THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN CA RLOS
The Carolinian Official. Oldest. Nonpartisan. Since 1932.
SEPT
E
2012 R E MB
80 years of campus press history, 7 years of voiceless studentry
Hottest Freshmen ● The Giving Girl ● Retelling the Tale of Julian Macoy ● The Starbucks Mentality
The Carolinian Official. Oldest. Nonpartisan. Since 1932.
PREVIOUS RELEASES 2011-2012 Since its revival in February 2011,
The Carolinian has already published five Editor-in-Chief Assistant Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor - Administration Managing Editor - Finance Associate Editor Circulations Manager SECTION EDITORS News Editor Opinion Editor Creative Non-Fiction Editor Creative Fiction Editor Filipino Editor NEWS BUREAU
CREATIVE CIRCLE
GRAPHICS & LAYOUT DEPARTMENT Graphics & Layout Director Layout Artists Photographers
Artists
LEONILO T. INOT JR. JAN LOUIS GAZO JOHN M. DESTACAMENTO MARIAH L. MAHINAY JHAINE LYKA A. VILLA MELISSA ANGELIQUE B. MALAGA
issues plus this magazine issue.
JOHN M. DESTACAMENTO JAN LOUIS GAZO RAMONA MAE S. RAJARATNAM MARLA ARIELLE B. SO JEWELMAE C. SOLAS MELERIA S. MANGARING MARIANNE JOAN H. ABUAN BRONWYN D. ABBAS MARIA CINDELLE C. ANCAJAS PATRICIA RACHEL M. FARRARONS MICHAEL C. GUINITA MA. MIKHAELA T. ALBARICO JOGHON IVAN O. ANGUSTIA MARK ADONES P. LINGARO
Maiden Issue August 2011
Tabloid Issue October 2011
JOHN LOUIE B. FUENTES JOYCE S. MAW ERIC RYAN A. SUAREZ EKIM B. MAÑACAP ANDREW N. ESPOSA MARY CATHERINE S. CODILLA JODIE T. FERRER CRIS PATALINGHUG
Email: thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com facebook.com/TheCarolinianPublication
Magazine Issue December 2011
Tabloid Issue March 2012
We welcome your comments, suggestions, letters and contributions. Only letters with signature will be entertained. Original manuscript contributions must be typewritten, double-spaced on a legal bond paper, and should bear the author’s name, address, year level and college. The identity of the writer maybe withheld upon request. Submitted contributions will become property of the publication. Send your contributions to this email address: thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com. No part of this magazine should be used for whatever purpose, unless allowed under the law, without a written permission duly-approved by the publication. All rights reserved 2012.
Literary Folio June 2012
I like talking about history. I’m no history expert but when it comes to hashing out about the past, I get to learn something. Some people just hate history for they could not resist being bombarded by horde of facts. Some even say just forget the past, face the present, and be ready for the future. True, we need to face the present and be ready for the future. But to forget the past? I don’t think so. History is significant, for denial of our past is denial of ourselves. Our past explains who we are now. What is more, it gives us the understanding of the present happenings. In this magazine issue, we bring Carolinian history on your table. In our cover story “The Carolinian: School Paper at Fourscore”, we reminisce the history of the school paper and how it has continued to raise the banner of
YESTERDAY’S CAROLINIAN campus journalism in spite of all obstacles. In the Universityscape section, we pay our debt on the seven-year absence of information to the students in Jhaine Lyka A. Villa’s and Ramona Mae S. Rajaratnam’s “Seven Years of Silence”. While the clock is ticking and wrinkles start appearing on our foreheads, we can never afford to miss the real deal on which school should be hailed the oldest in Jan Louis Gazo’s “USC vs UST”. Under Nation Eyes section, Jewelmae C. Solas’ “State of Noynoy’s Achievements” makes a reality check on the performance of the present administration. Ready to hop in the time machine for we’ll travel back in time to witness the game of a legendary Warrior in the basketball courts of ‘50s and ‘60s with John M. Destacamento’s “Retelling the Tale of Julian Macoy”. After our stressful and serious journey from the past, finally we go back to the present and meet the “Hottest Freshmen of 2012”. The power of history is not to be underestimated. But how we make use of it, it’s all in our hands—whether it’s shaping us for the betterment or demeaning us to our worst. Have a good read and keep the Carolinian spirit alive.
Leonilo T. Inot Jr.
about the cover To age without excellence is failure; to excel with age is prestige. To the old, the present and the coming Carolinians, this kind of prestige the academe has is symbolized by the USC clock tower. One of the oldest structures still standing in the university, it reminds us of the rocky history Carolinians went through, the pressing challenges they are facing today, and the uncertain future they are bound to face.
the
The Carolinian | Official. Oldest. Nonpartisan. Since 1932.
september 2012
contents 18
universityscape: 4 PAASCU: It’s Like Taking Exams 14 Assessing Your Assessment
top pick: 13 There Will Always Be a Carolinian
community sense: 17 Checking in Early
nation eyes: The Carolinian: School Paper at Fourscore
cover story
22 community sense
The Starbucks Mentality
9
The who, what, and why in USC’s 80 years of campus press history
universityscape
23 State of Noynoy’s Achievements 26 Abakada, Nasaan Ka? 27 Of History & Mistakes
potpourri: 37 Fashion BLOWS 37 Carolinian, Not Carlosian
7 USC vs UST Which is the oldest school?
31 universityscape Seven Years of Silence
What students missed when campus press shut down
28
feature 2 | The Carolinian: Official. Oldest. Nonpartisan / thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com
Retelling the Tale of Julian Macoy The Warrior who scored 126 points in one game
feature Hottest Freshmen 2012
Photograph By EKIM B. MAÑACAP
feature
“History is but the nail on which the
picture hangs.” - Alexandre Dumas
PAASCU Accreditation It’s like taking exams
S
weat dripping. Hands shaking. Pens clicking.
Tension is felt all over the room as time quickly approaches the last minute of the class. Ticking sounds from the hands of the clock makes hearts beat faster as students try to exhaust their brains in finding the possible answers to the problems that remain perplexing. Bell rings. Desperate, students try to formulate the best hypotheses they could ever think of and scribble numbers and processes just to fill their empty papers. “Pass your papers, class.” The test’s done. Deep sighs. Fingers are crossed with the hope that the guesses were right, calculations correctly executed, and the preparation done before the test would be enough to get a decent result. Taking exams is a basic element of school life. It is nothing extraordinary. Something that might be extraordinary, rather, is when the school becomes the student and undergoes this nervewrecking situation during the exams. The odds are in our favor today. This happening will unfold in our very eyes.
The examinee The University of San Carlos, dubbed as the premier university in the South, cannot sit on its laurels. Though its graduates constantly performed well and excelled in their respective board examinations, the University has to still prove its worth. It has to undertake constant selfimprovement to attain greater heights. In this regard, the university is now applying for PAASCU re-accreditation. It would be taking a test that would assess its capability as an educational institution hoping that the test would yield impressive results.
The examiner PAASCU which stands for Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities is a service organization recognized by the Department of Education that accredits academic programs which meet commonly accepted standards of quality education. PAASCU aims to kindle and integrate the efforts of institutions to bring to the fore the standards of education in the Philippines. It aspires to reinforce the potentials of the different educational institutions for the service to the nation. With its own set of criteria during the resurvey, PAASCU
4 | The Carolinian: Official. Oldest. Nonpartisan / thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com
classifies educational institutions that met or exceeded the given criteria of educational quality from those that have not yet met the criteria. It also encourages and assists institutions which have the capabilities and interest on improving themselves through continuing evaluation and selfsurveys. It does not only offer counsel and assistance to established and developing institutions and programs but it also offers a basis of institutional relationships particularly in students transferring. The accreditation levels granted by PAASCU to institutions also serve as guidelines to students and most importantly to their parents when choosing the best institution and program. The accredited programs and institutions applying for accreditation will also be given the opportunity to attract financial help from the government or other international organizations.
The test
The type of test the University would be taking is accreditation. Accreditation is a concept based on self-regulation. It focuses on evaluation and the continuing improvement of the quality of education. The evaluation is done by a survey
team which is composed of highlyskilled individuals and respected practicing professionals in their respective fields. Institutions like the University of San Carlos and programs that continuously upgrade their quality of education and services take on this process of accreditation. When an institution or program meets the commonly accepted standards of quality or excellence, the accreditation status is granted to the applying institution. PAASCU does not base its evaluation on mediocre standards. PAASCU has developed its survey forms in such a way that it recognizes the principles and practices found in excellent institutions. The evaluation is more qualitative than quantitative. They do not follow a strict formula or a particular pattern when evaluating. Their criteria and survey instruments are but only paraphernalia which would help the institutions gauge quality of education. PAASCU, moreover, does not
judge an institution by comparing it with other institutions. Rather, it judges the institution by the level to which it has avowed its set purposes and how they are practiced and applied in the areas being evaluated.
What’s in it for you and me?
The school, particularly subject instructors, made student’s lives intricate. Perhaps, now is payback time. This is the perfect time to get revenge and make their lives hard too. You might even be thinking not to participate during class discussions and attend class late for the mere purpose of getting back at your teacher. Well, before doing that, you might want to think again. When granted the accreditation status, USC, aside from having bragging rights for three years, will have full administrative and financial deregulation. It would also have a privilege to offer new graduate programs, open new learning or distance education, extension classes and to partake in
the transnational education. USC would also be prioritized in the awards of grants, subsidies or funding assistance from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). The accreditation would signify the school is providing quality education giving graduates a higher chance of employment right after graduation. USC graduates will also be accredited without prior approval of the CHED and without need for Special Orders making the processing of the official Transcript of Records (TOR) shorter. The greatest benefit of USC having re-accredited by PAASCU is the mere fruit of quality education, effective and practical learning, a kind of learning that could serve as the student’s armor in facing the real world. The odds are again in our favor, Carolinians. Not because we can seek revenge but because we are given the chance to grow and even become better in our chosen fields through experiencing quality education.
Mr. Napoleon Nazareno He thought of flying airplanes when he was a kid. Instead, he soared high as current president and CEO of PLDT and Smart Communications. Napoleon Nazareno visited the University of San Carlos for a seminar sponsored by the Asian Institute of Management last July 19, 2012 at the CAFA Theater. Nazareno narrated his humble beginnings. He was born into a humble, middle-class family. His father was a colonel in the military and his mom acted as a negotiator. As a kid he dreamed of becoming a pilot because for him, flying airplanes was cool. His dream remained just that, a dream. He studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of San Carlos. After graduating, he ended as a driving salesman in Northern Mindanao. He told the students he wasn’t the smartest kid in the class, but certainly he was the wisest. He recalled how he hated the long queue of students waiting for their turn to use the lathe machine. Instead of waiting several minutes to fall in line, he paid a different student to take his place and told to call him when it was his turn for the machine. He also admitted that he wasn’t outstanding in his master’s class. But because he graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, he had a natural inclination towards math subjects such as quantitative analysis and accounting. However, he found himself liking human resource, marketing and strategy subjects. In 1998, after earning his master’s degree in 1973 from Asian Institute of Management (AIM), he joined Pilipino Telephone Corp. (Piltel) and became its president. He obtained the job of resurrecting the ailing mobile phone subsidiary of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), which happens to be the country’s largest telecommunications company. He is concurrently the president and CEO of PLDT and Smart Communications, the market leader in the Philippine cell phone industry. Despite all the strings of accolades under his belt, he still wants to be a pilot. (By Maria Cindelle C. Ancajas)
thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com / SEPTEMBER 2012 | 5
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USC ARHITECTURE TOPS BOARD EXAMS. The Professional Regulation Commission and the Board of Architecture of the Philippines recognized USC – Architecture as the top performing school for an exemplary passing performance of 84 percent in the licensure exams last June, 2012, highest among all other schools, colleges and universities in the country.
NEW USC PRESS OFFICE TO RISE. Work is on-going on the construction of a modest two-storey structure at the Gate 1/ South Gate of the Talamban campus for the USC Press Office. It is slated for completion by November 2012. The location complements the University’s Alumni and Visitors' Center located at the other end of the campus frontage, both being interface components of the University to the community at large. (Source: http://www.usc.edu.ph)
AIM FORUM. In a forum participated by a mix of Carolinians from different schools and colleges, three alumni of Asian Institute of Management, who are Carolinian alumni themselves, shared their experiences and knowledge as distinguished leaders in the corporate ladder. The lucky few from the audience got fabulous raffle prizes including brand new Samsung Galaxy Y cellphones.
NOW OPEN. The biggest library of the country—Fr. Josef Baumgartner Learning Resource Center —started opening to students and researchers last July 6, 2012. For now, the library furnishing and full cataloging of books have not yet been finished.
WHICH IS THE OLDEST SCHOOL ?
USC VS UST
I
t’s not a fine sunshiny day when two of the top universities in the country fight over the right to be called the oldest school, a matter totally unrelated to education and does not define an institution for whatever purpose it serves. But since the matter is here and is here to stay until resolved, we might as well put up our front and defend our home turf. Coincidental with the University of Santo Tomas’ 400th anniversary celebration last year, two articles came out to protect the Thomasians’ claim of being the oldest, both as a school and as a university, slamming the University of San Carlos’ 1595 foundation date. The first one, from UST’s official student publication The Varsitarian, an article by Charmaine M. Parado’s “UST is oldest, period” drives at USC’s rising up from Colegio de San I ld efons o’s as hes , a connection Parado claims to be invalid for USC to declare continuity with San Ildefonso. The second one, published in the USTaffiliated broadsheet Philippine Daily Inquirer, Jose Victor Torres’ “No contest: UST is oldest university” slams USC’s non-existent claim of being the oldest university in the country. This writer admits that USC’s history is on the rocky side. What with all the changes in management and closures, the university’s history is documented only as much as these changes allow. The papal expulsion of the Jesuits from Spain and all the Spanish possessions in 1767 left San Ildefonso standing sans occupants for ten years. Only in 1779 when King Charles III transferred San Ildefonso’s ownership and possessions to the Bishop of Cebu, who at that time was Msgr. Mateo Joaquin Rubio de Arevalo, was San Ildefonso
reestablished as the Real Seminario de San Carlos, a seminary named after San Carlos Borromeo. As far as the The Varsitarian article had tackled, the expulsion of the Jesuits is the only matter in question when it comes to the continuity of the school. “You do not call a mango tree an orange tree just because the mango tree has grown in the place where formerly an orange tree was planted, grew and died,” as a former UST archivist said, but the transfer of documents suggests that the Bishop of Cebu had the right to continue, and in this case rename and reestablish, San Ildefonso, countering the continuity in question. As for the right to be the oldest university, USC held no such claim and respectfully concedes to UST on such matter. USC never challenged UST’s age as a university as it was elevated to university status in 1948, 303 years after Pope Innocent X raised UST to a university (1645). It might be true that “newspapers, periodical publications and even an occasional history book have come out with such a claim” (Torres’ own words) but USC, as an academe, holds pride in never claiming it became a university more than 303 years before it did. After the expulsion of the Jesuits, USC has changed names, hands, policies and purposes, but these changes were done swiftly and have not raised any eyebrows in terms of continuity. Had the Second World War failed to reach Cebu City, the then Colegio de San Carlos would have been raised to university status early. Aside from the delay, the war also d es t r oy ed t he M a i n Building and disrupted the school’s operations. This writer’s research has yet to produce the documents that approved the transfer of San
8 | The Carolinian: Official. Oldest. Nonpartisan / thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com
Ildefonso’s ownership and properties to the Bishop of Cebu. Further research needs to be done as time restrictions rendered research to be done only within school premises and not in other places like the archives of the Archdiocese of Cebu where such documents may be found. With this entire hullabaloo on the issue of being the oldest school and the oldest university, we should not forget that both parties are here to educate in the first place. No one has to fight this silent war if both remain being what they are – two of the premiere educational institutions in the country. The matter of age should not be an issue if both concentrate on giving quality education to students from here and abroad.
T thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com / SEPTEMBER 2012 | 9
Ending at ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ The lobby of the male uniform policy had spurred so much opposition and stirred activists off their feet. All the more, the Council of Deans proposed that men should also wear uniforms. So they took their protest from the streets of Talamban to the student publication then, the Today’s Carolinian. In one of their issues, they published caricatures of the Virgin Mary wearing a uniform and St. Arnold naked. For them purely satire, the world took it blasphemous. But more than these ‘blasphemous’ caricatures, Today’s was famous for its parting shots and back page poems. Their literary page contained in its erotic poems in outright Bisaya – which was actually very lewd for a student publication of a Catholic University which values the sanctity of sex and marriage. And so one priest had enough of it, the then Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Fr. Florencio Lagura, SVD filed a complaint against Today’s Carolinian. The claim was that Today’s Carolinian went beyond the ethics of a campus press. Fr. Roderick Salazar, SVD, the then University President, ordered investigation and so it was penalized – Today’s Carolinian was mandated to stop operations, the editorial staff involved asked for apologies, hence, the demise of the student publication. The magazine titled ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ was the last issue released before it closed shop in 2004. Reports also surfaced that the office given to Today’s Carolinian
Engr. Jency Lim bagged the first place in the May 2008 Civil Engineer Licensure Examination with the average score of 97.00% was used for other purposes, such as the making of placards to stage protests against USC.
Uniform Policy Prior to 2004, the girls were the only ones who were wearing uniforms. But the cheapness of its cloth and how the cloth used was made very available to anyone who was pleased with it. It was very popular that many had used it as aprons, table cloths, shorts and taxi s ea t co ve rs . T his l ed t he administration to change the design of the uniform, with the cloth available only to USC-accredited tailors and with USC patents on it. It was a response to uplift the image of the Carolinian uniform. Also,
rumors had it that during this time a scandalous video has circulated in the internet with a girl subject wearing a ‘supposedly’ Carolinian uniform. In 2004, the administration had also banned cross-dressing for homosexuals. Men were not allowed to wear earrings and were not allowed to have long hair. In 2005, now the male uniform policy came into full realization and more and more protests had been made by the student activists (and even some of the faculty members). More policies had taken effect during this year, in addition to the “No Earring and Long Hair Policy” for men. One of which was that gays were never allowed to wear makeup in school premises. In 2006, the incoming first year students were now required to wear the new uniform. The higher years were allowed to just go on without the uniform. A revised student manual was released.
Campus Politics In 2004, Deogracias Cane of the Student Power Party (SPP) was reelected for his second term as President of the Supreme Student Council (SSC). This was the first time this had happened in SSC’s 25year existence since its reestablishment in 1983. History repeats itself, only that another party ruled this time. Ed Byron Monares of the Student Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (STAND), who won his first term as the SSC President in 2006, was re-elected in the following year. This was the second time this had happened after Deogracias Cane of SPP (2003 &
2008: A memo was released by former members of Today’s Carolinian’s disapproving the statement of then SSC President Christine Lovely E. Red of Tingog Carolinian, where she supposedly claimed that she “in her present proud administration” has successfully revived the student publication. The memo said, “During the deprivation of the
students of their official student publication, the University suffered several setbacks specifically during the PAASCU accreditation when they deplored the USC administration for not having an official student publication, and when PAASCU eventually took away the Level 3 accreditation status for missing such an important and significant organization in the University. It was then that the USC administration was forced to negotiate with the present SSC administration for the revival of Today’s Carolinian. “ And as a retort, Today’s added, “How dare they assume that it was thru their efforts, how convenient it is for them to omit such important details in the struggle to revive campus press. How selfish it is to claim that it was due to their leadership that such achievement was reached, when it was borne out of the blood and sweat of the
CAROLINIANS themselves. “ In July 2011, Fr. Eleno P. Bucia, SVD signed a letter telling the whole Carolinian community that The
Carolinian (no longer Today’s Carolinian) is now the official student publication of this University.
10 | The Carolinian: Official. Oldest. Nonpartisan / thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com
2004). Interestingly, in his first take place: Kent Galleros – June 2005 Engineer Licensure Examination; of the presidential billet, no one from Architect Licensure Examination; and Kristina Shan – November the Tingog Carolinian candidates 2009 Civil Engineer Licensure won a seat in the SSC. Fifteen (15) Examination. out of 16 of STAND’s It was in year 2006 that USC candidates won a seat in gained the most numerous the council, with SPP recognitions. This year got having three (3) out the highest number of of 17 who had at topnotchers with 19, least got in. Also, followed by 2005 & three out of five 2008 with 18. In October 20, 2006: With its 2020 Vision to become a independent July 2006, USC universe-city, the University of San Carlos broke ground for the candidates Law School erection of the University Sports Stadium. The opening actually ranked no. 2 in ceremony was headed by Fr. Roderick C. Salazar Jr., SVD. made it the country strong to the after Ateneo de However, some criticized the establishment of the proposed Council. Manila. stadium. Mr. Aloysius Mariea Cañete, a faculty member of Department of Sociology and Anthropology Department, released an article Architecture’s stating the not eco-friendly actions of the university by 18 top-drawer cutting down trees and “quarrying” in the mountainous However, architects areas of Talamban Campus. Mr. Cañete now is reportedly ever since composed the 2004, there highest number running his own non-profit research group that finds has been a among other innovative alternatives to address poverty, exclusion and dramatic decrease departments. Not too inequality in the Philippines, especially Visayas and in voter turnout by far were the Mindanao regions. about 50 percent. In Department of Civil the year 2000, voter Engineering and the turnout was at 10,000! Department of Chemical It is sad how we only have at Engineering having 13. most 3,000- 4,000 voter turnouts In the run of seven years, USC these days, considering there are has consistently included itself as about 18,000 students in the Alnald Caintic Javier – “one of the top performing schools” University. Apathy has long September 2005 Chemist Licensure nationwide based on the Chemical disenfranchised the voting turnouts. Ex a m i na ti on; C arlo B rian Engineer Licensure examinations. Tagalum – October 2005 Mechanical Engineer Licensure The New President Enrolment Debacle Examination; Jency Lim – May Fr. Dionisio M. Miranda, SVD From long queues to some trial 2008 Civil Engineer Licensure was inaugurated as the 10 th runs, enrolment has already been a Examination; Amando Radomes President of the University of San problem ever since. Carlos. His predecessor Fr. Roderick ISIS online enrolment was first Jr. – July 2009 Industrial Engineer Certification Examination; Rexonni Salazar Jr., SVD had served the introduced in the first semester of Lagare – November 2009 Chemical university for four terms (2005AY 2008 – 2009 to aid the enrolment process. But small bandwidth and a mass of students who were checking it up online caused the system to slow down. This was a failure for the most part because of its glitches. They shut this down and by the following semester switched back to ARIS that caused the university to postpone its first days of classes for a week.
Student Achievements on Licensure Examinations As an institution of excellence, where students were equipped with the proper gears in facing this challenging world, USC took pride of having a total number of 105 topnotchers in the nationwide board examinations from March 2004 to March 2011. Out of those excellent 105 Carolinians, by coincidence in number, seven bagged the first
In response to the exasperating flood caused by rainfall, the university spent Php 7 Million for the construction of retention ponds and canals in upstream areas of Talamban Campus in 2009.
thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com / SEPTEMBER 2012 | 11
2008; 2002-2005; 1990-1993; 1987-1990). Before he was made President, he was a member of the USC Board of Trustees from June 2003 to May 2006 and the Vice Chairman of the Board from June 2002 to May 2005.
Changes in the University The year 20 04 wa s supposed to be the start of the implementation of the University I-Card, where the students can just swipe the ID Card to get in to the school premises, use it for purchases in the canteen, or pay tuition fees. But the contractor or provider backed out from the project. The University I-Card was never realized. The new College of Architecture and Fine Arts (CAFA) Building and General Services Building were inaugurated in 2005. The CAFA Building is one of the most modern buildings of the University of San Carlos and famous for its airport-ish feel. This was also the year when all the Sciences and Arts courses started to migrate from the Main Campus (presently referred as Downtown Campus) to the Talamban Campus (TC). This also included the College of Nursing (now School of Health Care Professions) that was formerly from the South
Campus. On the 28th of June 2008, the Ernest Hoerdemann (EH) Building (or Law and Business School Building) was inaugurated after eight months of construction, which began in May 5, 2007. Floods and clogged sewerage systems have been a burden for the students in TC. In 2009, the University responded to the problem (through the help of the Civil Engineering Department and DCD Construction) by constructing its Php 7 millionworth of retention ponds and canals in TC which were located in the upstream areas of the campus. In the Civil Engineering Department’s study, they determined that since midstream and downstream areas are outside the campus, containing water upstream was the best option for the University since this section was within its property. In 2007, eight units of multicabs in TC were painted in the ever so bright yellow run by the USC Credit Cooperative, Inc. The shuttles used two years before were Mandaue multicab jeepneys that were commissioned by the school to serve as the first shuttles. The fare then ranged from Php 2.00 to 3.00.
November 23, 2005: In front of USC-TC, along Nasipit Road, graduating Engineering student Christian Peñalosa was beaten up by four fraternity members, two of which were members of Alpha Phi Omega (APO). He died after they alternately smote him on his head and body by a metal pipe. He was about to go home, but was bushwhacked by the suspects. Both of the APO members surrendered to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG-7).
“That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons that History has to teach.” - Aldous Huxley 12 | The Carolinian: Official. Oldest. Nonpartisan / thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com
John Wilbert Orilla BS ChE “Alongside of being a Carolinian is excellence while putting down roots on the grounds of humility. I believe that Carolinians are excellent as they are diffident. These are things that I am proud of.”
Mary jasmelle camanan BS Chem “Carolinians are not just academicallyexcellent students who can excel in this fastpaced world, in a dog-eat-dog economy but also imbued with virtues and Christian values that make us stand out to the rest of the human populace. Moreover, the University of San Carlos already set its name globally; a prominent Catholic institution continually producing well-rounded graduates equipping them with the tools needed for the life after graduation.”
Keisha lao BS Pharm “USC has one of the best and updated facilities which can respond to the needs of the generation today.” For comments and suggestions, e-mail us at thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com
there will
always be
a
Carolinian
An editorial taken from Sept. - Oct. 1962 issue of The Carolinian
Not
long ago, a former staff member of the CAROLINIAN was heard to say: “I wonder if there is still a CAROLINIAN.” This after the news item in the USC Bulletin to effect that the CAROLINIAN is still very much alive and kicking. But physical existence of the CAROLINIAN was not he had in mind. From the moment the present staff was formed, the same derogatory remarks have been hurled at us by a certain group, maintaining that this year’s issues of the CAROLINIAN will be of the junior variety in content. We feel that we have had it up to here and are not going to take any more of the same. It is high time, we believe, to give them a piece of our mind and present herewith a retort. We take the above comment as the height of arrogance, of selfconceit, and self-importance. That individual and his ilk believe that without them the professional type of CAROLINIAN will die, that deprived of their self-imposed genius, the senior CAROLINIAN will cease to exist. The same comment further implies a provocative insult, not only to the administration but to present staff as well. It clearly implies a slur on the capabilities of the latter. They insinuate that without them at the helm of our college organ, the new staff will flounder and eventually sink. We do not deny that in point of academic standing, our present staff of freshmen and sophomores are puny Davids against their senior postgraduate Goliaths. But it has universally proven that size and rank are not always indicative of intellectual quality. If high-flown, erudite wordings are an indication of a mature, professional publication, then such
well-established world-famous magazines as The Saturday Evening Post, Time, Newsweek, Life, and The Reader’s Digest, to mention a few, do not quite meet the standard, for their wordage, as a rule is quite simple and can be easily understood by the man on the street. If existentialist, neo-paganistic or materialistic opinions are the measure of a senior college publication, the UST’s Varsitarian, Ateneo de Manila’s Guidon and The Bedan, (again, to mention a distinguished few) are tyros, for they write a simple, abiding faith in a living, personal God. If abstract, impressionistic writings are the yardstick of a publication, then all the above papers have failed, for their contents are adequately substantial and down-to-earth. If profound, difficult-to-understand diction is the mark of an intelligent man, it therefore follows that Churchill, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and Kennedy are morons, for their best speeches are written in clear, simple style and not obscured by, nor bogged down with, highfalutin language. To use pretentious, highsounding words as criteria for journalistic prowess, is, to our thinking, shallow, artificial, and ineffective. Such words are not conducive to common understanding. And understanding is the key to existence, for unless a man understands, he might as well be dead. It might be in order to remind our detractors of the fact to reason; that God, in His infinite wisdom, did not endow the gift of writing to a handful of His little creatures, but distributed it to a reasonably proportionate number around the world. It might further bring their ego down a few notches to meditate on the fact that the CAROLINIAN of the senior variety came into
existence even before they saw the light of day, and that it will continue to exist long after they shall have returned to dust. Rectors may change, professors may come and go, new staffers may appear from time to time, but the CAROLINIAN will go on her serene way— expounding, extolling, theorizing, and above all, entertaining. The spirit of the CAROLINIAN will live on long after its staff, past, present, and future, shall have passed away. No group or individual, no matter how gifted, can rightfully say: I made the CAROLINIAN. I gave her life and made her great. For the senior CAROLINIAN is not the possession, the brainchild, nor the passing fancy of a handful of individuals who, it seems, would take advantage of her by making her a sounding board for their creative talents and an instrument for attack against those who would, with reason, oppose them. The CAROLINIAN is not the show window of the brilliance and geniuses of a selected few. The CAROLINIAN is not the be-all and the end-all of her existence. Rather , the CAROLINIAN is the property of the whole university, from the administration to the faculty down to the last freshman. She is the embodiment of the lofty ideals and noble objectives which the University of San Carlos aims to accomplish. To those who, out of frustration or spite or both, would wish her untimely demise through belittling remarks and innuendoes, we say: As long as there is a USC, there will always be a CAROLINIAN. And not of the junior quality, either.
thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com / SEPTEMBER 2012 | 13
Assessing your Assessment By Mariah L. Mahinay
USERNAME. PASSWORD. VERIFYING. And now logging into your account. No, this isn’t for Facebook purposes or other social networking sites. Not here to check the gossip strips online or download a new season of the tears and death dramas, but surely you have your own ISMIS account. Not so exciting compared to other social networking sites, you would think there are fewer things to do in your academic account except for the start of the semester when enrolment begins, and then problems occur with getting in subjects…the rest is history and that’s another problem. What else can you do when you enter ISMIS? Grades, check! Be noted of offenses and announcements, check! Change really long original passwords, enroll and schedule, check-checkcheck! Run through of assessment, check-grumble-sigh. This has been an issue before: why are the rates so high and does our money go all around what the assessment shows? As students, being concerned of financial dues is normal and part of life however, some feel and believe that the charges are high enough and dread to know the news of increases every year. Others are not pleased with it but don’t mind anymore of how the flow is going. That can be stressful and darken the days ahead for anyone and with a shaking head, it isn’t the end of the world yet. Here are ways you can see your assessment as not just numbers and payment dues, it could save you a headache and lessen the nightmares of how much you have to dig deep in your pockets.
Tuition
Fees-Your subjects. Hey classmates, whether you are a regular student or not, taking a full load or less than what is required, this section shows what you want to take has its lecture and lab values. There are priceless experiences that you have probably met in these subjects. How else would you make your circle of friends closer but by going through journals reading plus mind blogging interpretations and reporting together? Or meeting new mentors or maybe get inspired to be one. Taking this class and that, you might have met crush or found your significant other there. Ah, angels do fall in the least expected places. Semestral Fees-School facilities and extras. The facilities you see around you have to be maintained, you may not know the importance of why areas you rarely visit have to be part of the assessment. Visit their office and inquire what kind of services they provide for the students. Go and do some adventure time! If you do know what the facility is for, say the clinics around the school, then you know that keeping yourself in one piece is a priority. There are college and department related fees too, and do you hear the cries of colleges bellowing or cheering during Intramurals? Be proud of your course and college, it is there to build civilization further even if it is not the most sought out course today.
Bet you are scratching your head on the athletics sections and thinking “I’m not an athlete and never have been close to one”. Wrong. If you are one who does not engage in sports often, you still do a sport that is still highly admired, being the audience and supporter. No joke here. You don’t do regular trainings but taking the effort of show up and give encouragement to your team means the world to the players and athletes. The same goes for the aspiring actors of the student body, having an audience is worth performing again and again.
Other Fees. The items in this cluster are not classified to be with the others already mentioned because they are on their own, the charges may not be so high and may not be there all the time.
Adjustments
and Privileges. You can meet accidents on the way. Break a test tube or a window or maybe the entire classroom. The adjustments don’t only cover school property damage, they also come with the room charges because your stay is always welcomed that way. The privileges are on scholarships or discounts, aha, think of them as promos you look to when you get to the mall or your favorite store and restaurant, only the free ice tea and charming waiter or salesman isn’t really there.
Admittedly, we are all still in doubt why charges are made to things we expect to be free or be part of the payment with the other clusters. The overall tuition increases and that’s what gets some of us in shock, disappointed and searching the stars why our income cannot rise like the school fees or on the other side: better to sweep away the payments. Until there are clearer answers as to why, you can dwell on these given ideas to ease the load for a time. Put a smile back on. You can, after all, assess your own assessment while you stand in line for the cashier next time. 14 | The Carolinian: Official. Oldest. Nonpartisan / thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com
B
ut many are claimed before their times are up. Children, teenagers, young adults—all with potential, all gone too soon. If the youth is the hope of the future, what is to happen to a country where their numbers are slowly but surely dwindling? According to the Department of Health (DOH), non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancers, stroke, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes account for more than 40% of deaths in young people ages 10 – 24. To think that these deaths could have been prevented, could have averted completely with a healthy lifestyle. Smoking, doing drugs, drinking, overeating and engaging in early unprotected sexual intercourse is killing off our youth. A 2011 study conducted by the National Youth Commission (NYC) showed that over 2.2 million Filipino teenagers smoked. I do not dare guess by how much this meager number has increased in the past year, what with peer pressure and teenagers’ natural curiosity. The truly sad thing about the smoke from cigarettes is that while it kills the
or drunk or both have been linked to violent and erratic behaviors that lead to assault and transport accidents which are leading causes of mortality among the youth. Physical inactivity is common in twenty-first century Philippines. I would know. Gone are the days when children were expected to spend their free time out in the open running around, playing with friends and soaking up the sun. In such an advanced technological age, everyone’s usually indoors watching TV, surfing the net and soaking up the UV radiation. So it isn’t surprising that more and more kids are obese and at risk of developing health problems that would lead to premature deaths. In a devoutly Catholic country such as ours, it is surprising to note that young Filipinos are gradually adopting a more permissive attitude towards pre-marital sex. What’s scary is that though sexual activity may have risen, the youth still lack the proper knowledge of the risks involved, such as getting infected by sexually transmitted diseases or the incurable and deadly HIV/AIDS and teenage pregnancies which have a
drugs and sometimes even overdose on them. Despite sex education in schools and the naturally conservative tendencies of Filipinos, teenage pregnancies have increased by 70 percent in the past decade. It is human nature that we hunger, that we seek, that we yearn for that feeling of completeness and adequacy, for that sense of independence and identity, for that elusive ‘meaning’ to the otherwise aimless lives we lead. This is especially true of the impressionable, idealistic youths who are at their most confused and vulnerable. I cannot deny that the new generations face serious problems because the evidence would prove me wrong. All the illicit pleasures are too easy to obtain, all the bad habits too hard to break. There is a need to pause and take a step back. With all the temptations out there to overwhelm us, we must return to our roots so that we do not succumb to them. Let us be inspired by our faith, whatever it may be, and reaffirm our values and beliefs. Let us reconnect
The Philippines is home to at least 9 million drug addicts, most of whom belong to the 14—25 age group.
smoker, it also kills the people around him. And with four out of five teenagers residing in areas populated with chronic smokers, the threat is real and imminent.
higher chance complications.
A more disturbing study revealed that the Philippines is home to at least 9 million drug addicts, most of whom belong to the 14 – 25 age group. In another survey, it was shown that, on the average, Filipino youths start drinking by 16 or 17, but that there are some who start drinking as young as 12. Being high
There are numerous laws protecting the youth from harming themselves. But despite the 2004 implementation of sin taxes, many are still purchasing their poisons. Despite the vigilant monitoring of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), adolescents still manage to get their hands on illegal
16 | The Carolinian: Official. Oldest. Nonpartisan / thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com
of
developing
with our families. Let us search for role models to emulate. Let us harness the boundless, spirited energy of the youth for the greater good. Let us not think so bleakly. No one is truly lost until their last heartbeat dies out. Dum vita est spes est. While there is life, there is hope.
School Paper at Fourscore By Leonilo T. Inot Jr.
The 80-year chronicle of the school paper has not been a smooth sailing voyage. For one, it experienced more or less 23 years of dark ages— times when campus journalism’s mouth was shut.
first editor-in-chief Fulvio C. Pelaez was on the cover of October 1950 issue. At that time, he became the dean of College of Law of the University.
The series of photographs taken by
The Carolinian shows different parade floats of each college –an exquisite ‘University Days’ tradition that has not transpired anymore in the contemporary period.
18 | The Carolinian: Official. Oldest. Nonpartisan / thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com
Onset of the School Paper While the famous female aviatrix Amelia Earhart started flying solo across Atlantic Ocean in 1932, on the other side of the world, Colegio de San Carlos opened its first student paper and named it El Estudiante (The Student, in English) with Pablo Tan as the first editor. A name which could be a brainchild of one’s fondness for calling a pet dog Doggy, El Estudiante came out in tabloid form. As Ross Escobar would describe it in her article The Expurgated History of ‘The Carolinian’ of 1956 summer issue, it was in the size of which had to be measured by an electron microscope and the typesetter must have been cross-eyed for the paper to look like an edition of a local song hit kit. Years later, when Atlantic Ocean got boring and Amelia Earhart soon decided she’d fly across Pacific Ocean, the paper was renamed to The Carolinian, archaically tagged as the Official Organ of the Student Body of Colegio de San Carlos; the issue
changed to magazine. Short-staffed and under-financed, it took off a struggling inception, notwithstanding adversities, the magazine’s elbow grease remained. The Carolinian managed to survive and to come out monthly at 0.20 centavos per copy with its news, sports, literary, and feature articles. It even had Seccion Castellana which showcased Spanish write-ups to fully cater to people’s trilingual demands and an ROTC section—edited by their very own Military Editor—which articles mouthed about military stuff. Pre-law prodigy and football zealot, Fulvio C. Pelaez was the first editor-in-chief. By 1940, while theories of Amelia Earheart’s mysterious disappearance in the Pacific emerged, The Carolinian had developed into a slick magazine and could be said to be one of the most respectable school publications in the country. But in 1942, still Amelia was nowhere to be found, upon the outbreak of World War II, it ceased publication and left Virgilio Kintanar as the last in the line of editors-in-chief.
Great Former President Sergio Osmeña was interviewed by editors Tomas L. Echivarre and Buddy B. Quitorio.
thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com / SEPTEMBER 2012 | 19
Together with the rehabilitation of Colegio de San Carlos in 1945, after the school was turned into a fort by the Japanese army during the war, The Carolinian went into business again led up by Francis Militante. One of the most notable writers of The Carolinian in the 1940s was Napoleon G. Rama, serving as editor-in-chief from 1949 to 1951. He went on to become a well-known journalist, helped reestablish the Philippine Free Press, was floor leader of the 1986 Constitutional Commission, and is the publisher of Manila Bulletin. Red-letter History In 1950s, the school paper, or fondly called The “C”, crested its stature among well-respected campus journalism coteries, with competent writers, and articles that made students became more active players of the society like the period’s basketball varsity Warriors who competed aggressively in interschool playoffs even with their
Late President Ramon Magsaysay arrived at USC as very important guest during the March 1957 Commencement Rites. three-inch-above-the-knee shorts and tucked in jersey. Its October 1955 issue featured the most distinguished Carolinian,
Don Sergio Osmeña who retired to his home at that time after working as the 4th president of the Philippines. Editors Tomas Echivarre and Buddy Quitorio, both wearing clean long sleeve polo to marry up the occasion, interviewed the Grand Old Man of Cebu. In their discourse, he remarked that the real foundation of his career started in USC. On March 16, 1957, Ramon Magsaysay went to USC as a very important guest speaker during the University’s commencement rites. Five hours after his visit, the presidential plane “Mt. Pinatubo”, a C-47 heading back to Manila, crashed on Mt. Manunggal, Balamban, Cebu and 36 were killed including the Idol of the Masses. Before that tragic incident happened, The Carolinian were able to capture some of the last moments of the president—one of the most important coverage that the school paper stamped on the university’s shroud of historical accounts. Driven by the happenings of the revolutionary decade of 1960s, the paper published serious essays about communism, student involvement, people’s hue and cry for change, acclivity of nationalism, and Second Vatican Council. In 1970, the demand for an autonomous student publication was first officially brought to the USC administration. When Ferdinand Marcos wholly embraced being an authoritarian by declaring Martial Law on September 21 of 1972 after signing Proclamation No. 1081, The Carolinian had no choice but to cease publication for the second time. With the loss of The Carolinian, USC students were silenced for almost a decade. Post-Martial Law Era Martial Law was finally countermanded on January 17, 1981 and a call for a free paper became even more pressing. It was then in 1983 that the school paper was resurrected but was renamed Today’s Carolinian. The new activist paper’s very first editor-inchief was Jose Eleazar Bersales. In 1990s, the paper had won the
20 | The Carolinian: Official. Oldest. Nonpartisan / thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com
It was in 1961 when the magazine front cover “Mysterious Woman” took a complete departure from the common run of The Carolinian covers. Ernesto Rodriguez Award for Best Publication for a number of years given by the National Press Conference of College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), the national association of student publications. An incident that harried the school paper was the embezzlement of the school paper funds involving Cristina Maria V. Calzo, editor-inchief 1991-1992. In 1992, TC released its first newspaper issue, The Red &Black. In March 2004, Today’s Carolinian ended its road with its magazine issue, Sympathy for the Devil, after the University decided to stop collecting fees. Mark Patrick Lorenzana was the last editor-inchief. For the third time in its chronicle, the school paper took another terminal. The “C” Revival In Febraury 2011, the University through the Office of Student Affairs made a university-wide recruitment of student writers who were willing to become part of the student publication. Invitation was just simple. “Do you want to write anything under the sun?” After interested applicants underwent qualifying examinations and panel interviews, the members of the editorial staff were
From left to right: Cebu Governor Jose Briones, Father Rector, the late President and Cebu City Mayor Sergio Osmeña Jr.
determined and so The Carolinian— taking the original and oldest name of the student paper— was formed. John M. Destacamento became the first editor-in-chief of the revived school paper. As the revival of The Carolinian was realized, elected SSC president Frances Villarino of STAND party insisted to reconstitute another student paper (Today’s Carolinian) as one of her party's platforms, which is the reason of the existence of two publications. In August 2011, when The Carolinian released its maiden issue, the editorial staff of Today’s Carolinian was then
formed. In January 2012, Today's circulated its first issue with an introductory article from the SSC president herself— the biggest flaw made by a supposedly independent paper. The biggest insult that could happen in campus publication is when students do not anymore recognize the difference between the roles of the Government and the Press. Since the publication’s revival, the staff members of The Carolinian have been working independently without the censorship from the Office of the Student Affairs nor
from the USC administration. Official, Oldest, Nonpartisan History speaks for itself. The 80 years of campus press proves that no matter what series of fortunate and unfortunate events time has given, the school paper has stood as a stronghold of the students and of the university. For now, even with the presence of another publication, as long as tidings are endless, your official, oldest, nonpartisan student publication, The Carolinian remains and shall remain. No matter what happens.
As long as there is a USC , there will always be a CAROLINIAN. - Praxedes P. Bulabog, EIC 1962-1963
Some of The Carolinian magazine covers before it closed publication in 1972 Imposition of Martial Law
thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com / SEPTEMBER 2012 | 21
s k c u b r Sta The
BY JAN LOUIS GAZO
A
particular person and I had a very interesting argument once. It was about coffee, Starbucks and Nescafe to be specific. Interestingly, my vocally logical colleague thought Starbucks was more “from coffee beans” and more “brewed” than Nescafe. In the end I had to stop myself from forcing a box of Nescafe down his throat. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had no prejudices about Starbucks before that conversation. I’ve had some frappes and a few capps there. But thanks to my friend, I now see how people sip their coffee slowly just so they could stay longer there and wave at friends passing by, thinking “They must surely be jealous.” Sad how commercialism has transformed the most logical of people to ravenous brand-hungry beasts. The disturbing prominence of commercialism today has produced more walking price tags and social climbers than in recent years. This writer does not slam those who enjoy Starbucks. This writer slams those who enjoy Starbucks
because it is Starbucks. To prefer something just because of its name is simply irrational and irrationality is simply plain stupid. Add to that their ridiculous pricelist… need I say more? This does not merely imply with Starbucks alone but with all the other overpriced goods on the market. Bags, clothes, shoes, even hair stylist – just some of the few things brand-conscious Carolinians identify themselves with. We see them every Wednesday and Saturday maxing out the seven-piece rule. They strut the hallways like they are unending runways and don sunglasses even when it’s raining. It’s okay to be attached to a brand but to be dependent on it is another story. This hubbub with names you drink and people who do your hair is a manifestation of how one’s individuality is defined by the clothes one wears and the shoes one walks in. This whole brouhaha with walking price tags and social climbers is just what power-hungry tycoons want. These price tags are running straight to those tycoons’
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hands as they leave malls with three shopping bags in one hand and a venti in the other. These social climbers walking around malls giving their iPhones duck faces as they are taking their millionth selfportrait are advertising the principles of these tycoons as soon as they upload these photos on social networking sites. The issue of identity and individuality comes to attention too. The preference of these people to prominently popular and expensive brand names is producing a network of people whose mentalities are the “the more expensive, the better” kind, a mentality that makes them follow certain trends and not be creative and start trends of their own. To say that these people’s mentality is flawed would be too judgmental. They just needs to be reminded that it’s the person who wears the clothes and not the other way around. In the end, the easiest cup to reach during sleepless nights in hell weeks are those made by your own hands and not those you paid other people expensively to make.
NI JEWELMAE C. SOLAS
thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com / SEPTEMBER 2012 | 23
S
a kasalukuyan, natatanging kakayahan at katangian pa lamang ang naitatala ng Guinness Book of World Records. Pero pagkatapos ng isa na namang makasaysayang pangyayaring tinutukan ng buong sambayanan noong ika-23 ng Hulyo, marahil ay sumagi sa isip ng mga tao sa likod ng Guinness na dagdagan ang kanilang listahan at ito ay ang pagtatala ng pinakamayabang na Presidente sa buong mundo. At total, masaya na rin naman tayo sa mga konting papuri, magbubunyi na naman tayo dahil ito ay mapupunta sa ating kagalang-galang na Pangulo. Humarap muli ang Pangulong Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Conjuangco Aquino III (kilala ring PNoy) sa Kongreso na kinabibilangan ng 234 myembro ng Kamara de Representante at 23 Senador, para sa kanyang ikatlong State of the Nation Address o SONA. Pero imbes na ipahayag ang kasalukuyang kalagayan ng bansa, binasahan niya tayo ng litanya ng mga umano’y pagbabagong nagawa niya at kung pa’no niya nilagyan ng ngiti ulit (?) ang naluluhang Juan dela Cruz na iniwan ni dating pangulo, ngayo’y Congresswoman Gloria Arroyo.
ang kanyang administrasyon dahil nung panahong sumalanta si Pareng Ondoy at Sendong, ang mga TV Networks ang magdamagang namahagi ng relief goods. Pero kung totoo man ang sinasabi niya, mapapatunayan natin ‘yan sa pagdating ng bago nating bisitang si Gener. Sunod niyang ibinida ang Philippine Stock Exchange index, na umano’y marami nang naitalang all-time high at bihira nang bumaba sa 5,000. Kaugnay nito ang GDP growth na 6.4% na pumapangalawa raw sa China. Sa mga
Ang lahat ay sinimulan ng isang reklamo (na naman) sa kung anong klaseng Pilipinas ang iniwan ni Arroyo, o sa kaniyang sariling salita, siya’y humarap sa “bangungot ng nawalang dekada”. Sa bilyun-bilyong nakaambang utang, backlog sa classroom at upuan na kung tutuusin ay di na rin naman bago sa mata ng mga Pilipino, kinailangan pa umano niyang mag-abang ng Linggo para idulog sa Panginoon ang ating sitwasyon (Pero ba’t kailangan pang maghintay ng Linggo? Para namang ‘di pwedeng pumasok ng simbahan at magdasal ‘pag ‘di Linggo, pwera na lang siguro kung iba talaga ang trato ng Panginoon sa pagitan ng taong may pananampalataya talaga sa mga pumapasok lang ng simbahan para masabi lang na nagmana talaga sa relihiyosong inang may pakana ng pagkapanalo nya). At ito ay nasundan ng pagsasabing nakamit na natin ang minimithi nating pagbabago, dahil sa nagkakaisang Pilipino (Kung pa’no nya nasabing nagkakaisa tayo sa kabila ng paglipana pa rin ng panghohostage ng mga rebelde ay si Einstein lang ang nakakaalam , pero dahil matagal na siyang natsugi, hinding-hindi rin natin malalaman). Nauna na rin sa listahan ang pagsasabing ngayon, ang relief na ang naghihintay sa tao, at hindi na ang mga nasalanta ng bagyo ang nag-aabang dito. Nahiya siguro
ARRRGGGHHH!!!
!@#$% ^&* ISMIS !!!
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kasunod na linya, lahat yata napanganga. Kung noon daw, tayo ang mahilig mangutang, ngayon, tayo na ang nagpapautang! Naman oh! Sa US$60M nating utang, nagpapautang pa tayo. Si PNoy talaga, mapagbiro. O baka naman sa perang inuutang natin, pinapa5-6 natin ang ilan para ang perang nakukuha sa interes, maipambayad natin sa iba pa nating utang. May nabanggit pa s’yang mga papuri ng natanggap natin mula sa ibang bansa, kagaya ng pagtaguri sa’tin ng “Asia’s Next Tiger” o kaya’y sa salita ng isa pa, “Philippines is no longer a joke”. At masyado na raw napakalaki ng papuring ito para isawalang-bahala ng lokal na medya at kailangan pang ang ibang bansa ang maglathala. Nagbabalita ang medya ng mga bagay na alam nilang totoo at nararamdaman nila, kaya kung bakit hindi ito lumabas sa mga dyaryo at telebisyon sa bansa, alam na natin ang sagot. Sa usaping pang-edukasyon naman, ipinagmalaki ng Pangulo na bago matapos ang taon, masasagot na ng pamahalaan ang kakulangan sa guro, klasrum, upuan at libro, basta’t tibayan lang natin ang pananalig natin kay DepEd Sec. Luistro, lalo na ngayo’t opisyal na nating binago ang sistema ng edukasyon. Sa pagyakap natin sa K+12, hindi naman kasi maikakailang ilang sakong bigas pa ang kailangan nating kainin para maipatupad ito nang maayos. Hindi ito madali para sa katulad nating gumagapang pa rin at tumutulo ang luha dahil sa kakulangan ng gamit pang-eskwela. Hindi biro ang gumamit ng sistemang nangangailangan ng tripli-triple sa kung ano ang meron tayo. Sa ganitong sitwasyon, manalig
“
“
Ang SONA ay mandato ng Konstitusyon na gawin ng Pangulo para ihayag sa Kongreso ang lagay ng bayan para magkaroon sila ng ideya sa kung anong mga batas ang dapat nilang ipasa.
na nga lang tayo kay Sec. Luistro (Total, pari naman siya). natin kailangan ng Kongresman at Senador? Ano pa ang Usapang turismo naman tayo. Kasunod ng mapapala natin sa mga taong binoto natin nung pagkahirang ng Puerto Princesa Underground River ng nakaraang eleksyon? Magsasayang na lang ba tayo ng Palawan bilang isa sa New Seven Wonders of Nature, buwis sa pagsweldo natin sa mga taong wala na rin man ipinagmamalaki ngayon ng gobyerno ang 2.1M tourist palang kailangang gawin? arrivals na naitala sa taong kasalukuyan. Syempre, Marahil karamihan sa atin, pagkatapos marinig ang kaakibat nito ang pangungutya na naman sa nagdaang SONA ay napatulala at napasabing ‘Ang ganda na pala ng administrasyon na nakapagtala ng 1.8M tourist arrivals Pilipinas!’ Maaaring ang iba naengganyo nang pabalikin nung 2001 at umalis sa pwestong nag-iwan lang ng 3.1M. ang kamag-anak nilang nasa ibang bansa dahil Ibig sabihin, 1.3M lamang ang naidagdag. Mantakin pumapangalawa na naman pala tayo sa China, pagdating umano natin ang mga numerong ‘yan at magreklamo na sa ekonomiya. At sa dami ng pagbabagong nabanggit, sa hinaba-haba ng paglalagi nila sa Malacañan ay ‘yan lahat yata ng bobo sa Math, nabiyak ang utak sa dami ng lang ang iniwan nila. Pero, mantakin rin sana ng Pangulo numero. Pagkatapos ng SONA, lahat ng allergic sa ang katotohanan na kung anuman ang iniwan ng numero, kumati yata ang mga bungo. Pero sana’y huwag nakaraang administrasyon ay hindi magbabase sa kung tayong magpaloko sa numero, lalo na ang Kongreso! Nasa ilan ang naitala nung 2001 at nung 2010. Kung gusto likod ng mga pagbabagong ito ang kakulangang pilit na niyang patunayan na hindi kaaya-aya ang pamamahala ni itinatago. Sa likod ng 1,520 sityo na nabigyan ng kuryente Arroyo, sana’y ibinahagi niya ang naitalang tourist ay libu-libong barangay na nagtitiis pa rin sa lampara. Sa arrivals taon-taon, nung 2001, 2002, 2003 hanggang likod ng 3.1M trabahong naibigay ay mga padre-de2010, at hindi sa paraang para masabi lang na walang pamilyang nagkakamot pa rin ng ulo dahil ilang taon nagawang tama si Arroyo. nang walang trabaho. Sa likod ng 3,844 km daang Pagdating sa bigas, kung noon, tayo ang nag-iimport, napaaspalto ay ang patuloy na pagdami ng tsinelas na ngayon tayo na ang nag-eexport (Wow! Sino naman nabubutas dahil sa mababatong daan. Ngunit, alam ba ito kayang taga-ibang bansa ang kakain ng NFA rice ng ng taumbayan? Pinas?). Sa kuryente, napailawan na ng gobyerno ang Hindi lahat ng pagbabago ay nararamdaman ng lahat, 1,520 sityo sa loob lamang ng tatlong buwan at gumastos lalo na’t hindi pa naman ganun kalaki. At hindi porke’t lamang sila ng P814M (medal awarded). Ang crime rate may pagbabago ay wala nang dapat baguhin. Hindi naman, bumaba umano simula nang umupo siya sa porke’t may naidagdag ay wala ng kakulangan. Hindi pwesto. At kung nung dumating siya, 45% ng kapulisan porke’t mas natutuwa ang sambayanan sa positibong ang walang armas, ngayon lahat sila ay bibigyan ng nangyayari sa bansa ay hindi na nila kailangang malaman dekalibreng baril. Kaya hindi na nakakapagtaka na sa pa ang negatibong katotohanan. napapabalitang pamamaril, karamihan sa kanila pulis Ito ang pangatlong SONA ng Pangulo at may tatlo mismo ang suspek. Kung noon, ang AFP ay “all air but no pang natitira. Nawa’y sa nalalabing tatlong pagkakataon force”, ngayon ay isinusulong ang modernisasyon ng na ito at nalalabing apat na taon niya sa pwesto ay pwersa nito. Sa Sandatahang Lakas, may idadagdag na maisakilos niya ang ipinagmamalaking gobyernong tunay kagamitan na rin. Pero alam naman nating lahat at tiyak na kakampi ng mamamayan, at isang pamahalaang na alam rin ng Pangulo na hindi lahat ay nareresolba ng tumatahak sa matuwid na daan. sapat na kagamitan. Ano naman ang silbi ng kumpletong kasangkapan kung wala rin HAYNAKU! namang sapat na kakayahan ang mismong miyembro ng sandatahan? PAG-SURE GUARD OY At siyempre, hindi nawala sa usapan ang kakatapos lang na Corona-vela na ang Nganong kining lalaki nga ending ay napatalsik sa pwesto ang Punong guard nga itago ta sa ngan nga Mahistrado. Nasundan pa ito ng pagkapanalo ‘Gloria’, bati man kaayo’g paagi natin laban kay Arroyo na naharap sa kasong kun makabadlong og esplunder, pero lumalabas din na walang tudyante? kwenta, dahil sa hina ng ebidensya laban sa Bisan man tuod nga nakakanya, ay malaya rin siyang nakapagpyansa. violate ang estudyante og Ang SONA ay mandato ng nakuhaan og I.D., dili nalang Konstitusyon na gawin ng Pangulo para unta magpinamay nga maabot sa punto nga maka-insulto sa ihayag sa Kongreso ang lagay ng bayan para pagkatawo tungod sa iyang magkaroon sila ng ideya sa kung anong mga gisulti nga di na angay isulti, ilabi batas ang dapat nilang ipasa. Pero imbes na na kun dag-han ang tawo nga ganito ang gawin niya, ibinahagi niya kung Samtang, naay usa ka org president nga makakita og makadungog. pa’no niya nalampasan ang nagawa ni Arroyo, dili gusto nga ang iyang members mu-join og Ang iyang baba walay at tila maaga pang nangangampanya para sa The Carolinian. Hala oy! Wa gyud tawn siya brake, walay kambyo. Sa walay miyembro ng kanyang Gabinete na tatakbo sa pagduha-duha, iya gyud nga nisugot nga muhimo’g announcement ang darating na eleksyon. Maliban sa pakiusap na giingnan ang babaye: “Day, The Carolinian sa ilang freshmen orientation ipasa ang Sin Tax Bill at amyendahan ang mubo imong sayal, mulakra na kay dili kuno biased ang ilang org. President Anti-Money Laundering Act, ay wala na syang imong b***t !!!” man unta ka, nganong e-deprive man nimo Intawn si Inday, miduko iba pang ipinahiwatig sa Kongreso. Eh kung ang imong ginsakupan sa ilang right to join nalang sa iyang ulo sa kauwaw. maayos na naman pala ang Pilipinas, bakit pa the official student publication? Haynaku! Haynaku!
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ABAKADA NI JEWELMAE C. SOLAS
NASAAN KA NA S
abi nila ang pagsusulat, bago mo masimulan, ay may prerequisites---una, bolpen at papel (Syempre, maliban na lang kung gusto mong sulatan ang malawak na noo ng katabi mo); ikalawa, emosyon at gana na once in a blue moon ko lang rin nabibingwit; at panghuli, isang napapanahong isyu kung saan patungkol ang isusulat mo. Kung sa pamagat pa lang ay alam mo na kung tungkol saan ‘tong isinulat ko, o may super powers ka at sa unang talata pa lang ay naaamoy mo na kung saan patungo ‘tong binabasa mo, malamang sasabihin mong wala sa uso ‘tong pinaguusapan natin. Pero dahil OA ako, naniniwala akong dapat mo pa ring basahin ‘to. Ang wikang Filipino ang gusto kong pag-usapan dito, at kung sosyalero o sosyalera ka, marahil ay hindi mo na itutuloy ang pagbabasa nito. Ngayon, alam mo na rin kung ano ang pinagsasabi ko sa unang talata. Bukod sa pagkuha ng Filipino 1, 2, at 3 na hindi ka rin naman makaka-graduate kung hindi mo gagawin, wala na yatang ibang pagkakataon na nagkainteres ka sa wikang tumatakbo ngayon sa utak mo. At bukod sa mga panahong tinatanong ka ng propesor mo at gusto niyang sagutin mo ito sa Filipino, hindi ka na yata nagkagusto pang gamitin ang wikang ito sa pagsasalita at komunikasyon. ‘Yan ang problemang matagal nang bumabagabag sa ating lipunan, pero hindi man lang pinapansin ng mga mamamayan. Pero ngayon, dahil sa
inumpisahan mo nang basahin ‘to ay kailangan mo ring harapin. Noong una akong umapak sa unibersidad na ‘to, isa lang ang kinatatakutan ko---kung paano makihalubilo sa mga sosyal na estudyanteng nakapalibot sa akin. Pero sa unang araw pa lang, nalaman kong may isang delubyo pa pala akong kailangang talunin---ang makipag-usap sa mga taong walang ibang lumalabas sa bibig kundi puro Ingles. ‘Yung iba nga hindi makakaintindi ng Bisaya o Filipino. Nakakiinis, pero sino ba naman ako para pagsabihan sila, at wala akong karapatang kwestyunin anumang linggwahe ang kinagisnan nilang gamitin. Kung may nagsasalita man ng Filipino, ‘yun lang galing sa Luzon, na nung lumaon ay pinili na ring mag-Ingles dahil wala rin naming makakaintindi sa kanila. Dahil mukhang resonable naman ‘tong gagawin ko at parang kailangan naman, hayaan niyo na akong magbahagi ng mga karanasan tungkol sa kawalang silbi ng wikang Filipino para sa iba. Una, isang klasmeyt ko ang umiyak sa unang araw namin sa Filipino 1 dahil noong nagsalita ang guro namin ay wala siyang naintindihan. Matalino siya, pero kahit anong galing niya, alam niyang mahihirapan siya sa asignaturang ‘yun. Pangalawa, may kasunduan sa klase noon na bawat isa sa amin ay dapat makapag-alay ng dasal gamit ang Filipino sa pagsisimula at pagtatapos ng klase. Natapos ang buong semester nang dalawa o tatlo lang sa amin ang nakapagdasal nang walang salitang Ingles sa aming panalangin. ‘Yung iba nga nagAmen na lang pagkatapos sabihing “Salamat sa blessings na bigay N’yo sa amin”. Wala na kasing maisip na iba pang salita kaya tinapos na lang. Pero kung Ingles ‘yun, malamang lahat sila, nag-litanya na. Alam ko kung bakit ganun na lang kahirap ang dating ng Filipino sa mga kaklase ko. Kadalasan kasi sa mga magulang ngayon, pinagsasabihan ang mga anak nila na dapat matuto ng Ingles, kaya bata pa lang tinuturuan na nila itong gamitin ang wika (Ito rin ang dahilan kung bakit ngayon, isa na ang high school diploma sa mga requirements bago maging kasambahay). Pero meron kayang mga magulang ang sinasabihan ang anak nila na dapat mas pahalagahan ang wikang Filipino kesa sa Ingles? Eh kahit pamangkin nga ni PNoy hindi nakakaintindi ng Filipino. “What’s ‘siksik’ Mommy?” “What’s ‘sulit’ Mommy?” (Sarap buhusan ng gatas na iniinom niya.) Minsan na ring naging isyu ang pagtalaga ng Filipino bilang ‘medium of instruction’. Maraming ‘di sumangayon. Ang dahilan nila, may mga salita raw talaga na walang katumbas na salita sa Filipino, kagaya ng ‘square root’, ‘radical’, o ‘photosynthesis’. Eh hindi naman sinabi na lahat ng salita ay nasa Filipino talaga. Pwede pa rin naman nilang gamitin ang mga salitang ‘yun. Aaminin ko, nung una, hindi ko rin gusto ang patakarang ‘yun, pero naisip ko na kung gugustuhin natin, magagawa rin naman natin ito. Ang problema kasi ng Pilipino, hindi pa nga nasusubukan, mahirap na agad. Noong una, takot akong umpisahan ang pagsusulat
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nito. Hindi kasi Ingles, kaya baka hindi mo rin maintind iha n. Pero itinuloy ko pa rin para m a la m a n mo a ng matagal ko nang gustong ipaalam sa’yo. Ang dahilan kung bakit gusto ko ang Filipino ay hindi dahil bobo ako sa Ingles. Hindi ko isinulat ang artikulong ito para mabigyan ng papuri. Hindi ko ipinaglalaban ang wikang ito dahil gusto kong ipatawag ako ni Noynoy Aquino para bigyan ng parangal. H i n d i k o pinapahalagahan ang ating wika para maging Ina ng Wikang Pambansa, dahil alam ko rin namang imposible lahat ‘yan. Ang wikang Filipino na lang kasi ang natitirang bahagi ng ating kultura na nagsisimbolo kung sino talaga tayo. Naglaho na ang iba pa. Ang Cariñosa napalitan na ng Dougie. Ang agila naisahan na ng Angry Bird. Ang Sepak Takraw taob na sa Tetris. Kung pati wika natin, naiiwanan na ng panahon, sa pagtatapos ng araw, sino na lang tayo? Replica ng Amerika? Sinulat ko ito dahil gusto kong ipamukha sa’yo na hindi kumpleto ang pagiging Pilipino mo kung hindi mo kayang pahalagahan ang wikang naging daan ng ating mga bayani para magkaisa’t lumaban para sa bayan, ang wikang d a h i l a n n g pagkakabuklod nating mga Pilipino laban sa diktaduryang sumira sa ating bayan, ang wikang nasa harapan mo—ang wikang Filipino.
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MARK JOSEPH ESTENZO BS BA-Mktg Mgt “I am proud to be a Carolinian because the university continues to embrace the essence of growth towards responsive changes in the field of academics. This improves and heightens the need of growth and development of every student. Thus, [it’s] a sign of great commitment of guiding us, students to achieve not only our personal but also professional endeavors.”
Adrian bolanio BS A “Well, being enrolled to one of the oldest and most prestigious schools in the country, I am a proud Carolinian because I too share in the victories, awards and achievements of my school. I have also contributed my intellect, wits and all my capabilities as a Carolinian. USC has also taught me a lot of things that I can apply in the real world and help me excel in my chosen field.”
Annamhel Monique roa BS BA-LGM “I guess what really makes me most proud as a Carolinian is the sense that I belong to a community that is not only recognized by the people belonging to the community but also by people outside such community. When you say that you are a Carolinian, people seem to know what you’re made of and what your school is made of.” For comments and suggestions, e-mail us at thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com
eing your average university student, I was once again faced with a situation where a good friend would ask me for love advice. Quite frankly, I don't like being in these situations. Career and money advice, I can stomach, but love advice? Half the time I don't know what I'm talking about; the other half I'm just forced to be polite, but on really rare occasions I will suck my guts in and actually give my share of thoughts regarding that. I'd rather hand you a box of tissues and continue with my computer game than shed tears with you on your predicament. Once I hear this certain line drop, I swear I would have left the room before you'd declare unrequited love. What line is it I'm talking about? I'm talking about, “why does this always happen to me?” This has probably been one of the most abused lines I've heard from a romantically problematic person asking for advice. Think about it, repeating the same mistake should be a very shameful thing for a human being to do. Even animals learn. When we were younger, it would have been excusable, but once we reach an age of awareness and a certain level of comprehension, it is really just plain (and frustratingly) stupid. Oftentimes we just fail to use our highly evolved brains as if we have chronic amnesia for the mistakes we make so we'd do them again. Why is that? As I have observed, there is a pattern to this ‘chronic amnesia’ I mentioned. First, a mistake is made, usually in the form of an accident that displays the utter naivety of whoever made the slip up and not to mention the embarrassment involved. Sometimes this absurdity is measured by how many people will ridicule you after the damage has been done. Second, the feeling of self-pity creeps in. It either brings you motivation to become a better person or put you up sinking in the metaphorical pile of dirt. Third is the most critical phase. This is when the decision is made. The choice is between growth and stagnation. Some people choose to stay with the mistake while others decide to move on. There is a special case when one chooses to run away from the incident by any means possible
(this totally screams substance abuse). This is when stupidity is magnified. If you’re one of the sensible few who choose to move on, and make something productive from the mistake, then that is good. But if you are numbered with the foolish multitude, then it is time for some serious introspection. It is very important that we develop the ability to learn from our mistakes and never repeat them. Above all other obvious reasons, this is because collectively, it may cause a national scale disaster. Remember EDSA 3? It may have somewhat solved the ‘Erap’ problem but is it exactly necessary? The way I see it, it just made us look stupid in front of the other bewildered countries. It’s great how the acronym EDSA can unite the country as a whole against an unreasonable president like how Captain America can assemble the Avengers, but for roughly the same reason, the third time is just depressing. We made EDSA look like a scapegoat. Its honor has been defiled. I am sure you still remember the Manila Hostage Crisis, the one with the Chinese nationals stuck in a bus and the Philippine SWAT team showcasing their life saving prowess for the applause of mockery. Yes, that one. I am half sure that right now your face is contorted in disgust while recalling these events in the given perspective. If the repulsion is not enough to make you do something about repeated mistakes, then I do not know what will happen. The goal of generations and history is for mishaps never to be repeated as the current generation must look for permanent solutions for the recurring problem. I do hope that our generation can accomplish that. Like the English Writer for A Brave New World , Aldous Huxley, said “That men do not learn very much from history is the most important of all the lessons that history has to teach.” As a side note for history classes, it would be really nice if the causes and effects of the momentous events would be focused in class discussions rather than the minor and unnecessary details that barely anyone cares about, just saying.
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The Hottest 2012 BY M ELERIA MANGARING & MELISSA ANGELIQUE B. MALAGA
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PIERO VERGARA
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Photograph By EKIM B. MAÑACAP
amed after the son of Ferrari’s owner, Piero, 19, says it’s strange to be asked whether he personally thinks he’s hot or not. A product of an artista-search reality show, he showcases his artistry through singing, writing songs and poems, drawing, and above all, playing the guitar. What he is terrible at, he claims, is dancing. Rich or famous? Rich. You can be rich and buy airtime in TV then you become famous. Being famous takes away your private life. Biggest dream in life? To be the best musician and composer in the world. Whose shoes do you want to be in? Socrates. I admire his principle.
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TERESA ROMUALDEZ
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eing hot may not be what she wants to be defined, but 16-year-old Juanita is a quintessential example of a young woman donning timeless beauty. Oozing with a bubbly personality, she is part of the soccer varsity team who plays with stamina, speed, and aggressiveness that you couldn’t expect from her. She’s the grandniece of former first lady Cong. Imelda Romualdez-Marcos. No wonder beauty really runs in the family. Rich or famous? It depends. Fame, if it is something for a good cause. Being rich is good as long as you’re a down-to-earth person. Biggest dream? I have many dreams [like to work in UN] but the biggest one is to study in Juilliard. Photograph By EKIM B. MAÑACAP
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Whose shoes do you want to be in? Audrey Hepburn. She admires the elegance and being humanitarian.
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RHENZO CHICA
Called by his friends “Chics”, Rhenzo said that when it comes to relationship, he is a loyal guy. This dashing probinsyano from Masbate enjoys being in the company of DoTA players as he finds his way adapting the urban life. For him, there is nothing more beautiful than to see a woman’s smile. Rich or famous? Mudato [aron] tabangan nako akong parents and have fun. Your biggest dream? Maglibot around the world [especially] in Las Vegas where mostly the boxing fights are held or Florida where the Miami Heat came from. Whose shoes do you want to be in? Taylor Ward. Nindot siya og voice unya ganahan ko maminaw. Then gwapo sad siya.
Photograph By BRONWYN D. ABBAS
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CLOUDINE AÑONUEVO
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ashion aficionado. A fan of online shopping. More than those, Cloudine much prefers to stay at home and watch horror and true-to-life movies. The 16-year-old jeune fille loves acting and wouldn’t mind to do it in public places. Rich or famous? Famous sa whole world, kay kung famous ka, ma-rich man ka. Then daghan friends. Murag lingaw kung famous. Your biggest dream? Be a part of the showbiz world, if not kay magbuild ko ug business na famous, like restaurant ba ron. Whose shoes do you want to be in? Demi Lovato. I love her life because she is strong, dili siya mugive-up dayon that’s why ma-achieve niya iyang mga dreams, dili siya mahadlok. We’re so different.
Photograph By MARY CATHERINE S. CODILLA
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Photograph By EKIM B. MAÑACAP
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VANDA DAYAGBIL THE OUTGOING CHIC
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ixteen-year-old pageant regular Vanda likes being in the spotlight. A jolly yet sophisticated lass, she says it only takes sincerity for her to like you. Rather than spending much time surfing on the internet, she loves to sing, dance, and write poems. Rich or famous? Famous kay [aron] daghan ug friends. Your biggest dream? When I was young, I wanted to be a celebrity. But I realized that I wanted to acquire knowledge and to graduate someday. Whose shoes do you want to be in? Taylor Swift. I idolize and admire her because she has everything already.
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KEITH OCAMPO THE SPORTY GUY
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ool guy Keith just basks gliding in the waters. With a determined attitude and a competitive spirit, he hankers to become a sports doctor. He defines himself as a simple guy who prefers to read the encyclopedia rather than novels. Like in an ironman event, his avocations are swimming, cycling, and running. Rich or famous? Rich. Because it’s more fun than being famous with no money. Your biggest dream? I want to help others and be a good doctor. Whose shoes do you want to be in? Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France champion. I idolize his perseverance. Photograph By EKIM B. MAÑACAP
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RETELLING THE TALE OF
JULIAN MACOY B Y J O H N M . DE S T AC A M E N T O
ithin the campus grounds, Carolinians are only privileged to see his jersey dangled on one of the pillars at the USC Downtown gym. But beyond that green piece of garment, he remains a shiny man in the dark sleepy quarters of basketball history. his identity, to most people, is that of a ghost—you know he exists but aren’t sure where exactly. He may be alien to the new generation but his name undoubtedly rings a bell to the oldies. At 72, he’s now up for a coaching spree for our basketball Warriors in this year’s edition of Cebu Schools Athletics Foundation, Inc. But long before that, he was a court idol, a shooting hero and indeed, a living legend. This is the tale of a Carolinian. This is the tale of Julian Macoy.
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Small beginnings Sometime in early 1950s, his brother who was also a Carolinian would not miss to bring to their hometown in Ilaya, Dumanjug in southern Cebu the latest released magazine of The Carolinian student publication. The young Macoy would then flip some of its pages to see a parade of local basketball superstars in the magazine’s leaves. Macoy later admits, “The Carolinian is also my inspiration; it’s the reason why I joined the varsity team. At the back of my mind, I had a dream. I wanted to see myself in the magazine one day.” And so he set sail for the city and took up his secondary education at the USC Boys High where in his junior year, he was first drafted for the varsity team. “Ang naka-discover nako, ang ako’ng first coach, si Roque Ramoneda. Mura’g everything about my basketball career started off with him.” Ramoneda, who used to teach History and Philippine Government at Boys High, was at the same time coaching the Baby Warriors. As a junior—and just like any other hero’s beginnings— Macoy was not the showy type. He would remember sitting at the benches during high school tournaments, not even given the chance to play because there were the more popular players. “Mura’g flower ra g’yud mi sa amo’ng usa ka kauban ato’ng mga panahona,” he recalls and then laughs. In his senior years, he eventually managed to take the captain ball position in the varsity team owning for himself the elite jersey number 3. (Traditions keep it that the jersey numbers for Baby Warriors are all odd numbers, even ones for the Warriors).
An accidental star During his heydays as a collegiate star in the University of San Carlos Green and Gold Warriors from 1955 to 1961, he outstripped the hundred-point mark two times in an official basketball tournament, a feat believed to have never been broken for over half a century now in the Philippines. In one of their games against Cebu Nor mal School (now Cebu Nor mal University) in 1958-1959, the rookie was wild on the court to unload 101 points. That year after, the Cebu School of Arts and Trades (now Cebu Technological University) suffered an even bloodier massacre in the hands of Macoy. Going through the defense of his opponents, the then 17year old basketball superstar amassed 126 unforgiving points within 28 minutes, an unsurpassed milestone until today in Philippine basketball history. “Maka-tawa lage ko,” Ma coy remembers with a smile, “why I had so much energy to do those wonderful things in court. But at the same time, makaproud pud. It’s something you look up to when you get old.” But as much as these feats were not part of Macoy’s original plan, they weren’t part of the team’s strategic game plan either. Nonetheless, their head coach, the late “Dodong” Aquino Jr. had this prior vision to break the National Inter-Collegiate Championships record of most points earned in a single game, which was held that time by Geronimo Cruz of Far Eastern University (FEU) with 63 points. In order to break the record and carry out this dream to reality, the initial blueprint was to pass and pass the ball to the team’s star player. And the star was not Macoy. It was Agapito Rogado. And so for the first
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few moments in their game versus Cebu Normal School, the ball always ended up in Rogado’s hands. But Rogado sometimes had the tendency to be eaten up by pressure, Macoy recalls. That time, Rogado failed. And the plan died down for a while during the game. Until coach Aquino called up Macoy from the bench. Macoy earned his first two points, and then four, six, nine and so on. He suddenly turned into one lucky beast on the court! Everytime he took grip of the ball and threw it on the air, it just swung into the net almost miraculously. It got to a point where the audience was already shouting his score everytime he made it. “Seventy-two, seventy four,” they roared. Macoy believes he could have even extended the record further had his stomach been in good running condition during the game. But that year, USC was only runner-up to the University of the Visayas Green Lancers who just came back after a five-year suspension by the Cebu Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), the
mother name of modern-day CESAFI. The following year in 1959 however, USC finally grabbed the championship trophy in the hands of the legend. It also marked as USC’s last time to emerge as a champion in the tournament. From the CCAA leagues to the Cebu Amateur Athletics Association (CAAA) games to CESAFI, USC has not won ever since the 1959 games with Macoy. Back in his years, the legend sported his favorite green jersey with the number 6 on it. When asked if there was any meaning to that number, Ma coy goes to say that surprisingly, there wasn’t. The number 6 was automatically given to the captain ball of the Warriors. Befor e his graduation in 1961, the USC Warriors made it to the final four cut in the 1960 National InterCollegiate Championships where he was one of the top gunners. He later on became th first player outside Manila to get into the Mythical Five along with equally-able Arturo Valenzona, Romeo Diaz and Pelagio Simon from the FEU Ta maraws and
32 | The Carolinian: Official. Oldest. Nonpartisan / thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com
Elias Tolentino of Jose Rizal University (JRU) Heavy Bombers. “That part was I think the height of my career in basketball. Mura’g it’s the most defining moment na of my life,” shares Macoy. “And it’s the part pud nga I always keep looking back. Imagine getting into the Mythical Five in the nationals. I mean, that’s crazy enough for a probinsyano.” Hip injury, stints abroad Macoy’s hoopdom acumen gave him the ticket to a commer cial league where for a stint of about 10 years from 1961 to 1970, he was profiled for Yutivo AC. In the late 60s however, he suffered a hip injury which sooner or later forced him to leave the country for Chicago, Illinois where he wor ked for nearly 30 years in the US Postal Department. “It was during one of our games against 7-Up, I guess. I tried to reach for the ball but lost balance when I landed. Then boom! I was injur ed.” After a work in the US that spanned for three decades, Macoy
THE
WARRIOR
WHO SCORED
126 PTS
IN ONE GAME In 2001, jersey no. 6 of the USC Warriors had been retired in Macoy’s honor. That means no Warrior could choose that jersey anytime, anywhere in the future.
Photograph By JOHN LOUIE B. FUENTES
eventually retired and returned to his beloved hometown. Quite not distinguished by many, though, he had a number of stints in the international arena as a player and assistant coach. “I cannot forget, it was in 1962 when I was chosen to be the alternate player of the Philippine tea m that staged some action at the 4th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. That was such an extra blessing to me. ” Present challenges In 2004 when he already returned to Cebu, Macoy was named as assistant to coach Joe Lipa in the Phl Youth (Under -20) squad. He then became the deputy commissioner of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) in 2005, a post he still holds at present. As we speak today, Macoy is actually conditioning his guys in the Warriors team for the annual CESAFI, avenue where he sees he could prove his worth again. And since the USC has been a top contender for the title year after year in the mighty leadership of
former coach Mike Reyes who has now decided to move to Southwestern University Cobras bench to assist Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba, Macoy says the pressure is building up. Although he had cemented his name in history quite strong enough, basketball analysts, especially Warriors’ fans have mixed emotions about the future of the team in his hands. “I heard a lot of criticisms— the most challenging one is—good if the Warriors could win one game. I took that as a challenge. The boys know what we’ve been through and we will work hard to win more than one game.” Macoy and the Warriors will try to prove that they still have the juice that made them the most exciting team in the league for the past six years. This may not surely be a smooth-sailing ride for the team especially with the Cobras, University of San Jose-Recoletos Jaguars, University of Southern Philippines-Foundation Panthers and University of Cebu Webmasters around the corner, ready for a harsher hunt.
“But we’ll see, we’ll see,” Macoy casts a naughty grin. Sitting there with him at the bleachers, I saw the fervor in his eyes, one that’s raging into flames, fiery and feisty. That burning passion, I think, apart from what people have already known about the gr eat Macoy, may be the secret and probably the most important ingredient to the superstar’s triumph in his entire basketball career. Now, he’s ready to pass that kind of flame on to the new generation of Warriors. And while that’s being done, every Carolinian hopes that another shooter steps up to his game, follows the foot- steps of this hardcourt hero and makes history by breaking his very tale. It all begins with a simple dream. For a Julian Macoy, that dream was to see his face in a magazine. But the little dream gave more than what he wanted and in the end, it did not just put his name and photo in magazines, it also placed him in record books. The lesson then is simple— just dream on.
thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com / SEPTEMBER 2012 | 33
The Giving Girl O
Story By MARLA ARIELLE B. SO Art By JODIE T. FERRER
nce there was a little girl who loved a little boy. Every recess, she and the boy would go out and play. He would climb up trees and swing from their branches. She would merely watch, for she was raised to be a proper lady. They would play hide-and-seek and eat the apples she brought as snacks. When he was tired, he would sleep on her lap. She knew the boy must love her very much, so she was happy. Time passed, and they grew older, and the girl was often alone. Then one day, in her big house, she received a text from the boy, asking to meet up. "Would you like to climb trees and play hide-and-seek?" she asked.
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"I'm too big to play games now," said the boy. "But I want you to know that you've always been special to me." And this made her very happy. They became lovers and did acts which, he said, expressed their love for each other. Because of this love, the girl was happy. One day, the boy, now a man, took her aside. "I want a wife to call my own," he said, "A wife I can be proud of. Will you marry me?" The ring came later, when he could afford it. But she knew they would not need much. After all, she was a rich woman. And her only want was him, in love and by her side. And the woman became very happy.
for he stayed by her side. Only he made her happy. And after a long time he came to her for a favor. "I am sorry," she said, "but I have nothing left to give you." "But you are my wife and must do as you’re told," said he. "I wish I could give you something," she sighed. "But you own everything." "I don’t want your money," said her husband. "Then what can I do?" she asked. "I am just an old woman now." "I don't need very much," he said, "All I want is a quiet life with my love." "Well...," she said, straightening herself up as much as she could, for though old and bent she was a good wife, was she not? She was the epitome of what faithfulness and love was. And the old woman was happy. "But," he continued, "I want a wife who is young and beautiful, and you are none of those things. For me to be truly happy, I must leave you." So he did. And he was happy.
They were married, and had a son, and she was happy. He was a good husband, for he never hit her. He was just tactless sometimes. One day, while coming home from work, she was approached by him. "I have a job now," he said. "Since you’re a woman, you should stay and take care of the house and my son. As my wife, you must submit and obey me. Can you do that?" She passed in her resignation, though she enjoyed her work very much. And she transferred ownership of all her funds to him. He was so proud to have a dutiful wife. He told her this as he left for his blue collar job. This made the good wife happy. But others were not as pleased. Her friends told her to leave him. Even her son, when he was older, said his father was no good. "Your friends are bad news and that child of yours is an abomination," said her husband. "If you really loved me, you would leave them all behind. Can you do that?" And since she loved him, so she did. Her friends disappeared, one by one Her son, after a violent argument, left with his boyfriend. But she knew her husband loved her,
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R O M AN A S T O R Y B y M a rk A d o n e s P . L in g a ro A R T B y Jo d ie T . Fe rr er
People die, people die and then people die.
S
even days after the death of Romana and here I am drowning myself in rum at a wood counter in this Seventh Avenue bar. I can’t believe that after four years of waiting, this is what I’ve got. They say patience has a sweet fruit but I can taste no sweetness, not a hint. Perhaps sorrow has its own way of sowing itself within humanity; sadly it also reaps itself in its very own time. Here I am with a mechanical device for typing. If I am correct, it was Romana who told me to stop using pen everytime I write. She told me it was so passé, very Voltaire. She said that humanity must adapt to the changes brought by time, since we can’t stop time from marching onwards. Romana was a woman of superior and rare intellect. Her humor was superb, unsurpassed by nobody. She was one of a kind, one in an eternity. It will take forever to find someone that will be half as good as her. Perhaps you are interested with how I met somebody like her and how very honored I am to have had a Romana in my life! A Romana to lean on, a Romana to love until the day I die. No, not until the day I die but until forever ends. The memory deep in my mind is very fresh, as fresh as the wounds in my chest, in my heart to be exact. It’s the memory of the day when one boy’s arrogance was tamed by a very special girl. Twenty-six years ago, it was a cloudless summer morning when I first laid an eye on the most amazing girl in the world. I was new to that school. From my toddler years, I was home-schooled under the tutelage of my mother (My mother was a great teacher she taught me the basics of language, rhetoric and arithmetic). I was so proud that time, I thought I was the best among the class. One day, I found myself fudging with the question my teacher asked. For the love of God, how can a gradeschooler answer a calculus problem? But Romana, oh dear Romana, raised her hand and answered the problem. Even if the problem was only a simple related rate problem, in the eyes of a gradeschooler it was a hell of a problem. For the first time in my life, I felt so stupid. I became mad at her, mad to a point of insanity. Days, months and years passed. My hatred on her turned into passion and my envy turned into obsession. We became more than friends but less than lovers. It was last week that I found out she was engaged to somebody of inferior class. The news was not from Romana but from an acquaintance of us. He told me that the wedding would be in the next month. Emotions overruled my logic, I rushed to Romana’s house, ran several yards. Then the sad truth hit me head on: I saw her with the man in the terrace, kissing passionately. Anger blurred my vision and the next thing I saw was Romana—lying, bloody, dead and beautiful.
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Fashion blows
By Joyce S. Maw
1. Bias is Better The “Bias” cut is yes, a cut used by many designers in order to create a beautiful flow or “fall” and to show off a person’s natural shape. And because it shows off a person’s natural shape plus creating a really pretty fall in the process, it makes anyone who wears a garment with the said cut look slimmer than they are. Shirts, cardigans or jackets that have a bias cut makes a person with a bigger built look yes, slimmer; skirts as well incorporating the cut (but the fall must reach either the ankle or the floor for this achieves a much better look) creates either a bohemian feel or a drape outlook that makes the wearer’s lower body look much more appealing in an aesthetic sense and yes, slimmer. 2. Lami ang Legs This does not mean exposing your legs—NO, quite the contrary. This means EMPHASIS—emphasizing the silhouette of your leg especially when you have nice slender gams that seem to go on for miles. To achieve this you need to wear long jeans—ankle length; either the skinny kind or the straight-cut one. The beauty about this is that if a person may not have the greatest bod but instead have awesome legs—I have seen a lot— they can use this to their advantage to make them look absolutely stunning; ever heard of the line: “Flaunt what your momma gave ya?” 3. Order is Overrated Being well-put together (by well-put I mean for example, clean accessorizing: simple silver earrings with a matching choker and bracelet) is an “okay” thing to do. I’m not saying nor implying that it is a bad thing, it isn’t. Simplicity is good but not that great as it is a tad safe and passive to be quite frank. Go wild! The good appreciative kind (there is such a thing, believe me). Don’t be afraid to wear lots of differently textured bracelets of varied sizes—you’ll have a lovely arm candy; an oversize ring shape like an elephant with a multi-coloured bowtie thumb ring and another shaped like a flower for your forefinger—you’ll have an enchanting quirky circus in your hand; a printed artwork tee over plaid pants [two layers of prints is
preferred]—ala “Bed Chic”. The fashion world is your lobster, so why not get the lobster and make it into a statement necklace? 4. What a Waist The waist of a woman’s body is such an amazing thing. Cinch it and *poof* you have a great bod. Truth be told, the only simple thing you need to do or choose to do is to either lock the waist with either a thick or thin statement belt; effortlessly wear a blouse, tee, any upper-wear garb with sleeves , that is either gartered at the waist or designed to embrace the waist or do both altogether. Just doing either of the following already creates such a dazzling impression to the eyes of the beholder that you are very “chix.” 5. Symmetry is Sexy Have you ever heard of “the axis of asymmetry” or “the line of symmetry?” By my definition (Wikipedia is too highfalutin) it is basically yes, a line—a center line that when on a figure both parts beside the line should either directly mirror each other, “mirror mirror ang peg” or almost do with some minor details in one part being different. And yes, styling oneself symmetrical or asymmetrically is sexy. Have you ever noticed that when a man wears a buttoned down shirt closed from the second button down or a tight fitting Vneck shirt, you cannot help appreciate the point of symmetry it entices? Symmetry, especially asymmetry can be applied in many ways. To dress symmetrically for example you could wear a buttoned down blouse paired with a cardigan, straight-cut jeans of a beautiful navy blue color, accessorize it up with a pair of circular medium size resin earrings, bangles on one arm, the other pair on the other arm, a peter pan collar statement necklace, and plain loafers. Being asymmetrical on the other hand applies the same principle as symmetry does but each part has their own stand-alone focal points. For example you may wear jeans of twill that have a huge dazzling print on one part of the leg, a nice tee (not everything should be asymmetrical), accessorize it up with an edgy arm candy on your right arm, a single feather earring in your left ear, a “bam” ring on your left middle finger, and a pair of ballerina flats of a nice muted pink color (again not everything should be asymmetrical so there is a basis of balance). The human body itself is not symmetrical and see how un-dauntingly sexy it looks?
The word Carolinian could have tingled both of our ears whenever we hear the word. It could have pinched our brain until we come to realize that we are neither from North nor from South Carolina. It could have vexed us that our every post about USC on Facebook will only trend as reference to the University of Southern California when the obvious remonstrates our University situating on the soils of Cebu. While a person from the University of San Jose is clearly called Josenian, from the University of Santo Tomas a Tomasian, from Cebu Normal University a Normalite, to name a few, we beg the question: Why in the world are we called Carolinian? Why not Carlosian? Carlosite? Carloser? Before we could throw in the towel and decide to un-grip our sanity, the strongest hunch is correct. Carolinian is indeed rooted from the name San Carlos, the university’s patron saint. Carlos is a Spanish name, although Mr. Borromeo was actually Italian as Carlo, not even close enough. Removing the confusion and serving the curiosity, the etymology of Carolinian is the interlingual rendition to his Latin name Carolus. Our ancestors were reasonable enough not to agree on calling themselves Carlosian or the like and were able to come across a better identification of pride. If we are now calling ourselves Carlosians instead, maybe people will ridicule our identity; as a consequence, we have to hang in eating the humble pie. We should thank them for each of us could shout aloud: I am a “Proud Carolinian”, not a “Proud Carlosian”, not a “Proud Carlosite” which rhymes with parasite, or even funnier and weirder, not a “Proud Carloser”.
thecarolinian.usc@gmail.com / SEPTEMBER 2012 | 37
Looking Forward...