The Crusader Publication Super Magazine 2017

What’s inside: XU Festival Days 2016 Marcos’ burial at the LNMB Christmas gratuity issue

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Publishers Subscribing Students of Xavier University Editorial Board Kevin Paul P. Mabul Editor in Chief Lorenzo A. Botavara Associate Editor Keith Obed J. Ruiz Design Editor Jericho B. Montellano Managing Editor Samantha Isabelle H. Bagayas News Editor Harmony Kristel D. Balino Local Features Editor Nikki Gay Louise P. Amores Sports Editor Marc Anthony B. Reyes Graphic Design and Layout Editor Evan B. Aranas Photography Editor Lynette L. Tuvilla Freehand Editor Finance Officers Jigo L. Racaza Auditor Anna Jamela S. Balindong Senior Finance Manager Tisha C. Abejo Junior Finance Manager Managers Merryane Rose S. Bacud Human Resource Manager Jinky M. Mejica Office Manager Mary Therese P. Mole Circulation Manager Jigo L. Racaza Video Productions Manager Jo Marie Claire B. Balase Online Accounts Manager Senior Computer Systems Manager Staff Writers Maria Franchesca Louise P. Fajemolin Jett Joseph C. Gumaling (Trainee) Nur Mohammad G. Lucman (Trainee) Ar-Raffi C. Macaumbos (Trainee) Tatiana L. Maligro Justin John Nagac (Trainee) Winona Roselle Serra (Trainee) Staff Artists Jean E. Abarquez (Trainee) Shaira E. Abshire (Trainee) John Niccolo A. Aquino Jamerah Marie M. Balindong Aleina C. Buenavista (Trainee) Kurt Anthony B. Chan (Trainee) Rigel Kent T. Flores Jayvee C. Lequigan (Trainee) Nicolo Nathan O. Macoy (Trainee) Jinky M. Mejica Ryan James P. Pascual Khristine Marjorie L. Quiblat Gene Gerard G. Verona Louise Coleen T. Vitor (Trainee) Rizalyka Joanne M. Waminal Moderator Mrs. Ann Catherine Ticao-Acenas For contributions, please address your articles and/or comments to: TheCrusader Publication Office, Rm. 302, Student Center Bldg, Xavier University 9000, Cagayan de Oro City Circulation: 6,150 copies

table of contents 1 Editorial 2 Column 4 Year in Review 6 Contrasting Colors of the Marcos Tyranny 8 Hereafter Senior High 11 Phrases That Don’t Matter 12 Staying on the Sidelines 14 A Foolproof Guide to Philippine News Literacy 16 Marching as One in Magis 17 “AAAAAND CUT”: A Look Into This Year’s New Criteria of the MMFF That Prompted the Change in it’s Film Roster 18 Cover Story: Excellence Starts at the XUFD Experience 22 Delayed Grades and Long Tirades 24 Up(Grades): Inconsistencies Among Teachers 25 Scooping Out the PDA Taboo 26 Meanwhile for the Tech-Voc Students...

28 Cultural Understanding Breeds Harmony: Taking a Closer Look at XU’s Foreign Students 30 Chasing Pavements 32 The Same Story 34 America’s New Trump Card 35 Of Money and Men 36 Cora Contrabida 37 Hohongihong

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anipulating the flames and maneuvering fluent moves, the fire poi master conjured a crowd of curious spectators by catching every on-looker’s attention. Not exactly out of place, as his motions were an an effortless exhibition of excellence - an embodiment of XU Festival Days 2016’s theme.C Words by Harmony Kristel D. Balino Photo by Evan B. Aranas

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The official student publication of Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan Vol. 43 No. 4 January 2017

Email your comments & suggestions to thecrusaderpub@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

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Fool’s Gold

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Illustration by Rigel T. Flores

ow’s not a good time to be a journalist.

If the media were the gold mining industry, consumers have mostly turned away from the glitz and glamour of authentic Aurum for this cheaper, synthetic, gold alternative. No one buys gold anymore because it’s much too expensive. Essentially and ironically, the only product of the gold mining industry has been undervalued.

Such a situation is prevalent on an international scale, especially among two nations an ocean apart who have held their national elections this year: the Philippines and America. The gold referred to in the previous paragraph represents the media’s only commodity: truth. At least in this aspect, we are on par with a global superpower from the west (bad-mouthing president aside).

There are key differences, however, in how the phenomenon played out between both countries. In our case, it fully transpired months after the election of President Rodrigo Duterte. Fake news sites that touted false reports and exaggerated his accomplishments proliferated, while misinformation spread like wildfire through social media. Many of his supporters were intolerant towards anti-Duterte reports to begin with, and these sites only fanned the flames. There is a high likelihood that you know someone who has been called a “-tard” since the elections in May. It didn’t matter who they actually supported; as long as they were saying anything against the president, they were the enemy.

Across the Pacific, articles masquerading legitimate facts also popped up with Americans falling for them just as hard. Analysts found that the electoral battle between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton was unique in a way that more people were viewing and sharing fake news on social media than ever before. Trump eventually won despite Clinton’s firm lead in the popular vote, and it is a sentiment of many that fake information may have tipped the scales in Trump’s favor towards an electoral college win.

The scariest part in all of this might not be the heaps of mistruth being shared, but the general distrust people now have in mainstream media. All legitimate news sources that publish so much as a negative comment about our president are considered “biased”, “dilawan”, or “bayaran”. Whether or not there is truth to this, journalists spend years honing their craft only to be upstaged by the likes of Mocha Uson and Sas Sassot (who, despite her degrees in politics, does not even live in the Philippines).

Believing in lies can have global consequences. We need only look at America’s predicament to have an idea of what a “posttruth” society can do. Perhaps this term may ring a bell, seeing as it was announced as the word of the year by Oxford Dictionary, with previous words of the year being “emoji” and “vape”. It means a situation where “objective facts are far less influential than appeals to emotion.” Having this as the word defining 2016 is both fascinating and troubling. What do we do now after acknowledging that not everything we read is true, no matter how much we want it to be?

The answer to that leans on everybody’s responsibility as readers. This issue of TheCrusader contains an article that is more of a guide to traversing the now forested landscape of Philippine media, picking out the websites proven to be messengers of fake and satirical news (there is a difference) for your informed reading experience. To address any mistrust you might have against journalists, think about this: it’s their necks on the line if they misinform you. Meanwhile, no author of fake news has been held liable for spreading lies and whatever consequences that resulted from them. That, hopefully, will change.

News shouldn’t be a game of Oro, Plata, Mata.

It should be Veritas Liberabbit Vos.C

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OPINION

Just a medical crisis

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Au Maite

By Hamony Kristel D. Balino harmonybalino@thecrusaderpublication.com

ecember 6: A man took photographs of sleeping nurses on graveyard shift in Gregorio T. Lluch Memorial Hospital - Iligan’s city hospital. He posted these unwarranted photos on social media and reported of the nurses’ negligence while women in agonizing labor are allegedly left uncared for. This type of shaming isn’t new to social media, and sadly, it’s only an effect of this country’s poor healthcare system.

As a student nurse recently exposed to the Delivery Room of Justiniano Ramonal Borja General Hospital (our very own city hospital), my role is to either assist midwives and doctors in delivery, perform newborn care, be the circulating student nurse, assist in the Obstetric Emergency Room (OB-ER), or be on patrol (labor watch).

Despite the help from student nurses, every nurse on duty often still find themselves in a frantic rush to attend to both those in labor and those about to give birth.

This is just one of the daily scenes in one of the departments at one of the approximately 1,800 hospitals in the Philippines. What happens in other hospitals, especially those in regions that belong to a lower economic class?

According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), our

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Speak

By Samantha Isabelle H. Bagayas sambagayas@thecrusaderpublication.com

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country has deployed 51,914 competent nurses to different parts of the world from 2012-2014 alone - great numbers for a country who has a meager 1:15 nurse-to-patient ratio. Alarming as it is, nurse-to-physician ratio is 3:1 while midwifeto-physician ratio is 2:1. Point is, we’re short on nurses but we lack more midwives and physicians.

With these kinds of statistics, how could we expect a fully functional healthcare system if we’re short on healthcare providers themselves?

Former President Benigno Aquino III vetoed Senate Bill No. 2720/House Bill No. 6411, titled “An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Nursing Law Toward Quality Health Care System, and Appropriating Funds” also known as the Comprehensive Nursing Law of 2016. This would have channeled a larger salary for nurses, amounting to Php 24,887 as minimum pay. With salaries that can amount to only Php 5,000 a month, Php 24,887 could’ve retained at least half of the 51,914 nurses deployed two years ago.

We put in too much effort on the growth of our country’s economy that we’ve underprioritized our healthcare system. When our bodies fail from the day’s work and Paracetamol can’t heal the simplest of our pains, where do we go? To a hospital full of patients.C

He Said, She Said

stonishingly, despite our advancements in society, the “boys will be boys” argument is somehow still considered as a valid excuse for blatant displays of sexist behavior. This was especially seen when a tweet about a group of boys who made lewd and sexual comments in a group chat about an underage girl and were then ousted gained traction on Twitter.

Screenshots of this conversation were heavily publicized, where it was shown that the boys had added the girl numerous times in their vulgar group chat, showing no shame in their lascivious behavior to a complete stranger.

While this inspired a barrage of support for the victim, a discussion cropped up on the normalcy of sexual comments directed at women in general, citing how this is a common example of usual “boy talk.” To imply that lewd comments surrounding women are somehow expected from the opposite sex is almost similar to saying men are subject to the whims of their sexual urges and are incapable of rational thought and behavior.

Demeaning women to be seen simply as sexual objects meant to please men as a conversational topic is not a compliment. And it most definitely shouldn’t be regarded as normal to think that this is what Western discourse refers to as typical “locker room talk.”

“Boys will be boys” should never be an excuse for anything. Men aren’t inherently designed to be sexual predators and disrespectful beings. Breaking down this age-old stereotype and acknowledging the situation for what it truly is—which is a manifestation of sexist behavior— are better than disregarding it completely with the belief that not much can be done.

Following the “Boys will be boys” notion discounts the injustice and sexual harassment that women may face from catcalling and the like. It also strips the perpetrators of the crime from taking responsibility for their actions. The saying is a mask meant to hide the perpetrator, as if only to lessen the blow of the shame.

It’s time to see the ugly truth.C Vol. 43 No. 4 December 2016

OPINION

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Slipstream

By Kevin Paul T. Mabul kevinmabul@thecrusaderpublication.com

enjoy sifting through news feeds and comments sections. I particularly enjoy reading across the spectrum of differences and intensities of the varying opinions regarding a specific topic online. It’s a lot like a zoo - only it’s digital, and that instead of animals, the attractions are sequences of words that range from the mild, the wild, and all the way up to the ferocious.

Following the issue on the surprise burial of the late president Ferdinand Marcos, the “Philippine Politics Enclosure” has seen a dramatic increase in population. Partitioned according to the wide spectrum of sentiments, of course.

On one end, we hear clamors for the Supreme Court to reverse their ruling on Marcos’ burial being legal, banking primarily on facts supporting the argument that the late president’s rule was a dictatorship and was rife with corruption and countless human rights abuses. Advocates believe that the facts alone should be enough to prevent the country to, in an implied sense, honor the dictator by burying him in the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

On the other side, praises for the current administration can be heard, thankful for the government for putting the issue and the body literally to rest so the country can, at last, “move on”. Supporting their sentiment is the claim that the president has done more in a little over 20 years than those after him combined within the same span of time. In short, unparalleled.

To that, the former side’s answer is simple: national debt. How are the succeeding administrations supposed to exceed ‘tangible development records’ if a significant portion of their budgets are dedicated to paying off loans?

Loans that the 21-year-long dictatorship managed to pile up in pursuit of ‘tangible development’?

An apparent lack of financial foresight, kleptocracy, and despicable abuses on human rights to remain in power are only part, but equally important pieces, to the whole story.

I understand that we all differ in opinion (again, I enjoy taking in everyone’s thoughts) and how Martial Law has or has not affected our lives

contribute to our personal views.

Suddenly coming out of nowhere, however, are attempts to revise history and claims stating that everything we learned about our country have been heavily influenced by the media.

And by heavily I mean countless news reports, documentaries, movies, shows, and books are supposedly materials of propaganda to shed bad light towards the late great dictator and to glorify the yellow line of leaders.

Personally, I think this is ridiculous. Are all references to Marcos just the media being “biased”? Are all published content over the course of forty years and change just propaganda?

Were journalism ethics non-existent during the 70’s and 80’s? Were Filipinos then just that gullible to believe everything they were fed? This, despite all the ‘tangible development’ the president supposedly brought upon the country?

Of course, I’m open to the possibility of our current state of things - that we are, indeed, brainwashed - to be the case, and I wouldn’t even be that surprised. It was the media, after all, who suffered arguably the most from the hardhitting realities of the 70’s and 80’s information censorship.

For this discourse between the two camps to keep on going, there must be substantial proof that the media truly are propaganda machines, or that history has surely been written solely by the victor.

Until then, these accusations are nothing more than an insult towards our forefathers, and, by extension, an attack towards those with opposing views - a slightly more elaborate version of ad hominem.

We’re not ready to move on to the next enclosure just yet.C

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Photo by Jinky M. Mejica

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Just to be clear

By Samantha Isabelle H. Bagayas, Harmony Kristel D. Balino & Kevin Paul P. Mabul

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Vol. 43 No. 4 December 2016

Design by Marc Anthony B. Reyes

Souces: Rappler signs agreement on Comelec election debates (http://www.rappler.com) US to build facilities in old CDO airport in 2016 (http://www.rappler.com) Philippines impounds North Korea vessel, to deport crew (http://www.philstar.com) Fresh grad, 23, admits hacking Comelec site (http://www.rappler.com) PH’s Jaclyn Jose wins best actress at Cannes (http://www.rappler.com) Hidilyn Diaz nabs silver, first PH Olympic medal in 20 years (http://www.rappler.com) World’s largest pearl hidden in Palawan for 10 years (http://www.asianjournal.com) Marcos buried at Libingan ng mga Bayani (http://www.rappler.com) VP Leni Robredo resigns as Housing Secretary (http://www.cnnphilippines.com)

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By Merryane Rose S. Bacud & Justin John Nagac

Design by Nicolo Nathan O. Macoy

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ehind the banging of barrels and the shrill, piercing whistles is a story more than 30 years in the making. People clad in black and white cried in defiance of the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision on the burial of former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) and took to the streets to hold noise barrages or candle-lightings in a number of places. Method of protest aside, they all shared a common clamor.

As in most cases, these demonstrations were met with detractors of their own. Marcos supporters took to the internet to criticize, and at times attack the protests and protesters with words of discouragement and phrases such as the now famous “Move on.” Who is objectively right in this case? Is it a matter of morals?

“NOT a hero” The SC ruled in favor of Marcos’ burial in the LNMB on November 8, with nine out of fifteen justices voting for the said burial. This spurred diverse reactions from activists, civic groups, and citizens across the country. The LNMB is the resting place of presidents, patriots, and soldiers, among others who dedicated their lives to the service and honor of our country.

XU held a solemn mass and lit candles in protest hours after the decision was announced, and in a move that sparked much controversy, banners depicting the phrase ‘Marcos is not a

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hero’ were hung along the University’s walkways to further showcase its stand on the matter.

However, a few students showed dissent towards the action taken by the University since, to them, the banners do not reflect the opinions of everyone. Senior Development Communication Student Starfish Babaylan expresses that, “Unsaon nako pag-explain akong part nga pro-Marcos ko?

Nga ultimo ginabutang sakong school kay “Marcos is not a hero? At least pud unta nga gihunahuna nila ang opinion sa other people.”

Central Student Government (CSG) President Edison Lacea, among other organizations, supported XU’s stand on the matter and mentioned how, “It’s clear that we have to oppose the burial of Marcos […] Even despite everything (negative feedback from the student body among others), [we have] no regrets because it is clear [that] Marcos is not a hero.”

The record of foul dictatorship ‘Forgive and forget’ and ‘it’s all in the past’ are some of the statements that Marcos supporters commonly say when defending their stand. These are aimed at those who strongly oppose Marcos’ burial at LNMB because of alleged human rights violations committed during his presidential term.

Some of these horrors, among many others, are the numerous cases of missing persons, military abuse, graft and corruption, unjust imprisonment and torture, and sexual abuse and

rape. These have affected the lives and families of many people under the Marcos regime. Due to a supposed threat to national security, Marcos declared Martial Law on September 21, 1972, which marked the start of his dictatorship. Some say, however, that his declaration was for him to extend his term.

Martial Law placed the country under the control of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Civil law, civil rights, and the writ of habeas corpus were suspended while strict curfews were implemented. Habeas corpus is a right of a person to appear in a court first before being imprisoned. Moreover, military law or military justice was extended to civilians during Martial Law. Military justice is the body of laws and procedures governing members of the AFP. Anyone who fought against it was subjected to a trial under the military court.

In a paper titled “Tortyur: Human Rights Violations during the Marcos Regime,” Michael Charleston “Xiao” Briones Chua detailed the many human rights violations committed during Marcos’ regime. The paper goes into detail about how people were murdered, electrocuted, burned with cigarettes and flat irons, or strangled with steel bars and wires. Moreover, women were stripped naked and sexually assaulted, among other unspeakable abuses on human rights.

Around 3,257 murders, 35,000 torture cases and 70,000 incarcerations were accounted for during

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his term according to the Akbayan party-list.

Violent protests occupied almost every corner of the country; one of which was the Plaza Miranda Bombing on the night of August 1, 1971 at the Liberal Party’s campaign rally. Two hand grenades were reportedly tossed on stage which killed and injured several upon exploding.

The regime was allegedly behind the attack, although the Communist Party of the Philippines (CCP) has also been implicated. Moreover, with the suspension of habeas corpus, hundreds of students and civilians were detained after the incident.

During Martial Law, Marcos was able to extend his Presidency of the Philippines for 21 years, where democracy was overruled, and violence and corruption were rampant.

The good in the bad Because of these things, Marcos was branded as a tyrant and a human rights violator. However, many of those that still support him claim that the country’s economy under the term of Marcos was at its greatest height. Roads, infrastructure, industries, and service programs, among others, were built and implemented by his administration, supposedly to be of service to the people.

Some of his much-publicized contributions are the San Juanico Bridge, the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), the Lung Center of the Philippines, and the Heart Center of the Philippines. Roads to multiple rural areas were also constructed for easy transportation. Moreover, the development of industries in the country created jobs for people and improved trade.

In addition, the biggest portion of the government budget (around PHP 58.7 Billion) was allocated to educational programs and to the implementation of free education in various regions of the country. This resulted to the knowledge rate of the country climbing up to 93 percent in year 1985 from 72 percent of year 1965.

During his term, the United Nations awarded the Primary Health Care (PHC) program created

by Marcos for being the most effective and responsive health program among developing countries at that time. Citizens in remote areas of the country were able to gain access to health services through this program. The life expectancy rate increased, while infant mortality

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rate decreased, both by tenfolds during his terms as President.

All these have been used by Marcos supporters to counter protesters, especially online. This may explain why a number of Filipinos agree with the SC decision despite the atrocities allegedly committed during the Marcos regime. *** History bears witness to the Marcos administration.

Legally, Marcos is entitled to be buried in the LNMB. However, the opposition’s stand is not to be ignored considering the moral crimes that occurred during his extended term. The fact remains that Marcos was a president but he was also a dictator.

Re s e a r ch i n g and understanding the events during Marcos’ regime is necessary to prevent historical revisionism.

The Marcos era will always be controversial time in the country’s history where many voices were silenced. It has been 30 years since the restoration of freedom of speech. It is important to know each aspect of the story before making a stand.C

Sources: #NeverAgain: Martial Law stories young people need to hear, (http://www.rappler.com) Ferdinand Marcos, (http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org) Ferdinand Marcos Burial Protest, (http://edition.cnn.com) XU STATEMENT: Marcos is not a hero, not now, not ever(http://www.xu.edu.ph/)

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By Maria Franchesca Louise P. Fajemolin, Tatiana L. Maligro & Justin John Nagac

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s the pioneering batch of Senior High School (SHS) got the hang of swiping their IDs to get through turnstiles, swapping IDs for bento boxes, and surrendering IDs for violation slips, the students still have unsettled thoughts and questions regarding their future outside SHS and even their present condition as a part of the freshly implemented K-12 Curriculum.

Although structure and representation is already in construction towards solidity with the established XU Senior High Student Government (SHSG), the SHS identity remains behind curtains of obscurity.

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ready,” Gawahan highlights the effect of specialized subjects on the students’ learning experience. Work immersion will also be integrated in the Grade 12 XUSHS curriculum, or what is commonly coined as OJT or ‘On the Job Training’ for the students to be certified of their skill-set and inherent knowledge. However, the ‘Trabaho’ aspect is not fully plausible considering that part of the student population would still fall as minors after graduating from Senior High School.

Clearing out misconceptions Though one of the career options available for students under STEM is Information Technology, the University does not offer specialized subjects related to Computer Science, or Technology. Gawahan reasons that they are simply following the Department of Education’s (DepEd) minimum requirements. “For now, we’re actually studying as to what to offer in terms of desire or need,” Gawahan says.

Misconceptions have arisen regarding the difference between the study load of the Academic Track compared to the Technical Vocational and Livelihood (Tech-Voc) Track. A common line circulating among Academic Track students is, “Hayahay kaayo ang Tech-Voc kay sige ra sila’g half day.” The line implies that TechVoc students have less subjects compared to the Academic Track.

Gawahan clarifies the issue by confirming that SHS students specializing in Tech-Voc are currently taking nine subjects this school year, which is only one subject less than the Academic Track. “Tech-Voc is really more hands on [...] They are into skills development,” Gawahan explains.

However, this does not imply that the track’s course outline is easier, since Tech-Voc students also take the same Core and Institutionalized subjects that Academic Tracks students take.

For higher education Although some SHS graduates may be offered employment after graduation, it is highly encouraged by the Administration for students to pursue higher education. On the issue of how SHS affects college, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Memorandum Order No. 20, series of 2016 includes that, “Subjects that have been taken up in Basic Education will be removed from the College General Education curriculum,” Thus, the number of units to be taken in the college would decrease, allowing students to allot more focus on their major subjects. In the event of students having to decide to take a degree on a field unrelated to his/her chosen strand in Senior High, it is possible: one may take BS Psychology as one’s college major when the strand he/ she enrolled in was Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM).

To guarantee that students graduating from SHS have gained full understanding of the concepts and principles learned, the DepEd will be imposing a competency-based exit exam, the guidelines of which are still in preparation and evaluation.

Job opportunites “Trabaho, Negosyo, Kolehiyo,” DepEd brands the results of Senior High as such with assurance.

With the current curriculum branching to have specialized subjects for each strand or track, it is in confidence that SHS graduates are qualified to apply as apprentices in their chosen fields. In addition, the Negosyo aspect directs the spotlight on ABM students as they practice processes and take part in actual bazaars in the campus through their Entrepreneurship subject.

“We are training our students to be job-

Future Plans With the learning and takeaways from the first year of SHS implementation, the University is now looking forward to welcoming its first batch of Grade 12 students, as well as improving the SHS policies. This includes the Code of Conduct, which could possibly be reviewed before the next AY starts. “Even if we are a good school […] we still have concerns to address,” Gawahan admits.

In preparation for the students’ Work Immersion during the second semester of Grade 12, the administration is currently seeking a Related Learning Experiences (RLE) coordinator.

The RLE coordinator will be tasked to coordinate with agencies, partner organizations, and industries that SHS students may flock to for the said subject. “Some of these students will go on OJT […] so we will know then what are the

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Design by Ryan James P. Pascual

On Shifting Several sentiments have arisen from potential internal transferees or students who wish to shift from one track or strand, to another. For example, students from the strands within the Academic Track – Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM), Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS), and General Academic Strand (GAS) – may wish to transfer strands or to the Tech-Voc track, and vice versa. Chapter 1, Article C of the Senior High School Basic Academic Policies states that this can be accomplished after a student’s application to do so is, “duly endorsed by the Track/Strand Coordinator and Assistant Principal for Academics, and approved by the Principal.” It is to be noted that this can only be done at the start of every school year.

However, SHS Principal Dr. Rogelio L. Gawahan, PhD discourages students to shift from their current track or strand. Consequently, the internal transferee may have to extend his or her SHS stay to make up for the missed subjects, since the administration is still deciding on which subjects to offer during the summer term.

In addition, there are a number of students who wish to transfer to XUSHS next academic year. “But our take is that we do not allow transferees [from non-Jesuit SHS] in Senior High

School,” Gawahan says. In fact, Article 1, Section B of the Senior High School Basic Academic Policies states that, “Only students from Jesuit Senior High Schools may be admitted to XUSHS as transferees.” To be able to do so, potential transferees must pass the entrance examination, and comply with the enrollment requirements.

With the short span of time a student stays in SHS and the limited opportunities to shift, one must enter Senior High with a clear picture of what they want to do.

measures [sic],” Gawahan says. Other plans for SHS e.g. special gatherings such as a Seniors’ Ball are still being proposed. *** During the course of the K-12 implementation, much has been done to cater the needs of the SHS pioneering batch in order to improve the quality of education they receive. However, its continual progress will rely on the decisions and actions taken in the succeeding years. Rest assured, the Office of the Principal is ready to work with all stakeholders – specially the SHSG – to improve the SHS experience of every student. “As a principal, I am always open to suggestions, I don’t decide on my own,” Gawahan says.

Senior High School Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) How many classes are we going to take in the next Academic Year (AY)?

Currently, students from the Academic Track, or the ABM, STEM, HUMSS, and GAS, are taking 10 subjects per semester, while Tech-Voc students are taking nine. Next school year, however, it will be the Tech-Voc Track which will be taking 10 classes, and the Academic Track taking nine.

What is this “lockdown” policy, and when will it be implemented?

Recently, the “lockdown” policy, in which SHS students are not allowed to leave campus until 4:30PM, has been proposed to prevent students from cutting classes. Though there is a great possibility that it may be implemented, the said policy can only be imposed after consultation with the SHSG as well as the students’ parents.

Why doesn’t SHS follow the blocking schedule system?

Using the current schedule makes it easier to monitor SHS students, to ensure that they are faithfully attending their classes.

Can a current SHS Student enroll in college classes?

No.

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Can a SHS student take a college course unrelated from his/her taken strand/track?

Yes, students may take subjects different from his/her SHS specialization as one’s major in college.

Why are there several restrictions for SHS regarding organizations?

Organizations should only expose the students to a glimpse of their interests. Gawahan expressed the risk of the students losing focus on their Academics due to the extra and/or cocurricular load of the students, considering that SHS students are already handling nine to ten subjects.

Will the SHS students be ranked after the AY? Those in the honor roll will be ranked according to their QPI’s.

Will the number of subjects to be taken in college be lessened for SHS graduates?

Yes. Subjects taken in SHS will not be a requirement in college.

Why are SHS students not allowed to leave campus during their free periods?

During the Parent-Teacher Conference (PTC), parents vouched for this policy. The administration seeks to ensure that the students are kept safe for the University will be held liable to the safety of the students during class hours.

Will there be an Exit Exam for SHS? Yes. It is implemented by the DepEd and will be taken by graduating SHS students.

Will the Wednesday morning assembly be implemented?

According to Gawahan, this is still in need of further deliberation, “because morning assemblies are […] allotted for major announcements from the academics, and the entire Senior High School community.” Special concerns may not be addressed if the assembly is moved to Wednesday.

“We will try to agree on it, or meet and discuss things in summer,” Gawahan says.C Vol. 43 No. 4 December 2016

By Mary Therese P. Mole

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t’s already run-of-the-mill to hear catcalls and other sorts of obnoxious comments from people, whether in person or on social media. In fact, it has become so mainstream that people tend to overlook sexist remarks, oftentimes taking them merely as jokes.

Crowdsourcing from XU Senior High School, College, and Graduate School students, here are some of the commonly heard and read sexist remarks along with how people commonly take and interpret them.

Have you uttered any of these phrases before?

You might want to reevaluate your choice of words.

Fifth year Mechanical Engineering (ME) student Angelica Calotes experienced this sort of prejudice by being asked this very question.

“Sometimes these questions insult me,” Calotes confesses. According to the list released by The Office of the Registrar, only 16 females are enrolled in ME, compared to 158 of the opposite sex. With a ratio of one female to ten males, ME is a maledominated course.

This discrimination does not apply only to women but also to men. Second year English Language major Jay-Van Lobaton experienced the same discrimination in which society expects men to be engineers, businessmen, doctors, and the like.

Lastly, catcalling and wolf whistling are two “I’m taking up English [as a major] and it does not of the most rampant forms of sexual harassment make me any less of a man.” Lobaton justified. in the Philippines. According to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted in Payatas and Bagong Silangan, women aged 18 to 24 experienced some form of sexual harassment at least once.

It has become so “normal” that when you ask people when they were first harassed or how many times were they harassed in a day, they would not even remember. It’s unfortunate that the general populace has accepted these as norms when in fact, these are matters that disturb and even frighten women of many ages. Some even call this as a “compliment”to justify their actions. The general consensus, however, is that it makes recipients uncomfortable. *** Discrimination and harassment in any form has always been a part and problem in society. It can happen to anyone regardless of age and gender, but it does not mean that because it is prevalent, we should just tolerate the perpetuation of this behaviour. No one should have to deal with these unwarranted annoyances.C

Boy Talk

Similarly, girls are condemned and berated to ‘dress accordingly’, as to not ‘awaken a man’s desire.’ Boys, however, are not openly disciplined to act respectfully and behave appropriately in the presence of these girls or women who may dress in whatever manner they choose. True enough, when a girl shows more skin, the possibility of being noticed rises. The first look may be accidental, but the second is more likely to be intentional. What is needed is respect – women’s bodies are not for ”one’s use” or for comment unless otherwise directly invited.

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Design by Jericho B. Montellano

This statement, along with “virgin pa ka?” and “dako kayo ka ug sampot/boobs” are some of the more common remarks that are spoken casually by some men and women who think that publicly asking these is acceptable.

It has also been a recent trend on Facebook to comment “buak na” – or its other variants such as “akbu” – on someone’s friendship comment box.

What could have possibly been “broken” in such a situation? The common understanding is the loss of a female’s virginity.

Many people will just laugh at it and take it as a gag, but unknown to many, it is already offensive.The implication is that, of all the capabilities a woman holds, some blatanly choose to view them as sexual objects.

This statement is commonly directed at men for “displaying a lack of masculinity” that society expects. Most of these boys are called gay or “bayot” for crying, refusing to consume alcohol, abhorring the practice of smoking, not playing DOTA, being in no way interested in basketball, or anything else that is supposed to be a “guy” activity.

One thing that makes this so wrong is using the specific term bayot, Cebuano for gay or homosexual. To immediately brand a group of people’s identity as cowardly shows the unfortunate prejudice our society has towards members of the gay community. It also deepens the lines of gender stereotypes that dictate an imaginary divide between what should be masculine and feminine.

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Design by Gene Gerard G. Verona

o the sudden crescendo of shouts after the whoosh of the winning shot, the players run to the middle of the court, as all clutch the much coveted golden trophy.

Emblazoned across their jerseys in bold letters is “Xavier,” the name marking each athlete as its own. But as the hype dies down and the University garners yet another addition to its trophy case, what happens to these varsity players before and after their moments of glory?

With the increase of the athletics fee to compensate for the reduced student population, the University Athletics Office (UAO) still faced a decrease in its overall budget.

Moreover, the University will slash a possible million off the budget reserved for the UAO’s proceedings in S.Y 2017-2018, says UAO Director Vincent Padilla. The budget, which has already been reduced as part of the cost-cutting initiatives of the University, covers not only the scholarships and various benefits that the office offers to select varsity players but also the costs of the annual Intramurals.

As the possible cuts in the athletics budget looms, how will these affect the varsity teams and the Intramurals?

Less games, less costs While some would assume that the University prioritizes teams that take home more awards than their counterparts, Padilla clarifies that the UAO distributes the budget equally among its varsity teams, regardless of their wins or lack thereof. The budget for each team is based mainly on the costs of the training and the number of players.

“If you look at it, they are the same because you’re only spending actually the same amount of uniform per athlete or something like that. […] It’s not because they’re special or anything but because of the kind of activity that they’re on,” he explains.

Since the overall budget of the UAO faced some cuts, it has defined only a select number of events that the University will be able to fund. These events are the Cagayan de Oro Schools Athletic Association (COSAA) meet – which the

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Vol. 43 No. 4 December 2016

By Samantha Isabelle H. Bagayas

University opted not to participate in this year— the Mindanao Peace Games for female varsity teams, and the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) Mindanao Games for male varsity teams. Competitions outside of these defined events will no longer be covered by the budget of the University, and will be up to the discretion of the team.

While the varsity teams will still represent the University if they ever choose to participate in events outside of what the UAO has already defined, the University will not shoulder registration fees and other costs that may be involved in the participation of these events.

Education comes first Aside from the limited number of tournaments that the University will cover for its varsity teams, it also decreased the number of Full, and Half-Tuition privilege scholarships for its players. Playing Privilege athletes, which are players that do not receive a scholarship from the University but are still part of the team, comprise more than half of the varsity players in the University, since only 56 are scholars. The women’s basketball team, for example, does not have any scholars. However their uniform and training are still covered by the University.

“As much as we really want to support them, we cannot do that because we have no more money. We have no budget. But at the same time, that is why we are also creating opportunity for our athletes to raise fund. So we allow our athletes to get sponsors,” shares Padilla.

The UAO highlights how its priority is not winning titles but providing an opportunity for players to get an education. While titles are a bonus, these aren’t a requirement, especially since

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the office does not provide a budget to actively seek great players from outside schools. Although this is the case, the office might still need to cut more scholarships next year, admits Padilla.

Next move For small teams, the limited offerings of scholarships to players pose a problem in recruitment, especially when presented alongside other schools which offer more benefits such as allowance, board and lodging, and scholarship.

Chess Coach Dr. Rogelio Golez shares how the scholarship is a major factor in motivating players to join the team. “Sa akong team, nigamay ang number of scholars and then naa nay mga player nga murag gaingon na nga they will go to Manila kay lisod naman. So instead na ma recruit pa nako sila, ga 50/50 na sila na it’s either they will [stay in XU or] go to Manila.”

Most coaches monitor the progress of XU’s athletes, even so far as elementary, to keep track of possible recruits in the tertiary level. However, with the decreased number of scholars, this is becoming increasingly difficult in terms of recruitment. “Ang problem nako is when they go to college. Basin wala nay ma-offer ang University because of the cost-cutting unless i-assure ko sa Athletics Department nga naa gyud ko slot,” says Dr. Golez.

Meanwhile, large teams like the basketball team find other means to get more funding. The XU Crusaders, which have a large following of alumni who are basketball fanatics get a little help from the Alumni Basketball League—a luxury that may not always be available to all teams. He has also resorted to inviting possible recruits from basketball players in the Intramurals since offering a scholarship has become difficult. “Nangita ko og

alternatibo which nag adto ko sa alumni na mahiligon sa basketball and nangayo ko og financial assistance nga maka-supplement og hatag sa unsay naa kinahanglan sa teams,” shares basketball coach Paul Douglas S. Calingin.

He suggests that there should also be a collaboration with the University to aid student athletes, especially in terms of their education.

“We’re hopeful na in the long run the Athletics department can find a way na mag align na with the different departments na parehas sa school sa Ateneo de Manila. Ang mga athletes didto is naa sila special nga schedule na pag enroll nila, naa na sila’y kaugalingong schedule sa ilang department.”

He explains how there is a need to provide more benefits to athletes, especially when they represent the University. “Dapat tagaan og consideration nga kaning bata is playing for Xavier University, not playing for himself.”’’ *** In spite of the setbacks present in the lives of student athletes, the dedication of these players to represent XU is still remarkable. While it is understandable that the University is trying to solve its financial status, there should be similar efforts to find funding, either from outside donors, sponsors, and alumni, to provide more benefits to student athletes, especially when they compete in the name of the University. Alternatives should be sought to increase support for our varsity. These players compete for the University. It’s about time the University fights for them.C

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I Design by Evan B. Aranas

f a news story seems unbelievably ridiculous to you, you’re probably right.

Within the past months, online content from satirical and fake news sites have been basking in the glow of the public spotlight for the wrong reason: most people share them for “information” instead of entertainment.

Fool me twice Filipinos aren’t known for their ability to read critically. In 2013, satirical website ‘So, What’s News?’ (SWN) reported about the arrest of former Senator Jinggoy Estrada for smuggling money inside his man-breasts to the United States, and the Filipino online community was abuzz with speculation. The online ruckus even prompted the senator to release a statement denying the incident.

Jinggoy is not the only person or institution to have to release a statement as a result of misread satire. The US Embassy in Manila also denied exempting Filipinos from getting visas to enter the country after thousands of Pinoy netizens fell for an article by the Adobo Chronicles. The satirical piece poked humor on a previous (real) report about Filipinos having a favorable view of the US, even more than Americans.

Finally, one of the classic and most ironic slipups was that of Philippine Star columnist Carmen N. Pedrosa, when she wrote about the article

by Mosquito Press: “Harvard study finds that Filipinos are the most gullible people.” Pedrosa apparently took the fictitious study supposedly as legitimate, as implied by the tone of her column.

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She even referred to the bogus statistics the article contained and treated them as actual facts.

Most headlines of satire are meant to raise the reader’s eyebrows or what we now term today as “click-bait”, and it’s probable that not every one who shares these took time to actually read the article. A hard-hitting headline is usually enough to get a share. The fast pace at which social media platforms work doesn’t exactly promote reading as well, with a browsing progression many are guilty of: scroll down until a post catches your attention, react, share, resume scrolling. We’ve all shared unopened links at least once in our lives, haven’t we?

For the blessed and responsible human beings who do read, spotting satire isn’t that difficult.

If, as readers, we are gullible enough to fall for news that wasn’t even meant to fool us in the first place, the chances of being misinformed by baseless content posing as legitimate sources of information is terrifyingly high.

A different kind of monster Fake news sites are less revealing of their lack of authenticity. Like satire, they bend truths, make fantastic claims, and create commotion on the internet. The difference lies in their objectives: satire aims to provide entertainment and inject humor and irony on socially relevant topics while deception is the name of the game for fake news.

Fortunately, such write-ups have numerous red flags, the most glaring of which is the poorly written content. Among fake, satirical, and authentic news, fake news is the most likely to

contain errors in grammar and spelling. It also helps to: 1) Scrutinize other content if a site doesn’t announce their act with a disclaimer: if their other articles are just as ridiculous as the rest, the site isn’t credible.

2) Be very mindful of the domain name: changing one character of a legitimate site’s domain does not make it a close-to-legitimate site. For example: theguardian.co.uk is entirely different from theguard1an.com (the latter is a fake news website).

3) Seek confirmation by searching for the story online. Triangulate every detail you are presented with. *** Whether an article is satirical or spreads fake information, we as readers can take real and valuable lessons from trash news and made-up stories - an undeniably important one being the ability to read-and-[re]think. One need not be psychic to read with the mind. Satire is meant to entertain and fake news deserves the dumpster.

Treat and read them accordingly.C

Sources: Think Before You Click: List of Pinoy fake news sites (http://gmanetwork.com) Why can’t many Filipinos tell truth from satire? (http://rappler.com) 5 Ways to Spot Fake News Sites (http://www. m2comms.com)

Vol. 43 No. 4 December 2016

By Lorenzo A. Botavara

EXAMPLES OF SATIRICAL NEWS SITES

So, What’s News? sowhatsnews.wordpress.com

Adobo Chronicles adobochronicles.com

The Philippine Trend thephilippinetrend.com

Mosquito Press mosquitopress.net

The Philippine Chronicle thephilippinechronicle.com

Eritas Times eritastimes.com

The Professional Heckler

professionalheckler.wordpress.com

EXAMPLES OF FAKE NEWS SITES International Latest Updates internationallatestupdates.blogspot.com

DW-TV3 dw-tv3.com

The Guard1an theguard1an.com

Pinoy Speak (Duterte News) www.pinoyspeak.info

Du30 Newsinfo www.du30newsinfo.com

Ok d2 okd2.com

Newstrendph www.newstrendph.com

Pinoy Article www.pinoyarticle.com

Social News Ph www.socialnewsph.com

By: Kevin Paul P. Mabul

A

kin to militar y

Onward, Crusaders Participated by eight Jesuit-run basic education and tertiary schools within the country

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Towards the stars Coach Arvin Martinez, College Athletic Coordinator of the University Athletics Office (UAO), says that besides the JAM being a reunion of sorts, it also serves to benchmark XU’s performance relative to Ateneo schools in Luzon which many consider to have more media traction.

“Since ni-champion ta ani na mga event, meaning to say, at par [ta]. Atong mga athlete maka compete with the national [players],” he explains.

To some XU Crusaders, just playing against those who have competed in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) games is a wonderful experience in itself.

“Who would’ve thought you’d be in the same playing court with the Ateneo Lady Eagles?,” exclaims Michelle Tan, a Volleyball player in her fourth year. Abbe San Juan, a sophomore and a Volleyball player as well, shares Michelle’s sentiments. “What I like most about the meet was the exposure it gave my team. The opportunity to play with the Ateneo Lady Eagles was beyond inspiring,” she says.

Jed Jao-jao, a senior, shares that his team was able to go toe-to-toe during the earlier stages of their match against the likes of Gab

Reyes, Jay Javelosa, and Tyler Tio, whose names will sound familiar to Basketball fans. Besides this, he says that it has provided them another avenue to gauge their skills. “I got to see again my old friends from different Ateneo schools and compete against them and saw our respective improvements from the last time we played.”

Notwithstanding the atmosphere of competition, Jeffrey Faciolan, sophomore and Table Tennis player, speaks of the event as a way to foster growth for the participating athletes. “[It] is about uniting all the Jesuits schools around the Philippines and to share skills, perspectives and different culture for the benefits of one another [sic].”

Game plan By 2018, the JAM will be shifting from bi-yearly to a yearly schedule. However, each JAM will take turns in catering to basic education and tertiary-level students; 2018 will be for junior and senior high school students, while 2019 will be for college students, and so on. The first schools to host with this new schedule are Ateneo de Cebu and Ateneo de Cagayan for 2018 and 2019, respectively.

According to Coach Arvin, one benefit of this is making JAM expenditures more manageable as they are spread through two years. Another is logistics, as some hosting universities simply do not have the resources to support nearly 900 athletes. *** Events like the JAM help close the gap between XU and the schools that the athletic members of the community look up to. With each substantial climb and victory, we come closer to proving that in the field of sports, we are not so different from those who compete in the UAAP. That’s something to be proud of, but we can even be prouder if we do our part to push our squads to the top.C

Vol. 43 No. 4 December 2016

Design by Jayvee Christopher C. Lequigan

exercises done by armies across nations to showcase and share skills, strategies, and newfound technologies within themselves, the Jesuits, too, have a healthy habit of setting their schools against each other through friendly competition in the pursuit of improvement.

Such is the case of the Jesuit Athletic Meet (JAM), a biannual collection of sports events exclusive to schools run by Jesuits. The year 2016 saw the Xavier University (XU) and XU Junior and Senior High School Crusaders nabbing podium victories for a sizable chunk of the Meet’s games.

“What’s new?” one might ask, and may claim that “there is no surprise in news concerning our athletes’ prowess.” But beneath these victories, when one peers straight into what and why organizations even have these meets in the first place, may one truly appreciate internal athletic competition.

namely the Ateneos of Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Manila, Naga, Zamboanga, and the Loyola College of Culion, nearly 900 athletes rendezvoused to Davao City to engage in the sixday event.

The tilt’s event consisted of Basketball, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Badminton, Chess, Futsal, and Swimming.

Besides providing opportunities for athletes to prove their mettle, the JAM also incorporates the Athletes’ Summit, Coaches’ Forum, and Leaders’ Meetings, among others (collectively coined as “parallel events”), to inspire players to do more and to build camaraderie with the other members of the family of schools. Darius Joseph Diamante, an Ateneo de Davao alumnus and now a part of Azkals’ roster, was one of the key resource speakers for these parallel events.

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By Jett Joseph

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‘Unanimous, and final’ Academic and film critic Nick Tiongson, the Chairman of the selection committee for the MMFF, reportedly wanted “real and meaningful changes […] to disprove the myth that quality indie films will not earn money and vice versa, commercial films cannot possibly have quality,” as detailed in a statement released on November 18.

While this has film enthusiasts, scholars, and critics praising the committee for their decision, there remained an opposition to these changes.

“Sana po pinagbigyan naman po ng kahit tatlo o apat na commercial films dahil ito po ang inaasahan ng mga bata. Pasko naman po. [...] Ito po yun dinudumog, e,” states former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Francis Tolentino.

Tiongson, on the other hand, expressed that the decision was made with the discretion of the committee as a whole and that it was an arrangement brought about by a common understanding of their individual visions to present a “refreshing” and “restructured” menu for this year’s film festival.

A different kind of story Aside from the appointment of 20 new hands in the selection process, the executive committee has decided to give filmmakers a clean slate by crafting a fresh set of criteria.

Eyeing to provide a “formula where we can Crusader

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promote and show excellent quality films,” as stated

by MMDA Chairman Emerson Carlos, 40 percent of the criteria is for the film’s ‘story, audience appeal, overall impact, and cinematic attributes,’ while another 40 percent is for its ‘technical expertise’.

‘Global appeal’ and ‘Filipino sensibility’, which are two separate clauses in the criteria, were apportioned 10 percent, respectively. ‘Commercial viability,’ which used to take up half of the previous criteria, was totally omitted. In the screening process, the committee extended their evaluation into the final picture cut instead of checking only the respective scripts of the films, as done prior to this change.

This year will also jumpstart the promotion of short films the “Pixar way,” which means showing a short film or two before a full movie. Carlos intends this to boost the popularity of short films in the festival that were previously considered to be under the radar.

The ‘Gabi ng Parangal,’ – the festival’s awarding ceremony usually held two or three days after the premier – will instead be held at the end of the festival in January. According to a report from Rappler, no monetary prizes await the winning films.

Superior forces at play Many found it distasteful how low-earning but critically-praised films were switched for movies regarded to be more saleable in cinemas nationwide. This has prompted independent producers and filmmakers to call for “fair play.”

As much as the audience scope of “indie” films gradually widens, theater owners will most likely favor the less critically acclaimed yet commercially viable movies. After all, conferring to a report from the Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP), the combined box-office gross from last year’s Film Festival was roughly around Php 1 billion.

“Unfortunately, you cannot argue with them using the value of art and cultural significance when it comes to the most profitable time of the year for their business,” posted renowned Filipino writer and director Jose Javier Reyes on his blog.

More than its box office and quality These issues, having repeatedly plagued news portals come Christmas/Festival season, has immortalized the mentality that box office revenues do not necessarily justify the quality of a film and its impact to the industry.

While people engage in continually disproving others in debates surrounding the Festival’s paradigm, many have overlooked a purpose of the Festival: subsidiaries such as the Film Academy of the Philippines and the Movie Workers Welfare Fund (MOWELFUND) are being funded through the earnings from the festival to help those in the film industry who do not have private insurance coverage and benefits. *** Considering how public interest changes in an uncertain pattern, these abrupt changes in the Film Festival may significantly change how the event will transpire this year. It is never a question of an independent and ‘commercial’ film in the run, but rather the ever dynamic preference of the audience. Knowing that commercial movies are able to earn only provides proof of its satiating needs, albeit different from what the independent films provide.

Films, after all, are elements embedded in our culture that inevitably change with it. With this realization, we might just aid the reshaping of our film industry and help discover new ways of presenting art and expression through the silver screen without discrimination masked as personal taste and choice of entertainment.C Sources: MMFF 2016 revamped: 10 important changes to know (http://rappler.com) MMFF 2016 entries selection reveals change has come (http://philstar.com) 2016 MMFF line-up is ‘final and unanimous’ (http:// philstar.com) MMDA presents new MMFF execom members, criteria for choosing entries (http://gmanetwork.com) Beauty and the Bestie is No. 1 in MMFF 2015; Top 4 ranking revealed (http://pep.ph) Former MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino dismayed by MMFF 2016 official entries (http://pep.ph) www.thecrusaderpublication.com

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Design by John Niccolo A. Aquino

or years, the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) has enjoyed being one of the most anticipated celebrations of creativity in the country come Christmas season. As films break box-office records year after year, instead of fostering the initiative to raise Filipino culture through the cinema, issues about how the quality of the festival has deteriorated kept popping- up at the same rate.

Quite surprisingly, the persistent Filipino audience has a different menu laid out for them this year, given the exclusion of fan-favorite and commercially-driven films to be shown in 2016’s film festival.

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Vol. 43 No. 4 December 2016

COVER STORY

Excellence starts at the XUFD Experience

By Nur Mohammad G. Lucman and Jett Joseph C. Gumaling

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Upon daylight encounter On top of the already diverse set of booths around the campus, the three days were packed with so many programs and activities that it was unlikely for anyone to run out of things to do. The cheer and merry-making began in the early hours of the morning and would carry its enthusiasm into the night.

Beginning the first of December with the Bike Caravan, followed by the open-to-all Food Festival buffet and the Palarong Pinoy of the Faculty and Staff of the University on the first Crusader

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morning, the early-birds and Xavier employees were the first to get a taste of the enjoyment the event had to offer. The amount of people eager to witness the much-anticipated Opening Ceremonies of the Festival Days kept growing by the hour, as they awaited the lighting of the trees at the University Main Lane and launching of the Christmas village.

Daytime performances such as the Xavier Fest, showcased the musical talents of Ateneans; meanwhile, the #xSHOWhs showcased performances from Junior High School students of XU. “Bida ka, Atenista!”, the Festival Days’ staple game show, incurred plenty of laughs from its audience. The game show included segments that resembles popular TV and noontime shows such as “Anong Hula Mo?”, “Minute to Win It”, and the “Bida ka Atenista! Survival Games”. Winners received cash prizes as well as a variety of sponsor products.

XUFD was not merely an event of enjoyment and merry-making, but was also a venue for learning. Museo de Oro – one of the three museums in the city – opened its doors to the public. On display was the rich ethno-history and culture of Northern Mindanao, as well as important figures and junctures in the city’s history. Meanwhile, the Goethe Institute Science Film Festival introduced numerous advances in the field of science. There was also Tech Talks, a discussion about technology conducted by the XU Junior High School Faculty. www.thecrusaderpublication.com

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Design by Keith Obed J. Ruiz

aving been significantly affected by the University’s measures to reduce expenses, the budget for this year’s celebration hung unsteady. But Xavier University, despite this situation, has shown that they are not about to let this year festivities be any less enjoyable than those from before. In 2013, the community’s celebration exhibited ‘Leading the Ateneo way.’ A year after that heralded a celebration that transcended borders of culture and tradition in pursuit to be ‘Beyond Compare.’

And just last year, it invited generations of Ateneans to reminisce and celebrate moments at ‘Our Common Home.’

Just as we thought that the spirit of the Festival Days had exhausted the best it has to offer, the community instead raised the bar to bring us a celebration that exceeded expectations: this year’s XU Festival Days: Experience Excellence.

Photos by Jean E. Abarquez, Shaira E. Abshire, Evan B. Aranas, John Niccolo A. Aquino, Jamerah Marie M. Balindong, Aleina C. Buenavista, Kurt Anthony B. Chan, Nicolo Nathan O. Macoy, Jinky M. Mejica, Khristine Marjorie L. Quiblat, Jigo L. Racaza, Gene Gerard G. Verona and Louise Coleen T. Vitor

Of starry skies and sparkling lights With the sun slowly dipping towards the horizon, excitement sprung anew as the campus became a mesmerizing spectacle of lights by night.

These nights of XUFD were mostly reserved for performance art shows such as dance dramas and musical concerts.

While spectators at the Main Lane jammed to the XU Soundtable and Atenista Ako Movement’s ‘Tugtugan Fest’ and ‘What’s Your Move?’, the covered courts hosted the interschool ethnic dance competition Kinauyokan .

The anticipated annual caroling entertained onlookers on the second night. Even the University’s Grade School students were present to compete – who were then crowned champions.

The Xavier Fest band concert also premiered at the Main Lane, which was followed by the Imported Halo-Halo concert – a fun-filled immersion into the cultures and talents of XU’s foreign students.

From December 1-2, films were shown at the Soccer field as part of the Xavier Box Office (XBO). A staple event of the Festival Days, this year’s XBO also featured Cinemagis Short Films.

Beginning at 6 in the evening until 11, crowds gathered to watch films projected on a screen whose width is a little over half of that of the field by theater-class projectors.

As always, the much feared and anticipated Horror House of the Xavier University Psychology Society was a major hit, scaring the soul out of those brave enough to explore the ghostly playhouse of Ana. Tickets were sold a week before the actual run and even guests and visitors of the University came early just to avail of the

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tickets.

As the Exceed Rave Party inched closer, guests kept coming to witness the remaining hours of the Festival Days. Despite the previous days’ rains that muddied the soccer field, it did not stop the immense volume of spectators from coming over to watch the Hip Hop Extreme dance contest that preceded the rave party.

With electrifying music and blinding lights, the Exceed Rave Party gave an excellent ender for the Festival Days’ visitors. It was also in the party that the University attempted to recreate the recently trending “Mannequin Challenge” that took the Internet by storm.

With flying colors To further liven up the Festival Days, a handful of new events were added to spice up and bring new colors to the celebrations.

Among these events was the first Xavier Color Run which kicked off the Festival Days on November 30. A new addition, the run quickly proved popular among the community, as participants covered in paint splashed their way across social media. Open to all those who were interested, many from all over CDO joined the run, gleefully coloring themselves and their clothing. Just as physically exhausting was the Rave Party afterwards, where the runners partied in the morning sun.

‘The Amazing Race,’ ‘Family Feud,’ and ‘XU Goes K-Pop’ contests joined the list of competitions in the Festival Days. Involving

teams with par ticipants from Junior High, Senior High, and tertiary level, the Amazing Race tested its competitors’ wits and physical endurance. ‘Family Feud’ placed the popular TV game show within a Philippine and XU community context. Meanwhile, with the rise of Korean pop culture within the country, dance groups battled it out in ‘XU Goes K-pop’, performing choreographies to popular Korean music.

With the pioneering Senior High school students coming into the fold, there were exhibits created by students of all strands for everyone to admire such as a display on the life of St. Francis Xavier. Additionally, the St. Francis Xavier Song Festival featured songs also composed by the XUSHS students.

Cutting the cost but never the experience Due to the lower number of tertiary enrollees this year, the budget for the Festival Days had to be deliberated upon.

According to University Treasurer Lennie Ong, the subsidies were cut by 35% less compared to last year. This year’s celebration also marked the first to have had to cut the budget for the Festival Days, which posed a significant challenge for the organizing body to maximize the budget without compromising the quality of the event.

Aside from reducing the prizes for competitions and reusing some materials from the previous year (the creche, or “belen,” for Vol. 43 No. 4 December 2016

example), the University also had to cut down expenses for the Christmas lights and tents, limiting the number of lit trees, having only 15 strings of lights decorating every tree. Ong also mentioned about having to utilize the “savings from last year,” and is hopeful that her request for the budget to be cut down to only 20% of the usual Festival Days’ budget for next year pushes through.

A notable omission from this year’s Festival Days was the fireworks display, one of the most awaited segments of the celebration. According to Ong, “[We had to] find a sponsor who would hold the fireworks for us.” Despite its undeniable popularity, the organizers were never in favor of fireworks in the first place as they are “not good for the environment.”

Director of the Office of Students Affairs (OSA) Ivanell Subrabas claims that they were “very conscious of the efforts to reduce the spending for the Festival Days,” and said that it was fortunate that they were still able to come up with the same volume of activities to what they had last year.

Despite these big changes in the preparations

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f o r t h e Festival D a y s , S u b r a b a s disclosed that the University made up for it by preparing for the festivity in as early as the month of September.

From the headcount prepared by the XU Security Office, it was revealed that this year’s Festival Days had 75,562 visitors, significantly less from last year’s 104, 779 and 2014’s 90, 938.

Subrabas speculated this number might have been due to the fact that the University did not include Wednesday as a part of the Festival Days. He also added that figures like these are of vital importance in enticing sponsors for future celebrations and events.

Nevertheless, Mr. Subrabas expressed his glee over the success of the Festival Days this year.

“The budget cut didn’t really affect the entire celebration because it only made people more creative and more innovative,” he says.

*** Despite the challenges that the budget cuts posed, the organizers defied limits and put out their best to prepare for the Festival Days. This year’s celebration proved that budget-wise, 65% can, with a little effort, keep up with 100%. Who knows what’s in store when those numbers drop even lower? Time will tell, and we as a community hope that next year’s festivities continue to exceed expectations despite the worsening financial situation.C

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H

e has weathered another semester of academics and is now on the cusp of his semestral break getaway. Coming back for the first day of enrollment, he opens the site to check his final grades, only to discover that only two out of his seven teachers have submitted them. Annoyed, he opens his Twitter account and rage-types a rambling rant on his delayed grades.

Second semester classes commence and two weeks after, his grades are (finally!) complete. He rushes to enroll in his subjects, some of which are already closed.

“Guess I’ll have a long summer ahead,” he concedes.

By Nikki Gay Louise P. Amores & Mary Therese P. Mole

The fruit of its seeds During semestral breaks, social media is usually saturated with angry posts from students frustrated at their empty “Grades” tab in their Student Lifecycle Management and Information System (SLMIS) accounts. These delayed grades compromise their enrollment in the second semester and bear unforeseen consequences that students, without much choice, have to shoulder.

For one, a number of students weren’t able to enroll on some of their subjects because of the late submission of grades for important pre-requisite subjects. Additionally, they were required to pay for the delayed enrollment fee of these classes, even when they were not at fault.

Moreover, scholars are severely affected by this recurring phenomenon, as they are basically unable to renew their scholarship contracts if their grades are still incomplete.

With these, the school implemented a number of countermeasures such as the extension of the delayed enrollment week, and the raising of amnesty for exemption of the delayed enrollment fees in an attempt to relieve students from the consequences of the late submission of grades.

Design by Marc Anthony B. Reyes

Due process The grades posted in the SLMIS gradebook undergo an elaborate process. First, teachers encode the grades into the gradebook, which are then passed on to the grade roster. These will be forwarded to the department chairs for approval. Once approved, the grade roster will be sent to the registrar for online release. This process ensures that grades are reviewed thoroughly since these can no longer be overridden or changed unless a request for a change of mark is made by the student.

Teachers input scores of exams and quizzes, among others into the gradebook for students to keep track of their academic performance. This is in accordance

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with the Magna Carta of Students’ Rights and Privileges, as detailed in the University Student Handbook.

However, University Registrar Verna L. Lago mentions that teachers can submit their grade rosters straight to the registrar, even without prior approval from the respective department chair.

Midterm grades do not follow the same process as the final grades since the midterm grades can be posted and viewed immediately. Meanwhile, final grades undergo a rigid process to avoid the release of grades to students who have not settled their remaining balance and to ensure that these will no longer need corrections.

Unravelling its root cause Ideally, teachers are advised to encode scores regularly and to update the gradebook during submission of grades. Not all teachers, however, practice this. According to Academic Vice President Fr. Rene Tacastacas, SJ, some teachers would instead opt to upload the scores near the end of the semester. Meanwhile, others don’t use the gradebook at all. These cause a significant delay to the submission of grades since computations will take time considering the large number of students per section.

Another factor that delays the submission of grades is the period of delayed exams. A number of teachers prefer submitting the grades at once for convenience, rather than sending another batch for delayed exam takers. Part-time teachers also delay the posting of grades because of conflicting schedules. Additionally, they were not properly trained on the usage of the SLMIS gradebook.

Students complying late requirements, especially for teachers who give special considerations for delayed submissions, badly affect the submission of grades, too. Instead of releasing an Incomplete (INC) grade mark, teachers choose to wait for these students.

An INC grade mark denotes that after the requirements’ completion, the completed grade roster will be returned to the teachers for grading of those who have received an INC mark. The process will repeat and will take time.

Likewise, department chairs who are unable to review the grade roster promptly delay the grades. Moreover, the previous semestral break only had two weeks: one week for vacation and the other for enrollment. With the limited time frame, teachers couldn’t rush the computation of grades in just a week’s time.

To rectify the ‘grade-situation’ Delayed grades have been an ever-present scenario to a point wherein students even

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consider it the norm every enrollment period.

However, the SY 2016-2017’s semestral break particularly stood out because of its magnitude and the downsides it created. According to Lago, applying the midterm process into the final grading was suggested before but doing so would risk losing the transparency for grades and increase the chances for error.

While other schools deduct teachers’ salaries per day with regards to late submission of grades, Tacastacas imparts how this would not be practical for XU since some teachers get a salary as low as PHP 1000 every month.

Weighing the situation’s magnitude, the Central Student Government (CSG) saw it fitting to raise the issue this time to the academic council, which is composed of all college deans, members of the registrar, library, Office of International Cooperation and Networking (OICN) and the AVP. During the academic council meeting with the CSG, actions to clarify policies concerning the payment of delayed exam and to waive those fees for this semester were proposed. Further extending the delayed enrollment period and setting a policy for minimum number of days between delayed exams and deadline for submission of grades were also discussed.

To address the problems faced by scholars during the enrollment period, the meeting revisited the scholar policy, which tackled how teachers should release temporary grades to help scholars proceed with their enrollment.

Moreover, measures to mandate greater accountability for teachers and department chairs who submit grades late were raised. As of press time, the academic council is still in the process of exploring further punitive measures for teachers.

According to Tacastacas, another effort of the University to prevent the late submission of grades is to issue memorandums to violating teachers starting next academic year. These memorandums will serve as a warning and basis for termination. Teachers’ evaluation will also be further improved.

“Next academic council meeting, we will be talking about this issue more in depth. Hopefully, we could find a more systematic solution to this,” CSG President Edison Lacea enunciates. He assures that, with Tacastacas’ commitment along with the CSG’s cooperation, they will discuss plans to rectify the situation effectively. *** The shortcomings of the systems on grade submission and enrollment have greatly inconvenienced the students. These have sacrificed the enrollment of students in certain

classes. Students, especially scholars, had to pay the price—for some, quite literally—to compensate for the faults of the system that hindered them from opportunities to acquire knowledge, which shouldn’t be a major complication for an institution that aims to offer exactly that.

It is the students’ right to demand grades.

While acquiring high grades is already difficult, getting even just the mere release of grades has become the new challenge. Truthfully, while delayed grades can’t be avoided, solutions should be thoroughly planned and reviewed for effective implementation. One could only hope that the promise of a better system would not just be in words.C

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By Maria Franchesca Louise P. Fajemolin & Winona Roselle Ser ra

Design by Marc Anthony B. Reyes

S

chool break’s over and a new semester starts. First day of classes, excitement, but mostly dread, looms over students as they drag themselves to get ready.

At school, they often hear their fellow students saying, “Ma-swertehan unta ta sa atong mga teachers this sem uy,” and “Ganahan ko ani nga section because the teacher easily gives you straight A’s,” as they head towards their classrooms.

Nervously tapping their fingers on the desks once seated, they silently mutter their prayers waiting for either deliverance or damnation. The verdict is to be determined by the identity of the person to walk through the front door.

Lines such as, “I will automatically give you a grade of A if you can finish the semester without any absences,” during first day of classes is an example of how subjective and inconsistent some teachers can be in giving grades. Does this kind of grading help students or hinder them instead?

Subjective deviation Senior High School (SHS) students listed in the honor rolls are to be ranked amongst one another in each strand. However, they find the inconsistencies between teachers’ contrasting preferences in teaching and grading students unfair because this may compromise their cumulative total.

Moreover, grading SHS projects can vary from teacher to teacher despite having uniform rubrics set for departmental projects. “Teachers from other sections simply required paperwork [for the project] while ours expected dioramas, pop-up, and the likes,” shares Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM) SHS student Alpha Barbra Bacus. Science, Technology, Engineering and 24

Mathematics (STEM) SHS student Dennis Johnfled Pabillaran also expresses his sentiments, saying “Naay uban [teachers] na strict kaayo, nga inconsiderate, pero ang uban kay murag basta basta lang gahatag ug grades.”

The grading standards for a particular subject may vary since one subject is likely to be handled by several teachers who have their own preferences. Meanwhile, having only one teacher handle a certain subject in the SHS is close to impossible considering the large number of sections.

‘Add-ons’ ‘Plus points’ – a term students are fond of hearing – spoils its existence when not distributed fairly among students. Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) SHS student Zellyn Virtudazo expresses, “[If] present sila ani na class, they have plus points deretso. Pero, sa amoa wala mi ingana,” pointing out how different their teachers were despite taking the same subject.

The same inconsistencies between teachers seem to be just as prevalent in college, as there have been numerous reports of teachers giving out different numbers of quizzes per class and giving points to students in return for special favors, among others. “I did exert great effort and really tried hard in the subject. However, my classmate, who did not exert much, got a better grade because he’s a beadle. Murag unfair siya sa akung part,” Computer Science senior Patrick Gomez states.

An ambiguous case Ideally, students should have an equal opportunity for academic excellence. SHS

Assistant Principal for Academics Sophia Tagud confirms, “Any unjust rating by a teacher could surely affect students’ summative grade.” In response to the issue of honor roll rankings, STEM SHS student Jed Danuco opines that, “kung mag ranking, dapat it will undergo proper reviewing of academic performance para naa’y hustisiya,” pointing out that SHS students should have fair and equal basis of their summative grades.

In an effort to mediate the situation which Business Administration Chairperson Rolan F. Literatus affirms exists, he ensures that there is a parallel breakdown of the grades submitted by checking each teacher’s record book as their clearance requirement. “That kind of complaint arises every now and then, [...] but we’re doing as much as possible to make it less discretionary on the part of the teachers.” Meanwhile, Philosophy Department Chairperson Vicente Carbon suggests that creation of a policy to regulate the basis for grading students would be fit to solve this issue. *** School authorities might see this as a trivial issue. However, the students say otherwise, as their school performance, academic standing, and maybe even their future are affected. Giving out incentives and extra points may be a teacher’s way of helping their students, but it should be done fairly so that all students would benefit from it.C

Vol. 43 No. 4 December 2016

By Maria Franchesca Louise P. Fajemolin and Nur Mohammad G. Lucman

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One may ask, “Why is PDA – making chula in public – so offensive to others?”

Affection vs. Affected “Philippine society sees it as a taboo. It’s just not normal. The Philippine society is close knit - we’re traditional. If we were that accepting (as in Western society), then it wouldn’t be a problem,” explains Yonson. Despite being in a society that abhors PDA and finds it immoral, there is an evident number of youngsters engaging in the act. The reason for this, Yonson believes, is that “the Filipino youth is always rebelling.”

Due to the influence of the Western media - TV series, movies, and social media sites - Yonson has described PDA as a phase or stage some adolescents have put themselves into. According to a study in 2014 by Lydia Emery, Amy Muise, Emily Dix, and Benjamin Le which was published in a US psychology journal, people have become conscious on how their relationships are viewed on social media. People are likely to view a couple as more likeable if they have a profile picture portraying the duo together. Furthermore, the couple is believed to have a quality relationship if they regularly post statuses about their love life (although the study also shows that they are less likeable if they do so).

Another reason, he adds, is how PDA is an act which is not considered age-appropriate for students, specifically those in Senior High School.

Filipino tradition has molded children in the thought that acts such are these are to be reserved outside the observation of others and within the confines of marriage.

Branding against As of press time, three students have been sanctioned the first offense – which is a verbal

reprimand from the Prefect of Discipline – for violating this code in the SHS Handbook. Vice President for Basic Education Dr. Dulce Dawang expresses, “We don’t want to encourage this (PDA).

Senior High School students are still too young to vouch in such activities.” Dawang emphasizes the need to be in line with the choices of the parents regarding their children’s welfare considering that most SHS students are not of legal age. “We felt that we also have to protect the students,” she states, “[…] that the campus should be an environment which is conducive to learning.” Yonson also adds that one of the factors which influenced the implementation of this rule would be to prevent students from committing premarital sex. Having gone past personal space through PDA may lead to this next level. It is emphasized that the University is a Catholic and Filipino institution and how through this rule, its mission may continue to be heralded in pride. *** Within the campus, there are rules and everyone is bound to follow. If no one obeys and order is compromised, then chaos follows. Although people’s opinion differ on PDA being an exhibition of love or a display of lust, it is agreed that students have to respect the University’s teachings and values and keep their PDA as private displays of affection.

At this point in time, the eternal phrase that has survived through the ages will continue to be echoed. To those who continue to flaunt their romance, many will let this statement’s legacy carry on. Today, the immortal words will continue to reverberate in the ears of the physically passionate youth: “Get a room!”C

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Design by Jericho B. Montellano

reathing in one and the same air - breathing in each other - completely fills the nagging void which had once existed within them.

Heartbeats flutter, nerves tingle, and a happy warmth exudes as high levels of oxytocin maneuver all emotion. Personal space becomes a matter disregarded as the lovebirds desperately cling onto each other. Hands hold hands and hands roam waist.

Truly, love is in the air, and the people around them are in an antagonizing need for air fresheners.

The PDA Question Sir John Suckling once said, “Love is the fart of every heart: it pains a man when ‘tis kept close. And others doth offend, when ‘tis let loose.” For many among the youth, love is something that should go beyond thoughts and words; it should be shown in an intense kiss or a warm embrace.

“Words are not enough for two persons,” says Development Communication Department Chairperson Evans Yonson, “they go beyond the words, so they have to display what they think, what they feel.” In the eyes of the couple blinded by their infatuation or “love”, there is nothing wrong with displaying their affection in public. But for the people around them, the rather scandalous view strikes hard into their moral consciousness; so much that most institutions do not allow this public display of affection (PDA) within their territories. In Xavier University Senior High School (XU-SHS), the administration has placed down sanctions for PDA. Taking origin from the college handbook and listed 13th in the Senior High School (SHS) handbook Code of Discipline under Minor Offenses, PDA has been defined as behavior which are scandalous in public areas, these include kissing on the lips, sitting on the lap, among others.

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By Harmony Kristel D. Balino & Tatiana L. Maligro

Design by Jayvee Christopher C. Lequigan

t’s Student Activities Wednesday, and Technical-Vocational and Livelihood (TechVoc) students enter the gym, making their way into the class’ reserved seats. However, none of the designated seats were labeled with their section name, “Javier”, not even to the last of the line of seats. Baffled, they approach one of the usherettes to inquire about the whereabouts of the seats. Then the class watches, dismayed at the usherette’s body language that indicated there were no seats for them to begin with.

“Hala, naa diay Tech-Voc?” Not a strand The Office of the Registrar accounted 1,374 Senior High School (SHS) students in the second semester and only 30 pairs of legs of that total walked the halls of the University as learners of the Technical Vocational (Tech-Voc) track. A sea of 8,767 students go to the University everyday – both in college and in senior high school – and this specific group accounts for only less than one percent. Clearly, the profession-bound strands of the SHS populace don’t immediately point to Tech-Voc when there are 610 more heads getting educated in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Strand.

The Tech-Voc track is popularly known for being the only SHS class at the Center of Integrated Technologies (CIT) campus. With geographical separation as a major contributing factor, several misconceptions about the track have arisen.

One of these is that Tech-Voc is a strand, a specialization under the Academic Track like just like all other specializations in the main campus.

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However, Tech-Voc is a track in itself, and branches out into four different strands or specializations: Automotive Servicing, Mechatronics, Electrical Installation and Maintenance, and Computer Systems Servicing.

Another misconception is that the track offers completely different subjects from the Academic Tracks. “Ga talk [ang students] na mas sayon daw among Math […] pero pareha ra man,” says Alex*, a Tech Voc student. Though they are given more time for their specialized subjects, Tech-Voc students also have to comply with the core and institutionalized subjects that every other SHS student should take. “Different mi og course outline because we are a different track, so don’t underestimate us,” Sam*, another Tech Voc student, adds.

With specialized subjects requiring hands-on training such as Electrical Safety Practices and Applied Fluid Mechanics, Tech-Voc may not be as easy as other students think.

Vocational “lang” In 1994, Republic Act No. 7796 or the “Technical Education and Skills Development Act of 1994” created the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) which administers the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in the Philippines. Since then, the archipelago has been sprinkled with TESDA centers to promote the opportunity of being under the wing of TVET, the postsecondary and non-degree technical vocational education training.

“Most Filipinos have a negative mindset with

regards to Tech-Voc,” says Gretchen Abuso of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology of the University. “One of these mindsets is that Tech-Voc is only for people who are less fortunate,” she adds. Compared to the price of a four-year college degree, vocational courses may cost as low as 25 times less; with tuition fees – plunging down to 2,000 pesos a course. This means that Tech-Voc tracks are prone to the perception that a cheap education would only mean cheap-paying jobs.

Abuso discusses that the belief of Filipinos on pursuing a bachelor’s degree would mean getting a better job and a better life. Similarly: no four-year bachelor’s degree, no great paying job and no good life.

Downtown Fridays “Hala, naa lagi ang Tech Voc sa main campus?”

Tech Voc students have their institutionalized, as well as some of their core subjects, taken at the main campus. However, travelling from the CIT to the main campus has proven troublesome considering that the University does not provide them with adequate transportation.

“Ang transportation ra gyod na nalibre mi kay katong Red Mass,” Sam recalls. Though the University provided them with transportation as

Vol. 43 No. 4 December 2016

they expected, there was only one jeepney for the whole class. “30 mi kabuok [in one jeepney] unya nag sabak sabak nalang mi.”

After the Red Mass, Tech Voc students had to find their own ways to get to the main campus.

“Ang transportation namo every Friday kay kami ra ang ga pay,” Sam says.

No Chair Wednesdays

In addition to their Friday classes, Tech-Voc students are also at the main campus on Wednesdays because their presence in events is required. Those in charge of the floor plan, however, don’t seem to be aware that the track was invited due to the absence of chairs reserved for Tech Voc. June also shares that their section would not be called during the roll call of all SHS sections before every event. “At first, we found it funny, tapos we thought the Peace Officers Management Council (POMC) learned their lesson, pero paulitulit naman,” Sam adds.

In one event, according to Alex, they all agreed to leave the event if their section was not called again during the roll call. “Walay Tech Voc […] Ni tindog dayon mi tanan then nag walk out,” narrates Alex. ‘‘’Sige, manglayas na ta. Wala man kaha

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ta’y apil ani.’”

Tech-‘Votes’ Another consequence of Tech-Voc students being geographically separated from the rest of SHS was their near exclusion from last October’s elections. This was due to the misunderstanding that they would be taken under the wing of the Center of Integrated Technologies Student Council (CITSC).

“So, if ever man lang na naay platforms for us, dili nila ma implement because we are not under their student government,” says Sam. Being under CITSC’s jurisdiction would mean that any policies implemented by the Senior High School Student Government (SHSG) would not apply to Tech-Voc students. Instead, they would have to abide by policies the tertiary Central Student Government (CSG) creates. “[CSG] cannot address our problems to the administration because Senior High man mi.”

The issue was clarified to the Tech-Voc students on the day of the Miting de Avance conducted a week prior to the elections when they were invited to participate in the said event.

“Hyped kaayo mi to go […] kay we wanted to see what the SHSG [candidates] had in store for us,

knowing na isa ka factor na ilang e consider was us being up at CIT.” As of now, the newly-established SHSG is actively communicating with Tech-Voc representatives to address issues the track is currently facing, such as transportation from the CIT campus on days they have classes at the main campus, involvement of the track in activities, and conflicts that the two SHS tracks have in their schedules. It is expected that resolutions will be passed soon. *** The University is clad with learners who take on different professional apprenticeships.

Whatever reasons may have led them to that path is of personal matter, and nothing should compromise anyone’s freedom of choice because of stereotyped images painted by people who haven’t even been there. If you think about it, Tech-Voc graduates will be the most work-ready products of Senior High.C *Names changed per request for anonymity

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W

e are fed with misleading information and misconceptions about foreign people through the internet and television shows. Not all Chinese people learn fast or handle their finances well. Just because the dude’s British doesn’t mean he’s a mad football fanatic. Who are we to think that the Canadian sitting in the back row is boring?

These stereotypes, however, tend to be unknowingly brought up when communicating with people from countries we Filipinos know only little of, considering the small fraction of knowledge derived from TV shows, pop culture, and international news to give us background.

We often find ourselves perpetuating these stereotypes to strike up conversations with foreigners when we are clueless about what to say.

As a consequence, there are instances where we unintentionally offend them when we only meant to use a mutually relatable topic to kickstart a more meaningful exchange of words.

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Humor me In the University, our limited knowledge of other cultures might also have limited our sensitivity towards and respect for foreign students and their diverse cultures. Oblivious to what we say and how they take it, Filipinos tend to say disrespectful remarks towards foreigners (sometimes making them a subject of their humor). Pinoys are known to be happy people, prone to make jokes about anything just to lighten things up is normal.

Spanish foreign alumna Marina M. Garcia voices out, “Filipinos have a very dark humor and it takes time to understand [that they were only joking].” This points out to various accounts of foreign students being teased in way that walked a tightrope between humorous and offensive.

This particular incident was a blow lower than most: Last July, the host of the Senior High School (SHS) General Assembly insensitively asked American Field Service (AFS) foreign exchange student Hannes Reinsch, “How’s Hitler?” The humor did not set in well with Reinsch, a German, who felt humiliated in front of the crowd. Clearly, the question was intended to be a joke. The chosen topic of the joke,

however, was very sensitive.

Also, one Indian XU student finds it annoying that sometimes, some of his classmates push him to let them borrow money. Indians here in the Philippines are oftentimes associated with the terms “bombay” or “five-six” – someone who lends other people money with exorbitant interest rates. They are also often seen wobbling their heads and Pinoys seem to find that amusing enough to make fun of.

Foreign students see Filipino humor as part of our culture and as part of who we are. With that, they are trying to understand and get used to it. It is only fair that Filipino students should consider their limits – by asking about and understanding their culture – before making comedic remarks around foreigners.

The transition’s downsides Getting into a new country isn’t always easy.

Apart from adjusting to the weather and to the Filipinos’ way of life (the embarrassing concept of “Filipino time” for one), communication is probably the most difficult part, even though a majority of the Filipino population speaks or at least understands English. However, a common misconception of foreign students being fluent in English hinders their classmates from starting simple conversations with them. If small talk is hard to begin with, what more with building close ties and starting friendships?

Vol. 43 No. 4 December 2016

Home away from home Foreign students normally feel alienated, at first, upon entering a new school. They know

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very little about how Filipinos live or how they should act around their new classmates. AFS and Xavier International Student Association (XISA) are organizations set to help foreign and foreign exchange students adjust to their new environment.

AFS caters to foreign exchange students and is an international non-profit and non-government organization that seeks to promote intercultural learning opportunities through its three pillars: sending, hosting, and volunteer development.

AFS-XU Chapter President Datu Norhamidin Mamasainged explains, “To know the culture of other people, they (international authorities) created cultural exchanges.”

AFS conducts orientations on Filipino culture (its practices and traditions among others) to help foreign exchange students understand their classmates. Aside from orientations, team buildings and cultural presentations were organized for Filipino students to form a bond with foreign exchange students; it is also for them to understand the different cultures of their foreign companions.

Meanwhile, XISA aims to form a foreign assimilation between foreign and Filipino students. “It is to give foreign students a home away from home,” expresses XISA President Shawn Kendall Williams.

In the academic aspect, foreign and foreign exchange students actually have a special foreign

track designed for them. This program teaches the foreign students their Filipino subjects. They only have to visit the Filipino department and ask for assistance. “Yes, [the program does] exist. Usually, foreign Filipino classes are mostly on Wednesdays and Saturdays,” Williams assures. *** One student said that “no culture is perfect,” and indeed, Filipino culture has its lapses that are made apparent in some instances. Foreign students may even see their Filipino classmates as rash and irresponsible people.

If one tries to really understand, study, and learn the diversity of the cultures of their foreign friends, Filipinos would develop an amount of respect towards foreigners (enough for them to know their boundaries when it comes to jokes).

Respect and understand one another through communicating. Do not judge or stereotype the foreign students.

No, do not judge or stereotype anyone at all.C

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Design by Aleina c. Buenavista

“Although some of the people tried to talk to me in English, lots of them decided not to talk to me at all because they were scared of making a mistake,” Garcia shared on how the language barrier greatly affected her relationship with Filipino students. “Bisaya was totally unknown to me, and it was very difficult when I was out with my friends since someone had to translate everything they were saying, to the point there was a moment they stopped doing it,” she added.

However, Garcia believes that with enough effort the students could find their way past that. “Pinoys shouldn’t be scared of speaking in English or making mistakes. For most of us (foreign students), English is not our mother tongue, and we might even make more mistakes than you.”

And it doesn’t end there, as these problems have extended all the way to their academics. Juan Pablo Martinez, a Mexican SHS student, reports having difficulty with his Filipino class. He was enrolled in the subject despite being a foreign student. According to him, even with a translator, answering his schoolwork is still very hard and time-consuming.

These are just a few of the challenges foreign students face on a daily basis.

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nxious and jittery over her first class of the day, second year Development Communication student Alyssa Salcedo closed her eyes and sighed in dismay as the scene of the snail-paced traffic unfolded before her. Awaiting the end of the traffic light’s 99-second red countdown, cars, buses, and utility vehicles packed the small road. She glanced at her watch to check the time, where the arrow slowly inched ever closer to 7:30. She knew from that moment on that she was going to have another ‘late’ mark to her name, despite waking up two hours before her early morning classes. Should she give up? Or should she just keep chasing pavements?

This is a familiar scenario to many, as traffic congestion has become one of the pressing problems of the city. Almost everyone, regardless of whether they are vehicle owners or not, have to deal with this difficulty every day.

After all, everyone’ going somewhere.

By Merryane Rose S. Bacud

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Roadblock to success Out of the need to address this pressing problem, CDO City Mayor Oscar Moreno established Task Force Hapsay Dalan (TFHD), a team to govern all traffic enforcing activities in the city. TFHD’s goal is to supervise traffic situations, clear the streets from obstructions, improve facilities such as traffic lights, and enforce traffic laws in the city.

Road and Traffic Administration - TFHD (RTATFHD) Chair Atty. Edgardo Uy attributes the city’s severe traffic congestion to the rapid increase of vehicle volume on the road and to the general disregard for traffic policies and laws. “We all know [CdeO] is a booming city. We not only progress in buildings and all pero ga-progress pud ta in terms nga makapalit na ang uban people og own cars. […] Ang attitudes sa people: dili kabalo musunod sa balaod. Kinsa manang sala? Sa RTA? Dili, personal na nga sala.”

Having an insufficient number of employed RTA enforcers to ease the traffic last year, Uy shares that the RTA Department has hired new employees to solve the problem. However, these people still need further training. “Dili ka maka expect na immediately expert na sila sa dalan ” he adds.

Vol. 43 No. 4 December 2016

One way or another Aside from pinpointing problematic areas by dividing them by districts, the TFHD is focused on improving its internal system by training its employees in traffic management and developing roadway devices to minimize traffic.

Though the RTA had a shortage of enforcers last year, they have since hired new employees.

To make their training easier, the TFHD coined ‘H.A.P.S.A.Y’ so that new recruits may better remember and instill the six core values they aim to promote: ‘Honesty, Humility and Integrity,’ ‘Attitude,’ ‘Public Service,’ ‘Safety Consciousness,’

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‘A Productivity (as in “straight A’s”),’ and ‘Your Team’ In sum, it details the need to maintain honesty, positive attitude, public service, good output, and safety consciousness in their line of duty.

Intersections around the city are filled with traffic signalization and closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to monitor daily activities on the road. However, Atty. Uy shared that traffic light controllers themselves contribute to the traffic situation for having a predetermined 99 second ‘stop’ rule even when there are no vehicles present in main lanes. This has tempted motorists to prematurely cross the road which has led to a number of accidents, close calls, and angry stares from drivers. Poor traffic signal timing is another contributing factor to traffic congestion and delay.

Meanwhile, a proposed adaptive traffic controller is to be anticipated. This adaptive signal control technology adjusts the timing of red, yellow and green lights to accommodate changing traffic patterns and ease traffic congestion.

The main benefits of adaptive signal control technology over conventional signal systems are that it can continuously distribute green light time equitably for all traffic movements, improve travel time reliability, and ease the travel of the motorists.

Future Plans As of press time, a total of 414 Road and Traffic Administration (RTA) employees are employed, 14 of which are regular employees, 200 are casual employees, and 200 are job order employees. Approximately 350 of these are road traffic enforcers.

There are other options the TFHD is considering that could mitigate the traffic situation. First, satellite offices that enable employees to work in locations convenient to them will be built in certain areas that need fast response times from the RTA. Second, there will be patrols on duty from 1 PM to 12 midnight to discourage violations

of certain acts on the road. In addition to these duties, a patrol officer will also respond to other situations where state and local enforcement need assistance such as road incidents, frauds and falsities, and other road violations.

Third, a towing truck is to be used to take and hold motor vehicles that do not follow the right parking rules. “Ipang pull out jud na namo ng mga sakyanan na dili kabalo mo park,” says Atty. Uy. Moreover, a regular forum is given to all employees on road and traffic administration every Saturday. It is open to the public and can serve as an avenue for people to voice out their concerns and apprehensions related to the Task Force. Lastly, RTA seminars that educate motorists on proper road and highway protocols are being conducted. *** Our government has come up with solutions to various traffic concerns but concrete change is still lacking. Efforts to solve this situation should be fast-tracked before the problem escalates to become a phenomenon similar to the state of Metro Manila’s traffic. However, it is safe to assume that the local government is keen on making sure drivers and pedestrians obey traffic rules that should have been second nature to our generation by now. Everyone has a part to play: the RTA to properly invest in tools and resources for coordinating traffic (e.g. lights, enforcers, road widening projects), and commuters to respect protocol that exist only to make the flow of cars and people to be as efficient and safe as possible.C

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Design by Francis Ryan O. Avellana

As the number of cars increase, the chance of congestion also increases since the city doesn’t make road adjustments or open alternate routes at the same pace. While most can still get by given the city streets’ current situation, this may no longer be the case in the coming years.

Meanwhile, congestions and bottlenecks have also given rise to problems alternate routes face.

Many motorists - no matter how big or heavy the vehicles they are driving are - believe that these alternate routes are the easiest way to avoid slowdowns. This, Atty. Uy believes, is the reason why small streets that have businesses along them such as carinderyas, bars, and restaurants, have to suffer from roads damaged by the sheer volume and weight of vehicles passing through everyday.

To mitigate congestion, CDO, which is composed of 57 urban and 23 rural barangays, was divided into three districts for equal distribution of traffic enforcers. District 1 blankets areas from Barangay Carmen to Lumbia, while District 2 covers Barangay Burgos to Bugo.

However, certain areas where severe traffic congestion is common have led the department to create District 3, which identifies overcrowded places such as Carmen Market, Cogon Market, Agora Market, Galaxy Gusa Area, and Puerto Area. These areas are specifically focused by the department to put up immediate action and responses in terms of traffic ruling.

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he XU library is a fantastic place for study and research, but it’s now becoming less so, as issues surmount amid its on-going structural and facility developments. The reopening of the fifth floor attracted throngs of visitors to check out this new facility and what it could offer. Suited to accommodate the needs of a 21st century learner, all sorts of modern equipment can be found in this floor, such as new computers, mechanical bookshelves, multipurpose furniture, and last but not the least, a stronger Wi-Fi connection.

Despite all of these improvements, students can’t help but raise their concerns as the perennial enemy of the library – noise – among its other usual issues, have again invaded this sanctuary.

Prologue The library started a 10-year development program in 2010 that includes renovations which began last year with the fifth floor. With a wide array of reading materials and board games, discussion rooms, and cozy spaces, the fifth floor also offers high-end multipurpose furniture with personalized plug-in outlets that allow the convenient charging of devices.

Given the ever-growing demand for interconnectedness, the library has upgraded its internet connection with the addition of a new service provider. XU Libraries Directress Estrella Cabudoy claims that the University “has the fastest [Internet] connection” among the other universities in the city. The library also provides E-books, E-journals, and online database subscriptions intended for the curriculum needs of the colleges. Moreover, among the 14 bases in the Philippines, the library has the most active

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American corner, Cabudoy a d d s .

Contributing greatly to the improvements in the digital aspect of the library is the sponsorship from the US embassy.

The development program of the library continues with the fourth floor’s on-going renovation, which will be followed by the third floor and ground floor in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

The second floor will also have its own set of improvements but will remain to be a “quiet area,” contrary to that of other floors that are meant for group activities and discussions.

Chapter 1: Issues and Purpose Among the primary purposes of the library is to serve as a place conducive for studying, but its much-sought after serene atmosphere seems to be missing. Once considered to be a studying

solace, the fifth floor is now commonly reported to have become more of a hangout space than a place for learning. Seats occupied by bags and boisterous laughter are among the usual sights and sounds. These disturbances constitute a few of the reasons that put off students from studying in the area.

Phil Cabingas, a 2nd year Philosophy student, says, “Gusto jud unta ko mag-study permi sa fifth floor. Ang problema lang kay wala kaayo’y space.

Daghan ang gapangkatulog ra, gapang-butang ug bags sa mga lingkuranan. Unya ang mahitabo kay, mubalhin

Vol. 43 No. 4 December 2016

By Ar-Raffi C. Macaumbos with reports from Vanessa B. Sabangan

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such as mice and keyboards.

Chapter 2: Library’s take Fifth floor librarian Athena Jaca dismisses “bag parking” as a legitimate problem. She says “Wala pa pud ko ka-experience anang naay niapproach sa ako kay dili kalingkod.” According to protocol, a bag (or any item for that matter) that is left alone in the library should be given to the lost and found [counter] after 20 minutes. “Hopefully, dapat i-approach pud mi if ever naa’y wala namo nabantayan [na bag] for more than 20 minutes,” she adds. Furthermore, she encourages patrons to let the library’s management know of areas for improvement by approaching the management directly.

Cabudoy attributes the noise problem partly to the “fifth’s floor design for group collaboration.”

But based on her observation, students often discuss academic-related topics. She states that if students are seeking a quiet place, the second and

*** While the library is still in the works of being in tiptop shape, it remains to be an ideal place for learning for many students. However, no matter how many modern facilities and how fast Internet connection can supplement studying, the library can be most conducive for learning only when students become collaborative and considerate of the needs of others.

“Who’s to blame?” needs to be asked to correct mistakes, but asking “what’s next” is more important.C

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Design by Keith Obed J. Ruiz

na lang ta sa uban floor kay dili man gihapon ta kaconcentrate.”

Even in the graduate school section, which is intended for use by graduate students, noise remains a problem. Jubairah Sultan, a first year Law student, prefers to study in the graduate school library because she finds the law library’s room temperature “too hot” for learning. She then adds “We don’t mind sharing our place (graduate school library) with others. The problem is, sometimes they create too much noise and it’s really annoying.”

Francis Sabunod, a first year Chemistry student, shares: “In my own opinion, no one is really at fault. But if somebody has to adjust, it should be the students. The library has set of rules, and if followed strictly, it would lessen the problems.”

Aside from the recurrent noise problem, some issues about broken equipment are yet to be solved. These include the ground floor ID scanner, non-functioning computers, and faulty peripherals

third floors of the annex building would be more suitable for them.

On the issue of non-operating equipment, Cabudoy says that the current student ID barcode is already too long and is incompatible with the old ID scanner. She further states that the University’s software and equipment committee has ongoing discussions to replace the non-operative ID scanner. She also adds that if a certain piece of equipment is broken, they will replace it as soon as they can.

By Tatiana L. Maligro

Design by Ryan James P. Pascual

M

illions of social media posts bearing the hashtag ‘#NotMyPresident’ erupted soon after the Republican party nominee Donald J. Trump emerged victorious in the US elections. Shortly after the results were announced, thousands of Americans protested against Trump’s victory – online accounts of Muslim women being ripped off of their hijabs and minorities being told by white Americans to “go back to where they belong” fueled their resolve.

In our country, meanwhile, a group of Filipino students took part in the protest by holding a rally, only to be mocked by fellow Filipinos, “Akala mo green card holder ang mga gago.”

Thinking that the Philippines is not affected by the new US administration, others were indifferent at how indignant President Rodrigo Duterte was while cutting ties with America. To say the least, however, it isn’t right to think that Trump’s political gambles won’t send waves across the Pacific to the archipelago we call home.

Pera padala no more Currently, 4M Filipinos – comprising nearly one third of all Filipinos living abroad – reside in the US. As of 2015, these US-residing Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) send around Php 463.2 billion worth of remittances back home, which is approximately 43% of all remittances sent by OFW’s worldwide. OFW remittances comprise 10% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

With fewer job opportunities after President Elect Donald Trump’s proposal of giving Americans their “jobs back” from illegal immigrants, the remittances may dwindle. Also, his threats to penalize firms for taking their operations abroad threatens the Philippines’ business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, with $1 34

to $2 billion (around 0.4 to 0.7 percent of the country’s GDP) expected to be lost because 70 percent of BPO earnings are from American firms.

Trump’s reign could compromise the economic state of the Philippines. According to experts, the country should consider establishing closer ties with other countries as early as now to recuperate from the possible loss.

A possible alliance?

China is being considered as one of Trump’s “biggest global challenges” considering the country’s ongoing hostile takeover of its neighbors’ various territories along the South China Sea, the Philippines’ Spratly Islands included.

Also, the US stumbled during the first steps in easing up the tension in the West Philippine Sea. Beijing issued a formal diplomatic protest against the US claiming that Trump’s phone call with first female Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen violated the “One China Policy”. The policy states that Taiwan should be viewed as a part of China and not its own country.

To reclaim the disputed territory, an article from Cable News Network (CNN) suggested that Trump should build good camaraderie with President Duterte.

However, with Duterte’s desire to gain military and economic independence from the US, Trump will have to find other ways to maintain the decades-long Philippine-US alliance.

Trump’s other cards on deck Trump’s presidency puts not only relations with Philippines at stake, but also America’s ties with other countries. The new administration threatens to pull back US nuclear support to South Korea and Japan and military support to its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies if the other members will not pay. “They have to protect themselves or pay us,” said Trump requiring these countries to pay the US after claiming that his country has the bad end of the said alliances.

Another country that could be greatly affected

by Trump’s presidency is Mexico. Constructing a wall along the US-Mexico border is on Trump’s list to keep Mexicans from illegally entering the country. According to him, Mexico should shoulder the $10.6 billion bill “to ensure that the $24 billion [remittance of Mexican illegal residents] continues to flow into their country”.

Trump’s campaign does brings optimistic proposals as well. For example, there are 44,800 US troops deployed to 20 countries in the Middle East to assist in keeping the peace of the region against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Trump believes that cutting off ISIS’s funding, with the support of other nations, would limit its resources and ability tolaunch more terror attacks across the world.

Trump has other strategies planned for his country concerning health care, infrastructure, and the assistance for American veterans, among others.

Through thorough discussion with the previous administration, Trump’s platforms may change to ensure the smooth transition of his administration. *** One can easily conclude that because of their geological distance from the US, their country would not be affected by Trump’s presidency.

However, we must remember how globally influential the US is and how the world’s fate is in the hands of its leader. After all, when America gambles, it’s the world that loses the bet.C Sources: What can the Philippines expect from a U.S. Trump presidency? (http://cnnphilippines.com/) What would it take to build Trump’s border wall? (http://edition.cnn.com/) South China Sea: Can Donald Trump stop conflict? (http://edition.cnn.com/) Immigration (https://www.donaldjtrump.com/) Foreign Policy and Defeating ISIS (https://www.donaldjtrump.com/) Trump’s NATO Remarks Stuns U.S. Allies (http://www.theatlantic.com/) Japan, South Korea hit back at Trump’s nuclear comments (http://www.edition.cnn.com/)

Vol. 43 No. 4 December 2016

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savings to make it through the K-12 transition during the next five to six years.

Decreasing expenses has been their primary objective. “We trim our excess expenditures, we cut down as much as possible and focus our resources where they are most needed and which will help us survive,” explains Ong. “Expense reduction may be an option for schools, but for us it is not an option. It is a must,” she adds. Cost reduction initiatives have since been implemented. “If we do not feel that it is very very necessary, we don’t anymore spend for it.”

True to their word, policies have been made to discourage late enrollments, incoming freshmen transferees for the two K-12 transitionary years, and the opening of classes that do not reach the breakeven amount. The number of people sent to trainings and the number of student assistants have also been reduced, and people who have left the University, as much as possible, are not replaced.

She also affirms that “it is not true that our other sources of income can make up for the loss.” Funds for the construction of buildings, scholarships, and for the University are budgeted separately. Donated funds are used towards causes intended by the donor to honor their original intentions.

*** While both parties have reached an agreement, we must continue to act in solidarity.

Helping reduce the expenses of the University in our own way and engaging in an open discussion regarding the issue can lead to a more meaningful understanding that ultimately benefits all its constituents.C

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Design by Marc Anthony B. Reyes

(Christmas gift),” it continues.

A press release by XUNTELU, however, countered that although it is considered a gratuity & a r R. Botava o z given the time of the n e r o L By a year, the custom has oselle Ser r R a n o in W remained for 20 years “and therefore has already ripened into a privilege or a permanent benefit.” They argue that a bonus, amon when long practiced, can be enforceable and Magsaysay’s demandable according to Section 7 on the Law of statue has been seeing a lot of action Labor Standards. lately. In the days leading to December, the late The document goes on to say: “To unilaterally president’s park served as the venue for noise discontinue, eliminate, reduce, [and] diminish barrages against the burial of the late dictator a benefit that has been long enjoyed by the Ferdinand Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. employees is absolutely a Diminution of Benefit Less than a week later, intriguing banners of a in violation of Article 100 of the Labor Code.” different cause were raised as demonstrators lit Both parties eventually held conciliation candles to decry Xavier University’s labor woes. talks arbitrated by the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB). The consequence of Clamor of the Union a failed negotiation? A labor strike – approved by As an extension of the cost-cutting measures, 148 out of 151 voting members – was to be held the University has been taking for the past with legal grounds. years, the administration decided to temporarily This concilliation turned out to be successful, suspend granting the annual Christmas Cash Gift with XU settling to give each employee cash gifts to employees of the University – a decision met of Php 2,700 and Php 1,800 for this year and next with strong opposition. At the forefront of the year, respectively. XUNTELU, meanwhile, will lift protests was the Xavier University Non-Teaching its rally/picket.

Employees Labor Union (XUNTELU).

University President Roberto C. Yap, SJ The cost of giving later addressed the issue in an open letter and University Treasurer Lennie Ong poses an justified the decision, stating that the cash gift important question to the community. “How do is – as its name suggests – not an obligation. you fund a budget deficit?” While the number “[…] our unprecedented financial losses compel of college students is decreasing every year and us to suspend the granting of the the target number of Senior High School (SHS) pinaskuhan enrollees is not reached, the administration is left to heavily rely on maximizing the use of its

Cora Contrabida:

Making the world a better place through… challenges!

T

he world was a mess in 2016. Infighting between its citizens over politics, killings, and bombings that come out of nowhere and seemingly without motive, and the death of poor Harambe.

Why did that poor gorilla have to die? All he did was live his entire life in an enclosure, his existence completely undeserving of swift

a lot for his death, shooter), for inspiration and, to my amazement; I instantly came up with something! It wasn’t Harambe, of course, but the realization that the answer has been right in front of me all along. It were these mind-bogglingly popular “challenges” and memes!

Never in my life have I stood without movement with my friends to portray a scene frozen in time, nor have I recorded a video of myself singing and dancing to a 1-minute song nobody could possibly have liked. But boy are they so popular that I’m going to try to do them for the benefit of humanity.

And so I set out to create my new challenge, after 10 brutal seconds of brainstorming, I then descriptively named “Things You Did Today That You Wished Everyone Else Would Do More Often Challenge.” It’s self-explanatory, scalable to whatever social issue you throw at it, and timeless!

Determined to get my challenge to “trend”, I sought the help of my army of socially-gifted friends to kickstart the revolution for me. After all, if you needed hordes of people to do your bidding, all you have to do is ask the “influential” ones to increase your “bidding’s” perceived value.

It was refreshing to finally see meaningful challenges in my Facebook news feed. One of my friends did a video of herself verifying the legitimacy of this one website hosting questionable articles, while another talked through the process of coming up with informed opinions as to avoid commenting statements that are essentially ad hominem.

Amazing!

Here’s to hoping I actually end up with a meaningful contribution to society and end depthless challenges once and for all!C

Vol. 43 No. 4 December 2016

Illustration by Rizalyka Joanne M. Waminal

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termination by way of a bullet through his head.

Mourning the loss of the departed Western ape, I reexamine my life, thinking what I could do to at least ease the pain that has since haunted me seven months back when the fatal shot was fired.

“I refuse to move on if it just means letting the loss of a life go and the perpetrators not held accountable for!”

It was only when I received numerous stares and heard murmurs of disagreement (what is this “yellowtard” which they speak of ?) that I came to realize that I said those words out loud.

See, I was working on my sociology project at Starbucks when I accidentally publicized my opinion on Marcos’ remarkably swift and stealthy burial at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani upon seeing a Harambe meme on my news feed.

“It’s not what you think!” I said, immediately following up with “Who are you people to decide who gets to live or die? He was obviously no hero!”

I was too caught up with my emotions to have thought of mentioning that I was referring to the poor gorilla’s shooter. Rolling of eyes and labeling ensued.

Where was I? Ah yes, working on my project. Just as the US has international programs that crowdsources solutions promoting world peace, my sociology teacher, too, has requirements of her own that were similar but on a much smaller scale. Her objective was to solve problems that plague society through the means of utilizing commonplace tools in our daily lives.

At a loss for ideas, I knee-jerkingly looked up to the critically endangered primate (thanks

KURISCOPE Aquarius (tig-bisbis sa tinanum ni mama) Kung gasakit man ang imong buot tawagon kag baboy, balusi nalang sila ug “nawong nimo murag shokoy!”

Lucky Drink/Food: pressure steamed chicken gamit kainit sa ilok ni Binay.

OOTD: water-like/transparent blouse

Aries (the one that “goat” away) Sagdi lng ug mabagsak ka karon nga sem dzai, hinumdumi libre raman sad mutambay sa inyong balay, de palanay!

Lucky Drink/Food: itlog sa pugo isagul sa singut sa bilbil sa imong katapad karon.

OOTD: barong/kimona nga naay nawong ni De Lima

Cancer (“kang sir” nga anak, aw) Magka-iPhone 7 plus ka ugma, diba murag nakadaog sa lottery? Galing lang Motolite ang gamit nga battery!

Lucky Drink/Food: chicharon bulaklak, use sampaguita lang OOTD: cut-out mask sa nawong sa imong kauban pag basa karon, kung wala, CAPRICORN ka.

Capricorn (way migo) Sakit na kaayo nang gi seen zone ka sa imong crush, gi friend zone pa gyud ka sa imong mama. I love you daw as a friend.

Lucky Drink/Food: kape ug corn, para bibo ang CR unya OOTD: costume ni Jollibee, bawal hulmon, goodluck

Gemini (kambal sa uma) Kanang pag-patisoytisoy or pagbigabiga ninyo pag-hinayhinay, basin sayo pa naa nakay junior ug magbuklas naka sa inyong hinayhay.

Lucky Drink/Food: chocolate isagol sa say sauce with matching piattos on top OOTD: t-shirt nga sando, goodluck sa pagpangita

Leo ( “leo-tards”) Sa kadugay-dugay nimo ug papansin, mapansin na gyud ka sa imong crush, ang imong feelings ginadala-dala ni na gyud ma go to trash.

Lucky Drink/Food: siomai sa tisa with matching 1 Milo sachet OOTD: blouse and skirt with helmet

Libra (Dako nang eyebags pero itsuraan japon) Sawi man ka sa gugma pirmi, pero karon makakita naka sa imong dream boy/girl. Apan sa pagkausab, sawi gihapon ka ani. Sorry!

Lucky Drink/Food: coffee, kay bitter naman ka OOTD: “I love CDO” nga t-shirt plus above the knee short pants

Pisces (ang inun-on ni yaya) NGSB, NBSB, bag-o lang nabulagan? Sus maryosep!

Solusyon ana pagtuyoktuyok ika napulo sa statue ni st. joseph.

Lucky Drink/Food: lucky me OOTD: kana imong gisuot ron, wear it for 15 days walay ilis-ilis

Taurus (tao nga burus, ngeeeee) Kung honest ka sa imong feelings sa iyaha, ….. edi ikaw na honest.

Lucky Drink/Food: balut, kanang 52 days old OOTD: floral nga jeje-shirt with matching “best in honesty” award nga ribbon

Virgo (viri naasa nga amigo) Oyh! Tsada kaayu ka manghatag ug advice sa imong kapwenships. Pero pag-abot sa imong kaugalingon, mas gubot pas imong liston.

ni Monch

Lucky Drink/Food: piniritong dalunggan sa askal diha sa inyo, gamit virgin coconut oil pamprito OOTD: ukay-ukay nga underwear, ayaw labghiand use it for 6 days

Sagittarius (hawk-eye: horse edition) Gastador kayo ka wala pa gali kay trabaho, inig ka dako nimo maninda nalang kag taho.

Lucky Drink/Food: wala, ayaw sa pag gastogsato OOTD: SAMOT! WALA! Giingnag ayaw pag gasto!

To join: photocopy this Kurisword with your answers and submit your entry to TheCrusader Publication office at StC 302 with your name and contact number. Lucky participants will receive limited edition collectables.

Congratulations sa atong ka-mamshie! Magandang buhay saimo Eileen Joan T. Zayas! I-guest ka namo ugma 7:30am sa Magandang buhay studio - cherlengjewk! I-claim lang imong prize sa STC 302 The Crusader Publication office! Pag knock lang didto unya kung kinsa ang mag open sa door, siya na ang DA ONE! Kitakits!

Crusader

The

Scorpio (….itz-mah-layp, snow or Bieber….)

Naay nag seryoso sa imo, imo rang gibalewala. Nangita kag lain, pero aha man siya? Diba wala?

Lucky Drink/Food: iced-tea. Why? sama sa imong heart ba, cold OOTD: see-through nga shorts or palda with matching jeje-floral cap

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Vol. 43 No. 4 December 2016