JORENE LOUISE TUBESA, Editor-in-Chief
THE ESTOILE
Andrea Adorio and Alyssa Limlengco, alumni of the first batch to finish highschool, shared their experiences as students of SES and former teacher Madelyn Camarse. “The value of integrity is still with me, the importance of social awareness, and giving back to the community have become my core as a public servant,” Adorio said. She was a student leader and a journalist for The Estoile back in her SES days and is now currently working in the Department of Labor and Employment. Fellow batchmate Limlengco, who was also a former Estoile feature writer and is now handling a marketing company, also gave her speech of appreciation. “Be appreciative by giving back to those that support you,” she said, “Mahalin niyo sila by studying well, understanding what you want in life, and [lastly] by being kind to yourself and discovering your talents.” Limlengco added. Former and pioneer SES elementary teacher Camarse, who is now part of the DepEd Imus and is currently teaching special education, also shared her experiences of teaching inside the school “Kahit wala ka dito, you’ll feel part of a family,” said Camarse. SES’ Big@10 event also included several activities from walk and bike parade, showcasing the evolution of the uniforms, and the awarding of the loyalty awardees. Official School and Community Publication of St. Edward School – Imus and Faith Campus Joint Publications of The Estoile, The Edwardian Quill, and Ang Estrelya (Junior and Senior High School)
A DECADE OF
In honor of the 10th year anniversary of St. Edward School, Lancaster New City, several guests who became a part of the school’s legacy shared their journey during their stay in the school through last April 9.
From the vision of the Property Company of Friends (PRO-FRIENDS) of a growing community that provides its homeowners a well-rounded lifestyle with commercial amenities, jobs, recreation, and schools, the school, that is formerly known as St. Edward Integrated School, was brought from scratch of ideas and dreams to a modern educational facility that aims to fulfill its vision and mission offering a nurturing learning institution committed in nourishing its learners toward academic achievement and character formation for social progress and transformation. In the field of journalism, SES Publications are known for its competitive spirit in the division, regional, and national competitions as its campus journalists strive to uphold the truth. The Estoile, Ang Estrelya, and The Edwardian Quill bagged outstanding individual awards in the 2022 Division Schools Press Conference (DSPC) and were awarded as the Overall Best Performing School in the Secondary Level. In the past years, the schoolpapers have always been an active voice and platform for students’ honesty and integrity to prevail and Edwardianconquer.athletes have shown their inner strength, sportsmanship, and skills as they were hailed Twotime Back-to-Back Champions in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 Imus City Meet High School Basketball. The school also brought championships home in the 2019 DepED Cluster Meet for Basketball, Football, Futsal and Table Tennis, 2018-19 Imus City Meet High School Futsal for Girls, 2018 Imus City Meet Elementary Chess, and 2018 Elite 3x3 Basketball. Swaying in splendid colors of flexibility and expression comes the champion of the 2018 Hatawatawat Dance Competition, Edwardian Dance Troupe. In culture and arts, talented
St. Edward School (SES) has reached a great milestone as it celebrates its 10th Year Founding Anniversary on a Kick-Off Program today. Almost a decade has passed from the 14th of April 2012 when it started to serve quality education for Lancaster New City residents and its neighboring communities yet it never failed to transform and hone its students towards excellence to become wellrecognized and successful professionals in their chosen careers in the future.
Vol. 8 No. 1 • School Year 2021-2022 • August 2021 – May 2022 Lancaster New City • Imus City, Cavite • Region IV-A Calabarzon
LNC, SES BUILD UP COMMUNITY LEADERS See ‘EXCELLENCE’ on P.4
To further strengthen youth leadership in the community, The Alab Congress: Youth In ACTION by the GalingLNC, in partnership with the SES Student Affairs Council, took place at the SES-Faith Campus last April 9, where various participants came together to take the chance to enhance their skills. “We are not keeping still in terms of improving our school.”
This was the first Alab Congress event, and delegates from Luis y Ferrer Jr. Senior High School, Hipolito Saquilayan National High School, Sangguniang Kabataan of Alapan 2B, and Parish of the Holy Family were invited as well as the class and club mayors from SES. Among the various activities that the Congress prepared was the forum discussion between youth leaders from different organizations Jayrald Escandor, Alexa Loberes, and Xian Lozares. The conference emphasized the youth as modern heroes who amplify, cultivate, and transform. “Bilang kabataan, tayo ang pag-asa ng kinabukasan at hindi mangyayari ito kung hindi tayo aakto ngayon,” Loberes said. “As young people, when we see the need, let’s take the lead,” Escandor said. Community action and youth volunteerism are highlighted in the LNC community, and both are continuously being promoted through various programs like the Alab Congress.
JORENE LOUISE TUBESA REESE MIKYLLA DE LIMA, Editor-in-Chief
More wouldcommunitywouldyearspassbyandtheEdwardiancontinuetoprogress and build firm armors knowledgeofandexcellenceonitsstudents…
Celestial Goodness and Nobility
Treb Elgin Paiste, Grade 6 student, completes a graphic organizer in English subject as part of the face-to-face simulation in preparation for the Hyflex Learning Modality next school year. Despite the adversities brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, St. Edward School stays committed to its vision in providing holistic learning to students. Photo by: Kiel De Guzman Alumni Andrea Adorio and Alyssa Limlengco, and former teacher Madelyn Camarse recall how St. Edward School equipped them to become better in their professions. SES invited former students and teachers to grace its kick-off of the 10th Anniversary, April 9 at Faith Campus. Photo by Imee Ocampo Cartoon by: Hannah Grace Menor - Dr. John T. Cabalo GALING
JOURNEYTEACHERSTUDENTS,FORMERRELIVEATSES
ALABFEST:
excellencetowardsAlways Gains, misses equip St. Edward... Page 3
Members of the Pic-A-Booth set up their props and equipment as part of the Senior High School Culminating Activity at Faith Campus, May 2022. Photo by Imee Ocampo 10 Students cheer for their classmates and teachers who represent a team in the games during the Tribute to Parents activity, May 6. Photo by Imee Ocampo “Dapat nangangailangantayongmayroonpusongbukasparasataoatsamgangtulongsaatingbansa.”
W ith the academic school year primarily spent in front of devices, Edwardians could take their eyes off the screens and unwind by celebrating the Tribute to Parents and Edwardian Spirit Night.
Philippines needs leaders who are righteous, competent, and with a heart, former senator Paulo Benigno Bam Aquino emphasized among Edwardian leaders as he banks on the youth to extend servanthood in their immediate communities.
T he Galing LNC and the Lancaster Estates Homeowners Association, Inc. (LEHOA) recognize St. Edward School (SES) “for its invaluable contribution in buulding a thriving LNC Community and for being a paragon of the GalingLNC values of Better Together, Service and Respect.”
This 2-in-1 event of the Student Affairs Council (SAC) last May 6, 2022, at Faith Campus, gave the students a chance to meet up again with their classmates after spending two years at home due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.Thetwo events for JHS students aim to build a foundation and strengthen connections, practice camaraderie within each class, and empower the Edwardian spirit, Denise Gayeta, SAC president, said. “The Tribute to Parents event which was for Grade 10 students only intended to strengthen and develop the parent-child bond, to honor our beloved parents and celebrate Mothers’ Day,” she added. The said event spotlighted the song number of Patrishia Antes, a 10C student, and the duet of Emary Matalog and Elijah Tercero, grade 10 advisers.Thisevent made the parents’ effort and love for their children more recognized, especially their sacrifices to give their children quality education, Patrishia Antes said. “My performance also made me a bit emotional since I dedicated it to my parents, and seeing their look of pride made me tear up,” she Edwardians,added. parents, and teachers also played games such as Pouty Straw, Human Tic-Tac-Toe, Sack Race, and Putukan Lobo, bringing out the participants’ competitive edge.Meanwhile, the Edwardian Spirit Night served as a hangout for students where they could reconnect with their friends while watching various dayswas“Edwardianperformances.SpiritNightoneofmyfavoritethisschoolyear because I saw some of my students performing and also watching. I observed that my students enjoyed it not only because of the performances but also because they were able to have a bond with their classmates and teachers,” Emary Matalog, grade 10B adviser, said. “I was pretty ecstatic about the event since most of the people who performed were acquaintances and friends. It was also refreshing to bond again with my classmates and friends,” Miguel Nazario, 10C student, said. The Edwardian Spirit Night also made it possible for Edwardians to showcase their talents in dancing, singing, playing instruments and spoken poetry.There were also Galing BuyAnigosyante food stalls stationed during the two events, which consisted of small business entrepreneurs from LNC.
During the Student Affairs Council’s (SAC) Thrive: Grand Culminating Activity on June 3, Bam Aquino urged the studentleaders of St. Edward School (SES) to focus on the needs of the people as this is the core of being a good leader. “’Yung focus natin dapat ay nasa tao, nasa kapwa Pilipino,” Aquino said. “Dapat mayroon tayong pusong bukas para sa tao at sa mga nangangailangan ng tulong sa ating bansa,” he added. The former senator advised the Edwardians that as leaders, they need to immerse themselves in the community to learn what the people need. “[We] expose ourselves na alamin ang sitwasyon ng komunidad, mga kakababayan, at mga nangangailangan,” he said. “’Yan ang simpleng pag-iintindi ng leadership sa panahon natin ngayon.”“Alam ninyo kung paano makakatulongkayosa mga kaklase, guro, nonteaching staff, at komunidad.” He also shared that even online, there have been organizations formed to help the needy. “Napakaraming youth organizations na nabuo sa church at community online,” Aquino said.He added that these organizations are formed “to help, to do something productive, useful, and helpful.” In addition, he urged leaders that volunteerism “shall be supported,” and the youth are the most capable of helping other people because of their creativity and research skills. ‘WE NEED GOOD LEADERS’
SACinbondEdwardiansagain2-in-1event
The culminating activity was made possible in line with the Work Immersion Program and Entrepreneurship subjects along with GalingLNC. It was opened to the community, and the event’s aim is also to build relations with the community further.“Beyond the school na ‘yung sakop nitong event kaya I think na makakatulong talaga siya sa pag-enhance ng mga skills natin,” said Candid Garcia, a GalingLNC member and a HUMSS student With three senior high strands comes the variety in showing their applied learnings in their respective subjects, such as STEM focusing on technology, ABM prioritizing businesses, and the HUMSS engaging in media arts.
The former senator used the words of the late Jesse Robredo, former Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, to describe a good leader: “matino, mahusay, may puso.” Aside from being fair and good-natured, he emphasized that a good leader is competent and never stops learning. “Hindi sapat na mabuting tao ka lang, mahusay ka rin dapat. Competent ka rin, alam ang ginagawa mo, nag-aaral ka, handang mag aral, at nagsisikap,”
Former Senator Bam Aquino urges Edwardian youth leaders to reach out to immediate communities
Different strands of the Grade 12 level gathered last May 26-28 to present their works and execute various activities for the first time on-site at Faith Campus after the two years during the Edwardian Fest: Cultivating Innovation through Arts, Sciences, and Entrepreneurship.
02 news Vol. 8 No. 1 | S.Y. 2021-2022 Saint Edward School August 2021 – May 2022
SHS culminating event highlights community engagement
THE ESTOILE NEWS
Grade
- FormerBamSenatorAquino
Aquino said. “We join webinars, watch [educational] videos, look at examples of other leaders and try to learn from them,” he advised. He also underscored the importance of having heart in the public“Lagingservice.naka sentro ang leadership sa mga taong pinagsisilbihan natin,” he said. He further emphasized the importance of forming organizations as he recounted his days as a student-leader. He shared that listening to forums and learning how to organize are important to help people in society.The online gathering is part of the culminating leadership activity of the SAC of SES and co-presented by the Galing LNC for the school year 2020-2021 with the theme, “Youth Leaders as Nation Builders Amidst the Pandemic.” The SAC and the members of the Galing Youth have been actively participating in various initiatives to help people in the community even in the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. SES is one of the recipients of the Leadership Award during the Kapihan at Parangalan 2021 held yesterday at SES-Faith Campus. The school continues to be true to its mission-vision to engage a family-centered community.
JORENE LOUISE TUBESA ABUEG TEAM
JEZIC
Capstone projects became the main activity of the STEM strand in which they were tasked to create websites and product prototypes, following their research last semester, that could benefit the community.FortheABM strand, a case study was conducted through immersion with local community businesses and the creation of a business plan executed throughout the 3-day event.The Humanities strand highlighted the different issues from the 5-point agenda given by the GalingLNC (strengthening civic engagement, nurturing mental health, addressing the environmental impact, supporting MSMEs, and promoting inclusivity) through creating instructional videos. “Since this is like... the last part of our stay here in St.Edward, we’ve given it our all not only to hone our skills and to serve the community but also to make memories too,” Sophia Catapia, the mayor of 12ABM, said. This is the first and last face-to-face academic event for the whole Grade 12 batch of S.Y. 2021-2022.
MATINO. MAHUSAY. MAY PUSO. ST. LEADERSHIPSCHOOLEDWARDRECEIVESAWARD
TECHNOLOGY FOR TEACHING
“We are not keeping still in terms of improving our school.”
The ACED sessions suggested different tools and approaches in integrating technology, managing an online class, and promoting collaboration among specific disciplines in teaching. While Assistant Principal for Formation at Ateneo Junior High School (JHS) Juan Lorenzo Flojo, in his talk “Edutech Enabled Classrooms,” provided different ODL applications, he urged teachers to consider quality over quantity of materials and “always return to your objectives and standards.”“EdTech is a means to an end; not an end in itself. Model being a good digital citizen by regularly using technology effectively and responsibly,” Mr. Flojo said. Assistant Principal and Filipino teacher at Ateneo HS Perfecto Guerrero, in his talk “Integration of Disciplines,” encouraged teachers of various subjects to come up with one performance task (PT) that could unify various competencies for students to have a deeper understanding of the course subject matter. The teachers in this session came up with a PT that integrates all subjects in their respective levels with criteria or rubric that effectively evaluates the competencies of the students. On the other hand, Ms. Ruth Joy Magno of the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Education Faculty introduced the model of Flipped Classroom that would increase student engagement even when learning at home. In her discussion about “Virtual Classroom Management,” Ms. Magno highlighted the importance of training students to be “selfregulated learners.” “Give opportunities for students to become more aware and reflect about their learning process and ask them to evaluate their performance and how they could improve,” she said. “Kakaiba at mahirap ang virtual classroom management, pero hindi imposible,” she added. DIVERSITY OF LEARNERS Keeping the learning styles and attitudes of students in mind shall be considered when crafting learning plans, ACED emphasized in theMs.sessions.Socorro Escarez, in her talk “Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century,” urged the teachers to understand the individualistic culture and values of the Generation Z (Gen Z) members. For Ms. Escarez, teachers need to cultivate leadership, sensitivity, and inclusivity among Gen Z learners.Meanwhile, Mr. Ramon Cristobal, Coordinator of the Grade 7 Math Program of Ateneo JHS, explained the traditional, alternative, non-authentic, and authentic forms of assessment. In his discussion about Assessment of Learning in the 21st Century Classroom, Mr. Cristobal encouraged the teachers to produce studentcentered assessments that will enrich learners’ resourcefulness, adaptability, collaboration, and experience. In the “Critical, Creative and Reflective Thinking” session, Coordinator of the General Academic Strand of the Ateneo SHS Caroline Laforteza pointed out the traits that the teachers need to have to ensure that students can practice critical and creative thinking in and out of the classroom. In this session, the teachers presented a plan on how to explain a problematic action and propose a solution through activities and processes that will be provided to the students. In another session, MultiAwarded Theater Actor and Director Ronan Capinding, in his talk “Effective Communication,” trained teachers on storytelling, communicating verbally and nonverbally, and giving questions that attract answers. Teachers were able to develop communication skills that they can apply not only in teaching but also in improving their relationships with their colleagues, family, and community.
SES gives back in monthly outreach program launch
SES Senior High School Student Affairs Council (SAC) partnered with GalingLNC to implement monthly seminars, feeding programs, and a community pantry for the residents of the La Presa community in Barangay Navarro, General Trias, launched October 29, 2021. The initiative aims to provide health awareness and nutritious food regularly for the community under GalingLNC’s Health and Wellness branch with the leadership of SAC Moderator and Community Extension Coordinator Ms. Regina Negapatan, GalingLNC Community Mobilizer James Anthony Diaz, and the cooperation of Barangay Navarro’s local government. and Science teachers from SES discussed and demonstrated correct handwashing techniques, cleanliness practices, and proper sanitation to the residents, which are particularly important in disease prevention during this health crisis. Over 100 food packs were later distributed to families through the in-kind donations collected from pre-kindergarten to grade 2 students and parent partners which included sacks of rice, bottled water, eggs, bananas, milk, and vegetables that were packed by SAC officers, scholars, and Edwardian volunteers. Additionally, SAC Officers and teachers from the TLE and it teaches the sense of volunteerism for a cause in Edwardians,” STEM Governor Kyle Aganinta (Grade 11C STEM) stated.Meanwhile, student volunteer Allyssa Alcano (Grade 11B STEM) said, “Volunteering in programs like this is a part of service, stewardship, one of our core values, and being an Edwardian. Giving back in any way we can to the community is a great way of expressing our gratitude and sharing our blessings.”“Itreally forges a sense of community, solidarity, and especially of thanksgivingsomething necessary forward to volunteering again next month,” she added. “During my time in volunteering, I realized that it was one of the best ways for me to spend my time in this period. For starters, I was able to contribute to helping people in need and I was able to have so much fun. I met different people and I managed to socialize again whilst keeping safe. Going home that day, I knew I had to go again. It was a great opportunity for me to take a good break from school while still doing something productive,” fellow student volunteer Reuchlin Charles Faustino (Grade 11B MA. ALEXANDRA CARREON Christy Quinto, a volunteer-teacher, gives a cup of rice porridge to the children of La Presa Community in Barangay Navarro, General Trias City. St. Edward School strengthens outreach activities through a feeding program.
03newsVol. 8 No. 1 | S.Y. 2021-2022 Saint Edward School August 2021 – May 2022
As families remain sheltered over a year since the pandemic started, St. Edward School continues to aid local communities through its outreach programs.
Gains, misses equip St. Edward for hybrid, flexible learning next SY
‘Ready SES go’: Ateneo beefs up Edwardian teachers’ online pedagogies “We are competent and ready.”
The sessions provided by ACED are part of the school’s Faculty In-Service Training (FIT) as a preparation for the school year 2021-2022. SES invests in teacher training and development to achieve the school’s mission and vision of producing students who are “excellent in academics, wellformed in character, and catalysts for social transformation.”#EdwardianExcellence
PAUL JEFFREY PEÑAFLOR KYLE AGANINTA
Feb-Ibig webinar teaches Edwardians self-introductions using SOGIE These were the words of Dr. John T. Cabalo, Principal of St. Edward School, Lancaster New City (SES), as he looked back on the learning gains and what the school has missed since the conduct of the online learning modality. During the BusinessMirror’s “BM Freshly Brewed” episode last April 11, Dr. Cabalo shared that as the preparations for the limited face-to-face classes are underway, the school looks into both the achievements and gaps to further improve the delivery of learning next school year. The school principal enumerated community engagements, teacher-training, and constant communication with parents as some of the factors why the school succeeds in the implementation of the Edwardian EDGE (Excellence in Digital Global Education). “What makes St. Edward so unique is the school’s community engagements; if you want to go to a school whereby you want to serve the community, come to St. Edward,” Dr. Cabalo said. The school has been active in different community activities led by the Student Affairs Council and the teachers, and with its partnership with the Galing LNC, the cultural community development group of Lancaster New City (LNC). With the “learning shall continue at the comforts of their home” in mind, Dr. Cabalo disclosed that the retooling and retraining of teachers was a challenge at the beginning of the distance learning implementation. After weeks of Faculty InService Training, teachers have become adept with the school’s learning management system and have received positive feedback from parents and students. Dr. Cabalo said that as the school had “to make important decisions and changes from traditional to digital learning,” the school’s curriculum had to be redesigned and reintroduced with the Throughstudents.thesurveys and consultations provided, Dr. Cabalo said that the school has received “positive responses in terms on how lessons are delivered and theinstructional supervision.“Responses of students, especially the younger ones [say that] we do the right thing,” he said.While he recognized the achievements of the school, Dr. Cabalo also pointed out the learning gaps that the school has observed among the students. “[The] interaction with classmates and teachers, [the] emotional and socialization aspect of learning are greatly missed,” Dr. Cabalo said. With these, a “new twist of learning” will be provided by the school through the hybrid and flexible learning next school year where a combination of online and onsite delivery of activities are expected. Dr. Cabalo stressed that the school adheres with the Education and the Health department’s guidelines on the reopening of schools through the School Safety Assessment Tool (SSAT). When asked about the school’s long-term post-pandemic plans, Dr. Cabalo said that online learning “is going to stay, and will be part of learning modality in the post-pandemic period.” “We can’t go away from online learning,” Dr. Cabalo said emphasizing that the situation of education is in VUCA which stands for volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous.” SES celebrates its 10th Anniversary with the theme “Big@10” highlighting the big achievements of the school.
This has become the mantra of the teachers of St. Edward School (SES) after they have attended the series of workshops provided by the Ateneo Center for Educational Development (ACED) aiming to equip teachers in providing holistic education to the learners in the online distance learning (ODL). During the sessions from July 19 to 29 via Google Meet and Zoom, academicians from the ACED, the training team for school leaders and teachers of the Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU), equipped the Edwardian teachers of the current technologies, online teaching techniques, effective forms of assessments, and strategies for the engagement of students in synchronous and asynchronous forms of learning. In a statement, Mr. Kiel De Guzman, Academic Coordinator of Imus Campus, underscored that the ACED Sessions have equipped Edwardian teachers with the necessary skills and attitudes to sustain the school’s delivery of quality education. “The trainings enable teachers to refine their skills in utilizing educational technologies and their knowledge on online classroom management,” Mr. De Guzman said.“This professional development series encourage a pedagogical forum that informs the academic community’s decisions towards Edwardians’ optimal learning under ODL. Also, it is an avenue for our ACED partners to share their best practices which the school may also adapt,” the Academic Coordinator added.
THE ESTOILE NEWS TEAM
The subject matter centered around the SOGIE Equality Bill or House Bill No. 4982 which aims to promote equality and empowerment among all people regardless of sex, gender, or Althoughidentity.stillunapproved in congress despite having numerous renditions over the years, it made room for healthy discussion among the Edwardians audience during the entirety of the session. Ms. Jia Catiis, the guest speaker and a senior high school faculty member, started the session asking about the different elements of SOGIE, “What is sex? What is gender? Hopefully by the end of this session will know and be able to understand if these two things really are related,” she said. Her presentation of the GenderBread Person explained SOGIE to the audience as it reflects the different aspects of a person’s sexuality, identity, attraction, and expression. In her talk, Ms. Catiis clarified concepts regarding sex, sexuality, and gender. Sexuality is the genitalia assigned to a person at birth: whether male or female, while gender identity is whether a person stays with, or decides not to conform to their assigned sex at birth.
For example, if a person is born male and decides to live with the assigned sex at birth, then he is a cis-gendered male; however, if a person is born male, but feels like she is female, then she is a transgender female. Attraction is a person’s preference; lesbians are women who prefer women only; gays are men who prefer other men; bisexuals can be attracted to either male or female, and pansexuals can be attracted to any person in the gender spectrum. Gender expression is an aspect of SOGIE that refers to how a person presents themself based on their action, way of speaking, dressing, and overall self-presentation. These aspects can intertwine and mix regardless of their nature, but they stand independently of each other, and a person can choose where they want to be in the spectrum of each aspect. “A person can be a transgender woman, be a lesbian, and dress very masculine or feminine, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Ms. Catiis said. She also added that all of these are ‘free-flowing’ and ‘can be changed any time a person decides to feel like doing so.’ To end the talk, Ms. Catiis taught the audience how to introduce themselves properly with the use of celebrationlinedSOGIE#LoveIsLove:SOGIE.UnderstandingwasoneofthetalksupbytheSESSACfortheofValentine’sDay.
The St. Edward School Student Affairs Council (SAC) conducted a webinar session entitled “#LoveIsLove: Understanding SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression)” last February 15, 2022, as part of the SACupid’s Feb-ibig 2022 celebration efforts in introducing and raising awareness on the topic of SOGIE to the Edwardian body.
The members of St. Edward School (SES) Publications - The Estoile, Ang Estrelya, and The Edwardian Quill reigned supreme in the recently conducted Division Schools Press Conference (DSPC) where the school is awarded as the Overall Best Performing School in the Secondary Level.
THE ESTOILE NEWS TEAM
student dancers are always in bright lights of success and recognition even in regional, national, and international stages where they claimed 1st Runner Up in the 2018 Cavite Cultural Dance Troupe Competition and became a finalist in the 2018 Asian Ballet Grand Prix in HongKong. Exuding great abilities with pure effort, determination, and perseverance for victory is one of the most notable characteristics of being a true Edwardian.Throughout the years, the school has given its students numerous opportunities to grow and develop their individual interests up until they become responsible stewards driven to serve and contribute to the flourishing of their own communities. Youth leadership and volunteer works have been immensely encouraged for with collective efforts and nonstop hopes of many, the benefit and betterment of the LNC community will be achieved and be brought to the hands of the majority. With the support and motivation of the school, its student leaders were able to participate in the 2019 Asian Youth International Model United Nations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. To strive for the highest aims and dreams is the mission of each Edwardian who has been widely opened by St. Edward School of their full adroitness and expertise. The learners’ attainment of huge achievements is their long ladder in climbing to the top of their respective career choices where they would be able to use their passion, talents, and creativity for the improvement of society. SES ticks the box in their checklist of objectives as it accomplished its number one goal of making global competitive students and professionals. A decade of ambition and learning has paved the way for the school to set foot where it is today. The seed of vision turned into a humongous tree where students could nest the little desires and capabilities of themselves before those could fly and soar in the skies of accomplishments and triumphs. More years would pass by and the Edwardian community would continue to progress and build firm armors of knowledge and excellence on its students as they make way towards their own life breakthroughs.
- Paul Jeffrey Peñaflor, School Paper Adviser
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The Estoile finally brings home the rock! t. Edward School, Lancaster New City (SES) is a champion of the Filipino whole learner as Rex Education conferred SES as one of the winners of the Outstanding Bawat Paaralan Edukamyon (BPE) Pioneer Award.
- Dr. John T. Cabalo, School Principal
The Estoile is DOST’s Gawad Dalumat Best Student Publication Choa sees SES Alumni Café as space for ‘tagisan ng talino’ for youth Among the public and private schools that joined, SES received the highest score garnered from the individual awards. Meanwhile, photojournalist Yzabella Armado and copy editor Jezic Abueg won awards in the 2022 Regional Schools Press Conference (RSPC) of Calabarzon. More than 60 participants from 22 schools divisions competed in each category. Armado bagged 4th Place in Photojournalism (Secondary - Filipino) while Abueg 8th Place Copyreading and Headline Writing (Secondary - English). RSPC was held online last March 14 to 18. The publication received the medal of excellence, P 20,000.00, and a certificate. In his acceptance speech, school paper adviser (SPA) Paul Jeffrey Peñaflor, vowed to be DOST’s partner in combatting misinformation and disinformation through publishing science stories.“Many Filipinos are not motivated to read science stories, so we are here at the campus level to promote truth and innovation,” the SPA said. Out of 12 finalists nationwide, the publication secured the spot to win the award. The Awarding Ceremony was held at Novotel Manila Araneta City last May 13. “Magtagisan kayo ng talino,” Mr. Choa said during the blessing of the Alumni Cafe, February 26. “[The school] teaches you the basics of education; it is out here that we learn with each other, and we share ideas,” he added.The president vowed that they, as the elder leaders in the community, are the LNC youth’s parents and that the “center of the community are the young people.” “Lancaster is not built for houses, but for the community and family life,” Mr. Choa said. SES in partnership with the Galing LNC and the Parish of the Holy Family spearheaded the opening and blessing of the Cafe which was attended by the alumni from batch 2015 to 2021.Dr.John T. Cabalo, school principal; Ms. Ruby Ann Gay Lamadrid, a parent of an alumnus; alumni Mr. John Co, Mr. Francis Pio, and Ms. Kristin Iris Sandoval also graced the event with their inspirational message. The event is followed by the awarding of Galing LNC’s National Arts Month competitions.community
‘EXCELLENCE’ from P.1
St. Edward hailed ‘Overall Best Performing School’; Armado, Abueg bag awards in 2022 RSPC
THE ESTOILE NEWS TEAM
“I believe that this transformation.”wecampusverystemsrecognitionfromthecoreofourmission-visionwhichistodevelopyounglearnerstobewell-formedandasthecenterofourcommunity…”“Throughthemedia,willcontinuetoserveascatalystsforsocial
04 news Vol. 8 No. 1 | S.Y. 2021-2022 Saint Edward School August 2021 – May 2022
The Estoile, the official school and community publication of St. Edward School, Lancaster New City, has won the first Gawad Dalumat 2022: Best Science-Based Student Publication sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
The Chairman of Property Company of Friends, Inc. Mr. Guillermo “Gerry” Choa visualizes the newly-opened Alumni Café of St. Edward School (SES) as a place for youth to share and exchange their ideas for the community as he shares his visions for the Lancaster New City (LNC) for the next ten years.
The Estoile, the official school and community publication of St. Edward School (SES), is the Best Student Organ - Grade School of the 43rd Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA) held via CNN Philippines, December 26. In his speech, school paper adviser Paul Jeffrey Penaflor recognized “every campus journalist of St. Edward School for accepting the challenge in telling the stories of hope, compassion, and nobility despite the adversities brought about by the pandemic.” “Through the campus media, we will continue to serve as catalysts for social transformation,” Mr. Peñaflor added. Anchored on the school’s core values of faith, integrity, stewardship, and hard work, this year’s issue of The Estoile celebrates the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. CMMA is the county’s most prestigious Catholic awardgiving body in print, radio, and television.
43rd CMMA: The Estoile hailed as Best Student Organ Championing Filipino Whole Learner: Outstanding BPE Pioneer Award conferred upon St. Edward
The BPE continuum is a whole school approach to ensure that every child in every school is a Filipino Whole Learner – healthy, safe, engaged, supported, challenged, and values-oriented. Among hundreds of schools implementing the framework, SES was chosen and awarded during the BPE Congress last May 20. During the presentation, Dr. John Cabalo, principal, underlined the success indicators of certain programs which are relevant to the crafting of the Institutional Development and Improvement Plan for 2021 to 2025. “I believe that this recognition stems from the very core of our mission-vision which is to develop young learners to be well-formed and as the center of our community not only in school but greater community which the school is a part of,” Dr. Cabalo said. “It takes a village to raise a whole child,” the principal added.Meanwhile, the teachers and the students shared the programs and activities of the school and their role in developing learners to be engaged, supported, challenged, andRecognizedvalues-oriented.byUNESCO, the framework addresses the needs of learners, staff and the wider community, not only within the curriculum, but across the whole-school and learning environment. It implies collective and collaborative action in and by a school community to improve student learning, behavior and wellbeing, and the conditions that support these.
Mr. Guillermo Choa, Pro-Friends Chairman
NEWS EDITOR: Kaycee Stephanie Malicsi | FEATURES EDITORS: James Alan B. Mendoza, Alexander Euriel Aranas SCIENCE EDITOR: Ma. Alexandra F. Carreon | SPORTS EDITOR: James Christian Bautista | COPY EDITOR: Jezic F. Abueg |
REESE MIKYLLA DE LIMA
In the modern era of progression and prosperity, the burning hope for the continued and ever-going stigma on mental health to finally reach its halt has sparked as The Guidance and Counselling Center of St. Edward School joins the celebration of National Mental Health Week through numerous activities and webinars for the Edwardian community to learn and enjoy from. However, the essence of the event is put into question as its implementation further adds to the exhaustion of students and contributes to the pile of academic baggage that destructs mental health rather than relieves it. Adherence to the Department of Education’s Regional Memorandum no. 792, s. 2021, the school conducted a series of virtual initiatives in addressing the concern on mental health, such as every day of the week activities like journal essays assessing the feelings and experiences of students as individuals, crafting of pinwheels for breathing exercises, making of posters containing positive affirmations, short messages to friends, and webinars on social media use concerning mental health and socialemotional adjustments amidst the pandemic. Indeed, the prepared agendas are created and sought with the utmost and genuine purpose to help student youth to widen their understanding of mental health and equip them in dealing and taking care of their health in general but giving of activities one after the another and fitting all plans and works in just one specific week would bombard the minds of students who are also overloaded with lessons, quizzes, and performances tasks due on the same week. Furthermore, this celebration on mental health was launched right after the First Midterm Assessment that occurred on October 6-8, in which they hastened their knowledge in specific lessons and topics in different subject areas to be able to answer and ace the examinations in 3 consecutive days. Despite the rigorous study sessions and frustrations during timeconstrained test periods, the leisure Edwardians expected even for just a bit is not achieved for the week allotted to ease mental capacity and struggles turns out to add more activities to the seemingly unending workload given to them. With the added burden on the backs of young students due to hectic schedules and tons of academic work, the objectives of mental health week to alleviate the mental hurdles of Edwardians were slightly met but not ultimately achieved for the webinars and presentations of professionals on mental health awareness indeed instilled knowledge in our minds to help us cope and process our mental state and issues until we grasp healing and restoration but a week with longer lists of to-dos than usual especially after test examinations is not the right course of action in promoting peace of mind and would further worsen rational thinking and organization. In everyday life, wherein students are given various tasks to fulfill and accomplish, their mental capacity and capability are already challenged and developed therefore, it is not greatly necessary to add more to their piled up works when in totality, it is rest and cool down that is needed for them to be mentally stable and healthy. Prioritizing health in mental health week is not to aggravate a struggle by adding another one but to make way for the balance of work and break to be fully attained. It is immensely essential for students’ mental necessities to be realized to come up with effective plans and programs that would positively affect and benefit the mental state of the youth. The importance of rest and leisure should not be undermined, for it energizes the mind to be ready for mental challenges and keeps the brain healthy and firm. For mental health week to be celebrated at its fullest, its goal to bring peace and comfort to the student community should be fulfilled, and the vast majority should feel the pure concern and consideration of the school itself.
Celestial Goodness - Nobility The Official School and Community Publication of Saint Edward School - Imus and Faith Campus August 2021—May 2022 • Vol. 8 • No. 1
The Estoile is the official school publication of St. Edward Integrated School situated at Lancaster New City, Cavite. The Estoile /es-twah/ is a six wavy pointed star taken from the school’s logo which signifies celestial goodness and nobility. The school’s patron saint, St. Edward the Confessor, is well-known for his graciousness and love towards poor.
The readyforshouldimportanceofrestandleisurenotbeundermined,itenergizesthemindtobeformentalchallengesandkeepsthebrain healthy and firm. Unfiltered.
The Republic Act 116481 aims to provide “a stronger protection against rape, sexual exploitation, and abuse in increasing the age for determining the commission of statutory rape.” This enables authorities to capture sexual predators who get free passes from sexually abusing a child victim because the age of consent was too low. Imprisonment is a must for grown adults who have complete knowledge that minors are not in the correct position to approve sensuality. Yet, they continue to give in to merciless and inhumane pleasure. Despite the criminal liability exemption of individuals having carnal intercourse with persons ages 14 to 16 as long as the age gap is not more than three years, the act does not apply to 13-yearolds and below and still requires the activity to be non-abusive, consensual, and non-exploitative for there is still a possibility of molestation despite the small age difference in which young people should not experience at all. Before the passage of the said legislation, the Philippines had the lowest age of consent in Southeast Asia and one of the lowest globally. Senator Risa Hontiveros, the principal author of the act, said that it is a win for everyone. It will provide a safer environment for young children to grow and be good citizens with the proper morals and mental state. Adults who have been abused venereally or forced to have sexual intercourse experience unbearable guilt, distress, and pain; how much more willhavechildrento endure for they lack the capacity in knowledge in terms of this matter. According to the National Children Traumatic Stress Network, sexual assault may cause a young one to have sleeping difficulties, anger outbursts, anxiety, and depression. A child is still improving skills and thinking, but sexual violence may stop this neededChildren,development.teenagers, and pre-teens are still under their parents or guardians; ergo, they should be protected and supervised at all costs to give no room for sexual influence that may deter their progress towards maturity. It takes discipline and decency for an adult to recognize the fact that there is no room for attraction and desire when it comes to young children. Increasing the age of consent would penalize or imprison sexual abusers as they should be for corrupting and ignoring the basic human rights of children in freedom and development. It is not that hard to be educated and decent enough to avoid minors regarding the sensual activity. Young ones may expect that they would be safer against child rights violators in the new law’s passage. In times of rampant child abuse cases, there are still hopes of providing children with a better and safer environment. A world with countless opportunities for growth with no hindrance is what they deserve. The passage of this law is commendable and serves as one of the stepping stones in achieving the highest dreams and hopes of the youth to greatness.
Safer space for children
PHOTO EDITORS: Yzabella Armado, Imee Antonette Ocampo LAYOUT ARTIST: Ralf Dwyane B. Montes | CARTOONISTS: Hannah Grace Menor, Nicole Xyleene F. Plopinio | CONTRIBUTORS/RESEARCHERS: Chariz Estelle Segunla, Ranelyn A. Salonoy, Julianna Franchesca F. Maballo, Christian Adryan C. Lagrimas, Ma. Cazzandra M. Lacman, Reuchlin S. Faustino, Coleen Angelica C. Bautista, Erich Angel D. Paraiso, Kyle Azriel P. Aganinta, Allyssa P. Alcano, Denise Angelika A. Gayeta, Pamela Addiena R. Albotra, Miguel Antonio V Ramirez, Allyana Amir C. Abanes, Irish Mae P. Yepes, Amber C. Martinez, Abigail Bridget B. Flores, Gavin Ysabel G. Miranda, Samantha Meg M. Almazan, Mickyla Torres, Jelanze G. Magallanes, Dianna Munoz Reyes, Peter D. Brucal, Tiffany Moon Agustina G. Barcebal, Julianne Mariz S. Mendoza, Mhiel Julianne B. Olaes
05opinionVol. 8 No. 1 | S.Y. 2021-2022 Saint Edward School August 2021 – May 2022
EDITORIAL BOARD teenagers,Children, and pre-teens are still under their parents or protectedguardians;ergo,theyshouldbeandsupervisedatallcoststogivenoroomforsexual influence that may deter their maturity.progresstowards estoilethe Cartoon by: HANNAH GRACE MENOR
PRINCIPAL: Dr. John T. Cabalo | VICE-PRINCIPAL: Ms. Karen R. Nogra | VICE-PRINCIPAL FOR ACADEMICS: Ms. Sherwin S. Logto ACADEMIC COORDINATORS: Mr. Kiel de Guzman (Imus Campus), Ms. Jovielyn Tan (Faith Campus)
SCHOOL PAPER ADVISERS: Mr. Paul Jeffrey R. Peñaflor, Ms. Mariz Geraldine Jose, Ms. Charina Arandez
Extra bigger baggage
EDITORIAL
P resident Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law the act raising the age of sexual consent from 12 to 16 years old; therefore, any person engaging in sexual activity with a minor is considered guilty of rape. Children will now have high hopes for a better future ahead of them without glimpses of violence and trauma that prohibits and captives their minds from utmost development.
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: Reese Mikylla M. De Lima, Jorene Louise H. Tubesa |
Making a mistake is one thing, but not responsibilitytakingandnotchangingisanother.
Mula pa man noon ay madumi na ang takbo ng politiko at pangangampanya sa bansa tuwing halalan; tila sinanay tayo sa ganitong kalakaran at sa halip ay mas lalong lumala pa ngayong taon. Ayon sa pag-aaral ng University of Leeds sa United Kingdom, naging takbuhan na ng maraming politiko ang pagkakaroon ng mga campaign strategists na maalam sa social media at pagpapakalat ng maling impormasyon para sa ikakikinabang nila; masasabing epektibo ang ganitong stratehiya sapagkat dito kumukuha ng impormasyon ang maraming Pilipino.
Marapat lamang na ayusin na ang baluktot na prinsipyong bunga ng baluktot na sistemang umiiral sa bansa.
06 opinion Vol. 8 No. 1 | S.Y. 2021-2022 Saint Edward School August 2021 – May 2022
Often, forgiveness is a vague yet essential topic regarding values. Given that the Philippines is very Catholic-centric, forgiveness is always emphasized no matter how grave the sin is. “Forgive and forget” is then shaped as the go-to mantra of the majority, especially if the ones involved are family and relatives. In doing so, filial piety― a significant Asian trait unconditionalhighlightingrespectfor elders― is strengthened among families. On the surface, it may seem to reflect a good effect as it continues the tradition, preserving the culture as culture and values are weaved with each other to form a unique character for an individual. Still, in reality, it is subtly propagating harm. From simply forgiving abusers who caused someone years of pain and torment to forgiving political powers who once violated the law that they give them a seat again, the culture of forgiving indeed needs to be improved, and the problems that it potentially raises should be addressed. One could not just forgive someone if they never face the consequence, which they should learn from. Until there is no development and accountability shown, forgiveness should be on hold, especially if pardoning those people will affect someone, a group, or even the majority who were denied justice. Most are habituated to not receiving the justice that they deserve. Hence, they settle with none, which is not supposed to happen – constitutionally and morally.Without proper justice and empathy, there should be no forgiveness, but with the Filipino culture weighing empathy more, it becomes unbalanced. The center of the forgiveness that Filipinos usually go by appeals to emotion and sentiment alone yet serves the just action for whoever is wronged― sometimes, it is themselves― will never be done nor revisited as “it’s already in the past and there is nothing to do about it.” There is, in fact, something that should be done because in attaining justice, there should be action― a progressive one specifically. Forgiving people reflects not only the true character of a person but also their moral standing.There is an infamous saying of “lahat ng sobra ay masama”, and seeing how the benevolent Filipino values are utilized to feed the wrong agenda greatly reflects the current system. The Filipinos are nurtured to be welcoming, helpful, and good, but it sometimes overflows to the point that they repay their aggressors and oppressors’ goodness as if they are not the root of their suffering. They are manipulated and repressed by the tradition, along with the broken promises that the wrongdoers make. There are no saints in society, but there are many sinners, and being wary of them is a must.
Batay sa ulat ng Tsek.ph, si Bise Presidente Leni Robredo ang pinakatinamaan ng malawakang disimpormasyon, at ang kanya Marcos,sapinakamahigpitnamangnakalabanpagka-pangulo,Bongbongangpinakanakinabang dito. Kung patuloy na mananaig ang kasinungalingan ngayong eleksiyon 2022, magiging daan ito sa nagbabadyang pagsiklab ng mas marami pang pangaabuso at kasamaan sa mga susunod pang taon. Kaya’t dapat nang tuldukan ang patuloy na pag-iral ng masahol na sistemang nagpapalugmok sa mamamayang Pilipino sa kahirapan at nagpapalakas sa pwersa ng mga uhaw sa kapangyarihan. Malaya ang lahat na makapaghayag ng damdamin at saloobin hinggil sa mga usaping panlipunan at pampolitikal, na nakasaad sa 1987 Constitution. Ngunit dapat ding mabatid ng lahat na ang opinyon ay hindi katanggap-tanggap kung ito ay nakabatay sa kasinungalingan at tahasang pagkiling sa kasamaan, kurapsyon, pangaabuso, pasismo, at opresyon— repleksiyon ito ng paniniwala at moralidad bilang tao. Marapat lamang na ayusin na ang baluktot na prinsipyong bunga ng baluktot na sistemang umiiral sa bansa. Upang hindi na lumala pa ang epekto ng nakababahalang epidemya ng fake news, dapat pang paigtingin ng Department of Education ang pagsulong ng media information literacy sa ating kurikulum. Dito, matututuhan lalo ng mga estudyante na maging kritikal at pabulaanan ang mga kasinungalingang naglipana sa social media. Sa kabila ng lahat, nasa ating mga kamay pa rin nakasalalay kung paano natin ipaglalaban ang katotohanan tungo sa lipunang malaya sa kasinungalingan at puno ng pag-asa. Bagamat magkaiba ang pagiging biktima ng malawakang disimpormasyon at misimpormasyon sa pagiging bulag sa mga katotohanang matagal nang nariyan, pareho pa ring puntirya ng mga politikong gagawin ang lahat para sa kanilang pansariling interes. Bunga nito, lumalabas sa isip ng marami ang katanungan: sino nga ba ang tunay na kalaban ng mga Pilipino?
Illuminated. ALEXANDER EURIEL ARANAS Discerned. JORENE LOUISE TUBESA …the culture of beraisesitproblemsandimproved,needsindeedforgivingtobethethatpotentiallyshouldaddressed.
On morals and school policies
Baluktot na prinsipyo, bunga ng baluktot na sistema
Tormenting tolerance
Hanggang ngayon, walang kamatayang humihingi pa rin ng respeto ang iba sa kanilang opinyon sa tuwing tatanungin ukol sa dahilan nila ng pagboto sa kanilang mga kandidato. Dahil dito, nagkakaroon ng pagtatalo kung paano at kailan nagiging hindi katanggap-tanggap ang isang pananaw o prinsipyo, lalo pa’t marami pa ring mga Pilipino ay madaling nabibiktima ng mga bulok na propaganda at disimpormasyong kumakalat sa social media.
Pontificated. YZABELLA ARMADO Jay-Ar Bautista, 11, arranges the spring rolls which he sells one afternoon at Lancaster New City. According to the 2020 report of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), 872,000 or 2.8 percent of the total population of Filipino children are driven into labor. As the Covid-19 pandemic plagues the country, many children just like Jay-Ar opts to use their time to find work, earn, and help their family survive.
W ith the toimplementedPhilippines,juvenilenumbergrowingofcasesinthemostschoolspoliciessustainpeaceand order in their institution. They have especiallyhowstudentsandtraditionalestablishedmoralscharacterforthetobeawareoftheyshouldbehave,insidethe school premises. Aside from these sets of policies, some schools also have a Values Education subject in their curriculum to further enforce the importance of proper conduct to the students. Values Education centers on understanding the moral values, which, in effect, will have the students show their good behavior and attitude towards society. With all of the measures stated above, peace and order in an institution still cannot be promised. There are still niches that must be filled to attain the utmost protection for every student in an institution. Some things are to be set straight in addressing offenses made by the students, especially if done more than once.When a student commits actions that are at odds with the rules and regulations of the school, the homeroom adviser, the guidance counselor, or the discipline and formation officer meets with the guardian of the student with the student. The conference is sometimes done with the presence of both sides, and sometimes separately.This,however, hardly ever gives justice to the disadvantaged student. There are times when the punishment bestowed upon the student who committed such wrongful acts is inadequate, which does not give rise to a change in behavior. Such negligence will then bring about more danger for the wronged student and the rest of the students in the school. The meagerness of punishments inflicted upon the students due to their wrongful acts deprives them of self-reflection and permits them to pull off more immoral actions. It is, indeed, inevitable and innate for a human to commit mistakes, but those mistakes must be used to learn and put into practice. Making a mistake is one thing, but not taking responsibility and not changing is another. Life is full of lessons, and with that, one is bound to commit mistakes. However, one’s mistakes are only valid if done once and ended with apologies, repentance, and justice.
F ilipino culture is built on the foundation of moral values that is treasured up until today, even if generations have come and gone. From being hospitable to resilient, they have embodied these traits that have become a part of their identity as a person and Filipino citizen. These virtues that Filipinos steadily uphold have a hard time eroding as they are embedded within themselves since their childhood rearing process; hence, being molded to the said culture imposes both positive and negative effects. Notably, one of these “values” is the overt-forgiving attitude that sometimes goes overboard.
Probed.
JEZIC ABUEG
More variants may come, so everyone must be prepared and equipped with protection. The public must see the vitality of inoculation to create more considerable barriers against the mutating virus. Letting guards down is not advisable unless the probability of infections has reached rock bottom. Putting on face masks and distancing away from people still are necessities that each and everyone must put in mind. Lack of knowledge of the new variant may portray countless possibilities of infection and surges; however, with proper adherence to minimum health protocols, prevention of these occurrences is high hope. Hand in hand with collective efforts for the welfare and protection of every Filipino, the country is close to providing a safer environment than before.
Social media had its funny way to make sure that it was just me against the world. Instigated.
Mental health is a whole other world that involves how we think and act, and it includes our status psychologically and emotionally. With the uproar of social media over the past few years, it has become a useful but dangerous tool for us humans. It has given us many platforms for entertainment, reliable sources, education, and overwhelming information. It has also given us reasons for the current generation’s controversy, insecurity, and mental instability. We have almost everything on the internet. To some people, social media is a world full of perfection in which you can not see a streak of error. In their eyes, it is a utopia. However, I’d like to contradict that. I welcome you to the underworld of social media.
COMMENTARY REESE MIKYLLA DE LIMA
World Health Organization (WHO) experts are still monitoring the new variant to evaluate its intensity and see whether vaccines are effective against it. The uncertainty of possibilities and information regarding the virus variation poses a threat to the safety of the people as Covid works its way to mutation for survival. Everyone should keep alert as long as the WHO does not declare it endemic. Due to the alert level shifting to the new normal, many Filipinos start to behave as if the pandemic is over, which gives way to ditching face masks and social distancing. Switching to Alert Level 1 does not mean that the probability of infection is close to zero, knowing that Deltacron is pushing to reach the population. Various strains have proved their point that anything away from health recovery is indeed possible.Downplaying the gravity of probable outcomes already served its lesson through time, as on January 30, 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 a “public health emergency of international concern”, but still, the government made a slow response to address the issue, resulting in the stacking of high numbers of active cases. Implementation of health restrictions still must be evident and blatant ignorance of safety protocols of the public is a concern it also needs to handle. The needs of the small and medium enterprises to recover and be back to operations are evident after the fluctuation in economic status during the global pandemic. However, they still must be strict in implementing health protocols and observe cleanliness in commercial establishments to offer significant resistance against different variations of the ongoing Scientistsvirus.have stated that the presence of significant segments of unvaccinated people is one of the reasons for the mutation of the virus. Vaccination must continue, especially for children and elders who are part of the vulnerable group. Its importance must be stressed for people to feel its significance in ensuring the safety of all.
With Vice President-elect Sara Duterte set to lead the Department of Education (DepEd), there is a high chance for ROTC to become mandatory again for Senior High School students. Some support the revival of compulsory ROTC because it can spark nationalism among the youth. But if ROTC is good, why did it become optional? Should you be worried? Well, I am. But what is the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, more commonly known as ROTC? According to Republic Act 9163, ROTC’s goal is to “motivate, train, organize and mobilize them for national defense preparedness.” Moreover, it is part of the National Service Training Program (NSTP) program, which aims to develop the youth’s ethics of service and patriotism. Basically, through these programs, the youth, which is the building blocks of the nation according to Article 2 Section 13 of the 1987 Constitution, would be prepared for any possible warfare and develop a love for our country. It seems as if ROTC is not that bad, and maybe we, the students, are just feeling lazy. Its goals are innocent and for the betterment of the country. What’s not so clear is the corruption and abuse behind it. In 2001, according to the Varsitarian, Mark Welson Chua, an ROTC cadet at the University of Santo Tomas, exposed the corruption happening, particularly the questionable additional fees they must pay. He also revealed that students can get exempted from ROTC through bribery. Chua died after revealing this information, and his death made ROTC optional. Moreover, is ROTC even effective in instilling the values of patriotism? Let’s take our current President Duterte as an example. He admitted that in his college days, he did not finish ROTC, a requirement. He even shared the trick he used. He acquired an x-ray of a tuberculosis patient by paying him and submitted it, causing him to be exempted from ROTC. Let’s take a look at another example. Some pro-ROTC say that today’s youth should experience the same suffering they had during ROTC. ROTC seems to be viewed as just a requirement to graduate and not a way to fortify nationalism in its citizens. So, again, is ROTC effective?
“We don’t want to be on the bad side of history,” said Ms. Gavin. You may ask, how is this even related to mental health? Everything is related to mental health, social media is just one of the main factors that affect it. Constantly being under the spotlight is like living in a house made of glass. Simple words, actions, decisions, and situations can significantly affect you mentally, so how can liking pictures of “perfect” people not? I found that the current generation often dwells in the underworld of social media, forgetting the feeling of the overworld. I, too, frequently visit the underworld after my business with the overworld is done, but I have a lot of reasons not to anymore. I hope some find their reasons too.
STILL, BE WARY With the ease of health restrictions due to falling cases of Covid-19, another variant announces its existence that may disrupt the steps towards recovery.maximumLettingguards down is not an option for the emergence of Deltacron. The combination of the virulent Delta and highly infectious Omicron is a sign to be still wary and follow minimum health protocols for the possible surges to be avoidable.
While reading the stories above, it is scary to know that the revival of mandatory ROTC is very much possible. The mandatory ROTC bill had already been approved by the House of Representatives last May 2019 and just waiting for its senate counterpart to be approved before the president can sign it. Adding to that, the vice president-elect and even her father support ROTC. Even the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and Department of National Defense (DND) welcome the probable return of mandatory ROTC. It is becoming more apparent that mandatory ROTC’s journey on its way to becoming a reality is not stopping anytime soon. Why do we even need ROTC? When there are other ways to serve the country. The mentioned NSTP already offers two more components, the Literacy Training Service (LTS) and Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS). Additionally, military service is not the only way to serve the country. Being part of the workforce of the country is also a way. The government can promote the hiring of the youth at the SHS level as workers. This can give the youth a reason to finish SHS and stay in the Philippines for work. The government can also focus more on improving the country’s other sectors. We should continue to voice our opinion on this matter in hopes that this can be stopped. Remember, it is not the programs like ROTC that are evil per se, but the corruption behind them.
Mandatory ROTC: Corruption in disguise …it is not the programs like ROTC that are evil per se, but thebehindcorruptionthem. Opposed.
normalizedidea,becomesJusticeafantasizedwherecorruptionandsocialhierarchyremaininacountry…
The Underworld of Social Media
07opinionVol. 8 No. 1 | S.Y. 2021-2022 Saint Edward School August 2021 – May 2022
During the 18th Century, families with Spanish or well-off ties experienced more privileges benefitting from the sufferings of those beneath the social hierarchy. What makes me shocked is that the supposed overthrown bias on financial and familial backgrounds still exists in the society we live in today.Freely roaming the nation and heavily regarded by the Palace, Apollo Quiboloy. Otherwise, one who proclaims himself as the appointed son of God is wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The man who proudly presents himself as the spiritual advisor of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and PresidentElect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is also the man who is found guilty of cases of labor trafficking, bogus charity, sex trafficking, fraud, coercion, conspiracy, and bulk cash smuggling. With aliases such as “pastor”, “sir”, and “ACQ”, Quiboloy allegedly sent members of his founded church to the US whilst providing them with illegally obtained visas. Quiboloy was also accused of asking his church members for bulk donations to help support his church and activities. Members were also forced to “prepare his meals, clean his residences, give him massages, and have sex with him.” Still wanted and guilty of charges, the Malacañang Palace states that the pastor can defend himself from such allegations. The founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) church responds to such cases by claiming that all are merely accusations and that none of which are true. Shifting the view, 80-year-old Leonardo “Lolo Narding” Flores was arrested and detained due to allegations of stealing. His neighbor accused Lolo Narding of stealing 10 kilos of mangoes which led him to be under custody on January 13, 2022. The municipal court of Asinga, Pangasinan, decided that his arraignment will be conducted on February 8. What led the public to question his detainment was whether he deserved imprisonment or not, for the ten kilos of mangoes that he picked were all from a neighbor’s tree that Lolo Narding planted himself. After the Asinga Police Station posted Lolo Narding’s photo on Facebook, netizens expressed disbelief regarding the matter. The strong impact of Lolo Narding’s imprisonment has led to a P6,000 donation for his bail. The P6,000 bail donation has led to his release on January 20, 2022. This reaction from the media is not all-new, as a 53-year-old pedicab driver was arrested for stealing two cans of luncheon meat, amounting to a total of P381.00 on July 3, 2020. Rommel Figueroa was arrested for theft thru shoplifting, and the Ermita Police Station of Manila also claims that he is a member of the Sigue-Sigue Sputnik Gang. The public has expressed mixed feelings about the matter, as the issue occurred during the peak of the Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic where the nation was placed under an economic crisis. To this day, questions and doubts still arise among citizens regarding the justice system of the Philippines—those who have plundered billions of pesos from the nation gladly possess power and experience freedom. The powerful birthed by fraud and injustice remain robust, and the weak lose hope and sight of the concept of justice. Justice becomes a fantasized idea, where corruption and social hierarchy remain normalized in a country that is said to have been independent for 124 years. Therefore, I still question whether the nation can experience a rekindled heart for the nation if justice can one day no longer be a century’s dream.
Justice remains a century’s dream
HANNAH GRACE MENOR
GAVIN YSABEL MIRANDA Here, in the underworld, you can find people of all social cliques. I’m pretty sure that Facebook has a lot of starter packs to identify all types of people, and you can even fit in a clique yourself. The said social media platform isn’t only for sharing or posting, and messenger isn’t only for communicating. They can also be used for hacking and bullying. I’ve had my fair share of the underworld, it’s never fun to venture on your own, especially when your own “best friend” had dragged and left you there. Social media had its funny way to make sure that it was just me against the world. During the “Mental Health in relation to Social Media use” webinar led by the Guidance and Counseling Center of St. Edward School, Ms. Sky Gavin, COO of When In Manila, said, “If you are also using social media excessively, you will also feel isolated,” and I can never relate more. We all leave footprints in general, may it be muddy or clean, digital or physical. Our actions will always have consequences, I can tell you that. Some might say that’s not true, but consequences don’t have a given time to arrive. I’ve seen people criticizing and chastising celebrities for bullying scandals that happened back when they were still in high school, as well as canceling influencers for posting or doing something insensitive over 12 years ago. Everybody wants what they want to see, and it’s easier to judge than to believe. It was then that I realized that, for the most part, negative and controversial topics will always shine brighter than positive and groundbreaking ones.
The Philippines celebrates its 124th year of independence from the hands of the Spaniards, proudly taking a stand and being set apart from the rest of the world. Years of exercising democracy have allowed Filipinos to witness changes within our government, from systems of paying taxes to newly implemented laws. Yet despite experiencing years of independence from Spanish colonizers, one thing remains alive, creeping from the depths of history: injustice.
Memories of Cavite’s Elderly
Photos from: International Rice Research Institute, Philippine Daily Express, E. Marcos Facebook Page, Angat Buhay Facebook Page, and Kip Oebanda’s Liway (2018)
“It felt like a pall of gloom hovered in the air.” Patricia Corpus-Calilong, 55, recounted her experience during Martial law when she was around 13, 7th grade in 1972 and when their family was about to start a new life from Manila to Cebu. In 1972, then President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared martial law in the country. The iron fist dictator held the position of commander in chief for 20 years and 57 days, giving him the title of the longestserving president. Within those years of governance, the administration had amassed a ton of human rights violations, economic instability, and hardship for the Filipinos, according to APRN (Asia Pacific Research Network). The media as well was censored and controlled by the dictatorship. Mass arrests were the norm, and people who rallied against the government were killed or kidnapped, coined the term “Desaparecidos”. This becomes a reminder for those who have endured the martial law era. Filipinos have experienced life under a dictator who controlled their way of living. These are the memories of the Filipinos under the Marcos regime. There was a news blackout. The whole country was put under curfew. The movement was restricted. The Philippine Constabulary was very visible,” Patricia shared. “In my High School days from 19721976, life seemed normal except that there was still a curfew. One couldn’t say negative things about Marcos. I went back to Manila for college in 1977 at the Ateneo. The letters ABC stood for names of camps - Aguinaldo, Bonifacio, Crame- where those who defied Marcos were detained. Marcos had a slogan SA IKAUUNLAD NG BAYAN, DISIPLINA ANG KAILANGAN.”
“Martial law deprived the Filipino citizens the right to vote. I voted for the first time when I was 28 yrs old in 1986. Imelda Marcos hosted a lot of ostentatious parties for international guests amidst poverty. Close and loyal friends of the Marcoses became cronies who monopolized infrastructure businesses. The notoriety, corruption of the police force because Marcos rewarded those loyal to him and not to the Constitution. Very memorable was The assassination of Ninoy Aquino, the snap elections where Marcos blatantly cheated and honest tabulators walked out from the counting of votes.”
Many participants in this research project would associate Martial Law with discipline. Sonny Ta-Ay, 65, could recall how the government imposed discipline among the citizens. “Hindi nakakatakot mag lakad, wala kasing masasamang loob; kontrolado ng government ang lahat,” Sonny said. “Naging disiplinado ang mga pilipino; bawal ang mga kantang bastos sa radyo at TV [at] mayroong moral lesson lahat ng palabas. Disiplina sa kalsada lalo na sa pagtawid [laging nasa pedestrian],” he added. When asked about moral virtues learned during Martial Law, Patricia exclaimed, “Excuse me — what moral values can Martial Law bring? Your question reflects a bias for Martial Law!” Patricia had witnessed the value of discipline under the authoritarian rule differently. “Were Filipinos disciplined then? On the outside, yes, since we were under threat of being detained. Others disappeared without a trace. In the early 80’s my first job was for a US bank. Imelda was so ostentatious.” “It was during this period that Ninoy Aquino was assassinated in 1983. The Philippines experienced capital flight, mearning investors took out their money from the Philippines because of the political unrest. The Philippine peso plunged to 20 pesos to $1 from 8 Pesos to $1. For the first time in its history, The Philippines couldn’t pay its debt to foreign creditors.” “Marcos had gone on a borrowing spree to finance his and his family’s personal interests instead of the country’s economic growth. No international development financial agency would lend to the Philippines. Aquino’s death sparked outrage and indignation . There were street rallies in the heart of Makati, the business center of the Phils. People bravely marched with the truck that carried Ninoy’s body to his burial site. Marcos called for a snap election in Feb 1986. CoRy resoundingly won. Marcos and family had to fly out of Malacañang.”
These stories and memories of those who have experienced Martial Law first-hand resonate with how important it is to look back.
The Marcos dictatorship through the lens of those who have endured CHRISTIAN ADRYAN LAGRIMAS
Many elders, however, pointed out how they benefited from the Marcos government in terms of low commodity prices. “Kung Hindi nila pinatalsik si Marcos hindi sana tayo naging third world country at hindi naghirap ang mga Pilipino.” Sonny believes the Marcos era to be a golden age for the country,” Sonny said. “Mapayapa. Hindi hirap sa buhay [at] mura ang bilihin. Mayroong trabaho ang mga tao [at] mataas ang value ng peso kaya mura ang kuryente, gasolina, NAWASA, at government ang may-ari ng Meralco,” he recalled. In addition, Arnel Esparcia, 69, could recall how cheap food was during Martial Law though the government was imposing strict. Mura ang bilihin nung araw, limang piso ang isang tumpok ng galunggong limang piso. Noon hindi katulad ngayon hikaos ka, noon makakabili ka na ng limang pisong tumpok ng galunggong, isang salok na bigas, ayun nga lang may kahigpitan noong araw,” Arnel said. He furthered how they experienced punishment under military rule while getting rice from a pier. “Nangunguha kami ng bigas sa piyer, kailangan pagdating ng alas-10 nakauwi na kasi nga ang mga kalaban namin mga sundalo. Nahuli na nga ako ng sundalo eh. Kinulong ako sa RCA (Rice and Corn Administration), RCA nung araw yung NFA (National Food Authority) ngayon, he said. “Nag-buburiki (piercing a sack of rice to get its contents) ako ng bigas, kasi ‘nung bigas noong amin, umaandar ‘yung truck ng bigas galing sa piyer; binuburiki namin. Nahuli kami ng sundalo kasi pag buriki lahat ng, siyempre ang pagburiki namin nasa ilalim ‘yung sako babagsak yung nasa ibabaw.”“Okay naman kasi ‘yung mga sundalo, nagsawa sa amin ng pagpapakain; sila nagpapakain sa’min eh. ‘Pag gusto nilang kumain, mag sasaing ako, magluluto. Nagsawa siguro sa pagpapakain sa’min; pinakawalan din kami after three days,” he said when asked how the experience was. “Nag aalala na nga ng nanay at tatay ko, bawal naman dumalaw kaya ayun. Pero hindi naman kami nagugutom dahil pinakakain kami ng mga sundalo.” Though he experienced an ill fate under the soldier’s punishment, he sees it as a form of discipline, which he thinks the Marcos supporters should be proud of. “Na-brainwash ang ibang kabataan ngayon, na brainwashed. Noong panahon talaga ni President Marcos, napakaganda. Lahat [ay] masunurin, mababa ang presyo [ng bilihin]. Hindi hirap ang Pilipino, maginhawa tayo noon kaysa ngayon. Tinuturo namin sa mga bata - Bongbong Marcos tayo. Baka sakaling bumalik tayo sa dating buhay natin, na hindi tayo magugutom ulit,” Arnel said. Now, all Filipinos may have different opinions on the matter. Some praise the idea of Martial Law, while some condemn the act. Most of the time, people choose not to meddle in these sensitive topics.
truth outside the camp, Dakip lives like an average child who is playful and curious, innocence not tarnished as his mother, Day, tries to preserve it by being thoughtful and loving. In contrast to Day, his father, Ric, seems to lose hope with each passing day, like the other inmates. Dakip, the clueless child he is, always asks for stories and songs from his mother, and his favorite is about the enchantress named Liway, who resides in Mt. Kanlaon and protects the people from the monsters that want to hurt them. Eventually, Dakip is faced with the reality he lives in as he realizes the truth behind the stories he hears and the world beyond the chain fences. The poignant sentiment that Liway holds is astounding because it’s Kip’s truth to tell, and it feels like a homage to his mother. It seeps into the pathos as it is genuine, raw, and authentic. The state of not knowing what would be next in the story is carefully directed, especially in the latter part of the film. Though it is already hinted that the regime was about to end several times in the movie, the scene preceding the signing of the amnesty built up a thrilling and emotional sequence and a fulfilling resolution made it impactful. The shadow play that was done during the narration of the myths also added an authentic touch, especially since the story was from a child’s point of view. In addition, the allegory of the legend of Liway brilliantly mirrored Day’s own experiences as a freedom fighter. Liway may be a myth, but the horrors during the darkness of Martial Law will never be a myth. Another compelling attribute of the film is the delivery of the actors. The promising performance of Kenken Nuyad perfectly fits the character of a curious and wandering child who was suddenly burdened with the grim truth of what is happening and why he is in such a place. The lighthearted humor he delivered also featured the lighter moments in the melodramatic feature. Glaiza De Castro’s natural portrayal of Day gave the best of both worlds of being a mother and a commander of the opposition. Her fierce attack when being a rebel leader becomes a perfect contrast when she becomes a gentle mother to Dakip, which displays De Castro’s versatility. There are apparent flaws in the full-length feature, such as the fast-paced scenes in preclimax that just made a quick sweep and present the struggles that the family faced, from basically being stripped off of freedom to navigating through the familial web of problems which were woven by the state and militia oppression. It did not give direct information about the current situation, which can get the audience, which are not knowledgeable about the Marcos administration, lost on what is the story behind the rebellion and the prison, yet it did provide a subtle portrayal of one of the main struggles for dissidents; being further wronged by the already rotten system that it drives them to seek another way that is drenched in perils. It reached the point where Day needed to let go of the Bible and resort to holding a gun just because even the peaceful way of fighting for freedom would be repaid with violence, and hence, standing tall for her purpose and principle, she chose to continue fighting. The nonlinear fix of the film also gave the audience a glimpse of the constant fear during the dictatorship era and the pint of hope that Day clung to that kept on making her believe that they would still get back the rights they were deprived of. Looking back on the tyrannical atrocities would be a mix of anger and empathy that are justified, seeing as thousands of people are affected by this man-made cruelty. Many others suffered the fate of Kip, and some of them are not as fortunate as him during this regime. Alas, Kip’s story should not be considered an award-winning piece of art alone but a reminder of the dark past the country went through for years. From upholding a machofascist, patriarchal system to orchestrating propaganda and disinformation via the abuse of power, these are just some of the oppressive elements that Liway has shown, which, unfortunately, remain until today. The status quo is reverting to history as if the hands of the people themselves never shifted it. It is sad that it is happening due to the plight of disinformation, another element depicted in the movie. Art, such as films, is more than pure entertainment or a medium for telling stories; it is a way of preserving history. Liway is Kip’s testament to the grisly state that robbed him of an ordinary childhood, and at the same time, it is the narrative of how they roughly survived during an era of injustice, a proof of history that shall never be erased.
Lifting
In the darkest times, the lone light shines the brightest. If there’s an oddly specific plotline assured to touch people’s hearts and be critically acclaimed, it would be the story of following an imprisoned family painting a facade for their young children to shut out the dread of the harsh reality they are currently living in. Life is Beautiful (1997) depicts a family captive during the holocaust, and Room (2015) features a mother and son duo caged in a tool shed for years. Indeed, being kept from the outside world and living an impoverished life in squalid prison is an experience no child should ever experience; however, the world will always be unfair. Kip Oebanda’s Liway (2018) highlights the same message by depicting his own lived experience when he grew up in a prison camp during the Marcos Regime.Liway is told through the lens of a young boy named Dakip, who was born and raised in Camp Delgado, a military base that doubles as a prison for both rebels and criminals during Martial Law. Growing up in military confinementandbereaved of the
ANGAT BUHAY
The reality of the reels
Liway’s lament and hope JORENE LOUISE TUBESA
Going out of your way to be of help to others and serve as an instrument of change may seem like a taxing job for many, but not for people who are a part of a movement bigger than themselves. The elections may be over, but the spirit of volunteerism present in the campaign of the lone female presidential candidate will continue to live on until the end of time. The “pink” movement has redefined the true meaning of unity, and it was able to transcend all forms of barriers that once hindered inclusivity from flourishing as it welcomes and amplifies the voices of everyone regardless of their
During the height of the campaign season, my friends and I were present at the first Cavite grand rally of the outgoing vice president Leni Robredo and outgoing senator Kiko Pangilinan. Many people online have been saying that the people they have encountered were friendly and the crowds were lively, and my experience can vouch for all of that. The people we have talked to no longer seemed like strangers—conversing with them felt like catching up with old friends. Contrary to what the naysayers claim, the event was attended wholeheartedly by people willing to brave all inconveniences. The venue was filled with happy and helpful spirits willing to cost themselves a fortune by giving out free food and drinks. The happiness I felt during that moment became hard to replicate, and a question that has constantly been at the back of my head was, “Would I ever experience all of this again even when the election ends?” Thankfully, that same question had been answered. Immediately after the results of the elections were out, vice president Leni Robredo announced the launching of the “Angat Buhay” Non-Government Organization that opts to provide services for everyone in all parts of the country, especially the marginalized sectors. Originally a program of the Office of the Vice President(OVP), it now aims to be a volunteer-driven organization that can soon be considered the country’s largest volunteer group. A service that the “Angat Buhay” program had once offered is the “Bayanihan E-Konsulta” which provides free COVID-19 consultation and care packages from the OVP. With its operations ceased on the last day of May, Robredo wants to transform this service into something greater than it was. In a statement, Robredo stated “I can only hope na moving forward, baka pwede pa tayong mag develop ng something like Bayanihan E-Konsulta. In our localities, baka pwede nating i-tweak na mas bagay siya moving forward na kahit wala nang COVID pwede nating gawin”. With this opportunity laid out, it gives us the chance to replicate the same energy we had given the past rallies, but now, we are helping to aid bigger causes in the country. Having been given an avenue to help, the spirit of volunteerism will continue to be alive, for the number of people present in past rallies may translate to the numbers willing to exhibit what radical love truly is. Moreover, it can help eliminate performative actions as the organization provides services that are non-selective. With more volunteers willing to lend their hands, it is a no-brainer that help would be given to those in communities that are oftenOnoverlooked.theotherhand, Robredo’s camp having no doubts about establishing an organization that volunteers purely back is a telling example of how her presidential bid brought life to a modern act of “Bayanihan”. Involving many to participate in mass gatherings, even those who are too young to vote will be one of the most memorable aspects of the movement. With the organisation’s establishment nearing, there is no doubt that help will be underway. A movement this big has inspired and will continue to inspire more generations to go out of their ways and be one with people from all over the country. The culture of volunteerism that had been ignited will keep burning as long as the help handed out is genuine and genuinely for the masses, or in other words, as long as real radical love has been exemplified.
Lifting Lives and SpiritsAMBER CHERISSE MARTINEZ
status.FILM REVIEW
The last time Sir G volunteered was on July 30, and he was asked to lead the whole drive for that day. 633 people need to be vaccinated, and they did not have just the pressure of time but also the fear of getting infected themselves. As he was tasked to be the vaccination team’s leader during that day, he had to make sure that everything was put in place–from vaccination forms, volunteer IDs, master lists, to even the smallest things such as the alcohol, sanitation, etc and medical equipment. He also had to roam around all nine vaccine stations to make sure that they are manned and are working as they all should. Another thing he had to make sure is that all 75 volunteers, who were all either volunteers or the LGU, are fed. This whole thing wasn’t just tiring for him and all the volunteers as they had a lot of tasks to do, yet it was also scary, especially due to the risk of them contracting the same disease they’re trying to prevent. He even got so close to the point where he came into contact with someone who turned out to be Covid-positive, but fortunately, he did not get infected himself. But when asked if he would still volunteer, he said he would still gladly continue. Sir G’s heart is “filled with love” for every time he gets a chance to serve. “How great shall be our joy to be the Lord’s instrument to serve others,” he said, implying how people should all serve one another, which “God wants His servants to do.” Nobody was prepared for a crisis this huge, but it is never an excuse for humanity not to come together. Regardless of status, occupation, income, or any decorations in life, the teacher-volunteers proved that everyone is of the same kind, and everyone is supposed to have each other’s backs. Ms. Regz, Sir Thon, and Sir G encourage everyone to volunteer if they’re able to, as it is indeed one way to contribute to bringing this pandemic to an end. Together with their own parts, big or small, they can combine all of their efforts to help resolve the crisis and end the global pandemic that everyone is suffering from.
TAGO. Nakikipaglaro si Michael Dizon, 7, sa kanyang kapitbahay na si Mark John Guzman, 7, sa tapat ng kanilang bahay bilang paglilibang matapos masagutan ang kanilang mga modyul noong ika-10 ng Marso, sa Alapan II-B, Imus. Ayon kay Dr. Bernard Argamosa, Program Director ng 24/7 Crisis Hotline ng National Center for Mental Health (NCMH), isa sa mga dahilan ng pagkakaroon ng depresyon at anxiety ang bigat ng mga gawain sa eskwela.
‘LIVING OUT THE MISSION’ Ms. Regz, the Community Extension Coordinator, wherein everyone’s contribution was equal regardless of their position as teachers. As an example, she mentioned Sir Kiel, the school’s Academic Coordinator holding a basahan, or a wet rug, which proved her point of them working together to achieve the collective goal notwithstanding their positions in St. Edward School. “I was a bit hesitant to let Sir Kiel or any teachers hold a wet rug and sweep the chairs,” Ms. Regz“Butsaid.the teachers had shown commitment that whatever task was given, they would do it in the name of servant leadership,” she continued. ‘A BLESSING IN DISGUISE’ One of the team leaders, Sir Thon’s experience was quite eventful, as he got a call from Kawit’s local government unit (LGU) saying he was scheduled to get his vaccine on the same day as he was supposed to volunteer for the first time in the said project. Despite that, he decided to stay with the vaccination drive, only to get surprised that he was getting his vaccine later in the afternoon; therefore, he doesn’t need to reschedule anything anymore.
May ningning sa mga mata ng mga bata. Sa kanilang lente ay nangungusap ang kanilang danas na bagamat maliit ay naghahayag din mga isyung panlipunan. Sinamahan ng The Estoile ang mga bata sa Barangay Alapan at inalam ang kanilang istorya.
10 features REPLEKSYON. Nakatingin si Mark John Guzman, 7, sa kanyang repleksyon sa tricycle ng kanyang kapitbahay habang hinihintay ang kanyang kalarong nagpapaalam lumabas noong ika-10 ng Marso, sa Alapan II-B, Imus. Ayon kay Dr. Bernard Argamosa, Program Director ng 24/7 Crisis Hotline ng National Center for Mental Health (NCMH), malaking tulong sa kalusugang pangkaisipan ng tao ang simpleng pakikipag-usap sa mga kaibigan. Vol. 8 No. 1 | S.Y. 2021-2022 Saint Edward School August 2021 – May 2022 SA MATA NG BATAMGA Service and selflessness against the pandemic Edwardian teachers as ‘Resbakuna’ volunteers
According to him, it was also an accomplishment he’s very proud of, and he’s been volunteering for at least five consecutive weeks. He said that he would still volunteer as long as the program is ongoing, as it “gives you a different level of satisfaction in serving other people in my own little way.”
T he COVID-19 pandemic may have brought fear among the general population, yet brave people have chosen to face the crisis, regardless of their current status in life or what they all do for a living.
TUKA. Nilalaro ni Rhose Lagulaw, 10, ang kanyang alagang sisiw na mgaangnakakawalaCavite.Marso,noongpistanoongpainaalagankanyangsimulanangito’ymabilinagdaangnatindaroonika-17ngsaImus,Sinasabingngstresspakikipaglarosaalaganghayop.
NGITI. Nakikipaglaro si Roberto Perdigon, 58, sa kanyang apo na si Brina Perdigon, 4, habang nakatambay sa kanilang nakaparadang tricycle noong ika-17 ng Marso, sa Imus, Cavite. Sinasabing malaking tulong ang mga batang apo sa kalusugang pangkaisipan ng mga matatanda sapagkat di pangkaraniwan ang libang na kanilang hatid.
‘JOY IN SERVING’
JAMES ALAN MENDOZA
This is true to the Edwardian teacher-volunteers of Resbakuna, the vaccination program of the government of General Trias, which was done in cooperation with the Galing LNC, St. Edward School (SES), and Lancaster Estates Homeowners Association, Inc. As the new school year approaches, teachers of SES are not seen holding school supplies nor in front of their laptops to make learning plans, but they are carrying wet rugs to sweep chairs or documents to check the names of the vaccinees as they wear their other hat as volunteers.SirGercov “G” Batoctoy, Sir Anthony “Thon” Grepo, and Ms. Regina “Regz” Negapatan are three of the Edwardian teachers who took a step and volunteered; their experience was an emotional rollercoaster ride, at least, according to their own accounts.
TAWA. Nakikipagkwentuhan si Michael Lagulaw, 8, sa kanyang pinsan na si Andrea Albos, 12, sa tricycle ng kanilang kapitbahay upang malibang pagkatapos nilang gawin ang kanilang mga modyul. Ayon sa isang sarbey, matinding stress sa mga bata ang dala ng tambak na modyul.
LARUAN. Nililibang ni Axel Burdocoy, 4, ang kanyang sarili gamit ang kahoy na makalabas.dahilngmentallockdownnaapektuhansaAyonsaika-17bahaylabasnatagpuankanyangsangkanilangnoongngMarso,Imus,Cavite.satala,isamgapinakangayanghealthmgabatahindisila
KAPIT. Lumalambitin si John Rey Anaug, 9, sa monkey bar bilang paglilibang sa kanyang sarili noong ika-23 ng Pebrero, sa pook liwasan ng Lancaster New City, Cavite. Ayon sa datos mula sa sarbey ng Kamik, isa sa limang bata ngayon ay madalang maglaro sa labas ng bahay.
PHOTO STORY NI YZABELLA ARMADO
Santiago and former Akbayan party list Representative Etta Rosales. The bill affirms that LGBTQIA+ people are on an equal footing with everyone else and guarantees that their rights are upheld. Moreover, it also recognizes the Philippines’ obligations under international law, particularly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Thus, it acknowledges that it is both a national and an international obligation to prevent prejudice against LGBTQIA+ people. However, many government representatives continue to have Art by: Ralf Dwayne Montes
11featuresVol. 8 No. 1 | S.Y. 2021-2022 Saint Edward School August 2021 – May 2022
THE CASUALLY CRUEL BRIDGE For a bridge that’s known to be the best part from the best song of the singersongwriter, All Too Well’s bridge just hits different. For such a feat to be achieved, Swift just showed off her mastery of the English language in this particular part, as if she hasn’t been doing so not just throughout this song, but also her whole discography. For almost every single line, there’s something different about it that makes it more devastating to listen to. The use of similes was seen in the line “You called me up again just to break me like a promise,” in which she compared how she was broken along with the promises he made for her. “So casually cruel in the name of being honest” makes excellent use of alliteration, emphasizing the second and third words as she depicts how he called her like it’s all nothing and how he used honesty as a mere excuse for it. Moreover, for “I’m a crumpled up piece of paper lying here,” she described how broken she felt through the metaphor of comparing herself to a mere crumpled up piece of paper while also using the “C” sound in “crumpled” as auditory imagery in the form of onomatopoeia. This part of the bride was wrapped up with the most repeated line from the song, “’cause I remember it, all too well” in which she used repetition to emphasize that exact line. THE LEGENDARY TRACK FIVE, WRAPPED UP All Too Well also follows a long list of legendary heartbreak anthems from every album from her, known to be the Track 5 rule. Along this line are songs such as Cold as You, Dear John, and Delicate following this ‘rule’ of Taylor Swift’s album-making procedures, with the tracks being some of the most devastating of their respective albums. Among all nine Track Fives, All Too Well seemed to stand out, most likely due to how deep her storytelling went in this song, and also through the wordplay that caught its listeners up declaring how they’re okay despite being not fine at all. The album where All Too Well belonged may have exhibited characteristics that made it deserving of prestigious awards. Still, despite neither the song nor the album winning a Grammy, it sure did win its listeners’ hearts, all by tearing it up into pieces. Swift’s relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal might’ve gotten lost in translation, but the song she made from it would never. And we can’t help but ask for much from her either, as All Too Well is indeed a masterpiece until it tore its listeners up.
JAMES ALAN MENDOZA In a world where ill ideas are the norm, the LGBTQIA+ community continues to face discrimination and fight for their wounded rights. Living in a society that is shaped by idiotic principles is hard, but imagine how much harder it is for those who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual; they find it difficult to express themselves for who they are, afraid of what the society might say. People from the community demand respect when it should not even be asked for in the first place.
Maybe ‘All Too Well’ is a masterpiece until it tore listenersits up
Outside homes, schools are considered one’s second home and their second family–teachers, friends, classmates, and peers. Schools can be challenging for students, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, but they are frequently and particularly unwelcoming for young LGBT people. Up to this day, LGBT students experience bullying, exclusion, and discrimination in schools due to a lack of affirming policies and a failure to put existing protections into practice. In June 2022, some transgender women were not permitted to attend their graduation ceremonies due to their school’s hair and attire policy—stating that they are prohibited from wearing a dress and having long hair—putting their physical and mental health at risk, as well as limiting their ability to learn. This, however, goes against the Department of Education’s objective to safeguard and advance every student’s rights. An example of a restriction imposed on an individual because of their sexual orientation is the neverending dilemma that the LGBT community continues to face; demand for respect. It is a human being’s fundamental right to be treated with respect and equality, yet it is still a battle in court and at the hands of those in power on whether this respect and equality should be given to them. This is why the LGBT community and their allies continue to stand up for their rights, crafting a path for them to live a life of justice and acceptance, part of which is the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) Equality Bill. In 2000, the SOGIE Equality Bill was filed by the late Miriam Defensordoubts about SOGIE Equality. As of May 2019, the said bill had been under Senate interpellation in the Philippines for the longest time. Senator Risa Hontiveros, a steadfast supporter, once again sponsored it, but this time as the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Equality Bill, also known as Senate Bill No. 1934, in December 2020, demonstrating that the fight for equality is still ongoing. “As we are about to close this challenging year, I am honored to present again to the plenary a piece of legislation, so dear to my heart – a bill which has become a battle cry of our younger generation searching for validation and acceptance; a long-standing plea of advocates and allies who have been begging these halls to listen and take a stand,” Hontiveros said in her sponsorship speech. “A beacon of hope for Filipino parents who just wanted to see their children grow up without fear of stigma and discrimination,” she added. The only thing the bill seeks, according to Hontiveros, is a guarantee that no restrictions are placed on an individual because of their identity—somethingsexualthat no parent would desire for their child. Regarding whether the proposed legislation infringes on the right to practice one’s religion freely, she argued that it would only regulate public affairs and not attempt to alter religious doctrine. Sen. Risa Hontiveros’ ranking of 11 in the 2022 senate elections gives the growing community more reason to be hopeful. She was also one of the keynote speakers in the Pride March and Festival 2022, which brought together about 29,000 Filipinos under the theme “Atin ang Kulayaan,” on June 25. With Senator Risa in the house, the burning desire for change continues to ignite in the hearts of many. A community as bright as the LGBTQIA+ proves that gender has no bearing on what goes into creating a society where people may live freely while pursuing one’s passions. Everybody deserves to be able to express who they are without worrying about being condemned or looked down upon. The community needs a society of support, acceptance, and, most importantly, respect. Pride Month or not, may we never stop celebrating their wins and their immeasurable strength and perseverance to be where they are now. There is no doubt that no color is as colorful as those of pride.
“I remember it all too well.”
One line from only one song is needed to get its listeners crumpled up like a piece of paper, lying here regardless of their relationship status or history. Taylor Swift, in the world of songwriting, is famously known to write songs that tell stories; how every single song depicts a whole scenario in which her listeners can immerse themselves into, and it is no secret how that writing style of hers never fail to get people in the mood that she aims to portray in that song, well, if they were to listen to it a little bit more thoroughly. All Too Well was ‘that’ song that showed her main capabilities in songwriting, and critics such as Rolling Stone had mentioned this in their blog posts when they attempted to rank all of Swift’s songs, claiming that no one will ever inspire a piece as great as “All Too Well,” even more so write one.
DENISE GAYETA FIGHTING FOR SOGIE: DILEMMA
The Never-Ending
LITERALLY SHALLOW, FIGURATIVELY DEEP This track turns every detail, even some that may seem trivial to the average person, into something everyone could cry on. Things no one would bat an eye on daily such as the scarf that someone left at their boyfriend’s sister’s house, or people dancing ‘round the kitchen in the refrigerator light, are being served as a way for people to reminisce on their own memories and reflect on the nostalgia that To add salt to the wound, listeners often also find it amazing how she narrated a story while adding a bunch of symbolism inside it. The amount of figurative language used throughout this song is incomprehensively, yet creatively deep. A lot of metaphors were used, such as the line from the first verse that said, “We’re singing in the car, getting lost upstate.” That very sentence may be shallow in the literal sense, but once we look deeper into it, the term ‘lost’ may not just pertain to their state when they were singing in the car, but also their relationship as it started fizzling out.
JAMES ALAN MENDOZA
THE END’S THE BEGINNING It’s been a year and a half since it all began, and it was at this point when I realized that the pandemic was just a test. A test to check if we are all prepared for the hardships that the future would have for us. With the experiences and wisdom that I have gained along the challenging journey, I will report chapter 35 of El Filibusterismo in our online class with a wiser, stronger version of me. 3,529 continue to have faces, but I’m doing my best to stop myself from making it 3,530. A t the pinnacle of my youth, I’ve always been about spending my time creating memories and painting life with colors, not numbers. The best years of life happen when you look back and think, “Wow, I lived a good life.” Everyone starts life with no choices. We don’t get to pick when and where we are born, whether we will be male or female, or whether we will live a happy and fortunate life or a sad and tragic one. The thing about life is that it doesn’t always work according to our favor. We aren’t in control of the good and the wrong things. Sometimes, life is just a roll of the dice; we never know what will come next.
Registered Drama Therapist Jason D. Butler in New York City said that music, though his study only included the classical genre, has a significant effect on one’s overall mental wellbeing. In his paper titled “The Arts in Psychotherapy,” he shares that 29 out of 33, or a staggering 87.88% of the participants who underwent music therapy, reported some form of improvement, contrary to the 12 over 28 or 42.86% that the group that went through psychotherapy report announced. ACCEPTING: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE OPTIMISTIC Thirdly, Ms. Sagario said that “Accepting, which may be the hardest for most of us,” is important. As we can’t just recite a magic spell to drive the pandemic away, we are forced to accept the situation and adjust our lives accordingly. In line with that, I have spent the time during quarantine to contemplate everything I have done, I am doing, and what I want to do in the future. Doing so made me reflect on my decisions, thus led me to know better and learn from my past experiences. As we wait for this global crisis to be over, we are left with no choice but to put our hope to those truly capable of solving this, such as our scientists, doctors, and frontliners.
As we wait for this global crisis to be over, we are left with no choice but to put our hope to those truly capable of solving this, such as our doctors,scientists,andfrontliners.
AVOIDING: AN ESCAPE FROM REALITY The second ‘A’ that Ms. Sagario mentioned was “Avoiding,” which means “utilizing various coping mechanisms in order to take our minds off of the crisis itself.” The pandemic has given me room to improve my current skills and discover new hobbies, including watercolour painting, studying a new language (particularly Korean), dancing, creating smudge edits, graphic designing, and calligraphy. The said activities have helped me cope with my deteriorating mental health, and not just that, they have given me opportunities to improve my overall skill set. I can now apply all the wisdom and skills I gained in projects, may it be for school or just for fun or passion. Psychotherapists Daisy Fancourt, Simon Opher, and Cesar de Oliveria of the University College London revealed that taking on a hobby decreased one’s chance to exhibit depressive symptoms by 30%. In addition, music has helped me get through the situation. Songs, especially those from Taylor Swift, TREASURE, and other pop and K-pop groups, have served as my means of comfort; they made me feel like I am with someone, talking to them through the lyrics.
Secured.
DENISE GAYETA Wake up, mask up!
12 science Vol. 8 No. 1 | S.Y. 2021-2022 Saint Edward School August 2021 – May 2022
A guide to escaping the pandemic-stricken mental health numbers
Three A’s of Stress Management 3,529. That was the number of recorded cases of self-harm in the country in 2020, as revealed by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Undoubtedly, the number had increased during the same year when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. The pandemic has disruptively affected not only the financial, economic, physical, and social aspects but also the mental state of many people. Suicide cases ramped up during the said year, with the recorded cases seeing nothing but an increase during the worldwide crisis. I have almost made it to said statistics. THE BEGINNING… OF THE END? One’s eighth grade was where everything began. We just finished our performance for Florante at Laura, a required performance task for every eighth-grader. Nobody knew how that would be our last day at school and how we were going to be unable to set foot on any campus for the next two years. The next day of classes got suspended, and so did the next, and again until it was decided to end the school year that way. I can still vividly remember how fear crept into my mind when I heard the news about the novel virus spread, more when I found out how it is bad enough to be classified as a pandemic. Nobody was allowed to go outside, and everyone had to take extra precautions to mitigate the spread of the virus. The fear of contracting the disease itself is not the only factor that affected my mental health; it is the new normal. Having to adjust almost every single aspect of one’s lifestyle and doing everything you can to avoid the invisible foe can be exhausting and pressuring at least, and destructive at most. Personally, it caused me to have more anxiety and panic attacks, which led to breakdowns, with its frequency ramping up as fast as the number of cases we have. But I did not let anything fazeTheme.conference with Ms. Abish Sagario, a registered psychometrician and a guidance associate at a local school in Cavite enlightened me with the three A’s of managing stress: altering, avoiding and accepting.
Infographics by: Hannah Grace Menor Infographics by: Alexander Euriel Aranas
It would be an understatement to suggest that COVID-19 has changed the world. The pandemic not only altered our lives but turned them upside down. The pandemic has affected how we work, learn, and socialize. While most of the world came to a halt at various points during the pandemic, the need for health care did not. Throughout the pandemic, we’ve witnessed both the positives and drawbacks of being holed up. Lives have been taken, and souls have been stolen. Countries throughout the world have seen economic and educational declines. Amid the pandemic, life has been a gory rollercoaster. At first, the coronavirus didn’t initially pique my interest. As a 13-year-old living 1,924 miles away from where it first appeared, I felt awful about the difficulties it brought, but I wasn’t concerned about my safety. “It probably won’t reach my country; we’ll be good,” I reasoned, but it wasn’t long before the first instances were reported in the Philippines, my home country. January 21, 2020, the World Health Organization announced the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the Philippines. After experiencing a minor cough, the patient sought consultation and was admitted to one of the country’s government hospitals on January 25. Just like that, everything changed overnight. Everything appeared to be a nightmare from which I could not be awakened. The world had been turned upside down in just a snap of a finger. On March 29, 2021, The Philippines received the first tranche of 1 million CoronaVac vaccine doses from vaccine producer SINOVAC, out of 25 million doses purchased by the national government. Last October 15, 2021, the Philippines received 844,800 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine from the German government via the COVAX Facility. The doses are the first of more than 1.6 million from Germany and will be critical in the country’s ongoing fight against COVID-19. After two long years of in and out lockdowns, stores are reopening, schools are holding face-to-face classes, and onsite community events are taking place. It’s as if everything is slowly returning to normal. Vaccinations, safety health measures, and the usage of masks have all played vital roles in reducing the number of occurrences. Over time, due to the improved situation of the pandemic, face masks are no longer required in well-ventilated and open areas in Cebu province, according to an executive order issued by Governor Gwen Garcia. Face masks are only necessary for closed and air-conditioned locations. I felt a pang in my heart as I read the news regarding the voluntary wearing of masks. ‘What ifs’ have begun to impair my judgment. What if the pandemic worsens once more? What if another surge occurs? We must remember that COVID-19 is still present, and the pandemic is not yet over. We can still get the infection even if we are vaccinated. In life, nothing is certain. Despite a reported “modest” spike in COVID-19 cases, the surge is still possible. That is why, in my opinion, face masks should continue to be required. We must constantly wear a mask, no matter where we go or who we are with. We’re responsible for the transmission of the virus. We won’t be safe if we don’t choose to be safe. Many COVID-19 carriers are unaware that they have the virus. The use of universal masks can dramatically minimize virus transmission in the population by preventing us from spreading the virus, including those who are unknowingly carrying it. Masks are not perfect transmission barriers, but they don’t have to be if they’re not worn alone. Other public health measures, including social distancing, testing, contact tracing, and restrictions on big gatherings, should continue to be implemented in addition to universal mask use. Those measures aren’t perfect either, but when multiple flawed measures are coupled at the community level, they can successfully prevent transmission and reduce illnesses.
Masks are not nottotheybarriers,transmissionperfectbutdon’thavebeifthey’rewornalone.
ALTERING: MODIFYING FOR THE BETTER The pandemic may have made me adjust my lifestyle, but I didn’t let it change me for the worse. Exercise can help in boosting one’s overall mood, which means that it can also help in the maintenance of one’s mental health, so I started exercising every single day. I have learned that in exercise as a form of “Altering,” endorphins have been known to make you feel more pleasure and reduce pain at the same time, and one well-known way to get your body to release more of the said hormone has been exercise. To back this up, a study that Ulm University did among students showed that 73.68% of those assigned to do aerobics experienced relief from depressive symptoms between the two time periods given.
Nothing to Show With the rise of investment technologies like cryptocurrency and mobile trading, more people, including the youth, are increasingly interested in opportunities to grow their money. MA. CARREONALEXANDRA See ‘BUILT’ on P.14
HERE TO STAY During its peak SLP was worth about PHP 20; it dropped to around PHP 3 in September 2021, prompting many others to pull out their investments and stop playing with the significant toll on their earnings.Even with the massive hit to their revenue, respondents of the study still did consider their time and monetary investment into the game beneficial, though not without difficulties. “The ongoing decrease of SLP among the Axie ecosystem has been an evident struggle to players and their intent to earn through the P2E system that Axie Infinity offers”, the study“Althoughstated. players are optimistic about the rebound of SLP prices, difficulties have hindered efficient adaptability techniques where numerous participants have shown discouragement, losing interest, and questioning whether playing the game is still worth their time”, it further detailed. During the crash, the study observed players dependence on income from the game, reconsidering the time they were investing, being well-informed about their investment, and setting realistic expectations. “Some doubled down on their investment in Axie Infinity, buying more teams and funding scholarships. Some chose to diversify through re-investing into other cryptocurrencies”, it also found. Most notably, a majority of players expressed their intent to retain their investment in the game despite the token’s decrease in value, citing that they were optimistic about SLP’s value rebounding given the developers’ efforts to address problems in the game’s economy. “Aayusin din ng developers ng Axie Infinity yung problem na ‘yan… Axie Infinity will just be there. Bumaba man yung value, andiyan pa rin,” one of the other interviewees expressed. Given the findings, the researchers advocated for informed and responsible financial decisions through intensified efforts to foster financial literacy with the new
In the current state of the internet, the choice is limited and sometimes even absent for consumers when it comes to their data in the predominant business model of selling the users’ attention as the primary product when they should rightfully hold power over what happens to information about them.
Devices are no exception to having a limited lifespan, and the time comes to replace them, but this period seems to grow shorter and shorter even though the technology is advancing. Batteries, screens, and other components must be replaced after the warranty period when they wear out. Service centres often say they can’t fix the problem or propose buying a new product altogether is better. This “planned obsolescence” where companies intentionally shorten the lifespan of a product to drive more sales after a set period weighs heavy on control over their owned devices, and has even more significant environmental consequences.
…users should only continue being vocal arewhichscrutinousandofcompaniestheysupporttomakeitcleartopryingeyesthattheirpracticesunacceptable. Personalized. MA. ALEXANDRA
For many of the subjects of the study, Axie infinity generated a stream of income that allowed them to make ends meet, satisfy their wants, and gain some financial freedom, regardless of how much or little they were earning. “Ang dami ko na nabili, thanks to Axie… Nakatulong, ‘di lang sa’kin, sa pamilya ko, nababayaran namin yung bills. So, very thankful ako diyan, and kahit papaano, pre, income din siya,” said Axie Infinity player Charles Vincent Terrenal of Grade 11B STEM, in an interview. Additionally, it provided an opportunity for budding investors, with most of the participants being teenagers (some of whom were also Edwardians) or in their early 20s. A majority of people are already interested in their financial security from a young age, especially being involved in investing and in particular, cryptocurrencies. The paper, entitled “Cavite Axie Players’ Experiences with the Diminishing Value of Smooth Love Potion: A Phenomenological Approach,” was authored by Kyle Aganinta, Yzabella Armado, Alex Carreon, and Russelle Dalumpines from Grade 11C-STEM. PLAY-TO-EARN Axie Infinity, developed by Vietnamese studio Sky Mavis, is a play-to-earn (P2E) cryptocurrency game much like Pokemon, involving turn-based battle mechanics rewarding players with SLP from each win, which in turn can be traded for other cryptocurrencies or PhilippineCryptocurrencyPeso. investment has been around the market, following the unprecedented growth of various cryptocurrencies within recent years, with Bitcoin, in particular, reaching an all-time high of around $69,000 in November 2021, when it was only worth a fraction of a penny following its creation in 2009. Over the years, cryptocurrency prices have significantly increased with growing consumer adoption. People recognize its advantages in allowing anonymous, secure, decentralized, and around-the-clock transactions, naturally sparking investment interest.
13scienceVol. 8 No. 1 | S.Y. 2021-2022 Saint Edward School August 2021 – May 2022
Two years since the onset of the pandemic, people remain to work, study, and stay at home with the aid of technology. Most users click “accept all” without a second thought to terms and conditions and privacy policies, often unaware of what they agree to. Even if the average user were to stop and read the fine print in the thousands of words these documents contain, they are purposefully wordy, vague, and jargon-laden. With the dawn of the age of information, data is the equivalent of liquid gold. Profit now lies with buying, selling, and sharing access to user data for various purposes, incentivizing corporations to collect data from users who do not fully realize the extent of these practices, where their data ends up, and what they’re ultimately used. In addition to the terms and policies users must agree to use sites or apps, sign-ups are commonly required, collecting information like names, email addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses, and billing details. Data brokers sell “profiles” by compiling otherwise innocuous bits of information scraped from different online sources and bought from companies that were allowed to sell data through the acceptance of their terms and conditions, as well as other data brokers. Companies like Google also construct profiles of each user detailing their likely demographic characteristics, interests, and dislikes based on data like web searches to predict which ads will capture the user’s attention. Google’s extensive ad profile can even be found in Ad Personalization under Data & Privacy settings. This is unlikely to change if this industry brings in massive profits. For instance, Chief Finance Officer David Wehner of Facebook’s parent company Meta estimated a $10 billion loss in ad revenue for 2022 during a fourth-quarter earnings conference call just last February, blaming Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) features introduced last year, which allowed iOS users to explicitly opt-out of being tracked across apps. Though, this hit is small compared to Facebook’s total ad revenue of almost $115 billion for 2021, according to Meta’s financial report, as the platform remains able to collect data through other ways, like tracking user activity on their site, locations, purchases, app downloads, sign-ups, and website visits according to its ad policy. Targeted advertising is just one trend fueling the widespread collection of data from users, from simple device specs to live geographic locations and everything in between. In these privacy policies, companies often justify data collection by enabling some features and offering a “personalized experience”. While this may not seem so nefarious, commercial advertising isn’t the only application of user data collection. The FacebookCambridge Analytica data scandal shows the wide-reaching effects that political advertising aided by data can have on democracy. Through having hundreds of thousands of users paid to take personality tests for academic uses, Cambridge Analytica (CA) was able to gain information on the test-takers’ friends without their consent, forming a massive data pool of over 50 million profiles In whistleblower and former CA employee Christopher Wylie’s book about the scandal, he detailed how the firm explored users’ political opinions, targeting specific groups, as well as engagement and reactions from different Facebook interactions. Eventually, it was revealed through a leaked internal document to The Guardian that CA used this data to tailor political advertisements to each person to influence their votes towards select paying candidates. These instances and many others demonstrate that the conversation of privacy concerns every person, not just high-profile individuals, whistleblowers, political activists, or criminals. More people must grasp the importance of protecting their human right to privacy, which brings comfort, security, and freedom to think and act for themselves. The notion of having “nothing to hide” creates a false dichotomy between privacy and openness in sharing- one can have nothing to hide and nothing to show, either. People can prefer to keep certain things private, and they should have the choice to do so when it comes to their information. Their consent should be honored about their data, just like with any other matter. Parties involved in this growing data market should be kept in check and held accountable through strict regulation. Transparency is perhaps the most important step towards protecting this right, with users being explicitly told in plain language what they agree to share, with whom, and how their data will be used, handled, and guarded. Additionally, they should be able to know the information that has been collected from them and revoke the use of the information they do not wish to be shared in an accessible manner. Until then, it is best to be careful of what is posted and shared online and with whom because someone is always watching. The expectation of privacy is evidently less reasonable online, and too often, it is only fully appreciated when something intended to be kept private is shared publicly. Just as how information can be used for a person’s convenience, they can just as easily be used against theirWhileinterests.awareness and action against intrusive norms have picked up in the battle to protect privacy, users should only continue being vocal and scrutinous of which companies they support to make it clear to prying eyes that their practices are unacceptable.
A recent study conducted by senior high school students from St. Edward School found that even with the volatile prices and significant decrease in value of the token Smooth Love Potion (SLP) from the popular crypto game Axie Infinity, investments were still productive to most players.
Axie Investments Profitable to Young Investors Despite SLP RESEARCH: CARREON
LIFELINE While the P2E set-up widely adopted by crypto games may seem highly lucrative, players still need to buy at least 3 Axies starting from around PHP 10,000 each at the time to start playing and earning. For the game to be accessible to more players, investors popularized a profit-sharing agreement known as “scholarships,” where managers shoulder the starting cost for the Axies in exchange for a cut of the revenue generated by the scholars who play the game themselves. Axie Infinity mainly generated interest among Filipinos, who composed 35% of daily traffic or 2.5 million active users, according to the developers, most of whom turned to the game as a way of making money in the early months of theAccordingpandemic.to the Philippine Statistics Authority, in the same period of Axie’s climbing growth, the country experienced soaring unemployment rates from lockdowns, rendering 7.3 million Filipinos jobless by April 2020. SLP earned at least thousands for players invested in the game when the token skyrocketed 940% in value from a few pesos to PHP 20 in mid-July 2021.
MA. ALEXANDRA CARREON
The Lightbulb Conspiracy While planned obsolescence heavily involves economics, engineering, and marketing, it also has a rich history. In the early 1920s, the average lifespan of incandescent lightbulbs was approaching 2000 hours, as inventors and companies continued to experiment with different filaments to improve their products.Though not long after, executives from some of the largest lighting companies including Philips (Dutch), Osram (Germany), International General Electric (America), and Associated Electrical Industries (United Kingdom) discretely met in Geneva, Switzerland to form the Phoebus Cartel. Named after Phoebus, the mythological God of light, the cartel sought to depress the average lifespan of lightbulbs to about a thousand hours, claiming to establish quality standards for brighter and more energy-efficient bulbs at the cost of operating life. Upon investigating the cartel’s records, however, University of Basel (Switzerland) Media Studies Professor Markus Krajewski says the only technical innovation of the cartel was the halving of the new bulbs’ lifespan to increase sales among members of the oligopoly. To enforce the 1000-hour limit, Phoebus even had ledgers of fines for companies who exceeded the average, with higher rates per thousand bulbs sold the longer sample bulbs lasted in the cartel’s testing. In fact, Osram’s sales dropped from 63 million bulbs sold in 1923 to only 28 million in 1924, with the 2000-hour average of the previous bulbs cutting into annual sales of the company before Phoebus existed. Big Tech Not too long ago, Apple was embroiled in multi-million dollar lawsuits after claims they purposefully slowed down iPhone performance after a software update. While iOS 10.1.1, suspected of affecting performance in models among the iPhone 6 generation, was released in late 2016, Apple only informed consumers about the implications of the changes over a year later in December 2017. The company admitted the change was to address problems from aging lithium-ion batteries which gradually lose their ability to hold charges and offered discounted battery replacements to restore the devices’ performance. Still, it faced backlash over the lack of transparency and choice the company was allowing consumers when it came to the devices they had purchased. Right to repair advocate iFixit likened this move to “applying a software band-aid on a hardware issue.” While this instance was about 5 years ago, Apple had fought repairability in their devices for years, actively lobbying among numerous large companies against legislation supporting the right to repair at least as early as during the proposal of the 2017 Fair Repair Act in New York, according to the state’s Joint Commission on Public Ethics. Planned obsolescence happens in a few ways, including intentionally having parts break down, removing support for new software updates, pushing for new products, and preventing repair. Under France’s repairability rating law, manufacturersrequiringtodisclose to consumers how repairable their products are, the recent iPhone 12 and iPhone 11 scored 6 and 4.6 over 10 overall, respectively. Right to Repair It is only lately that Apple has started to budge from its anti-repair stance from mounting pressure, allowing Face ID and camera features to work after replacements, rolling out a selfrepair program, and restoring repairability in newer designs. Apple, in particular, only has a little over 500 official stores worldwide, according to Forbes, offering limited coverage for the over 1.8 billion active devices Chief executive Officer Tim Cook reported as of January 2022 during
Crash Built to Break: Why nothing is made like it used to be EDWARDIAN
The repeated purchase of new devices contributes to energy and carbon-intensive processes, from the harvesting of raw and rare materials, manufacturing, packaging, and transportation in between that the supply chain requires. According to a report by the World Health Organization, 53.6 million tonnes of e-waste was produced globally in 2019, with Asia leading at 24.9 million tonnes generated. In the absence of repair support from different brands, organizations like iFixit have sprung up, creating guides on how to perform different repairs and selling parts and toolkits available on the internet. The Repair Association, one of many right-to-repair groups, proposes several policy objectives, including making information, parts, and tools reasonably accessible and designing devices to accommodate repairs. ‘BUILT’ from P.13
…no one could also imagine the dangers that exhausting coal resources posed for so long when people were dependentalreadyonfossilfuels. Responded. JAMES ALAN MENDOZA
Nagsumamo ang mga pangkat pang-kapaligiran kay Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na itigil ang pagtayo ng Kaliwa Dam sa bulubundukin ng Sierra Madre dahil sa posibleng pagtiwalag ng proyekto sa mga komunidad ng Quezon at Rizal province. Sa isang pampublikong liham, ipinabatid ng mga samahang Save Sierra Madre Network Alliance Inc. (SSMNA), Task Force Sierra Madre at Tribal Center for Development kay Pangulong Duterte na h’wag bibigyan permiso ang paggawa ng Kaliwa Dam kung mayroon siyang pakialam sa kalikasan. “If you really care for the environment, you will not sign the construction of the Kaliwa Dam,” ani ng mga grupo. Base sa pag-aaral ng SSMNA, higit isang daang libong buhay ang maaaring malagay sa panganib kung itutuloy ang dam marahil itatayo ito sa dalawang aktibong fault zone ng bansa. “While Manila is now preparing for the ‘Big One’ earthquake at Marikina Valley Fault, the proposed Kaliwa Dam will be constructed within a zone of two active tectonics—the Philippine Fault Zone and the Valley Fault Zone,” pahayag ng mga samahan. Sa kabilang banda, idiniin ni Metropolitan Waterworks and Severage System (MWSS) administrator Reynaldo Velasco na walang basehan ang pagaalalang ito. “It’s only in their minds. This will be handled by consultants who will really look up the proper construction for the dam,” sagot ni NanindiganVelasco.naman ang pinuno ng Agta tribe at komisyoner ng National Commission on Indigenous Peoples na hindi sila magbibigay ng may alam na pahintulot sa pagsagawa ng proyekto. “The dam project is a matter of life and death for us. Once we allow the dam inside our natural habitat, what would follow is the death of our tribe,” giit ni Astoveza. Sa kabila nito, ipinagpatuloy umano ang konstruksyon ng New Centennial Water Source Kaliwa Dam Project (NCWS KDP) kahit walang sapat ng permit galing sa mga angkop na mga tanggapan ng pamahalaan ayon sa report ng Commission on Audit (COA) noong 2020. Nilinaw ng COA na maaari lamang ituloy ang proyekto kung susundin ng MWSS ang mga kinakailangan sa National Integrated Protected Areas
Nagsumamo ang mga pangkat pang-kapaligiran kay Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na itigil ang pagtayo ng Kaliwa Dam sa bulubundukin ng Sierra Madre dahil sa posibleng pagtiwalag ng proyekto sa mga komunidad ng Quezon at Rizal province. Ipinagdiwang ng Student Affairs Council (SAC) at mga nag boluntaryong guro ang nalalapit na ika-sampung anibersaryo ng St. Edward School sa pamamagitan ng Big@10 Commemorative Tree Planting sa Sierra Madre, Sinilioan, Landgrant, Laguna noong Abril 2, Sabado.
There have been international efforts to aid these countries, one of which is the 2015 Paris Agreement, in which all countries collectively agreed to cut down on their emissions. A section of this indicated that the more affluent countries are to help developing ones to cut down on the cost of switching to more eco-friendlier choices, which will be done through the Green Climate Fund, one that could help not just the countries who are still dependent on fossil fuels but also tropical ones who barely contribute anything to the climate crisis yet are the most affected due to the impact that the exhaustion and processing of natural resources can bring. Island nations such as the Philippines only contributed 0.35% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions last 2016, as per Worldometer. Yet, they are some of the most devastated due to the rising sea levels, temperatures, and the natural disasters that come along with it. On the other hand, 29.18% of worldwide carbon emissions were from China during the same year, a country with enough budget to recover quickly from any problem their land might encounter. Developing countries such as India have the worst of both worlds, contributing 7.09% as a byproduct of their rapid development. Despite all, it is still a point of consideration that money doesn’t grant anyone immunity, at least from the forces of nature. Even the biggest and most economically and technologically advanced countries are also bound to face natural disasters one way or another. Temperatures during the summer season are expected to rise to 4 degrees by 2100 if fossil fuel consumption continues at this alarming rate, a rise that took the Earth the whole time period between the Ice Age to the modern era to attain. Just because the more decadent side of the world seems like it is moving on to more eco-friendly products and energy sources, it doesn’t mean that they should not look back and assess the damage that the advanced portion of our civilization has done, not just our planet, but also the rest that resides in it, may it be human, animal, or plant life.
Environmental Groups kontra Kaliwa Dam Project
Big@10 Commemorative Tree Planting pinangunahan ng student council, volunteer teachers
Systems Act at kung makakakuha sila ng sertipikasyon mula sa National Commission on Indigenous Peoples. “The Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) is a conditional certificate, where MWSS needs to comply with 21 conditions and 4 restrictions that are subject to the approval/ evaluation of DENR,” linaw ng COA report. Nais buoin ang naturang dam gamit ang $283.2 milyong loan deal mula sa China bagkus isa to sa punong proyekto ni Pangulo Duterte ng kanyang Build, Build, BuildBilangprogram.pagpapahayag ng malasakit sa kapaligiran, matatandaang nagsagawa ng Tree Planting ang mga miyembro ng St. Edward School sa Sierra Madre, Sinilioan, Landgrant Laguna noong ika-2 ng Abril.
As human society went through a long way from not knowing anything about what products they are using to fully being knowledgeable about the pros and cons of utilizing them, this is one occasion where people fail to realize the dangers of using said products before they are dependent on it. Since the acquisition, processing, and use of fossil fuels are cheap, humans quickly wanted to utilize such a wonder in their hands but had a hard time letting go of it despite discovering cleaner alternatives. Developing countries are among the best examples of this; countries whose budget is not enough for them to comfortably use their income on products that have way cheaper alternatives such as fossil fuels wouldn’t bother pausing their economic progress in the investment in more expensive sources of energy that have lower emissions.
Eat the rich and make them pay
During the Industrial Revolution, Great Britain started using fuel that burned more efficiently, rendering them capable of doing work unimaginable by people during their era. As no one was able to imagine such an efficient fuel source, no one could also imagine the dangers that exhausting coal resources posed for so long when people were already dependent on fossil fuels. Now that so many countries are rich enough to afford cutting down on their carbon emissions, some countries still on their path of development now contribute to 60 per cent of releases. They face constant pressure from everyone else to start “going green,” as if they had a choice. Does this pose a serious dilemma: should the developing countries cut down more strictly on their carbon emissions, or should the wealthy countries pay for the impact their centuries-old revolution left on the world? The said dilemma was one of the outstanding issues during the U.N. climate summit held in Glasgow from the 31st of October to the 12th of November 2021, concerning how much the rich countries should pay the developing ones if they are supposed to pay in the first place.
KAYCEE STEPHANIE MALICSI KAYCEE STEPHANIE MALICSI
Pinipiga ni Kyle Azriel Aganinta, SAC officer, ang seedlings na ibinahagi ng Fostering Education and Environment for Development, Inc. (FEED) upang maitanim ito sa lupa ng Sierra Madre, Siniloan, Laguna. Kasama ni Aganinta ang iba pang student at teacher-volunteers na magtanim bilang bahagi ng 10th Year Commemorative Tree Planting ng St. Edward School. Larawan ni Paul Jeffrey Penaflor an investor conference call. This highlights the importance of third-party repair and self-repair support, especially for consumers. From its name, the “right to repair” movement advocates that consumers should be able to repair the devices they own or take them to the technician of their choice. In essence, just like how a car’s tire can be replaced when they wear out, consumables like batteries should also be easily replaceable and adjustable. With having access to quality parts, consumers can extend the lifespan of their devices from an average of just a few months to a few years, in addition to reducing costs and e-waste. When repairs become risky, expensive, and preventative because of restrictive measures, devices end up in landfills full of e-waste.
Sa isang panayam, ibinahagi ni Regina Negapatan, isa sa mga guro at tagapayo ng SAC, na isinagawa ang tree planting dahil ninais nilang makapagbigay ng magandang programa bilang isa sa mga aktibidad na nakahain para sa anibersaryo ng St. Edward School, Lancaster New City . “To commemorate and celebrate the 10th year anniversary of the school, St. Edward School, kailangan namin mag-isip o magbigay ng napakagandang activity,” sabi niya. Sinabi niya ring nasa puso niya ang pakikipag-ugnayan sa komunidad at “very unique [and] meaningful as well” ang pagtatanim kaya niya inorganisa ang programa. “Ito yung nasa puso ko eh, ‘yung community extension, community engagement and somehow, it’s a very unique activity and meaningful as well so tree planting was my proposed program as one of the activities in Big@10 Celebration of SES,” aniya.Kaugnay nito, isinaad din ni Negapatan na adhikain ng aktibidad na makapagbigay ng kamalayan tungkol sa importansya ng pagtatanim, maipakita ang malasakit sa kapaligiran, at mabawasan ang epekto ng pagbabago sa klima. “The commemorative tree planting aimed to raise awareness to society of the importance of tree planting and saving trees, to express our concern to the environment definitely, and to diminish the effects of climate change,” hayag niya. Sa kabilang dako, inilahad niya na nilayon din ng programang mapagsamasama ang mga stakeholder ng paaralan tulad ng mga school leaders, faculty members at student officers. “Thinking of this activity, my goal is to involve different stakeholders of the school such as school leaders, faculty teachers, and SAC,” ani ng guro. Ayon pa sakanya, inasahan ding sa pamamagitang ng aktibidad, malilinang ang kasanayan sa pakikiisa, pagkakaisa, at pakikipagtulungan ng bawat isa na nakilahok sa gawain. “Involvement, camaraderie, and collaboration, those are the skills we wanted to develop as one of our goals,” pahayag niya.
Yes, it may be apparent that these countries are now emitting so much carbon and other types of harmful chemicals on the planet, but one should not forget that they are only doing this because they had no choice but to use the leftover scraps of technology that the more prosperous countries threw to them once it was deemed unfit for their vision of utopia; they have nothing else to use but the junk that the rich threw in front of their yard. Instead of blaming them, developed parts of the world should be the ones that would help the still-developing countries catch up with the technologies they possess for all of us to attain equal rights, opportunities, privileges, and most importantly, responsibilities.
14 science Vol. 8 No. 1 | S.Y. 2021-2022 Saint Edward School August 2021 – May 2022
Edwardians enjoy the different sports and wellness activities during the E-Van Sports Camp and Wellness Stations. The school strictly follows health protocols when these onsite activities are conducted.
File Photo by Paul Jeffrey Peñaflor
15sportsVol. 8 No. 1 | S.Y. 2021-2022 Saint Edward School August 2021 – May 2022
31st SEA GAMES
PH
inshouldReliancenotonlycometheformofwordsbutofactionsaswell.
Championed. JORENE LOUISE TUBESA
Aiming to gradually bring back sports and recreation activities at St. Edward School (SES), the Edwardian Valours Activated and Nurtured (E-VAN) Sports Club and MAPEH Unit through the ‘One Art One Sports’ Program conducted sports and wellness sessions physically at Imus Campus.
JAMES CHRISTIAN BAUTISTA E-VAN Club, MAPEH Unit eye safe return of sports, recreation in school SPORTS COMEBACK!
There is no denying that Filipinos are talented and skilled in different fields, whether in entertainment, culinary, science, or sports. Considering that the country is small and mostly overlooked as part of the third-world, several remarkable feats have been etched in sports history. Hence, there is no denying that Filipino pride is solidifying itself into creating a more prominent name for the nation, which was also observed in the recent international significant sports events. From the Olympics last year to the freshly finished SEA games, the Philippines has posted an astounding medal tally that further serves as proof of the development of the growing sport in the country. As the current athletes’ conditions still have a lot of untapped potential due to their young age, their future in sports can be brighter, especially if given the proper support. However, the future’s not set in stone, and with all the controversies and problems surrounding Philippine sports, usually sewn with the state, the future can hold uncertainty. The average of the 2020 Olympic Filipino contenders’ was around 25.15, thus the new generation of the following sports events. Just recently this year, polevaulter pro-Ernest John “EJ” Obiena had his dispute with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA), in which Obiena’s camp was accused of falsifying liquidation reports in regards to his coach, Vitaliy Petrov. Due to this mess, Obiena failed to join the World Athletics Indoor Championships, with an initial exclusion from the roster of the SEA Games line-up. It was resolved through proper investigation that Obiena’s team surfaced as innocent, contrary to what the PATAFA claims. Obiena is not the sole victim of targeted controversies and poor association treatment as before with former pool player Alex Pagulayan and chess grandmaster Wesley So. With neglect and antagonization, some athletes were wasted by those who are supposed to give them the benefits they deserve. The mistreatment and the lack of proper assistance for the athletes blur the line of a bright future that the players are training hard for. They can be welldeveloped and well-performing for the country, but they are often being edged by the shortage of support from the people who are supposed to help them firsthand. Remember when the now Olympic gold medalist Hidylyn Diaz was accused by a conspirator that she was included in a plan to overthrow the government when she was fully preparing for the Olympics during that time? Preparation became hard for her (and other topbilled players as well) as the government failed to give the athletes good funds. There is indeed a bright future ahead in the sports domain of the country, but as long as the people in charge don’t have a clear vision and collaboration with those in the court or field, there will always be a clouded failure waiting instead. From the political and structural system to the community exposure, there should be an improvement in garnering support for the future of Philippine sports, whether in the local or global outlook. Reliance should not only come in the form of words but of actions as well. The collective support can solidify the foundation of the long history of sports in the nation, which was built from the blood, sweat, and tears of the athletes, coaches, and team management. It should be significantly emphasized that those who hold positions and power have the ability to be a catalyst in helping the cultivation of the sports field in the country, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt if the Philippines itself would pour effort into supporting and nourishing the people that raise the Filipino pride which can be done in several ways. Whether it be helping them directly through financial assistance or calling out the mistreatment they face, there will always be a silver lining when they are trapped in the claws of the corrupted.
MA. ALEXANDRA CARREON
Odyssey of greatness
Following local Covid-19 safety protocols, the Evan Sports Club led by Coach Alvin Amposta and Coach Jon Cani spearheaded basketball and volleyball among the members of the club last April 28 and 29, 2022 .
He came home with pride and honor yet again! A father of an SES student, Richard Gonzales with his buddy John Russel Misal clutched a match with Singapore’s Clarence Chew and Ethan Poh with a 5-point streak comeback bagging them the first silver medal after 11 years for the Philippines in men’s double in the 31st Southeast Asian Games at Hai Duong Gymnasium in Hanoi, Vietnam, May 18, 2022. The match blazed as Singapore was only two points away from winning but with the collective errors of the Singaporean paddlers and precise tactics of the Philippines, they managed to escape. Misal spiked the ball that startled the opposing party after a long rally giving them the eighth point, 4 points closer to triumph.Gonzales shouted with joy after they got the matchpoint as it seemed that their 4-point behind was hard to catch up, yet they did it Securinganyway.thesilver medal, the dynamic duo will proceed to the finals in next year’s edition in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and despite his age, Gonzales has no sign of stopping. “I can still do it... and with your prayers and support, we will try to win the Gold in Cambodia.” Gonzales exclaimed in an interview with Philippine Sports Commission’s online People Sports conversation show. Gonzales also outwitted Vietnam last December 2019 as he took the Philippines’ lone title of the table tennis team at the 30th SEA Games, always bringing pride to the LNC community. duo shades Singapore, bags silver medal after 11 years
Meanwhile, the ‘Wellness Station’ Activity engaged students into a series of ball and recreational games. The activity was conducted on the last day of the school’s pilot implementation of limited face-to-face classes, May 2 to 6, 2022.In a statement, the school’s Wellness Ambassador and MAPEH Unit head, Anjiyah Gimena, underscored the importance of play among students. “Through sports and recreational activities, students get to value wellness and fitness now that we have an ongoing threat to our health,” Gimena said. “I have also observed how the Edwardians make friendships and develop to be a responsible leader in their respective teams,” she added. In addition, Gimena said that this is “a start for the school to open the campus for sports events which the students missed in the two years of distance learning.”
“After these events, we will have an evaluation to see how we can further implement safe return of sports and recreational activities here at St. Edward,” the Wellness Ambassador said. In another interview, Eon Vincent Mendoza, Grade 6 student, said he looks forward to more wellness activities done physically at school. “I am happy to attend [the ‘Wellness Station’ Activity]. It feels to be fit, and I get to play with my Mendozaphysically,”classmatessaid.
Who would you call when the outbreak of disinformation persists? In an era when people favor influencers’ different versions of truth, journalists find themselves questioning their reason for being because when the latter present facts,
Celestial Goodness and Nobility
Illustration by Hannah Grace Menor Editor-in-Chief: Reese Mikylla de LimaESTOILE Official School and Community Publication of St. Edward School – Imus and Faith Campus Joint Publications of The Estoile, The Edwardian Quill, and Ang Estrelya (Junior and Senior High School) Vol. 8 No. 1 • School Year 2021-2022 • August 2021 – May 2022 Lancaster New City • Imus City, Cavite • Region IV-A Calabarzon
who do not have extensive knowledge and capability in the fields of writing will offer chaos of information where massive confusion, misunderstanding, and deception may be born out of poorly-written and presented works.Seemingly, the upcoming Marcos presidency oughts to follow the footsteps of President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration as it also allowed the appearance and attendance of vloggers and social media personalities, who are most likely pro-Duterte supporters, in presidential briefings and events in accordance to their age and number of followers. Truly, the phrase “quality over quantity” is overlooked as the number of engagements is deemed to be more important to authorities than the verified works and articles of journalists as long as these known influencers target to praise and not oppose the current decisions and agendas of the government which raises the possibility for one-sidedness to reach center stage. In the electoral campaign itself, Bongbong has shown and sold himself to be the stepping stone towards the attainment of what he proclaims the long-lost glory of the regime of his father, former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., while disregarding and denying the extreme atrocities and victims of Martial law under Marcos Sr. dictatorship but still, his show bagged millions of voters that earned his landslide presidential victory. The apparent distortion of historical truth and facts backs up the hidden motive in the accreditation of bloggers who contributed, participated, and supported his campaign as well. These media practitioners may be the source of manipulated information for his personal and family pursuit to clean the Marcos name.
Through the years of democracy, the immense power of journalism has served its great importance to the people by providing truthful and reliable information through a rigorous system of checks and balances, which helped public opinion to be honed from the truth. Despite its significance in upholding honesty and integrity, press freedom has constantly been challenged for its oppositional views from the government as it offers severe risks of disappearance, red-tagging, and death. In the dirty history of politics versus the traditional media, the proposed policy that seems to favor writers with little to no experience in fact-checking and professional writing will deem the light and purpose of journalists once again, adding up to the obstacle of truth to prevail and Accordingconquer.toVergel Santos, a veteran journalist for more than 40 years, blogging, by definition, is an individualistic free-willing operation, while journalism is governed and bounded by universal traditions and rules of conduct, ethics, and skills with a certain level of understanding of various andthegoodinwithinnecessaryforexhaustivejournalistsProfessionaldisciplines.andreal-timehaveundergoneandintensetrainingseveralyearstomastertheskillsandabilitiespresentingfactsanddetailstransparencyandhonestyadherencetothecommonandmorality.Entrustingcoverageofpoliticaleventsoccurrencestobloggers
In the vast presence and proliferation of misinformation and disinformation comes the contradicting pre-decision of Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) incoming press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles to prioritize the accreditation of bloggers to attend and cover Malacañang press conferences of President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as if it will not undermine and degrade the true and utmost essence of journalism as vanguards of truth and justice and worsen the wide dissemination of false information in mass media.
The boundary between blogging and journalism continues to blur, and the barriers professionalismbetweenanddilettantism shrink to none as specific policies surface the focus of politicians to bloggers over journalists who render objective evidence and information to the majority. Delivering factual data and news to the people is a serious responsibility that requires competence, prowess, and adroitness learned and mastered from several years of educational experiences, practices, and teachings. Accrediting non-official writers and reporters of civic matters and affairs will overshadow and discourage the truth from coming out of its shell as non-competent bloggers may portray subjective and biased pieces of opinion and information in the lack of stringent editing, revising, and skills in which all are included and proficiently done in journalismUnderstandingitself. the considerable role of the legitimate press as the public watchdog that dedicates to seeing through every fiber of the government’s decisions, programs, and implementations to instill and publicize accurate and precise information is a must for PCOO for it recognizes that journalists will consistently be attentive and vigilant on political whereabouts, therefore, would not often side with the authorities’ whims and thinking. In the present age of modern connectivityadvancement,hasbecome more accessible, not just for verified and factual information to reach wide audiences but also for faulty deceptions and lies to broaden the people they reach. Ergo, disseminating news and occurrences must be a job for journalists who are experts in that area. It is also high time for the Filipino people to express their grievances about letting unprofessional individuals lead the way towards verification and rightness and to explicitly show that all of us are not deaf to realize the motive of the high-ups to silence the truth.
THE
