variations
JUNE 2016 - FEBRUARY 2017
LOS BANOS, LAGUNA IV-A
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE PHILIPPINE HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS VOL. XXXIX NO.1
Ibarangs strengthen PH-India bond with cultural exchange amber garma
With the intention of furthering ties between the Philippines and India, and to pursue the school’s advocacy for art-sharing on an international level, 10 student delegates from the Philippine High School for the Arts, all of whom are current or former members of the Supreme Student Government (SSG), along with their adviser Laurence Marbella and school director Vim Nadera, flew to Kolkata,
Students from Little Steps School in Kolkata, India holding paper flaglets of the Philippine flag. PHOTO FROM WIKA NADERA
India for a short term cultural exchange program with the Ashok Hall Group of Schools from January 16-21.
School, G.D. Birla Centre for Education, Birla Academy for Arts and Culture, and Little Steps School.
Through the efforts of officials, staff, and students of Ashok Hall Group of Schools, an educational organization founded by G.D. Birla, the delegates were able to conduct workshops and cultural presentation exchanges with four schools under the organization, namely Ashok Hall Girls Higher Secondary
Delegates Chelsea Catli and Maepril Del Puerto from Grades 11 and 9 respectively facilitated the workshop for Dance and taught their students the Bendiyan, a traditional dance from Cordillera;
Konnichiwa, Japan! SPM performs at Sanriku Int'l Arts leila francesca maligalig
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jet stephen chong
PHOTO FROM GINO MISA
Musika Ibarang conquers Asia
Thirteen students from Musika Ibarang at Xi’an, China to represent PH in various competitions, conferences and festivals. (Left to Rght) PHSA Director IV Victor Emmanuel Carmelo Nadera Jr, Jet Stephen Chong, Emanuel John Villarin, Chirbee Jan Mikaela Dy, Samuel Augustine Asistores, Gabrielle Yvette Parcon, Danielle Dela Rosa, Nikki Zen Obmasca, Faye Dinglasan, Juliana Silangcruz, Angel Esteban, and Music Coordinator Gino Misa
Thirteen students from Musika Ibarang of the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) took flight to Thailand, Indonesia and China to represent the Philippines in various competitions, conferences, and festivals. Sting Asistores (Music-Guitar, Joya-Montano) brought home the bacon from Thailand by grabbing the Special Prize of the 16th Asia International Guitar Festival and Competition which was held from June 9-12. Sting joined the Junior Category where he competed with young guitarists aged 17 and below. Other than the competition, there were also guitar exhibits,
PHSA Variations @phsavariations
masterclasses, and concerts where PHSA music program coordinator Gino Misa was one of the guest artists. Also, Pianists Janna Peña and Nathan Domagas, and violinists Gabe Domagas and EJ Villarin, were among those chosen to be the Philippines’ delegates in the 6th Asia Region Suzuki Conference in Bali, Indonesia last July 26-29. The said conference included concerts by both young and old, individual and group master classes, and other activities like the playing of gamelan music. Both Janna Peña and EJ Villarin were chosen to be featured in the Young Artists Concert.
Finally, ten music majors were sent to represent the Philippines in the 4th ASEAN-China Youth Cultural Exchange Festival in Xi’an, China from August 5-10. Angel Esteban, Yvette Parcon, Sting Asistores, Jet Chong, Chirbee Dy, Faye Dinglasan, Nikki Obmasca, Danielle dela Rosa, Juliana Silangcruz, and EJ Villarin, together with representatives from other countries, presented their respective performances with ethnic elements in the Gala Night on August 8 with the aim to further strengthen the bond among countries through music and promote appreciation, respect, and love for each other’s tradition and cultures.
Selected members of Sanghiyas Pangkat Mananayaw (SPM), the Folk Dance group of the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA), flew to Iwate Ofunato, Japan to represent the school at the Sanriku International Arts Festival last September 6 to 12.
coordinator, and Ronaldo Abuan, PHSA’s Director III. Among the dances that SPM performed at the festival were “Tadyok”, a festival dance from Cordillera; “Malong”, a manipulation of Muslim martial arts; “Pigapir”, a fan dance representing female emotions; and “Kumakaret”, a skill dance which bagged SPM a gold medal at Sayaw Pinoy last 2013.
The group was made up of Lamuel Josef Pulpulaan from Grade 9 batch Romulo- De Leon, Ramt Anthony Hugh Trinidad, James Bryll Dumandan, Faith Lyssa Azarcon, Patricia Mae Perez, and Leila Gwyn Vivero from Grade 10 batch JoyaMontano, and Aaron Kaiser Garcia and Zahreen Mae Sadia from Grade 11 batch Fransico-De Leon. The eight students were accompanied by Victor Emmanuel Flor, SPM’s
“It’s an honor to have been chosen for an intercultural arts exchange, and it was very fun to perform and immerse ourselves while also being able to showcase our school.” says Ramt Trinidad, one of the members, when asked about the experience of joining the Sanriku festival.
WHAT’S INSIDE?
13 Culture Couture 17 18 FEATURES
SPORTS
PH Next Top Boxers
SCI-TECH
Pinoys Reach for the Stars
JUNE 2016 - FEBRUARY 2017
VOL. XXXIX NO. 1
NEWS
Last July 22, 2016, The IBM CSC Team spearheaded the event called “Ugnayan”. The event held a series of workshops with the topic of protecting your online identity and cyber bullying.
2 Grade 7 tour Los Baños francheska maaño
The Grade 7 students of the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) explored the municipality of Los Baños last June 4 to get familiarized with the place where the PHSA campus and Mount Makiling are located. Batch Reyes-Feliciano, or Reyesiano, visited several landmarks in Los Baños, such as the new municipal hall, the Yamashita Shrine at the PCAARD Road, Brgy. Timugan, and Laresio Resort at the Alviar Compound, as well as some possessions of Paciano Rizal, the brother of national hero, Jose Rizal, under the supervision of their class adviser, Mrs. Joedy Occeña.
PHOTO BY PRECIOSA GUEVARRA
UGNAYAN PHSA makes connection through I.T.
PHSA holds Mutya’t Lakan, Freshman Night haven mosquito PHOTO BY CHIRBEE DY
amber garma
Buencamino shared with the students the nature of depression and telltale signs of someone undergoing mental distress, as well as how to combat or prevent this. The program ended with Buencamino presenting one of the highlights of the Julia Buencamino project called ‘Julia’s Bench’, a seat meant for anyone who needs someone to talk to, which was made by students from her daughter’s old school.
Ibarangs attend La Liga Filipina Symposium amber garma
On August 29, theater artist Shamaine CenteneraBuencamino headed a mental health forum and performance series for students of the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) as part of the ‘Julia Buencamino’ project. Shamaine Buencamino, with supporting artists such as Candice and Carina Adea and Bullet Dumas, read and interpreted poems and journal entries of her only daughter, who committed suicide last July 7, 2015.
PHSA TURNS 39 Students, teachers, staff and alumni of the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) flocked to the National Arts Center (NAC) theater on June 11 to celebrate ‘Araw ng PHSA’, a full day event held for the school’s 39th founding anniversary.
Konek’, an interactive talk between the student body and homecoming batches Amorsolo, Abelardo, Aquino and Buencamino, as well as the ‘Ibarang Jam’, a series of performances by students from various alumni batches.
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representatives of the Ibarang Alumni Association.
Apart from the three-part program, the school’s 39th anniversary was also paid tribute to through a kite flying activity wherein students flew kites they crafted themselves Among the alumni in during a kite making workshop The celebration’s activities attendance from the featured held in preparation for Araw ng were divided into three parts: homecoming batches were PHSA. Alay Kay Inang Kalikasan, actress Shamaine Centeneracomprised of a tree planting Buencamino from Batch To add to the festivities and activity, Alay Kay Inang Bayan, Amorsolo, filmmaker Raymond also to raise funds for future wherein concert pianist Josue Red from Batch Aquino, theater projects, each batch of the Greg Zuniega and soprano Luz artist ang pianist Grace Nono- student body and their Morate conducted a lecture Aves from Batch Abelardo, and respective parent councils put and performance on the topic twins Josue Greg Zuniega and up game booths, merchandise ‘Kundiman and Nasyonalismo’, Josue Sim Zuniega, pianist stands and food stalls around and Alay Kay Inang Paaralan, and violinist from Batch the NAC theater for guests to which included the ‘Ibarang Buencamino, who came as entertain themselves with. PHOTO BY WIKA NADERA
ann gabrielle domingo
On July 22, students of the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) were given the privilege to attend Ugnayan, a joint project of the International Rice Research Insitute (IRRI), International Business Machines Corporate Service Corps (IBM CSC), Los Banos Science Community (LBSC) and PHSA, which aimed to provide IT Education and awareness on cyber-security, and further push development of science and technology in Los Banos. The workshops were how to keep their personal campus, to keep Los Banos’ After the simultaneous conducted by members of information off the internet status as a model community sessions, all attendees of IBM CSC who talked to each and prevent their accounts that fosters the progress of Ugnayan assembled at technology, and through the National Arts Center grade level about relevant from getting hacked. IBM was able to educate the (NAC) Theater for a closing cyber-security related topics awarding of IRRI and PHSA are currently students in the language of IT. program, such as ‘Protecting Your Online certificates, and lunch. drafting plans for putting up The students were also Identity’ and ‘Cyberbullying’, internet connection in the oriented about certain pick-up which taught the students points in Los Baños to where students can go to in case of an emergency.
‘Julia Buencamino’ project brought to PHSA
JUNE 2016 - FEBRUARY 2017
VOL. XXXIX NO. 1
Visual Arts and Creative founders of La Liga Filipina, the Writing students of the propagandist organization of Philippine High School for the Jose Rizal. Arts (PHSA) attended the‘La Liga Filipina, Domingo Franco and the Young Intellectuals of the 19th Century’ symposium last June 29 at the University Art students need of the Philippines Los Baños to be reminded of College of Arts and Sciences the fact that most of (UPLBCAS) Auditorium, an our national heroes event organized by UPLBCAS are writers or artists. and Makiling Lodge 72of the By attending the Free and Accepted Masons of symposium, they the Philippines to celebrate learn that art and the anniversary of the writing is a political implementation of the Rizal act, Law in 1956.
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Former Mutya and Lakan pose with the new winners of Mutya’t Lakan 2016. (Left to Right) Iya Desamero, Natalie Maligalig, Ezra Estranero, Gabrielle Montallana, Hyrschel Erul, Haven Mosquito, Yñigo Regis and EJ Villarin.
The Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) held the annual Mutya’t Lakan pageant and Freshmen Night talent showcase on June 5 and July 7, respectively to welcome 36 Grade 7 students to the school. The Mutya’t Lakan event, organized by the Grade 10 students, introduced the freshmen through a dance performance of Flo Rida’s ‘I Don’t Like It, I Love It”, and crowned creative writers Ezra Estranero and Haven Mosquito as Mutya and Lakan. Meanwhile, the Freshmen Night event featured performances from each art
field: a shadow play presented by the Visual Arts majors; an original song and music video from the Creative Writing majors; (dance performances) from the Ballet and Folk Dance majors; a musical number of Hercules’ “I Won’t Say I’m In Love” by the Music majors, The symposium began —shares Rae Rivaland a one-act play performed with a discussion about the Cosico, PHSA’s Creative by the Theater Arts majors. history of masonry in the Writing coordinator on Batch Reyes-Feliciano, dubbed Philippines given by Jesus the benefit of the event ‘Reyesiano’, named after Lorenzo R. Mateo, Assistant to PHSA students. master dancer Alice Reyes and Secretary for Programs and a composer Francisco Feliciano, member of Lodge Nilad, the is made up of nine visual oldest Masonic Lodge in the artists, five creative writers, FOLLOW US eight ballet dancers, five folk Philippines; followed by a talk dancers, seven musicians by Celia Diaz-Laurel about PHSA Variations and four theater artists. the life, death, and heroism @phsavariations of her grandfather, Domingo Franco, who was one of the
PHOTO BY CHIRBEE DY
Ibarangs Bag Spots in Prestigious Contests
NEWS 3
leila francesca maligalig
Philippine Steinway Youth The competition was held last Piano Competition May 21 at the BDO Francisco Santiago Hall and was judged Jet Stephen Chong, a pianist by a panel of internationally from Grade 10 batch Joya- acclaimed musicians. Montano won 1st place in the 3rd Philippine Steinway PBBY Salanga Prize Youth Piano Competition for Category 3, which is for Leila Francesca Maligalig of pianists aged 15-17. “I guess Grade 8 batch Cuenco-Santos it didn’t show, but I was won honorable mention in the jumping with glee inside,” he Philippine Board on Books for said when asked about his the Young (PBBY) Salanga Prize triumph. for her chidren’s short story entitled “Dandelions”. However, Chong expressed his disappointment for not Maligalig was awarded on the being chosen to represent the National Childrens Book Day Philippines in the regionals (NCBD), July 19, at the Cultural of the said competition in Center of the Philippines (CCP). Malaysia despite his win. “I The competition was facilitated decided to use that loss as and judged by PBBY, which my motivation to work a lot annually holds the Salanga harder... and continue to Prize to help support children’s make music,” he adds. literature in the Philippines.
PHSA delegates with officials from Ashok Hall Group of Schools during the last day of the short term cultural exchange program.
KOLKATA CONNECTION ...
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Amina Matavia and Joan Cabunag conducted the Theater workshop wherein they taught students various improvisation techniques; Amber Garma, Maura Yap and Soleil Cruz engaged their students in a discussion on poetry and helped the students create their own Dugtungan poem in the Creative Writing workshop;
for the Visual Arts workshop, Wika Nadera and Bertha Santos harnessed the students’ creative minds through ‘soundscaping’ and taught the basic elements of design; and Marlee Pabico facilitated a Music Appreciation workshop that helped students understand the complexities of Music through enjoyable activities like the ‘Ostinato’ and
Several campus journalists from Variations, the official newspaper of the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA), bagged awards at the 2016 Division Secondary Schools Press Conference (DSSPC) held in Famy National High School and Famy Elementary School, Famy, Laguna last September 28-30.
Infomercial, Technical and Best Directing.
In the Filipino category, Victor Emmanuel Carmelo Nadera III won the 3rd prize for Editorial Cartooning, while the Radio Broadcasting team consisting of James Lanante, Elijah Canlas, Ren-ar Padole, Julia Elisha Tan, Patricia Patalinghug, Lizzie Estrada, and Haven Mosquito, won first place in all the categories under Radio Broadcasting, namely Best News Presenter, Best Anchor, Best Script, Best
Variations also claimed awards in the English category, with Chirbee Dy winning 4th place for Photojournalism, Maura Aurel Yap coming in 6th for Science and Health Writing, and Amber Garma placing 10th for Editorial Writing.
‘sound painting’. On January 19th, after two days of workshops, students and faculty from the Ashok Hall Group of Schools flocked to Kala Mandir theater to witness a culminating show made up of a series of performances by both the PHSA delegates and talented representatives from Ashok Hall Group of Schools. The delegates showcased a glimpse into each PHSA art field, consisting of a prayer song, a poetry reading, and the Bendiyan dance complete with costumes and live music. Towards the end of the dance, the delegates were
joined on stage by students who took the Dance workshop and knew the steps. The representatives of Ashok Hall performed traditional Indian songs and dances. Though the workshops were a major part of the trip, the PHSA delegates of course, had time to explore Kolkata through the effort and arrangements done by the Ashok Hall group. Among the tourist destinations the delegates visited were the Victoria Memorial Park and Museum, Kolkata’s version of the Taj Mahal, the house of Indian Nobel Peace Prize Winner and
writer Rabindranath Tagore, the Mother House, where Mother Teresa’s tomb is located, and the New Market. The delegates also got the privilege of being able to try Indian cuisine in luxurious restaurants. Upon returning home, the delegates are not only thankful for the opportunity to interact, perform and. create with young people from a different culture, but rather are also incredibly grateful for the hospitality and kindness shown to them by the Ashok Hall Group of Schools from the moment of their arrival until their departure.
Variations dominates DSSPC margaret louise mil
The qualifiers for the Regional Secondary Schools Press Conference (RSSPC) namely Chirbee Dy, Victor Emmanuel Carmelo Nadera III, James Lanante, Elijah Canlas, Renar Padole, Julia Elisha Tan, Patricia Patalinghug, Lizzie Bett Estrada, and Haven Mosquito are set to compete in RSSPC on December 5-7. The members of Variations are supervised by Jon Darren Rivera, PHSA’s school paper adviser.
Variation’s paper adviser and [Incomplete] PHSA’s first Radio Broadcasting team with their medals. (Left to Right) Sir Darren RIvera, Ren-ar Padole, Lizzie Estrada, James Lanante, Haven Mosquito, Jet Tan, and Patricia Patalinghug.
photo by bianca ysabel rabe
NEWS
VOL. XXXIX NO. 1
Musika Ibarang performs in Musica Sacra jet stephen chong PHSA PHOTO ARCHIVES
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Maquiling Ballet j o in s Dance MNL Festivities
JUNE 2016 - FEBRUARY 2017
VOL. XXXIX NO. 1
Spoken word poet visits PHSA haven mosquito
Jet Chong, Grade 10, playing the piano. Musika Ibarang performing in the Musica Sacra festival at the San Sebastion Basilica last August 13. (Left to Right) Julian Bernal and Kaya Pabico, Grade 8, playing the violin.
Micha Pecson, Grade 10, playing the violin.
Andrea Verzosa, Grade 9, playing the piano.
The San Sebastian Basilica Conservation and Development Foundation, Inc. (SSBCDFI) invited Musika Ibarang (MI), the collective name of Music majors from the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) to take part in the Musica Sacra festival at the San Sebastian Basilica last August 13.
fund for the SSBCDFI organization through staging a series of musical performances, in line with the celebration of the San Sebastian Basilica’s 125th anniversary, as well as its planned 10 year restoration effort headed by SSBCDFI.
Due to heavy rains, only 11 out of the 23 members of MI were able to perform Musica Sacra is a festival at the occasion, but they that lasts for 3 nights, still pushed through with launched in order to raise staging several individual
PHSA holds Ikiran Workshop amber garma
and collaborative performances. As part of Dance MNL’s series The San Sebastian Basilica was declared a National Historical Landmark and National Cultural Treasure because of both its history and pure metal composition, while it is also considered a ‘musician’s paradise’ because of the structure’s ideal acoustics for choir music.
BALANGAY PHSA’S First CCP Exhibit Sets Sail ann gabrielle domingo
of dance performances, the Maquiling Ballet dancers from Grades 8 until 10 performed a piece called ‘Generation Next’, wherein they showcased an excerpt from the contemporary dance ‘Tagilo’, choreographed by the Grade 11 Batch Francisco-De Leon and staged in the previous school year’s Maquiling Ballet production of the same name. Eight members of Maquiling Ballet also participated in Dance MNL’S ‘dance intensive workshops’, wherein they were taught by esteemed Filipino dancers such as Carlo Pacis, a dancer and choreographer from the Hong Kong Ballet and alumni of the PHSA, and Ballet Manila founder and prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde.
PHOTO FROM CCP-ARTS-TUMBLR
PHSA PHOTO ARCHIVES
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Writing Nonfiction workshop lead by Noreen Domingo, Grade 11 during the Ikiran workshop.
Three Creative Writing students from the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) conducted a series of lectures and workshops for their fellow Ibarangs entitled ‘Ikiran’ in collaboration with three writers from Gantala Press, a group of Filipino women writers, last August 18.
Lora Noreen Domingo, a Grade 11 creative writer from the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) joined several local writers’ groups in a poetry reading session called “eLBi Nights---- Poetry Jam” last July 16 at Entablado Cafe, Vega Center, Lopez Avenue, Los Banos.
The three writers from Gantala Press, who also publish works for and about women, consisted
“It isn’t every day that the school hosts talks about literature and writing to an audience outside of the Creative Writing program, so as a student writer I was really touched by the Ibarangs’ enthusiasm for the event.” shares Leila Maligalig from Grade 8- Cuentos.
The Grade 11 visual artists of the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) was finally able to open their first thesis exhibit in the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) entitled ‘Balangay’ on June 10, marking an important milestone in the history of the visual arts collective. The students who exhibited their thesis works were Payb Biglete, Salve Dagñalan, Eouia Aum Dueñas, Asia Entico, Sofia Hurtado, Jude Macasinag, and Nicolas Puyat of batch FranciscoDe Leon, whose theses’ media and style range from collage and clothing to hair painting.
When asked about the meaning behind their title, the students felt that the idea of a ‘Balangay’, or an ancient communal boat of the Philippines, matched perfectly with their concepts that dealt with spirituality, culture and society. Being the first batch to hold a thesis exhibit at the CCP, Aum Duenas recalls the sense of pride and accomplishment that came with the installation experience. “At first we were nervous about whether we were ready or good enough for a professional exhibit, but at the end of the day it was very exciting, and for us young artists, it was a good opportunity for us to get our works out there.”
says Eina Olegario, a Grade 10 ballet major.
STORYTELLING. Catherine Brogan performing her own spoken word piece at the Bulwagang Lakanbako.
Catherine ‘Cat’ Brogan, an Irish spoken word artist and poet gave a lecture and workshop to creative writing students of the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) last July 17.
Brogan performed songs and spoken word poems for the Ibarang community at the Bulwagang Lakanbako.
The speaker, Catherine Brogan came from Switzerland and went to the Philippines for her personal project, giving workshops all over the world.
She gave tips and tricks that us students could relate to, and was fun and informative at the same time
After the workshop on basic poetry and spoken word elements for creative writers,
— said Renmin Villabroza, a Grade 7 creative writer.
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UPJC holds Workshop on DSSPC contestants amber garma
BLOOD DRUM SPIRIT JAZZES UP PHSA A jazz band called “Blood Drum Spirit” held a workshop and performed in the Philippine High School for the Arts on July 20, 2016. Blood Drum Spirit was started in 2003. In creating their music, they adapt elements of world cultures such as South India, Indonesia, Philippines and Africa.
The band consists of four members: Wes Brown, the bass player, Art Hirahara, the pianist, David Binman, the saxophonist, and Royal Hartigan, a percussionist. For the workshop, the band conducted activities such as improvisation, movement and performance for the
Blood Drum Spirit performing during their workshop called “Palihan”, held at the National Arts Center, Mt. Makiling
Group, Kilometer 64 (KM64), Drunken Poetry Nights, Happy Mondays, The Makatas, Linangen sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo (LIRA), Nagkahiusang Magsusulaat sa Cagayan de Oro (NAGMAC), Philippine Board on Books for the Young (PBBY), PNU/Alitaptap, UP Debate Society, Words Anonymous, GUMIL Filipinas, The Batutes, and PHSA.
ranging from coming of age, as in one of PHSA’s Lora Noreen Domingo’s poems, to the gradual fading of Philippine culture. Well-known spoken word artist Juan Miguel Severo also performed pieces from his new book, “Mga Parada ng Kasalanan”.
The University of the Philippines’ UP Journalism Club (UPJC) conducted a Campus Journalism Workshop during the 4th of September in preparation for the Division Secondary Schools Press Conference on September 28-30.
Writing, Editorial Cartooning, etc.) focused on more detailed discussions and technical critiquing. Towards the end of the workshop, the UPJC also talked about Campus Journalism ethics.
The spoken word night is part of Performatura—a series of The event was the final road shows sponsored by activity of a meet-up Hosted by PHSA Director Victor the Cultural Center of the event between 16 writer Emmanuel Carmelo D. Nadera Phillipines (CCP) to promote collectives and organizations Jr., ‘eLBi Nights—Poetry Jam’ Philippine art. including ALAB, De La Salle featured performances that University, Baguio Writers deal with themes and topics
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students. This was followed by a two-hour mini concert at the Tanghalang Maria Makiling. There was also an open mic, where students were free to speak or perform on stage while the band played their music.
PHOTO BY PRECIOSA GUEVARRA
Noreen Domingo from Grade 11 - Felizaro gave a workshop on writing nonfiction, while Amber and Garma and Ma-I Entico from Grade 10 Jarmonya taught basic poetry and fiction respectively
of Bebang Siy, a writer of children’s books in Tagalog who conducted a lecture on artist copyright entitled “May Forever sa Copyright”; Janine Go Dimaranan who talked about ‘Publishing Your Art: The Alternative in Alternative Publishing’; and Vivian Nocum Limpin, who gave a workshop on photography.
Balangay exhibit opening at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)
Dance MNL was overall a fun and enriching experience. We were able to attend master classes handled by different master teachers from different ballet companies. Dance MNL helped us gain knowledge about dance styles and techniques, which is really important for evolving dancers like us,
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leila francesca maligalig
amber garma
Ballet majors from the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) performed and took part in Dance MNL, a biennial festival aimed at uniting the Philippine dance community, held from June 14-26 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Aliw Theater.
CW Performs In Los Baños
NEWS
Spoken Word Night
PHOTO BY CHIRBEE DY
JUNE 2016 - FEBRUARY 2017
They started the training with a series of games, followed by an input on news writing. Afterwards, there were breakout sessions wherein each category (News Writing, Feature Writing, Editorial
At the end of the session, UPJC Community Journalism Workshop Director Meeko Camba (Music-Voice, Alcuaz-Avellana ’14) and UPJC president Paul John Domalaon provided words of encouragement and left important notes and advices for the upcoming competition.
Makiling Ballerinas Top CCP Dance Competition amber garma
Two ballerinas representing Maquiling Ballet, the official ballet company of the Philippine High School for the Arts, garnered awards in last year’s Cultural Center of the Philippines Dance Competition (CCPDC) that took place on November 17 at the CCP Little Theater.
professional level at a young age, and wherein qualifiers are required to perform both a classical piece and a contemporary or modern piece in order to show that they are capable of different styles of dance.
Maria Michaella Carreon from Grade 11 batch Francisco- de Leon was awarded second place in the Junior category for ages 13-18, while Gillianne Isabel Bearneza from Grade 10 batch Joya-Montano was one of the finalists in the same category.
Training for the competition made me a stronger dancer, and it was a good way to push myself to do things that I didn’t think I could do. It showed me the difference between dancing and performing,
After submitting audition videos to the organizers, Carreon and Bearneza became two of the 37 qualifiers for the Junior category of the CCPDC, a competition for dancers who wish to compete on a
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shares finalist Gillianne Bearneza, who also added that she was thankful for the training and coaching she received from teachers and students of the UP Dance Company, who were mostly also graduates of PHSA.
JUNE 2016 - FEBRUARY 2017
OPINIONS
VOL. XXXIX NO. 1
artists
In the previous years, artists
have struggled to raise funds (e.g. conduct benefit shows or exhibitions) for their fellow artists, among who are homeless, penniless, or dying of illnesses or accidents. Also, younger artists who are granted scholarships abroad have to rely on the public for online solicitations, since they cannot afford the other expenses. These unsupported artists, young or old, lose big opportunities to represent the Philippines and improve their talents. And this is just one of the problems Filipino artists face. Fortunately, Senator Grace Llamanzares-Poe filed Senate Bill No. 2758 or the “Artists’ Welfare Protection and Information Act of 2015” to promote the rights of every artist to have the same privileges as doctors, teachers, policemen, and other professionals. Tanghalang Pilipino Artistic Director Fernando “Nanding” Josef stated that :
C ONSUMING
“[artists now]… never get benefits as to what and how regular workers gain from all government offers, is somewhat creating a feeling of indifference”. artists, in terms of being identified as citizens who need support for their work, and also implies that the government only recognizes those who graduated from academic or technical-vocational courses.
Now, the artist community is working closely with the government to enrich, change and evolve Philippine arts and culture. This is even more of a reason for us artists to continue to strive for excellence in creating and art-making.
ILLUSTRATION BY TRISTAN GUINID
We artists will benefit greatly from having this bill signed. The Artist’s Fee Bill being signed means that in some ways, Lack of equal privilege given we now become legitimate by the government induces practitioners and developers. a sense of anonymity among This beneficial support from
the government also ensures our rights as Filipino citizens, and the government must now exert maximum effort in supporting various projects and performances, as well as arts and cultural exchange programs abroad, especially for young artists. They must also understand the importance of independent or experimental works and support their objective, in order to open and broaden the communities’ view of art. On the part of the artist, it is important to understand that privilege comes with responsibilities. Being considered ‘government workers’, we must always keep in mind that what we do will affect the perceptions and opinions of many, especially in this country where arts and culture is not as promoted as it should be.
appeal of 13 year old Rita Gabiola and 21 year old Jeyrick Sigmaton, more famously known as ‘Badjao Girl’ and ‘Carrot Man’ are making permanent imprints on the minds of Filipinos, the waiting line for Whang-Od’s batek or hand-tapped tattoos available in the mountains of Buscalan is lengthening drastically. All of a sudden, ‘cultural products’ such as clothing patterns, skin decals and Indigenous Person (IP) models are all the rage. One would be quick to think that this means lost culture has finally made it to the modern world, but it seems there is a newly surfacing line between appreciation of cultures and fads, a line only successfully crossed by a consumer who understands the difference. Fairly recently, a Facebook user called ‘Marie’ published a status entitled ‘Whang Od Sensation: A Call To Stop Commercialization of Culture’, whereshe shared with the public the current reality of Whang Od’s tattooing process, which include women tourists wearing skimpy clothing in the area and the plain tattoo designs in an album for customers to choose from without any explanations of the symbols, and not so long ago, the stolen photos of Rita Gabiola and Jeyrick Sigmaton that went viral for their ‘natural good looks’ caused a social media uproar for two reasons: that they were repeatedly referred to as ‘Badjao Girl’ and ‘Carrot Man’ and not by their real names, and also that the netizens’ fixation on ‘attractive IPs’ buried the issue of the Lumad conflict even deeper down than it already was. What’s ironic about the issue of commercialization of culture is that artists, activists,
Indigenous peoples, and concerned Filipinos have been working hard to build appreciation for the country’s culture and heritage, through popularizing local products and heritage sites, and that’s what’s currently happening. The fact that an ancient indigenous practice is being lined up for regardless of the long wait shows that culture is on the edge of fame. What Fiipinos fail to acknowledge that this is only the first step. Nothing is wrong with the fact that batek is gaining popularity, or that IPs are shooting for fashion spreads. It is actually quite amazing that culture is something that our countrymen choose to consume. But as more of Filipino culture is commercialized, a deeper understanding of each product must be developed in the minds of each consumer. In summary, the solution is not to stop the commercialization of culture, but rather to start teaching ourselves to become culturally aware consumers. It is a much better process to incite this understanding in our own hearts, rather than wait for someone to teach or command it. It is natural for consumers to study any ordinary product with precision, and this shouldn’t be all that different from when one consumes a product of culture and heritage. We are only going backwards if we stop the promotion of culture, especially at the peak of its appeal. The only thing left to do is announce a call for wise consumers, who willingly jump the cultural bandwagon but at the same time understand the art and history behind each Instagram-worthy tattoo, and the story and heritage behind each beautiful face.
COMMENTARY
DU30 : IS CHANGE COMING? TRISTAN PAUL GUINID
The
and our government. He has begun an aggressive campaign against crime, calling it a “War on Drugs.” Ever since, thousands have surrendered, hundreds killed resisting arrest, and many taken into custody as a result of various police operations aimed at loosening the grip of drug lords across the country. However, this has attracted the attention of human rights groups who are angered by cases of “extrajudicial killings”, or ‘cardboard justice’ performed by so-called vigilante groups. It is easy to put the blame on Duterte and the police force Ever since the campaigning but it should be noted that, period Duterte has vowed to according to newly appointed rid the country of corruption PNP chief Ronald “Bato” present in both our populace dela Rosa, criminals who answer to the ever prevalent question is yes, change is coming. Even before his official inauguration as president, Duterte’s influence on the people could clearly be seen in the mass drug wpusher surrenders and the Communist Party of the Philippines/ New People’s Army/National Democratic Front’s approval of his upcoming regime. Despite what his critics say about him and whatever doubts we may have about him we cannot deny the fact that Duterte’s presidency is producing results, and with that, change.
surrendered have confessed that an alarming amount of these deaths are the result of drug lords silencing their distributors in an attempt to not be caught. There is also a possible link between the cardboard killings and Philippine divisions of Mexican drug cartels that perform similar practices with duct tape in the place of cardboard. Nonetheless these killings need to be investigated because in the end they’re criminal acts. Duterte’s administration is also a possible solution to the decades-old issue of insurgency. After countless efforts by past presidents and the army to neutralize these threats to democracy,
our country is still at war with rebel groups such as the New People’s Army (NPA) and the Abu Sayaff, who relentlessly target civilians in order to reach their goals. Duterte is the first president who has been outspokenly supported by these rebel groups, which is understandable knowing his friendly relationships with them. If Duterte continues his peaceful negotiations and plays his cards right, our country will hopefully be rid of the crisis of armed struggle. This is a start, despite recent developments, such as the NPA’s failure to follow Duterte’s ordered ceasefire and the Abu Sayaff claiming allegiance to the Islamic State of Israel and Syria (ISIS,) showing that the end of insurgency is still far to come.
whatever actions are being committed by the current administration yet at the same time, not completely rely on biased reporting of establishment-funded media. We must carry out our own research and base our opinions on empirical evidence rather than manipulated statistics.
With all the results of Duterte’s platform being released every day, and all of the programs and proposals being passed too fast for anyone to counter, the most important thing the Filipino people can do is stay aware and informed in every sense, and in every case of change, for better or for worse, never cease to have a voice. These individual voices when combined can destroy an administration, As citizens of the republic or help a country rise from we must exercise our right its state of constant crisis. to approve or disapprove of
and dates, intended for rote memorization. What’s missing in the method of teaching history is that the factual events are only part of a grand lesson, information with an insight. It’s more important for the student to understand history through the values they can learn from each war, each international agreement, each presidential term. The POCAHONTAS AMBER GARMA students must be able to take from a history lesson which Any ordinary student would be with them a heavy load of mistakes they shouldn’t make quick to make a connection collected facts from the past again, and which lessons between ‘history’ and ‘facts’. years. But if so, why is it that from the old world they can The Rizal Law is a law which anyone only ever remembers apply to a current setting. requires the curriculums of fragments of what happened The solution, then? Young all grade levels in both public during the Japanese people who knew little about and private schools to include occupation? Why are there the Marcos era developed the study of Jose Rizal’s life, still college students now who awareness, and eventually an work and philosophies. During cannot grasp the moral behind opinion regarding dictatorship Kasaysayan Week, facts Noli Me Tangere, or even when they heard the news are celebrated. Important understand why it is taught? about the Libingan ng mga battles, nation-changing Why are young people only Bayani debacle. This shows that events and special trivia introduced to the horrific reality history becomes more relevant about past Philippine heroes of Martial Law now that Marcos’ to any person when it is taught are broadcast on the radio body has literally resurfaced in relation to current events. and posted on school walls. and is inciting hysteria on It’s more effective to travel Sometime during elementary social media? Shouldn’t forward instead of backward. school, discussions of each of they have known already? the presidents would definitely The usual mentality when it mean a quiz on their programs, I believe the main reason why comes to history is that it is life stories, achievements students have a tendency irrelevant because it is in the and applied changes. to forget national history is past and thus will not affect because history lessons are their present lives. But history By the time students reach forgettable. History is presented always repeats itself, and this college, they supposedly carry as a sequence of facts, names similarity between histories
REWRITING HISTORY
CULTURE Just as the shocking visual
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VOL. XXXIX NO. 1
This year’s Independence Day
celebration marked the 60th anniversary of ‘Republic Act 1425’, or the ‘Rizal Law’ being implemented in the country. Not so long ago, the nation celebrated Kasaysayan Week, and even more recently, news sources confirmed that late Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos’ remains would be transferred to the ‘Libingan ng mga Bayani’. With all these history-related occurrences coming up, I feel it is important to assess the current state of historical awareness and appreciation among Filipino students, to see how distant or close we’ve come to a world where history taught in schools don’t end up buried in last year’s textbook pile.
SOLEIL ILYANNA CRUZ
I remember the stories of my parents about their teachers before. How strict they were, the unreasonable punishments they would get, etc. Because of what their generation (more or less) have experienced I assume they would try to get rid of that method when they become the new generation of teachers. Teachers today definitely don’t react as violently and as sternly as before but I also cannot deny that some have methods and/or remarks that discourage students instead of bringing them up. Though it isn’t as obvious as spanking a child in front of the entire class, the discouragement still has a great impact. I have always admired teachers and their efforts to teach but sometimes I feel like the objective of learning becomes lost because of the way they do what they do. Sometimes, teachers would view the entire class on a single person. They’d say “Dahil na-perfect ni <insert name> ibig sabihin, madali lang ang quiz” [Because <insert name> aced the quiz, it must be easy] like everyone’s capabilities and learning processes are the same. They view the students with high grades as the hard workers and the students with low grades as lazy jackasses. Because the teachers act like this the students start to believe it too. They don’t speak up during recitation, they lose faith in themselves, they start to believe they’re stupid. I believe this way of thinking stems from a gradeconscious mindset. Because there is pressure to get good grades, a student whether or not they realize it, don’t so much learn but instead just memorize. I suppose when a person carries this all their life, if they become a teacher they would instill the same way of thinking to their students. I believe this kind of thinking supports prioritizing grades instead of learning, sacrificing happiness for “success” and other self-destructive mindsets. The classroom is not a safe space anymore but a root of stress. This leads to a class with high-ranking but stressed students and low-ranking and discouraged students.
7 new and old can be shown by making current events central to each lesson. And this is not only in political or social history, but also in the history of the country’s culture, from modernized myths and legends to recent resurfacing of ancient rituals. Traditional, incomplete teaching of history in schools has continued to repeat itself throughout the years, and the time has come to revive history in the school system by rewriting it, or rather, modifying the way it is presented to students. Anyone with decent knowledge of Philippine history knows how easily Filipinos learn to forget, but by accompanying dispensable facts for permanent values and life lessons, history is made impossible not to remember.
TO ANTIMILLENIALS
teaching teachers CADUA
OPINIONS
URDUJA MAURA AUREL YAP
I
Boomers and Generation Xers. at a young age? As Dr. Jose This shows that ageism exists was born in the on both sides of the spectrum. Rizal once stated in Filipino, “The youth is the hope of the year 2001. I belong to the Generation Z age group, For example, whenever I would country.” And if the youth are which falls under the term voice out my sociopolitical told to detach themselves “millennial” along with opinions on social media, I from societal issues, what will Generation Y. Millennial, would get comments from become of our nation’s future? simply put, is someone born people saying I’m “too young We are told that our media is in the late 80’s up to the early to understand” or to delete shallow, but because this is the 2000’s, known for being part a post because I’m “being media we’re presented with. of the first generations to a social justice warrior”. Headlines love criticizing our live in a world with internet. Some comments even lifestyle, because we do things come from family members. differently and have built our But when you hear the word millennial, you don’t think of I am being told to shut own culture. We are told that its dictionary definition. You up when I want to have our way of doing things is wrong and should be a source think of shallow, self-absorbed a serious conversation. of concern. But we are just teenagers taking selfies every hour of every day. A Google We are accused that our doing things a different way search about millennials generation is dumbed down, and making the most out of would give you news articles even if the Organization for the fast pace of the Digital Age. like “millennials are killing the Economic Cooperation and . golf industry” or “millennials Development states that are killing the movie business”. the global literacy rate has And these are real articles by increased from 56% in 1970 to the Business Insider and the 83% in 2010. We are accused All we’re doing is New York Post, respectively. that our generation is lazy, paving the way for a while the Central Intelligence This negative association Agency World Factbook cites new era, with societal towards young people can that unemployment rates have consciousness fall under ageism, defined decreased from 30% in 2000 to and innovative as discrimination due to a 8.4% in 2010. We are accused person’s age. Usually, ageism that our generation is too intelligence, using refers to the elderly receiving socially radical, but compared different tools in a privileges less or not equal to to youth revolutions from other citizens, on the basis earlier generations, millennial different environment. The youth still is the of incapability or tendencies radicalism seems tame. brought about by their age. hope of the future. However, millennials also But what’s wrong with caring It always was and receive discrimination, about society? Why not voice always will be. particularly from Baby out social and political views
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JUNE 2016 - FEBRUARY 2017
VOL. XXXIX NO. 1 ILLUSTRATION BY TRISTAN GUINID
OPINIONS 8
not all muslims BUWAN LEILA FRANCHESKA MALIGALIG We all know and have heard a number of times before how recent terrorist attacks made refugees of grandfathers, brothers, women, and children. We have wept in compassion for their losses and raged in anger at those who took what they’ve lost from them. However, what society fails to see is that refugees aren’t the only ones who are affected by these attacks. Innocent Muslims who are being generalized as terrorists are also victims of the backlash caused by the debaucheries. Yes, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), the Boko Haram, and the Al-Qaeda are all Islamic terrorist groups, and some of the most fearful, although there are also Christian terrorist groups that have destroyed thousands of lives. Besides attacking refugee camps, The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a Christian Fundamentalist terrorist group (which means they aim to establish a state with laws based on the Bible, specifically the Ten Commandments) in Africa, would even recruit young boys forcefully and send them to battles. Girls also get raped and are forced to marry soldiers. An affiliation of organizations that is comparable to the AlQaeda is the Christian Identity Movement (CIM). Like the infamous Muslim terrorist group led by Bin Laden, the CIM conducts worldwide attacks, victimizing hundreds of thousands of people. The movement operates bank robberies and bombings, such as the Soweto bombing
in 2002, and believes that non-Caucasian people will not be saved in the second coming of Christ, for they don’t possess souls. The doings of the CIM and other Christian terrorist organizations are already against the Sixth Commandment which says, “You shall not kill,” causing a confusion in what they are truly aiming for. They commit iniquities that go against what they supposedly believe in and uphold. People do not think that members of these terrorist groups represent all Christians, so it is indeed questionable why society labels all Muslims based on the acts of those who are members of groups such as the Al-Qaeda. Also, there are Islam fundamentalists and extremists nowadays, which means other Muslims are actually against the cruelty and killings that the fundamentalists conduct. Those who do not follow the “inhumane” acts written in the Koran go against these doings. An example of which is the Rido or the killing of non-Islam people, as well as terrorism led by other fellow Muslims. Muslims, like other people, must be respected and treated humanely, for before we were divided into customs, traditions, and religions, we were all the same—human. Just because you have a turban on your head, or a hijab across your face, it doesn’t and shouldn’t give society the liberty to drape the word
FOOL’S GOLdEN AGE
Around the time of the Marcoses, The Philippine High School for the Arts had enough budget to hire enough maintenance to clean, not only the facilities, but the dormitories as well. Students didn’t have to bring curtains or bed sheets, because the school had it covered. Programs that exposed the students more to the world outside of Makiling were also frequent, as well as programs that helped advertise the school as well as prove that the students were true to the school’s motto. Over time, these programs eventually had ceased to
exist, due to budget cuts, or the shifting administrations, or whatever reason. However, when asking the adults of Makiling about its golden age, they would look at you confused then ask the closest adult if they remember having a Golden Age. For students, the best years of Makiling were just a couple of years before the start of 2016. The thing is that the label “Golden Age” was not referring to PHSA during the Marcos era, but the early 2000s. According to the few who have a lot to say about the alleged golden age, the students from the previous batches were more passionate about the arts, more dedicated, than the generations that had followed. Therefore, the school had produced more successful artists back in the day. The trouble with this comparison is that the generation compared to the previous generation, are still growing up – and at least more than half have yet to reach the age of thirty. They, the new blood, have yet to prove themselves. It is inevitable that we compare
and contrast two generations to each other, however, we must keep in mind that each era had its ups and downs. Although a previous era may have opened up greater opportunities, that doesn’t mean that the newer generation has to stop trying to look out for other opportunities. Especially now, since there is already social media to help spread the word and the works of the budding artists within this mountain. The people of an era are responsible for defining it. If we wish it to be as great – or if not greater – than the previous era, we must strive in order to achieve it. In some cases, we can wait and rely on the passage of a window of opportunity. To those who have not heard of the “Golden Age” or know all about it, just know this: There is no Golden Age, and there never will be one, each era is never the same as the last.
Editor-in-Chief Amber Garma Associate Editor Ma-I Entico News Editor James Jonelle Lanante ■ Margaret Mil Features Editor Bianca Ysabel Rabe Science and Technology Editor Maura Aurel Yap Sports Editor Elijah Canlas Community Editor Leila Francesca Maligalig Art Editor Bertha Marie Santos Layout Editor Wika Nadera Photography Editor Chirbee Jan Mikaela Dy Writers Jet Stephen Chong ■ Ann Gabrielle Domingo ■ Soleil Ilyanna Cruz ■ Beatrice Emmanuelle Arianna Zafe ■ Danielle Alexandra Castillo ■ Haven Mosquito ■ Daniel Ben ■ Renmin Francis Villabroza Illustrators Tristan Paul Guinid ■ Julia Elisha Tan ■ Therese Ingrid Malapad ■ Sherry Cameron Kagalingan ■ Patricia Patalinghug ■ Hanna Ysabel Cayaban Photojournalists Preciosa Christine Guevarra ■ Amara Mikaela Averion Radio Broadcasters Ren-Ar Padole ■ Lizzie Estrada Paper Adviser Jon Darren Rivera
OPINIONS
COMMENTARY
TALL ORDERS It has recently come to the attention of students and faculty alike that due to unexpected changes in PHSA’s contract with the University of the Philippines Los Banos, specifically, largely increased payment for its occupied land on Mount Makiling, there’s a high possibility that the school will be transferred to a different location. I’ve studied atop Maria’s mountain long enough to know that it has become inseparable from the school, the community it has created and the art it inspires. The loss of our mountain haven is too high a price for us to have to pay, considering the benefits we reap from it both as students and artists. Even though PHSA has ownership over the school buildings and structures, the land it is built on is owned by UPLB. Every five years, the contract between the two
QUACK QUACK TAPE MA-I ENTICO It isn’t surprising that when someone says that a time prior to the current year is a ‘golden age’, people eat it up. It’s natural to compare what something was then to what it is now. The same happens when it comes to the school’s history. Statements about ‘the Makiling golden age’ have been making waves for years now, claiming Makiling wasn’t what it used to be. And they aren’t exactly wrong.
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institutions is renewed, but it was only in the past few months that changes occurred within the long-standing agreement. From what has been discussed in the previous meetings, what will possibly happen is that UPLB will charge PHSA an amount of P750 per square meter. The entire place, including the National Arts Center Theatre or ‘Tanghalang Maria Makiling’, ‘Bulwagang Bathala’ and ‘Bulwagang Tenoso’ measures 17,500 square meters, which will then add up to a total of over P13 million. If the final decision is to exclude the three aforementioned sites, the final payment will only be P900 thousand, though either way is still a grossly large cost to meet annually. The first thing PHSA needs to do to be able to fulfill our end of the altered agreement is appeal to the Department of
MAURA AUREL YAP Budget and Management and ask for the required sum, but if this fails, the school will possibly have to resort to transferring all students to PHSA’s building in Bae, Laguna which is currently being built to house the Senior High School students. Two other options provide hope for the cause of keeping PHSA where it belongs: the National Arts Center Theater or Tanghalang Maria Makiling is in the process of being deemed an Important Cultural Property by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts because it was designed by Leandro Locsin, a National Artist; and that the PHSA campus is also undergoing the process of becoming a Heritage Site headed by the Laguna Tourism, Culture, Arts and Trade Office. However, these two saving graces are currently tentative and will definitely take a
long time to finalize. When worst comes to worst, the entire PHSA community will face numerous hardships in terms of insufficient lodging, no workspace and minimal facilities. But these material problems are small compared to how a displacement will affect the very spirit of the school, as well as the character of its students.
Arts Center, which PHSA is a part of, was also established by Imelda Marcos in 1977 “to assist the greater number of Filipinos, and, in the long run, the cultural upliftment of the Philippines” (Veloso-Yap 1976)
Throughout its 39 years of existence, the PHSA has produced numerous world renowned artists such as Leeroy New, Candice Adea, Shamaine Buencamino, Melissa Camba, Grace Nono and so many others, who all have one thing in common: they all began in an arts school on a mountain, all inspired by the same myths and gained both discipline and talent on the same ground that current students now tread. I think it also shouldn’t be disregarded that the National
In summary, the future of the PHSA will be greatly compromised if UPLB decides to push through with increasing the annual payment to that big a sum, which remains unacceptable on the grounds of Mount Makiling proving to be more than just a plot of land. It has been, still is and always will be home to young artists who grow into major contributors to Philippine art and culture. It is reasonable for there to be a price for everything, but our mountain will never be a reasonable one.
9
Senior High: The First Five Months
It’s been five months since the beginning of school for students of the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA), and with it, the debut of PHSA’s Senior High School (SHS) program. Even in the previous year, SHS in Makiling was met with more doubt than excitement, due to the curriculum being untested and because the first SHS batch would be subject for major experimentation. But half a school year in, does PHSA SHS really deserve the unconvinced accusations, or is it just something new that everyone needs to understand will get better with time? In interviews with students of different art fields from Batch Francisco-De Leon, or Felizaro, the first Grade 11 batch, it seems the general sentiment is that while it’s unfortunate that they are the ‘experimental
batch’ and will not get the refined SHS program future students will experience, they are scholars above everything and will appreciate what it is they’re given. One undeniable truth about a PHSA education is that it enriches both the artistic skill and artistic viewpoint of each student, and that’s the most important part. After four years of honing artistic skill in the practical sense, the SHS program focuses more on the theoretical aspect of art; performing art fields such as Theater and Dance have more alternative classes, and while at first, it seems there is no time left for practicing the actual craft, this type of arts education is integral to the students’ future art careers. The less practicum-based lessons are equally important, because they help broaden or diversify the
Opinion Survey
students’ perceptions of their art, and makes them aware of their roles as artists in a society, and artists in the Philippines.
When it comes to how they’re faring as students and not art students, the main problem is being able to communicate or connect with the ‘adults’, or the administration; instead of the other way around, it’s the Grade 11 students who have to initiate talks of projects or proposals with the administration, who are also have difficulty considering there are five grade levels instead of four to attend to. “We want involvement with adults on how to improve the curriculum,” says (should I?). The students also tend to feel isolated among the rest of the student body, since they stay in a different dormitory and are only present during school events. But at the same time,
the Grade 11 students feel like this dilemma will be solved once coordinators are set for each art field. Regarding the gap between grade levels, it’s simply just taking everyone time to adjust to the idea of there being more students and an extra year level. Finally, SHS has proven itself to be much more taxing, both physically and mentally, than any of them expected. But in a twisted way, even this has had a good effect on their dynamic as a batch and as individual artists.
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It’s a different atmosphere now, we’ve matured so much in a short time and have become so much closer as a batch. I think this stress is shaping us up to be an ideal Grade 11 batch.
The SHS program might have a number of problems and lapses, but as shown in the overall experience of the Grade 11 batch so far, there are as many pros as there are cons, and what’s rough now is bound to be smoothed out in the coming years. It often slips our minds that senior high school is new to the entire country, and nothing’s going to be perfect at the start. It’s been five months since the SHS program became official, and it’s too early for prejudgments, or for anything to be set in stone. This is a call for all naysayers to reevaluate things and really try to grasp the situation, as well as to always keep in mind that the best way a person can learn is from their mistakes.
— Noreen Domingo, a Grade 11 student
“The best support I can give, aside from appreciating the things that they put out and perform, I have to imbibe also what is embedded behind these performances.” - Sir Ronaldo Abuan, PHSA Director III
What would you do to support artists in the PH?
“Something as simple as making posters and helping out with set design in school productions for my co-Ibarangs as well as for people/groups outside the school is my way of reaching out to artists. Although my support for artists has not yet arrived to an extent of being revolutionary or phenomenal, if I persist on my artistic service, I do believe it eventually will.” - Wika Nadera, Grade 10, Visual Arts
JUNE 2016 - FEBRUARY 2017
q S ” y l d a e D o S t o 10 “N
Not dead Yet
No, the first cabinet meeting wasn’t all suits and discussions, but more of
self-service monggo and fried fish at a conference table. Although President Rodrigo Duterte was at Davao that time, his cabinet appointees met up for a getting-toknow dinner and exchanged numbers. And now that the president has sat down along with them , it’s time to meet the President’s not so deadly Cabinet Secretaries.
Lawyer Salvador Medialdea, a childhood friend of Duterte, is now the head and the highest-ranking officeholder of the president’s office. Dubbed as the “Little President,” the job of the Executive Secretary is to directly assist the president in the management of government matters as well as to direct actions to happen in the executive office.
Leoncio “Jun” Evasco Cabinet Secretary Leoncio “Jun” Evasco has been Duterte’s trusted man since the 1980s. The Cabinet Secretary organizes Cabinet meetings and is the one who assures that the directives are important and urgent. An interesting fact is that the two met in prison during the Marcos’ martial rule while Duterte was a city prosecutor and Evasco was a New People’s Army rebel priest.
Maria Leonor Robredo: Chairman of Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) Vice President Leni Robredo, like her predecessors VP Jejomar Binay and Noli de Castro, takes the chair for HUDCC after the offer over the phone by President Duterte. After the appointment, she says in an interview, “We can now serve our homeless countrymen better, and we will be able to fulfill our promise to push for the development and provide comfort to poor fellow Filipinos.”
Emannuel Piñol Secretary of Agriculture (DA)
Emannuel “Manny” Piñol, the Cotabato Governor has been appointed as the new Department of Agriculture secretary. He might have been known in the past campaigning year as a fervent supporter of Duterte, but his advocacies lie in organic farming, too!
Benjamin Diokno Secretary of Budget and Management (DBM) Benjamin Diokno has been Budget Secretary for a long time, and the President trusts him enough to handle his administration as well. Diokno is an economics professor in UP Diliman.
Leonor Briones Secretary of Education (DepEd) Although Leonor Briones’ background stands more on accounting and finance (she was a National Treasurer), Duterte says Briones can help the problems with the implementation of K12.
Carlos Dominguez III Secretary of Finance (DOF) Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez III was President Duterte’s childhood friend, former classmate, and, Duterte’s finance head during the 2016 elections. He also handled the seat during former president Cory Aquino’s term.
Perfecto R. Yasay, Jr. Secretary of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Perfecto R. Yasay, Jr. is the acting foreign secretary until Duterte’s running mate, Cayetano, can take up the post if he pleases to. Yasay was the Securities and Exchange Comission (SEC) chair during the Ramos administration and one of the people who stood against Joseph
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION OF MAKILING?
Secretary of Health (DOH)
Paulyn Jean Rosell Ubial is the fourth woman to become the country’s health secretary. Colleagues praise Ubial for being the secretary who “rose from the ranks.” Before the appointment, she was the Director of the Department of Health in Southern Mindanao.
Vitaliano Aguirre II Secretary of Justice (DOJ)
MA-I ENTICO
When I go to literary festivals, the questions directed to our local komikeros would always be: Are our local comics really flourishing?, the inquirers thinking that the comic business is dying. Indeed, they are thinking wrong. Our local comics are just preparing to take off. With new titles on the shelves, these promising works bring about the hope of the new generation of Filipino comics. 12:01
Vitaliano Aguirre II was Duterte’s frat brother and classmate during his years in San Beda College of Laws. Aguirre is famously known as the one who stood up to Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago during the Corona impeachment – he had covered his ears out of frustration with Santiago, who was then slating the prosecution team.
This is a short comic written by Russel Molina and illustrated by Kajo Baldisimo that can be read in just one sitting. The story revolves around a group of friends who become stranded out on the streets past curfew. It is set in the year Martial Law was declared and tackles the circumstances that people of the time found themselves in. Despite some unfamiliar slang words, 12:01 was an informative comic as well as an entertaining one, overall being a good read
Judy Taguiwalo Secretary of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
Andres Celestial and Amorsolo Esperanza: Two Short Tales
In her wide experience on social welfare and development, Judy Taguiwalo gave devotion to the plight of Filipino women. She was an activist during her college years, and helped organize the women’s organization, Malayang Kilusan ng Kababaihan (MAKIBAKA). Taguiwalo was arrested twice and has been jailed for more than three years in different military prisons) during Ferdinand Marcos’ reign.
From the creator of Bakemono High and The More the Manyer!, comes another gem of this generation, Andres Celestial and Amorsolo Esperanza: Two Short Tales. Anyone looking for an easy read should definitely try this one. However, just because it’s short and simple, that doesn’t mean that it automatically lacks content. One of the stories is about the faith healer Amorsolo, and the other, a dreamer fumbling his way through adulthood, Andres, that are both thought-provoking, entertaining and worth the cost.
“I was excited because of the stories I heard from my cousins who went here.” - Sheen Madiclum, Grade 8, Theater “I thought all the girls would share one room and cook our own food
Lost Lost is another charming comic brought to life by Rob Cham, the creator of Light. The story of this comic picks up where Light left off, but Lost can be understood on its own. The story follows the familiar silent backpacker from Light and his newfound shadow friend who have somehow found themselves in a cave after slipping – again. The comic seems to thrive from its wordlessness; drawing in more attention towards the colored illustrations. Reading it is like watching a short cartoon that has the same vibe as shows like “Adventure Time”. Poopo the Cute and Many Other Just when you thought his last book Alamat ng Panget and Many Other was good enough, Apol Sta. Maria is back to offer more of the comic’s witty and wacky humor. The collection has no main story or any story at all, with only a bunch of strange frames with titles that often make fun of words and ideas. It’s a pretty gutsy move from a komikero to put a comic out there that features an art style and content we all consider to be at the level of a five year old. However, it clicks well with an audience who just wants to find joy in poking fun at the world we live in. Indeed, it is a strange book, but it is the strangeness that makes up the comic’s charm. And these are just some of the many comics that have been released at the start of 2016. They may be few for now, but there’s no telling where the Filipino comics will go, behaving the same way as a magic box – small on the outside, but bigger on the inside. The industry may have felt like static for the past few years, but it’s not dead yet, and only rising up from the grave.
“I felt like Alice in Wonderland, or like I was in Hogwarts. Makiling served as an escape for me.” - Aum Duenas, Grade 11, Visual Arts “I thought the audition for the school was a contest.”
--that would have been fun.”
- Isagani Javier Pinzon, Grade 8, Visual Arts
- Patricia Perez, Grade 10, Folk Dance
“I thought it was easy to excel but I realized that it would take 6 years to do that.”
“There are girls here!” - Nathan Domagas, Grade 10, Music
- Sachiko Oquiño, Grade 7, Folk Dance
On the afternoon of July 14 2016, Christina Espiritu, the PHSA’s alumnus and current music teacher, drove her car down into a 100-meter cliff to avoid crashing into three other cars. But what should have been a tragedy turned out to be a few gashes and bruises, plus an amusing story to tell after. However, if you happen to find yourself in a similar situation, how can you come out of a car accident not with irreparable trauma and instead a larger understanding of life, death, and the nature of unexpected events?
1 Retrace your steps. During the ‘music’ listening portion of the quiz Ma’am Tin was giving to her Grade 7 class earlier that day, a child’s voice from the back of the room called ‘Ma’am!’ When she turned around and asked who it was, no one in the class knew, but they had all hear the voice. She then realized it’s been a long time since her last ‘alay’ (offering) to Maria Makiling’s stone, and decided to give one
before leaving the mountain. “For some reason, I forgot…” she said in an interview, “… and that’s when I felt something was wrong with the brakes.” Ma’am Tin was able to pinpoint at least the spiritual cause behind what happened, as it’s always important to go back to what happened before that, for the sake of closure and peace of mind. She felt something wasn’t right that day, and she wasn’t wrong.
2 Make decisions, and make them fast. On her way down, Ma’am Tin saw a tree at the edge of the cliff and before hitting the tree due to her faulty brakes, came face to face with three other cars on their way up. Continuing would definitely mean a car crash and endangering the lives of others, so her only other option was to steer her Honda City 2000 straight off the cliff. “Tin, are you ready to die?” she asked herself upon noticing the brakes, and in a blinking moment, decided “Handa na ako”. I am ready. If she had
The Decline
There are many reasons why this art form has ceased to flourish. First, the art of batek cannot be taught to anyone outside of WhangOd’s bloodline. If she does, however, the tattoos that shall be tapped onto a person’s skin by the illegitimate mambabatok will become ‘infected’ or ‘cursed’. The explanation for this is that these tattoos are not just for show, but are also there to serve as charms to protect or aid its bearer. With an “illegitimate” heir, these tattoos would then become harmful or ineffective. Being childless, she would not be able to teach anyone else the art of batok except a grandniece who opted to become a teacher instead. Another reason behind the decline is the change in the meaning of tattoos that occurred over time. Tattoos, nowadays, are associated with crime, rebellion and danger in general, but during pre-colonial days until around World War II, tattoos were a symbol of courage, capability, and even beauty; it was also expected that by the time a member of their tribe had reached a certain age, they must have a tattoo It was the norm, and being bare skinned was deemed to be unusual and unbecoming.
hesitated a few seconds longer, the outcome would have been much worse. Whether your decision is between life and death or lighter than that, certainty and quick thinking is key. Ma’am Tin went with her instinct, and once again, it was the right choice.
3 Keep calm and enjoy the music. “Don’t move. Don’t move. Don’t do anything.” Those were the words Ma’am Tin repeated in her mind as her car cut down the trees, but other thoughts were running through her as well, like how she was glad she didn’t bring her 3 year-old son Aaron, how they would find her body, how she would climb back up if she were to live, and when this was going to end. She was even thinking about a sharp object piercing her heart like in the movies by instead, felt only bananas hitting the car roof, all while “Only You” by The Platters played on the stereo. Considering the fall towards the bottom of a cliff would be the longest ten seconds of your
life, not panicking will help, and sometimes your thoughts can be a good distraction from the reality of what’s happening.
11
just as much as she saw the entertainment value, she also Learn from it after, and laugh sees the incident as a source of a little, too. Ma’am Tin’s car two important lessons, which skidded to a stop on solid she shared in the interview: ground, while her Waze “LESSON #1: ALWAYS MAKE application kept telling her SURE THAT THE MECHANICS to ‘make a U-Turn’. Her first WILL BLEED THE BRAKE FLUID instinct, after making sure she WHEN YOU ARE CHANGING was alive, was to check for THE BRAKE PADS OF YOUR undamaged belongings and CAR, and smash her window in order to get out of the car. She was LESSON #2: No matter how trying to figure out how to careful you are, accident is climb back up when a resident always just around the corner. she calls ‘Ate Dambie’ and two That is why we have to live our other men came to help. “Ate life to the fullest… because life Dambie asked me, ‘Okay ka is indeed precious.” lang ba, Ma’am?’ [Are you okay, Ma’am?] to which I answered There’s nothing closer to ‘Hindi po, nalaglag po ako sa a reality check than a life bangin, eh’. [No, I just fell off a threatening accident, so if ever cliff.], an exchange that ended anything happens to you or in laughter. It’s astounding anyone you are close to, this that Ma’am Tin could take the incident should be used as an incident lightly minutes after opportunity to be reminded of and the fact that she retold the value of life, as well as that the story for the amusement of everyone who makes it one of her students the next week worth living. was equally amazing. But
4
One must not despair at the loss of a culture. With the preservation of a practice also come modifications, as well as a re-invention and re-introduction of the practice. Tatak ng Apat na Alon or Mark of the Four Waves, is a group made up of Fil-Americans dedicated to the revival of this art form through inking themselves with modified designs of the tribe. The group has not only made it a goal to spread the art form, but to also inform people of the tradition’s meanings, as well as to help others understand its roots; instead of becoming a viral trend for the attractive patterns, they wanted to keep the essence of the tattoos, and help people realize the intimacy of tattoos. Elle Festin, the co-founder of the community sums up the whole situation nicely: “The only way you can find proof of designs is through oral history and artifacts. The only way to stop it from becoming obsolete is by reviving the designs.” When it comes to reviving the dying arts, certain sacrifices in the tradition need to be made. Despite them having no blood relatives who are masters of batuk, the work of ‘Mark of the Four Waves is still praiseworthy. They are redesigning culture, and at the same time, saving it.
MA-I SAFFRON ENTICO
H
idden among the trees and winding paths of the Buscalan mountains lies one of the nation’s oldest art forms, where the body is a blank canvas that could carry zigzagging black lines flowing from arms down to the curves and joints of the body, forming patterns nature only shows to those who are experienced in its language.
Batok – also spelled as Batek or Batuk – is a traditional form of art wherein one uses the thorn of a pomelo or calamansi tree, along with a mixture of charcoal, sweet potatoes, and water, to tap designs onto a person’s skin. In other words: a tattoo with tok, tek, or tuk, being the sound that the artist makes when tapping the design. Only a few are able to qualify as mambabatok or tattoo artists of their tribe. Whang-Od Oggay, a 92 year old woman, bears her tribe’s culture through her still nimble hands and tools as the sole living mambabatok of the Kalinga tribe. For years, she has been continuing her trade that had been passed down from generation to generation by putting up a batek studio usually flocked to by tourists. The batek’s price that starts at fivehundred pesos, with the design either chosen by her or the customer.
iLLUSTRATIONS BY ROBERTA MARIE SANTOS
SURVEY
Estrada’s impeachment trial in 2000. He was also Duterte’s roommate while he studied in University of the Philippines. Paulyn Jean Rosell Ubial
FEATURES
AMBER GARMA
BIANCA YSABEL RABE
Salvador Medialdea Executive Secretary
CRASH COURSE
local comics:
ILLUSTRATION BY TRISTAN PAUL GUINID
DUTERTE’S uad
JUNE 2016 - FEBRUARY 2017
VOL. XXXIX NO. 1
Rebirth
FEATURES
VOL. XXXIX NO. 1
FEATURES
While visiting a different country is a good reason to relax and soak in a new
atmosphere, it’s also the perfect opportunity to explore the culture and the heritae of worlds outside our own. Three Variations staff members recall creative cuisine and the walk of a lifetime, glimpses into the very souls of China and South Korea.
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K
Kain in Korea
Barge Ramos AMARA AVERION
PHOTO BY CHIRBEE DY
This is why we were all taken aback when we first saw the silhouette of the temple, especially when we got to the complex. It was vast and grand, with its tall columns and golden statues of Buddha. It took us almost an hour just getting through Foguang Avenue, which is approximately 1230
meters long. The heat was unbearable but fortunately, there were plenty of striking statues of Buddha, elephants, bodhisattvas, and lotuses, which made the walk enjoyable. The music playing in the background also helped set the mood. Seeing the temple grow bigger as we walked farther from the entrance made us all realize that we were just mere humans under a benevolent supreme being. We entered the Namaste Dagoba exhausted but we were still in awe with what we saw: statues of golden saints and Buddha being adorned by various offerings by different people. When you
THE JUNGLE BOOK This
JET STEPHEN CHONG and CHIRBEE DY
go deeper into the temple, you will find one of Xi’an’s most treasured relics, the real finger bone of Sakyamuni Buddha. It is encased in eight intricately-carved boxes, all made of different materials such as sandalwood, silver, gold, and jade. Overall, the entire experience may be strenuous but it was definitely worth it. It’s as if we’ve all been enlightened when we exited the complex. Famen Temple is the place to go when you’re searching for enlightenment, architecture, cultural heritage, or even a much-needed break from a bustling life.
A MOVIE REVIEW
DANIEL BEN
Barge Ramos, a famous Filipino designer, embroiders the imprints of anting-antings, ambahan, a form of Mangyan literature, and the baybayin in his barong designs. In his collection, “Holiday Haute Couture X”, Ramos calls his style a “mix of traditional with nontraditional fabrics and prints to be able to come up with fresh and unexpected looks.” His Filipiniana designs range from inabel barongs and abaca gowns to mixing beaded shorts with barong tunics for women, handembroidered piña gowns and batik-hand-painted barongs made with Cordillera fabrics. “I would like to be known as a Filipino designer who creates fashion with that Filipino touch.” He said in an interview.
Vela Manila Vela Manila is a brand that incorporates native ethnic fabrics in their bags and pouches. Vela Manila uses textiles from the Cordillera Region, Yakan fabric from Lamitan in Basilan, T’Nalak fabric from Lake Sebu in South Cotabato, Mangyan Ramit from Oriental Mindoro, and Abaca Pinangabol from Dalwangan in Bukidnon in their hand-carry products. Filip+Inna Yet another company that pursues the same goal is Filip+Inna by Leonora Luisa Cabili, that coordinates with over 12 indigenous groups and over a hundred artisans to create bags and clothing collections. Cabili, a former dancer of the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company, launched the brand in 2010 that took inspiration from the
works of weaving, embroidery, and the bead work of the tribes. Born and raised in Iligan City, she gives credit to her childhood and the exposure to national costumes from the dance troup that inspired her to integrate the traditional wear with the modern times. The company works with indigenous groups like the T’bolis for beadwork and embroidery, and the Maranaos for weaving and artwork that they incorporate not only in clothing, but bags too. These three progressive Filipino brands are only the beginning of the country’s beautiful designs, from both the past and the present, being integrated into contemporary fashion, as can be appreciated by each and every Filipino is a huge step for our nation’s cultural consciousness. Plus, all the products look fabulous beyond compare.
the first transgender politician and so much more
SAMGYEOPSAL SOUTH KOREA
Even though it originated from Japan, Ramen is a daily meal for Koreans. Ramen are rice noodles with vegetables, meat and soup, served in a big bowl that fits for two people. Even if the ingredients sound ordinary, the amount of different flavors that are blended together makes you want to eat more and more.
person ready to help you!
The delicacies in Korea vary in taste. There are sweet delicacies like hard candies that are small and can be bought in packs, there are sour ones like bubble gums and soft candies that you chew until they just disappear, and some have unexplainable favors that make you squint as you eat, but still make Samgyeopsal, which means fireworks dance in your ‘cooking your own food,’ mouth and taste incredible! is also popular in Korean All of these are sold at night cuisine The nicely sliced raw markets and in regular stores. meat is fresh enough to cook. Observing it cook slowly, Korean cuisine is truly amazing, hearing it sizzle and waiting as they are truly talented when for it to turn golden brown it comes to the creativity of (this gives you the cue to dip flavors and taste palettes. it into the condiments) was Eating all the good food will definitely a fun experience, give any taveler enough energy and made me feel like a to see the rest of the beauty professional chef. After the that the country holds. I would meat you’ve prepared for highly recommend you to fly yourself is good, you can to Korea, and head first to eat it with side dishes like the restaurants, or if you’re tofu, kimchi, vegetables looking for something more and bean sprouts, that all possible than that, visit a local taste good. And if you have Korean restaurant to taste the absolutely no idea how wonderful cuisine they were to cook, there’s always a generous enough to share with the rest of the world.
Geraldine
Roman, the Philippines’ first transgender official elected to the congress has been gathering a lot of mainstream media coverage. Her name is mentioned frequently all over the web, especially with the more liberal-inclined youth. And who’s to say that this isn’t without a good reason? Despite bills that prohibit transgenderism in the Philippines and a few campaigns against her, Roman has been remaining strong and maintaining her Catholic faith with utmost conviction.
ann gabrielle domingo
and be able to legislate bills that would ensure their safety and rights as a human being, but she also stated that she wants to be more than just the ‘first transgender politician’.
“
ILLUSTRATION BY SHERRY KAGALINGAN
Roman has long been gaining exposure in the world of politics through her father Antonio Roman and her mother, “There were some, very few, Herminia Roman, who were who campaigned against me.” both in the congress during she says in an interview for ANC their time. about her relationship with the Roman was elected to the Catholic church, “and there congress as Bataan’s First were some who would give me Representative. In an interview moral and spiritual support. with the Philippine star, Roman And they would assure me that states that her top priorities God looks inside your heart; He in Congress are as follows: does not look at your gender. first, Bataan’s socio-economic So [the latter, being those who welfare, second, human rights, supported me] would tell me such as anti-discrimination that what is important is your bills and LGBT rights, and finally essence.” agriculture.
I don’t want to be typecast as the transgender woman”, she affirms. “At the end of my career, I want people to know me as Geraldine Roman. ‘She was a good legislator, she helped a lot of people, and she did her job well.’
Geraldine accepts the privilege of representing the LGBT community in the world of politics, but she’s not stopping there. With all her ambitions and insight, we look forward to not only a more open-minded voting mentality from Filipinos, but also more good politicians like Geraldine Roman in the Although she was a journalist Roman is more than happy to future. before being elected into office, represent the LGBT community
SOLEIL ILYANNA CRUZ
FEATURES 13 Michael
Cinco, a Filipino couturier based in Dubai, is the first Pinoy designer to be participating in the Haute Couture Week in Paris, France. Coming along with him is his love for his country-- aiming to bring pride to the Philippines and better opportunities for other Filipino designers. His collection will be presented by the nonprofit organization that aims to promote Asian couture, the Asian Couture Foundation (ACF).
“
I have worked hard for this. Hopefully it will open more doors for me and other Filipino designers for them to showcase and market their labels worldwide. We have very talented Filipino designers who can compete globally and it is indeed an honor for me to pave the way for them.” --Cinco states when asked about the event. Cinco started developing his passion for the arts at a very young age, having studied in the University of the Philippines as a fine arts major and also attending the prominent Slim’s School for Fashion and Arts. Later on, he studied abroad, but never lost the part of him that is truly Filipino, as everyone can see in his incorporations of traditional barong designs, solihiya weaving, and calado embroidery in the pieces he presented for Haute Couture Week. A lot of pressure is put on people from small countries like the Philippines to make it big in any industry, and Michael Cinco is only one of many undiscovered talents from a country that is artistic by nature. The most exciting part of Michael Cinco’s success story is not just that he brought out Filipino culture to the world in his designs, but rather the fact that he voices out his confidence and support for every Filipino artist or designer with big dreams. Most certainly, Michael Cinco isn’t the only cutting edge fashion designer to break through the international scene in the near future.
PHOTOS FROM THE INTERNET
Shere Khan (Idris Elba) and was human, he still needed development, stops at nothing to kill him. character which he achieved by The movie not only meeting different characters, focuses on the life of a human learning from them, and also child amidst animals, and discovering the importance of creation as part of survival. In a way, this also says a lot about how humans should be treating fellow humans. If animals can accept us, why This confirms that can’t we accept each other? the newest film, directed by Jon Favreau is a mustEvery scene was watch, but why else is The suspenseful and would make Jungle Book important for the audience explode with kids and adults alike to see? feelings, but at the same time want to calm down to be able The newest film’s plot to focus on the story given. tells the tale of a “man-cub” This version of the Jungle named Mowgli (Neel Sethi) Book is definitely a movie I found alone deep in the jungles would recommend, from a by a black panther named pleasant start to an incredibly Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) who presents Mowgli to a pack of instead also sheds light satisfying and meaningful that effectively wolves, where he was raised as on the camaraderie and sense ending concludes a wild journey. one of their own. Mowgli grows of family among humans and up peacefully, but begins to be animals. Mowgli wasn’t perfect hunted down by a tiger named from the start just because he year’s live-action revisiting of ‘The Jungle Book’, Rudyard Kipling’s classic children’s story of the same name was dubbed ‘the best animation film to date, with a Rotten Tomatoes rating 95.9% higher than its 1967 counterpart.
PHOTO BY AMARA AVERION
NAMASTE DAGOBA XI’AN, CHINA
Waking up early in the morning just to go somewhere two whole hours away isn’t that fun. Take it from us, who woke up at five in the morning despite sleeping at half past midnight. We knew that we were going to the celebrated Famen Temple that morning but we didn’t know what to expect.
BIANCA YSABEL RABE
From knotted strands and weaving looms, to the catwalks in the city – the art of our traditions and the vibe of the modern contemporary life style stitch together in dresses and pocket organizers alike. Filipino designers thread and knot traditional patterns to their products, which are showcased both in red carpets and shelves on stores.
orea is popular for a lot of things, from their culture and music to plastic surgeries and Korean films, but the most enjoyable part of my trip to Korea was getting to experience their cuisine. Their food was divine because of the spice and sweetness mixed together and the fact that everything came in enormous servings. Three of my favorites were their ramen, Samgyeopsal style of eating, and the delicacies.
PILGRIMAGE IN THE EAST
Culture Couture
JUNE 2016 - FEBRUARY 2017
VOL. XXXIX NO. 1
FIRST FILIPINO
VOL. XXXIX NO. 1
HAUTE COUTURE WEEK'S
JUNE 2016 - FEBRUARY 2017
JUNE 2016 - FEBRUARY 2017
VOL. XXXIX NO. 1
JUNE 2016 - FEBRUARY 2017
VOL. XXXIX NO. 1
FEATURES
FEATURES
HORRORSCOPES
WRITTEN BY DANIELLE ALEXANDRA CASTILLO AND BIANCA YSABEL RABE
An Angry Flying Chicken AQUARIUS
events FEED
PHOTO CONTRIBUTORS : SAMUEL AUGUSTINE ASISTORES, AMBER GARMA, and VICTOR EMMANUEL CARMELO NADERA II
FLATLAYS
chirbee dy preciosa christine guevarra amara mikaela averion
T
he contemporary visual art scene has always been a platform for artists to showcase the uprising art styles that go viral on the internet, comics, fashion, photography and film. This spread features the diverse tastes of Ibarang millennials and their humour, personal advocacies and even political stand through art styles like Vapourwave, Memes, Flatlay photography, and more. From museum galleries to instagram feeds, witness and be a part of the art movements of your time.
CULTURAL SHOW
TAURUS
October 23–November 22
April 21–May 21
Art (??!?!!) LEO
A Lost Dorm Key Patience is a virtue, and as the little lost dorm key, you embody it. You maybe somewhere on the ground or lying in the school area, maybe even a pocket, either way, you will wait for your owner because you know you are of importance to them. Even so, the fact you’re still laying there lost believing you’d be found nevertheless is the result of your lazy and stubborn nature. But when you end up being found, you unlock more than just the door.
July 23–August 22 This Roadkill From June 22, 2015
Your works always seem to reveal things that are hidden. You are fearless and believe that you can be powerful and easily control others. You may look mysterious to others but you know how to embrace it.
Perhaps your love for the road brought you into this state – but nonetheless, your friends love it when you ask them to come with you out in the sun, explore some new things, and maybe take a risk or two. And although you are a walking “accident prone” sign, you’re able to bring out the heart in every mishap.
PISCES SAGITARIUS
February 19-March 20
November 23–December 21
Rebo-skull For others, you’re the “chillest” dude. The say you’re inspirational and the room will never be complete if you’re not there. You may have the suckiest days in the Bio Lab’s corner but you always seem to keep things together. You are also very soulful and believe that there is good in everything.
A Pony
GEMINI
VIRGO
May 22–June 21
August 23–September 22
Gamu-Gamo
“Crushie”
For a creature like the “Gamu-Gamo” you love to travel. It would be normal for someone to see you appearing out of nowhere. You are fast and you also enjoy talking to people, effortlessly communicating while using your gossip powers (especially telling them where the lightbulb is, gathering others.
“Crushie” is perfect in every single way; they are literal walking, talking, life goals. Being able to handle challenges in your way and being the best you can be, you give every reason to be that “Crush ng Bayan”. But you may be a little too perfect that your perfectionism affects the people around you too. Either way, you still bring people coming back to you.
Yes, you are that pink fluffy unicorn dancing on rainbows. You believe that being positive will always keep you enthusiastic, this is the reason why you have friend Your majestic wings lead you to wonderful places. You are an explorer! For you, adventure is always out there.
ARIES March 21–April 20 A Head That’s Aggressively Shouting!!!
ma-i entico
(oh and it has a cat ears) As much as you love to dress up raunchy – and still feel comfy and confident – sadly, jamming to Ariana Grande just won’t satisfy your concert cravings. You try to invite your friends to watch a local gig or a play, but being the vigorous person that you are, you sort of force them to go with you. Nevertheless, you and your squad end up belting the lyrics to On My Own, (or Sayo, who knows?), and perhaps try and squeeze your way in backstage.
KOMIKS
LIBRA CANCER
September 23–October 22
June 22–July 22
I Think It’s A Meme?
Alter Playlist
As intellectual as you dress, you are but a walking meme stockroom, ready to shoot people with your puns and dankness. Your cardigans and vests make you look as balanced as you are, but when you see someone getting all lovey-dovey with the bae, you forget the beauty and let the beast out. And after the “task,” you still manage to pull out a meme. Or two.
In the midst of the best raves a school could ever involve themselves in, you choose to show your care in the form of making people ”feel” the party. But despite all the flashing lights and jumping, you bring on that “senti-mode” as soon as you play a slow dance. Either good or bad, you definitely bring memories no one could ever forget.
Will you marry me?
CAPRICORN December 22–January 20 A Single Stone in Some Pile of Rice After Noche Buena and Mediya Noche from the holidays, you’re back with that food. Although people keep criticizing you for destroying their “perfect” white rice, you tend to stand out and commit to giving everyone a “hard” time. Just remember when you’re working on group projects, soften the rain a bit.
hanna ysabel cayaban
culture is dead victor emmanuel carmelo nadera ii
julia elisha tan
julia elisha tan
PUMPED UP KIDS
MAGAman
tristan paul guinid
15 roberta marie santos and ma-i entico
MAKILING FEED
ILLUSTRATIONS BY JULIA ELISHA TAN AND PATRICIA PATALINGHUG
A common culture among the millennials would be creatively organizing one’s Instagram feed—where we post pictures of our everyday lives, ranging from our favorite snack to an OOTD. Inspired by this, the Makiling and Events feeds feature the Ibarang’s favorite shots of scenery around the school as well as a short summary of the highlighted events of this school year.
They say the chicken is a flightless bird; you choose to differ. Being able to fly, you see the world in a bigger perspective. Because of your individuality, you seem alien to the people around you, but your friends believe in your intelligence that comes in different forms. In doubt, fly on!
Kumunyon
14
SCORPIO
January 21-February 18
tristan paul guinid
JUNE 2016 - FEBRUARY 2017
SPORTS 16
VOL. XXXIX NO. 1
THE AGE OF ESPORTS
Filipina S A N I P I L I P S A L GI nabs silver D TE
A L I H I N AN
daniel ben
at Rio OLYMPICS 2016
patricia patalinghug
Gilas Pilipinas, the Philippine basketball team lost to France and New Zealand during the Rio Qualifying Rounds in SM Mall of Asia Arena despite the home court advantage.
Gilas struggled in the second half, and despite reaching a four-point lead at one point, France made
sure to keep their lead, Tai Jack and Corey Webster, ending the game 93-84. maintained the lead, ending the game at a close 89-80. After the loss in the first game, the Philippine team didn’t lose hope, for they still had a chance to ...We have to analyze enter the elimination phase why that didn’t happen if they beat New Zealand. and we have to try and
“
The first quarter ended in favor of New Zealand, 21-17, even though the two teams exchanged leads. New Zealand however, with the efforts of Tom Abercrombie, Isaac Fotu and the Webster brothers,
SPO
fix it again...
Coach Tab Baldwin said during the Press Conference after the game, clearly dismayed at the team’s loss.
2016
FEST
james jonelle lanante
P h i l i p p i n e weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz bagged the silver medal for women’s 53kg Weightlifting Division during the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, breaking the country’s 20-year Olympic medal drought. Diaz, 25 and a native of Zamboanga, took home the first medal for the Philippines in the weightlifting category, after
TEAMWORK. Jokyo Jokyo winning the game Centipede against Lendy’s.
a 112 kg lift in the clean and jerk event that won her second place. She had a total record of 200 kg, after also lifting 88 kg in the snatch event, wherein she placed sixth. She is named the first non-boxer in Philippine Olympic history, after Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco also bagged a silver medal in the boxing category in 1996. Also, with her victory, she now holds the record as the country’s first Filipina Olympic Medalist.
bianca ysabel rabe
Garnering 945 total points, Team Lendy’s claimed first place in the fastfoodthemed Sportsfest held from August 22-26 at the National Arts Center (NAC) Theater. Teams ‘Jokyo Jokyo’, ‘Kang Inasal’ and ‘Itlog ni Kuya’ came in second, third and fourth with a neck-and-neck total of 890, 880 and 870 points respectively. For three days, the entire Ibarang community gained points from competing and winning in various games that tested both their physical and mental skill, with major games such as basketball, badminton, and kickball, and minor games such as hula hoop, long jump and board games. New games were also added to the usual roster, such as ‘Makiling Royale’, a closed-in contest that required stealth and strategy.
Lendy’s takes the prize PHOTO BY AMARA AVERION
The event was presided over by Physical Education teacher Mrs. Christina Narvasa and organized by the Supreme Student Government (SSG).
Within the 21st Century, eSports, the competitive digital gaming scene, has been expanding itself to the masses. It probably sounds ridiculous to think that sitting down in front of a computer or game console could ever be considered a real sport, but it is taken almost just a seriously as gymnastics or soccer. If competitive digital
gaming still doesn’t seem “real” enough, the fact that eSports is being turned into a second-grade Olympic sport proves otherwise. The International e-Sports Federation (IeSF), a South Korean eSports organization partnered up with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in its attempts to bring the digital gaming
scene to the future Olympics. The IOC responded with open arms, providing the IeSF the info they should provide to legally legitimize eSports as an Olympic sport. Competitive gaming was real long before the invention of consoles, with arcade classics such as Street Fighter, Tekken. When consoles were introduced in the early 90s, games like Pokemon, Super Smash Bros., and Tetris gained popularity, to be followed by the First Person Shooter (FPS) genre. At present, the Real Time Strategy (RTS) and Muliplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) are making waves in the digital gaming scene.
Competitions for these games are no joke to the gaming community; the eSports industry itself is said to be worth $1.9 billion by 2018, along with championship events in jam-packed stadiums and stream viewers reaching up to millions, like the 2015 League of Legends World Championships’ livestream that reached a total of 334 million viewers. The prize pools are just as impressive, with the highest reaching $18,429,613 from The International 2015, a major DOTA competition. The proposed implementation of competitive digital gaming as an actual sport in the Olympics was questionable for most gamers; while others have said it is
SPORTS 17 the next big thing for sports. Either way, the digital gaming scene shows no signs of fading out anytime soon. Whether eSports will or will not end up in the Olympics around the distant future, competitive digital gaming will definitely be the start of a new age of sports to be benefited from by athletes all over the world.
ma-i entico and elijah luis canlas
Boxing is one of the most loved and celebrated sports in the Philippines. Time and time again, the country puts promising young boxers on a pedestal. Soon enough, they are recognized across the globe and given the privilege of fighting against legends. We’ve seen so many young warriors from the provinces go down the same path, and with the progression of years comes the shift in generations. Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao has officially retired from boxing, just like his predecessors. He has done his time and is ready to become another ‘Pambansang Kamao’ in Philippine history. But does this mean an anticlimactic future for Philippine boxing? Certainly not. With that, comes the ever standing question: Who shall be the Philippines’ Next Top Boxer? Below are three promising young talents that prove the future of Philippine boxing is bright as ever.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY PATRICIA PATALINHUG
RTS
ILLUSTRATION BY BERTHA SANTOS
The first game against France started with a jump ball won by France, followed by a quick steal by Andre Blatche, ending in a dunk. In the first quarter, Gilas was able to sustain an eight-point lead, but France’s team, lead by Ne Colo, held on, and with a lay-up coming from Tony Parker in the last thirty seconds of the second quarter, they took the lead.
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Name: Jason Herogalem Pagara Alias: El Nino Age: 24 years old Division: Welterweight Ranks: (Local) 2 out of 23 (International) 69 out of 2,213 Record: 39 wins, two losses, and 24 KOs The soon-to-be boxing star started his career at a young age, taking on over 90 amateur bouts before he decided to turn professional at the age of fourteen. Coming from a family of fighters, it isn’t surprising how he made it to top two in the national welterweight division. His father, Reynaldo Pagara, was a former amateur boxer, while his younger brother Albert Pagara, currently holds rank number two among the nation’s super bantamweight boxers next to Nonito Donaire Jr. El Nino has talent and explosive fighting spirit, but he tends to become reckless midfight. Before he becomes a star, he must learn how to be able to take control of his game.
Name: Genesis Llasos Servania Alias: Azukal Age: 24 years old Division: Super Bantamweight Rank: (Local) 11 out of 92 (International) 62 out of 1,230 Record: 28 wins, zero losses, and 11 KOs
Name: Arthur Cordero Villanueva Alias: King Arthur/El Matador Age: 27 years old Division: Bantamweight Rank: (Local) 3 out of 90 (International): 22 out of 985 Record: 30 wins, one loss, and 16 KOs
When he was about 15 years old, Servania sought to help his parents out by turning boxing into a profession. Without any amateur bouts, he took on the ring and eventually made it to the top ten among the super bantamweights in the nation. He is known to be a fearless fighter who is willing to stand his ground and trade blow for blow, landing punches that are sure to knock his opponent out cold. However, he leaves himself open to any attacks and counters as he focuses on strength in throwing punches than blocking or evading. While he is undeniably strong, he must learn how to fight smart and know that being defensive does not equate to cowardice.
After his father had passed away, Villanueva became a tricycle driver to support not only his mother, but his twelve other siblings as well, but shortly afterwards, at the age of sixteen took up boxing and became professional by age nineteen. While building a career in boxing, Villanuev managed to proceed into college pursuing AB Mathematics, and was known in his hometown for being one of the best chess players. Villanueva had proved himself to be quite the underdog with an almost clean record until his most recent match with McJoe Arroyo; the very first defeat he had tasted by
unanimous technical decision. Despite his loss against McJoe Arroyo by unanimous technical decision, he is still considered to be a formidable fighter who not only fights with his fists, but with his head as well, outwitting opponents and driving them into a corner. To recap, there’s Pagara with his explosive offense, Servania, with his powerful blows and unfailing endurance, and Villanueva with his brains and brawn.
As these three wait to be crowned the next king of the ring, they will not only need to work on building their records, but they must also reach their full potential and grow both in and out of boxing.
It will put them through the grinder, but what’s a champion without the scars to tell their story with?
JUNE 2016 - FEBRUARY 2017
VOL. XXXIX NO. 1 illustration by patricia patalinghug
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Filipinos Reach for the Stars leila francheska maligalig
The previous years have shown the country’s determination to be more involved in astronomical and space-related programs. In 2014, we celebrated the proclamation of the first Filipino astronaut, followed by the Philippines’s partnership with Japan to assemble a microsatellite, which was launched to space earlier this year. In 2013, AXE, a brand owned by Unilever, held a contest for aspiring astronauts around the world, and out of thousands who applied, De La Salle University graduate Chino Roque was one out of 23 to receive the 95,000$ space travel ticket. “Calmness is a virtue most necessary in the game,” Roque stated in his interview with The Filipino Express when asked about his experience in the AXE competition and astronaut training. Before blasting off to space in 2015, Roque and the rest of the team were screened through mental aptitude tests, combat training, and zero-
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daniel ben
If you weren’t inside a pokéball for the last few decades, then most likely, you’re familiar with Pokémon games where you capture and train creatures called pocket monsters, simply called pokémon. It encouraged many to dream about catching these creatures in real life, and if you’re one of them, I’d be happy to tell you that there is a new game that puts that dream into reality: Pokémon Go! When the first Pokémon games, Pokémon Red and Blue, were first released in 1996, it made us think, what would happen if these creatures suddenly popped up in the real world? Niantic, the company responsible for the creation of Pokémon Go, played around with this idea, and it resulted in a mobile game where Pokémon are put all around the real world, and you, a newly made trainer, is given the task of capturing them (and become the very best). As of July 14, 2016, the game has a total of 25 million daily active users. That’s about 5 million users more than
Candy Crush when it was still in its peak. It’s safe to say this new game has turned into a global phenomenon, so why exactly, as supported by Science, is Pokemon Go so addicting? It’s A Collecting Thing
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The aesthetic collection is described by collecting things that are not part of a specific set, for example, a collection of paintings or bottle caps. There is an unlimited supply of what you’re trying to collect, you’ll enjoy the ride and take your time achieving the goal.
$3.9 TO $4.9 M ON ITS FIRST DAY
The other kind of
BECAME THE BIGGEST MOBILE GAME : WITH 21 000 000 ACTIVE USERS POKEMON GO IS PLAYED IN 26 COUNTRIES collect things. From toy cars, to books, and now even pocket monsters. There are two types of collecting when it comes to things like pokemon: aesthetic and taxonomic, according to Russel Belk, an expert in the
alloted for the three years of preparation for the 50kg Philippine Earth Observation Microsatellite’s launch, which commenced last April.
DIWATA is equipped with telescopes, imagers, and cameras that can help us determine As his success is the intensity of natural greatly celebrated by his disasters such as typhoons countrymen, Roque stated and weather disturbances. that when he comes back The microsatellite can also from space travel, he hopes monitor forest cover, mining, to build his own aviation change in vegetation, and school in the Philippines. protection of cultural and historical sites and the The most recent territorial borders of the highlight in the development Philippines. All of these of the country’s own space data are being transmitted program is the launching of to the Philippine Earth Data “DIWATA”—the Philippines’ Resources and Observation first microsatellite assembled (PEDRO) Center, which was by an all-Filipino team, which built to collect images and was composed of scientists information sent by DIWATA. and engineers from the University of the Philippines U p o n Diliman, Philippine Council for DIWATA’s takeoff, the country Industry, Energy, and Emerging has also launched the hopes Technology Research and of having our own Philippine Development (PCIEERD), PHL- Space Agency that shall serve Microsat Program, and the as a platform to further hone Department of Science and the Filipinos’ knowledge and Technology. ₱800 million were skills in space technology.
Ibarangs Q R U attend SyenSaya 2016
collection.
The first reason why Pokemon Go is addicting is because people love t o GENERATED
gravity flights conducted by the AXE Apollo Space Academy (AASA), whose judging comitee was headed by icon Buzz Aldrin. AASA trained those who were sponsored free space travel aboard the XCOR Aerospace Lynx spacercraft, developed by XCOR Aerospace.
collecting is the taxonomic type, and this is the kind of collecting that encourages competition, because when you have specific things to collect, the most common thing to happen is that you
and your friend will engage in this race, looking who’ll be able to complete the set first. The Sense of Space As the years go by and technology develops, people want things to get smaller and smaller, or to take up less and less space. People these days rarely buy things that are physical and takes up space. Music albums, movies, books, all of these could be bought instantly with a few taps, directly to your gadget for your own convenience, and most of all, it weighs nothing physically. When you want to show your collection to a friend in school, would you feel like bringing a whole library? Probably not. The fact that an entire world of Pokemon is contained in a single space is a big factor as to why the game is a craze. Whether it’s because of the furry digital creatures, the satisfaction people get from collecting, or the convenience of small space, Pokemon Go is the game to play, and the only thing you need to beat is your battery percentage.
JUNE 2016 - FEBRUARY 2017
VOL. XXXIX NO. 1
Student Slumber SOLEIL ILYANA CRUZ
Teachers today don’t find it surprising to see students sleeping in class, and for students, falling asleep in class isn’t so wrong either. But what very few are aware of is that overlooking the sleep problem is also risking a large portion of an adolescents’ physical health.
would suffer lack of sleep symptoms in the morning, like tiredness, lack of concentration and memory skills, physical weakness, sickness and more.
Michael Howell, M.D., a physician neurologist, discussed that a way to be able to “catch up” on lost sleep is to count the hours of lost sleep It’s commonly believed over the week, cut it in half, that adolescents fall asleep and sleep that extra amount due to behavioral choices of time over the weekend. on their part, but it doesn’t What would help reset help when they have classes the Circadian rhythms (allowing early in the morning and are the individuals to sleep earlier forced to wake up before the and wake up earlier) would natural time, resulting in sleep be a consistent bedtime and deprivation. Therefore, when wakeup time; sunlight for assessing this situation, one about 20-30 minutes first must not only observe bad thing in the morning; and teenage choices but also the scientific aspect of everything. if possible, a small amount of low dose melatonin, or According to the any vitamin supplement six National Science Foundation hours before going to bed. (NSF), the current adolescent A lot of schools may should have at least 9 hours of not realize it, and students sleep every night. This is usually themselves may not realize unfulfilled due to the fact that it either, but lack of sleep can an adolescent’s Circadian cause big problems in the rhythms, or the daily biological grand scheme of things, and it’s clock slows down but the important that we manage the sleep pressure system remains intact. This would mean that time we are given to make room a teenager has an easier time for our health just as much staying up later at night but as we make room for work.
#GLOBALGOALS PATRICIA PATALINGHUG
HANNAH YSABEL CAYABAN
19 GOOD CARBO LOADING
HYDRATE
EAT BREAKFAST
AVOID ARTIFICIAL SUGARS
PACK UP ON FRUITS AND VEGGIES
THE PRESENT FUTURE Light of Hope for Hanoi slums JET STEPHEN CHONG Wind-powered generators are making life easier for the poor Vietnamese families living along the banks of Hanoi’s Red River where many cannot be reached by the power supply or simply cannot afford it.
Even though the output is small, it has a huge impact on the lives of the families. Other than generating clean energy, those generators are able to lessen monthly electric costs by almost a third. “Even for only a few hours after dark, it helped us to save on our monthly spending and bring profit to my family,” said Bui Van Ha, a pottery trader who earns an average of $4.50 (₱209.40) a day.
Students of the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) attended the fourth day of SyenSaya last July 28 at the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) complex.
The LBSCFI is a science community established by the Department of Science and Technology, and is composed of 22 science and technology institutions and organizations.
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Made from red plastic buckets, old printers, and motorbike batteries, the wind-powered generator constructed by Hanoi University lecturer Le Vu Cuong can work with a wind speed as slow as 0.4metres per second and can illuminate lamps as bright as a 45 watt light bulb (a regular LED light bulb is 6-8 watts).
margaret louise mil
The annual festival was organized by the Los Baños Science Community Foundation Inc. (LBSCFI) as a celebration of National Science and Technology Week, and was held from July 25 to 29. An exhibit entitled “Wonderama” was displayed throughout the festival, and featured various technologies and products.
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Morph-un with Sensel Morph VICTOR EMMANUEL CARMELO NADERA II The ultimate digital-rendering, interchangeable trackpad many artists are dying to use has finally come into being; meet the Sensel Morph. Developed by a new company named Sensel, this multi-touch, pressure sensitive technology has the capacity to “morph” into a computer keyboard, a DJ controller, a piano keyboard, a gamepad, or an art tablet. The device makes use of overlays to morph into its different functions. With 20 000 pressure sensors embedded throughout it, the Morph can even detect the tiniest bristles of a brush.
t, ake a gadge m o t e r e w “If you it be?” what would
show that’s able to . n a m u h l ia lp ake an artific ver I need he “I’d want to mI’d have a friend whene st these days.” emotions, so uch people you can tru There’s not m de 8 lk Dance , Gra o F r, e rr e F - Jon . g live for youwill in s ld u o c t a nd it oid th at you like, a ake a human “I want to m ram any song or band th You can prog sing for you.” 11 l Arts, Grade a u is V , te le - Payb Big
This revolutionary project can be an enormous assistance to all students, art students especially, who want to digitally render their works and make it shareable on social media. It can also pave the way for exciting programs and projects in the future.
Baking Company Creates New Edible Utensils DANIELLE ALEXANDRA CASTILLO A company called “Bakey’s” formed in Hyderabad, India has created edible utensils as an alternative to steel or plastic ones. The motivation to make edible cutlery is the issues regarding big garbage wastes from steel or plastic utensils. The process of making these involve kneading flour then shaping it into a spoon or a fork with no chemicals or preservatives added. The main flour used is sorghum flour which uses up to 60 times less water than rice and is a highly nutritious millet plant that grows in abundance. These utensils now also come in different flavors such as Hot and Spicy, and Garlic and Ginger. They also said that the product is vegan and if you decide not to eat it, it will decompose between 3 to 7 days.
Ibarang musicians
JUNE 2016 - SEPTEMBER 2016
shine in NAMCYA 2017 amber garma
Three musicians from Musika Ibarang, the collective name of music majors from the Philippine High School for the Arts, bagged prizes in the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA), a week-long event held annually on November 22-27, in accordance with National Music Week. Jet Stephen Chong, a Grade 10 student, won the Grand Prize for the Junior Piano category, and also claimed the Special Prize for Best Interpretation of Contest Piece; Janina Eliana Peña, a Grade 11 student, followed with Second Prize in the same category; and Nikki Zen Obmasca from Grade 8 in the Solo Rondalla Instrument B category.
A ‘Concert of Winners’ culmination event was held on November 26 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP Main Theater), in which the first, second and third prize winners from each solo category performed for an audience of parents, friends and classical music enthusiasts. “NAMCYA was an unforgettable experience and a great conclusion to my best year so far. Even though I’ve faced a lot of challenges along the way, I was glad that at the end, I was able to grow both as a musician and as a human.” says grand prize winner Jet Stephen Chong, as he reflects upon the NAMCYA experience.
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Two Musika Ibarang students were also able to advance to the Finals level for the Junior Strings Category, namely Jodeline Michaela Pecson and Ian Levi Mora.
The National Finals competition for Junior Piano was held on November 22, followed by the Junior Strings category November 23 and the Solo Rondalla B category on November 24.
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Student artists unite PHSA & AUL hold immersion program
amber garma
Ibarang Jam with Aquinas University held last September 20, 2016 at Bulwagang Lakanbako. Aquinians playing the guitar and the banduria as one of their performances on the open platform event.
The Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) welcomed student artists of the Aquinas University of Legazpi (AUL) for an immersion program last September 19 and 20, as part of the the Department of Education (DepEd) Arts and Culture Exchange Program. 38 Aquinians, who are all part of their school’s Special Program for the Ars (SPA) studying visual arts, theater, dance and rondalla, among others, joined the PHSA students in their Basic
gust 5 ival last Au t Film Fest Independen a ay . ’ al ,3 m ,2 in the Cine ’s poster ‘1 their entry s featured var beside ry is Mine’. various film andTeri Mal starred in entry ‘Mercu la ts e Da th en s at ud rlo e st ts tars Ca doing a scen Theater Ar ith his co-s l Delamide h Canlas w ) and Uzzie (Above) Elija c (Pokwang ta Ba en rm (Below) Ca
LOS BANOS, LAGUNA IV-A
Education and Arts classes for the sake of truly experiencing a day in the life of an Ibarang. On the last night of the immersion, an Open Platform event was held at the Bulwagang Lakanbako wherein Aquinians and Ibarangs alike showcased their talents in various art fields, with the visual artists of both schools even staging a shadow play collaboration and singers from PHSA and AUL singing a duet.
AUL has conducted immersion programs at the PHSA twice before, and the PHSA is currently drafting plans for its second immersion trip to AUL possibly next year, the first being in 2008. “They were very friendly, and were a welcome distraction from how routine life in Makiling gets. I found it heartwarming that their school encourages students to enter the arts and find their passion.” says Micah Pecson, a Grade 10 violinist.
Ibarang holds concert before US sendoff jet stephen chong
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Several Theater Arts students and alumni from the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) starred in various films featured in the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, an annual Philippine film festival, last August 5.
“Mercury is Mine”, an entry for the Main CompetitionFull Length Category. Claudia Monette Enriquez from alumni batch Lopez Jaena - Geurrero also starred in a short film entitled “Forever Natin”, an entry to the Main Competition-Shorts category.
Elijah Canlas from Grade 10 batch Joya-Montano appeared in the festival’s opening film, Carlo Obispo’s “1, 2, 3” that tells the story of a boy’s search for his missing sister in Manila.
Other featured students were April Jasmin Rosales and Allyssa Herrera from alumni batch Imao – Jose, and Karenina Haniel and Ji-ann Lachica from alumni batch Lopez Jaena –Guerrero.
Uzziel Faith Delamide from Grade 11, batch Franciscio- De Leon played the role of Elaine, the daughter of a carinderia owner in Jason Paul Laxamana’s
Entries to the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival were premiered in the Cultural Center of the Philippines and were screened in chosen cinemas.
Adrian Nicolas Ongs’s premiere solo concert “Concertino” last August 26 in Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino, CCP Adrian Nicolas Ong playing the violin with accompanying collaborative pianist Mary Anne Espina
Adrian Nicolas Ong, a violinist from Grade 10 batch Joya-Montano, held his premiere solo concert “Concertino” last August 26 in Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino, Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) before continuing his studies in the USA.
in Michigan, USA as a 10th grade scholar in September. In line with this, he was given the opportunity by the PHSA to hold an ‘early graduation’ recital in CCP prior to his departure.
by maestro and PHSA alumnus Jeffrey Solares, with a repertoire including works of Bach, Beethoven, Kreisler, Vallejo and Kabalevsky.
In an interview online, Adrian stated that he was “very In the recital, he was surprised and delighted” when accompanied by highly- he looked at the audience. acclaimed collaborative “The theater was packed with Adrian had recently pianist Mary Anne Espina people, even with the fact that been admitted into the and the Manila Symphony it was raining hard,” he said. Interlochen Arts Academy Junior Orchestra conducted