Section C
The Staff
Book Review
June–October 2011
g e n r e
Ang Inahan ni Mila* (Mila‘s Mother)
Features & Literary
W
The big small man hat Junrey Balawing—a Sindanganon teenager from Brgy. Imelda—lacks in height, he makes up for in fame.
Balawing was officially certified by the Guinness World Records as the shortest living man in the world at .5993 m tall when he turned 18 on June 12. Balawing broke the record of Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal who is 0.67 m tall. From his looks, Balawing may be mistaken for an infant but he is the eldest of four siblings from a Subanen family.
According to Reynaldo Balawing, a blacksmith, his son stopped growing in his first year. His speech is stunted and his conversations are only short phrases. His condition prevents him from attending school. Balawing mostly stays at home under the care of Concepcion, his mother. He needs assistance to move around because he cannot stand for a long time.
World Record
Judee B. Garsuta judee_garsuta12@yahoo.com
Guinness World Record. Craig Glenday measures the height of Junrey Balawing before confirming the new world record.
Balawing was always sick at age two, and the doctors could not find any medical remedy. The Guinness team, led by editor-in-chief Craig Glenday, measured Balawing six times both vertically and horizontally before handing him a framed certificate at Sindangan Municipal Hall. ―While we need to maintain a scientific, dispassionate approach to documenting record claimants, it is impossible not to be moved by the plight of these incredible, brave human beings,‖ said Glenday.
ISBN 978-971-814-112-0
A
ward-winning writer Austregelina Espina–Moore presents a novel that reveals the crucial struggle of women to dominate and rise in the society. Focused on a mother figure, the book also connects to the society especially to the family ties as well as to different human relationships. The novel also showcases practicality that fits to the modern world and discards the traditional perception about women. Ambitious, selfish, domineering, cunning…. That is Teresa Garcia–Graham, ang Inahan ni Mila, an outwardly beautiful Cebuano from a disadvantaged family who faces the world w i t h candor. Her effort to rise from a sinking social class coincides with her marriage to an American businessman, Ken Graham. To her, this happened because of her ambition and exertion. But as a woman known with such background, she is haunted with inferiority and discrimination among the elites. Her struggles, which almost always involved money, strained their that eventually ended in divorce. Also as Mila‘s mother, she would by all means secure every privilege for her daughter, which she was deprived once. Escaping from poverty, she continuously pursues her course against it and at the same time urges Mila to do the same. But this, too, caused a gap between mother and daughter. Teresa is a depiction of a modern-day woman—who dares to defy poverty and seek a place for herself in a society that does not embrace her—though she seems pathetic because she is deprived of a daughter‘s love and a husband‘s loyalty. She may be an ―antagonistic‖ protagonist whom readers will hate; yet, her audacity and determination to succeed are moving. The book reminds readers that money does not guarantee happiness in life. Author: Austregelina Espina–Moore Translator: Hope Sabanpan–Yu Publisher: NCCA Press © 2008 Pages: 52
Love in the Time of Cholera*
Riding on the Korean wave
This means ―hello‖ in Korean, but that this now ofA nnyeonghaseyo! ten used by the Filipino teenagers to greet each other. It is just one of
the evidences that our country has been swayed by the Korean fever. Many young people today are actually fascinated with almost anything Korean.
Pop Culture
Kindness W. Dagondong BSBA III
After the success of the Mexican telenovelas and the Taiwanese dramas on our television, the Korean dramas have proliferated the airwaves and swept across every shore in our country. Each of the TV series has gained popularity among Filipinos, especially the teenagers. The first Korean drama series, Bright Girl, featuring Jang Wa-ra, was aired on GMA 7 in July 2003. This was followed by Endless Love with Song Seung Hun and Won Bin that earned the fondness of the diehard followers. In 2004, ABS–CBN aired Lovers in Paris, Memories of Bali, and Save the Last Dance for Me. Series after series, the Filipinos were mesmerized with the youthful cast and melodramatic stories. The Koreans describe this phenomenon as hallyu. It refers to the Korean wave of entertainment that has captured the hearts of millions in a foreign land. Moreover, Korean wave reflects the wider appeal of the different aspects of the Korean culture including but not limited to food, clothing, videogame, and language that Filipinos begin to embrace. Kamsahamnida, meaning thanks, is now often heard among the young ones. In the same way, Korean gestures like making the peace sign among others are even being adopted during picture taking.
It cannot be denied that the fast-growing popularity of the Korean entertainment and culture in the country has changed the youth‘s perception of what is admirable. Korean celebrities and the K-pop groups, either composed of boys or girls, are seen as cool and attractive with emphasis on being strong-minded rather than on just being cute and sweet. Hallyu or the spread of Korean culture to the whole world was originally predicted to die down. However, the trend suggested otherwise. Known as Korea‘s culture export, hallyu is expected to rake in $3.8 billion in revenues this year or a 14-percent increase from the previous year. The long-term stable growth of this new culture export remains to be seen. Hallyu has also boosted tourism in South Korea. Visitor arrivals from 2003–2004 alone soared to 3.7 million. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has been utilizing television content, films, and music in its aggressive campaign for more international tourists. We would not wonder anymore why TVXQ/Tohoshinki, Korea‘s biggest K-pop group, made it in the Guinness World Records (GWR) for having the largest official fan club in the world. Cassiopeia, the band‘s official fan club, include 800,000 official members from South Korea, more than 200,000 in Japan, and another 200,000 or so internationally. The same feat was repeated the following year, according to GWR. Aside from their largest fan club in the world, the group was also listed as the most photographed celebrities. Since their debut in March 2009, the five members are estimated to have been photographed 500 million times individually as well as in group pictures for magazines, albums, print advertisements, etc. Korea used to be synonymous with kimchi. Now the K-pop has overshadowed. And the fever has not subsided yet.
ISBN 978-030-738-973-2
E
ssentially, the world is a love story. And every great story should be known to the world. Pop culture has saturated the world with many love stories. But what makes this particular book different is the genuine voice, a voice that is distinctly and undeniably unique. However, Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez successfully conveys an extraordinary story from a totally ordinary different view. Or for that matter, the love story is unique and ultimately one of the best expressions of love. ―Love in the Time of Cholera,‖ as Rob Coteau said, is a creative amalgam of two starkly contrasting elements: the sacredness of love and love‘s embodiment in everyday experience. Ultimately, the transcendental power of love emerges as a beautifully rendered theme of this evocative and paradoxical masterwork. Reading the first few pages, one would immediately be arrested by the idea of fantasy that this creative story is nothing but ordinary. It starts in Cartagena, a fictitious name for a place somewhere in the Caribbean. Florentino Arizo is a young man full of romanticism and ideology about the word love. One day he chances upon the beautiful Fermina Daza who becomes the gravity of his world. Everything he does revolves on the idea of making Fermina his lover for the rest of his life. Love then becomes the central theme—the invisible string that holds all their actions, decisions, failures, and triumphs. The wonderful ting about the work is its gradeur that comes from the cataloguing of meaningless details in life. Marquez faithfully portrays the ordinary lives of individuals, yet interweaves the elements of fantasy and idolatry of love so as to make a good scheme of the lives of the characters. After 51 years, nine months, and four days of unrequited love, Florentino—after the death of Fermina‘s husband—seizes his chance to declare his enduring love. On the other hand, Fermina is enraged; but after a few meditative letters, their ―young‖ love finds new life in the twilight of their lives. Read the book for the sheer joy of reading the humor, the poetic quality of its prose, and the bucketful melancholy of this celebration of love in all its forms.
*Book Reviews by Cheeza S. Vidal, BSEd III
S C2 Features & Literary
The Staff genre Travelogue
The jewel of Andhra Pradesh
Hyderabad H
enceforth, let me have my say: Let the inhabitants of the world be divided into two classes—them ―as has been to India‖ and them ―as hasn't‖—to defy Edward Lear, a world traveller and humorist, who once classified people: them ―as has seen Taj Majal‖ and them ―as hasn't.‖ Even though I missed the ―tomb‖ when I visited the sub-continent, India remains the most beautiful country for me. No other place in the world overwhelms the senses—the aftertaste of curry, the colors of swaying saris, the fragrance of jasmine, the texture of silk, the solitary strains of sitar—we‘re blessed to have just five of them lest sensory overload would bring instant nirvana to the uninitiated. I had the rare opportunity to experience India while taking up American history and civilization studies at the biggest US library in Asia and Africa. Being one of the eight international scholars and the only one from the Philippines, I was immersed in both ancient and new world cultures in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad used to be a global center of the diamond and pearl trade; but in the past two decades, it has emerged to be a major global center for information technology, research, and Telugu film (Tollywood). Founded by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591, the city has developed a culture that is best reflected in its lifestyle, language, and architecture. Though the origin of city‘s name is mired in several theories, only one thing remains certain—the fiery Andhran cuisine that makes the other Indians even shake their heads in disbelief. Home to numerous Fortune 500 corporations, Hyderabad is one of India‘s most important IT cities. Although life is lived at a fast pace, multiple pockets of timeless tradition continue to flourish. Two of its iconic landmarks speak well of the city‘s storied past: the Charminar mosque and the Golconda Fort.
Charminar In the historic Old City stands the iconic structure with four luxuriant minarets supported by four grand arches. Located on the east bank of the Musi River, this architectural masterpiece is a stone‘s throw from the rows of bazaars of bangles, pearls, silk, and copperware. Charminar, from char (Persian/Hindi char) = four and minarets (Arabic manara) = spire/tower, was built by Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 to commemorate the end of the plaque in Golkonda, the present day Hyderabad. The mosque is made of granite, limestone, mortar and pulverized marble.
Gilbert B. Lamayo
Condemnation
Worshipped with evil‘s grin a black lolly idol and lived just immorally blessed Life‘s doomed. Those convictions: masked and thw by the darkness of heart made life promised hell‘s fire.
gilbertlamayo@msn.com
Sheena Marie S. Calvo
Unfortunately, I missed to catch a glimpse of the bustling city from the minarets as the towers were off limits at that time due to frequent suicidal jumps by the locals from the proportionately planned arches. To add to the drama at the tower is the legend that an underground tunnel connects it to Golkonda Fort, the escape route for the Qutb Shah rulers in case of a siege.
Haikus
Golconda Fort The splendid ruins of the capital of ancient Kingdom of Golkonda (1364-1512) are situated 11 km west of Hyderabad. Constructed by Ibrahim, a Hindu Kakativa king, the fortress citadel was rebuilt for defense against the invading Mughals from the north. Among the fascinating features of the fort is its acoustic sytem—a hand clap at the main gate could be heard at the top of the fortress on a 120-meter-high granite hill. In the 16th century, Golkonda became the capital and fortress city of the Qutb Shah‘s kingdom. The city was home to one of the most powerful Muslim sultanates in the region and was the center of a flourishing Entrance. The writer sits at one diamond trade. of the fortified doors of the fort.
Sharp as heroes‘ tongues that slit open hearts and minds, A sword that spills words.
I walked through the beach, Splash! My footprints were banish As waves kissed my feet.
Still smiles, frozen time Seem carved together with rhym In an old photo.
In a blank portrait An image falls from a quill, A picture that tells.
Incredible India On my flight back home, I already had a new image of India in my mind. It was no longer the savage world in Rudyard Kipling‘s The Jungle Book. I still saw elephants, snakes, monkeys, the continuously burning funeral pyres, and above all things, a cricket match that could literally put the whole country in a trance. India is beyond the labels and slogans. It is incredible. It is sacred. It is developing. It is modern. It is a nuclear war state. I need not wait for reincarnation to be reborn. Travelling to India was a transmigration of the soul. It was like a dream—floating and illusory, exciting, colourful, enigmatic, and desirable. India is like the soul. It is immortal. Only people come to experience the delights of the senses and go to tell the world about them. And a lifetime is too short indeed.
The night‘s icy breath Blows the stars into a lake —the heavens descend.
Sheena Marie S. Calvo
Sindangan @ 75: The diamond Pre-Colonial Period
Colonial Period
Commonwealth Era
How the town exactly got its name remains a mystery to this day. Even its own legend has two versions: A Spaniard comes across a flower and asks the locals if there is any pest in the plant. With their limited knowledge of the foreign language, they answer ―sin dangan,‖ meaning ―without pest.‖ The place is inhabited by the Subanen people (suba or river) who call their settlement a benwa. Buklog, considered to be the most significant of their religious rituals, is held in a specific community at least once in seven years. Buklog is a conglomeration of rituals for thanksgiving, recovery from illness, and for the spirits; and a culmination of the other rituals for the planting season, harvesting young rice grains for pinipig or anticipating a bountiful harvest, thanksgiving for good harvest, and celebrating good health and harmonious living.
The other account tells of a fisherman carrying a basket of fish. The guardia civil asks him of the name of the place. Thinking he is being asked of the fish he is carrying, the fisherman politely answers ―indangan‖ or ―sturgeon,‖ the brightly-colored coral-fish with knifelike spines at the tail.
Sindangan used to be part of Dapitan Parish since 1645 and then of Katipunan Parish from 1876 to 1935. It becomes independent as parish on Dec. 29, 1935. The Rev. Nicasio Patangan is its first pastor.
Post-War
1960s
Sindangan Farmers Cooperative Marketing is founded on Aug. 30, 1956; changes name to Sindangan Farmers and Teachers MultiPurpose Cooperative, 1998; FACOMA merges with Sindangan Cooperative Credit Union, Inc., and Sindangan MultiPurpose Cooperative, 2006; restores the Sindangan FACOMA name, 2011.
Sindangan Barrio High School is established in 1966; is converted to Sindangan National High School, 1982. Saint Joseph High School is founded by the Rev. Constancio P. Mesiona to offer sectarian secondary education, 1968; it offers secretarial, clerical, and commerce courses in the 1970s and changes its name to Saint Joseph College; is now known as Saint Joseph College of Sindangan, Inc., 2011.
History President Manuel L. Quezon issues Executive Order No. 27 appointing Bartolome Lira Sr. as the first municipal president to organize the Municipality of Sindangan, Dec. 22, 1936; Lira serves as the first elected mayor until 1941. Emilio Ortuoste serves his term from 1942 to 1945.
Joaquin Macias is elected mayor in 1946 and serves until 1953; Abundio Siasico, 1954–1957; and Joaquin Macias, re-elected, 1958– 1963. Sindangan Junior High School is established, 1947; is converted to Sindangan National Agricultural School, 1958.
Donalyn E. Aquino donalyn.aquino1996@yahoo.com
Features & Literary C3
e│June–October 2011 Profile
Memory
d.
warted
Faceless, the memory has lingered between thoughts her heart heaved but suddenly skipped, now gone.
Michael E. Tan
BEEd II
―Quitters never win and winners never quit.‖ The 20-year-old independent candidate for the presidency of the Supreme Student Council of Saint Joseph College of Sindangan, Inc. lived by this saying when he staged his campaign to win despite the setbacks. Michael E. Tan is a rare breed of student leader. He persevered in his pursuit to lead the students, to help mold other leaders while at the same time develop his own leadership skills. Michael aimed for the top spot in the student government due to the full tuition scholarship as the main perk of this post. He cited the tight family budget as one of the motivations for joining campus politics.
hed
me
Meet the SSC president
Precious Mae L. Gone
His name, beyond meaning, prevents loss of timeless spoken words emptied against wind, traceless.
,
S
With sigh, the girl lumbers her day heavy as logs, slumped shoulders carrying memories of love.
Background Michael is 5‘4‖ and celebrates his birthday every Nov. 7. A Scorpio, he is determined to survive against all opposition. He is the fourth of the eight children of Gilberto Tan and Vilma Escuadro. Since his three elder siblings have already married, Michael now acts as the eldest to his younger brother and sisters. He grew up in Brgy. La Roche.
The rough road ahead During the miting de avance, Sheena Marie S. Calvo endorsed him before a crowd of supporters at the college gym. Michael banked on his platform of setting himself as an example student leader who abides by the rules and regulations of the college and judiciously spends the meager resources of the council for noteworthy projects and priorities. He promised to practise impartiality in his dealings with the students even if they came from the other colleges. Having the Scorpio vibration, Michael was resilient. Being an independent aspirant, he had his share of all the criticisms to himself. Instead of backing out, he carried on with the help of his classmates, friends, and students who contributed for his posters and sample ballots. An information technology student even went online at Facebook to rally the students for Michael.
Away from the candles and wreaths on his dark grave she walked towards setting sun and beyond.
Scorpio's secret desire: To triumph
He is now a mem‘ry, a trace of yesterday, haunting her mind‘s crevices forever.
The canvassing of votes showed how close the fight was among Michael Tan, Dante Amento, and Kindness Dagondong. Ariel Mainit, the former president, was first to congratulate Michael for making a history at SSC. Previously, business administration students would win for the council presidency partly due to the number of students enrolled in the BA program. Michael has already accomplished a number of activities, which he and the other officers initiated. The college students were able to observe the Nutrition Month and Buwan ng Wika with contests for a wider participation. The SSC also organized the Literary-Musical Night where he and his partner won the dancesport event. And to add to the list of SSC accomplishments is the controversial Mr. and Miss Intra Meet 2011. He presides over the regular council session. He looks forward to realizing his project on office equipment among others students‘ needs.. Michael manages his time for studies and campus leadership. Influenced by Scorpio‘s ruling planet, Michael does not have a girlfriend for now. Much like Pluto, she has been taken off from the list, too.
Cheeza V. Silvano
jubilee for a multi-faceted town 1970s
1980s
1990s
Filomena Macias is elected mayor, 1964–1967; Jose Tan, 1968–1971; and Mariano S. Macias, 1972–1979.
Ricardo S. Macias is elected mayor, 1979–1986; Engr. Crescente Y. Llorente Jr., appointed, 1986–1988; elected 1988–1991; and re-elected, 1991–1995.
Engr. Winnie O. Albos serves three terms as mayor, 1995–2004.
Hillside View Academy offers elementary, secondary, and college education at Mandih Campus, 1975; renames school to Philippine Advent College and relocates to Brgy. Magsaysay. Zamboanga del Norte Electric Cooperative supplies electricity to the town and its adjacent barangays, 1983.
Sindangan Port serves cargo vessels for timber and chromites; passenger and cargo vessels ply the Sindangan–Nabilid–Pulauan– Cebu route. Incoming through traffic ply the Sindangan–Liloy route and vice versa. Trans-Asia and Cokaliong Shipping companies serve the town.
In 1960s, Sindangan has a functional power plant that provides electricity to residents in Brgy. Poblacion at nighttime.
Cruz Telecommunications Company installs landline telephone in the town proper and nearby barangays.
Post-Millennium Bert S. Macias succeeds the vacated post in 2004; is elected mayor, 2004–2010. Nilo Florentino Z. Sy is the incumbent mayor of the municipality.
Commercial establishments accept electronic payment of goods and services; commercial and rural banks put up branches and ATMs in the town.
MBC Radyo Natin 92.1 starts airing from its station in Brgy. Goleo, 1997.
Sindangan celebrates its 75th founding anniversary during the week-long Linggo ng Sindangan, Dec. 16–22.
Sindangan Water District supplies potable water to concessionaires in 15 barangays, 1994. Incoming and outgoing national and international long distance calls are provided by the National Telecommunications.
Prime Cable TV provides subscribers around 50 national and international news, documentary, movie, and sports channels.
Philippine National Bank and Land Bank of the Philippines offer services to depositors in the countryside.
Smart Communications and Globe Telecom provide broadband Internet connectivity. 3G, Wi-Fi, and DSL technology enable the residents to be connected to the information superhighway 24/7.
Junrey Balawing is listed as the shortest living man by the Guinness World Records during his 18th birthday, June 12, 2010.
The town, a first-class municipality, celebrates another milestone, strives for socio–economic stability and prosperity, and looks forward to its cityhood in the coming years.
The Staff │June–October 2011 Foresight
C4
Oh, my… this mirror! My face is wrinkled and I’m sagging all over my body!
design
Blah..blah...
Artists: Marthy G. Rago ▪ Mary Astrid P. Taco
Super Lolo
Hey!
Wala yan! Ang lolo ko, makita lang ng mga maton, nagtatakbuhan na. Hindi pa sumigaw ‗yon.
Napakatapang ng lolo ko! Pagsumigaw ‗yon, takbuhan lahat ng maton sa amin.
Hindi! Patay na kasi ang lolo ko!
Well, your eyesight is still great! How’s that?
Tell me something good to make me feel better about myself!
Ganoon katapang ang lolo mo?
Countdown Hang up
Sorry, sir! Your cancer has spread all over your body.
You would not live that long anymore...
How much time do I still have?
10...9...8...
Say something!
Second collection Whoever wants to donate, just stand when the music starts!
Lupang Hinirang! What music shall I play, Father?
Whole truth Adults hide at least one dark secret, which makes blackmail easy by saying “I know the whole truth.”
I should try this!
I’ll give you P50. Just don’t tell your father.
I know the whole truth.
The Mentalist Oh, boy! You‘re smart!
But...
Shoot!
Joven, if you had five candies and I asked for two, how many would be left?
Three!
Here’s P100. Ok, son, but not a word to your mother!
Let’s see if this works with strangers.
Then come here and give your father a big hug!
That‘s easy!
I know the whole truth. I know the whole truth.
Double trouble Any question?
Sorry, ma‘am!
Divorce bill Yes, what is it?
My dad said if you didn’t give me a good grade, somebody would be in trouble!
Alam mo, pare, ‗di na ako binubungangaan ng misis ko ngayon kahit maglasing pa ako.
Ibig mong sabihin mabait na ang misis mo?
Hindi! Hiniwalayan na kasi ako!