not free to do as they pleased even with all the wealth that they had

And so the man decided to let her go for he didn’t want to see his love in pain

So on one fateful day on November Loud cries were heard from the 5th floor where a man is sobbing for the loss of his wife A wife who wanted to be free from the bondages of life

for this wretched sickness came upon them like a thief in the dead of night A thief indeed for it deprived her of her life It was more than a thief when she was in pain Cancer was the bondage It was a manipulator that turned her body into shackles and imprisoned her to this sickly life Her movements were restrained

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Stein on the Danube, Seen from the Kreuzberg 1913 Egon Schiele

E C H O E S

A U G U S T

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