The Ridge May 2018

May 2018

www.southridge.edu.ph

CONVIVENTIA! page

3 Campus News 8 Father’s Day 12 Features 15 Reviews

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Adsum!

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Work Camp

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Binondo Photowalk

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THE RIDGE We, the editors and staff of The Ridge, commit ourselves to the highest level of professional journalistic ethics. We promote among our fellow students a love for noble ideals and a desire to overcome personal egoism.

We foster an awareness of social problems and encourage fraternity in keeping with the school’s family spirit. We love the truth thus we report with facts, without judging intentions, upholding the legitimate diversity of opinions in a calm way, without resorting to personal attacks. We seek the truth, love it, and humbly tell it.

Editor-in-Chief Jacob Tambunting Associate Editor Kyle Pineda News Editor John Malabanan Features Editor Mark Brongcano Featured Writers Jaime Santos Anton Pizarro Iñigo Ligones Lyle Surtida Javier del Mundo Sam Escueta Carlo Sarrosa Kyle David Jake Peralta Carlo Marco With contributions by The Rosette Admirals Media Society (AMS) The Southridge Theater Guild The Podium Chock Encabo Martin Quesada Moderator and Adviser Mr. Jose Francisco C. Kawada head, institutional information office Design & Printing Inkwell Publishing Co., Inc. ISSN 0118-0452 The Ridge is the official student publication of Southridge. It is published with the assistance of the school’s Institutional Information Office. The opinions expressed herein are the views of the respective authors.

They cannot be taken as the position of Southridge as such.

SOUTHRIDGE Private School for Boys Hillsborough Subdivision, West Service Road City of Muntinlupa, Metro Manila Telephone 807-80-80 Fax 842-1542

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ONE PAREF :::::::: by Jacob Tambunting

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mong all of the virtues taught to us in Southridge, the concept of unity has always been a recurring theme in our journey to becoming true men of integrity. From playing as part of a varsity team to organizing a class bonding to even practicing for a Father’s Day night parade performance, there has been a constant emphasis for Southridge students to not only get along and cooperate with their fellow Admirals but to also have a sense of unity and camaraderie among themselves. This mentality concerning unity has carried over to roles of students even outside of school as both contributors to the country and the world around them and, recently through the Inter-PAREF Meet, as members of one PAREF community, or family.

Unity is defined as the state of being united or joined as a whole.This definition implies that unity can only be achieved from a collective effort and that without this effort from every single member, unity is lost. A group project can only reach its full potential if all group mates do their own part. A football team can only get the ball to the goal by maneuvering it to the other side cohesively. There is something poetic and powerful behind a virtue that requires the effort of not only one member, but a group of people working in harmony under a single banner to achieve a particular goal.

Like the saying goes, the whole is better than the sum of its parts. They also say that competition is the best icebreaker. And in the case of the Inter-PAREF Meet, the competition among the schools showcased PAREF’s unified goal to form students of virtue and integrity in the glory of God. Whether it was on the pitch or in the hallway, the boys’ love for their individual fields and their passion for excellence, although on opposing ends of the battlefield, formed a bond which can only be felt and realized by those who participated in them. This was undeniably important when it came to the overall success and impact of the event.

In the context of the current political turmoil that faces Philippine society today, a focus of unity is what our society desperately needs. With all the hate and conflict that exist in the world, a unified effort in searching for the common good setting aside one’s own self-interests is what is necessary. This is because purpose and meaning behind individual efforts can only be realized and given greater value when done in contribution to and in pursuit of a goal. A goal that is bigger than one’s own existence but the wellness and lives of others, of the collective whole.

This is the goal of PAREF. For students to realize that to live an ordinary life extraordinarily well is to live a life not for oneself but for others, and that more is achieved from the efforts of all than the efforts of one.

Therefore, by spreading this message and exemplifying its purpose, PAREF students are taking their first steps in making society a better place to live in and forming their lives that are filled with purpose and meaning.

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CAMPUS NEWS

What it Takes to be

Photos courtesy of Southridge School

the M.O.S.T.

:::::::: by Anton Pizarro

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OST (Muntinlupa’s Outstanding Students), an annual search for the top 10 students of Muntinlupa City, is a scholarship program aimed at pitting the top students from schools around Muntinlupa against each other by comparing their best strengths that make up an outstanding student. Anton Lorenzo, the first sophomore to represent Southridge, carries the weight of the high standards set by past MOST candidates. Along with its sister school, Woodrose, Southridge has consistently landed in the top 5 for the program. Representing Southridge is not an easy task and MOST holds an extraordinary experience on its own. In this article, Anton shares with us a glimpse of his experience, how he believes he got into MOST, and what it takes for you to challenge it too.

Anton Lorenzo is a student coming from Grade 10-A of Batch 2020. When asked what he thought got him to be chosen to represent Southridge, he couldn’t answer anything other than a combination of sheer luck and hardwork. The panel liked him for his competitive drive and bubbly personality which gave him the edge in being picked as Southridge’s representative. With that and an impressive academic records for backup, he kept the motivation to participate competitively, the

innate talents and skills to be a good representative, and the grit to train and improve himself.

Not many people know about the MOST, other than that it’s a competition for the smartest people in Muntinlupa. It isn’t exactly. MOST decides the rankings of its contenders based on four components.

The first is an IQ test. Although I’m sure we’ve all taken IQ tests before, trying to make sure you get the best results in a competitive manner takes practice and effort. Anton improved his IQ test taking skills with the help of his mentor, Mr. Francis Lee. Under his guidance, he practiced taking IQ tests for two weeks, getting the hang of the ins and outs of the test we think we’re so familiar with.

The second important component of MOST was the portfolio, a collection of all his achievements and awards all throughout high school. Anton took tips from the past participants of MOST to guide him, also looking into the impressive credentials of previous winners who represented Southridge with others even having international participation in conferences and competitions. Not having as high credentials and experiences as that, the task of making a portfolio was daunting. However, Anton decided to attack with a more comfortable approach, by learning form portfolios of more recent participants, like Rocco de Castro, who placed 2nd in 2017. From him, he learned to apply his participation in Molave, his community service with them, and his experience in leadership within Southridge itself. This was all supported by his outstanding academic records throughout the years.

The third part of MOST is the talent show. For this, Anton shared one of his most impressive talents, his dancing skills. With an energetic show, he brought together the support of his batchmates which were motivating for the most difficult parts of MOST. Although stressful, since it was in this event that he met tough competition, it was also among the most fun experiences in MOST. Last among the components of the competition is the panel interview. Anton prepared extensively for this. He spent lots and lots of hours practicing for

Anton Lorenzo is a student coming from Grade 10-A of Batch 2020. When asked what he thought got him to be chosen to represent Southridge, he couldn’t answer anything other than a combination of sheer luck and hardwork. The panel liked him for his competitive drive and bubbly personality which gave him the edge in being picked as Southridge’s representative. this for two weeks. This meant practicing his answers to difficult moral, social, or political questions that could be brought up. At the end, he appreciated the sense of team effort that came about when his family and MOST coaches, Mr. Dino Peralta and his mentor, Mr. Francis Lee, collectively did their best to help Anton improve.

Throughput the extensive period of time, it took grit and persistence to push through and deliver.

This year, MOST allowed smaller schools to participate by lowering the participants’ grade level to 10 which caused the competition to be much higher.

For example, the number 1 outstanding student of Muntinlupa has aspired to be the winner of MOST for 4 years, training for it all along the way. For the aspiring MOST candidates to come, Anton shared some of his insights to guide the future participants.

“Not everyone is as smart as others, but the best that you can give is good enough. Doing your best is a better reward than doing anything less. If you want to be MOST, aspire to do your best.” Anton says that he had an overall challenging yet gruelling experience that in the end, was fun and fulfilling despite not getting first place. He is happy and hopes that others can learn something from it too as he reminds others; do your best and aspire for the most. Undoubtedly, you will be able to achieve great things in life.

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Photos courtesy of the Podium

CAMPUS NEWS

THE PODIUM’S STAR IS RISING! :::::::: by Jake Peralta

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n January 14, 2018, Southridge won the Philippine Schools Debate Championship (PSDC) – the most prestigious tournament that can be won by any high school team in the Philippines. Southridge A, composed of Jake Consing (Grade 12) and Luis Garcia (Grade 9) was the first Southridge team to ever win this tournament. Jake Consing was recognized as “Best Speaker of the Finals.” Founded in 2002, PSDC is a yearly tournament for high school Philippine teams, hosted by Ateneo de Manila University’s Ateneo Debate Society.

A few weeks later, Southridge reached finals in the Southern Luzon Interschool Debate Encounter at University of the Philippines Los Baños, with a team composed of mostly Grade 9 students. They competed against much older students, losing to the veteran Ateneo A in the finals.

At the same time, Jake Consing competed with the Philippine team in the most prestigious debate tournament, the world tournament held in Harvard University in Boston, where he debated against the very best of each country.

Together with the other members of the national team, he reached the final round, with Canada emerging as the winner of the contest. His achievement was featured in an episode of CNN Philippines.

These successes were preceded last summer by two achievements of the Southridge team. Southridge A reached the semifinals of the Asian Schools Debate Championship (ASDC). The team was made up of Teddy Peralta (Batch 2017), Nico Meer (Batch 2017), and Jake Consing (Grade 12). The second less experienced team of Southridge, composed of two Grade 9 students, Luis Garcia and Jake Peralta, and Grade 11 Sam Escueta, won the Novice Division of the tournament. Jake Peralta was awarded “Best Speaker of the Finals.” ASDC is a debate tournament for Asian schools founded by De La Salle University. It is hosted by different countries every year. It was started in 2009 and has been held in countries such as Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines. This year, it will be in Thailand.

Yes, Podium’s star is on the rise! Southridge’s debate team is once again a team to be reckoned with, both nationally and internationally.

Debate is a team sport

--albeit a mental sport. Just like any sport, the members have fun.

There is fun in debating with each other and going on tournaments and trips together. The team travels to tournaments within and outside Metro Manila and even to other countries.

Historically, the Podium has been a major contender in both national and international debate tournaments. In 2009, Southridge won the first ASDC tournament with Marty Gonzaga, RJ Lim, Justin Jabines as the team members.

Thereafter, Podium figured as finalists in several PSDC tournaments – 2009 (Justin Jabines/Marty Gonzaga), 2010 (Lance Katigbak/Pempen Chiang) and 2011 (JV Valerio/Raffy Tanpho) and winners in other Metro Manila and other regional tournaments.

However, this year’s PSDC win can be considered the next major win of the team after the 2009 ASDC triumph.

The current Podium team is young, with a large number coming from Grade 9. Joining the Podium now will allow one to grow with the young members.

New members are nurtured by the coaches, who incidentally are past debate champions of their schools and experienced adjudicators. One is even a past coach of the national debate team. In other words, a new member’s chance of being successful is high because he is placed in very good hands.

Being in a school’s debate team and competing in national and international tournaments are definitely pluses in one’s college application. Not only do these imply that one speaks well, they also suggest that one has critical thinking skills—know how to develop arguments under time pressure, discuss complicated topics calmly and clearly, persuade others, and most importantly is acquainted with a great many issues—from “Black Mirror” conundrums to serious political matters.

Debate is a team sport—albeit a mental sport. Just like any sport, the members have fun. There is fun in debating with each other and going on tournaments and trips together. The team travels to tournaments within and outside Metro Manila and even to other countries. As a team member, one also meets other school teams, not only during tournaments but also in crosstraining. Cross-training in the past was often with school teams such as Xavier, Woodrose, Immaculate Conception Academy (ICA), International School of Manila (ISM) and the like. Camaraderie is built not only within the team but also with other schools.

To sum up, the Podium is becoming great again and it is great to be in Podium!

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CAMPUS NEWS

Teachers Under

Spotlight

:::::::: by Kyle David

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ast March 16, the teachers of Southridge had the opportunity to perform their first of hopefully many more performances of “Teachers Under Spotlight”, or “TUS” for short. Not knowing what I was getting myself into, I didn’t put up any high expectations before watching the show. To my surprise, I was actually delighted by the show. Be it by entertainment value, enticement, or pure cringe, regardless, I found the experience to be enlightening and something unique that I thought many others haven’t had the chance or the will to try it out for themselves.

The production itself was a great idea. It was there to serve a purpose—that the teachers do have a life outside of school and have unique and special talents of their own. It also showed how willing they were to branch out and do something that may seem a little out of their comfort zones when they needed to. Not only that, it was also a way for the people, especially the students and parents of Southridge, to support the teachers, not only by purchasing tickets, but just by being there. The fact that people came to watch them perform probably put a smile on their faces because they knew that people were going to watch them have fun showing themselves in a new light while the audience has a pleasant time watching them as well.

The program consisted mainly of two activities and a combination of those two—singing and dancing. For a show like this, of course singing and dancing would be crucial, not only because they are widely used in many other productions like this one, but because it is one of the biggest ways for them to show their talents to those who watched. Everyone, especially those who knew the teachers, would always enjoy watching their teachers do unique and different activities from teaching and, from my experience, this was mostly shown in their ability to sing or dance, or lack thereof, which is always enjoyable regardless.

Although it consisted mostly of these two, there were still some fun and interesting acts and twists that they had put together for the audience to watch. They had things like pseudo-puppet dancing, where a teacher’s head was sticking out while what I could only imagine to be a puppet being controlled by others was dancing. This was one of the funniest parts of the show, not only for me, but for most of the audience as well. They also had a tribute to Mr. Ed Valmorida, a former teacher of Southridge, who passed away last December 2017. This part of the show was one that was more touching and emotional. During this part, the teachers had to perform as students being rowdy in class and just being themselves, but it also showed what it was like when the teachers brought them down to a low wherein it was hard for them to believe in themselves. They were able to show a representation of how school life is, especially in high school. What made me think this was important was the fact that it made the students understand what it was like to be in their position, being scolded and feeling like they were being put down too far, but the truth was that the teachers only wanted to help. Not only that, but I felt like this part of the program made me realize that you have to make the best of your life and take inspiration from those who lived it well, like Mr. Valmorida, and live it as best as you can, not matter the obstacles and dangers in the way.

However, my favorite part definitely had to be one of the last acts where they sung and danced in a way comparable to “Grease”. I found this part to be very entertaining as, in my opinion, I felt like it had the best choreography and singing than some of the

other performances featured. If you watched it, you really would get the vibe that it was just an upbeat group of people living their lives like it was the 70s, finding love and generally having a good time. This was one of the more interesting and enjoyable parts and I hope to see more of it in the future.

This show reminded me much about our Performance Task for Filipino where we had to perform our own version of “Noli Me Tangere” by Jose Rizal. From experience, I could tell you that it was tiring. Not only that, it did require a lot of hard work and an undying will to never surrender and give it your 100% all the time. The amount of planning, time, and stress that it took to make this still amazes me to this day, but I’m sure it won’t be the last one I will have to do in my life. I could see every day leading up to our performance that people started to work extra hard, be it due to panic or a general sense of hard work. I was surprised at how much they had accomplished within that short span of time. Sure, some would consider it as cramming as a result of procrastinating, but nevertheless I was still amazed. Although it was one of my first major performances, I still felt like a lot could have been improved, like if we all used our time more wisely and efficiently. Because of all of this, I felt like it is safe to say that we have to appreciate the amount of hard work that was put into this production. They didn’t do this for a grade, or for recognition, no. They did this for the benefit of all those who watched it and I’m sure they appreciated it as well.

However great this show and what it stood for, there is still a lot that can be improved on for future performances. Firstly, it seemed like there was a lack of time to practice some performances. Because it was announced one week before the show itself, it seemed like there wasn’t enough time for them to perfect everything they needed to do. If they had more time to refine and fix the major problems, the production would have been much better. Second, some of the performances weren’t used to their full potential. Some of the dancers forgot the moves and directions, some of the mics weren’t working as well as they could have been, and some parts felt odd and forced at points. The key to solving this is always more refinement and lots of enthusiasm when practicing and performing for real. Third, there were a few awkward pauses in between each of the performances. This was evident when everyone started murmuring amongst themselves when nothing was going on at the moment, and it happened quite a few times. Again, if there were more time to practice, this could have been avoided. Another way to solve this is a more efficient plan and execution of said plan. If the people worked faster and in a more organized way, this could have also reduced the downtime in between performances. Lastly, some of the teachers didn’t seem too interested in doing it, maybe due to all that was going on at the time, there being lots of Performance Tasks and Long Tests and all to check. If this was scheduled at a time where less was happening, the teachers could have probably had a clearer mind set and did it much better.

No matter how cringy or bad some of the parts of this production might have seemed, it really is no different than other productions like it. There are some ups, and there are some downs. Some people mess up, and some will laugh at it. However, we can all agree that they had put a lot into this passion project of theirs. All that hard work and effort used to satisfy the audience and, at least for me, it seemed like they enjoyed the show. They laughed, they reacted, and they cheered. These are the signs that the teachers are going in the right direction and I hope that there will be many more shows like this one in the future, and they will most definitely be bigger and better than the last.

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Buwan ng Wika sa Ika-40 Taon ng Southridge

:::::::: by Carl Sarrosa and Inigo Ligones

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ng mga proyekto para sa ika-40 taon ng Southridge ay sinisimulan nang pagplanuhan at buuhin. Bilang pagtugon, gayon din ang hustong paghahanda para sa darating na Buwan ng Wika na mas lalo pang mapapaaga kung isasaalang-alang ang simula ng taong panuruan.

Nang kapanayamin siya, nagbanggit si G. Hilario, puno ng kagawaran ng Filipino ng Southridge, ng ilang mga posibleng hakbangin upang mas mapabuti ang kalagayan ng wikang Filipino sa Southridge. Karamihan sa mga ito ay dagdag na mga gawain at paraan ng pagdiriwang ng Buwan ng Wika.

Sinabi niyang marami pang maaaring gawin upang mas mapasigla pa ang pagdiriwang ng Southridge ng Buwan ng Wika. Nais niyang mapagtuunan ng pansin ang akademikong aspekto ng asignaturang Filipino ngunit kinilala rin niya ang kahalagahan ng sining sa selebrasyon ng maka-Pilipinong pagkakakilanlan. Kaya naman ay napag-iisipang ganapin ang ilang mga patimpalak na may kinalaman sa poster-making at pagsulat ng tula o iba pang mga katawan ng panitikan ng mga mag-aaral. Binanggit din niyang magandang simulan din ang mga patimpalak tulad

ng quiz bees sa tuwing sasapit ang Buwan ng Wika. Sa pamamagitan nito ay mas maipapakita sa mga mag-aaral ang importansya at kagandahan ng wika bilang isang pang-araw-araw na bahagi ng buhay.

Nang tanungin tungkol sa mga planong makipag-ugnayan sa ibang mga paaralan, sinabi ni G. Hilario na may posibilidad na magkaroon ng interaksyon ang Southridge at Woodrose sa ilang mga proyekto ngunit hindi na siya nagbigay paliwanag pa.

Sa panayam, ipinaliwanag niya ang kahalagahan ng pagdiriwang ng Buwan ng Wika. Binanggit niya ang mandato ng pamahalaan na ganapin nga ang pagdiriwang na ito, at pati na rin ang saya at kaunawaang natatamo ng mga mag-aaral at mamamayang Pilipino sa tuwing sasapit ang buwan ng Agosto.

Sinabi niyang sa konteksto ng Southridge, katatasan ng mga mag-aaral ang siyang pinakapinagtutuunan ng pansin. Sinabi niyang interdisiplinaryong asignatura ang Filipino kung kaya naman ay kinapapalooban ng sari-saring mga aspekto ng kakayahang pantao. Ilan na lamang sa mga ito ang sining, musika, at literatura. Iyon daw ang dahilan kung bakit gayon na lamang ang importansya na matanto na kaakibat ng lahat ng iba pang mga asignatura ang Filipino. Hindi lamang daw mga gawain habang Agosto ang dapat kapalooban ng Filipino kung hindi ang iba’t iba pang mga asignatura sa kahabaan ng taon.

Nagbanggit pa siya ng ilan pang mga proyekto upang imulat ang pagkaPilipino ng mga mag-aaral ng Southridge. Kinakailangang ang mga dekorasyon at tema ng mga pagtitipon ay nakapaghihimok ng mga makabayang damdamin.

Ang Buwan ng Wika ay ipinagdiriwang sa buong buwan ng Agosto at naglalayong isulong ang wikang Filipino bilang wika ng buong Pilipinas. Ito ay mandating nilagdaan ng Dating Pangulo Fidel V. Ramos noong 1997 at sinadyang ganapin sa buwan ng kapanganakan ng isa pang dating pangulo, Manuel L. Quezon, na siya namang tinaguriang Ama ng Wikang Pambansa.

Bilang pagtupad dito, naglalabas din ng pambansang tema ang Kagawaran ng Edukasyon upang ang buong Pilipinas ay makapagdiwang ng iisang pagkaPilipino sa pare-pareho at nagkakaisang pamamaraan.

Wonderland L

ast year, 2017, on the dates November 27, 28, 29 and December 2, the Southridge Theatre Guild staged its play for this school year. It was entitled “Wonderland”, a play written by Carlo Marco, directed by Gabriel Arceo and moderated by Mr. Andrew Clete. The production team was led by Ashley Otanes and the technicals by Bobby Roslin.

The play was a take on the notorious, extrajudicial killings (EJK) that is prevalent in the country today. It was a story of Tiyago played by Calvin Tingzon who was addicted to drugs.

He had his friends with him namely, Mark, played by Raffy Briones and Jayson Alcazar who was the gang’s sub-leader next to Tiyago. He would always argue with everyone on how great he was and how he was the best guy in the gang.

Bo and Gart played by Miguel Reyes and Gerard Mijares, respectively, were the the gang’s most addicted users. They were the ones who would always ask for drugs even if they just had one.

And Noidy, played by Sam Eo, was known to be the most paranoid guy in the gang. He was the gang’s most “enlightened” member. He did drugs but unlike Tiyago and the others, he knew that it was bad and they had to stop.

Tiyago, together with his friends would enter a new world everytime they use the drugs. It was a place called Wonderland and the only way to enter Wonderland was to “bass drop” (use drugs), in which only Tiyago could initiate for it to work. In this place lived the “dark figures” or the ensemble.

The cast that made up the ensemble included Kenneth Salcedo, Rafael Gonzales, Jeremiah Aggabao, Anthony Villaruel, Jayson Alcazar, Allen Legara, Diego Hidalgo, Santino Martinez, Seth Gamboa, MJ Corpuz, Ethan Estrella, Miko Visaya, Augusto Veloso, PJ Alvarez, and Miguel Francisco. The dark figures were only seen by Tiyago and were the ones responsible for his confusion and paranoia. The ensemble comprised the people who died in the name of drugs, either that they were innocent or straight up drug addicts.

Tiyago lost his parents and all that was left to him was his older brother, Basilyo, played by Jake Consing, who persuaded Tiyago to stop his addiction because EJK rumors had been going on around their town.

Mang Isko, played by Matthew de Guzman was a family friend who adviced Basilyo to make Tiyago stop in his addiction. Mang Isko had an assistant named Jhepoy Dizon, played by Diego Hidalgo, who always

stayed beside Mang Isko to accompany him due to old age.

Rumors about the EJK were proven to be true.

The dubious operations were led by the policemen played by Chilo Mercado, Justin Avendaño, Alvaro Elane and Gabriel Arceo. The policemen hunted down Tiyago only to end up killing each of Tiyago’s friends and family one-by-one. Tiyago’s friends were soon “accidentally” killed by the policemen including Basilyo, who all became part of the dark figures.

As Tiyago were finally captured by the police, he then realized everything. That all of the deaths of his friends and family were all because of his hardheadedness. As he said sorry for all of his deeds, the policemen “accidentally” fired a shot that instantly killed Tiyago. The policemen used a signage that said “Wag tularan” as a way of getting out of trouble.

The play had a good message to everyone not only to people who use drugs but also to those who do not and those who plan to do it. Using drugs is definitely addictive and its against the law. Anything that is bad will always get you in trouble no matter how big or small. This does not only apply to drugs but also to making our decisions in life. We should be careful in weighing decisions because if ever we end up in the wrong path, apologies couldn’t just be enough given the capability of evil to do beget more evil things.

This means that an evil act does not just end in a punishment but rather gets you the ticket to evil town.

This further means that, no matter how grave your sin is, the amount of punishment you’ll get will always go beyond what your actions deserve.

Picture courtesy of the Southridge Theater Guild

:::::::: by Jayson Alcazar

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COVER STORY

E

The

Inter-PAREF

Meet

:::::::: by John Malabanan and Jacob Tambunting

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AREF, and in extension Opus Dei, is centered on the principle of living one’s seemingly ordinary existence in an extraordinary way by devoting one to a life of service, family, and work all in the name and glory of God. PAREF focuses on this by building this outlook to life through the way students approach school, sport, family, and friends and one recent event that exemplified this idea to its fullest was the Inter-PAREF meet.

What is the Inter-PAREF Meet?

The inaugural Inter-PAREF Meet took place on October 6, 2017 in PAREF Southridge School and this unprecedented event pitted three of PAREF’s elite private boys schools in heated but rest assured friendly competition in three categories: academics, athletics and culture. The schools who participated in this momentous and historic event were, the host school, Southridge from Muntinlupa CIty, Northfield from Quezon City, and Springdale from Cebu City.

To many of the competitors, this seemed like just another opportunity for them to represent their school and bring home a trophy, but they ended up going home with something much more valuable: new-found friends and a greater appreciation of PAREF and its brand of education.

As said in a statement by Antonino Berberabe, President of the PAREF Northfield Student Executive Board and futsal competitor, “It was excellent beyond compare! It was truly an unforgettable event, a way for each school to shine and show what they got. Not only did we get to compete in various sports and activities with the different PAREF schools but also got to know the friendly teachers and students who participated in it. I hope this event will be a tradition for the upcoming years for the next set of students to experience a sense of unity among PAREF schools.” People do say that competition is the best way to break the ice after all.

Diego Vergel de Dios, a member of the Southridge basketball varsity, looks back at his experience fondly. “The first ever Inter-PAREF meet was one for the books because we, Southridge, hosted it and it turned out to be a huge success with the

new bros and friends we got.”

This is how a lot of the students came out of the experience because, although they all came from different places, we were all under the same banner with a similar goal and this formed camaraderie and a higher level of reliability across the board.

The meet also reflects PAREF’s call for all its students to strive for excellence in all fields. Above all of this, a dedication to God through these fields has been instilled into each student. A reflection of this was how, from sharing the court to answering a math problem to casual conversation, the boys felt at home with people they just met: competitors on the battlefield yet brothers-in-faith.

Patrick Ganas, PAREF Springdale student body president and football athlete, had this to say about the event. “I love the friendly competition and seeing how the other schools prove their mettle in various fields and the hospitality of the staff and students alike enabling many of us to gain new friends and feel at home. I will never forget the first ever InterPAREF meet and I am looking forward to my last one next year.”

The Inter-PAREF Meet was an unforgettable experience both to those who competed and to those who witnessed the event. It opened people’s eyes that PAREF is much more than just bricks and mortar, but competition, camaraderie, and brotherhood united by a single purpose for the glory of God. The meet was a reminder that anyone who was fortunate enough to attend a PAREF school should be grateful and proud. If you missed the first, don’t worry. PAREF is working on another one scheduled for the school year after the next.

This was confirmed by the project director of this event, Mr. Joel Salazar, who summarized the event’s importance perfectly, “The first Inter-PAREF Meet is aimed to promote camaraderie and friendly competition among students from PAREF schools for boys showing excellence in what they do. For me, this event strengthened the bond among PAREF schools. This also helped us make the big PAREF community look small.”

There have already been plans to continue this event every other year in the foreseeable future. The next host school for the next Inter-PAREF meet is still to be decided upon by the schools.

Student Voice Father’s Day :::::::: by Jaime Santos

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Father’s Day 2018,

Photos courtesy of AMS

Dads Dads Revolution! :::::::: by Kyle Reiner Pineda

Father’s Day 2018 was

defined as record-breaking and unbelievable. Simply put, Dads Dads Revolution, the theme of this year, lived up to the hype and produced an event that will be relieved in Southridge history for a long time. The Father’s Day for the school’s 39th year centered around going back to the roots and revisiting the 90’s generation games such as Pacman!, Donkey Kong, Super Mario, and others! Players or shall we say, students must “PRESS START” to get the festivities going! Games, bands, events, and sports were aplenty and definitely satisfied every goer in Southridge on that day.

As the sun rose, many students were already gearing up for what was going to be an action-packed day. People stayed as late as 11 pm the night before and some arrived as early as 3 am.

Proceedings officially started at 7 am wherein the Holy Mass in the chapel was held. Likewise, the students from all grade levels started arriving in bunches at 8 am. All students gathered at the covered courts and were separated by house, Helm, and Vinta. To kick start the day, the morning parade proved to be a memorable one as this year had the longest dance numbers between both houses. Certainly, students still danced their hearts out despite the heat of the sun. Once the dances concluded, a prayer was led by Fr. Johnpaul Menchavez, the School Chaplain, and the day was officially opened by the Executive Director, Mr. Ferdie Cruz.

Right after the Morning Parade ended, merchant and food booths were likewise opened to everybody. In the field, the traditional tug-of-war for every batch was held. Students from the two

houses pulled as hard as they could as they wanted their house to gather as many points to win this year’s Father’s Day. Right after, the “Great Games” was held in the field which was a new addition by this year’s organizers. At the same time, varsity vs alumni games for both basketball and futsal were ongoing.

Food eating contests were also held in the other court.

As for the booths, visitors and students alike were treated to a variety of booths ranging from food to merchandise to carousel games, you name it. There were booths ran by both outsiders and students so those who wanted to try out the business world were able to experience it first hand at this event. Batches had their own booths as well which included the annual horror booth and jail booth.

From the sand court to the courtyard to the Main Building, the school was filled with activities everyone could entertain themselves with.

Once the clock hit noon, a series of performances from school bands started to perform. The “Variety Show” paved the way for the students of the school to showcase their talent in front of a larger crowd. Performances by the Broken Infinities, Joey Tha Boy, and Paolo Sandejas capped off this portion of the program as the day was just getting more exciting!

Performances by Oh Flamingo! and IV of Spades followed right after which pleased the crowd. The latter would go on to perform in Wanderland the following week so everyone started tuning in when the bands from the outside started performing. As the sun started setting, the much anticipated Night Parade rolled in. Batch Unity and Pride were at stake for everyone

leading to a very competitive fight for all divisions. All batches pulled out all the stops to make sure they would get the W from cars to dragons to arcade machines. In the end though, only one winner per division was crowned. As hard as it was to accept, some batches were left contemplating the things they could have improved on to get their hands on the prize. Before the High School division started, the Woodrose Dance Crew performed first during the intermission. This was a landmark moment because this was the first time a Woodrose led crew performed in Southridge. Truly remarkable!

As the night ended, the announcement of Night Parade winners was done as well as the overall house winner for the year. Helm was victorious for the second year in a row though they will need a lot more if they are to catch up to Vinta’s win count. The night was capped off with fireworks and performances by a star-studded line up featuring Basically Saturday Night, The Ransom Collective, and Rivermaya to close this year’s Father’s Day. Dads Dads Revolution in total broke the record for highest attendance, the highest amount of sponsorship funds earned, first multi dance-performances in the morning parade, first parentsponsor table scheme, first time Southridge had an arcade on campus, and most number of alumni playing in the Alumni games. This year’s edition of Father’s Day has set the standard for the future batches to match or even best.

We’d like to give thanks to everyone who put their blood, sweat, and tears to make this event successful.

athers’ Day should stay as Father’s Day and never ever change to Family Day. This has been a constant debate and stigma of many Southridge students. We have been celebrating Father’s Day for over 30 years and personally I never want to change the name Father’s Day because it is one of the most unique events our school ever has. A big event like Father’s Day, with all the work and grandeur can never be remade in any school here in the Philippines. It has to be Father’s Day because the school’s goal is to make men of integrity. A man learns how to be like a man from other men, and the man of the family is the father. We have to give our fathers everything they deserve and we have to celebrate them for everything they have done.

They lead the family.

Father’s Day is a celebration of the Fathers, where the whole day should be centered around them. The events, the company, the games, the food, and many more elements should help create an atmosphere centered for them.

Over the years, the atmosphere has changed.

Fathers’ Day has been becoming less focused on the fathers. The family and friends have taken the spotlight which has pushed many to change the name of Fathers’ Day to Southridge Family Day or Southridge Fair. This would be similar to almost any school in the Philippines that have these types of events; they are great and may even be grander than Father’s Day. It would be the peak of the year, the climax of fun and celebration. Yet Fathers’ Day cannot be the climax of the year, it may be the most grand but it cannot be the climax. The school year has to be the climax.

Fathers’ Day is for the fathers, the best way to honor the fathers and celebrate their role in the family is with the family. They have to be the center even if every year “Fathers’ Day” is big and complex. The whole event at its very core needs to be simple: honor the father with the whole family, then the friends come after. For some it may be hard to accept this, that Fathers’ Day can’t be a big fair or a music festival run by big names. This direction focusing on a simple core is what allows people to truly see what Southridge values.

Fathers’ Day with all the big names performing and big brands selling should not be the end goal. If we constantly push for more money to spend more on Fathers’ Day, the school ceases to be the school the founders wanted it to be, as stated in the school’s mission-vision. We had big sponsors and performers. These were the things that made Fathers’ Day great as many people would say.

There were so many people in Fathers’ Day. This made the Father’s Day one for the books.

The design of the school during that day made it something truly memorable. This made Fathers’ Day unforgettable. Then why make it Fathers’ Day if what makes it great are the attendees, the performers, and design? Then we shouldn’t even call it Southridge Family Day. With a jam-packed schedule, we might as well call it a music festival. To generate money and fun are of course good things but we should never forget what we are as a school. For Southridge to be the focus, the fathers have to be at the center.

Band Interviews On Father’s Day, The Ridge was able to interview some of the performers who came to Southridge. Whether their set was before or after the sunset, all of them left SR with happy faces and great memories to talk about the school.

Here is what we got from the bands who performed during Father’s Day:

IV of Spades Kyle: So good afternoon IV of Spades. We’re from The Ridge.

We’re the school newspaper and we would like to welcome you to our school *claps* and we hope you’re going enjoy your stay here.

Just to start of, what really is IV of Spades? Like how are you as a band and what really makes you unique?

IV (of Spades): Magandang question Kyle: Or do you want me to rephrase it IV: Nah its okay. What is IV of Spades? Hmmm. Guys, may sagot ba kayo? HAHA IV: Yun nayun mahirap siya idefine.

Kyle: Everyone thinks of you as this band which has the Beatles vibe and you guys are there to bring it back IV: Maybe because individually, pantay ang recognition kaya Beatles vibe. It’s not just the vocalist actually but it’s more of the drummer haha!

Jacob: And also your outfits..

Kyle: I am pretty sure when you go out there, your outfit will stand out to everyone like woah. I’m pretty sure because even we Admirals, we are like wow jackets! Super stylish! So since you’re in SR and I assume you still have another gig after this, is there anything you’re looking forward to here performing here in front of the audience?

BASICALLY SATURDAY NIGHT

IV: I don’t know. Perform without looking forward to I guess?

Kyle: Because I can tell you right now, like I listen to you guys and a lot of our batchmates really like you. So we’re really looking forward to you guys.

IV: It’s fine with us, the idea of you guys loving the songs we produce right now.

Jacob: The whole image of IV of Spades is really cool. Like the whole package. You have the style, the music, the artistic flair.

It’s really cool and different. Then I believe you guys won the Air Asia Dreams Come True Competition? Congratulations to that.

Take us through the experience and what have you learned from participating.

IV: It feels like a long experience but it just happened two days ago. Tapos there is this one line that really falls through, “The greed is the enemy of being good”. We just carrying that line every time. That’s just a reminder of humbling down. There’s no boundaries to improve.

Kyle: And I assume you guys are going perform for David Foster.

Since you guys are performing between being on tour or being with David Foster, is there any new projects or music us fans can look forward to?

IV: Yeah. New music.

Kyle: Right, because you guys have currently three songs. Then you guys are up and rising. After that, you’re going to Wanderland.

How does it feel to become a “Wanderband”? (Next page please) unknown at first. They just got me somewhere in and then we used to go to this jazz bar in Incognito… called Incognito in Alabang. We met Arvin, the legendary Arvin, he really really brought us up. He really glued the band together. Jairus of course a very good friend, always here to add color into our sound. So yea, dynamically it’s nothing more than you know friendship and similar taste in music.

For the first performer after the Night Parade, The Ridge was able to interview Basically Saturday Night after they played their set on stage.

J: Okay so thank you for taking this interview!

B (Basically Saturday Night): of course…of course

J: Yea. Yea and that’s really cool and the vibe you guys give off is very refreshing when a lot of people rely on... I-I’m not saying that they’re bad or anything but like electronic and stuff but it gets very monotonous. So first question, who are you as a band? Like who is BSN or who is Basically Saturday Night?

B: Wow. That is a good question.

our craft. We all have very similar taste in music and that made it easy for us to get along. In terms of how we started, Me, Faisal, and Miggy, we were in a metal band a long time ago.

J: Ok, that’s really cool. Ok follow up question, since you mentioned that you guys have similar taste in music, I’m sure you guys don’t have the exact same taste, so who do you say has the best taste in music?

B: Let’s just say that we all have our own taste in music. Our own approach to it. But you know as friends and as brothers, we build on with music and we create music. Yea I wouldn’t know about the best. We couldn’t just say who’s the best ? You can’t really point out the best you know. We’re a unit, we’re one unit.

We all bring something different to the table and we cook it up and that’s when it becomes music.

J: And if possible how did your band form too?

B: Sure. BSN is a unit. We’re a bunch of really really good friends, more than anything I think. Well we’re not just friends man, we’re brothers. Yea we’re brothers! We are very good friends who happen to have a lotta extra time on our hands to cultivate

J: It was a very big turn from metal to ano? HAHA B: Sure yea it was it was. So there was that chemistry already.

Asylum we actually— PJ???: They used to play here.

B: Yea we used to play here in Southridge. That’s why. We were

J: Sure ok. So who do you guys say are like your biggest influences in terms of musicality B: Individually, it’s you, who’s your inspiration. Guitar wise, I look up to John Mayer, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix.

(Next page please)

J:This was on short notice so a lot of people know you as the band who tried to revive the old school, 80’s funk...

B: Is that so?... that’s cool! That’s cool!

check-in with The Ransom Collective right after they performed their set which certainly pleased the crowd.

Kyle: Good evening The Ransom Collective! As I said I’m Kyle.

How do you know your show went a while ago?

RC: Fun! Super fun! First time here in SR! We didn’t expect the crowd to be this energetic. You’ve been here the whole day right?

Kyle: We’ve been here almost 24 hours to be honest. Since you’ve been to two Paref schools, how would you sum up overly your experience in the two schools not to compare of course HAHA RC: We love it! Both are really fun. I feel like for the two schools, it’s such a real family. I see people from SR in WR. It’s nice to play in both places.

Kyle: How do you think your music impacts your audience?

RC: We really had no purpose or plan. We were just getting together for a video for a one time thing. Then it wasn’t until like 2 years ago or year and a half ago, people started writing more often and someone wrote about how they were struggling with some really ,really heavy stuff and they were at a low point of their life and they even considered ending their life was

implied but our music helped not necessarily save them but bring them into some kind of safer place and I think for all of us that really weighed heavily. We realized how impactful our music could be. So I think we all ended up identifying with the fact that our music is bigger than us. That it can actually affect people whether its just driving to work and making them feel good or its someone going thru something really, really bad.

Once we realized our music has the power to change a person’s day for the better, that started to drive us all.

Kyle: I mean, you guys affected it in a big way a while ago as you can see, I’m sure you guys will be talked about for the next weeks.

Speaking of inspiring other people, is there any other future projects, we can look forward to?

RC: We’re working on a music video for one of our songs.

So hopefully that should be out by summer time. And we’re working on new music so that’s something also we’re looking forward to. Because we haven’t had the time to focus on new music Kyle: Alright, so I acknowledge that you guys were included in the Coke Studio. If I’m correct?

Jacob: Collaborated with Erwin Dub and John?

RC: It was very inspiring for all of us. Not just working with them but watching them work. We got to watch them recording K: You’re going to be next right? So what are you looking forward to performing here in Southridge?

R: Well…uhh I think this is our first time to perform here so we’re really excited. We can see that from the performance of Basically Saturday night they’re very excited. So, we hope to give them the same excitement. Hopefully, we can put on a great show tonight. They’re very excited so we hope to give them the same excitement. Hopefully they are as excited as we are and we are pumped to get on stage.

Rivermaya To wrap off the night, we were able to get a chance to interview Rivermaya, the last performer for Father’s Day 2018, Dads Dads Revolution.

K: Yes, and as you can see the crowd is pretty hyped up. So just to tell us, what can we expect for tonight and what can we look forward to today?

R: Well we will give our usual energetic rock and roll set and give them a taste of our classic and not so classic set for all ages to be happy with.

Photo courtesy of Jacob Tambunting

The Ransom Collective Then later on the night, The Ridge also had the opportunity to

their parts and seeing them make mistakes and trying again, and when it was tense they told us to just take a breath and it just made us feel less intimidated by the whole process. As the young one, you feel like all the pressures on. They just let us be actually. They just guided us when they felt like we needed some guidance. But yeah they made us really, really comfortable in the whole process.

Kyle: And I’m sure it was really fun RC: Yeah!

(Next page please) K: HAHA R: Classic and some love songs you can say. For the daddies!

K: Uhm so since we don’t have much time, is there any message you want to say to your fans in Southridge? Because we call ourselves Admirals.

R: Admirals?

K: Yes, Admirals.

R: Admirals… what do you guys want?

K: Message…message to them.

R: Uhhh… keep…keep supporting… uhh Filipino bands…

Filipino artists and if you ever get the chance to form your own band… relax lang… don’t hesitate!

K: Alright… ok, thank you very much!

R: No problem!

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IV of Spades IV: Grateful. Kasi we didn’t start as a band with success. Within those three years we were striving, grinding, and doing everything we can do just to pursue our dreams and its not like just one night sleep and as we wake up everyone knows us. It’s not just like that. It’s about working hard still.

Kyle: Actually some of your audience in Wanderland, is going to be your audience later also. Because the site of Wanderland is just near from here so expect the vibe to be somewhat similar. I just want to give you some heads up. And what is your advice for someone who wants to be successful in the music industry just like you, considering your quick rise to fame and music here and there?

IV: As we said, it’s not really a quick rise to fame, it’s always knowing what you’re doing. It’s about having patience. Well it’s not just about working hard, because you can work hard and still you’re not being yourself or not doing something artistically. You know within that experience, within that struggle that’s the process of making your work in an artistic way and deliver it in an artistic way. Work hard and explore. Kasi may work hard na work hard lang.

Kyle: So you’re saying, be genuine basically IV: Yeah. Be honest Kyle: Just the last one. Is there anything you want to say your fans here?

IV: Thank you for having us I guess?

HAHA Parang first time or second na tayo dito…di ko alam eh. Di ko na siya maalala.

Kyle: So that’s about it. I hope you enjoy your stay here and I hope you enjoy being on stage later. Thank you IV: Thank you!

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Miggy loves that too. I look up to Frank Sinatra, all these cool guys man. Arvin?

Yea I don’t really look up to bassists really.

Bassists kinda look up to him. HAHAH. I’m a big fan of piano players or like keyboard players.. Yea, well recently because of these guys, I’ve been listening to a lot of jazz like Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, Cory Henry, that guy is fire. Funky stuff. I can’t really pinpoint to a specific drummer, but I was always into metal and gospel. But recently I started working on my jazz drumming so…

J: Really cool. So you guys won Wonderbattle.

Very big congratulations.

B: Thank you.

J: How… can you walk through us that process of like entering Wonderbattle, getting all the support, and then actually winning the thing. How was it?

B: It was big. It was challenging for all of us, being the underdog. Of course these other bands we were up against had a very very, naturally because they’ve been in the game, they have a much larger following.

Right. True. So we were very blessed because when we came in the battle, not that we didn’t ask anyone, but we had a very very strong Boogie community that came to support which definitely gained attention when it came to try na get through the battle you know. So there was

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that. It was difficult but when we won, of course you can only imagine. It was unreal. It was worth that struggle because individually we all went through individual troubles throughout the day just to get through that point So by the ending, you know, it was surreal. It was crazy cuz how we started was we were a band, only officially a band for less than a year. So we’d start like jamming in Alabang lang, Faisal’s house. And then we’d start playing for our friends birthdays, house parties and eventually we’d get invited to bars and other events in Makati and resorts and then Wanderband. When we won Wanderband, it was like a big stepping stone. We started like, bigger acts and bigger productions have been inviting us. So it’s really a stepping stone for us. And yun it was something that we worked really hard for, and now we’re going for the bigger challenge, Wanderland itself. So that’s the next big thing in our bucket list. Catch us in Wanderland.

J: So yea precisely. So everyone knows that you’re gonna be performing in Wanderland which is very big. But are there any other future projects, releases that fans can look forward to?

B: Well, as releases yea. As of right now we’ve been hitting the studios. So you know we’re tryna get our songs out really.

Hopefully you can catch them on Spotify before Wanderland. That’s the target. Yea there’s no definite… I mean the thing is some of us are still students you know. Yea. J: Yea B: So it’s an issue of time management, but what we’re try na do is get as many songs as we can, before Wanderland. Get them on the internet. Get them on people’s heads. Just so that you know people have something to sing along to. *inaudible* to vibe with by then. So we have that released. In terms of bigger events, I can’t think of any off the top of my head. They come much sooner than… ah sorry, they come much closer to the time when we get invited to a big event. So as of now there’s no bigger milestone than Wanderland itself. As of the moment.

J: As of the moment. But that’s gonna change though, hopefully.

B: Yea we hope so.

J: Yea so there is a very big stigma with the music industry. Im sure you guys face this to, that it’s very hard… its very easy to learn music or play an instrument but it’s hard to break in to the music industry, to cut it short, make a living or so. But what is your advice to anyone who wants to break in the music industry?

B: Eto lang, to anything could be music, art, any form of whatever they’re passionate about. You know there are people who are always gonna judge, gonna tell you that you’re not good enough. We are victims of that, but we choose to rise above them.

And so I believe that everybody should rise above their fears, cause life is fair you know. Like let’s be real, if it’s meant for you it’s going to happen. If you want it bad enough, you’ll get it. So I believe that for these aspiring artists, you know, like such as ourselves. You know, don’t stop till the stars baby. I think you know I mean, we are just as much aspiring artists as anybody else who has that dilemma of wanting to take the path that suits you right? And it’s a craving thing. If you really crave for it. If your body and you know… if your body really asks for it, then you really have to answer your body you know. If your mind is begging for it, you might have to follow it. Cause that’s literally the only way if you way, if you can’t force it. We force at time.

We forcefully make time, being people with our own lives you know. Like individually we have our own lives, we have school, we have work, we have whatever. We

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just really… part of taking it seriously is making time for it you know, putting love into it. Putting a lot-a-love. Lotta love. The big part of it also is surrounding yourselves, ourselves with an amazing group of people who really love and support us in every way.

J: Ok so let’s continue, so this goes for the SR alumni. Off the top, number one thing you miss about Southridge?

B: Honestly it’s the people man. It’s the people. High school… Grade school, high school, Southridge played a big part in my life. Played a big part of forming who I am, my values, and like, it showed my what’s really important and what’s not important in life, and to have that constant support of the community, like the teachers especially, and you have your batchmates, and there’s something about that that you wont really find anywhere else, and for that like I really thank Southridge for everything that you know. Ikaw Fais? Si Mr. Chairman, say something.

J: Oh yea chairman.

B: Definitely the community. Part of the big dog in Southridge. Especially you know like the teachers, staff, I’ll never forget you know the small things that I shared with them. Small experiences you know, buying stuff from Charlie, from the cafeteria. Still here dude! Still here right? He’s selling in the ano.

J: It’s his last year.

B: Is Mr. Tarado still here?

J: Sir Tarado still here, sir Abad still here B: Even you guys man. I used to see you just J: Little kid B: Just playing basketball. You guys have grown so much. It’s crazy. Everyone. The community you know, definitely.

J: Yea how about you Miggs?

B: Miggy what about you man? Well what I miss about Southridge and what I’ve missed like when I left second year was, like what Jai said and what Fai said, the people, the community, it’s another… another like J: Ball-game B: Yea… no it’s really something else like the bond of the people, the bond of brothers, the bond that we have with teachers. Like you know, these people, they push us to what we wanna do. And you know years later we’re here. Like we excel on what we wanna do. So thank you Southridge HAHA. J: Okay so final question for the band. Let me just say you guys rocked it out there. The crowd was hot. Yea the crowd really hot. So do you have anything last to say to Southridge for that… after that performance?

B: Stay tuned.

J: Stay tuned B: And thank you, thank you for having us.

It was a privilege. I learned that for Miggy, for Jai, for Fai, it was a… it’s been a long… a long dream for them… yea definitely, to play after the night parade. Well, after five years. It’s been years. And specifically we played, after the night parade, amazingly enough. And yea more than anything it’s a privilege because the people were so responsive, you know, Boogie Crew, and new members of the Boogie Crew. People who were just there to listen. And that’s what I liked about everyone in the crowd.

Everyone really was just paying attention.

Singing, dancing. Singing and dancing and that’s really what we’re going for so it’s a privilege, i’m so grateful.

J: Okay thanks guys. Thank you guys B: Thank you man. Good to see you.

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The Ransom...

Kyle: On that note, like you guys who are one of the up and rising bands right now, are there any suggestions you want to give to other aspiring bands because we have a lot of bands in our school.

Like you should’ve seen a while ago.

Jacob: In our batch RC: In the morning diba?

Kyle: Yeah. There were about what? 5 bands RC: Wow! All from SR? Kyle: Yeah all from SR. Student bands RC: Cool!

Kyle: Like what advice would u give them?

RC: Don’t be afraid to put your music out there.

I think a lot of people think that it has to be perfect or it has to be great before they release it. Even us, when we listen to our own records, sometimes we notice specific spots where we are not completely, we do not feel like it is perfect for us. The fact is it’s out there and it gets to reach people. And I think people don’t recognize that as much as they should. If they have songs they are proud of, they should just put it out there as soon as possible.

Jacob: Concerning your music, Traces was the album just released I believe I would say late last year? Oh sorry early last year. What was the process of writing that?

RC: I feel the songs I have started first before I met any of these guys 4 of these songs were written for just a guitar and a singer. So the whole process of us getting to learn like chemistry, playing together can probably really be well heard in the album.Whether people realize it or not because it was already sort of well you know when we had those four songs we already had a starting ground so the next —what 4 + - 7 songs were us building off of that but that’s how we started with developing it learning chemistry and you know learning how to play with and alongside each other. So I think the process was really a lot of growth and discovery Jacob: Yeah, so, final question. Again thank you for this interview. What do u think really makes you unique? What makes Ransom Collective Ransom Collective?

RC: These are new questions. Haha Jacob: You’re style is very folkish. It’s so good!

RC: HAHA Thank you. I think when we first started releasing our music, we were the only group that played with the kind of sound we have in our genre and also I feel like our uniqueness can be seen thru our different personalities. We like to do different things, we like to travel and you know yeah I think that’s one thing unique about us we can say. Every band is unique but were happy with the music we make and we try to make it as different as we can.

Jacob: One final question. Haha. How was Lanelay?

RC: Fun. It was amazing. It was cool. At first it was like. We were going to be backstage with these artists.

Jacob: Anderson Pack was there right?

RC: Yeah. So we met a few artists. We tried, it was kinda hard HAHA. Um we had some technical difficulties in the start but so did Anderson Pack so we weren’t the only ones.

Jacob: I love Anderson Pack. Haha!

RC: It was really cool. Fun. It was a great first international festival. It was very organized also and everything was well done. It was inspiring to watch the other artists perform, they were so professional and they’re like really good at what they do. And they’re like amazing. And like Lanylay is known to be really organized. I talked to the other artists also, they were saying how organized everything was and we were really happy to play in a venue like that.

Jacob: Yeah that’s about it. Thanks for being here on such short notice.

RC: Thank you so much. Thanks guys. Bye!

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From

Hoops to

Halos

:::::::: by Martin Quesada

“Adsum!”

. Any Southridge alumnus who had four years of Latin would recognize that word to mean “I am here!”. But more importantly, for all the alumni and the rest of the school, what’s more important is the one who said it today signifying an irrevocable decision to receive from the hands of the bishop the priestly ministry.

Francis Jose Anthony Inzon Ong, who graduated 20 years ago from Southridge was ordained today, May 5, 2018 as priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei. He is the first among the school’s graduates in its 39-year history to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders.

Prior to his solemn pronouncement in the Roman language to express his desire to become priest, Fr. Francis walked in procession into the Roman basilica of San Eugenio together with 30 others with whom he received the diaconate six months ago in the same church on November 4, 2017.

From underneath the glorious blue sky in full Mediterranean spring, all 31 of them from the most varied of countries—Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Holland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Slovakia, Spain, Uruguay, Venezuela—walked into the daunting yet majestic and gigantic façade of the 19th century church, a probable imagery of the huge task they’ve taken and responsibility they will now carry.

Indeed, we all received what the Church calls the “common priesthood” through our baptism when we were all incorporated into Jesus Christ. In Him, who is King, Prophet and Priest par excellence, we share in His kingship and prophetic tasks as well as His Eternal Priesthood as we are all obliged to pray and sacrifice for the salvation of our fellowmen.

The ministerial priesthood, through the sacrament of Holy Orders takes this to a much higher level as a male baptized faithful incarnates Christ Himself making him capable of celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and dispense the other sacraments such as Penance and Confirmation (with the given faculties from his bishop) and preach the Gospel for the spiritual nourishment of the People of God. Why did these men, all them mostly in their 20’s and 30’s with university degrees, professional work experience or promising careers choose instead to become priests which entails living a life of total dedication and abnegation? Where did this desire to say “Adsum” not only now at the ceremony but in every moment and circumstance a soul may need them come from? After all, true priesthood is not about power or privilege but sacrifice and service. As Cardinal Robert Sarah profoundly stated in his homily prior to ordaining the deacons to

priests, “Our priesthood will be completely fulfilled if we agree to die every day on the cross with Jesus.”

For Fr. Francis, the path to the priesthood was not what you would say typical and his desire for it was a maturing rather than a spontaneous one. “I never thought I was going to a priest while studying in Southridge.” he explains. What he received instead was deep and impressing Christian formation in school, reinforced and echoed at home.

“My parents basically appreciated and fully supported the formation program of the school, teachers and mentors all the way. They put an effort to learn and put their learning into practice at home. They were pious and hardworking.” Through all these, Fr. Francis discovered his vocation to be numerary in high school in a “rather simple and natural way” confirming what St. Josemaria who founded Opus Dei and inspired the founding of the PAREF schools, had always taught—that everyone owes 90% of their vocation to their parents.

It should be clarified though that membership to Opus Dei as numerary by no means meant a first step to the priesthood. It simply meant being a lay celibate member of Opus Dei. For any high schooler, especially to his batch mates then, this barely meant what the vocation was really all about which was living and spreading the message that holiness is achievable in the most ordinary circumstances and events of our life especially through our work. For them, it simply meant “no more girls and parties.”

After all, the 5’10 tall lad was in his junior year and was living the life of a well-rounded popular student.

While consistently staying in the honor roll, he was part of the much talked about mythical basketball varsity of the 90’s, the school choir, the Catechism Club (precursor of all the outreach, service-oriented school clubs today) the annual school Christmas play and even served as the vice-chairman in the Student Council in his senior year.

The priesthood or even the thought of it would

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come even years later. After high school, he studied in the University of the Philippines to obtain a civil engineering degree and decided to come back to teach in his high alma mater which he would do for seven years till 2011.

All that time, Francis would continue to live the message of “the Work” (a familiar term for Opus Dei) spreading joy and peace and bringing the light of Christ to everyone he was in touch with.

For a numerary of Opus Dei to don the clerical garb, it is usually explained that “three wills or desires first have to coincide”—that of God, of the Prelate (the head of Opus Dei) and of the numerary himself. In short, one must first discern through prayer and spiritual counselling that oen is being called by God to the clerical state.

Usually this coincides or would be confirmed with the expressed wish of the Prelate. And of course, ultimately, the decision to answer the call to be of service the Church and the Work as a priest rests on the interested party.

For Fr. Francis, the “discernment process was realizing that God wanted me to give more of myself and that he would be helping me along the way.” In explaining this, Fr. Francis also gave us a key to understanding what every priest must think of himself: “We are just human instruments in the hands of God. He does everything. Our main role is to follow our vocation, pray and work hard, then allow grace to complement our tiny contribution.”

Does the first graduate of Southridge to be ordained have any message to his fellow Southridge Admirals especially as the schools enters its 40th year? Fr. Francis responds: “God calls each of us to a specific mission in our lives. It is a matter of preparing for it and being attentive to that call. We cannot be afraid of the word commitment. It is what gives meaning to our lives and makes it richer and exciting. Not only as members of the Clergy or consecrated persons, but also as their father, mother, sister or brother, friends or neighbors.”

There is of course that great desire of the entire school for Fr. Francis to come back soon and even be the school chaplain. After all, what could be more fitting?

There is even a running joke among the high school teachers that Fr. Francis will come back not only to be the school priest but to make the high school faculty team an undefeatable powerhouse in the school’s employee’s basketball league once again. The high-scoring powerforward and indefatigable rebounder was sorely missed after he left seven years ago for his philosophical and theological studies in the University of Navarre and Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

In any case, we can be sure that Fr. Francis’ passion for the game will still be there. But now as a priest, he’ll be more concerned with “halos” people should make for themselves in their quest for sanctity rather than shooting hoops. He’ll be helping others rack up points for heaven and helping the repentant rebound from their failings. As a priest, his main concern will be for everyone to lift their trophy of holiness at the end of their life.

As of today, the new ordained alumnus will continue finishing his doctorate in Philosophy and will be receiving compatible pastoral assignments as he does so. While everyone wishes for his immediate return to the country, we pray for an abundantly fruitful priesthood for him and all those newly-ordained wherever they will be assigned.

Let’s leave it to God where he will call Fr. Francis to serve next. Whether it’s the chaplaincy of his alma mater or another place and country, we can be sure that Fr. Francis will respond to anyone’s need for their spiritual good always saying “Adsum”, I am here!

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AMS and Molave Center

Meet Binondo :::::::: by Anton Pizarro

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he AMS x Binondo Photowalk was the ultimate collaboration between the Admirals Media Society (AMS) and the Molave Study Center.

This occasion allowed both AMS and Molave to share what they both do best. For the Molave Center, that’s developing the boys into men who follow Jesus’ footsteps by practicing his teachings in every aspect of their life. For the AMS members, that’s sharing experiences and practicing skills in media such as photography and videography. The mix of the two allowed for a unique experience where they were able to develop themselves and at the same time, share that experience of self-improvement with others.

The AMS had an experience of doing a Photowalk in Binondo before, as a part of their Intramuros walk organized by their moderator, Mr. Dave Francisco. This photowalk was still a fresh experience to them as they were in the midst of a large celebration for the Lunar Chinese New year. The streets were suddenly teeming with people and celebration. There, they got to share and develop their media creation skills in photography and videography by capturing the endless barrage of potential shots around them. The photowalk stayed truthful to its name as it essentially composed of a lot of photos and walking through strolls around the Binondo plaza, visits to Binondo church, and wandering through the maze-like streets that scattered around the venue. “A photographer’s paradise”, they called it as such because no matter where you looked or turned, a potential good shot awaited. This photowalk gave them the opportunity

to practice their skills all the more and share the grand festival of the Lunar New Year, as practiced by the Filipinos in Binondo.

While pictures were being taken to capture the unique facet of Binondo they could find, the participants from Molave meanwhile took advantage of venturing around the cultural hub that is Binondo. Mr. Cheng served as the over-all guide for everyone. Prayers were also offered in the Binondo Church. After the walk, everyone learned a new thing or two about the history and importance of the Binondo Church. Additionally, everyone witnessed the slew of people coming from all walks of life. This was not the first time for the Molave members to be visiting Binondo either. Having experienced the bustling Binondo during the Lunar New Year in the past, they gave practical tips and shared simple practices so that the group and the tour were organized for greater learning, fun and excitement. Through that, they were able to enjoy the beautiful and exotic Chinese traditions, and at the end of the day, a filling serving of authentic Chinese noodles to reward our tired bodies.

Thanks to the collaboration between AMS and Molave, media skills were not the only thing developed in Binondo. Every Southridge student should consider joining either warm community as both have more plans in the future to keep on doing great work at what they’re good at. On that day, amidst the dragon dances and fire-breathing acrobats, were a group of boys who were not only able to develop themselves, but who were able to share this experience with other people in the process.

My Work Immersion Experience :::::::: by Carlo Marco

attitude and even to understanding and respecting middle-class workers. It was a fruitful program no matter how short-lived the experience.

Work immersion is exactly as it sounds—

training and actual working. Yet, tedious as it seems, it was somehow enjoyable and memorable for me at least. It was an unexpectedly good combination of school stress and factory work. It was a rich learning experience that taught me a variety of lessons from distinguishing wages and salaries, to identifying good solder characteristics, to exhibiting proper work

We started off not knowing entirely what to expect. The teachers were mum about some details of the program, so we were off to discover them ourselves. The first week was all training; it was to equip us with the needed knowledge during the actual work. That week was like normal classes. The supervisor would give us lessons, give us quizzes and have a few activities. When training seemed slow, there would be the occasional but unforgettable memoranda that break the ice. There were ergonomic exercises and dances meant to wake us up after a cheap but satisfying lunch in the cafeteria. And when the noise lost control, a simple reminder about the disciplinary action to misconducts calmed the class down.

That was our regular routine. It was tiring to sit and listen to lessons the whole day, but the following week proved that was not tiring enough.

The relaxed nature of the first week was quickly replaced with the exhausting second week. Since we were STEM students, we were assigned to production. We were given our specific tasks; each was essential in making circuit boards. That was when we started to absorb all we learned during training by doing them in practice. We had to have patience and enough motivation to work hard to accomplish our repetitive routines; we had to know exactly how to do our jobs to avoid waste or in Japanese, as we were taught, “Muda”. It wasn’t difficult after the first tries but when you’re trying to reach a quota, it was stressful. We weren’t able to reach our quotas but making a drastic improvement through the days was the achievement we made.

The work immersion was overall a success in my opinion. It may have been different from what I expected, yet great nonetheless. It left a good bunch of memories that I’d rather not go into full detail to explain. I may not be bound by the Non-Disclosure Agreement anymore, but I want the future work immersion trainees to experience for themselves. At the very least, it’s something to anticipate and experience before you graduate.

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A Week of Work :::::::: by Sam Escueta

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he Holy Week is the last week of Lent, the end to a season of sacrifice. The Philippines has countless traditions all around the country in order to commemorate and celebrate the event yearly. One yearly Lenten Tradition in school is the Molave Work Camp. I’ve always seen the Work Camp as an opportunity to sacrifice one more time before Lent officially ends. It’s a climax and culmination of 40 days of continuous struggle and conversion. This year was no different.

Every year students from Southridge make up the bulk of the volunteers who attend the Work Camp. From Grades 9 to 11, students both young and younger took part in the yearly exercise of charity and generosity. From March 22 to 28, the Camp was a whole week of working, studying, and yes, having fun.

Every member of the work camp was welcomed with open arms, veterans and newcomers alike, to share in an experience that would forge friendships and maybe even change lives.

The recipient of the Camp’s charity this year was a school in a rural area of the province of Lipa, the Dagatan Family Farm School. After 2 hours of travel, we were greeted by a dilapidated school, in need of restoration of its paint, ceilings, and windows. One of the earliest public schools in Lipa, it was originally intended to teach children how to farm. The wide landscape of fertile lands that stretched across the school compound gave evidence to this fact. The school principal informed us that due to the changing job markets and the new K-12 system, the school had adopted the new curriculum and stopped teaching future generations not just how to farm but instead taught them math, science, and all the other subjects you’d find in any other public school. Due to the school’s old age, it was already deteriorating. That’s where we stepped in.

There were 4 days of work overall. Each day we either adopted a new task with eagerness to learn or continue the tasks we had done before, wiser with the

knowledge and experience we had gained from the previous days. Scrubbing the dirt off walls in order to prepare them for the painting we’d do, as well as completely scrapping the wooden ceiling and screen windows, to build new, freshly painted ones. Was the work hard? Well that depends on perspective. One of the newcomers to the work camp said that the work was “hard but bearable” while a veteran work camper called it “easy”. Emboldened by the knowledge and experience we’ve gained over the years, we veterans ended up becoming leaders by example, having either done similar work before or could grasp the new works easier than the others. Another prime example of the difference of perspective is the accommodations we had during our stay.

“We have beds?!” Someone shouted with joy. He was a 4-time experienced veteran work camper who shall not be named in respect for his dignity (It was me). The newcomers looked at us veterans like we were crazy. The beds were small, stiff, and the rooms were cramped and left almost no room to get comfortable.

To us it was 5-star accommodations compared to previous work camps. When we realized there was running water and a working toilet, every veteran camper jumped for joy, including the teachers. Work Camps didn’t normally have great accommodations.

This year was the first time most of us had ever seen a bed in a work camp. Everyday commodities and luxuries many of us take for granted are absent in Work Camp. Things like beds, running water, working bathrooms, electric fans, etc… were all things that work campers continually missed out on. These are simple things that you pay very little attention to in your daily life. However, the moment you lose something you always had is the only moment you truly appreciate it for being there. Work Camp isn’t a vacation. Going on Work Camp teaches you how to live harshly and busily.

Every minute of every hour was scheduled. A typical work day started with morning meditation then Mass, followed by breakfast and then off to work. When you have something to do all the time

on everyday, the days get longer and you start to forget about your worries. This was a place where all our schoolwork was left behind to focus on what we were trying to do. Going to Work Camps has led me to adopting the usage of a schedule in my daily life, especially during summer. The scheduling made sure we had ample time for rest, work, prayer, and study.

With each day going according to schedule, the days felt long and arduous. At the end it was both a relief and a sadness to wave goodbye to our temporary home for a week. The hallways of the school felt familiar to us as we walked down them for what would be the last time. The Work Camp on March 2018 left a lasting impression on all of us. The Work Camp is an experience not many avail of, which is a shame because it teaches everyone who experiences it new lessons, instills virtues like Charity, and allows everyone to bond with their comrades and work together.

There were 4 days of work overall. Each day we either adopted a new task with eagerness to learn or continue the tasks we had done before, wiser with the knowledge and experience we had gained from the previous days. Scrubbing the dirt off walls in order to prepare them for the painting we’d do, as well as completely scrapping the wooden ceiling and screen windows, to build new, freshly painted ones.

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3 Shades of the Philippine Government

Photo courtesy of Chock Encabo

:::::::: by Javier del Mundo

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ne of the advantages of the General Academics strand in Senior High School is the Politics and Governance, or PolGov, course, which is a bunch of lessons on the Philippine constitution and government.

This means that the GA learn all about the political environment, and Grade 11 GA of school year 20172018 had the opportunity to go on a field trip, visiting the Malacañang Museum, the Supreme Court, and the Senate. The article will give a sneak peak of the tour that the Grade 11 took and share interesting stories that were told during the tours.

The PolGov field trip begins with a visit to the Malacañang Museum. The museum tour started in the Kalayaan Hall, one of the oldest parts of the Malacañang Palace. The tour begins with an introduction to the museum, as well as some interesting trivia, like the difference between Malacañang and Malacañan. The difference is that you use Malacañang when referring to everything in the entire 16-hectares complex but Malacañan when referring to the palace, although they are still used interchangeably. The group was led to the room where President Marcos sat and gave the declaration of Martial Law. The original proclamation 1081 was completely handwritten and all of the pages are kept there, layed down on a short elevated platform separated by a glass case. While the group was shown the recorded version of the declaration of Martial Law, the guide continued to explain some trivia about the room.

The walls, ceiling, and floor were all made of wood.

Hung up around the room were different proclamations made by the different presidents, and they dated back to Manuel L. Quezon.

When the video was over, the group was led to a room full of Duterte merchandise and photos. The guide explained that this room is to commemorate the current president, filled with all of the things he used to campaign. In the next room, the group was shown the other different campaign materials of the different presidents, and the results of the presidential elections.

There was actually a candidate that received zero votes, holding the record for least number of votes while running for president in the Philippines! This means he

didn’t even vote for himself. He ran again for a second time and received one vote. Maybe he realized he was allowed to vote for himself. The guide mentioned that there were hardly any records on him and no one knew who he really was, other than his name, Praxedes Floro.

The tour continued, and the group was told many other ghost stories, such as the story that chess pieces of the late president Carlos P. Garcia can be seen moving across the chess board, or that sometimes the suit of Manuel L. Quezon can be seen floating around. The group also learned of the story of late president Elpidio Quirino, and his family’s tragic death.

Near the end of World War Two, when the Japanese near the house of Quirino were being shelled by allied troops, the Japanese realized there is no escape from them. Knowing this, they decided to massacre the innocents in that area, and that included the Quirinos.

The president gathered his wife and children, with plans of escaping to the house of his mother-in-law on the same street, because their own house was on fire. While escaping towards the house, with the eldest, Tomas, in the lead, they were surprised by four camouflaged Japanese marines with machine guns. Quirino’s wife and his two daughters were gunned down quickly. Another son, Armando attempted to retrieve the dead bodies but was shot down, while Tomas, Victoria and Elpidio finally make it to the house of his mother-in-law. Yet, despite the tragedy he experienced, he signed a pardon for the Japanese war criminals, which must have broke his heart.

His humanity is truly a lesson we must all take to heart.

The group then visited a room full of artworks of Duterte, and different models and figurines of him. Our guide mentioned that all past presidents had a room like this, and it changes depending on who is the current one, so Noynoy, Gloria, and definitely President Estrada had a room like this, which is a good way to show the loyalty people have to the president. There was even a 3D artwork of Duterte that was meant to experience art with other senses, which was pretty cool.

Everything else about the tour were about the antiques and really cool architecture of the older parts of Malacañang, and if you want to know more, I suggest you visit the site (http://malacanang.gov.ph/reservations)

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to reserve a tour. It is completely free, you just need to schedule in advance. One thing that one can notice about the tour is that the guide is required to stay completely neutral in terms of political affiliation, and is not allowed to make political statements. Even on topics such as Marcos, the guide was unable to show his opinion.

After the Malacañang Palace Museum tour, the group headed towards the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the Philippines, meaning it controls all of the lower courts and has the final decision on all cases, and all cases brought to court can be put under their jurisdiction, other than impeachment. The group was led to a smaller courtroom inside the building, where they waited and were oriented. They were then brought to the actual court itself, wherein videos were shown about the history of the Supreme Court. A lawyer then arrived to answer questions about law in the Philippines The lawyer explained how there are many ways to go about law, whether you want to work for big companies or be the one talking during a courtroom session, but all ways require the lawyer to pass the bar exam. The bar exam, according the lawyer, is called that because when the passers are called to the Supreme Court, they literally pass a bar when they are announced to be lawyers of the Philippines. The GA then had a photoshoot in the Supreme Court, and then was off to the Senate.

The Senate Tour was very interesting. The group was first brought to a museum-like area which contained paintings of all of the Senate Presidents through the years. Familiar faces like Manuel L. Quezon, Manuel Roxas, and Ferdinand Marcos could be seen, painted from back when they were the Senate President. The mace of the Philippine Senate was also on display, while there was another mace also in the hearing location.

After 15 minutes of waiting, the GA were led into the hearing room, where senators debate on the floor about important bills and potential amendments. The group then witnessed a debate that will go down in the history of the Philippines: whether or not to make Lapu-Lapu day in the Philippines a holiday for a special anniversary sometime in the future years.

It must have been a slow day in the senate, because out of all of the potential laws and actions the government could be making, they were arguing about a holiday in the distant future. Some of the senators tried to make it sound like a relevant problem, by emphasizing the importance of Lapu-Lapu in our history, but then they brought up the fish and their arguments became pointless. They then started questioning if they should change the name of the fish, because it is unflattering for them to name a fish after one of the Philippine’s greatest heroes. After going off topic again because the senators were confused about the difference between a non-work day and a holiday, they decreed to make Lapu-Lapu day a holiday in the future, and the GA group left.

According to one of the GA students, they felt that the trip gave them a better understanding of the Philippine government, and that he recommends other people to go on the tours as well. For the Supreme Court tour, one can visit (http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph) and ask questions from the lawyer about Philippine law, and for the Senate museum, the site is (https://www.senate. gov.ph/feature/museum.asp). It is recommended that you check out these free tours in order to get a better understanding of the government and its functions.

Overall, the tour was an understanding of government and its role in shaping and progressing the nation.

References:

http://malacanang.gov.ph/reservations/ http://elpidioquirino.org/16909/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_presidential_election (just to confirm some information, nothing was based completely off of the site) https://www.muckingaroundmanila.com/malacanan-malacananginteresting-palace-facts/ http://opinion.inquirer.net/104303/recalling-marcos-martial-law http://malacanang.gov.ph/about/malacanang/kalayaan-hall/ http://opinion.inquirer.net/65061/malacanang-museum-tour

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Ang Larawan is a multiaward winning feature film adaptation of the play Larawan the Musical. The original play was staged in 1997 by National Artist Nick Joaquin but the film premiered in Japan on October 30, 2017 in the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival.

The film was released in the Philippines on December 25, 2017 in the 43rd Metro Manila Film Festival, winning Best Picture, Best Musical Score, and Best Production Design. The Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Award and award for Best Actress were given to Joana Ampil who played the character Candida Marasigan and for good reason too. The way she sang and portrayed despair was astounding.

The film received an overall positive response from critics and reached up to P29 million in the Box office.

Recently, the school was lucky enough to hold a screening of Ang Larawan in its Auditorium, accompanied by two people from the cast, Rachel Alejandro who played Paula Marasigan and Celeste Legaspi who was not only a producer, but acted as the character Doña Loleng in the film. They even sang two songs after the film to the amazement and delight of the crowd. Merchandises like books, mugs, and t-shirts were also sold in the venue with prices ranging from P300 to P800.

Through this screening, the students were not only exposed to the culture of the Philippines back in the 1940s and World War 2’s effects on the people, but to an insight about what it meant to be struggling, guilty, and ashamed. Ang Larawan’s compelling story about two sisters struggling to stay in their home, deciding whether to sell their father’s last great painting and living with the guilt, or simply resigning themselves to be the maids of their elder siblings was able to pique the interest of the otherwise indifferent or the mostly “inarticulate when it comes to Filipino” students. Other notable performances include Ogie Alcasid’s comedic Pulis number with his partner, and Paulo Avelino as Tony Javier and his bad boy routine. Whether through the performance of a star-studded cast, an amazing musical score, or simply because two actors from the cast came over, the experience was truly a welcome one, a change from the dreary and hum-drum academic schedule of school.

Although Ang Larawan was great, it certainly wasn’t perfect. Its multitude of characters ranging from distant relatives, Tony Javier’s theatre girls, and Pulis 1 and 2 certainly helped propel the film forward but not all these personas were memorable, and at times even annoying. There were dull moments and repetitive scenes such as similar visits of different characters as much as there were good scenes like the reveal of the paintings destruction, it was just that those scenes were so good that they were able to “carry”, a term we here at Southridge are all familiar with, the lapses in performance or writing.

Taking everything into account, Ang Larawan was still a fun and enjoyable watch, signifying an improvement in the film-making skills of Filipinos, forever remembered in its songs, cinematography, actors and actresses, story, and even merchandise.

MOVIE Screenings :::::::: by Jaime Santos and Carlo Sarrosa

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ovie screenings have been some of the most frequent and consistent fundraisers through the years. Whether it’s for that prom budget, that soph night, or even Father’s Day itself, screenings have been done again and again to give people a chance to watch iconic and popular movies with their friends, batchmates, and dates, while giving the hosts extra funds for bigger projects.

Despite their consistency, however, many students/potential watchers have negative thoughts on movie screenings, with the most common among these being the prices. An average screening would have a price tag of P500 per ticket, which a lot of people aren’t willing to spend on, especially if they expect to only have a few friends going. Why not just buy regular, cheaper, tickets? Many hosts have tried to counteract this by offering discounts and coupons on movie snacks, but that’s done very little to change people’s minds. Probably the only thing that could help would be to lower the prices, but the hosts obviously still need to make a profit. This results in a stalemate between the experience itself, and the willingness to spend more money.

Speaking of the experience itself, everyone should definitely do it, at least once, especially if it’s for your own batch. It’s extremely relieving to have a cinema full of friends and batchmates, people who you know and joke around with. With them, regular cinema rules go out the window. There’s talk, there are reactions, there are snacks, there are people lying down in front of the screen, and so much more. Plus, you and your batch can hang out after wards, AND your batch earns more money for even more projects. Additionally, movies usually chosen for screenings are iconic, popular ones, like Star Wars, Infinity War, and more, meaning you’ll get to enjoy the movie as well as the company of your friends, family, dates, etc.

Sure, movie screenings aren’t all good. But there’s a reason it’s such a consistent fundraiser: because it works. People will always keep coming back and paying the high price. Why? For the experience of it all, and to support a host with plans which they support.

Pictures courtesy of Batch 2019

:::::::: by Lyle Surtida

SUMMER WOOOO!! :::::::: by Andrea Garcia and Carlo Sarrosa

As crammed Performance Tasks (PT’s) are hastily submitted, pages of reviewers for exams are coaxed out of the printer, last minute requirements are quickly completed, and the infamous Hell Week (or weeks in some cases) finally draws to a close, barkadas huddle together during the last lunch of the school year to discuss their plans for their summer hangouts before everyone leaves with their family. Who is going to go? When are they going to go? Where are they going to go? And most importantly, will there be Wifi? Don’t

1. Dessert Museum Fun fact: stressed backwards is desserts. So come and turn your stress around in the newly opened interactive Dessert Museum in Conrad Hotel Manila! Sure, it’s not an edible chocolate factory, but with an online rate of P699 per head (way cheaper than any golden ticket), you and your kada (and your bf/gf ) can enjoy a two hour tour in 8 amazing dessert rooms, get free desserts, and even “the most likes you’ve ever had on your Instagram photo!” Is that a challenge, or a promise? Find out this summer in the “sugariest, most IG worthy museum in Manila!” https://www.thedessertmuseum.com/ Unit 124, 126, 127a, Coral Way, S Maison Mall, Conrad Hotel Manila, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City

2. Mystery Manila/Breakout Philippines Ever wish that your life was on the line, and the only person who could help you was that one friend who tried to screenshot the cracks on their phone? Yeah, we don’t either. But that’s the risk that comes when you step into one of the many escape rooms in Manila, whether it’s the nostalgic 8-bit room Press Play in Serendra BGC’s Breakout PH, the haunting Sinister Sensorium in Century City Mall’s Mystery Manila, or even the terrifying Insidious-inspired escape room The Red Door, in SM North Edsa’s Breakout PH. Each of these rooms carry enough puzzles to rival that final Math exam, enough creativity to surprise the kada’s best artist, and enough logic to bring down the valedictorian. With prices range from P300-P600 per head, the choice is yours.

Will you Breakout in time?

Or Will you take on Mystery Manila’s challenge? http://www.breakout.com.ph/ http://www.mysterymanila.com/ Breakout: Serendra BGC, SM North Edsa, Paragon Plaza Building, Katipunan Mystery Manila: Century City Mall, Jupiter in Makati City, Ayala Malls the 30th, Libis in Quezon City

3. National Museum Okay, we know what you’re all thinking. Museums are boring, anyone who goes there only goes because they have a field trip (or they’re a nerd), etc. And, if you’re like us, the only time you’ve ever been to a museum is with your school for your annual school field trip.

And we get it! That can be super boring, considering your numerous teacher chaperones. But just imagine going with your kada! Bond with your kada mates as you explore the multiple museums under the National Museum, including the National Museum of Fine Arts, the National Museum of Natural History, and the National Planetarium. You can take the coolest kada pictures with the replica of Lolong the crocodile, or make funny memes about the paintings on the walls to post on your snap story, all while actually learning something about your country! Great deal, right? But here’s the best part. Admission is free!

So the only money you’ll be spending on this barkada trip is the huge dinner you guys will probably be eating after. And who knows? Maybe your snap will even go viral! http://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/ Padre Burgos Ave, Ermita, Manila, Metro Manila

worry, we know your brains are still dead from trying to answer the last question in the Filipino exam (Noli/El Fili looking at you), and you can’t think of anywhere to go, so we got your backs. Here is a comprehensive list of all the best places to go in Manila this summer! From museums to parks, you and your kada will surely find someplace to celebrate the freedom from all-nighters, from deadlines coming closer and closer, and even from that one friend who keeps asking for notes. The freedom of summer.

4. Trampoline Park We know you’re all still hyped with adrenaline from submitting that last Performance Task at 11:59 pm when it was due at 12mn, so jump it all out at Trampoline park! We don’t know what else to tell you aside from it’s a park. MADE OF TRAMPOLINES. They even have activities for all the people in your barkada! They’ve got Aerodance classes for the dancers, gravity dodgeball and basketball for the sporty ones, huge trampolines for the way too hyper ones that need to get rid of some energy and even foam pits! Because who doesn’t like to jump into a pool full of foam? And don’t worry, we know you’re going to be hungry from all that jumping, so make sure to check out the Gravity cafe so you can fill up and keep jumping.

At P320, it may be a bit expensive, but it’s definitely worth it for all the fun and bonding you’ll have there (AND this is considered exercise, so you’re one step closer to the summer bod you said you were going to get last summer)! http://trampolinepark.ph/ The Portal, Mayflower Street, Greenfield District, Mandaluyong City 1552, Metro Manila, Philippines

5. Art In Island Delay, despair, denial. The 3D’s of every student who’s ever crammed a homework, or gotten that LT they KNOW they didn’t study for. But when it comes to the interactive Art In Island, you can change your whole world. In Art In Island, EVERYTHING is 3D! All the paintings, all the designs, the floor murals, they’re all made for what Time calls “the world’s first selfie museum!”

We could go on and on about taking pics with guitarplaying monkeys, or coke-drinking bulls, or while passing a basketball to God, but it really needs to be seen, to be believed. So for a minimal average price of P500 per head (that’s WITHOUT the student discount), you too can “be part of art,” as their slogan says. So bring your best camera, all your friends and family, and get ready to create memories (or really good IG pics)! https://www.facebook.com/artinisland/ 175 15th Ave., Brgy. Socorro, Quezon City, Philippines

So there! Now you have so many amazing options to go to this summer! Will you take pictures at the Dessert Museum, jump it out at Trampoline Park, or solve some mysteries at Mystery Manila? Whether you actually manage to get everyone to fix their schedules for a day out or you just give up and chill in someone’s house, we hope you and your barkada get some time to bond and relax for the next two months, because you’re definitely going to need it before school starts and you once again drown in piles of homework and deadlines. Happy Summer!