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KAPAWA
@kapawaofficial VOLUME 6 ISSUE 13 | May 2022
News
Sports
PH elects new set of leaders into power in May polls
Breathers
NICOLE FRANCES H. SAZON
GIOLLAN HENRY P. DEMAULO
SYSTEMATIC. Registered voters mark their ballots at their assigned precincts for the 2022 National and Local Elections on May 9. photos taken from Rouelle Umali by ANDREA KIRSTIN D. edited by MA. AVRILLE MARQUIELA C. LORAÑA
RAMIREZ;
Despite the mishaps of the broken vote counting machines (VCM) and alleged tampered voting ballots, the Congress of the Philippines proclaimed Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte-Carpioas the 17th President and 15th Vice President of the Philippines, respectively, during the Joint Session of the Senate and House of Representatives on May 25 at Batasang Pambansa.
On a local scale, Negros Occidental entrusted the provincial seats to Governor Bong Lacson and Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer once more while Bacolod City declared Alfredo “Albee” Benitez as its new mayor under Asenso party list, alongside Vice Mayor-elect El Cid Familiaran from rival party list Grupo Progreso. “The May 9 elections was a rather historic moment and as a first-time voter, I felt hopeful for the Philippines. [….] However, we all knew how the elections turned out. I was disappointed and blatantly upset. There were obvious irregularities during the elections that I am convinced it was rigged,” former Mimesis President Carlos Valderrama from STEM 12-G shared his sentiments. However, even though people speculated against the then unofficial vote tally, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) released a statement wherein the results are still 100% matched with the said tally. Additionally, as exciting and nerve-wracking as it was for many first-timers, the election day was not a pleasant experience for everyone according to some from the Liceo community, may it be the crowd flocking in precincts or the results of the elected officials. “Aside from the negative feeling, I was also feeling the moment as I cast my vote that will decide the fate of our nation. It was hectic and somehow unorganized in the precinct where I was assigned to vote,” Jaine Trishia Encarnado from HUMSS 12-C stated her experience regarding the elections. Overall, only 55.5 million votes out of an estimated total of 67.4 million active and qualified voters that were able to register were tallied in the May elections, giving this year’s elections the highest voter turnout regardless of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Being a student under the reign of the pandemic has never been an easy endeavor—seemingly being a curse and rather far from a blessing. Now put yourself into the shoes of that student, who also stand to be academic achievers, are also well-trained athletes forced to separate from their constant schedule of practices and countless tournaments. The abrupt drop outside of their seemingly monotonous lives became a living hell for these student-athletes who continued to wish for the slow return of their beloved sport. Yet as the slow transition of on-site competitions became the norm, the University of St. La Salle (USLS) continued to become a meltingpot of events for athletes, one of which being the crowd-favorite football. On the 29th of May, the USLS Stingers Cup concluded after a successful two-day tournament run with both aspiring and adept footballers flocking at the Brother Roly Dizon Sports Complex Football Field. Through the Php 1,500 registration fee, the tournament served as a conclusion to a 12-day La Salle Summer Football Clinic sponsored, hosted, and facilitated by the USLS-Integrated School (IS) Batch ‘91 Alumni with the sanction of the Negros Occidental Football Association. The two-weeklong event became an avenue for student-athletes to destress from academic pressures, especially for the graduating students of Liceo-De La Salle, as their college lives draw nearer.
“The event was simply a breather for me, [stressfree] and just a fruitful experience where I got to be with amazing athletes [both] from my teammates and various teams,” said Jemar Vingno, a participant of the said tournament, from STEM 12-E. Despite not making it past the qualifying rounds as they lost a game and drew a tie—twice even, in the group stages, Vingno expresses his gratitude for the event that was. “I had this sense of warmth as the environment […] rekindled my long-lived passion for football, thus it was like going back to my first love where everything was just free and enthusiastic.” In the essence of probably their last dance on a field of green, Alexei Agabon of STEM 12-E, an alumnus of USLS-IS, expresses that the said event was pivotal for student-athletes like him as they haven’t seen proper action for the past two years, calling it a “definite break” from the norm of the pandemic. “It was a way for me and my friends to not only enjoy football [as a] game, but to enjoy playing together one last time before we all [take different paths] in our respective lives,” he added as a nod that most of his teammates are graduating from Liceo. With life beginning to transition back to physical connections as the pandemic becomes manageable, the hope of heading back into competitive scenes and faceto-face trainings still thrives in the hearts of studentathletes worldwide—and the recently concluded USLS Stingers Cup and La Salle Football Summer Clinic were testimonies to this gospel. Entertainment
REVITALIZED. Athletes Alexis Agabon and Jemar Vingno refresh themselves through football. photos taken from Alexei Agabon and Jemar Vingno by XIOMARA edited by MA. AVRILLE MARQUIELA C. LORAÑA
ANN B. MONDRAGON;
Opinion
We Are Not Yet Ready
KAPAWA ririviews
rishianaclaired@gmail.com
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EDITORIAL STAFF
Everybody can vote, but not everyone can use their vote effectively for the common good.
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Elections are the bloodline of democracy and solely reflect the popular decision. Thus, it is ideal to conclude that it is never about making wise decisions; rather, it only represents the verdict of the ton. In light of human judgment’s fatality, a direct popular election is by no means solely accurate. Democracy has its shortcomings as the process of electing good governance would only be effective if the system of education is adjacent to its necessitate. Therefore, we cannot assume that everyone is capable of voting justly due to the prevalence of blind fanaticism and a low literacy rate that correlate with poverty and a faulty education system. This ensues a severe dilemma with socioeconomic status, which affects the right to education. Consequently, historical revisionism in our country is rampant since people operate on false history—gravely misinformed. Moreover, even if you present straight facts to the devotees of a political name, they are most likely to neglect this information because, empirically, their perspective is imbued with fanaticism, leading to distorted rationality. With this, some administer reasoning out of hearsay and not out of factual evidence. If we equip the electorate with the basics of democracy, they won’t be easily swayed by false anomalies. After all, the collective judgment would be at a much higher level— obliterating negative clashes of voting. Everybody can vote, but not everyone can use their vote effectively for the common good. Considering the outcomes of the recent elections, it seems like the Philippines is not ready for governance that embodies high integrity, accountability, and clean leadership. We are still submerged in traditional and bare minimum public service that neglects people who are truly capable and unstained with corruption—uptight with misplaced righteousness. Safeguarding fact-based
S.Y. 2021–2022
LOU MARCIAL M. CUESTA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
JEWEL IRISH S. BELASCUAIN ASSOCIATE EDITOR
NICOLE FRANCES H. SAZON MANAGING EDITOR
ANGELI M. GEROSO NEWS EDITOR
FRANCIS EXEQUIEL P. AMPIL FEATURE EDITOR
GIOLLAN HENRY P. DEMAULO SPORTS EDITOR
RYAN A. RODRIGUEZ LITERARY EDITOR
JOSEPH BRYANT J. DE LOS SANTOS LAYOUT, GRAPHICS, AND PHOTOS EDITOR
ANA DOMINIQUE G. MANABAT CREATIVE LAYOUT EDITOR
LEON EMANUEL E. ADVINCULA ASSISTANT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
KYLE LENARD A. MANGUBAT ASSISTANT ASSOCIATE EDITOR
THERESE MARIETTE P. ROSOS ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR
SOPHIA NICOLE C. DAYAO ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
PRIMA YSABELA S. ARCIAGA ASSISTANT FEATURE EDITOR
JULLIANA RENEE S. OGAPONG
ASSISTANT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EDITOR
SEAN CARLO O. SAMONTE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
OONA MARIA AQUILINA C. OQUINDO ASSISTANT LITERARY EDITOR
MA. AVRILLE MARQUIELA C. LORAÑA ASSISTANT LAYOUT, GRAPHICS, AND PHOTOS EDITOR
CLAIRE DENISE S. CHUA
ASSISTANT CREATIVE LAYOUT EDITOR
VINZ ANDREW S. CORESIS ANNA SOPHIA C. GALZOTE MELISSA E. GEQUILLANA SAM HERVEY T. SABORDO
ANDREA KIRSTIN D. RAMIREZ LAYOUT ARTIST
NEWS WRITERS
JEWELYN L. LIBERATO
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY WRITER
PAUL GABRIELLE T. CORRAL ZAMANTHA ZAYNN J. CHIEFE RISHIANA CLAIRE D. DADIVAS MILES U. GUANCIA KIRSTEN ANN G. LIMOSNERO MARIA MIKAELA H. TORMON
JEZAIRA Z. CONSTANTINO JASON LEE J. PAMATI-AN JANNA M. REMUS ILLUSTRATORS
FEATURE WRITERS
ASHGAN AL RAYEH MOH’D IDREES B. BKHEET RYBA ANGELA N. MODERACION
EPISODE 11
SPORTS WRITERS
visual by JEZAIRA
Z. CONSTANTINO
evidence when battling misinformation is not to further belittle the misinformed. Instead, it is an endeavor to make people understand that they’re also victims of a failed system. To educate is never an attack on people on the grass.
Ultimately, transitioning to a more progressive state should have a process that needs to be taught systematically. Only a radical change to remove the bondages of a long-due trail of corruption is the feasible answer; unfortunately, we might not be ready yet.
CLAIRE DENISE S. CHUA
ANGELA MARIE N. AMODIA AIKKA HEART L. DAVID GEORGE MARGAUX M. GITANO ALTHEA D. MARIJANA KAILAH MAY T. PACENO KYLE BRYAN T. PALPARAN JOSE PAOLO P. PARROCO MARIE SHELLA ANN G. PATIGAS
STEPHANIE ANNE O. ALOLON TIMOTHEE RAMON S. CONSING XIOMARA ANN B. MONDRAGON PHOTOJOURNALISTS
LITERARY WRITERS
RHIZNAN FAITH D. FERNANDEZ, LPT MODERATOR