PICTURES LUMAD PROTEST Francis Malasig / EPA / Shutterstock
HARRIET TUBMAN Associated Press
BIPOLAR MAN India Times
THE PARTING Henry Louis Stephens, Library of Congress
MULTI EXPOSURE WOMAN Getty Images
DIVORCE CAKE Getty Images
SORROWFUL MAN Church Leaders
FERDINAND MARCOS SR. AND JR. Malacanang Museum and Library
DOG WITH LEASH The Spruce Pets
EDSA PEOPLE POWER REVOLUTION Rappler
KITTEN Lomsnes Veterinary Hospital
FERDINAND MARCOS Getty
FILIPINO BLM PROTEST AFP / Mark Ralston
MARCOS JR. REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco
BLM PROTEST Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
GRETA THUNBERG CNN
LUMAD PROTEST UCAN/Joe Torres
BORIS JOHNSON PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
PRIDE PROTEST Kryss Rubio
XI JINPING Reuters
PRIDE PROTEST Alecs Ongcal / EPA-EFE/S hutterstock
JOE BIDEN Ryan Collerd / Bloomberg via Getty Images file
Lian Urbiztondo
PRIDE PROTEST AP Photo/Gerard Carreon
CLIMATE STRIKE SAEED KHAN / AFP / Getty Images
Layout Artist
PRIDE PROTEST EPA-EFE / Mark R. Cristino, Manila Bulletin
CLIMATE STRIKE Green Queen
Writers Jeathrid Banite Jayson Andrew Bunagan
Jayson Andrew Bunagan
MANIFEST DESTINY American Progress (1872) John Gast
We are probably in the most defining time of our lives. Everything that is happening now shall dictate what will happen tomorrow. We have advanced greatly as humans. Though we have different definition of progress, we have seen progress over the years. Inside this mini magazine our topics that concers us. We wanted to share our insights, the context, and the opinion of the writers. We believe in speaking our voice and making sure our voices-- even if it is tiny is heard. Today, it is more important to speak our voice and share what we know. In this age of information, we are called to uphold truth.
Breaking Silence to Break the Stigma written by
JEATHRID BANITE I used to see myself as having a pendulum in my head. It swings to the left then I’m depressed; it swings to the right, then I’m manic. It takes multiple pills to make it stay in the middle, and only then I’m considered functional enough to be “normal”. For months I thought that from then on, my “acceptable” personality will be dependent on pills. However, she explained that the medication will only help me prolong what is true and normal. My psychiatrist explained bipolar disorder to me through waves. It will not always be all the way up or all the way down. There will be little waves in between, and sometimes the coast will be completely steady even without pills. According to ourbetterworld.org, bipolar disorder formerly referred to as manic depressive illness is a mood disorder with two extremes: depressed (“low”) and manic (“high”). When depressed, a person feels persistently sad, hopeless, and lethargic, and may feel suicidal, among other symptoms. When manic, a person becomes overly elated, more irritable, requires less sleep, makes grand plans, and may impulsively
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engage in potentially dangerous behavior. It is categorized into different types by how frequently the episodes occur. I have bipolar I which is considered the most common type of bipolar disorder. I experienced a manic episode severe enough that it disrupted and threaten my security, leading my psychiatrist to a diagnosis. An estimate of five percent (5%) of Filipinos is diagnosed with bipolar disorder as of March 2020 according to WHO data. I was diagnosed in January of that same year, so I could have been included to the estimated five hundred twenty thousand six hundred (520,600) Filipinos on their data. I imagined that amount of people feeling the same way I do, and for a moment I didn’t feel alone. I felt validated by that number until I read that the statistical account of medical physicians and facilities equipped to help us is too low. Most rural areas do not have access to hospitals, doctors, and medications for neurodivergence such as bipolar disorder. Occidental Mindoro, the province I’m currently residing in does not
have a psychiatrist available. Most of the medicines I need are not available to drug stores. I used to travel by sea just to attend my sessions and buy my pills. During this pandemic, if not for online communications I have no means of consulting my psychiatrist. My medicines need to be sent via courier which causes delay. Moreover, even in places, the facilities are available, the expense is a problem. I was blessed with parents who can help me pay for consultation and medication bills, yet it takes a noticeable amount from our savings. I wondered how many less informed remain undiagnosed. How many still suffer because they can’t afford to take their medication? How many people with bipolar disorder are not accounted for in the data WHO presented, because they could not afford to be in the system?
The time my psychiatrist told me what I have, I honestly felt relieved. I was able to hate myself less because, for the first time, I understood myself, and things made sense. It served as a reason to let myself ask forgiveness from the people I hurt. When I understood myself, I learned a way to make them understand too. Different organizations can publish information about bipolar disorder and/or other mental health problems, but to successfully break the stigma, those who suffer from it should be the first to understand. We need to master our own story before we can make our voices heard. I was privileged to learn and understand, so it’s my responsibility to speak up for those who can’t.
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Cease Tying Down Animals on a Leash written by
LIAN URBIZTONDO Animal cruelty speaks for a radical urgency of rectification. Most human beings grew up accustomed to purchasing products linked from animals yet many are questioning why animal rights is a must. The argument on animal rights till today still remains hanging on an equivocal notion. Multiple grounds on motives behind animal abuse are brought up by numerous factors. Every day, animals are being slaughtered for a wide variety of purposes such as food, clothing, and experimentation. The consumption of utilizing animals’ toils through a repercussion of brutality. There are several cases wherein pet owners choose to be ignorant towards the animal’s welfare under their care. People must hear out how paramount it is to recognize the virulence of animal cruelty. Numerous issues concerning animal violence are oftentimes suppressed. There are quite a lot of people out there who still cannot discern the affliction they
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have caused onto animals; may it be done intentionally or not. In line with humans as living beings, animals are one too. Animals are ought to be provided with sustenance such as food, water, shelter, and provision of care just like how humans who are capable of having one can attain. In spite of the difference of cognitive abilities between humans and non-human beings such as animals, both are still correlated through the same ecosystem. With humans’ grasp on better introspection than animals, humans have the responsibility to be thoughtful towards animals as they are also capable of feeling fear, happiness, and pain like us, humans. Animals ought to be given equal consideration no matter what species they are.
Interface on humans’ psychological character The cruelty incurred on animals, interconnects between a human and their state
of being that involves their behaviour and mental disposition from the act of animal cruelty that has been committed in front of their eyes, thinking that it is rational due to the fact that they’ve seen it in television or from someone enacting it. In a 2017 study on Animal Cruelty and Domestic Violence, there is an eighty-nine percent of women who have encountered animal violence in which their pet was harmed by their abusive partners in the course of their relationship as means of emotional manipulation. Children are also likely to inflict harm to animals when subjected to severe negligence wherein it is plausible for these children to pick up an abusive peculiarity as they grow up.
Inhumane agendas In proportion to human exploitation, animals are yet alike. Even though modern society has developed with the innovation of mechanical vehicles, domesticated animals are still put-upon as medium of transportation in numerous countries. Animals in farmings are often overworked with ploughing and trudging while hooked with tractions attached onto their body to function as a tool for agricultural purposes. Common animals such as horses, dogs,
donkeys, cows, mules, and oxen are continually put to work for several traction utilities. Some cases of these are when camels are used in the desert due to their efficiency in water storage and their capability of adapting on routes. Horses are often used as means of transportation in carriages or saddles to carry people or valuable supplies. Meanwhile, dogs are used to pulling sleds on a snowy field or used for security in police training. The workload given upon to animals highly affects their physical well-being. No matter the environment they’re in, whether it may be hot or cold, animals are still pushed further to move on and keep functioning like engines when they are already suffering from immense pain due to the amount of workforce. In order to avoid further animal exploitation, there are options that can be used as an alternative to circumvent treating animals as tools. An example of an alternative is where cargo bikes were catered to people in Medellin, Colombia who used horses for collection of debris and transportation. Thenceforth, the use of horses concerning this maneuver became interdicted. People are fascinated with entertainment which exhibits a diverse range of spectacles. One of these exhibitions involves the use of animals as a form
of entertainment. Animals located in circuses, zoos, or aquariums are kept to provide amusement for people by doing tricks and whatnot. In this degree, animals are held captive and isolated from their natural habitat. Endangered species are kept in zoos instead of animal sanctuaries where they can actually rest instead of being forced out to parade for visitors. Wildlife sanctuaries are a healthier environment than zoos for animals because ethics is seen and is sympathetic with the protection of animals under the sanctuaries’ jurisdiction to avoid risks of animal enslavement.
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Protection of Human Rights; We Stand United written by
LIAN URBIZTONDO Combat the shackles of oppression Every human being is inherent to their own fundamental rights as an individual and citizen. People have the privilege to practice and fulfill their own rights without constraint. The distinction of one’s race, religion, nation, and economic or social status will never hinder solidarity unless preconceived by an insignificant idea. The basic human rights consist of the right to life, liberty, security, and property which are implemented and protected by the law. However, there are nations who still violate human rights. Reports 5 | The Catalyst
including the information of assault, executions, and torment are found in the countries of Syria, Somalia, Libya, North Korea, South Sudan, Venezuela, and several more. These countries have the spotlight on them in which they still refuse to exercise the proper human rights with the consequence to continually maintain the harsh civil rights that are deemed inhumane. One of the many examples of these terrible actions is from the nation of South Sudan. Back in the year of 2011, independence was given upon South
Sudan yet till today the nation is still face-to-face with insurgency and destructiveness throughout the land. 100,000 refugees in the year of 2013 were lost due to a strife of extrajudicial killings. The United Nations have deployed peacekeeping troops to aid in the protection of countries who are under oppressive control of power. With the UN troops sent to the different countries that are subjected to terrible jurisdiction, these troops from the UN kept being targets of raids in which the transgression of human rights still hasn’t evolved.
In consonance with human rights, gender equality and women’s rights are still being subjected to oppression. Women and the LGBTQ+ community across the globe are still confronted by gender-based discrimination along with their civil, cultural, social, and political rights. Their gender identities are stereotyped by people in the society who expect them to act the way they should be when in fact, society foisted these discriminatory social norms they think people should be obliged to carry-on. Women in the society are often expected to stay at home and stay as caregivers with a lesser educational status attained than men. In spite of working women in the society, there is still a pay gap between men and women in work. Discriminatory cases like these should be abstained to raise
awareness by supporting women with access to equal opportunities like men. There must be an equal participation in facilitating human rights for women and the LGBTQ+ community in the modern civilization. The access to work as means of livelihood must be recognized instead of letting women and the members of the LGBTQ+ community who are in distressed circumstances be left in unemployment or poverty. With the pandemic caused by the COVID-19, there must be a safe access for them to be provided with medical treatment without discrimination.
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Race isn’t division
Human beings are not for sale
Racial prejudice happens in so many constructs. One’s color, ethnicity, and natural origin becomes the basis for an individual’s identity in which narrow-minded people make prejudiced jokes towards others, thinking that it’s appropriate. Racism comes with a barrier that inhibits people to appreciate a sophisticated way of living as it affects their dignity and their identity as a whole. Encouraging everyone in the education of anti-prejudice to understand and embody a justified way of thinking is a must against discriminatory perception. Every individual is on an equal level yet cannot seem to see eye-to-eye because of so many biased factors. The elimination of racism tackles on how it is everyone’s duty to become open-minded and look at a bright perspective that every race-related difference is valued and will never be unacceptable in a community.
Along with the issue of human rights, human trafficking is stil on-going in some places around the world despite its illegal conductivities. These actions of human trafficking mostly involve sexual exploitation and violation of one’s body against their free will. In the process of trafficking, the victims suffer from physical and sexual abuse during the labour they are undertaking. An approach on human trafficking with the protection of human rights is internationally established by the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children with the involvement of UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime in prosecuting human traffickers.
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Till Death Do Us Part written by
JEATHRID BANITE Every second of the day, somewhere in the world there is a crying wife. It is one of the few things the rich and poor share. The differences lie in how many people hear the assault as it happens, and who will be taken more seriously when they speak up. In 2017, a Philippine National Demographic and Health survey recorded that one (1) in four (4) Filipino women aged 15-49 have experienced physical, emotional, mental, and sexual abuse by their spouse. According to ucanews.com, the number of women experiencing abuse at home by their partners has risen since June last year during the CoVid-19 pandemic. With that number, it could be inferred that at least one in our circle suffers from domestic violence. Most of the time, admitting they are being abused is hard, because then they will be admitting
that the person who promised to love and cherish them is the one who did the most damage. R.A. 9262, the law protecting women against any act of violence from their spouse does not protect them from the feeling of betrayal and failure. The law is designed to punish after the deed of violence was done, it does trivial prevention of happening in the first place. A former nanny of my little sister used to live with an over-jealous husband. At first glance, the horrors she experienced at home were not evident. She was a welcoming woman who smiled often. Her first instincts were to be kind and caring. She was a loving mother to her children and my sister. All this, yet her husband was quick to assume she was having an affair with any man she talked to. For years, she endured the beatings, denied the emotional abuse, and defended
his actions not only from other people but from herself. Several people, including my family, tried to interfere, but she always came back to him. Her reason was that he needed her, and she loved him. She belonged to the older generation who believed that a good wife should put her husband first; that love means to endure. For a long time, she was a victim who did not know she was one. A law punishing the doer is not enough to lessen the victims. There should be enough information and support groups that will encourage them to talk and understand their situation. They should be reminded repeatedly that the bruises are not their fault; they are not the villain for living him when he yells; that love should not hurt.
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Death of a Democracy written by
JAYSON ANDREW BUNAGAN The Philippines is known as the social media capital of the world. Most Filipinos consume social media almost every day. Many find social media as a pass time, others find it useful in terms of communication, information outlet, and many others. While social media is useful in connecting people, it has also become a tool to divide people. Many people are now empowered to share harmful information online. According to Christopher Wylie, who previously worked for Cambridge Analytica, the Philippines is considered as a petri dish. According to him, many experiments using artificial intelligence have been performed in the Philippines to manipulate people’s opinion. These experiments if proven effective, shall be imported to different countries. This means 9 | The Catalyst
that the Philippines’ present dystopia could also be the world’s future dystopia. A specific example would be how the Marcos family rebranded themselves. Former dictator Ferdinand Marcos was ousted in 1986, and now, his son, Ferdinand Jr., is vying for the same position once held by his father. Britanny Kaiser, a former employee of Cambridge Analytica who turned into a whistleblower revealed that the Marcoses asked for their help to rebrand their family image for profit. This creates a distorted “truth” which affects how people view the world around them. It is a perfect technique in a country where social media is prevalent and media literacy is thrown at the window. I would like to quote Rappler CEO and
Nobel Prize recipient Maria Ressa. She said that what’s happening in the Philippines is “death by a thousand cuts.” In the past years, we have seen online trolls engage in political discourse online. We have seen mainstream media being attacked and killed. People now lost their sense of truth since everyone online is empowered into spreading information according to their narratives. Without trust in the truth, we lose democracy. Democracy was fought for by the people who came before us. Many have shed their blood for us to enjoy it. As citizens, it is now our duty to uphold democracy, learn from our history, and look forward into the future where peace and truth will reign.
Why young people are taking over written by
JAYSON ANDREW BUNAGAN The ongoing 26th United Nations Climate Change conference happening in Europe gives as a glimpse on how world leaders take the threats of climate change and global warming seriously. While we have heard big words such as “ambitious”, “unprecedented”, “BLAH BLAH BLAH”, and many others, it can’t be denied that this is still a long fight. While COP26 is happening, mass demonstrations lead by young people is also taking place. In the past years, we have seen young people take to the street the problem of climate change. In 2018, a young Swedish girl named Greta Thunberg mobilized millions of young people worldwide that demanded climate justice. It makes sense since despite their young age, they know that what they are fighting for is their future. A future that is being robbed by large
corporations, government policies, and billionaires who refuse to act. These conferences should give hope to people, but a different message is being sent. These conferences make it seem that leaders are doing something, almost making an illusion that we can overcome the target set by the IPCC. Greta Thunberg in one of her speeches said that there can only be hope when there is action. The future of young people is being compromised in the name of “economic growth.” Capitalists often tell us that everything that is happening leads to progress, but disenfranchised people have different view of a progress, progress that caters to people, not the 1% elite.
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