ECHOES September 2011

CONTENTS September 2011

4

PREVIOUS ISSUE/CORRECTIONS

22

ONE BIG JOKE Making moves on women—

by Gab Sollano and Hari Orosco

5

EDITORIAL

23

SMOKE ALERT Why is UP so lenient with smoke-belchers?—by Benedict Bismark

6

COMMITTEE NEWS

26

THE MAKING OF ECOSOC SPECIAL This month, Echoes pays tribute to the legends of Ecosoc

NEWS 12

COMPANY TOUR #2

by Gab Sollano and Ayla Reyes GMTBS by Angel Espiritu COMPANY TOUR #3 by Sarah Ampil

13

MIDSEM CHECK-UP by Avril Bries SPORTS CUP by Tracy Miranda

28 32 35 37 38

T. HUNT by Brian Cruz VICE NIGHT by Lance Lim NYC by Pauline Torre

FEATURES 16 19

FEATURED MEMBER Sam Gonzales, the lady responsible for Ad Hoc’s new look —by Jessica Biscocho FEATURED ALUMNA Anday Pua, the original publicity goddess—by Judith Pascual

CDC by Beatriz Bayudan GRAND TRAD by Cocoy Vargas AD HOC by Nadine Eleazar NYC by Raphael Dantes

CULTURE

TAMBAY WEEK by Cocoy Vargas

14

ORIGINS by Kenneth Reyes

40

FASHION Defy convention with clothing —by Lia Lontoc

42

MUSIC Remembering Nirvana’s Nevermind 20 years on—by Derek Parreñas

44

SPORTS The positivism and determination of the U.P. Men’s Basketball Team —by Hazel Sumampong

45 46

GOSSIP by Gossip G REPORT CARD by the TV Monster

EDITORS kenneth reyes

Editor-in-Chief avril bries

Associate Editor hazel sumampong

Managing Editor raphael dantes

News Editor jessica biscocho

Features Editor beatriz bayudan

Photo Editor nadine eleazar

Logistics Director joseph “matt” dailisan

Creatives Director kevin estopace

Webmaster

CONTRIBUTORS Sarah Ampil / Beatriz Bayudan / Jessica Biscocho / Benedict Bismark / Avril Bries / Chiara Buergo / Ana Christina “Chrissie” Cruz / Brian Cruz / Raphael Dantes / Nadine Eleazar / Angel Espiritu / Gossip G / Andres “Cocoy” Licaros III / Lance Lim / Ma. Cecilia “Lia” Lontoc / Arsenio Lukban / Tracy Miranda / Hari Orosco / Derek Parreñas / Judith Pascual / Reuel Realin / Kenneth Reyes / Anna Monina Sanchez / Jose “Gab” Sollano / Hazel Sumampong / Pauline Torre / The TV Monster / Jose Maria “Cocoy” Vargas ABOVE Anday Pua, photographed at Starbucks, 6750 on September 3 by Kenneth Reyes cover photograph by arsenio lukban

3

PREVIOUS ISSUE

August 2011

CORRECTIONS

Our mistakes in the August issue In the table of contents, the Report Card was written by the TV Monster, not Kenneth Reyes, although technically they are the same person, but whatever, we didn’t know what else to put in the corrections box. No major mistakes, baby! We must be getting better!

Echoes is the official publication of the UP Economics Society (UP Ecosoc), a non-stock, non-profit, student organization based in the University of the Philippines Diliman School of Economics.

Since the 2nd semester of the academic year 2010-2011, Echoes is released four times in a sem and eight times in a year, on the months of January, February, March, July, August, September, October, and December.

It draws its funding from a subsidy from UP Ecosoc, sponsorships, subscription revenue, and other small funraisers. For this semester, 60 subscription copies, 3 tambayan copies, 1 archive copy, and a complimentary copy for each of our sponsors, featured members, and featured alumni are produced.

This publication is printed by Yza Copy Systems and Trading, located at Stall 22 at the Shopping Center, UP Diliman, Quezon City. contact us

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

All errors are corrected when posting on TheEchoes.net. If you spot any error in this issue, call us on it by sending an email to upecosoc.echoes@gmail.com.

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

4†TheEchoes.net

EDITORIAL it’s election season once again. understandably, it’s hard

LEFT

RIGHT

Risk-averse Security over innovation Required expenses Maintain large bank balance

Risk-lover Innovation over security No required expenses Maintain minimal bank balance

The positive side is the Right. Ecosoc Rightists are riskto sift through the dozen General Plans of Action that will be lovers, favoring innovation that may yield greater profits, but posted on the tambayan wall this coming week, and when at a greater chance of suffering a loss. They believe that every the promises and visions of the different candidates all seem Execom should start with a bank balance of zero and end with to coalesce into one incredibly bright, optimistic outlook for a bank balance of zero, and that the quality of an event is more our Society’s future, we, the voters, lose interest in the minute important than the expenses it incurs. As such, they also think details of the GPOA’s and instead vote based on an overall as- requiring Ecosocers to purchase tickets degrades the enjoysessment of the candidate. Indeed, a candidate’s personality ment and prestige of a project, and are therefore against it. and past achievements, not The y-axis on the other CONSERVATIVE his or her GPOA, are likely hand measures attitudes on Traditionalist the primary basis of decisionmember treatment. The negHigh expectations Encourage through punishment making for most of the voting ative, or lower, side is the LibAgainst merging committees body in Ecosoc. eral side, which believes that There’s nothing wrong ultimately, Ecosoc operates with this. Indeed, a candidate on a volunteer basis and that can make the most fantastic the Execom should reward promises in a campaign, but great performances instead it’s still our gut instinct that of punishing unsatisfactory must dictate whether he or ones. Liberal Ecosocers wish she can and will carry out to keep requirements for apthose promises if he or she is plicants and members who elected. So while the GPOA are on probation or suspenprovides, in theory, a glimpse sion at a minimum. They are into the Execom term of also in favor of merging comthe candidate, in practice, mittees since this affords a it is more for show. Indeed, greater freedom for members hardly anyone ever really to engage in various tasks. mentions anything in their The upper side is the ConGPOA besides those universervative side, which believe sally positive aspirations that in the value of traditions. few will have qualms with.

Conservative Ecosocers exConsequently, how hard you pect nothing short of excelworked on your GPOA and how extensive you campaign—in- lence from its members and thus favor strict requirements stead of the content intself—will be the one people remember, that aim to weed out the ‘lethargic’ ones. They are also against serving as a gauge of your sincerity and determination. the merging and/or dissolution of committees because not This is then the challenge that is posed to the incoming only must our traditions be protected, specialization is also Execom hopefuls. Instead of filling your GPOA’s with uni- something to be encouraged and institutionalized. versally positive yet ultimately meaningless phrases like ‘imThis spectrum serves as a guide for both the candidates and prove,’ ‘strengthen,’ and ‘exemplify,’ aim to take a clear stand the voters to better articulate the direction they want Ecosoc on pressing Ecosoc concerns and let’s get ourselves a genuine to take: instead of falling prey to vagueness, we can identify issues-based election. which quadrant a particular policy falls in and how far it is Echoes has adapted the two-dimensional political spec- from the origin. For instance, the Deathly Hallows Part 1 trum for the Society in order to neatly categorize the issues screenings would lean towards the Right since its two-day it faces. The x-axis measures attitudes on financial behavior, strategy was risky, while it would fall slightly to the Liberal or how the organization’s leaders should treat the Society’s side since only one screening was required for members. Ad cash. The negative side is the Left. Ecosoc Leftists are risk- Hoc parties, on the other hand, are usually on the upper-left averse, putting more value in security through tried-and- corner since they are done every semester with little change to tested events whose budgets should be kept to a minimal. the formula and members are required to sell tickets.

Growth, they say, should be slow and steady, and they must It goes without saying that no side is absolutely right or leave the next Execom with a healthy bank balance. They are wrong. Each have its trade-offs, and it’s up to our leaders to also in favor of imposing required expenses on members and decide which set of ideologies Ecosoc needs right now. applicants.

Good luck, candidates!  Laid-back Members set own level of commitment Encourage through rewards For merging committees

LIBERAL

5

COMMITTEE NEWS

PAOLO TAMASE

SELENA ORTIGA

september is here! we’re exactly in the middle of the

hello ecosoc!

month, so it’s a perfect time to explain the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of our Ad Hoc celebrations this year. When we first met to plan Ecosoc’s 53rd anniversary, the following were crystal clear: 1) We would rebrand Ad Hoc as a month-long celebration, and not just a party; 2) September would be packed only with events that would showcase the best of Ecosoc; 3) We would cultivate in our team an unmatched Ecosoc pride, which we would harness to power the organization; and 4) Ad Hoc 2011 would be the standard of future September celebrations.

We knew the task would be difficult. We would need unprecedentedly large sums of money, as well as the best people for our team. Most importantly (and most difficult of all), we would need an organizational paradigm shift, so that all members would embrace the importance and significance of the month’s main events.

This might be premature (with only five of seven events over), but as early as now, I think this September has indeed been Ecosoc Month, and that said, our whole organization deserves credit. Grand Trad and the Gallery are staple Ecosoc Month activities, and I’m glad that both have maintained (or surpassed!) the excellence of their predecessors. Grand Caravan and the National Economics Summit are first-time events that were conceptualized by Faye, Reg, and I over the summer. Their importance can’t be understated, since over and above all other Ecosoc Month events, they embody Ecosoc’s identity as a socio-civic, economics organization. Finally, we culminate Ecosoc month on Sept. 23 with RENEGADE, which would be free for all active members, if only to drive the point that September is about Ecosoc and the people who make it.

None of these successes (and future successes) would be possible without the hard work of the Ad Hoc team (one of the best—if not the best—teams I’ve worked with); the organizing committees of CDC, Externals, Memcom, Seccom, Sports (who organized Run for 53), and Task Force (who co-funded the Caravan); the support of our sponsors; and the enthusiasm our members who, I am proud to say, have embraced the idea that Ecosoc can celebrate September in a more meaningful and enjoyable manner.

See you on RENEGADE and happy Ecosoc Month! 

I think I say this in every one of my commnews, but oh my goodness why is time going by so fast! Can you imagine, it’s already SEPTEMBER! But I hope you all don’t forget another SUPER DUPER event AFTER SUPER September (Keep up the good work, Ad Hoc! :D) ends. Just two days after, Task Force will be bringing you another grand event, all for the scholars!

PRESIDENT / AD HOC CHAIR

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VICE-PRESIDENT / TASK FORCE CHAIR

MUSIKAPELLA 2011: Awitin Mo, Isasayaw Ko! 2 October 2011, 5PM-9PM, UP Diliman Theater

I have to mention it here, because it’ll all be over by the time I’d need to write my next commnews! On behalf of the entire Task Force Committee and our four scholars, I’d really, really appreciate if most, if not all, of you came to this wonderful event! :) Help us out if you can by volunteering! :) Shout out the kick-ass team behind this SUPER event!

TASK FORCE 11! :) First to the TF Interns: Aris, Brian, Byran, Briana, Paolo, Monina, Nikki, Gelo (GO LARA CROFT!), Mark, Cam, and Donelle! You’re all doing a superb job! Keep it up! :D Logistics! Wildness is coming and I’m sure you’ll all be awesome! Marketing! ANG GALING GALING NAMAN NG MARKETING! Just look at the poster and be proud of yourselves. :) ER! Your job is NOT easy. I’m stunned by each and every one of you. Sales! Go quota! HAHA I’m sure you’ll all do a good job! Keep up the good work! And Pub! Campus Tour!!! You’re all so great and I’m amazed by all of you! Don’t think I forgot the one person I can’t lead this team without, Dhiren!! Thank you thank you thank you for always just being there! Everyone! Countdown from when this issue gets printed: THREE MORE WEEKS! Wooow.

Of course, Frawesome! Hellooooooooo most of you are doooone! Luckybitches. Hahaha just kidding. Thank you for keeping me sane, love you all to bits and pieces. One month left! :) :( This is it, my second to the last commnews! Remember the date, save it, then go to UP Theater, around 5PM when that date comes. 10.02.11! See you there! p.s. Like my picture? :D 

photographs provided by the execom

ANDRES “COCOY” LICAROS III

GILBERT BUENO

CO-CO-CO-COMMNEWS! Second to the last commnews na pala ‘to! I don’t know if any of you have noticed but I’ve been having the time of my life this past week. Maybe that’s why things seem to be going so fast? In the past week alone I’ve been pushed to limits I’ve never even bothered myself enough to measure before. I’ve stayed in Econ until 12am finishing the most epic gallery my committee and I were capable of making and still had to touch-up the following day. We’ve had to practice the (best) talent portion (ever), make two (AMAZING) dresses and train Van Valdez for Grand Trad in a span of two measly days but still managed to place and win best (goddamn) talent. All this while finding time to study for exams (or failing to do so in my case) and prepare for the ever-competitive cheer dance competition. All this in a single week! Makes “hell” inadequate in trying to describe it—or maybe that’s just me and my limited perspective of hardship.

If there’s one thing I discovered during my entire time as Execom, it’s probably my stress threshold or how long I can remain functional without food or sleep. They weren’t kidding when they said that being Execom was hard because it is, but you all know this story already. I know because I saw all of you right there with me. You’ve heard me complain and cuss and say “I hate prodwork” but know that I never meant it. We all trained for cheer dance, prepared for Grand Trad as best we could and some of you even helped out with the gallery.

Or at least I hope you did, because for all of this I am thankful. Not only to my committee members: Geoff, Thea, Janine, Lia, Myra, Denise, Henry, Tong, Shelly, Van, Irra, and Sol for being so supportive; my applicants: Carlo, Monina, Bruno, Red, James, Brian, and yes, even MJ, for being bibbo; or my epic vice chairs, Bing and Yasmin, for keeping me sane; but to all of Ecosoc for giving me this one epic semester.

One sem, met with so much energy you can taste it. And the best part? We’re not even done yet. So until we are, ONWARD! 

let me start my second to the last commnews with,

SECRETARY / SECRETARIAT CHAIR

TheEchoes.net

TREASURER / FINANCE CHAIR

TODO NA ‘TO! GO GO GO! Congrats Darrell Magsambol for placing first runner-up in this year’s Grand Tradition! I am super proud of you! As in, WOAH! Thank you very much for representing our committee, and you did a great job doing such. “Tyra, kasi maraming pera, ‘di ba, BANKS?” Haha! Bentaaaa! To know more wisdom quotes, please like MAGSAMBOL’S WISDOM QUOTES on Facebook! :) Anyway, we’re down to our last few weeks as Execom, and I, as the Finance Chair. I would like to thank those Fin members who have been very active all through out this semester. I hope your performance won’t decline until October. And to those members I haven’t really seen much around, you still have few weeks to prove yourselves. Haha! :) Finance! We still have few more minor fundraisers left and I won’t be able to make these work on my own, so I really would appreciate it if you show up na. Haha! We still have Penshoppe Sale and food sales. Go lang nang go sa pag-help! Haha! And to my Finance applicants, you all are very important part of our committee and this organization. I’m very proud of you. I can always rely on you and you never disappointed me. Keep up the great work, guys! :) Frawesome! Onti na laaaaaang! Haha! More bondings, please! Haha!

Wala na akong masabi. Haha! Basta, ang galing galing ni Darrell Magsambol! Haha! Go FINANCE! :) 

7

COMMITTEE NEWS

REGINA REINOSO

REUEL REALIN

second to the last commnews! i’ll keep this short.

barely two months left before the end of this semester.

PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER / EXTERNAL AFFAIRS CHAIR

:) Thank you to those who attended the first CDC elective yesterday! Remember, two counts for one session so good job! Next will be on September 19, Monday.

And finally...

We’ve exemplified service in the Grand Caravan and tradition during Grand Trad. Now, in Ecosoc’s 53rd year, it’s time to create a new standard of excellence.

The External Affairs Committee presents the First NATIONAL ECONOMICS SUMMIT 16 Organizations.

1 Issue.

ONE STAND. September 17, 2011 || 8am-3pm || Engineering Theater Members and applicants may attend.

Chila, Ars, Hannah, Dhiren, Leus, Chiara, Cheenie, Kiele, Quek, Lars, Miko, Kevin, Peter, Cheska, Jogan, Ines, Stef, Cel, Mabel, Rino, Vincent, Pau B., Cel C., Loice and Jed - THIS IS IT. Thank you for everything!

Go Ecosoc! 

8

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS CHAIR

At this point, professors start to give out the midterm standing and students dream of the sembreak, but for us Ecosocers, September is more than just that. September is Ecosoc Month!

Let’s backtrack a little to the last week of August. I would like to thank everyone who made the 8th National Youth Congress a success! To my co-convenor, Irene, thank you for being a reliable and hardworking partner. I can’t believe how fast time passed since we had our first official meeting last May! To the directors; Nads, Horace, Mark, Jerome, Neil, Issa, and Trish, you guys were great as directors of NYC this year. I hope that you enjoyed (albeit the stress) organizing the congress as much as I did. Thanks for devoting your time and effort in this project. To the volunteers and staff, know how much I appreciated everything that each of you did to make this NYC possible. I’m so proud to have led such a team in organizing this year’s congress.

GO Mu-LANCE for representing Acad in this year’s Grand Tradition. Although we weren’t able to take home the crown, we are proud with what you have done in this year’s pageant.

You might not have the crown, but you brought us honor by being our grand trad-er!

To my beloved committee, ACAAD! I’m really grateful for each and every one of you. One event to go, Alay sa Personnel, and we’re done na. :( I’ll be saving the tears and words later, bawal pa maging senti. :) FRAWESSSSOOOOMEEEE! It’s been almost a year. Malapit na matapos ang wildz rollercoaster ride natin together. One last month! Valley Golf na soon! :D Ecosoc has really transformed through the years. Even the pioneers of the National Youth Congress and CDC never imagined that their ideas would be sustainable and become the events that they are now. We have yet to learn a lot about Ecosoc; the Ecosoc History that we learn as applicants is but a small part of a way bigger picture.

Remember September because we gave it meaning. 

photographs provided by the execom

FELICHIE “FAYE” FERRER

KENNETH REYES

this month just keeps getting better and better, don’t

this month, echoes takes a peek into the society’s rich

you think? :) For this month, we had the first-ever GRAND CARAVAN! :D But before we came up with such an event, you wouldn’t believe what we had to go through—it wasn’t grand at all!

Getting other sources of money and getting sponsors were not easy tasks! The talents we were contacting were also expensive, even those for logistic purposes. Even ideas for the floor and stage design were not coming to us. We were fortunate to have a lot of partner organizations, but some institutions were declining our invitation. In addition, there were other CDC’s we needed to fix and so we had a hard time balancing everything. It was CRAAAAAAAZY! Personally, there were points where I thought it just wouldn’t work.

But then… I remembered we’re not alone in this committee.

We had a greater head in creating this event. After just lifting everything up to Him, everything was clearer. We were given U! Happy Events as our partner, two institutions confirmed, book companies donated generously, sponsors started contacting us, orgs were so willing to meet up and talk with us regarding the event, and the team was just all hyped up once again! :D From the launch we did online up to doing prodwork even in the morning of the event itself, everyone was just helping each other :) It was such a joy seeing my committee work together, doing things they thought they couldn’t do!

(I’m so proud of you guys!) And it’s even more heart-warming seeing our org, coming from different committees, helping and supporting each other :D That’s the Ecosoc I know!

The Grand Caravan journey was just… overwhelming! It was just an idea before and now we’ve made it a remarkable experience. Ecosoc was also just an idea before but look at where we are now :) It wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for the different individuals and groups that believed in the cause.

We may be from different backgrounds and do different things, but we surely did see that we are all just part of ONE BIG STORY :) 

fifty-three-year history and uncovers the people—the legends—who are responsible for five of our longest-running and most prestigious facets: the National Youth Congress, the modern Ad Hoc Committee, the Grand Tradition, the Community Development Committee, and finally, the U.P. Economics Society itself.

In line with this, the Execom commnews pictures are of the ‘origins’ of the Execommers too. It’s amazing to think that when we were all just toddlers, laughing and crying our cartoon afternoons away, this organization was already in existence, making profound marks on society as our baby selves make incomprehensible marks on our penmanship booklets.

Of course, this was because a generation of young men and women were already here, volunteering their skills and passion to make this Society extraordinary.

That is the nature of our relationship with Ecosoc—she is only ours for a fleeting moment before a new batch of younger spirits take their turn with her. So the lesson is this: while she is ours, let’s make the most of her, just as the five alumni did when it was their time with the Society. Let us make our stay here like the celestial stars, whose existence, though brief, consist solely of a great, burning fire.

Elsewhere, two very talented women grace our cover this issue: Anday Pua and Sam Gonzales, both of whom have, through the medium of digital art, fashioned some of the most unique publicity materials in Ecosoc history.

All this would not be possible without my team: Derek, Judith, Chiara, Ralph, Jess, Hazel, Avril, Nadine, Bea, Gelo, Kevin, and Matt. My time with you guys is almost over. I won’t pretend like I’ve been the best commhead around, but with one more release left, I’ll try my best to get you guys to appreciate and love the work of Echoes as much as I do. We are storytellers. Finding the stories may be difficult, but their significance makes the journey worth it.

Special mention to Gelo Atienza: thanks for being our Grand Trad rep! You may well be the only app to beat up both the president and your commhead in one night. Last but not the least, happy birthday Chiara Buergo! I bet you stayed up late again last night! 

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CHAIR

TheEchoes.net

ECHOES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

9

COMMITTEE NEWS

MADELENE “MADS” SALAZAR

VICENTE “ENZO” CLEMENTE

i can’t believe it’s already september! it invites both good

to start, i would like to greet ecosoc a happy birthday!

and not-so-good emotions haha. First of all, I would like to take time out to say thank you to everyone that attended the series of Company Tours we had this semester. Mr. Chito Barreiro, Ms. Ani Almario, and Mr. Dicky Salazar were all sooo inspiring and I hope you learned a lot from them! :) It’s pretty exciting to see and know what the future holds for us but in any case, Ecosocers are achievers (as seen by the many successful alumni) and I’m sure YOU will follow the trend! In order for us to learn more about them, the Liaison Committee is trying to make a better list of past Execom members!

Imagine what it would be like to get to know most of them!

EXCITING!! There’s so much to love about Ecosoc and the history is just one of them. I haven’t forgotten to share about more of what I learned when I talked to some of the Pook Ricarte nanay’s so here it goes! It was so touching to hear that their children really find Ecosoc to be part of who they are.

They share about the Saturday daycare and how much better they’ve gotten in school because of the tutorials. A grade 6 student’s teacher asked her to explain what Ecosoc was and she answered so simply, stating all the events she attended and sharing about the people she met, but the teacher was so amused! All the kid could say was, “Iba talaga sa Ecosoc!” or something similar to that :) I hope we, its members and applicants, will be proud to say that same thing!!

Hello to Frawesome! Ohemgee, we only have less than a month to go but I love you guys like super pooper and I know we’ll be great friends even after this!

Liai, I am amazed with the amount of dedication most of you have in fulfilling the tasks the committee has to do. From Grand Trad, to the Company Tour, to the database and more, I’m just so proud to be your commhead :) Thank you for allowing me to work with you! I will forever be grateful! <3 

I would like to thank this organization for everything it has done to change my life. Entering college, I never saw myself being in an org like Ecosoc. My decision to join, I can say, is the biggest decision I’ve made so far in college. Ecosoc has given me so much memorable experiences. I’ve met a lot of people because of Ecosoc, people who eventually became my close friends and even more than that. It is because of Ecosoc that I’ve learned that the grades you get aren’t t the only things that matter in college. The relationships you build and the learning experience you get outside of the academic wall matter too, if not, matter more.

A week ago, the grandest of all traditions finally happened, Fearless: Miss Grand Tradition 2011. I would like to congratulate and thank all the committees that supported and worked hard for this event. This event wouldn’t have been successful without you. I would also like to extend my deepest gratitude to the candidates this year, Lance, Pito, Gelo, Mark, Darrell, Aris, Van, Paulo, and Iso, for a job well done. Your passion for this event truly made GT 2011 a memorable experience for Ecosoc. I hope all of you enjoyed the way I did when I was part of it two years ago.

To Memcom, all our hardwork finally paid off last Friday.

We did it! I can’t express how happy and lucky I am to have all of you by my side. To the project heads, Cocoy and Pat, thank you for all the hard work you put into in making this event possible. To the Pub team, Angel, Jr, Ray, Car, and Janna, thank you for all the wonderful videos and pubmats you have posted all throughout the season. To the Log A team, Camille and Karla, thanks for making sure that the program went smoothly. To the Log B team, Ria, Jade, and Angelica, thanks for all the prod work and continuous search for lights and sounds to make the Grand Trad as beautiful as it was.

To the Sales team, Ryan and Just, thank you for all of your fundraisers, and that very tiring rummage count. And to all my interns, Derek, Nicolle, Reg, JP, and Iso, I wouldn’t have asked for any other interns to help Memcom. I love you guys!

To Frawesome, yes, it is already September, but it’s just September. We have a month left to enjoy the company of each other and do everything we can for this org. I love you! 

LIAISON CHAIR

10

MEMBERSHIP CHAIR

photographs provided by the execom

JASON TAYAWA

MICHAEL “MYK” NARCISO

special events—where

hello ecosoc!

SPECIAL EVENTS CHAIR

QUEENS and QUEERS are born!

Who said it is not possible? Back-to-back Grand Tradition winners Miguel Andres and Iso Garrido! How did I coerce Iso to represent SPEV? Of course, with the pleasures of life! me: paps, willing ka bang mag-grand trad? iso: di ko pa alam e. when do you need an answer? me: by 11:50 tonight :) iso: Si Paolo Anonuevo dude. Okay yun. me: bro, ikaw talaga iso: hindi ako funny e. me: gags swabe ka bro iso: Kaya ba? me: Iba appeal mo. Kaya pre, tiwala iso: t*ng*n*. E si Pito? Pano na si Darrel? Sige na nga.

I have no more news so I’ll share life lessons. I believe that TRUST is the foundation of any relationship, especially in this organization. Of equal importance, trust in oneself will push anyone into great success. You may lose your trust in others but do not lose trust in yourself. What made Miguel and Iso win, I believe, are the personal input and trust of different individuals, including them, who worked diligently in achieving this end. And I am happy that I worked with these people for the past two semesters with great dedication and love for the committee. It is a humbling experience and I wish it could work with you—my family in Ecosoc.

I would like to thank the following people: Nicolle, Risa, Raya, Jiggy, Issa, Lesley, and Wax for continuous support; Cid and A for practice venues; Jan for schoolgirl outfit; Klaud for shoes; Maika for rummageables; Miguel for carrying bags; Chrissa for wand and sewing skills; JP, Cyril, and Kelvin as backup dancers; Ryna for blouse, glove, and choreo; Jax for skirt, ribbons, and night gown transformation; Noreen for makeup and evening gown; Romano for gloves and wings; and Andre for 9 bags of rummagebles, coercing people to vote, finding the perfect performance, pubbing, texting, music, passion, and everything else in between! Of course, THANK YOU ISO for representing and winning for SPEV in Grand Tradition 2011, we could not have done it without you.

CONGRATS TO SPECIAL EVENTS AND MAY WE CONTINUE TO BRING PRIDE TO OUR COMMITTEE!  TheEchoes.net

SPORTS CHAIR

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who supported World War Ecosoc: Sports Cup 2011 and Run for 53! Thank you guys! :) Without your support and active participation, our events wouldn’t be successful! Thank you again! Sports loves you!

After thanking everyone, of course I want to thank my beloved committee also for a job well done this semester! :) Sports, good job! We started on a high note and we ended with a bang! To my VC’s Chello and Hari, thank you! You know how much we’ve grown together and how much we placed all hopes and efforts to Sports! Thank you! To my members from last semester Mik, Issay, Junjie, Tobie, Tikay, Topy, Louie, and especially Patty, thank you! Whatever mistakes and shortcomings we had the previous semester, I’m pretty sure we’ve made up for it! To my new members Jorell, Trixie, Janeen, and Dave, thank you for letting yourselves embrace the Sports Spirit and opening yourselves to the experience! Thank you for adding flavor to the family and making it a better one! :) To my apps PauBau, Anon, Jed, Erol, Cesca, CV, and Jan, thank you! I know you all deserve to pass the application process! Thank you for sharing with Sports your enthusiasm and energy! To Sports, see you all on Thursday for our bonding session! :) Again to everyone, job well done! I love you all! <3 Frawesome, one year seems so fast, right? I will definitely miss all of you! :) Cheers to our final stretch! :) An anonymous person once said that a journey begins with a single step. And every day, I remind myself, is a step towards that end. In a month’s time from now, I’ll be taking my last step not only as a university student but also as an Ecosoc member. If I could only extend for one more semester, I would gladly do so but the inevitable has to happen. Sooner or later, I realized, we are bound to leave everything—even the things we love the most.

With his journey near to its end and still with lots of love, Myk Narciso 

11

NEWS

THE LAW IN ECONOMICS

BY GAB SOLLANO AND AYLA REYES

1, 2011, the liaison committee had its second company tour at the Fortun, Narvasa & Salazar Law Firm from 1pm to 3pm.

Participants were asked to arrive at the Ecosoc tambayan at 12 noon. From there, a carpool was provided for the transportation to Makati where the office resided. Upon arrival, the participants were greeted by Atty. Roderick Salazar III, a School of Economics Alumnus of Batch ‘83 and the father of our Liaison Chairperson, Madelene Salazar.

Atty. Salazar shared stories of his time in UP and his participation in other events outside of Ecosoc. From being a part of the SESC in his senior year to being active in promulgating the issues of his generation, Atty. Salazar had a diverse experience of what it was like to be a skolar ng bayan in his time.

He the explained how he got his start as a lawyer. First, he worked at a relative’s law firm before partnering up with two other lawyers to create their own firm. The members in attendance were then able to ask him questions regarding law and how to specialize and excel in this field. After the talk, the members were toured around the law office. The tour concluded with a photo-op with Atty. Salazar. Lunch was also served.

This was the second stop of the Liaison company tour entitled Rogue Economist. It’s primary goal is to open members of Ecosoc to unorthodox professions of Economics graduates.  last august

8/1/11 COMPANY TOUR #2 12

APP BATCH WARS AT GMTBS

BY ANGEL ESPIRITU

ECOSOCERS TOUR RAYA SCHOOL, ADARNA HOUSE

BY SARAH AMPIL

as part of the liaison committee’s

Grand Mems’ Team Building Session (GMTBS) on the 8th of August, 2011.

Prepared by the Membership Committee, the day was filled with water fun and games as app batches competed against each other. Held at the Balara Water Park where the event was also held last year, the members, as well as the applicants, enjoyed a day of fun-filled games and activities.

Unlike in the previous semesters wherein the members were randomly divided into teams, this semester’s grouping rekindled old app batch memories.

The members were divided into four teams: Truly Golden (Truly and Golden batches together), Livewire, Overdrive, and the Prints (Blueprint and Imprint batches together). The Power Up applicants were divided among the four teams.

The event started outside the Ecosoc tambayan with the flag-making of the different teams, and a cheer dance competition as the teams arrived at the venue. It was shortly followed by various water games—Pinoy Henyo, the Snake Game, and Agawan Base.

After lunch, the members gathered as a one big team for the Spider-web Challenge. This showed us that no matter which app batch we belong to, at the end of the day, we are all part of a one big organization that ultimately binds us all together. 

series of company tours, nine members and applicants visited the Raya School, as well as the Adarna Publishing House right beside it, last August 8, 2011.

As part of the program, they were first settled in a small colorful room of the Raya School where the members and applicants met former Ecosoc President, Ani Almario, the current Product Development Manager of the Publishing house, which is owned by her parents.

Ms. Almario’s love for writing and children made her pursue Education courses and later, with the help of her parents, founded the Raya School. It is a progressive school instilling the value of nationalism in all of its students. It also serves as the “laboratory school” of Adarna House Publishing, making the students its books’ first-hand readers and critics. Indeed, this school is one of a kind.

After all the stories and the short interview, the Ecosocers were treated to their own private tour inside the school.

Although classes were already over, there were still some kids left and they were able to watch them play and go about.

The Raya School still continues to grow and pretty soon it may be all over the country.

This was the last leg of Liaison’s series of company tours entitled Rogue Economist, which explores Econ graduates in unconventional professions. 

8/8/11 GMTBS

8/8/11 COMPANY TOUR #3

app batches were reunited for the

photographs by (l-r) ayla reyes, reuel realin, kenneth reyes

SPEV REVISITS THE NINETIES FOR TAMBAY WEEK CLASH OF THE TITANS

BY COCOY VARGAS

BY TRACY MIRANDA

the

underwent the Midsem Check-up Interviews.

During the previous week, the apps signed up for the slot that was most convenient for them. The interviews were administered by members of the Execom and the Ecosoc Leadership Council, a body composed of the vice-chairpersons of the Society.

Questions included objective queries such as the history of the Society as well as the names and positions of its major officers. For the subjective part, the applicants were asked how they felt about the theme, about CDC, and about Ecosoc in general.

There was also a fun part where the interviewee had to compose an on-thespot poem to a member, among other playful tasks. These were included to test their ‘Ecosoc factor,’ or how well they fit into the Society.

The Midsem Check-up is done in the middle of the application process. It is part of the applicants’ final grade. 

13, a saturday, ecosoc witnessed a battle of epic proportions as the Red Gladiators, the Golden Spartans, and the Blue Samurais engaged in a day-long series of sporting events.

Ranging from basketball, football, volleyball, and frisbee, the teams fought with tenacity to prevail as the overall winners of the event.

Ecosoc members, apps, and even a handful of alumni were evenly distributed throughout the teams. World War Ecosoc, which was held at the Philam Homes courts, started with an oath of sportsmanship and a warm-up game, which became, in effect, the cheer of the respective teams. Everyone showed their fierceness as each team tried their best to express their team pride.

Basketball and volleyball kicked off the event. It was a fruitful activity for everyone in attendance, with camaraderie and respect becoming the central theme of the engagement.

Other sports included were football, dodgeball, and frisbee.

The Golden Spartans emerged victorious, but in the end, “it was not about the winners, but on how much you exerted effort and how well you played.”

These were the words of Sports Committee Chairperson Myk Narciso, the head of the entire event. 

brought back the nineties with Tambay Week last August 16-18, 2011.

The semestral event was kicked off with Tambay Tuesday, in which 90’s television series and films were played in the tambayan all day long. These included Kenan & Kel, American Beauty, and 10 Things I Hate About You. A grand pakain was also held during lunch time. Bidding for characters for the Grand Tradition occurred in the afternoon.

In Tambay Wednesday, Ecosocers belted out their best tunes throughout the day with the karaoke machine. The nineties-themed Jologs Quiz Bee, spearheaded by the applicants of the Academic Affairs Committee, was also held, with Liaison-Echoes emerging as the victor.

Later that day, the Finance Committee held the bingo games.

Tambay Thursday included a Playstation 1 console in the tambayan, as well as a film showing Titanic sponsored by Externals.

Tambay Week culminated with the Treasure Hunt entitled Boot Camp, and the fraternity party-themed Vice Night.

The Tambay Week is a semestral event where members and apps are encouraged to hang out at the tambayan, where mini-events are held everyday Applicants are required to log-in 10 hours of tambay for the week. 

8/8-12/11 MIDSEM CHECK-UP

8/13/11 SPORTS CUP

8/16-18/11 TAMBAY WEEK

last august

APPS UNDERGO MIDSEM CHECK-UP

BY AVRIL BRIES

last august 8-12, 2011, the power apps

photographs by (l-r) chrissie cruz, kenneth reyes, spev

special

events

committee

13

NEWS

SPEV CLOSES TAMBAY WEEK WITH FRAT-THEMED PARTY

BY LANCE LIM

ECOSOC ENTERS BOOT CAMP FOR TREASURE HUNT

NYC8 FOCUSES ON BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS

BY PAULINE TORRE

after a tiring day of running around the much-revered and anticipated

campus last August 18, was a fun, challenging, and tiring event for both the members and applicants. Four teams, composed of Sports-Liaison-Sel, Seccom-Memcom-Paolo, CDC-Finance, and Externals-Acad-Echoes, competed against each other to finish certain tasks the quickest.

Finding the different stations proved to be an arduous task since only the coordinates were given and a time limit was imposed to reach each station.

From lifting 5 gallon water bottles to fitting your body between narrow spaces, the stations definitely lived up to the theme of ‘boot camp.’

After hours of hard work, all the teams made it to the final station, which was arguably the most challenging.

Teams faced each other in this part of the race. Each person had a cloth tied to his arm and the objective of the game was to get the cloth of your adversaries until all of them had been eliminated.

This turned into an intense battle as each team wanted to win.

The Sports-Liaison team won the Treasure Hunt thanks to their win in the last station.

The Treasure Hunt is a Universitywide challenges-based race where teams of two to three committees try to best each other in an afternoon of friendly competition. 

U.P., Tambay Week ended with a night of nice and naughty. Brought by the Special Events Committee, Vice Night was an event made to bring members and apps alike closer with one another through the various activities that pretty sure no one remembers as of now.

The Vice Night had a frat party theme, with Spev member Jacques Reyes opening the night dressed in Greek robes.

Making prominent appearances were San Miguel, Bacardi, and their alcoholic brothers and sisters, and let’s not forget our friend from the Wild Wild West, Marlboro!

With the night young and the continuous party songs playing, fellow members and apps gathered around and played various drinking games like beer pong, to the dismay of those watching from their seats missing the action.

Some of the people showed off their physique bodies and cooled off for the night by jumping in the swimming pool.

A couple more shots here and there, and mostly everyone was laughing and having fun, which was the sole purpose of Vice Night, and in a broader sense, Ecosoc.

Personally, one of the things I really remember during that night was that it was my very first time to drink alcohol from a trophy, and I must say that it was truly a great experience!

Most people say that high school will be the best years of your student life, but with what happened that Thursday night, I beg to differ! 

8/18/11 TREASURE HUNT

8/18/11 VICE NIGHT

8/26-27/11 NATIONAL YOUTH CONGRESS

BY BRIAN CRUZ

the treasure hunt, held in the u.p.

14

8th National Youth Congress (NYC) entitled Thinkonomics: The Marketplace of Perceptions took place at the UP School of Economics last August 26-27, 2011.

High school students from 21 schools, wherein 18 were private and 3 were public, participated in the two-day event.

The congress aspired to provide high school students an engaging introduction to the field of economics. Also, for the first time ever, the congress was more interactive by adopting a convention-type theme on the second day.

On the first day, 3 high schools along with some college students from the University of the Philippines Diliman participated. They listened to the PSE Representative that talked about Behavioral Finance.

A total of 211 high school students were present on the second day of the affair wherein Mr. Jose Clemente, Ms. Cherrie Billedo, Atty. Yumina Francisco, Dr. Erika Legara, and Mr. Benjo Delarmente M.D. M.A. shared their knowledge to the participants. The students were able to mingle with each other by taking part in the prepared activities such as Film and Youtube Clip Viewing, Ultimatum Dictator Game, Focus Group Discussions, Exhibit, and the Posterand Slogan-Making.

The 8th NYC was made possible by the efforts of the UP Economics Society and the UP School of Economics Student Council. 

photographs by (l-r) spev, monina sanchez, monina sanchez

FEATURES member • Sam Gonzales • alumna • Anday Pua • one big joke • Rapping with MC Tong • smoke alert • Smoke-belching in a smoke-belch-free zone • anniversary special

• Tracing the birth of the modern Ecosoc • origins • cdc • grand tradition • ad hoc • national youth congress ABOVE A shot of Godofredo Bamba’s page in the 1959 U.P. Yearbook. Photograph by Kenneth Reyes

FEATURED MEMBER

IN ALL ANGLES Many artists have taken the helm of designing the Society’s image, but not one of them has a life as immersed in artful nonconformity as Sam Gonzales

BY JESSICA BISCOCHO

16

A

sk

any

current

ecosocer

who Sam Gonzales is, and with 99.9% certainty you will get an answer associated to these: graphic designing, video editing, poster-making—in short, Pub. From her acquaintances and friends, you may even get, “Sam Gonzales? Ah, Vivrò!”

But what do we really know about Sam? Echoes decided it was time we dare climb the wall to find out.

Margarita Samantha Gonzales was born on May 11, 1993 to Dra. Celerina Gonzales. Though her family originally resided in Bulacan, she was born here in Quezon City. Dra. Celerina, in relation to her career, would have to take frequent trips to the city. Her father, however, is a different story. “I’ve actually never met my dad, my biological dad.” She mentions that she doesn’t really know (yet) the exact story behind the mystery of the dad she never met; that the topic remains a sensitive issue.

Nevertheless, here’s what we know: Dra. Celerina was first married to the dad of her older sister. Some time afterwards, her mom met her (Sam’s) dad. Shortly after, baby Sam was born, but she never had the chance to meet her father. Nine years ago, Dra. Celerina met her now stepdad, Dr. John Reganion, who is a pediatric cardiologist. Dr. Reganion was previously widowed; his former wife passed away giving birth to their third child. Having stepsisters from her stepdad’s first marriage, Sam now belongs to an extended family of eight: her mom, her stepdad, two older sisters, and three younger sisters, the youngest of which is John and Celerina’s only biological daughter.

One might think a family with this setup of interweaving backgrounds is rife with angsty, dramatic encounters.

But surprisingly, such is not the case.

Sam says that although they do face troubles every now and then, they’re holding up quite well. We can probably TheEchoes.net

TANGLED ROOTS Sam has an atypical family background

even say that the Sam we now know is a product and is shaped by that distinctly entangled history.

Upon the insistence of her mom for an education based in the city, she spent her grade school and high school years in St. Therese’s College. Ever since, Sam has expressed interest and active participation in both academics and extra-curricular activities. During her grade school years, she joined several advanced classes collectively known as Sinag and signed up for Arts, Math, Writing, and—most exciting of all—the Drum and Lyre band. And as if juggling all these weren’t challenging enough,

she also took on student leadership.

“Early on, I wasn’t really the leader, but then I started being the president of my class from Grade 3 onwards.” However, student council didn’t appeal so much to her. “I prefer a more micro-setting; I like to get to know people and be in direct communication with them,” she tells us.

As a student, despite her handful extra-curricular undertakings, she never neglected her academic duties. According to Sam, her family stands by a strong principle on valuing education.

“In my family, if you were to choose between friends and school, you throw 17

FEATURES

RENAISSANCE GIRL Besides graphic design, Sam has involved herself in sports and student leadership your friends away.” Strict as it may be, it worked for the best.

It may not be so evident in an initial interaction, but don’t be fooled by the minimal words and the emotionless expressions—Sam is actually quite the social one. “My main friends were like the dorks (and we’re proud it). But I also had friends who were all lesbians, I had friends who were the maarte’s, and I had friends who liked art, et cetera.” In short, she blended well with everyone.

Sam’s only clear college choices were UP Diliman or an international school (preferably NUS), and thanks to the persistence, once again, of her mom, she is now with us in this premier university as a student in BS Economics. As active as she was during her grade school and high school years, so she still is now, in college. In Ecosoc, she mainly works in graphic design assignments. “Although there are times that I feel a bit type-casted in Pub,” she admits. “I mean, I can do other things. I can organize. But well, I 18

understand that Pub needs people.”

If you want a taste of her passion, look no further than Vivrò. “It is my baby!” Sam zealously exclaims. Vivrò is an online fashion magazine she conceptualized one ordinary January afternoon, drawing inspiration from a high school Physics project.

After putting together a team of selected friends who share the same interests, they worked on their first issue and made it accessible for public viewing.

Vivrò is now working on its fourth issue—going strong and even expanding.

Her most recent undertaking is Ecosoc’s 53rd anniversary month-long celebration. Based on positive feedbacks, excellent reviews, and the overall success of previous events, we can confidently say that Ecosoc Ad Hoc really owned it this semester, and it wouldn’t have been attained if not for the excellent Publicity team, with Horace as the Director and Sam as the visionary behind it all.

“I really think it’s a great factor that Horace and I see eye to eye. We’re on the same wavelength, so when we design, it’s coherent. Plus, the theme is very different, which is funny because I think it was our weirdness that gave rise to it. We put our weirdness together and there you have it!”

Perhaps it’s weirdness, or perhaps it’s something else. Though we know her a little more now, her creative mind will always remain as mysterious as her father. But what else do you expect?

“I have this love and hate relationship with the world. Sometimes I hate it and sometimes I see all the beautiful. I like beautiful things, but it’s not a requirement for me to like them. You know how some people only want what’s physically beautiful and they shun everything that’s ugly. Well, I like the ugly as well. I like the dark, the non-typical. So I guess all I can say is this: do not be afraid to love the ugly because sometimes, that’s the beauty in it.”  photograph by arsenio lukban

FEATURED ALUMNA

ECOSOC’S NATIONAL ARTIST Anday Pua shows us what it’s like to fall in love with design

BY JUDITH PASCUAL

 PORTFOLIO Anday shows us her digital artworks

photograph by kenneth reyes

19

W

e have all seen the ren-

egade posters for the Ad Hoc party this month, which, following the vision of Publicity staff Sam Gonzales, feature vectorized people. But what younger Ecosocers might not know is that vector art was also prominently used by another Publicity goddess.

That’s right: let’s welcome back the talented Anday Pua.

Inclinations to the Arts andrea “anday” pua was born on the

18th of January 1988 in Manila to Lito and Julie Pua. She is the youngest of three siblings, having one older brother and one older sister.

Having been born into the modern Chinese family, her mother wanted her and her siblings to be well-rounded.

She used to play the clarinet, and at the age of seven, had her first art lessons.

“It was still life,” she recalls. “We were asked to draw a bowl of fruits.” She took the class along with her siblings and she noticed that their works were very detailed and precise with respect to the actual bowl of fruits, but hers was not.

She found still life too technical, as if it were a constraint on the imagination for a seven-year-old.

Her formative years went by thinking that the art of drawing was just a hobby—something she’s good at but not as practical as being good at math or science. Doodles and sketches have always been a part of Anday, especially during her high school years when her classmates asked her to draw their favorite cartoon characters. Sketching, however did not become a hindrance for her to do well in school. She graduated Salutatorian in St. Peter High School in Manila on 2005.

The Arts in University Life during the summer of her junior

year in high school, Anday attended the Ateneo Junior Summer Seminar, or AJSS. It was here where she first felt her world getting bigger. She realized that 20

SECRETARIAT ANCESTRY Anday is two Seccom Chairs away from the current chair, Cocoy Licaros the world is full of people to learn from and to learn with. She got into U.P. and took up Business Economics.

The summer before her first semester as a college student, Anday, being a self-effacing young lady, took the liberty of posting a campus map and a jeepney map for her freshman batch’s yahoo group. Little did she know that being road-ready will make her well known amongst her peers. She became the Freshman Representative, thanks to her maps.

It was only in her second semester of her first year that she joined Ecosoc, where she was a Secretariat Committee app. When she became the Seccom Chair during her third year, she made major revamps. She was the one who initiated the making of printed sigsheets. She recalled that during her

time, the sigsheets were cut and pasted on notepads and papers, just like doing prodwork. She made it easier for everyone by having booklets as sigsheets, all neat and organised for applicants. She pioneered giving Photoshop workshops.

“If we teach everyone everything there is to know about publicity, we will have more hands when we work,” she reasons.

Anday made Seccom more than just a committee who does administrative and production work—she made it into the publicity arm of the org, and among her first projects was the poster for Flare: The Summer Trigger, the Ad Hoc-Task Force party in 2009. Featuring a vectorized woman in a bikini, it was the first major pubmat to employ digital art in the University. “The yabang was more for the org than for myself,” she says. photographs by kenneth reyes

PIECES MAKE A WHOLE To achieve a realistic effect, Anday uses several layers of different shades of color

A few semesters before graduation, Anday, together with her siblings, went on a trip to New York. “My parents told us that this was for us to dream about life, to see the world.” And indeed, she dreamt: the trip became a turning point for her, and art became more than just a hobby. When she got back, she brought the dream with her. She started to be more competitive at something she’s good at. Grades became secondary, though she says that economics taught her practical skills in life.

Anday graduated in 2009, missing a cum laude by 0.00001. “I’d cut class for Ecosoc,” she admits. “I know that my studying is directly proportional to my grades. But it was more sad for my mother than for me,” she says as she nonchalantly brushes off her hair, with a smile.

TheEchoes.net

The Pursuit of Mastery after

graduation,

anday

really

wanted to have a job in an advertising company, but due to the 2009 recession in America, not many people were in need of advertising designers. She got hired as an Accounts Manager in Ogilvy & Mathers, an advertising agency, and she was happy with it. “The fact that you work in an ad agency is creative already.” She stayed two years before being promoted to an Art Director. As the Art Director, she did jobs such as creating a website and finishing a layout, each in one day. “You don’t randomly execute something though. All is hinged on a direction.”

Anday quit her job in pursuit of a full mastery of the art and fulfillment of her dreams. She really wants to become a concept artist just like the artists at Pix-

ar. “I want to be able to tell a well-drawn story.” She says that she will be taking art lessons this coming October, and in the meantime, she focuses herself on her art. “Practice. Practice. Draw. Draw.

If I practice everyday, I will get from level four to level five. If I practice everyday and take lessons, I will get from level four to level ten.”

“Pursuing the arts is not a waste of my knowledge in economics,” Anday says. “The economic concepts of efficiency, and the like are practical. Even if I’m just ordering coffee I use economics in making my decisions, what more in pursuing the arts.” Clearly, we can never guess where Ecosocers end up, but we know that they will always uphold the tradition of excellent service.  Follow Anday’s latest creations and artistic musings at thankgoditsanday.tumblr.com.

21

ONE BIG JOKE

PLAYER VS. PLAYA Picking up chicks is easy with Gab and Hari.

Featuring Cel Hilario

BY GAB SOLLANO & HARI OROSCO

N

apansin ng mga fans nina gab and hari na hindi

sila pinapansin ng mga babae sa simula ng kanilang video noong nakaraang buwan. Kaya naisip nilang magisip... magisip ng malalim. (Oo, nag-iisip din naman yung dalawang iyon.)

Hindi pwedeng hindi pansinin sina Gab and Hari ng kahit sinong babae. Nakagugulat nga na may nakagagawa ng ganoong bagay e. Isipin ninyo, ang lakas ng dating ng dalawang nilalang na ‘to tapos hindi man lang sila pinagbibigyan ng mga kababaihan. MALI ATA YON, CHOOOOONG! Anyway, nang matapos silang mag-isip, tumama sa kanila ang ilang bagay. Wala namang problema sa mga mukha nila. May Itsura naman kami a dahil only Belo touches our skin. Wala rin problema sa amoy nila. Kakaligo nga lang namin no’n e at sponsored by Old Spice pa! Yung hininga pa nila ay napakabango. Listerine ang mouthwash ng mga ito a. Kaya isang lang ang nahinuha nila. Kulang ang mga pick-up lines na ginamit nila noong panahong iyon. Kaya ang solusyon... maging PICK-UP LINE MASTERS! Naisipan nila na hindi sila gagaling sa pick-up lines kapag lagi silang magkasama, kaya nagdesisyon sila na mag-eensayo nang magkahiwalay para marami at iba-ibang pick-up lines ang masabi nila. Napagpasiyahan nila na magkita sa isang linggo sa U.P. upang ipamalas ang kanilang mga natutunan.

Nakasisiguro na ang muli nilang pagkikita ay isang digmaan ng kagalingan at kagitingan. Isang banggaan ng dalawang iniidolong kalalakihan. Isang tunggalian ng mga bigatin sa ganitong larangan. Harap-harapan at wala ng urungan.

Si Hari

yata ang isa sa mga magagandang lalaki sa Ecosoc! Kaya si Hari ay nag-ensayo tuwing hapon. Kahit sa klase, imbis na notes ng prof ang isulat sa notebook, ang isinusulat ay mga pick up lines. Upang malaman kung epektib nga ba talaga ang mga linya, sinasabi ni Hari ang mga linyang ito sa mga iba’t ibang babaeng nakasasalamuha niya. Hindi maiiwasan na masampal minsan ngunit hindi rin naman mapagkakaila na gumana ang iba. Nang medyo nabawasan na ng konti ang pula sa kanyang mukha galing sa mga sampal, alam na ni Hari na handanghanda na siya para sa paghaharap nila ni Gab!

Si Gab: kay gab, ang hamon na ito ay isa sa pinakamabigat niyang nakuha sa buong buhay niya. Aba, ang kalaban niya ay walang iba kundi si Hari, ang taong may pilak na dila.

Sabi ni Gab sa sarili niya, “Puta, kailangan sobrang lakas ng dating ko sa babae kundi kakainin lang ako ni Hari. Mukha niya pa lang, tingin ko matutunaw na yung babae. Dapat matapatan ko ‘to.” Kaya gumawa si Gab ng isang pick-up line program na ginagawa niya bente quatro oras, pitong araw sa isang linggo. Hindi si Gab lumabas ng kwarto niya para lang maperpekto niya ang kanyang angking at nakatagong talento sa pang-aakit ng mga magaganda at nakabibighaning mga babae. Kahit sa banyo daw ay naririnig ang kanyang mga pick-up lines pero hindi daw ito maintindihan dahil hinihinaan niya ang boses niya upang walang espiya ang makapag-chuchu sa labas.

Nung lumabas na siya sa banyo, alam niya na ito na ang tamang panahon para harapin niya na ang kanyang swabeng kalaban.

MUNDO, HUMANDA NA KAYO PARA SA ISANG LABANAN NA HINDI MO PWEDE PALAGPASAN.  para

dahil sa kapal na rin ng mukha ng taong ito syempre hindi

na rin siya nahirapan. Pero alam niyang marami nang nagdaang babae kay Gab, kaya alam ni Hari na maraming nang lumabas na mga pick up lines sa mga dila ni Gab. Aba! Si Gab 22

theechoes.net/playa

Who will win the pick-up line battle? september 21

photographs by beatriz bayudan and chiara buergo, photo-illustration by kenneth reyes

FEATURES

THE BATTLE FOR CLEAN AIR Why is U.P. so lenient with smokebelching jeeps? Because if it isn’t, the jeeps will riot

BY BENEDICT BISMARK

DUST CLOUDS OF DOOM

By Ben’s estimate, 1 out of 15 jeeps emit visible smoke

photograph by chiara buergo

23

FEATURES

T

hree hundred is a very spe-

cial number. It was the number of Spartans that fought the Persians. It’s the maximum number of points you can score when bowling. Believe it or not, it’s also the number of jeeps that have permits to enter U.P. Diliman—round about.

It’s no wonder that the air can get a little filthy now and then: jeeps aren’t the most environmentally-friendly vehicles. Based on observation, one out of every fifteen jeeps emit visible smoke within U.P. A simple estimate may mean that around twenty jeeps in UP smoke belch on a daily basis.

Non-abidance Abidance number coding, among other regula-

tions, are in place, but that doesn’t solve the problem. The UPDP (U.P. Diliman Police) are allowed to issue tickets but have no jurisdiction over the trial. They can’t be as efficient if they’re not entirely sure the person they caught will pay up.

Red tape and file transfer costs get in the way. The Department of Community Relations, the office directly in charge of jeeps, was even abolished at some point; it wasn’t reinstated until July 1 this year, and not all the files and cases have been transferred just yet. The bureaucratic costs of the system are still very high, but our contact says that it will all smoothen out within a year.

The campus abides by the QC rules when it comes to smoke belching. Basic vehicle requirements with the LTO are a must. The U.P. permit raises several secondary requirements though.

First, the jeep must undergo a motor inspection near the College of Engineering. Second, it has to undergo a second emission test free of charge. The gasses being measured are HC, CO, and NO, each one with specific harmful effects.

Lastly, the driver of the jeep must undergo a drug test. The permits only last

for a year before they have to be renewed. Some jeeps deteriorate before a year and cough up smoke. Daily use— among other things—really has its toll.

U.P. is well aware of the environmental costs though and implements its three hundred quota very strictly. It raffles out the quota to all jeepney operators via a raffle system. That explains why jeepney waiting lines tend to be really long or why Toki jeeps are such rare commodities. Quotas create artificial scarcity. Just think about the waiting time as your personal contribution to the environment.

Green Means Money complying with u.p. standards is also

very costly. Oil change, injection pump replacements, and other emission re-

ducing procedures can cost anywhere from P1000 to P3000, a heavy price for a jeepney operator. Add that to the opportunity cost of one days’ worth of earnings when the jeep in the repair shop. That amounts to around two to three thousand pesos. The total cost of a repair then would be around P3000 to P6000. Corporal Marquina from the Office of Community Affairs mentions that some of the jeeps in U.P. date back to the 1980’s and their maintenance costs are very high.

Start-up costs are also very high.

The cost of owning a route that passes through U.P. is around P100,ooo. After paying the lump sum however, the operator can add as many jeeps to the route as long as the system stays within the 300-jeep quota. High start-up costs

SOOT BE TOLD A commuter covers his face from vehicular smoke 24

photographs by chiara buergo

ALL BARK, NO BITE Though this sign articulates U.P.’s stand quite clearly, in practice, it is a lot more lax prevent market entry. This is why the jeepney operations within campus is actually a monopoly. The Pantranco route, for example, is owned by a single entity.

He just happens to own ninety jeeps and had P100k to enter the market.

Electronic jeeps have also been proposed as an alternative. The batteries don’t last for more than a day and they aren’t as fast as the normal jeep, but they don’t emit harmful emissions either. The campus can also hire the same drivers for the electronic jeeps to maintain their employment. The cost then will be borne by the monopolistic jeep operators.

No to the Future the system has thought up of alter-

natives however, such as the electronic jeep and the monorail system. But the costs of these will be borne heavily by the jeep sector, which will go out of business.

In fact, the Philcoa jeepney drivers have more than once marched to the office of the Vice-chancellor for Community Affairs to oppose the monorail. Regardless, the monorail system is about to be set-up. Ground-breaking has already begun in the College of Fine Arts.

Though the plans have been trimmed down to a simple CHED to OCA route, our contact says that once the plans have begun, there’s no stopping expansion.

TheEchoes.net

for us students though, we still have

The costs of green alternatives will be borne by the jeep sector, which will go out of business

to wait and see how the price for using these alternatives will affect us. We might be better or worse off, depending on the relative change in commuting costs. It might be safe to assume that it’ll be cheaper, because if the monorail was a lot more expensive than the jeep, it wouldn’t pose as a business threat.

The environment is vital to U.P., but even if staying clean has its benefits, these benefits must always be placed side-by-side with the costs. The question becomes: are we willing to pay these costs?  25

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

THE HANDS THAT BUILT ECOSOC

Presenting the men and women whose contributions to the Society continue to persist— five, ten, twenty, fifty years on

26

photographs and design by kenneth reyes

1

1. GODOFREDO BAMBA (ORIGINS, 1958) 2. SANTI DAPUL (CDC, 1976) 3. NOLI DE PALA (GRAND TRADITION, 1982) 4. GIGETTE JAVIER-DE LUNA (AD HOC, 1992) 5. PATTI CAMUA (NYC, 2003)

4

3

2

5

 FATHER ECOSOC Godofredo Bamba is in good health at the age of 73

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photograph by kenneth reyes

ORIGINS

THE SMALL BANG The sprawling Society we know today began almost as an afterthought

BY KENNETH REYES

I

t might come as a shock for most to learn that sep-

tember is not actually Ecosoc’s anniversary month. Or at least, we can’t be sure. Godofredo Bamba himself isn’t sure, and as you will learn in the article on Grand Tradition’s beginning, September was chosen as Ecosoc Month for convenience’s sake.

The origins of the U.P. Economics Society is shrouded in uncertainty. Few documents from the Society’s pre-history exist, and those involved in its creation over fifty years ago have, understandably, forgotten the precise details. Who was the student who first pushed for its founding? Who chose the name? What conversations did the earliest members have with each other?

Nevertheless, we can piece together this much from the facts we do know: The year is 1958. The College of Business Administration building did not yet exist, and its students took their classes in the Liberal Arts building (presently Palma Hall). There was no School of Economics either, and the subject of economics was merely a minor within the Business Administration undergraduate degree.

Among the CBA-based organizations of the day were the Business Guild, the Pan Xenia Fraternity, and the Phi Chi Theta Sorority. During the first semester of the academic year 1958-1959, a group of CBA seniors realized that no organization existed that focused on the subject of economics, so they moved for the creation of one—an act strongly supported by the director of the Institute of Economic Development and Research, Dr. Amado Castro. Thus, with little fanfare and with no inkling of the fateful act they had just committed, a group of college seniors formed the U.P. Economics Society.

Their first adviser was Dr. Castro, who called for an elec-

TheEchoes.net

29

GODOFREDO BAMBA First President

TERESITA DE GUZMAN First Vice-president

GENARO CIRIACO First Public Relations Officer

CAROLINA GOZON Charter member

MILAGROS FUENTES Charter member

MA. TERESITA GUEVARA Charter member

FOREVER YOUNG Pictures of some of Ecosoc’s founding members in the 1959 U.P. Yearbook tion of officers. The Society’s charter members gathered in a classroom in the L.A. building one afternoon for this historic affair (though it would be unsurprising if they viewed this as a chore at that time). Among those nominated was a 21-year-old transferee named Godofredo Bamba, who, as you may have read from an earlier Echoes article, was an excelling student hailing from Caloocan.

The elections, like everything else, were informal; a show of hands deter30

mined the First Execom, where Godofredo closely defeated rival candidate Nick Poblador to bag the presidency.

Teresita de Guzman won as his vicepresident, and Amelia Abello, Alice Sandoval, and Genaro Ciriaco were elected as secretary, treasurer, and public relations officer, respectively. Of these five, only Alice is known to be deceased, a tragic victim of the 1990 Baguio City earthquake.

Ecosoc had no committees then, and

most of the members were seniors who were busy preparing for their graduation. Consequently, the Society only organized one event: a convocation of congressman Sergio Osmeña, Jr. held in the LA Theater on January 22, 1959 at 11 in the morning. P.R.O. Genaro Ciriaco served as the master of ceremonies.

After the program, the Ecosoc members had a luncheon with the congressman at the U.P. Canteen, a spacious nippa structure where the now-defunct photographs provided by godofredo bamba

University Prom was usually held.

Camaraderie was present even in those early times as members would often kid that they should embark on an outing at Balara, the joke being that their ‘outing’ was only to the resort next door.

The seniors graduated on 1959, which leaves the transition of officers a bit unclear. It appears Godofredo and his co-Execommers served from the first semester to the second semester of the same school year, unlike today where our officers start in the second semester and end on the first semester of the next school year.

All these are relayed here without dates, for the simple reason that no one remembers them. But though we can’t be sure of our anniversary month, we can be pretty sure that 1958 is our birth year based on two clues. Firstly, Godofredo Bamba graduated on 1959, and his yearbook page credits him and his batchmates as ‘charter members.’ This puts the Society’s birth within the 19581959 academic year.

Second, the first event of the Society, the convocation with Hon. Osmeña, occured on January 22, 1959. Since it is highly doubtful the members managed to found the Society and organize a convocation in 22 days, Ecosoc must have been founded in the previous year.

This was the Society at its infancy: no constitution, no CDC, no publication, no tambayan, no song, no thrusts. It was made not for some grand ideological aspiration, but merely to fill a void, and it was no doubt founded with low expectations. In fact, as you read further to the other articles, you will notice that low expectations is a recurring theme in the creation of Ecosoc’s most enduring franchises. The pioneers this issue pays tribute to were just trying to fill a void, or supplying a need. The Big Bang started the universe, but a small bang started Ecosoc. Nevertheless, the whisper of our origins is a never-ending crescendo that continuously echoes through the years. Perhaps now we can believe that genius, indeed, can be found even in the smallest things.  Godofredo is retired. He resides at his home in Marikina City with his family.

TheEchoes.net

When Kenneth Reyes approached

me to write a short message to you wonderful people, I could not help but feel humbled and endlessly thankful for the privilege, for in truth I am just a regular alumnus, with no significant achievement, intellectually or otherwise, and now a plain citizen who no longer works. That unforgettable episode of having been elected the first president of the association makes it my singular honor and weighs heavily in my heart far above and beyond those obtained elsewhere. That’s how I value my alma mater and that’s how much I love you people.

School year 1958-1959 is a lost time, forever gone to the dust bin of history, a time when most of you were not yet born, when the minimum wage was a measly P120 a month, when—oh you will envy this—one ikot fare around the campus cost only P0.05 and the bus fare to Quiapo via JD Bus was only P0.15, and at the then-Little Quiapo, an isolated off-road eatery row, a lunch of unlimited rice with soup and two viands and a banana for dessert cost only P0.70.

At the time, the College of Business Administration was yet homeless—a squatter at the third floor of what was then the LA, now AS, Building. The members of the class, almost all active in campus affairs, fraternities and sororities, felt the need for that important sector of Economics to have its own organization, and thus founded and established the UP Economics Society under the advisory of our venerable professor Dr. Amado Castro.

From that simple beginning, crude and still groping in the dark as any beginning organization experiences, with subdued fun-fare and devoid of media exposure, that seed we planted has germinated and matured into this strong, well-knit organization it is today. UP is providing you with the essential tools and knowledge by which to set order in the turbulent chaos confronting you. Later, with a sad heart, as you leave the hallowed halls to face the dark cobwebs and treacherous quick sands along the way, just bear in mind that mastering adversity is not just facing the enemy and pulling the trigger; it is also doing negligible things, those littlest of actions, in righting what is wrong, with compassion in your heart.

Godofredo Cortes Bamba, Jr. September 8, 2011 31

 MAN WITH THE PLAN Santi Dapul ran for president with the platform of forming CDC

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photograph by kenneth reyes

CDC

THE YEAR ECOSOC GOT ITS HEART The president who began our socio-civic tradition lived in a time of political turmoil

BY BEATRIZ BAYUDAN

T

ibak is not something you

would normally associate with the U.P. Economics Society— or the School of Economics in general. For the past years, it has been observed that students from this side of the Academic Oval, well, bleed more blue than red.

This is, of course, not a commentary on U.P.’s political parties and beliefs, as I myself firmly believe that we can all agree to disagree on certain things as long as we respect each other, but rather, like I said, it’s just an observation.

With that said, it is quite interesting to note that during the years of the Marcos regime, the U.P. Economics Society was one of the funding sources of the Philippine Collegian, the University of the Philippines’ student-run publication, activist in nature. Kule’s editorin-chief was Diwa Girikmundo, also a member of Ecosoc.

Also worth highlighting is the fact that during those years, censorship TheEchoes.net

was highly in effect. From what I have learned in around ten years worth of Philippine History classes, just about anything negative that you say about the government then would be cause to land you in jail.

Yet Ecosoc still funded the Collegian.

Publishing such an oppositionist and radical paper pushed the org to resort to secretive techniques to ensure its circulation. Ecosoc was one of the two active orgs in the University then, the other being the Vanguard. This was a brave move for them, choosing to stay active in a time where meetings were routinely questioned. Even Echoes, then headed

by Alex Escucha (now vice-president in Chinabank), had to be extremely careful. Ecosoc was responsible for two student-run publications; it’s amazing how the org wasn’t suspended or forcibly disbanded.

Given that I was not born yet at that time, I can only imagine the passion the youth had in desiring change and over-

throwing the dictatorship. I can’t say I know the full extent of it, but judging from the level of social awareness that spurned so many advocacies that still live on today, that passion was, well, more than enough to oust a president, stage a bloodless revolution, and establish a new era of democracy.

Paralleling this surge of social awareness era, the U.P. Economics Society circa ’76 imparted an important legacy to our organization today—the creation of the Community Development Committee.

One man was at the helm of this legacy. His name is Santi Dapul.

This simple boy became president of one of the most prestigious and wellknown organizations in the University, but not without a fight. Battling it out with him for the presidency was Ken Ferrer, someone whose life was on the flipside.

Ken Ferrer, very much unlike Santi, was one of the well-off ones. The dis33

STORIES FROM THE PAST Echoes EIC Kenneth Reyes and CDC Chairperson Faye Ferrer meet with the Ecosoc legend parity in the two young leaders’ economic status might have been a barrier for others, but not for Santi. For him, it was just another thing to contribute to his drive to give a different face to Ecosoc.

Mirroring Ferrer’s status was the reputation of the organization at that time: aside from being well-known for the work they did, Ecosoc also gained a rep of being “sosyal, rich, exclusive, and ma-party.”

Dapul wanted to combat that misconception, so he made it his campaign platform to create the Community Development Committee, a plan that came to fruition when he won.

In its beginnings, it was not even a permanent committee—it was treated much like the Ad Hoc and Task Force committees today. The head of it was his Vice-president, Emilio “Boobie” Fernando. Yes that’s right: the first CDC head’s nickname was Boobs.

Santi also likes to joke about his motives. “The vice-president then didn’t do much, so I created the CDC to keep him busy. You never know, he might start 34

plotting against me.”

There exists, of course, a huge difference between CDC then and CDC now. One of the activities Dapul spearheaded was an immersion in isolated barangays in Antipolo, Brgys. Kalawis and Boso-Boso. The team that traveled to this site numbered ten members, including Dapul himself.

He recounts the experience they had during that said immersion. “It took us three hours to walk to the actual site,” he says. “It was only accessible by car up to a certain point. After that, the roads stopped and from there we had to walk.”

“The three hours was a one-way trip,” he continued. “So you can just imagine how hard it was for us. We stayed there for a week and made recommendations to the residents.”

He also shares how CDC was funded then. “We had movie screenings in Meralco Theater for fundraisers,” he says.

“We also went caroling, going from house to house until late in the evening.” In fact, during one such caroling session, the group of Ecosocers were detained by the police for violating the

curfew. Thankfully, no harm was done and they were released by 4am.

It was a big-scale project for such a young committee—quite a plucky step for them. This was a different kind of social awareness they were promoting; this was social awareness with heart.

Perhaps they decided to undertake this to balance out all the violence and negativity that the atmosphere was rife in.

It’s different now, of course. We live in an age of convenience and democracy. Though today’s Community Development Committee holds other kinds of activities, they still embody that spirit of daring, offering more and more kinds of CDC activities, i.e. the electives, and thinking big with the Grand Caravan.

Santi Dapul weaves this web of scrapbook stories, revealing so much yet still concealing a lot. One thing is for sure: we have this man to thank for giving Ecosoc a heart, our very own Wizard of Oz. Santi is the Managing Director of First Place, Inc. His office is at the Bahay ng Alumni. photograph by reuel realin

THE CREATIVE MAESTRO  Noli de Pala also helped write the Ecosoc song

GRAND TRAD

BIRTH OF SEPTEMBER The Grand Tradition traces its roots to the audacity of the 25th Execom

BY COCOY VARGAS

photograph by kenneth reyes

35

W

hile

ecosoc

greatly

banks on its tenet of tradition, little do Ecosocers know how the traditions they happily celebrate now came to be.

Back in the eighties, student organizations would usually choose a whole week to celebrate as their organization.

Ecosoc, being one of the largest orgs on campus (and having quite an audacious set of leaders), chose a whole month to claim as their own. Hence, Ecosoc Month came to be.

But just as how the birth of Christ wasn’t really in December, the birth month of Ecosoc in September isn’t necessarily accurate. The Executive Committee of 1981-1982 chose to celebrate Ecosoc Month during September, the primary reason being that it was the last full month of the semester, giving them adequate time to prepare. It was not because it was Ecosoc’s anniversary month, because they didn’t know when that was. All they knew for sure was that Ecosoc started in 1958.

As a testament to the fascinating evolutions caused by time, September came to be known as our anniversary month sometime within the decade.

‘Grand Tradition’ it was then-echoes editor-in-chief

Noli de Pala who coined the term ‘Grand Tradition’ to describe the overall sentiment of celebration for the first Ecosoc Month. As for Miss Grand Tradition, the beloved cross-dressing pageant, he explains: “At the time, the College of Business Administration had already run their Binibining BA pageant a couple of times, so our Execom just flat-out pinched the idea.”

Noli claims that the first pageant was sponsored by either Liaison or Secretariat, which means that Memcom wasn’t always its organizers. There were ten contestants then but they didn’t represent any committee—they were just a bunch of willing Ecosocers. Because they all knew member Christian Garcia (now CIO of Halliburton in Texas) 36

THE ORIGINAL QUEENS The first Miss Grand Tradition in 1982 looked good in drag, they assigned him as the ‘reigning Miss Grand Tradition’ that would hand over the crown to whoever was going to win. “We thought it wouldn’t be as exciting if he were a contestant and a clear frontrunner,” Noli fondly recalls.

We can see how the Miss Grand Tradition has progressed since its conception in 1982. Its first installment was held in the lobby of the School of Economics, and such was the case up to Grand Tradition 2008 (Heaven Sent: Goddesses to Die For). In 2009, Enthroned was held in SE 127, while during the next two years, Vengeance and Fearless were held in the School of Economics Auditorium.

“There are pictures around of me getting kissed by the reigning queen on our little makeshift stage in the Econ Lobby, so I may have even hosted it,” Noli recalls. “I do remember posing some questions to the contestants.”

‘Pangakong Pangarap’ besides working on the first-ever

Ecosoc Month, Noli de Pala, with Roda Santos, Ding Yson, and Raymond Azurin, wrote “Pangakong Pangarap,” the official Ecosoc song, in the next semester. That was when a songwriting contest was held within the Society, and the four-man team submitted two entries (out of a total of five). Noli likes to joke that their “worse” entry won. He is, however, quite surprised that the song

has lived on decades after it was written.

Shortly after that fateful September, after the first Grand Tradition and after the first Ecosoc Month, the UP Economics Society received the Wenceslao Q. Vinzons Award, a distinction given to the best student organization in the entire University of the Philippines system. Noli attributes this achievement to his Executive Committee and the “sheer audacity” of Ecosoc Month. little do noli and the rest of his con-

temporaries in Ecosoc realize that it was during their time when a tradition that was grander than any cross-dressing pageant they could have ever come up with started—a tradition that began to shed light on the multitudes of reasons for Ecosocers to celebrate why it is so amazing to be part of something as magnificent as the UP Economics Society.

Does the fact that September is not really our anniversary take anything away from the passion we display and feats we achieve during that month?

It doesn’t. After all, as the tagline says, ‘Remember September, because we gave it meaning.’ Indeed, Noli and company did, and it’s called the Grand Tradition. For that reason, September was, is, and always will be, the one and only Ecosoc Month.  Noli is now the Head of the Executive Management Office and the Trust Department at EastWest Bank.

AD HOC  AN AD HOC LOVE STORY Gigette Javier went on to marry her co-chair

AD HOC BEGINS How the fundraising committee found its calling as the vanguard of September

BY NADINE ELEAZAR

A

d hoc. when i first en-

countered this phrase in my freshman year, the first thing that came to mind were college parties. (Forgive my ignorance!)

Come September, I’d hear people hype up their respective ad hoc’s with much pride. Eventually, I found out what it really meant: a Latin phrase meaning ‘for this purpose.’

Once again, it is September and week after week, there’s an ‘ad hoc’ party from various organizations. Likewise, our own Ad Hoc Committee is busily preparing for Ecosoc’s month-long anniversary. Just how did this committee come to be the creative and loudly exphotograph by kenneth reyes

troverted powerhouse it is today?

It all began with Brigida “Gigette” Javier-de Luna, Ecosoc’s president from 1991-1992. During her term, she saw the need to formalize an Ad Hoc Committee that would spearhead the organization’s anniversary celebration. Ad hoc teams formed then mostly tackled movie premiere fundraisers. With her then-suitor (now husband) Noel de Luna as her cochair, Gigette set in motion the birth of the committee that today lies in the hands of Paolo, Janna, and company.

Back in September 1992, Ecosoc’s 34th year celebration was themed A September to Remember, a pleasant echo of this year’s Remember Septem-

ber. For reasons still unknown to us, the it was just an Ecosoc Week, even if the tradition of Ecosoc Month started ten years previously. It inexplicably transitions back to Ecosoc Month sometime in 1996, and it’s been so ever since.

As I saw the rundown of the events they had that year, I couldn’t help but notice the strong semblance to the activities we continue to have to date.

The week-long celebration began with a Thanksgiving Mass, followed by an opening ceremony and a Grand Photo Exhibit in the college grounds. Familiar events included a bingo event (Bingo Ka ‘Day!), an Alay sa Personnel, a Treasure Hunt (The Ultimate Treasure Hunt), the Grand Tradition Pageant, a Medmission, a Quiz Bee (Eco-know-mics) and a Sports Cup (Ecolympics), which was held in ULTRA (now known as the PhilSports Arena).

In addition, Ecosoc hosted events such as Thirty Fource, a car-pushing race held in front of the College of Engineering, Target Assassination Game (T.A.G.), a paintball tournament, and Small Talks, which featured renowned weatherman and journalist Ernie Baron. I suppose T.A.G. is comparable to last semester’s Battle Royale, organized by the Sports Committee, while Small Talks is similar to the talks organized by the External Relations Committee. But I have yet to experience an Ecosoc activity like Thirty Fource.

To culminate, a variety show called Huling Hirit was held on September 23 (another coincidence!) at the U.P. Film Center. It featured Neo-Colours, True Faith, Ogie Alcasid, and Viktoria—the popular artists of the day.

While the number of events has been trimmed down (from 14 in a week to 7 in a month) and modified through the years, the same desire to live out service, excellence, and tradition persists today.

I believe the committee is here to remind Ecosocers past and present of the many things they should be proud of.  Today, Gigette is the Director for Corporate Communications at MVSM Bank.

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NYC

A CONGRESS FOR EVERYONE The friendship that sparked the National Youth Congress

BY RAPHAEL DANTES

T

he diversity of growth fol-

lows the passage of time. History comes into being as changes, whether by fortuity or intent, transpire and effect, as in the U.P. Economics Society, which has continued to change for better or for worse. The National Youth Congress, more commonly referred to as NYC, the hallmark of the Academic Affairs Committee, has been a triumphant embodiment of the former.

Patricia Anne “Patti” Camua really believed in economics as a legitimate field of interest, and she was disappointed that only a few people shared the same passion. She recalls an instance when she asked her younger brother what degree he’d like to take for college, and he immediately responded with Business Administration.

Meanwhile, in the U.P. Economics Society, then-Acad Chair Jerome Orfina just resigned. Hoping to fill the seat for the remainder of his term, Patti ran for the position—right about the same time her friend, Raynalyn “Len” Punzalan, ran for EdRes in the SESC. They kidded that if they both won, they should embark on a project together.

True enough, their dual victory and Patti’s determination to promote economics led to the early stages of the National Youth Congress, which was envisioned to be an economics convention that gives high school students experiences with the subject. Patti and Len assembled a team of forty people, half of which belonged to Academics Affairs while the other half were volunteers coming from the School of Economics.

They poured out over this event, with

FLASH OF BRILLIANCE  Patti Camua was only Acad Chair for one semester

every last detail meticulously planned.

Patti jokingly remarked that the term ‘congress’ was meant to give the event an elite appeal. The central theme of the 1st NYC was the Asian Free Trade Agreement—a hot topic that year. Financial resources for this project were quite scarce—with the participation fee a mere P120 from schools, funding was funneled from the central budget of Ecosoc and donations from members. In spite of the shoestring budget, they still exceeded their original target to have one hundred participating students to having three hundred students from thirty different schools.

Patti shared a memorable flub when

38

they forgot to invite the Dean of the School. Dean Fabella, who is now a loyal supporter of NYC, came to the event despite not being formally invited and even handed out fliers to help them.

At the conclusion of the event, he commended them profusely.

Patti never imagined that NYC would become the DepEd-accredited and NEDA-endorsed event that it is now. What she sowed continues to be reaped by younger generations today, and for such kinds of feats do people really live.  Patti is currently the Distributor Sales Manager for Colgate-Palmolive. She is stationed at Baguio City. photograph by kenneth reyes

CULTURE DAVE GROHL Formed the Foo Fighters

KURT COBAIN Killed himself with a shotgun

KRIST NOVOSELIC Entered politics

fashion • Defy the rules this September • music • Nirvana’s Nevermind turns sports • The UP Men’s Basketball Team • gossip • Spilling secrets is always fun

Gossip G • politics • Mideo Cruz takes center stage in the religion debate ABOVE Nirvana and the subsequent fate of its members. Photo taken from ReverbNation.com

20 • with

FASHION

DRESS LIKE A RENEGADE Three fashion rules you ought to break

BY LIA LONTOC

H

ello there! it’s been quite

a while hasn’t it? So sorry, loves but you see, I’ve been busy working with a fabulous group of people on the biggest and most awaited event this semester! In case you forgot: IT’S SEPTEMBER, BABY! And you know what that means: time to throw those books and papers in the air ‘cos we are in a revolution!

Bring out the inner renegade in you by disobeying the rules—fashion rules, that is. Here are three commandments that you shouldn’t have to confess to the priest when you break ‘em:

1 A night out calls for killer heels

Heels make your legs look leaner and the perfect pair can definitely make an outfit. But, it takes balls to wear sneakers with your party frock. This statement is so effortless yet it’s so carefully calculated.

Own it and everybody else will be so jealous that you stand out comfortably while their feet are bleeding of discomfort.

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2 Less is more

More gold, more silver, more leather! Excessorizing is totally fab. Don’t be afraid to pile them on. A renegade doesn’t give an eff.

3 Feathers are not things

They totally are!!! OK, so I made up this last one hahaha! A very ferowsh friend of mine told me that his stylist said that feathers are apparently a thing. That’s good enough reason for me considering this friend of mine is just about the gayest person I know… next to Ralph Dantes, that is.

Feathers on your head, around your neck, in one ear, in both ears, doesn’t matter! Wherever you put your feathers, you’re a renegade!

style rules are so cliché. defying

convention is the way to go. See you all on September 23 at One Esplanade! À bientôt!  TheEchoes.net

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MUSIC

20-FOLD PATH: FINDING NIRVANA This September, Nirvana’s Nevermind turns 20. Here’s an ode to the band that captured a generation’s angst and spawned countless imitators

BY DEREK PARREÑAS

T

here was once a time where,

when you stepped out onto the cold pavement of the dark streets, you would find yourself looking at androgynous nobodies with long, teased hair dressed in fishnets and tights (also possible: fishnet tights), African-esque peoples with Jeri-curls strutting their stuff while wearing colorful military jackets, and asymmetrical hairstyles sitting on the tops of heads dressed in brightly-hued shirts and ties, neon pinks and blues. I’m not inventing some sort of bizarre dream for you here—this was the 1980’s. And towards the end of that circus, there was a sort hailing from Seattle, USA, that had their hair long and plain, wore loose clothes, and looked bare and dirty. Just like the sound of their music.

The foundations of the grunge movement had begun: in DIY tours around the country, in the trading of home-recorded cassette tape mixes with friends, and in the spirit of the youth all over the world.

The Winds Have Changed as the final gasps of the decadent

pop and hair metal culture of the ‘80s, (Michael Jackson, Madonna, Guns ‘N’ Roses, Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Skid Row, White Lion, et cetera) was signaling its death, Nevermind by Nirvana was released to finally end it. This was on September 24, 1991 and grunge had 42

COME AS YOU ARE Kurt Cobain, Nirvana’s troubled songwriter

‘[Cobain] was Johnny B. Goode—somebody who is truly nobody from nowhere [who] reached out and touched the world’ —vernon reid for rolling stone

taken center-stage. Before them, nearly all the songs people heard were about having love, about having sex, about having a great time, reaching its peak during the late ‘80s. And if it didn’t have those lyrical themes, it must have had some politically-charged lyrics. None had bothered to write songs about not getting love, not having sex, and not having a great time. It took “Smells like Teen Spirit” to let the world know that there’s something wrong with the thencurrent music scene. That there are kids that didn’t have love, didn’t have sex, and didn’t have a good time. Sure, it was featured in other bands’ songs before, like Metallica, but none had real mass appeal. Even if this type of music

photograph taken from musicvideosanddvd.blogspot.com

HEARD ‘EM SAY

Quotes—both positive and negative—about Nirvana

is popular now, it wasn’t really common sense at that time. If you think about it, would a song about feeling stupid with all forms of popular entertainment sell? And if it would, sell well? That was the magic of Nirvana and Nevermind.

It created this kind of music for mass consumption, taking the audaciousness and pomp out of the current rock music (which had to feature intricate guitar solos that hit every note possible) and bringing it back to the ground. They took the sound of metal, the simplicity of punk, and the angst in everyone’s hearts at that time to create this paradigm-changing album in the history of popular culture.

Passing the Torch since then, you heard toni brax-

ton “unbreaking” her heart, you heard Green Day come around, you heard Beck calling himself a loser, you heard Tupac complaining about changes, you heard Eminem telling you how Stan died, you heard Incubus wishing you were here, you heard Westlife thinking about letting you go, you heard Matchbox Twenty being unwell, you heard Urbandub alert the armory, you heard Usher’s confessions, you heard Alicia Keys warn you about karma, you heard My Chemical Romance saying they’re not okay, you heard Fall Out Boy bring someone down, you heard Katy Perry think of you, and you heard of Lady Gaga’s bad romance.

Nirvana paved the road for these other artists to sing about the sadness in their souls, the anger in their artistry, the madness in their minds. Never mind that Kurt Cobain hated the album production. Never mind that Kurt Cobain killed himself with a shotgun. Never mind that Kurt Cobain was a mentallycrazed musical perfectionist. Just mind the music and how it changed what you hear nowadays. It was twenty years since the album was released. Twenty years and still influential.

Has Nevermind reached enlightenment? Give the album a listen.  photo-illustration by kenneth reyes

‘Nirvana made everything else look silly.’

BONO, frontman of U2

‘Kurt Cobain had a great sense of humor.

Look at the cover of the album: It’s a baby swimming after a dollar. That could be the cover of a comedy album.’

JOEL MCHALE, host of The Soup

‘That kid has heart.’

BOB DYLAN, referring to Kurt Cobain after hearing the song “Polly”

‘The only person I have any respect for as a songwriter over the last 10 years is Kurt Cobain.’

NOEL GALLAGHER, guitarist of Oasis

‘I mourn for Kurt. A once beautiful, then pathetic, lost and heroically stupid boy.’

PETE TOWNSHEND, guitarist of The Who

‘I think Kurt Cobain and grunge took the fun out of rock and roll.’

BRANDON FLOWERS, frontman of The Killers

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SPORTS

NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP The U.P. Men’s Basketball Team take on a new coach and a positive attitude

BY HAZEL SUMAMPONG

I

t was coming full circle for the

U.P. Men’s Basketball Team as they tried clinching the 7th spot in Season 74 of the UAAP. After starting out with a 1-0 slate, the Fighting Maroons strived to substantiate their comeback by not finishing dead-last this season. Unfortunately, the team went crashing back to Earth as they lost to the U.E. Red Warriors (68-54) last Saturday, and ended up at the bottom of the pack for the third straight year.

But despite a curtailed turnaround, the Maroons are proud that they have finally put an end to their 18-game losing streak that started on August 2009.

They managed to nail two games, one against U.E. (69-61), and another versus FEU (76-63). “This season is a lot better than the last one,” says shooting forward Moriah Gingerich. “100% effort.”

The players attribute their successful return to their new coaching staff.

“We owe it to them,” says veteran Mike Gamboa. The roster led by Coach Frederick “Ricky” Dandan, a former Ateneo coach and current Powerade Tigers assistant, have instilled a more positive yet very disciplinarian attitude in the team. Gamboa describes their coaching style as very intense and focused. “Every practice—consistent since it started.”

In particular, the team gives credit to Coach Ricky for their positive mentality and better teamwork. Sophomore and shooting guard Jett Manuel says “he’s different mainly because he was a U.P. player before. He knows what it takes to be a champion.”

“He knows a lot more about basketball,” adds Gingerich.

“Whatever happens, good or bad, just 44

HEAD IN THE GAME Point guard Mike Gamboa smiles for Echoes

keep on fighting,” Manuel says of their mindset. “No one bosses other people around. No superstar—everyone can contribute.”

The team is excited about next season as they continue on their rebuilding stage. They look forward to improving both individually and as a team. Gamboa stresses that “the team is worth more than just two games, and there is still potential.”

They are one in thinking that they have to work on playing more consistently, particularly in terms of maintaining leads and closing out games. Having lost a number of close games for the past years, they admit that these are lessons that should’ve been learned seasons ago, but they are positive that “next year, they won’t happen again.”

The team takes it as a learning process. “We are focused more on the process rather than the result. If the result of the process [would] bring us there [the Final Four], then well and good,” explained Coach Ricky during an out-

side interview.

As for a clear game plan, Gingerich quotes Coach Ricky: “Defense, that’s how our team would compete and win.”

Aside from team dynamics and playing strategies, the players are also focused on self-improvement. Their goals include getting physically bigger and stronger, blending better with the squad, and contributing more to the team.

As they await the return of veterans Mark Lopez, Alvin Padilla, and Mikee Reyes, and the arrival of some fresh blood, the Fighting Maroons are more than ecstatic to take on the next stage of their rebuilding process. Although neither the critics nor most fans expect much from them, they promise to deliver better results next season, for the team and more importantly for the university.

Now that the monkey is off their back, it’s time the Maroons strive to put the ring on their finger.

U.P. fight!  photograph by chrissie cruz

GOSSIP

NO ONE LIKES A TATTLE TALE So let Gossip G do the tattling for you

BY GOSSIP G

from what i hear, my last foray into

the world of reckless gossiping caused a bit of mayhem over the Internet waves.

Then again, gossip always causes a bit of mayhem somewhere, doesn’t it? Let us all, as one community, mutter a pronounced c’est la vie and get back down to business. Those unspilled secrets are a-waitin’!

SPOTTED! H and E having a little too much fun with work. My sources tell me that meetings of the enforcement kind don’t exactly prevent pleasure from mixing with business, if you know what I mean. E, when you say that the meeting’s just between you and your team, how do you figure that? Well, it’s not like H being in almost all of them is a bad thing; E still gets work done, but I wonder, when you say it’s nothing, is it really nothing? Don’t play coy, boy.

After all, we may be looking at Ecosoc’s next power couple.

The plot thickens though, as I hear E has a certain A that longs ever-so-hopelessly for her affection. A even wanted to form a ‘family’ with E, but it looks like she’s already found a daddy for her children. There there A, there are other fish in the sea.

SPOTTED! R getting a ton of attention from a fresh crop of basketball playeresque hopefuls. But hey, R is really pretty and I see where you’re coming from. But sticking around her, randomly texting her, and PM-ing her ‘til she falls asleep is really not going to work.

Sure, you guys don’t look like midgets standing next to her unlike most bachelors, and yes, you’re all getting along well enough. She even has dinner with image taken from nancydbrown.com

some of you on occasion. But darlings, that doesn’t mean you’re getting somewhere. She’s got high standards, and it looks like she’s into someone from a different generation. Better luck next time!

SPOTTED! L’s charm reaching all the way to Educ! I hear that L is so irresistible that a little bird even visited a certain sporting event just to be with him.

She even almost slipped and proclaimed her love through SMS. I’m not exactly sure what L did to her, but baby, she’s head over heels!

Girl, you’re not the first to fall for L. He’s a great guy. Just be sure you know what you’re getting into. After all, he was invited to over eight proms. I admit you’ve got a pretty face, but competition’s pretty tight. Your college might be closer than any foreign nation, but I hear he has moving-on issues.

SPOTTED! N switching genders for an alumnus. We can always blame the alcohol now and then, but if you’re a closet un-closet, that definitely would explain why you’re so touchy around girls. I’m pretty sure you’ve got rainbow blood, but if you’re playing for both teams, I suggest you come out of the bi-curious

closet now. Almost everyone knows about your zig-zagging high school relationships, so why not just admit it?

I’m sure no one will hate you for it. You probably just won’t get as many hugs from girls as before. At least you’ll be clear with everything right after that.

SPOTTED! Tensions in a sporting event reaching critical! It’s one thing to make rude jokes and to make fun of other peer groups—I’m sure we were all stressed during the event—but no matter what, cursing and pointing is definitely uncalled for. I even hear that one of the BR’s broke into tears.

It’s not the first time something like this has happened. Last year, the other BR cried over the exact same event.

Time heals all wounds and I’m sure this will blow over. Tensions do bring out the worst in us. But a word of advice: an apology really goes a long way. oh, there’s only so much gossip that

a page can contain. There’s a lot more out there, and you don’t even have to search: It’s all in the logbook. p.s. Election’s coming, and I hear someone’s thinking of ‘switching allegiances’ in order to run.  45

POLITICS

grade

3.0

REPORT CARD August 2011

BY THE TV MONSTER religion continues to be a dividing force in the

country, taking on a new front with Mideo Cruz’s “Poleteismo.” Elsewhere, Team Noynoy continues their crusade against Arroy and co., while a U.P. Law student finds out just how mean Filipinos can get.

PRIDE 4 Court of Appeals rejects with finality Andal Ampatuan Sr.’s motions for reconsideration 9 SWS survey reveals that more Filipinos agree to government-funded artificial family planning compared to 1990 10 Malacañang defends Mideo Cruz’s freedom of expression, though admits that CCP should “review their policies”

15 DOLE conducts first-ever Green Jobs summit to promote ecofriendly working environments 22 Nursing board topnotcher Jomel Lapides says he’d rather work for PGH than work abroad 22 Senate argues where life begins, which, though inconclusive, employed facts and logic rather than religious beliefs 23 PSE announces plans for an online trading platform for brokers 26 Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago nominated for a seat in the International Criminal Court 28 Ateneo Debate Society supports alumnus’ challenge to Sen. Vic Sotto for a debate on the RH bill

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29 Talisay vendors relocated to new marketplace with 4 months’ rent free; old marketplace was rugby boy hangout

SHAME 1 Beneficiaries of conditional cash transer (CCT) program reportedly spending their endowments on gambling and nonessentials 3 Christopher Lao’s video goes viral, undergoes cyber hatred 3 8 Calabarzon policemen are charged with torture over hazing procedures 3 Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri resigns while making it absolutely clear that he is NOT GUILTY OF ANYTHING 9 Binay and Marcos clan still can’t agree about how and where to bury Ferdinand “Hero” Marcos 9 CCP closes down Kulo exhibit due to threats over Mideo Cruz’s “Poleteismo” 10 CCP visual arts director Karen Flores resigns over Kulo exhibit

15 Malacañang says Freedom of Information and RH bill not included in list of priority bills as they were still being studied, says they like to take things slooooow

18 A dump truck in Cebu transporting mourners crashes and kills 10; DILG issues a memo informing Central Visayas mayors that transporting people in dump trucks is, um, wrong 24 PNoy refuses to apologize for government’s incompetence during the 2010 bus hostage tragedy 25 Agusan del Norte priest accused of raping a 17-year-old girl 26 2 of the ‘Alabang boys’ acquitted not because they’re innocent, but because of “the police’s improper gathering of evidence” 26 Wikileaks releases cable where US describes the Philippine National Police as “a mess”