The DEMOCRAT Volume LXIX Issue No. 4

Despite the expectations on her shoulders and the initial plan of doing what a typical student-athlete would do — attend a class, pass the subjects, train, and compete — this 22-year-old future educator is able to secure the Latin uncthedemocrat eyes student guide this coming A/Y

BY DANRIE JOSH GARCIA

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“Always remember those times that you were already giving up because of the challenges you have faced but still you were able to conquer it and rise against all obstacles. Whenever you are doubting yourself, never forget that at one moment you overcome difficulties towards reaching your dream,” she reminded the student awardees.

CUMLAUDE — ATHLETE: Road to the #Unexpected

Unmask the masked

Robredo also acknowledged the partnership between UNC, especially the College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA), and then-Angat Buhay Program in building villages in

UNC ADMIN. a UNC nursing student, performing her laboratory activity as part of her course requirements

VP Leni exhorts student awardees with service, success; thanks UNC for Angat Buhay partnership at 74th Recog Ceremony

The DEM CRAT VOLUME LXIX, ISSUE NO. IV May 1 - July 15, 2022

FOR A STUDENTFREERPRESS

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Bismonte, Montescarries greyhound pride at AYLC 2022 becoming delegates since three years Among thousands of applicants nationwide from numerous colleges and universities all across the country, only around 80 students managed to secure the final .

VP LENI. Vice-President Leni Robredo receives a plaque of award handed over by Mr. Florencio “Jun” T. Mongoso, president of the UNC General Alumni Association, during the 74th recognition ceremony held last June 21, 2022, at the UNC Sports Palace.

PHOTO FROM ATTY. LENI ROBREDO FB

VP Leni stressed that successes should not only feed individuals’ satisfaction, but must also be used as a service towards Filipino people in need. She then expressed her gratitude to all UNC administrators, faculty, and employees for creating a school environment filled with success and compassion for each other.

The Filipino people welcome the year 2022 with much enthusiasm and joy, not only to celebrate the new year but because of the 2022 national elections.

Then-Vice President (VP) Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, through her speech, inspired college awardees during the 74th Recognition Ceremony of the University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) held last June 21, 2022 at the UNC Sports Palace.

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VillaPWERTESila-sila: Ilang bagong mukha man ang mamuno sa lugar, kung mula naman sa iisang angkan, paulit-ulit lamang ang sistema - walang pagbabagong magaganap at mas lalo . .

WORD BY PAOLO JAMER & PHOTO FROM KAYE PAULINE SERVIDAD

#LigtasNaBalikEskwela subsidized fares, F2F

BY PAOLO GABRIEL JAMER

New USG admin

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The new UNC University Student Government (USG) was proclaimed by the Student Election Commission (SEC) on June 19 after a threeday regular election held last June 16 to 18, 2022. The transition process has been ongoing since the month of June to finalize activities for the school calendar of the upcoming academic year 2022-2023. According to Angela Rubio, the previous administration headed by former President Anabelita Villete already handed over social media accounts, emails, and folders to the new administration, facilitating a peaceful and efficient transfer of power.The new administration for the upcoming school year will face challenges amidst the transition of the learning setup and USG constitution’s adoption to the new normal. She proposed her platforms to the university administrators to help students cope with the changes this transition will bringforth.“Aspart of our platform, if the UNC administrators would allow us, we will be launching the Libreng Pamasahe Program, Progressive Help Desk, and F2F Student Guide as part of transitioning from virtual to faceto-face class,” she relayed. She also promised to push for inclusivity and sensitivity, student and community development, and enhanced student representation to the administrators.Sheexpects certain challenges as F2F classes would happen like overloaded concerns from the students and inadequacy of resources. As challenges are posing for this upcoming academic year, she then presented her plans. “First, we need to create a harmonious relationship with the UNC-admin and always defend the rights and calls of the student to them,” she said. She added that her administration will strengthen the partnerships and linkages of USG by means of increasing sponsorships in and outside the university.Heradministration will also craft activities that will cater the interest and needs of the student body and coordinate with the

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WORD BY PAOLO JAMER & PHOTO BY KENN DANIEL MONTECILLO

UNC SEC holds special elec for CTE, CEA due to FoE as poll body chief resigns to contest ECC chairpersonship race

UNC USG REVIVES. Several class activities that transpired last May 30, 2022, during the AClass with the theme: EuFOURia-Bringing back the UNCeans’ hype towards future-ready life..

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According to the partial and unofficial tally from the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) during the early hours after voting precincts closed for May 9, 2022 polls, former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. emerged as the frontrunner for the presidential race by garnering nearly 20 million votes followed by Vice President Leni Robredo by a wide margin with nearly nine million votes. Right after the release of partial and unofficial results, some of Robredo’s supporters in Naga City, Camarines Sur gathered at Plaza Quezon and conducted a prayer vigil later that midnight.Thesaid vigil then concluded with the dismayed Robredo supporters singing the Filipino version of “Do You Hear The People Sing?” from Les Miserables Musica.“Hindi lang panghihinayang kundi malinaw na pagkadismaya ang nararamdaman ng ating hanay,” opposition standard-

BY KYRA VICTORIA FERMEL

Office of Student Affairs (OSA) and VP for Academic Affairs, and promote to the students the purposes and benefits of participating in activities led by other organizations and councils,” she Meanwhile,said.she confirmed there are plans for her administration to initiate amendments for the prepandemic era 2018 USG Constitution since the previous administration failed to revise it. “Together with my VP, it’s already in our minds to revise certain parts of the 2018 USG Constitution, especially on the articles VIII and IX, to be associated in the new academic calendar and pandemic status,” she said.These articles she mentioned are referring to the structures, functions, and powers of the student body’s Constitutional Commissions and College Councils.“We think this is the part of the constitution that is greatly affected by the sudden occurrence of pandemic, like the date of the election which must be amended due to the changes

Around 500 UNCeans flocked to various locations across the university’s campus to attend limited onsite sessions for the fourth installation of AClass. The UNC University Student Government (USG) revived the face-to-face setup of its flagship event under the banner of “EuFOURia: Bringing back the UNCeans’ hype towards futurereadyTherelife!” were these classes to give students opportunities to healthily explore their curiosity through sit-in discussions, such as the sessions for climate change, digital currency, adulting, and publicMeanwhile,speaking. the rest of culminating activities were to improve students’ skills and discover their potential adventurous nature and hobbies, such as rappelling, crocheting, and media arts.

Magello, former UNC USG Vice-President traces back the roots of A-CLASS.

Alternative Classroom Sessions (AClass) made a face-to-face comeback after the pandemic setback launched on May 30 to 31, 2022 with seven classes students could freely choose to enroll in.

02 The DEMOCRAT thedemocratunc with the Christ Youth Action (CYA) to process election results. Several students shared their testimonies, opinions, and thoughts amid the widening margin between Marcos Jr.’s of the present academic calendar and many more,” she said.The pre-pandemic era schedule for campus regular election remains unchanged as it was set in the first week of March as stipulated in the Section 9 for the SEC’s section as the pandemic forced the country’s school calendar to be adjusted.Rubio added that along with her VP, they are still scrutinizing the constitution on what articles and provisions would be needed to amend.Theproclamation of the newly-elected USG officers by the Student Election Commission (SEC) was on June 19 after a three-day regular election held last June 16 to 18, 2022, wherein Rubio garnered 1,482 votes, while her running mate, Sales, garnered 1,457 votes attained, totaling to 1,656 casted votes equivalent to 43.6% voters’ turnout. They were both unopposed and would automatically secure their respective eyed posts as per guidelines from SEC.

As the culminating event of the A-Class Volume IV, music artists and UNCean performers rock the UNC covered court in the face-to-face performance in Music Fest with a theme “euFOURia: Bringing back the UNCeans’ hype towards future-ready life!.” The heavy rain causes the commencement of the event to be moved later at 7:00 p.m, instead of 6:00 p.m. “Rain or shine, itutuloy natin ang music fest.” Khiara Mizolas, the Project Head of the Music Fest said. It has become hard for the participants to go to the venue.”Yung ulan ngayon para lang yan challenges nung mga nakaraang school year, we may see it as a hindrance pero tutuloy at tutuloy pa din tayo”. she added.According to Magello, the project head of the first UNC Alternative Class and a former USG Vice President, Aclass is actually pronounced as “Aklas”, instead of “Ey-class”. He mentioned the history of this annual event, wherein AClass is originally rotted in resistance. “May roots of resistance ang first ever A CLASS as we from UNC USG 17-18 clearly denounced Duterte admin Efforts in Whitewashing the Marcos name.” he Magelosaid.pointed out how as the yeast goes by, Aclass becomes chumified. He said that the event could’ve been used as a platform to propagate political actions with regards to the current political issue the country is facing. “Especially now na makakabalik na ang mga Marcos sa palasyo, anong response dapat dun ng ACLASS?” he added.

The UNC Student Election Commission (SEC) announced on its Facebook page post on Friday, June 24, 2022, that a special election will be held from July 5 to 7 following a Failure of Election (FoE) declaration to the College of Teacher Education (CTE) and the College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA) after failing to attain the 50%+1 requirement for unopposed candidates in the previously held regular election last June 16 to 18. Amid preparation for the special election, SEC Chairperson Joshua Abina, from the CTE taking Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd) Major in English, resigned citing his health issues and potential candidacy for the upcoming special election based on a SEC Facebook page post on Saturday, June 25. His resignation was effective on June 19 and was succeeded by then-Vice Chairperson Aeron Mar Abergos from the CEA taking Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.Abergos would now face certain challenges, such as potential backlash from students who had previously experienced difficulties accessing the UVote, an online voting platform for UNCeans, during the regular election and urging students to vote to avoid the same FoE declaration.Meanwhile, Abina was finally included in the official special election list of candidates running under the banner of independent slate challenging the Education College Council (ECC) Chairpersonship post to Kiezzel Grace Delos Santos who was leading the BUGKOS Party’s ticket to the said department’s studentTherebody.is currently no provision in the University Student Government (USG) constitution or guideline from the SEC barring any former election

bearer Robredo said in a press conference in her residence in Magarao during the early morning hours of May 10 by failing to concede to Marcos Jr.. A “Misa ng Pagkakaisa at Pasasalamat” with former Vice President Leni Robredo was held in the evening of May 10 at Naga Metropolitan Cathedral to thank volunteers who contributed to her campaign efforts, with Most Rev. Rolando J. Tria Tirona as the presidingRobredopriest.delivered a speech by concluding a message of encouragement, “Fight continues, beyond election.”

FROM PAGE 01 New USG . . .

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Robredo: Fight continues beyond election; convinces grieving Nagueños to accept election results

BY DANRIE JOSH GARCIA

Few days later, much larger protests and prayer vigils sparked at various locations in Robredo’s home city organized by progressive and student organizations as she remained ambiguous on her stance following a clear huge margin loss to Marcos Jr. in preliminary results.The University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) organized its own vigil named “Liwanag sa Dilim” in its campus at the Sports Palace on the evening of May 13 facilitated by the University Student Government (USG) along BY NEIL ANDREW FORMALEJO

Alternative Class (Aclass) Volume IV makes a face to face comeback;

Pinarangalan ang mga bagong pasang abogado ng University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) na kumuha ng bar exam noong ika2 ng Hulyo, 2022 na sinimulan ng isang misa ng pasasalamat at motorcade na nagsimula sa kampus ng unibersidad, at sa wakas ang testimonial dinner na ginanap sa Queen Rose Hall, Robertson Hotel, J. Miranda Avenue, Concepcion Pequeña, Lungsod ng Naga.

VOLUME LXIX, ISSUE NO. IV MAYO 1 - Hulyo 15 2022

Bagong pasang UNCeanong abogado binigyang parangal, pagkilala

BAGONG PASA. Newly passed UNC Bar takers last February 4 and 6, 2022 had their testimonial dinner held in Queen Rose function hall, Robertson Hotel last July 2, 2022, together with the dean, professors, and staff of the UNC School of law, and UNC administrators.

Late October noong nagsimula akong mag review online, until dumating ang December na feel kong hindi ko na ito kayang pag sabayin sa work ko. Feel ko pagod na pagod ako pag dating sa bahay na wala ng gana ang katawan ko mag review, kaya ipapahinga ko na lang. Doon, napagpasyahan kong kailangan ko nang mag resign, kahit na hindi ko rin alam kung saan kukuha ng support financially sa review ko online. Wala akong mas magandang choice kung hindi i-focus na lang ang buong oras ko sa review,” he said.Doing review remotely secluded him from others where studying alone led him to innovate various methods to enhance his memorization skills. “Wala akong kasama mag aral, so kailangan ko matuto at mag aral mag isa. Mag practice mag solve, mag analyze ng mga problems. Isa din kasi yan sa struggles ko, hindi ako madaling matuto kapag walang akong ibang nakakasalamuha or nakakasama mag review,” he relayed.

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Eleven (11) Electrical Engineering students from the University of Nueva Caceres became officially registered Electrical Engineers and Master Electricians after passing the Electrical Engineering and Master Electrician Licensure Examination (EEMELE) held last April 26 to 27 and April 28, 2022.

Among the 3,029 and 1,717 paAmong the 3,029 and 1,717 passers for EEMELE nationwide, the following are the triumphant UNCeans who passed the said examinations: Engr. Serafin Abundo Jr., Engr. Arnie Baraceña, Engr. Jade Merck Crisostomo, Engr. Rex Garing, Engr. John Lloyd Inot, Engr. John Michael Llantos, Engr. Mark Anthony Mariscal, Engr. John Kenneth Marjolino, Engr. Mark Lester Nacario, Engr. John Nicko Peñas, and Engr. Virgilio Reyes Jr. For EELE, nine (9) of them were first takers, while two (2) of them were repeaters. MELE, on the other hand, had five (5) first takers and a single repeater. Engr. Baraceña, Engr. Garing, Engr. Llantos, Engr. Marjolino, Engr. Peñas, and Engr. Reyes acquired both licenses in the said field during this three-day licensure

Meanwhile,examination.Engr. Abundo Jr. recalled his difficulties and struggles as a working student during his preparation for the board“Duringexam. preparations for EE board [exam], nahirapan ako sa part na kailangan kong pagsabayin ang buhay working student sa buhay reviewee.

BY PAOLO GABRIEL JAMER

WORD BY PAOLO JAMER & PHOTO FROM UNC LAW BAR OPERATIONS COMMISSION FACEBOOK

body member to enter the race in campus political elections.

The SEC ensured that no special treatment would be given to him as his affiliation to the poll body ended following his resignation.Theformer election body head-turned-candidate stated that he filed his candidacy to run with a purpose to serve his fellow education students.

“It was hard because that time I was the Chairperson of SEC and I cannot decide if I would run, but the opportunity of running again because of FoE for CTE motivated me to run in my department as the Chairperson of ECC,” he said. When asked how he could react to his critics when he handled the SEC following the alleged irregularities during the regular election, he responded that it is ‘natural’ for a student leader to receive such backlash.

“It motivates me to do well as a student leader. It is part of our job as student leaders that you cannot please other people or no one will believe you if you will explain to them,” he said. After a three-day election, winners for the CTE were proclaimed even though they failed to achieve the 50%+1 requirement as long as the candidates garnered the most votes since the positions for ECC were all Candidatescontested. under the banner of Bugkos Party for the ECC won the race, while Delos Santos defeated Abina with a huge margin attaining 121 votes compared to Abina’s 16 votes out of 138Thevoters.department attained a voter turnout of 32.78% with 421 students not voting. Despite the defeat, Abina stated his platforms will be used in the department’s future activities.“My plans for failing to win is to continue what I have started as a student leader so that my platforms will have the opportunity to be part of the activities in our education department,” he said. Meanwhile, the SEC declared a double FoE in CEA with 19.37% voters’ turnout far from 50%+1 requirement since EA College Council posts are uncontested only attaining 282 votes out of 1,456 students despite the SEC had texted and sent emails encouraging them to vote. According to the guideline from the SEC regarding FoE of a certain department, the department’s Dean will appoint qualified candidates and the University Student Government President-elect will choose from them.The SEC received almost no complaints from students in accessing the UVote during the special election.

The average national passing rate for EELE hit 54.41%, with UNC clinchingMeanwhile,45.38%. the average national passing rate for MELE was 46.26%, with Bicol’s first university attaining 42.86%.

“My purpose is to promote inclusivity to remove the barrier, in other words, equal rights for every education student,” Abina said in an interview. He added that even if he has health issues, it doesn’t mean that he is not qualified to run. He added having undergone a difficult situation to decide whether to run or not.

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Binigyang-puri ng dating hepe ng Law Bar Operations Commission ng unibersidad at bagong pasang abogado na si Atty. Princess Ann Dominique Salcedo ang pinagdaanang hirap ng bar passers sa gitna ng paghahanda para sa isang pagsusulit na magdidikta sa kanilang“Naishinaharap.kongkilalanin ang lahat sa pagpapatuloy ng laban sa kabila ng mga suliranin na dala ng pandemya,” ani Salcedo. Ipinagpatuloy niya ang kanyang talumpati sa paguudyok ng pagsusubok muli sa kabila ng Ibinidapagkabigo.naman niya ang kanyang mga natutunan at inialay ng unibersidad sa paghulma sa kanilang landas tungo sa “Kungpagtatagumpay.anoangnaibibigay ng UNC na hindi kayang ibigay ng ibang unibersidad ay ang pagmamahal, pag-aalaga, at pakikiramay. Ito’y purong personal,” sabi ni Salcedo. Dinaluhan ito ng humigit kumulang na 40 bagong abogado, propesor, at ni School of Law Dean Antonio Rivero. Nagpaabot din ng pagkagalak ang Alkalde ng Lungsod ng Naga sa lahat ng bagong pasa at sinabi niya na maging transformative change agents ang mga ito sa kanyang talumpati na binasa ni Konsehal Oying Rosales, na isa ring bar passer.Nagpasa ng isang resolusyon ang mga konsehal ng Naga para kilalanin ang UNC na may pinakamaraming naging bagong abogado sa buong rehiyon ng Bicol. Sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon simula nang manalasa ang pandemya, naganap din ang bar exam noong ika-4 at ika-6 ng Pebrero ngayong taon sa 31 testing centers sa 22 lokal na pamahalaan sa buong bansa. Inilabas ng Korte Suprema noong Abril ang bilang ng mga nakapasa na umabot sa 8,241 sa kabila ng kabuuang 11,402 na kumuha ng bar exam. Naging makasaysayan ito dahil ginawang digitized ang nasabing pagsusulit at napakarami ng kumuha nito na katumbas ng dalawang batches noong taong 2020 at 2021 dulot nga ng pandemya.

He shared how he made his visual aids, describing the Manila papers he used as if serving as their wallpaper, meanwhile finding it helpful for his reviews.

BY MARIA JHOANNA YASIS

Abundo left advice to aspiring electrical engineers who will take the board “Celebrateexams. every small success. Appreciate yourself for every small progress you made,” he advised.Hehighly recommended seeking rest to recharge and find peace with God to reflect how to face the challenges again with a stronger and more formidable persona.The licensure exams were administered by the Board of Electrical Engineering through Engr. Francis Mapile and Engr. Jaime Mendoza in Metro Manila, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Koronadal, Legazpi, Lucena, Pagadian, Pampanga, Rosales, Tacloban, Tuguegarao, and Zamboanga, and the results were released by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) last May There5. were a total of 5,567 examinees for EELE and 3,712 examinees for MELE nationwide.

Dagdag pa rito ang 72.28% passing rate kung ikukumpara sa 26.37% noong taong 2019 na kung kailan ginanap ang huling bar exam bago tumama ang pandemya.Binatinaman ng UNC sa isa nitong Facebook post ang mga bagong pasang abogadong UNCeano na umabot sa 137. Matatandaan na ang unibersidad ang isa sa mayroong pinakamatagal na akademikong pang-akademya ang nagbibigay ng legal education sa buong rehiyon kung kaya marami na ring produktong abogado ito kagaya ni dating Bise Presidente Leni Robredo. UNCeans grace as licensed Electrical Engrs., Master Electricians in EEMELE 2022

UNC SEC holds special .

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BY JEAN AQUINO

Robredo: continuesFight...

Former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., and his running mate, daughter of thenPresident Rodrigo Duterte, then-Davao City Mayor Sara “Inday” Duterte-Carpio were officially proclaimed as dulyelected President and Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines for May 9th national elections by the 18th Congress sitting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) on Wednesday afternoon, May 25, 2022.

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UNC produces 26 new architects; garners 56.52% of ALE June 2022’s passing rate

BY AILA JOY ESPERIDA

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Congress certifies BBM-Sara as Pres, VP-elect; marks as earliest proclamation in PH elec history

WORD BY PAOLO JAMER & PHOTO BY AARON FAVILA / AP PHOTO

The ALE June 2022 passers from the university are as follows: Ar. Sheena Abejar, Ar. Frances Rose Baraero, Ar. Euvel Baylon, Ar. Thom Joshua Besorde, Ar. Almira Cadores, Ar. Kim Pearly Daliva, Ar. Rico Delos Angeles, Ar. Neil Andre Agato Elpa, Ar. Shiena Mae Janaban, Ar. John Arthur Lopez, Ar. Dennis King, Ar. Ruzette Malinao, Ar. Anna Marien Mirafuentes, Ar. Carla Abigail Nealega, Ar. Christine Joy Ogayon, Ar. Alyssa Jane Opeda, Ar. Spencer Oñate, Ar. Gia Madelle Palencia, Ar. Aira Joy Rivera, Ar. Francis Roi Rodriguez, Ar. Princess Royol, Ar. Dann Sarte, Ar. John Serrano, Ar. Agapito Lloyd Leron Talay, Ar. Lovely Tanteo, and Ar. Abygail Viñas, wherein 22 of them were first time examinees, while four were repeaters.

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“During the first four months of review, I still went to work since my review class schedule was during Saturdays and Sundays. It is very important to know your study techniques because it will not just help you study wiser but also give you less stress, panic, and anxiety. The journey was not easy and

According to Ar. Sheena Abejar, reviewing for the ALE was very challenging, especially when not having figured out study habits and technique yet, as it adds to stress and anxiety.

CONGRESS CERTIFIES. Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III and House Speaker Lourd Allan Velasco raised the hands of president-elect Ferdinand “Bong bong” R. Marcos Jr. and Vicepresident elect Sara Z. Duterte signifying their proclamation as President and Vice-President of the Republic of the Philippines in the Batas Pambansa Complex Session hall last May 25, 2022.

Finally, at a massive thanksgiving event at the Ateneo de Manila University on the evening of May 13, Robredo encouraged supporters to “listen to people’s“Kailanganvoice.”nating simulang tanggapin na hindi ayon sa mga pangarap natin ang resulta ng eleksyong ito. Kailangan nating tanggapin ang pasya ng mayorya,” she said. Robredo’s camp on May 24, during the canvassing of votes by the Congress presiding as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), formally conceded defeat to Marcos Jr. ‘s overwhelming more than 31 million votes against Robredo’s more than 15 million votes. Atty. Romulo Macalintal, Robredo’s election counsel and representative to the canvassing of votes for the two highest executive posts in the country, reiterated Robredo’s encouragement to “accept the decision of the majority.” moment for the two highest government positions on Philippine soil. The COMELEC hailed the highest voter turnout in Philippine automated election history, logging more than 55.5 million Filipinos or 82.6% of 67.4 million registered voters who went to the polls to exercise their right to vote surpassing the previously recorded 81.95% voter turnout in 2016 elections.

partial and unofficial tally to Robredo.This post-election event was also attended mostly by the university’s administrators as UNC President Fay Lea Patria Lauraya gave a brief speech igniting hope, encouragement, and moving forward to the whole schoolMeanwhile,community. progressive groups and other pro-Leni individuals continued to slam the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) over the alleged irregularities and fraud during the elections, which were quickly refuted by the COMELEC, and even independent election observers both domestic and abroad.The Malacañang Palace urged Robredo and her supporters to back down and respect the electoral process and outcomes as Robredo’s camp was planning to probe the alleged fraud from the transmission of votes amid an automated system of elections.

With the vision of championing excellence, the University of Nueva Caceres produced 26 new architects among 46 examinees after the recently concluded twoday Architecture Licensure Examination (ALE) 2022 held last June 17 and 19, 2022, enabling the university to garner an overall passing rate of 56.52%.

This was seen as the fastest proclamation of top two executive posts in the country since the restoration of democratic elections after the popular uprising that ousted the late dictator and former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. following economic collapse, unsustainable debt, and rampant abuse and corruption. Marcos Jr. and DuterteCarpio were proclaimed just 16 days after the elections, defeating the proclamation record for then-Vice President Joseph Estrada and thenSenator Gloria MacapagalArroyo 18 days after the 1998 nationalMarcoselections.Jr.became the first presidential candidate to secure an absolute majority vote since the post-EDSA Revolution, according to a political science professor, Froilan Calilung, from the University of Santo Tomas (UST), by attaining 31,629,783 or 58% of ballots cast against his closest rival, former Vice President Leni Robredo, by garnering more than 15 million votes.“All the other presidents after 1986 [EDSA Revolution] were either elected out of plurality votes, meaning there were more people who did not vote for them as compared to those people who chose them,” Calilung explained in an interview to CNBC International analyzing the election results. His running mate also won by a landslide, garnering the highest votes in a single contested elected office, being also hailed as the first vice presidential candidate since 1986 to accumulate more than 50% of voters’ turnout, with 32,208,417 votes behind second placer, former Senator Kiko Pangilinan securing more than nine million votes. The entire election season had attained many other historic features hailed by several politicians, Commission on Elections’ (COMELEC) officials, and mainstream media outlets. After a speedy two-day canvassing of votes conducted by the NBOC, which was considered as the fastest canvassing of votes in history by members of Congress, the official certification of results from the elections were transmitted to the Batasang Pambansa on the day of what would be the proclamation

“Even [until] now, I felt like the other candidates were more deserving to be the class valedictorian,” Ravago exclaimed. However, he stressed how commonplace these emotions are, particularly “how it inhibits us from trying,” in challenging circumstances.Alongwith Ravago, Batch Banyuhay also produced eight more Summa Cum Laude, including other six from the CAS, and one each from the CTE and CBA. In the sequence of commencement rituals, 22 Magna Cum Laude and 54 Cum Laude were also honored. will never be because we all have different struggles, but the moment you see your name on the list, everything will be worth it,” Ar. Abejar stated. As a newly passed Architect, she wants to be part of various organizations that showcase the importance of her chosen profession and educate other people about the impact of Architecture, especially in planning or designing on a big or small scale, to contribute to the betterment of our society. The two-day separate examination was administered by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and Board of Architecture, supervised by its chairman, Ar. Robert S. Sac, and held at various testing centers in Metro Manila, Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legazpi, Lucena, Pampanga, Tacloban, Tuguegarao, and Zamboanga. The exam covered topics about History and Theory of Architecture, Principles of Planning, Architecture Practice, Utilities Systems, Structural Conceptualization, Building Materials and Construction, and Architectural Design and Site Planning.PRC announced on Wednesday night of June 22 that 3,037 out of 4,766 takers nationwide passed the ALE, with an overall performance of 63.72%.

He aced the board exam in his first take despite multiple responsibilities as a student, husband, and a father to his children.The university achieved an overall passing rate of 25.93% against the national average of 42.35%.

Nelson Diocos Jr., Engr. Sheryl Encinas, Engr. Geoleen Mariel Enriquez, Engr. Weng Patrick Espejo, Engr. Jaymar Fria, Engr. Eric Gonzales, Engr. Savannah Grace Ignacio, Engr. Christopher John Marjolino, Engr. Rimar Christopher Marjolino, Engr. Carla Elena Musico, Engr. Jeth Francis Olarve, Engr. Mailfrid Oliva, Engr. Ann Kimberly Paniel, Engr. Mark Francis Panuelos, Engr. Rica Mae Pellosis, Engr. Dioscoro Posada Jr., Engr. Grace Quidor, Engr. Jinky Refugia, Engr. Christian Regalado, Engr. Jonathan Rifareal, Engr. Gilbert San Juan, Engr. Kenny Soriano, and Engr. Arvin Vilgera, wherein 22 of them were first timers, while 13 were repeaters. Engr. Badiola shared that he had to balance things out between family and his journey as a civil engineering student “Ang pinakamahirap po para sakin yung pagsabayin yung pag-aaral tapos yung pamilya. Mahirap pagsabayin yung trabaho at ‘yung para sa future mo,” he said.

UNC ADAPTS. 74th commencement exercise attended by students, faculty, and administrators held in a cluster grouping last June 23-25, 2022 in UNC Sports Palace.

Among the 13,781 takers of the CELE, 5,836 individuals passed the CELE conducted in various testing centers in Metro Manila, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Koronadal, Legazpi, Lucena, Pagadian, Pampanga, Rosales, Tacloban, Tuguegarao, and Zamboanga. The following are the 35 new UNCean civil engineers: Engr. Niño Angelo Agna, Engr. Joel Jet Agorita, Engr. Elyza Joy Aureus, Engr. Kriezler Badiola, Engr. Daryll Angelo Bernardino, Engr. Carlo Jay Borromeo, Engr. Ruel Briones, Engr. Mark Bustarga, Engr. Philip Caceres, Engr. Ernan Cecilio, Engr. Uni De Velez, Engr. Edward Del Mundo, Engr.

He also shared how he and his classmates motivated each other whenever one of them felt like giving up in the midst of their preparation for the board exam.

WORD BY PAOLO JAMER & PHOTO BY ARTURO ORANTE

05BalitaTOMO LXIX, BILANG I Hulyo 15 - Oktubre 2021

After being halted for two consecutive years, this year’s commencement exercises went back to physical setting but this time in a clustered setup dividing several departments into a threeday affair starting June 23 to 25, 2022, held at the UNC Sports Palace. Bannering the theme “UNCean Graduates: Future and Life Ready, Creating Change, Advocating Peace,” UNC honored 272 graduates from the College of Business and Accountancy (CBA); 52 graduates from the College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA); 26 graduates from the College of Criminal Justice Education (CCJE); 55 graduates from the College of Computer Studies (CCS); 136 graduates from the College of Teacher Education (CTE); 104 graduates from Graduate Studies; 59 graduates from the School of Law; 40 graduates from the College of Nursing (CNR); and 77 graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), totaling to 821.University President Dr. Fay Lea Patria Lauraya reminisced in 2018 about her iconic lines, where she kept on reminding the then freshmen students about not quitting until graduation, while now seeing the fruit of her words materialize in front of her as she introduced the commencement speaker.“Iremember in 2018, and I think you were freshmen then. My orientation to the freshmen was to get your notebook and write at the end of the page of your notebook, don’t quit until graduation day. And today I’d like you to say to me, Madam President, I did not quit until graduation day,” President LaurayaThreeuttered.guest speakers were also present throughout the three-day commencement ceremonies, with Denley Cyder Mirabueno, Senior Vice President, Risk Management, of CITIBANK, speaking on day one for CBA. The speaker for CJE, CS, CTE, and CEA on day two was Maria Jihan Sangil, President of Layertech Software Labs, Inc. Meanwhile, serving as the speaker to Graduate Studies, School of Law, CN, and CAS to conclude the series of graduations was Atty. Alexander Lacson, a best-selling author of patriotic books who ran for senator in May’s elections under the Robredo-Pangilinan ticket.Exclaiming the three-day event was the UNC Class of 2022 Valedictory address of Lucky Ravago, from the program Bachelor of Science in Biology, who was awarded Summa Cum Laude and a recipient of the Mayoral Award for Academic Excellence.

BY KENN DANIEL MONTECILLO

BY JEAN AQUINO

UNC produces 35 new civil engineers; Engr. Badiola urges discipline during board exam prep

“Inisip ko lang na hindi na ‘ko puwedeng umulit kasi sayang ng panahon. Nagdadasal kami [ng mga kaklase ko] tapos tiyaga. Malaking tulong ‘yung dasal kasi nakakagaan siya ng pag-iisip,” he said.Hethen gave tips to future civil engineering examinees on how to overcome struggles during the review. “Sa mga aspiring civil engineers, seryosohin lang nila ang pag review, maging disiplinado sa oras. Isipin lang nila yung goal nila na pumasa. Kahit nahihirapan ka, wag na wag kang susuko,” he advised.

UNC adapts clustering for its 74th commencement exercises; lauds 9 Summa Cum Laude, 22 Magna Cum Laude, 54 Cum Laude

UNC produces 26 new . . . FROM PAGE 04 THEDEMOCRATon issuu.com/thedemocrat FOR A FREER STUDENT PRESS

The Professional Regulation Commission released the list of the passers for May 2022 Civil Licensure Examination (CELE) on May 11, a week after the twoday examination on May 1 to 2, with the University of Nueva Caceres (UNC) recording 35 new Civil Engineers.

This record set was during the first time in history where the population would vote amid an ongoing global pandemic. Marcos Jr. and DuterteCarpio were the first tandem to be elected in the presidential and vice presidential posts since then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and thenSenator Noli de Castro were proclaimed in 2004. The tandem’s proclamation was a huge blow to their staunch critics, accusing the election was rigged due to alleged malfunctioning of some votecounting machines (VCMs) and replacement of SD cards. Some progressive groups called out the COMELEC on the probability of cheating in the 2022This,elections.however, was quickly debunked by domestic and international independent election observers, such as the National Citizens’ Movement Lupi, Siruma, and Calabanga in the province of Camarines Sur to house around hundreds of families as Typhoon Ulysses swept through Bicol Region last November 2020 destroying their homes.Angat Buhay was an initiative launched in October 2016 by the Office of the VP (OVP) during the tenure of now private individual Robredo to combat poverty by bringing private sectors, nongovernment organizations (NGO), communities, and individuals together to reach farthest and poorest sectors in the country. After her failed 2022 presidential bid to Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on May 9 polls, she announced that Angat Buhay will be converted into an NGO a day after she vacated the OVP to build the largest volunteer network spanning across the country.

Bismonte, Montes carries greyhound pride at AYLC 2022 becoming delegates since three years

WORD BY PAOLO JAMER & PHOTO FROM BERLINETH NYMIIA MONTES

Balita06 The DEMOCRAT thedemocratunc

for Free Elections (NAMFREL) and Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV). They warned the public of focusing on some gaps or loopholes as these observers sought to “separate speculations fromTheevidence.”United States, through its State Department, announced on May 11 that the 2022 Philippine elections complied with international election standards and occurred without any major incident. On the other hand, Jericho Ciano, an incoming third year AB Political Science student argued that the victory of the MarcosDuterte tandem was something that could be foreseen even before the start of the election campaign.“The Marcos-Duterte alliance already seemed invincible. With the solid north of the Marcoses plus the sway of the Dutertes in the South, the foundation of their victory was already there even before the campaign period began. But it was the massive social media drive that portrays both families in a positive light that secured their win. Netizens were fed by their campaign propaganda more often than three times a day,” he said. This echoed the same sentiments by some critics of the Marcos family as they were allegedly using social media platforms to propagate distortion of history to rebuild their image to bring them back to Malacañang.Professor Calilung cited successive administrations’ failures of delivering reforms as one of key reasons as to why Marcos would be brought back to national post. “There was the apparent failure of the liberal democratic reform. The regimes after EDSA [Revolution], I believe, failed to capitalize the promises of the revolution,” he expanded. Marcos Jr. will be the 17th President, whereas DuterteCarpio will be the 15th Vice President of the DepartmenteyedindicatinglearninganEducationfutureDuterte-Carpio1987JuneOfficeinauguration.aheadbegins,JuneherinaugurationannouncedDuterte-CarpioPhilippines.earlierthatherwouldbeheldinhometownofDavaoCityon19,11daysbeforehertermatSanPedroSquareofMarcosJr.’sJune30thShewillstilloccupytheoftheVicePresidenton30inaccordancewiththeConstitution.MarcosJr.thentappedtojoinhiscabinettoleadtheDepartmentamideducationaltransitionofsetup.TherewerereportsthatsheinitiallytobecomechiefoftheofNationalDefense. Krislen Gaile Bismonte and Berlineth Nymia Montes, prolific student leaders and awardees, represented UNC in the Ayala Young Leaders Congress 2022.

VP Leni exhorts . . . FROM PAGE 01Congress certifies BBM-Sara . . . FROM PAGE 04 BISMONTE AND MONTES.

BY DANRIE JOSH GARCIA

Among thousands of applicants nationwide from numerous colleges and universities, only around 80 students secured the final spots for the prestigious Ayala Young Leaders Congress (AYLC) 2022, including two delegates from the UNC, namely Krislen Gaile Bismonte, an incoming fourth year Bachelor of Arts in Political Science student, and Berlineth Nymia Montes, an incoming fourth year Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Major in Marketing Management student. These two students got into this leadership training program to represent the university after an exhaustive and thorough selectionMontesprocess.shared how tough she had been through during the application process. “The application for AYLC was tough since I have to collate all my initiatives from my past organization to present. I personally had to visit my former schools to access the information needed to support my claims,” she said. She then narrated how she dealt with the interview panel as part of accomplishing the said leadership program. “Making it to the final interview part made me cry because I never realized I’ll get in since there are over a thousand of applicants all around the country. During the final interview, I had so much fun with my panel. They asked me about my advocacy in which I stated the ff: campus press freedom, drug-free community, and participatory governance. They asked me about the importance of my advocacies and other personal stuff,” she relayed.She also stated how she balanced things out by coinciding AYLC to the 20th American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Business Leadership Program (AmCham BLP) as the sole delegate of the university. “When I passed, I had a little difficulty in keeping up since the first week of our sessions coincided with the final week of my AmCham engagements. It was a hectic week since we are trying to meet the deadline for the business case competition,” she Thesaid. formal congress of this program formally started last June 25, continuing every Wednesday and Saturday until JulyFor30. two years straight, the university had no representatives for AYLC starting from 2020 to 2021. This month-long leadership summit, founded in 1998, is a flagship program of one of the country’s largest conglomerates, Ayala Corporation, in nurturing carefully selected young student leaders to be confident, committed, genuine, nationalist, and idealist servant leaders in the future through workshops.This24-year old program also invests in young Filipino minds and skills to contribute in the future development of each community across the country.

GLIMPSE OF US From vague “unity” platform as the main weapon in addressing public concerns in the country during his campaign, there is a sudden change of wind as BBM laid bigger with little to no detailed plans. As issues regarding the pandemic branch out include a rising number of COVID-19 positive patient,s low and delayed hazard pay among nurses, and limited COVID-19 facilities in public hospitals, BBM has yet to appoint a Department of HealthTheSecretary.pandemic not only revealed underaddressed concerns in the country’s public health but resurfaced neglected issues in the academe. With approximately 28 million students being left behind due to digital and educational gaps, BBM appoints her running mate and VP-elect Sara Duterte to seat as secretary of the Department of Education despite no expertise in the academe. Sara Duterte has long been firm in her intention of mandating Reserve Officers Training Camp (ROTC) for High School students in an attempt of instilling patriotism and discipline in the students.

07Editorial

What if the majority voted for a politician who promised to give the country a new face and identity, is the son of the late dictator president who killed thousands of innocent lives just to secure his regime for 20 years? What if 31 million people placed their hope for a better Philippines in the hands of a candidate who has long been faking his college degree? What if the majority of Filipinos supported the candidate who has been accused of tax evasion and who owns dubious items obtained from his family’s illicit wealth? Just like that, all these what-ifs became the Philippines’ reality last May 9, 2022, after Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos had a landslide victory last Mukha.Bagongpesosplatforms—Unity,thevotes,overelections.presidential2022With31millionBBMsecuredspotwithhisthree20perkiloofrice,andPilipinas,BagongSurprisingly,afteralongperiod,BBMisnotjustadictator’sson,ataxevader,fakedegreeholderbutapresidentelect who was given the highest mandate by the Filipino people. Now, since the election is over, the question will revolve as to how a familiar face can give the Philippines a new one.

BET ON YOUR BABY

YOUR FACE SOUNDS FAMILIAR

RTC was abolished due to reported anomalies such as corruption, extortion, and hazing in the ROTC unit of the University of Santo Tomas which was published in the Varsitarian’s February 2021 issue. One of the whistleblowers Mark Chua was kidnapped and killed a month after the issue was published.Withissues concerning education such as underpaid teachers, lack of detailed plan for school reopening, widening digital and educational gap, and declining rate of reading comprehension among students as per Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) since 2018, his administration is yet to provide a comprehensive plan to help the education system of the country gets back on track. As the whole country attempts to recover from the wrath of pandemics in the aspect of economy and finances, the rising inflation rate gets in the way as necessities such as food, gasoline, and other expenses reach ceiling prices. In his first press briefing with the Philippine Statistics Authority, BBM claimed that the 6.1 % inflation rate is not that high’. He even explicitly stated how inflation is ‘not just a concern of the country but all over the world–which is something that the government is beyond control and every Filipino should not be so concerned about. With the preliminary action and takes of BBM in public concerns mentioned, now more than ever the people should be more vigilant as the repercussions of complacency being shown by his administration may gravely affect the recovery of the country. With the attempt of BBM to monopolise freedom of speech by accrediting vloggers as journalists and twist the narrative of truth by continuously investing in troll farms which he admitted during the 2016 Vice Presidential elections, the Philippines should brace itself to what kind of face does this administration will provide, for it may be a different face with a familiar voice– a voice that still screams for change, justice, and accountability from the same government who promised “Bagong Pilipinas, Bagong Mukha”. Although the fault of the father cannot be the fault of the son as his supporters claim, the country cannot afford to have another leader who will weaponize the power vested to him by the Filipino people to forward personal interests and let his people die by hook or by crook.

Unmask the masked. VOLUME LXIX, ISSUE NO. IV MAYO 1 - Hulyo 15 2022 The DEMOCRAT Editorial Board & Staff A.Y. 2021 - 2022 EDITORIALAPPRENTICESBOARD Aila Joy Esperida Danrie Josh Garcia Jannsen Martinez Jhezylle Faye Loria Joy Villaspin Marie Juvy Lea Violeta Paolo RachelleJamerPaja CONTRIBUTORS Jean Aquino Maria Jhoanna Yasis Jonas Corporal Ma. Isabel Azaña Kyra Fermel Victoria TECHNICAL ADVISER Mary Allysa Jenica Sariba MEMBER College Editors Guild of the BicolLuzonwide(CEGP)PhilippinesAssociationofCollegeEditors(LACE)AssociationofStudentCampusJournalists(BASCAJ) OFFICE Right-Wing, Sports Palace University of Nueva Caceres J. Hernandez Ave., Naga City Philippines, 4400 CONTACT US thedemocrat@unc.edu.ph Editor/DeputyManagingAssociateEditor-in-ChiefEditorEditorManagingCirculation Manager Senior Editor News BroadcastingWebDesignCreativesSportsFeatureEditorEditorEditorDirectorDirectorManagerHead Norene Cantor Kenn Daniel Montecillo Charey Mae Alvarado Neil Andrew Formalejo John Paul Borito Berlineth Nymia Montes Patrick Joseph Panambo Jonna Mae Bagasbas Brandon Jon Delos Santos Cyen EarlChristianEsclandaReganitDwightSerrado uncthedemocrat

WE’VE SEEN THIS FILM BEFORE AND WE DIDN’T LIKE THE ENDING

The Filipino people welcome the year 2022 with much enthusiasm and joy, not only to celebrate the new year but because of the 2022 national elections. For the past years, the country has had to deal with a poorly managed pandemic, blatant attacks on human rights and media, extrajudicial killings, and academic crises, and the 2022 election is a moment when Filipinos can finally elect a new set of leaders that can address pressing issues at hand to prevent it from recurring in the future. Despite coming from different regions and beliefs, Filipinos participate in elections with one goal—to elect the leader they think can best serve the country’s interest and its people.

In his first days as the President, BBM appointed familiar faces who were charged and involved in controversies including Benjamin “Benjur” Abalos, the appointed DILG secretary who once met the court over the aborted $329-million NBN-ZTE deal in 2007. A known red-tagger also made it to his cabinet’s list in the flesh of Jesus “Boying” Remulla who is the incoming chief of the Department of Justice. Remulla stirred controversy after calling slain labor leader Emmanuel “Manny” Asuncion after calling Manny a “career helper” for communist revolutionaries last June this year. The appointed Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas governor. Benjamin Diokno was once involved in budget controversy after anomalies in the 2018 budget and the proposed P3.757-trillion budget in 2019.

In the first weeks of his presidency, Maid in Malacanang movie drew criticism as it depicts the last 72 hours of the Marcos family in the palace and highlights the side of the story of the Marcoses about the 1986 People Power Revolution. Historians and martial law survivors flagged the film as the avenue of the Marcoses to distort and whitewash history including playwright-activist Bonifacio Ilagan who was tortured and detained in the 1970s. “I will not be surprised if the movie will depict the family as the pitiable victims of the Edsa uprising — mining the sympathy of the public — who now have justly been rendered justice” Ilagan explained to the Philippine Inquirer.

National and local elections always adhere to who has the highest garnered votes among his or contenders or if there is none then the candidate is expected to win a seat. Not only that, the ascertainment of historical truth remains to be the most exploited issue by most politicians wherein before the gossipers propagated lies on a specific candidate through word of mouth but at the present, the means is social media, which is lightning fast that in just a minute, thousands or even millions can see them.

Democracy is the best form of government since the will of the people is followed. There is public consultation on who should lead them through the election, but perhaps the other side of it that continues to baffle our minds is the question, “Is the majority’s decision beneficial to the common good of the people at all times?”

The drive for the university to provide more extracurricular services at a higher price is because of their prospective students. University justifies these increasing costs by saying in order to compete for incoming students, the quality of their facilities and the

We, as students, are the best advocates for our needs. The college will test our boundaries, and it may not always seem like it’s for the better. But at the end of the day, we all come away knowing that as we work hard and struggle, we can create change.

Fake news, misinformation, historical distortion, and fabricated stories are the current ill of this will of the people since democracy not only works for the common good of the Filipinos but it can annihilate the truth of our country.

Opinion08 Will of ispeople:theitwhatit is? VITO CORLEONE PAOLOpaolojamer10@gmail.comGABRIELJAMER

Now, the colossal mission is on us, especially the youth of today. Let us resolve the continuing manipulation of the majority of the Filipinos by establishing an independent education free from politics and personal biases by spreading the truth and discussing facts among others, especially the prone victims of lies and misinformation. Maximize our social media accounts by posting factual information that will stop the spread of lies and enlighten the minds of the youth. This is just one step ahead and the other

The 2022 National elections was a battle of fake news and black propaganda machinery wherein the Marcos family invested for a long time to cripple Filipinos’ perception of the truth about the Marcos administration, specifically the martial law years. The claim by the Marcos family and their loyalists that martial law years is to be considered a golden age for us Filipinos agitated the victims of human rights violations, historians and other experts. According to the figures of Amnesty International, there are 72,000 imprisoned, 34,000 tortured and 3,240 killed from 1972 to 1981. These records are denied by the Marcos Family, instead they propagandize the discipline and order across the country during Martial Law years anchoring the declaration of which from the restlessness of the country brought about by communist rebels attack.These lies impregnated innocent minds of the youth and the Filipinos like a virus that makes the country suffer from division that is contrary to the Dictator’s son, President Bongbong Marcos (PBBM), promise of unity as his main platform in winning the presidency of a majority vote of 31 million Filipinos. Can we truly fathom that the Filipinos catapulted the Marcos family, the same family they ousted in 1986, back in Malacañang? Does democracy serve its purpose of common good to the Filipinos? Does strength in numbers really win championships? In the case of the Golden State Warriors, maybe it does win championships. But for us Filipinos, we lost a championship of truth, good governance, and justice from the hands of the Marcos predators. “I am sorry,”-- this is the famous line former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said on national television to the Filipinos for the Hello Garci scandal. However, the Marcos family did not even say sorry to ask for forgiveness of their atrocities even though there are court decisions like the case of Republic vs. Sandiganbayan on July 15, 2003 (G.R. No. 152154) forfeiting the Marcos ill-gotten wealth; 11,103 human rights violations victims claimants as per the government; and many other cases convicting Imelda Marcos of graft and corruption.

The Filipinos must not forget nor turn a blind eye to these pieces of evidence. Democracy has its downside that could destroy a country due to politicians bastardizing the will of the people favoring their own vested interests.

There are only two things in life that are guaranteed, death and taxes. Sadly, it appears that growing college tuition costs can be added to that list. People from previous generations may have criticized millennials as being “lazy and entitled” because they gripe about these expenses. They’ll talk about how they worked while in school to pay for their own college, so perhaps we should all try working a little harder instead of requesting reduced rates. Education is one of the biggest expenses for a middle-class Filipino household. For most of the 40 percent of the population classified as poor or very poor, higher education is a luxury beyond their reach. The opening of the school year 2022-2023 is increasing the anxiety of students and parents, many of whom already struggle to meet daily needs and find alternative means to earn after the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and its extension made them unemployed or put them on furlough. After long two years of confinement and distance learning due to the pandemic, the UNC admin foists Tuition and Other Fees Increase of 5 percent for the Academic year 2022-2023. After the extrinsic consultation with the UNC admin together with parents and students, it was agreed that TOFI will increase by 5% with the directives of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). The said increase will be allotted for teachers’ salary increases and to sustain the funds of the university’s scholarship grants.Given that many students from low-income households lack access to personal computers, smartphones, and data plans that would allow them to complete their coursework might affect their academic performance. Considering as well the continuous rise of the inflation rate burdens the people, economy, and society as a Self-supportingwhole. working students are among the numerous Filipinos who lost their jobs or are no longer able to make a living because their places of employment in the food, tourism, or services sectors were not deemed to be vital and continued to operate under the Perhapspandemic.themost troubling part about these soaring costs is that they aren’t just focused on increased quality of staff or programs, but they turn some of their focus to student amenities like rock climbing walls during Ibang Klase and such. Are these the reasons we want to pay an increasingly large amount of money? How can we assure to get quality education at a high cost?

The DEMOCRAT thedemocratunc No one out.shouldStill,everyoneshouldmakeit! KYRO MIGUEL @ jonascorporal83@gmail.comJONASjonasxcorpseCORPORAL

Fake news, misinformation, historical distortion, and fabricated stories are the current ill of this will of the people since democracy not only works for the common good of the Filipinos but it can annihilate the truth of our country.

VillaPWERTESila-Sila: bagong mukha man ang mamuno sa lugar, kung mula naman sa iisang angkan, paulit-ulit lamang ang sistema - walang pagbabagong magaganap at mas lalo lamangmalulugmok.tayong

number of extra amenities provided need to be constantly improved.Oneway students can help themselves when it comes to the cost of college is by finding out just how much they should expect to spend ahead of time. Most universities provide their students with “College Cost Calculators” on their websites. Being prepared for the cost of higher education can be a key step in determining which university is most cost-effective for incomingAnotherstudents.waystudents can better prepare themselves for college is to apply for as many scholarships as they can. Many students, like others, enter the scholarship hunt without understanding the number of opportunities out there for anyone to get money for college. Since one of the main reasons for a hike is to support the University’s Scholarship Grants, rooms for other students who are not qualified with the university standard should also be opened. Average students have dreams as well just as exactly what academically inclined students do.

The CHED should lead the academic community in perfecting the Flexible Learning Options (FLOs) that will allow learning to go on during the epidemic, as opposed to prolonging the deadline for educational institutions to submit recommendations for tuition fee increases.Asessential, the CHED should work with the private sector, foundations, and non-government organizations to improve the pool of scholarships, financial support programs through grants and soft loans, and other schemes to assist youths to continue their schooling despite the financial and academic challenges arising from the pandemic. Despite prevailing constraints, risks, and threats, education must continue through innovations and adjustments that cushion the impact of Covid-19.

For instance, the Laboratory and other fees for Engineering buildings that are not fully utilized. The maintenance could cover some but surely not all funds will be exhausted. Also, the poor internet connectivity in each department should be improved first. Since it is the gateway to learning and also part of what every student is paying for. The large increase in tuition would be more acceptable if the money was spent on more experienced, full-time staff. Forty-five years ago, 78 percent of college professors were fulltime. Now a lot of those teachers are part-time employees who are paid less. It’s hard to not look at this and think that students are now being forced to pay more for a product that isn’t improving as far as quality in learning, but rather in these extracurricularGovernmentareas.action is another way the cost of college could be reigned in. Many politicians have seen the rising debt of students and proposed changes to our higher education system.The concepts of tuition-free and debt-free college were thrust into the spotlight but for state colleges only. Subsidies were given to some students from political organizations but not enough to cover it all. These types of government plans, if they’re able to be implemented, would help solve the symptoms of rising tuitions and college debt. But, in the meantime, students and universities should consider ways they can alleviate some of the burden college costs put on students. High levels of student debt and tuitions that cost more and more each year are not sustainable and need to be re-examined. If the proper steps are taken, this is an issue that can be addressed and college can be made more affordable for everyone.We,asstudents, are the best advocates for our needs. The college will test our boundaries, and it may not always seem like it’s for the better. But at the end of the day, we all come away knowing that as we work hard and struggle, we can create change.

09Opinion

Sa bawat tatlong taon, paulit-ulit na pangalan ang nakikita natin sa papel na guguhit ng ating kapalaran. Maging bago man ang mukha, sa huli pare-pareho pa rin sila - mga buwaya.Tuwing sasapit ang pinakamahalagang araw sa buwan ng Mayo, sigaw ng lahat ay “Pagbabago”. Subalit pagkatapos ng araw na ito, ang uupo sa pwesto ay anino ng pamilyang minsan nang binatikos at ninais na mapalitan sa puwesto. Kailan ba tayo mapapagod sa pareparehong sistema? Bakit natin sila hinahayaang gawing family business ang pulitika at demokrasya? Isa ang Political Dynasty o Dinastiyang Politikal sa problemang hindi mawala-wala sa Pilipinas. Sa madaling salita, may isang pamilya o angkan na ginagawang monopolyo ang pamumuno sa mga lugar. Nagsimula sa kalolo-lolohan, hanggang sa anak, asawa, at mga apo, ito ang dinastiyang itinatag ng pamilya Villafuerte sa pinakamalaking lalawigan sa Bicol, ang Camarines Sur. Pamilyang Dinastiya Sinasabing ang dinastiyang politikal ay nagmula pa sa ating mga ninuno sapagkat ang pagiging Raja noon sa isang barangay ay namamana batay sa dugo at naging tradisyon noon ang kapangyarihan. Subalit, sa kasalukuyang henerasyon ay likas na nangyayari pa rin ito. Nagsimula ang pamumuno ng pamilyang dinastiya nang maging gobernor ng Cam. Sur si Mariano Villafuerte Sr. noong 1942 hanggang 1945, na sinundan ng anak nitong si Luis na naging gobernador din ng lalawigan noong 1995–2004 at representatib ng 2nd District of Camarines Sur noong 2004–2010 at 3rd District of noong 2010–2013. Samantala ang asawa naman nito si Nelly F. Villafuerte ay naging Undersecretary for the International Sector (Trade Promotion and Marketing Group), Department of Trade and Industry noong Hulyo 1998 – May 2000) at Regional Operations Group noong May 2000 hanggang 2005. Naging gobernor din ang anak nina Luis Sr. and Nelly Villafuerte na si Luis Raymond “LRay” Villafuerte noong 2004 hanggang 2013, habang ang kanilang apo na si Miguel Luis “Migz” ay naupo rin sa pwesto noong taong 2013 hanggang 2022. At sa katatapos lamang na eleksyon, itinalaga ang isa pa nilang apo na si Vincenzo Renato Luigi Villafuerte bilang bagong gobernor ng lalawigan kontra sa dating representatib na si Rolando “Nonoy” Andaya Jr. at dating Vice-Governor Imelda Papin. Muli ring uupo sa puwesto sina Lray at Migz bilang Congressman ng ikalawa at ikalimang distrito ng lalawigan. Mula kay dating gobernor Luis at Gov. Luigi, tatlong dekada ng naghari ang mga Villafuerte sa Camarines Sur. Bagong Mukha, Dating Sistema Nakasulat sa Artikulo II, Section 26, ng 1987 Constitution na dapat garantiyahin ng estado ang pantay na pagbibigay ng pagkakataon para sa mga serbisyo publiko at ipagbawal ang mga political dynasties. Bagama’t ipinagbawal ito ng Konstitusyon, patuloy pa rin ang pamilyang Villafuerte sa pamumuno sa Camarines Sur. Noong 2016, nasuspinde si Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte Jr. ng 90 araw kaugnay ng kasong graft na kinakaharap kaugnay ng umano’y maanomalyang pagbili ng P20 milyong halaga ng produktong petrolyo para sa provincial government noong 2010. Sa isang resolusyon na ipinalabas noong Setyembre 7 sa parehong taon, kinatigan ng the Sandiganbayan Sixth Division ang mosyon ng prosecution na isuspinde si Villafuerte ng 90 araw. Taong 2019 nang muling masuspinde si Cam. Sur Rep. Lray dahil sa paglabag sa Section 3 ng RA 309 kaugnay sa mga transaction ng kapitolyo habang siya pa ang namamahalang gobernador ng probinsya.

VOLUME LXIX, ISSUE NO. IV MAYO 1 - Hulyo 15 2022

Naging usap-usapan din ang nagtrending na video ni Cam.Sur Re. Lray isang linggo bago ang May 2022 election habang nagkakampanya sa Siruma. “Magdangog kamo. Ang magtabang sa Villafuerte ngunyan na eleksyon, tumaya na kamo. Babalik ako dito pagkatapos ng eleksyon, ako mismo mananao tig–dieyes mil pesos sa gabos. Si mga dai nagtabang, bahala kamo,” sabi ni Cam. Sur Rep. Lray sa video. Ngunit ayon sa kanya ay kasinungalingan lamang ang nasa video, “Supalpal na naman si addict! Nagpalabas ng panloloko at fake news na police certification sa nangyari daw sa Brgy. Vito, Siruma!” Samantala, ang sinasabing pinanukala niyang Republic Act (RA) 11861, or the ‘Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act,’ ay si Sen. Risa Hontiveros ang principal author, kasama sina Sen. Marcos, Sen. Miguel Zubiri, former Senate president Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, Sen. Bong Go, at Sen. Bong Revilla, and former senator Richard Gordon bilang co-authors ng batas. Sa ilang dekadang pamumuno ng mga Villafuerte, isa pa rin ang Camarines Sur sa mga mahihirap na probinsya sa Pilipinas na may Php 14,378 Capita Poverty Threshold, ayon sa datos na inilabas ng Official Poverty Statistics of the Philippines noong First Semester ng 2021. Kabilang din ang Cam Sur sa mga probinsyang may pinakamataas na poverty incidence na may 34.6 porsyento. Nakapagtala rin ang probinsya ng 152, 300 na bilang ng mahihirap na pamilya noong nakaraang taon. Ilang bagong mukha man ang mamuno sa lugar, kung mula naman sa iisang angkan, paulit-ulit lamang ang sistema - walang pagbabagong magaganap at mas lalo lamang tayong malulugmok. Epekto ng Dinastiyang Politikal Dahil sa “it runs in the family,” isa ang nepotismo sa pinaka-epekto ng dinastiyang politikal. Kung saan kahit kulang o walang karanasan, kaalaman, o kasanayan ang isang miyembro ng pamilya ay ilalagay pa rin sa pwesto, tulad na lamang ni Gov. Luigi Villafuerte na baguhan pa lamang sa larangan ng politika, ngunit umupo agad sa pwesto bilang Sumunodgobernador.angkahirapan na talagang hindi maikakaila na nararanasan natin ngayon. Idagdag pa na ang dinastiya ay nag-uugat din ng graft at korapsyon, mabagal na pag-unlad, at political at socioeconomic inequality. Ang kaban ng probinsya ay umiikot lamang sa iilangSakamay.kalagayang ito, wala naman sa kanila ang lahat ng sisi. Nasa atin na may kakayahang gumuhit ng magandang kapalaran ngunit dahil sa sanay na sa sistema ay ipinagsasawalang-bahala na lang. Boboto sa kung saan at kanino tayo sanay, hindi sa kung saan at kanino tayo uunlad. Ilang dekada man tayong nagkamali, oras na para magising. Kung gusto natin ng pagbabago, sa 2025 ay bumoto ng kandidatong nasa tama, totoo, at may kakayahang magdala ng tunay na pagbabago. Maghanda sa mga susunod na taon dahil boses ng mga Bikolano ang mananaig. Siguruhing ang bawat tinta ng panulat sa papel ng bukas ay hindi masasayang sa darating na eleksyon. Ipaglaban natin ang pag-unlad ng Camarines Sur at ang magandang bukas para sa mga Bikolano. Oras na upang mamulat sa bulok na sistema. Panahon na upang mapuksa ang dinastiya sa pulitika. Tandaan na kapag namulat na, kasalanan na ang pumikit

STRONG PLACE @ zenderaila AILA JOY ailaesperida@gmail.comESPERIDA

Ilang

This doesn’t mean the University needs to dramatically decrease the price to attend them by slashing services, but they could address the rapid increase in tuition. The increase in tuition is attributed to less funding from state legislatures by universities. This is not completely truthful though. Overall, the money from state governments to universities has been rising faster than inflation. The amount of state funding per student is what’s been decreasing. Because of the rising amount of students attending college, this amount has dropped about 50 percent since 1995 for undergraduate, graduate, and professionals combined.

With this being said, the responsibility for decreasing college costs shouldn’t be only on students. I truly believe that most college students would be okay with a slight decrease in the amenities universities provide if it meant they got a little cheaper school. Once again, this doesn’t mean schools need to take away large quantities of extra programs, but they could look at stabilizing tuition rates by not aggressively expanding them.

KILL, KILL, KILL O BUILD, BUILD, BUILD?

Q: Anong reaksyon mo roon sa mga nangyari sa mga biktima ng EJK na hindi naman talaga drug user or pusher, kahit ‘yung mga sumusuko na na ‘di na nasunod ang due process, katulad ni Kian delos Santos? “Siyempre magagalit, kasi parang tinanggalan na ng karapatan sila. Sanay na siyang (Duterte) pumatay eh. ‘Di ba sa Mindanao, ganyan ang pinapagawa niya? Halimbawa, may gusto lang siyang ipapatay, papataniman niya na lang ito ng droga sa mga tauhan niya, kahit wala naman talaga(ng drugs). Kung gusto niyang ipapatay ang isang tao, gagawan niya ito ng paraan. Saka si Duterte parang hindi naman natatakot pumatay.” Maririnig mo sa bawat taong makakasalubong mo kung ano ang mga programang naipatupad ni Duterte, paniguradong nasa top 1 at top 2 ang Anti-drugs campaign at Build, build, build niya. Ayon sa huling report na kanilang ipinaalam sa publiko,tinatayang nasa 6,235 ang bilang ng mga drug suspects na namatay sa programa ng pamahalaan kontra droga. Ngunit sa kalagitnaan ng kanilang oplan-tokhang ay nakuwestiyon ito ng mga karatig-bansa lalo na ng International Criminal Court. Sa kasalukuyan ay iniimbestigahan ng ICC Court)Criminal(Internationalang administrasyong Duterte sa paglabag nila sa human rights at binigyan na lamang hanggang Setyembre 8, 2022 para magbigay ng komento patungkol sa nasabing imbestigasyon. Ayon naman sa dating namumuno ng war on drugs na si Sen. Bato dela Rosa, mayroon tayong sariling criminal justice system, at ito naman ay gumagana at nagagamit, hindi umano natin kailangan ang kanilang (ICC) paggitna sa panloob nating mga isyu, at higit sa lahat hindi na daw tayo miyembro ng ICC. Bukod kay dating pangulong Duterte, si Sen. Bato Dela Rosa ay nasa ilalim din ng imbestigasyon ng ICC Ang imbestigasyon sa drug on war ng Pilipinas ay natigil noong Nobyembre 2021, pagkatapos hingin ng administrasyon na itigil ang pag-iimbestiga.Nakapanghihina, totoo. Yung mapaaisip ka na lang talaga at mapapatanong ng ”Talaga ba Pilipinas?” Ito ba talaga ang gusto nating lahat? Ang lalo pang dumausdos ang ating bansa at tuluyan ng mabura ang pinaghirapan ng ating mga ninuno? At sa anong dahilan? Kasi mukhang mabait na tao sila at parati na lang silang pinaparatangan ng mali? Kailan ba tayo matututo? Ewan…nakakapagod din. Sa ngayon, tayo ay mistulang nakabitin sa isang bangin. Hindi pa natin alam ang kahihinatnan ng ating bansa. May mas malaking tyansa ng pagkalukmok, ngunit ‘di naman natin inaasam ang pagbagsak nito. Sa pagpasok ng panibagong administrasyon, hindi natin alam kung ano ang mangyayari o ang nasa hinaharap, nawa’y hindi nga. Malay mo maging ‘the best among the universe’ ang Pilipinas?

BY JHEZYLLE FAYE LORIA

NIPAHINANGDEBUHO REGANITCHRISTIAN

FEATURE The DEMOCRAT thedemocratunc

Sa Kabilang Dako:Perspektibo ng isang DDS at BBM-SARA supporter 10 “Bago mo ikwento ang bad side ko, sana ikwento mo rin kung ano ang good side ko.” Naks…sadboi pre…Pero papaano kung mabigyan tayo ng pagkakataon kung ano ang nasa pinaka nasa kaibuturan ng kanilangUpangisip? higit na maunawaan ang isang bagay, marapat lamang na alamin ito sa perspektibo ng kabilang panig na taliwas sa iyong paniniwala, nang sa gayon ay kahit papaano’y malaman natin ang pinagmumulan ng kanilang opinyon. Mas mainam na malaman ito mula sa kanila, kaysa sa tayong nasa kabilang dako ang maglikha ng imahinasyon base lamang sa ating nakikita at nararamdaman.Kapansin-pansin ang madalas na alitan ng mga supporter ng Leni-Kiko at ng BBM-Sara mapa-eleksyon o hindi. Madalas, ang puno’t-dulo ay ang pagbibigay ng mga walang basehang argumento at ‘facts’ umano. Ang bawat panig ay may kanya-kanyang ipinaglalaban at ipinagdidiinan sa bawat isa. Minsan nga’y mapapailing ka na lang sa kanilang lohika at mas pipiliin na lang palipasin ito kaysa patulan. Ang iba’y natawag pang bobo o kaya lutang. Ngunit meron bang nagkaroon man lang ng ideya na kausapin ang kabilang panig kung bakit ito ang kanilang desisyon? Anim na taon. Marami na ring naganap sa panahon na iyan. Hati ang opinyon ng lahat sa kung naging matagumpay nga ba ang pamumuno ni DU30 (Rodrigo Duterte). Sa mga naunang taon, halos lahat ay umasang ang kanyang ipinatupad na pamamaraan ng paghuli sa mga drug pushers o users sa Davao ay magagamit at magiging epektibo sa buong bansa. Ipinangako niya pa ngang sa loob lamang ng tatlo hanggang anim na buwan ay magugupo nya na ang nasabing krimen sa bansa. Ngunit sa pagtatapos ng kanyang termino, kanya ring inamin na mali pala sya. Na dapat pala’y hindi nya minaliit ito sapagka’t napakalayo kung sa laki ng sakop ng kapangyarihan ng mayor at pangulo titingnan. Sentimyentong napapanahon Kamakailan lang ay natapos na ang termino ni dating pangulo Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte. May ilang natuwa at ilan naman ay nalungkot sa pagtatapos nito. “Sana ikaw na lang presidente namin ulit.” “Si tatay pa rin ang malakas!” Hindi man kasing lakas nito ang pag-iidolo ng ilan pero bakas sa kanila ang satispaksyon sa panunungkulan ng dating pangulo. Isa dito si Nel, 26, na isang kasalukuyang mag-aaral na magtatapos na sa kolehiyo. Si Nel ay isang DDS supporter kamakailan lang bago pa man matapos ang termino ni Rodrigo Duterte at ng nakaraang eleksyon ay binoto nya rin ang tandem na BBM-Sara. Sabi pa niya, hindi naman daw talaga siya nagsimula bilang isang supporter ni Duterte at sinabing si Poe daw ang ibinoto niya noong halalan 2016. May mga tanong siyang sinagot na nakatuon sa mga napapanahong pangyayari o nangyari sa loob ng panunungkulan ni Duterte ng anim na taon. Ang naiwan ni Tatay “Hindi ko alam…wala naman kasi kaming tv. Na-base lang kasi ako sa naririnig ko sa iba.” ika ni Nel. Samantala, ayon naman sa kanyang kapatid, “Ang legacy ni Duterte na naiwan dito sa Pilipinas ay marami siyang naipagawang programa at batas na kung saan nasunod naman ang issue tungkol sa droga at nabawasan ang mga krimen tungkol sa rape cases. At ang pagsasaayos ng kung ano-anong mga programa.” Base sa inilabas na final report ng nakaraang administration umabot sa 4.5% ang unemployment rate, pinakamababang porsyento mula pa noong 2005. Sa usaping involuntary hunger, nabanggit na mas maliit ng 200,000 na pamilya ang bilang ng nakakaranas nito. Tinatayang 0.8% naman umano na pinakamabagal na pag-arangkada ng inflation rate sa bansa mula pa ng 2016. Taliwas naman sa nakalap na impormasyon ng Ibon Foundation. Ayon sa kanila ang ekonomiyang iprinisenta ng administrasyong Duterte sa kanilang huling report ay isang pantasya na kanilang ipininta. May mga iniwan silang mga detalye ng mga numero na nagpapakita na hindi ito ang klase ng ekonomiya na para sa mga karaniwang mamamayang Pilipino. Ayon sa kanila, mula sa 2.4 milyon na bilang ng mga walang trabaho noong 2016, tumaas ito sa 3.7 milyon ng opisyal na bilang ng mga walang trabaho. Sa bilang naman ng mahihirap na pamilya, mula sa 23.7 milyon ay umabot ito hanggang sa 26.1 milyon, at ang 12.4 milyon naman na pamilya ay pinapagkasya ang 132 piso o mas mababa pa para sa bawat tao sa bawat araw. At ang ipinagmamalaki nilang 0.8% na inflation rate growth sa panahon ng kanilang administrasyon ay pinabulaan na at sinasabing mula sa 1.6% noong 2016, pumalo ito sa pagtatapos ng kanyang termino sa 4.9% noong Mayo 2022. Dumoble rin ang utang ng Pilipinas sa 113.2%, kung saan ngayo’y umabot na sa 13.42 trilyon ang kailangang bayaran mula sa buwis ng mga Q:mamamayan.Satinginmo, saan napunta ang utang ng Pilipinas na halos dumoble at umabot sa 113.2% ang ilinobo nito mula sa utang ng nakaraang administrasyon? Makatwiran ba ang mga numerong ito na sinasabing utang ng Pilipinas? “Yang mga nakukuha naming sa scholarship, sa free education. Sa build, build, build program naman kasi galing pa yan sa tax ng mga taong hindi dati nagbibigay ng tax katulad ng kay Lopez pa (ABS-CBN) ng panahon ni PNoy. Diyan sa mga yan kinuha ang sa build, build, build.”“Sa tingin ko, parang hindi naman kapani-paniwala. Kasi 13.42 trillion, saan naman yun ginamit, tapos wala namang nangyayari. Sa pagpapagawa ng ano… Marami naman siyang nagawa, hindi lang natin napapansin kasi puro si ano nya lang ang nakikita. Pero kung titingnan lang talaga natin, marami talaga siyang nagawa. Pero kung marami siyang nagawa, bakit ang mahal pa din ng mga bilihin?” Siguro nga’y malaki ang epekto ng ‘di nakaugaliang pakikinig at pagbabasa ng mga balita. Lalo pa’t nagkalat na ngayon ang pagmamanipula sa mga datos at tunay na pangyayari sa mga social media na siyang pangunahing aliwan ng mga bata. Mahirap ang ganitong pag-iisip na kung ano lang marinig, iyon na lang ang paniniwalaan at ’di na pagkakaabalahan pang halungkatin ang paksa. Kung sino ang kilala, kung mabuti ang lumalabas na imahe, kuntento na tayo. Mistulang mga aso na kung anong ituro basta’t napapakain ng amo ay wala ng halaga ang sasabihin ng iba. Mahirap ang ganito.

11Feature BY

and

Less talk, less mistakes. Strategic exposure equals good PR stunts. He’s done this before; being avoidant in trusted local, national and international media but is so open to pro-Marcos vloggers and other media outlets that don’t scrutinize him like SMNI. Now, there is even a plan on accrediting vloggers to be an inside source of Malacanang. Atty. Trixie Cruz-Angeles, the selected press secretary said that this has been one of their formulated priorities. There is nothing wrong with that actually but the way it works in practice now, what do these vloggers do? How do they operate and influence the political setting? Looking further, you can say that this is an extension of efforts to deliberately control the narrative. For some, these actions extinguish their hope of being proven wrong. There are lots of implications of what the future awaits the Filipino people. What do we expect in terms of transparency? What would happen to the notion of “truth”? Will Filipinos be plunged further into suffering by the abusive system? If he keeps on dismissing issues, may it be about him or whatever the country is facing, how are we supposed to expect to be proven wrong? The actions of Marcos Jr. sends a message to the people that serving is not his priority. It is still too early to conclude on the entirety of the leadership he would take. Let’s just hope that these impressions are just impressions. The impression he leaves however is very bleak. What to Expect NEIL ANDREW FORMALEJO BY BRANDON JON DELOS BY CHRISTIAN REGANIT

SANTOS LAYOUT

VOLUME LXIX, ISSUE NO. IV MAYO 1 - Hulyo 15 2022

“We can’t do anything, we just have to take whatever price we’re getting,” he said. I guess he has no plan on solving this issue. Maybe this vagueness is a part of his agenda. Remember his tactics during the campaign?

GRAPHICS

“Sana mali kami, sana tama kayo.”

This is where some Filipinos, disappointed with the victory of Marcos Jr. pin their hope. They are willing to be proven wrong. Now that they’re back, what can we expect from another Marcos presidency? Throughout the campaign, before the election, we hear very vaguely about the plans of Bongbong Marcos. He rarely attends debates and only limits the media that can reach him, most of them vloggers. Still, Uniteam, his team, managed to create a sound game plan and a wide reach. “Unity” is successfully imprinted in the minds of Filipinos. In all his rallies and interviews, every issue routes back to “Unity”. It has become the brand of his leadership. There is not a very specific discussion from him on how this brand could solve the issues our country is currently facing. From a farsight it’s almost unbelievable that the masses have brought this kind of very simplistic

The Marcos Miracle

weDiggingadvertising.deeper,canseehowthis is really an ingenious set. Although highly polarizing, it is not surprising that the Marcoses are able to rebuild their empire by paving the way for Bongbong Marcos in winning the presidential election. He has garnered the overwhelmingly majority vote. This feat is astonishing knowing the fact that he has been involved in major controversies over his political career. He has been convicted for a tax offense; his name got involved in the pork barrel scam in 2014; he lied about his credentials; and his parents stole dizzying amounts of wealths from our country. He has a lot of critics and he faced heavy scrutiny from his several political opponents. Even the international media took notice of what was about to take place. You could even say that this is almost like a miracle, that he was able to bounce back and combat all those hurdles. This success wasn’t achieved overnight. Insurmountable efforts have been exerted to finally get to the point where we are now; historical distortion, trolls, fake news, crime denial, forming alliances among other powerful corrupt politicians, and many more. Not only this is done for this presidential election alone, but also in an effort to absolve the infamy of the Marcos family as a whole who is involved in some of the wealthpillagingfaced.countryatrocitiesgreatestourhasBesidesbillionsofuntilthecountry is squeezed out of all its economic stability, thousands were also victims of human rights abuses in the hands of the conjugal dictatorship of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, the parents of Bongbong. The mile they have gone is impressive because it is effective. As we can see, this effort still continues. Even on how he depicts himself, he carries this weight of creating a good-man illusion. He portrayed this “friendly and for the masses” person who doesn’t want conflict but rather desires for peace. And so he ignores all the crucial issues he is currently facing like the unpaid estate tax of his family as well as returning their ill-gotten wealth. He manipulated this narrative as just mud-slinging tactics of his political opponents and in turn, diverting the issue. If he keeps running away from accountability before and now, what more in the future? What’s scary is that he is now sitting as the president. More power yields a more efficient machinery of pulling the strings. He doesn’t have to hide these operations underground anymore. We should expect a more blatant deception in the coming days. Imee Marcos, Bongbong’s sister even said in an interview that “What’s most important to us is of course, our name, the family name that has become so controversial— the legacy of my father is what we hope will be clarified at last.” It basically translates to using their power in serving their own interest. They talk and they deliver; just look at the insane amounts of conspiracy videos in Tiktok, a movie portraying them in a positive light, and conniving with several media personalities to paint history as just mere “gossip” . But let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. What is the president’s next move now that he is officially in the seat? Unfortunately, his plan is still vague in how the Philippines can recover. But yet, his so-called supporters believe in him even though his needed cabinet members are not yet named and sadly just like them, they have criminal cases. Bagong mukha, they Inflationshout.isvery high, and his disillusioned self disregards this and calls the numbers untrue. Even on the issue of rising gas prices he is also dismissive.

Michael Angelo R. Cataluña, AS At first, it was the internet accessibility. Before, we do not have fast internet connection. Now that we already have stable internet at home, my current struggle is motivation. As we have discussed in the Teaching Online of our Coursera Course, this kind of set-up has its own pros and cons.

“Always of

OFHUMANSUNC

As a student living far from the University my struggles includes the transportation fee and time adjustments to get to school which mostly affect my rest hours, and getting fewer sleep. I overcome those by being thrifty and adapting myself on time adjustments. Yssamin Abad, EA Since Pandemic, I can say that I adjusted well because I’m able to adapt with the learning set up by our department but as to my struggles, first is the learning process, it becomes independent learning wherein I need to further search for the relevant information about the lesson to be able to fill the missing gap of the knowledge. Second is the learning environment, our home is not like a classroom because I can’t concentrate at all, there are noises, house chores, errands that I encountered so I learned how to really prioritize what is the most needed activities to submit at the same time of doing and thinking house matter. Third is the Procrastination, it is normal for a student to disregard school stuff sometimes but for me it becomes habitual so I redirect myself by setting goals, finding inspiration, and consideration of other things. Lastly, Internet connectivity is the main problem on my end and everytime the net gets weaker my anger issues rises and this time it becomes beneficial for me because I learned to restrain and cooldown myself which will I need in the profession in the future.

to

over the previous

OFPOINTSYOU COLLATED

COLLATED

Blended Flexi Tech Online Face to face Flexi-Tech and PROBE

Pitak12 The DEMOCRAT thedemocratunc COVID-19 pandemic has resulted schools to conduct class in an online setup.As a student living far from the university what are your struggles?And how do you overcome them?

NO, Their term looks like they just did their part because that’s what they should do.

VICTORIA PAGE DESIGN

Totally Agree and USG provide us a strong connection to serve and to help even in the mid of pandemic. Also provide us a way to succeed in the last two school year in this crisis. So that I like to Thank USG for a proper guidiance to us. Michael Angelo R. Cataluña, AS Yes, they conduct activities that can help students to cope up in this type of learning especially the freshmen Kaisey S. Regidor, CE

NOTHING MORE SPECIAL IN THEIR TERM. sns Men Empowerment?? hahaha char emz They didn’t have any events aside from those events that they should be doing every month. I am expecting them to help the student body like to also implement or ask the admin for another academic break what the term usg 2020 - 2021 did. Some of their statements are sensitive already, especially asking the UNC to support the running president; VP Leni. Which they haven’t asked first even one personnel from unc if they will have a certain ‘pakulo’ to show support for VP Leni. Hence they just directly created their statement without them knowing that UNC is already planning. Afterward, the statement got into a broad engagement and now that UNC has finished their plan on showing support to VP Leni, it looks like they are just showing support because USG CALLED THEM OUT. NoToGaslight <333, AS Has the USG (2021-2022) upheld Service Others” academic year? BY KYRA FERMEL BY DARWIN ESCARO BY JAMES RHUZZEL SASPA GRAPHICS BY ROSE CLAVANO

High transportation fee, far from university laboratories and learning resource physically. I over come those by looking for another solution or another way that may reduce my expenses (transpo) and by full maximizing online learning resources.

Brandon Jon Delos Santos, EA I encounter a lot of problems during online class set up like sometimes I don’t understand the lesson so what I do is I ask my friends to know the said lesson. At home sometimes it’s chaotic so I can’t concentrate well on what I’m studying but it’s not an obstacle and I’m getting used to it.

Carmi Crisseda Victoria B. De Jesus, BA When our internet and signal is low I cannot attend our synchronous sessions well. However, some professor/s were very considerate of this kind issues during class and some were not. Luckily I am in Flexi Kit modality in which there is a consideration that those flexi kit students can or cannot attend synchronous sessions.

Patrick Panambo, EA Learning setup contribute a huge factor among students which normally face to face are accustomed before. In order to adapt the new kind of learning in times of pandemic, student must cope themselves to technology and environment to learn. In general, students encountered a lot of struggles specifically internet issues, availability of gadgets, learning setup and mode of teaching by the instructors. Indeed a great challenge among students, we have to be determined to learn by looking a solutions for those struggles. Consuming mobile data instead of internet and take advantage of online class by rewatching recorded sessions are the few to overcome those.

Joshua De Gracia Camposano, CE

What mode of learning do you prefer?

Kiara Mari S. Morga, AS Struggles to have a better communication with fellow classmates and professors.

Sylvanna R. Santamaria, AS The online setup has helped to me manage my finances especially coming from the upper Barangay of Naga City. My only struggle sometimes is the poor internet connection. Nevertheless I always able to cope up with this as the internet has restored. Christian Matthew Agnote, BA For me, I don’t have a encouter in online setup a struggles; because I love the online setup hehe.

Nikka M. Vergara, BA One of my biggest struggle is having unstable internet. I make sure that my wifi router is placed in the right place and pray, dasal lang talaga Joshua Aguila, EA As a student living outside Cam. Sur and learning through an online system, I think the major factor that affected my academic is that I don’t have a decent laptop especially that we needed a high-end one for our course, Architecture. It’s just sad that we are paying for computer laboratory fee but we didn’t even use them.

Jay Vincent C. Oliver, CE

Michael Angelo R. Cataluña, AS Sometimes, we don’t fully understand the said topic that you discussed like the current announcement for the new modality. We need more informations about this since not all the students has a fast understanding, Thank you! Nikka M. Vergara, BA 7/10 somehow Louise Justmin B. Acabado, AS I didn’t feel enough service from them, it’s lacking. Donjuanayalads, EA

John Joshua Vicaldo, EA The online setup is actually an advantage for me as I am a working student on a WFH setup. I was able to work and attend classes at the same time without compromising any of these. Also, compared to Face-to-Face sessions, once classes are done, you can freely box yourself from anyone and not having the guilt of joining them in after class errands. However, this is also a struggle for internet connectivity isn’t consistent especially during rainy season. We had to secure mobile data allocation just to safeguard our class participation during synchronous sessions. Nevertheless, my experience was entirely great and the struggles were manageable.

Totally Agree and USG provide us a strong connection to serve and to help even in the mid of pandemic. Also, provided us a way to succeed in the last two school years in this crisis. So that I like to Thank USG for proper guidance to us.

ANG PRESYO~N PARA MABUHAY: NI

GUHIT NI BRANDON JON DELOS SANTOS DEBUHO NG PAHINA NI JANNSEN MARTINEZ13LathalainVOLUME LXIX, ISSUE NO. IV MAYO 1 - Hulyo 15 2022

Dagdag pa niya, hindi na mabenta ang alak kumpara dati sapagkat isa rin ito sa mga naapektuhan ng implasyon. “Nakakalungkot na kailangan naming magtaas ng presyo eh ang mga tao rito ay mga low-income earners. Kaya mas ramdam namin ‘yung negatibong epekto,” kanyangAyoninilahad.saPhilippine Statistics Authority (PSA), ang presyo ng mga pagkain at alak ang pinakapangunahing natamaan ng pagtaas ng implasyon. Buhat nito, ang dati nang mahigpit na sinturon ng mga Pilipino ay mas lalo pang pinasikip. Matibay naman daw ang mga Pinoy–nakangingiti pa rin kahit mahirap– isang kasabihang patuloy na ginagatasan. Sa paglayag sa araw-araw na pamumuhay, ramdam ni alyas Ben, 64, isang tricycle driver, ang hagupit ng alon nito. Bukod sa isa na siyang senior citizen, hindi pa ganun kalaki ang kita sa kanyang pamamasada. Masipag, matiyaga, nabubuhay at may binubuhay. “Alas singko pa lang ng umaga ay gising na ako at madalas nauunang pumila. Pero kahit maaga ka na talaga hindi palaging may pasahero. Kung minsan ay isang oras na, nakakadalawa pa lang ako,” wika niya. Bukod sa napakataas na presyo ng gas, na wala silang takas, hindi rin niya matatakasan ang epekto ng pagtaas ng mga“Datibilihin.nakakabili pa ako ng mga pwedeng ipaluto sa mga anak ko. Ngayon puro mga luto na lang sa karinderya ang dinadala kong ulam. Pero pati rin doon ay may kamahalan na rin. Hindi ko rin naman masisisi kasi mahal naman talaga ang bilihin,” sambit ni Tatay Ben. Madalas gabihin sa pamamasada si Tatay. Hindi palaging malakas ang kita, at madalas namang sakto lang ang nakukuha niya, noon. “Kahit pa nagtaas na nagtaas ang pamasahe, simula noong kasagsagan ng pandemya, tumaas naman presyo ng gas at mga bilihin kaya halos nabawi rin sa amin lahat. Eh paano kung masira pa ang motor?” sabi niya habang tumatawa. Ang transportasyon ay isa sa mga hindi mawawalan ng gampanin sa pangaraw-araw na pamumuhay ng mga Pinoy. Ayon sa PSA, partikular sa NCR, isa sa mga tumaas dahil sa implasyon ay ang transportasyon, base sa taunang pagtaas na 6.8% kontra sa 5.3% noong Mayo 2020. Ngunit kahit dalawa lang si Albert at Tatay Ben sa milyon-milyong Pilipino, makikita pa rin dito kung gaano kaapektado ang mga taong nasa paligid nito.

Ang mga konsyumer na hindi kayang bumili ng bulto-bultong pagkain sa supermarket; ang mga pasarehong walang sariling sasakyan at nagbubudget para sa pasahe– mga Pilipinong kumakayod. Madalas, mga nasa gitna at nasaNgunitlaylayan.kahit kung may kaya si Albert, o kung nasa laylayan si Tatay Ben, o kung sino mang milyonaryong Pilipino ang makasama nila, iisang basong tagayan ang kanilang iniinuman– ang Pilipinas. Subalit hindi kayang punan ni Mang Ben at ni Albert ang baso ng isang mamahaling alak. Silang tatlo ay nagtatarabaho nang maayos ngunit hindi pare-pareho ng kinikita. Silang tatlo ay apektado ng paglobo ng implasyon ngunit mas ramdam ni Albert at Tatay Ben ang hirap “Kuntentonito. ka na ba sa ganitong buhay?” tanong ko sa kanila. “Syempre hindi! Gusto kong maging maayos ang buhay. Gusto kong yumaman. Sino ba naman ang ayaw?” sagot ni Albert na may kumpyansa sa sarili.“Hanggat napapakain ko ang pamilya ko, okay na ito,” simpleng sagot ni Tatay Ben.Sa panahong tumataas ang pamumuhay, sapat na ba ang makuntento basta nabubuhay o maghangad ng magandang buhay kahit sumasapat naman kakayahang mabuhay? Marahil ay tama lang na lumaban tayo sa kagustuhan natin, ngunit tama na ang pagmamalaki sa karaniwang pamumuhay. Hindi pagiging kuntento ang pagtitiis ‘pagkat buhay na ang presyo para mabuhay.

“Ang mga tao, masyadong kritikal sa presyo. Mas mura lang sa amin ng piso o dos, sa amin sila bibili kahit may mas malapit na tindahan sa kanila. Kapag may mas mura sa ibang tindahan kesa sa amin, doon sila bibili kahit malayo,” paliwanagInalalaniya.niya rin ang pagtaas ng presyo ng itlog, asukal, at iba pa na madalas bilhin ng mga konsyumer.

Sa konsepto ng pagiging kuntento hanggang saan ang kayang tiisin? Alin ang tama lang? Alin ang tama na?

BUHAY PATRICK JOSEPH PANAMBO

Sa gitna ng pandaigdigang kalakalan, namamangka ang patuloy na lumalabang bansang Pilipinas mula sa pagtaas ng implasyon habang pababa ang ekonomiya. Na kung saan ito ay isang malupit na pangyayari at tila kapalaluan sapagkat ang bansa ay nasa gitna pa rin ng pandemya– ang nagpatigil at nagpabagal sa ekonomiya ng bansa mula 2019 dahil sa dagliang paghinto sa paggastos ng mamimili. Nito lamang pagpasok ng buwan ng Hunyo 2022, kinakaharap ng Pilipinas ang muling paglobo ng implasyon, 6.1%, na siyang pinakamataas ulit na naitala mula sa 6.9% noong Oktobre 2018. Ang saklay ng pilay na bansa ay ang masa na siya ring nahihirapan dahil sa mga nagtataasang presyo ng mga bilihin, alak, at iba pa. Sino pa nga ba ang maaapektuhan, wala namang iba kundi ang mga Pilipino at higit ang mga nasa laylayan. Ayon kay alyas Albert, 23, isang negosyante (pagtitinda), kinakailangan nilang maglabas ng mas mataas na kapital dahil sa nagtaas na mga bilihin. “Grabeng taas ng bilihin, kailangan namin maglabas ng mas mataas na kapital kumpara sa pagbili namin dati,” ika niya.Napansin din niyang apektado rin ang mga namimili sa kanila. Aniya, kumikita lang nang sapat ang kaniyang mga kapitbahay kung kaya’t mas nagiging mapili sila kung kanino sila bibili.

NI NORENE CANTOR Lathalain14 The DEMOCRAT thedemocratunc

Hindi galing sa bibig ng taumbayan ang pagkakaisa, kundi mula sa puso tungo sa resultang patuloy na mabubuhay sa kanilang mga alaala. “Hindi kami nabigong tumindig sa tama,” anila. Ito ang dalisay na tagumpay.

Ito ang tagumpay na higit pa sa masigabong palakpakan; ito ang tagumpay na tunay na ipinaglaban. Sa katunayan, noong araw ng halalang natalo sa pagkapangulo si Leni Robredo ay hindi natapos ang martsa at krusada. Hindi pangalan niya ang dala-dala ng mga nagpoprotesta, isang gabi sa Plaza Quince Martirez. Bitbit ng kabataan, manggagawa, at mga ordinaryong Pilipino ang kanilang panawagang matagal nang ipinagsisigawan. Ang protesta laban sa isa na namang diktadurya, sa pagmamanipula ng kasaysayan, at sa mga anomalyang hindi pa rin nabibigyan ng malinaw na pahayag. Ito ang tagumpay na higit pa sa alingawngaw ng sigawan; ang tagumpay ng prinsipyong Pilipino.

Pagtitipon—napakaraming uri nito; madalas masaya. Ngunit sa isang lungsod, araw-araw itong sasalubong sa iyo. Mula sa entrada nitong punong-puno ng dyip, bus, traysikel, at motorsiklong mula pa sa iba’t ibang dako ng probinsya, hanggang sa puno’t dulo nitong tila hindi matapos-tapos na parada. Sa sentro nitong hindi rin pinalagpas sa pagiging puno nito ng mga taong may kanyakanyang lakad, may kanya-kanyang direksyon, may kanya-kanyang layunin. Isang ordinaryong araw lamang ito sa Naga. Ang laki ng lungsod at ang lawak ng pagkakaiba-iba ng taumbayan. Iba’t ibang kwento, pinagmulan, at dinaraanan. Hindi natin akalaing isang araw ay magiging isang kulay pala sila. Hinintay nila ang isang araw na sila mismo ang magtatala ng kasaysayan. Hindi sila magtitipon para sa taunang piyesta ng kanilang patron, kundi para sa martsa ng pag-asa.

Ika-6 ng Mayo, tatlong araw bago ang halalan, sinalubong ng makulay na tahanan ang ilaw nito—ang dahilan ng kasiglahan at kasaganahan ng mga pusong puno ng pag-aasam sa masaganang kinabukasan. Sa taong ito, napakahalaga ng kulay rosas hindi lamang para sa mga Bikolano. Hindi na ito naging tungkol sa kung saan ang balwarte ng isang nagnanais pamunuan ang bansa. Ito ay isang krusada, dahil para sa kanila, ito ay abot-kamay na pangarap. Ang pagtitipon—maraming nagnais na makadalo upang magsaya, mag-ikotikot, muling magkita-kita ang barkada, at higit sa lahat, upang mabitbit ang panawagan para sa isang inklusibong pamamahala. Ang pagtitipon—mula sa paghahanda patungo sa entablado ay maraming sulok din ang nakasaksi kung paanong sila’y nagkaisa. Hindi nga pala ito krusada ng lungsod, kundi ng buong probinsya. Iba rin ang saya kapag nakakakita ng ‘di kakilala ngunit alam mong pupunta rin sa patutunguhan mo.

Patuloy na tinatatagan ng mga Pilipino ang kanilang kalooban, bigo mang maitulak nang sagad ang kanilang panawagan. Nang dahil dito, naunawaan nating ang giyera ay hindi naipapanalo sa isang laban lamang. Ang mga laban ng masa ay naipapanalo sa patuloy na pakikibaka. Dumarami na ang pusong tumatatag; patuloy na nadaragdagan ang hindi na mulingItopipikit.angtagumpay ng sambayanan.

GUHIT NI ROSE CLAVANO DEBUHO NG PAHINA NI JANNSEN MARTINEZ

One People’s March sa Camarines Sur ay hindi malilimutan, hindi lang dahil sa makasaysayang laki ng populasyong nagmartsa para sa kampanya kontra korapsyon at maruming pamamahala. Dito rin natagpuan ng sambayanang Pilipino ang lakas ng bolunterismo—ang kapangyarihan ng kusa at buong loob na pagnanais; ang motibo ng tunay na pagtatagumpay.

“Dawa anong kulay mo, dagos po kamo,” bati ng arkong kahapon pa nakatindig ngunit natutuwa pa ring sinasalubong ang taumbayang tagaktak pa ng pawis. Naroon sila—kabataan, matatanda, mag-aaral at guro, manggagawa, ang LGBTQIA+ community na mas lalong nagpasigla ng kulay sa bitbit nilang bandila at mga ngiti. Marahil ding pinagsama-sama sila sa kanilang hilig sa pakikisalamuha, sa libreng pagkain, at mga piyesta. ‘Wag din nating kalimutan na nariyan ang napakaraming nagkusang-loob na magbigay: ang libreng sakay, pagkain, at ang kanilang munting oras upang makiusap sa mga nagdalo.

Tila hindi na politikal ang mga kaganapan sa kahabaan ng Magsaysay Avenue. Tila mga masasayang oras na lamang na naghahatiran ng mensahe ng Angpagkakaisa.napakalaking

Pièce

de résistance 15Feature students enrolled in school, but even to graduates to help them have a career plan and career path, Ms. Charlene“Theyobserved.makesure that UNC Graduates are ready to apply regardless of what course they took– from preparing documents, introducing online platforms, conducting mock interviews and phone banking, not just scripted,” she pointed out that people can simply memorize interview answers. “Yes, you’re confident, you’ve studied for it, how will you efficiently and accurately articulate them to the Human Resource (HR) personnel? You have to impress them,” she encourages students to avoid the ‘first impressions don’t last mentality’ because applicants must make sure that they clearly communicate the skills and abilities that they can offer. 2022 UNC Graduates especially have an edge when stepping into the competitive world because of PEP. Ayala company chose UNC because of the University’s excellence when it comes to employment, “the PEP program bridges academe and career life,” Ms. Charlene further explained. She has high confidence for 2022 UNC Graduates, especially her trainees. “We have this graduate tracking system, we keep in touch with our students to actively look for jobs,” she shared, although there are graduates that took courses with board exams and licensure afterward so she acknowledges that they can’t force them to find jobs. For instance, the fresh graduates of School Year 2021-2022 are not yet allowed to take the Licensure Exam for Teachers in the year 2022, meanwhile the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has not yet determined if they can accommodate their batch. PRC is prioritizing the earlier batch that were not able to take the exam due to the pandemic; for this reason PEP trainers consult their trainees for their plan of action and if they say they don’t have a plan, that’s the time that they will further engage their trainees for a talk, she remarked.

VIOLETA GRAPHICS AND LAYOUT BY CHRISTIAN REGANIT VOLUME LXIX, ISSUE NO. IV MAYO 1 - Hulyo 15 2022

Workforce Development Learning Facilitator at Professional Employment Program (PEP)– AYALA Education, Charlene Estelle M. Salvador gives her insights on K to 12 student competency from a trainer’s perspective. She saw the best of both worlds as she was part of the last batch to graduate in UNC before K to 12 was implemented nationwide– she noticed that K to 12 pioneers that she handled have undeniably high academicMeanwhileexcellence.Edilson Jhon underwent the very same Professional Employment Program. through PEP, they were able to learn and grow individually and as a team. He adds that it is also a notable aid for those who are struggling on expressing their thoughts.UNC is really concerned not just to the current BY MARIE JUVY LEA

He imparts to students not to stress themselves too much with grades because college life is more than just academics–“it is the stage where you make lifelong friends, connections, and even know who you truly are as a person– personally, I think college was truly fun and the awards I received are bonuses because the lessons and skills I learned are what I consider as my major takeaways in college,” he conveyed.“They say that the more you learn, the more you realize you actually know nothing,” Lucky Ravago says as he resonates with the humbling experience as a BS Biology undergraduate, which provides generalized courses with a lot of career paths. He now plans to attend medical school this upcoming school year.They are on their way to the next chapter of their lives. Some will be immersing in OJT’s, apprenticeship, enrolling in review centers, continuing their studies, deploying their startup business or getting their first jobs. Stepping into places.unchartedTheseK-12 Pioneers sure have outgrown their ABCs. Countless cups of coffee were consumed, some of course enjoyed their refreshmentpreferredwhilelonghourswerespentindedicatedstudysessions,apileofcrumpledpapertossedasideinplaceofabetterversionofpiècederésistance.Theyarethe new set of citizens to face a competitive world nurtured and geared with 21st century knowledge, experience and skill sets accommodated by the UNC institution. They are the product of turbulent times—an inspiration for those to follow. Cheers to our Pioneers.

With lavish energy, they patiently wait, basking to pounce on peculiar dragonflies– giggling girls with paper crafts or huddled boys in hushed tones, they would sound swift folds, creating paper airplanes that soar high to the sky. Then comes a shift in the terrain– wide-eyed children chanting ABC’s would someday be propelled to pioneer the K to 12 Senior High School. Just when they were progressing in their second year in college, they were also one of the first to adapt to new modes of learning because of a different kind of ABC, the aberrations brought by Covid-19. To the future generation who might peer into what went down in 2019 to 2022, how did these pioneers cope? Was there compromise in the crisis? Did the K to 12 pioneers acquire 21st century education that was intended by the Philippine government, and do they now possess qualities that would make them lifelong learners?Edilson Jhon from College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA), shared his experience during his Senior Highschool days in the University of Nueva Caceres (UNC), “the K to 12 program gave us an edge, during my Senior High School at UNC, we were exposed to various activities that improved and developed our communication skills, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, interpersonal skills, teamwork skills, and flexibility that did not only focus on making us college ready, instead paved the way for us to be employment ready.” Aside from transitioning to K to 12, he also became one of the first to experience remote learning at UNC. He shared that it was very challenging to jump from face to face (F2F) setup to online learning. “It is undeniably a rough journey for all of us, some were barely able to make it while some were lost in the transition itself. In my point of view, online learning is somehow convenient for some students, but despite that, F2F setup is still the best way to enroot learning to future professionals,” Mr. Edilson concludes.

Ubliciones morurecri sesse pra mendi, nuntemquam se nortu muscepora diente nihiliam in derestr icondees nost in tam liurbis bonsimiu quem sentem, quem et esilis, pere pora, firmili narebem quidelis, ut videa considin Etris Running carelessly in open school grounds, blades of grass would stick to their socks, shoes, slippers, skirts, shorts, sweaters, small spawns, bidding alliterations for a vibrant season.

The way Workforce Development Trainers in UNC take interest in their trainees career life is commendable, for the pioneers are in good care, they have the opportunity to prepare for the professional world.Meeting the needs of different students, the UNC community was open for suggestions, so gaining professional work experience was a different case for Mr. Lucky Ravago and his classmates who were supposed to take PEP in place of On-the-Job Training (OJT). As a BS Biology student, he saw a need to experience being in a field related to their career paths. “It was a sentiment my classmates agreed with,” he said.Subsequently, communicating with their Dean, Mr. Kenjie E. Jimenea listened to their request despite being in a pandemic, “similar to PEP, it was a fruitful endeavor as it was an example of what real life is like,” Mr. Ravago remarked.Mr. Ravago among many, forged ahead in remote learning. “During the first two months, it was really fun, as time passed by, it proved difficult to learn...I still feel like these last two years were a waste, as learnings were inadequate in a sense,” nevertheless he took it upon himself to learn as much as he possibly can in online classes.During the 74th Commencement Graduation rites for 2022 UNCean Graduates, Lucky Ravago delivered his valedictory speech, he emphasized that graduating was his goal so he attended classes with an intent to learn, the rest just followed as he is the celebrated Summa Cum Laude and Class Valedictorian of UNC from College of Arts and Sciences (CAS).

GUHIT NI CYEN ESCLANDA DEBUHO NG PAHINA NI CHRISTIAN REGANIT

16 Kan

O h ano na kumusta na kamo mga marzy!! Ako ulit ni ang favorite nindong para-tingog sa yoensi. Syempre para kunwari ‘in’ ako as saindong para-tingog, gagamiton ko sa writeup na ini ang mga word na “forda” asin “ferson” kaya kung nababaduyan kaya dyan labot ko naman saimo. From radikal ang magmahal to radikal ang manakal realquick ang transition kang mga ferzon after madaog ang satuyang pambato sa national elections pero syempre atchan ta na yan pag-uulayan ta dakulon akong ichi-chika saindo ta ang cover na bulan kang issue ming ini is May 1 to July 15 kaya may mga naisaray akong istorya para sa mga avid reader kaning tingog na ini. Mapabisto pa ako? O dae na ta sisay man ako adi para bistuhon pa?

PERO UYA NA NGANI MGA MARZY ANG CHIKA forda crayola ang bilog na Naga asin supporters ni madzam Leni sunbaenim after ma-lost sa national election ki baby m. Personally nag cry man ako pero shessh sabi ngani kayan i-transform ang anggot into action kaya ang accla nindo uto nag rekta sa tinampo kaiba an mga kakampink frennies na dawa dae katoliko napasign of the cross dahil sa resulta. Maogmahon man ngani ta nagpa-candle lighting ang UNC para ki VPL, sarong patunay na win or lose, UNC is pink (oh mataram na naman dyan si mga baby m supporters na pinklawan ang UNC–bestie ang UNC nag support sa sarong kandidato dae dahil sa kolor kundi sa kapasidad kani mag-governar iyo? Arog po yan kayan kaya kung dae ka po uyon sa sinabi ko digdi, simbagi muna WHY BBM?) Sa university ganap naman kita, tig-call out kang former USG VP and project head kang reasonpalanofsinceasisAClassUSG)(whichthisAClassfirst-everangorganizerskangAClassyearisangtaangpalanpronounced“Aklas”mayrootresistanceangtano nagkaugwang arog kayan sa USG ta iyo to si time na na-elect si Digong as prexy. Sabi pa sa twt ni former USG VP, dapat daa gamiton more kang USG ang AClass as platform to address the comeback of the Marcoses in power pero kebs man lang gayod yan basta may rapelling anek? CHZ!! Pero magayon man si overall AClass pero talagang need tarabangan ngonian ma-preserve and protect ang history lalo na ta under attack sya lalo na about sa Martial law. Dae ko aram ano ang duros sa AS pero sheeeeeeeesh 7 ang summa sa batch 21-22 ninda. Prayer reveal man daw po dyan mga lodi para samong mga student pa sa yoensi na dae aram if summa-kabilang buhay ang pipilion o summa-blay na lang ta mapagalon na magklase lalo pa ta nag-TOFI ang yoensi. Also over-all congratulations sa bilog na Batch Banyuhay,lalo na sa mga ate’s and kuya mi sa pubmily, mabuhay kayo to be announced <33!!

Tingog Universidad

HAIST UMAY SORRY GUYS NAHAWA LANG AKO KANG EX KONG PINAGLIHI SA PAGIGING PASALIHON GRR basta hali ako sa department na mas mati pa ang presensya asin suporta kang assistant dean kesa sa dean mismo. Pito baga ang departments, bahala naman kamo mag-isip kung alin duman sa pito.

Speaking of graduation, i heard medyo dae magayon ang experience kang first batch na nag-graduate which is ang CBA ta nag-brown out daa tas dae na ninda nakanta ang batch song sinda tas makanos daa seat plan ta ang mga laude nasa pinakalikod lmfao HAIST I THINK DESERVE REFUND EME! Since napag-urulayan ta na ang national elections, digdi naman kita sa unib. Ibahon sabihon pero uncontested and election ngonian both for Pres, VP and college councils (except si educ). Honestly, alarming na garo dikit-dikit nagiging norm na ang uncontested election sa unib dahil dae natatawan chance ang students na magkaugwang genuine freedom to chose and elect. Syempre, mayong choice ang student na mag-vote kang sole-contender or magabstain and this is something that the current USG and other governing bodies in unib should address and make mends para dae na sya mautro. Ang mamundo pa, nag-double Failure of Election (FOE) ang College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA) dawa nagpa-special elections ang Student Election Commission kaya sa ngonian kaipuhan hilingon ang mga lente kang as to how the school admin, student admin, and SEC works hand in hand to make the next election in UNC a success. Kung dae buhayon ang YLAW na haloy nang kalaban kang BUGKOS, maybe it’s time for political reform sa UNC and introduce a new party. Izpeaking op elections, ano to ta si SEC chairperson forda resign due to health concern tas aban-aban forda file ning COC as independent candidate sa highest position sa sarong college council and i heard forda absent daa sa Miting de Avance. Sana dae ni maulit and ma-cultivate ang arog kaning action dahil dae sya maray na gawi. Ini pa palan marzy ang dae nindo aram pero ngonian maaaraman na nindo, sinetch itey proud parent kinemerlu sa duwang studentleader sa yoensi ta matibay daa ang leadership and inuulian si lolo brown ning recognition and awards pero wa nya bet padalaganon sa sarong angDaeMataodyanpositionsayoensi.akongclue?nagayodbastapointismakanos na proud lang ang admin kapag may natataong onra ang student pero kapag ang student vocal sa stands niya on certain issue sa unib, dae na ini love kang admin hahahahah.Nagbabasa pa man kamo or punduhan ko na ining kalokohan kong ini? HAHAHAHAHAH pero yan we heard na ugwang avid tingog reader na prof from AS kaya hello po!! Nae-enjoy mo man po ang kapasalihan na chika sa tingog or nababanas ka po? Perooo how true po na mataas sahod nindong teachers tas may pa rice subsidy sa staffs kaya ma-TOFI? Pa fact-check man daw po if forda true of forda wrongzt. Palan before matapos congrats ki Krislen and Berl (na delegate man kang saro pang leadership program na AmCham tas forda 3rd place pa sa business case contest) for making it to AYLC!! Kumusta ang feeling na ipa-tarp kang OSA?Bago palan matapos ining tingog, remind ko lang kamo na mayong paganap ang UNC sa birthday ni Lolo Brown tas nagpost man kuta birthday pubmat, 1 hour before matapos si birthday mismo. What’s poppin’ UNC? If dae pa magpost ang demmy, mayo talagang pa-tribute for dzaddy Jaime. Keep up po tayo!! So yan man lang ang mga chika for today’s video! Basahon man nindo ang ibang parts kang tabloid like the editorial article, sports, saka dev comm ta for sure maiinteresan nindo ang topic ta kung dae pupurukiton mi na lang ni ano pa man. Oh sya, tapuson ta na ning kauragan na ni asin good luck sato gabos sa a/y 22-23, pagirumdom lang sa mga seniors, ang freshies tigga-guide lang iyo? Dae tigjo-jowa!! Oh sige na balik ka na sa pag-overthink mo kung padangat ka ba nya ta kaipuhan ka nya or kaipuhan ka nya kaya padangat ka nya. CHARIZ untok na kayang padangat-padangat na yan ta wara man giraray angas mo kung si pinakahabo mong prof last year, prof mo pa nanggad ngonian. Kaya kun ako saimo padi saka madi, magpuonpuon ka na mag-novena asin ipangadyi na dawa dae magiging maray ang grades mo saiya this coming sem, magiging maray ang mindset to not quit until graduation day. Bye na mga marzy, aram kong mami-miss nindo ako pero don’t worry maipon ulit akong chismis para mas dakol akong matingog saindo. Sa uulitin ta mayo kamong no choice!

Mitigating Inflation Impacts

ThroughImport Reliance attention to locally made products. Unfortunately, the country currently has an underdeveloped manufacturing sector wherein some of the richest men’s corporations in the country are only limited to retail, real estate, banking, financial services, and other service-oriented industries. The government shall make reforms to make the country attractive to establish factories, such as maintaining peace and order, lowering electricity rates, enhancing bureaucratic structure by eliminating red tape, erecting more physical and digital infrastructure, providing attractive tax cuts, and abolishing protectionist provisions in our constitution. Not only are we convincing domestic businessmen here

BY DANRIE JOSH GARCIA BY ROSE ANN CLAVANO BY CHRISTIAN REGANIT

LAYOUT

A relationship between oil prices and supply, economic outlook, and U.S. dollar (USD) to Philippine peso exchange rate.It is about time to initially learn how the U.S. dollar became economically powerful, especially regarding petro-economy, dominating the world’s foreign reserves and how this trend needs to be watched, especially for the fate of Philippine peso. The USD and oil have historical ties going back to the pretext of the end of the Second World War when the U.S. and Saudi Arabia secured a deal after a major discovery of huge oil deposits on the kingdom’s soil prompting to designate the USD as the official standard payment for buying oil. This served as a leverage for the U.S. to assert its economic muscle now holding 60% of the world’s foreign reserves. From then, the USD has solely become the official “petrodollar,” a portmanteau of “petro” which means oil and the dollar itself. This enabled the USD as payment for oil, paving the way for oil-exporting countries to increase their USD foreign reserves, thus circulating a huge amount of USD for their central banks. It seems like the USD will become irreplaceable as the most used to purchase oil even though China has been making many attempts to challenge its hegemony through yuan, but these efforts seem to be not working.Meanwhile, going back to this inflation issue, world leaders from inflation-battered countries across the planet have been scrambling to resolve these record high inflation rates as this ongoing pandemic forced the world’s economy to shut down temporarily, thus decreasing the supply and raising the prices of goods and basic commodities. These inflation rates have been further exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine as food shortages become imminent and energy prices continue to skyrocket. This demand and supply affair has undergone turbulent momentum over the past several months as the economies of some countries are currently opening up with loosening some restrictions to recover from the destructive impacts of the pandemic. However, as demand continues to rise amid an economic recovery, consumers are forced to grapple with all time high price tags of goods in each supermarket as oil prices also reach their record breaking price hikes as many countries, especially the most economically powerful Group of Seven (G7) countries, slap Russia with hefty sanctions banning its oil and gas exports to make it pay the price of launching an invasion on Ukraine as thousands left wounded, missing, and Accordingdead. to Investopedia, a New York-based financial media website, Russia is the world’s second largest exporter of oil only behind Saudi Arabia accounting for 11.6% totaling US$74.4 billion in 2020. This European and Far Eastern country also holds 11% for global oil production. In addition, according to the World Atlas website’s figures in 2020, Russia has also proven a staggering amount of 80 billion barrels of crude oil reserves. These supply various Western, Central, and Eastern European countries stretching all the way to Eastern, Central, and Western parts of the continent, as well as its Asian partners such as China, Mongolia, and India. Many U.S. oil firms have also been buying Russian oil but were forced to halt its transactions to comply with the sanctions imposed. Haven’t you wondered why can’t we just buy oil from other oil rich countries, especially in the Middle East, to address the now unstoppable soaring of oil prices? To tell you honestly, this is very unlikely to break your fantasy. There is an organization of world’s largest exporting countries of oil, namely the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) composed of Middle East and African countries, which dictates how much crude oil they will sell on the world market. This was also founded to balance the market with demand and supply through ‘fixed’ pricing. Their policies might largely send shockwaves throughout the stability of oil prices in the market. Remember that this pandemic diminished the demand, especially for oil, starting the first quarter of 2020 so oil prices crashed and became almost

actively operated in the country. These trends are undeniably inevitable and unforeseen phenomena, but such making proactive and urgent actions will at least enable us to dodge or mitigate the risks and impacts of these economic collapses which come from either man-made or natural

GRAPHICS

VOLUME LXIX, ISSUE NO. IV MAYO 1 - Hulyo 15 2022

Sports UNC hosts 1st BCL Friendly Game for a Cause; 8 teams exhibit sports spirit, compassion

From May 12 to 23, the Philippines wrapped up the SEA Games with 51 gold medals, 71 silver medals, and 106 bronze medals, for a total of 226 medals from across the sporting events. Hence, placing the country in 4th place with the host country, Vietnam, as the runaway winner after topping the leaderboard with 205 gold medals, 125 silver medals, and 116 bronze medals (a total of 446 medals), followed by Thailand with 331 medals (92 gold, 103 silver, and 136 bronze) and Indonesia with 241 medals (69 gold, 91 silver, and 81 bronze).

NI KENN DANIEL MONTECILLO One of these is the Filipino world gymnastics champ, Carlos Yulo, who clinched five glittering gold medals and two silver medals, catapulting him as the most bemedalled Filipino athlete in this year’s tourney. The 22-year-old gymnasts reigned supreme and topped the men’s artistic vault and horizontal bar events, after earlier ruling the individual all-around, floor exercise, and still rings Similarly,events.Hidilyn Diaz replicated her golden moment at the Tokyo Olympics 2022 and defended her throne as the world’s weightlifting queen after snatching another gold medal for the 55 kg division. Diaz dusted off the Hanoi Sports Palace after lifting 92 kg for snatch and 114 kg for clean and jerk for a total of 206 kg, a kickstarter for her Paris 2024 Olympics campaign. In a similar event, dubbed as the “face of the future”, 18-year old weightlifter Vanessa Sarno established her name with recordbreaking numbers in her SEA Games stint. It was a golden lift for Sarno in the 71 kg division, who carried a total of 239 kilograms on a 104 kg (snatch) and a 135 kg (clean and jerk). These numbers are way up from the previous SEA Games records of 123 kg in clean and jerk, and 227 kg total. While several SEA Games records were written, the Philippines’ most favorite event saw its 33-year golden reign in the biannual regional meet come to an end and settle for silver. The Philippine basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, crushed three decades of golden supremacy and bowed to Indonesia, 85-81, in the 31st Southeast Asian Games on Sunday. Meanwhile, monetary incentives await medal-performing athletes for the 31st Southeast Asian Games pursuant to Republic Act 10699, otherwise known as the National Athletes and Coaches Incentives and Benefits Act. The law rewards a Filipino athlete with P300,000 for every individual gold medal won, while the value of a silver and bronze are P150,000 and P60,000, respectively. For its 32nd edition, the Southeast Asian Games are set to step into the Kingdom of Wonder in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from May 5 to 16, 2023.

NI AILA JOY ESPERIDA During game one, the mighty Junior Tigers of Naga College Foundation propelled their pace in the entire match and showed off their entire repertoire at perfect stance to finish the game with 26 points advantage against the Legazpi Juniors from Legazpi, Albay, 86-60. The NCF Junior Tigers relished the opportunity to familiarize and analyze their opponent’s game, as they delivered their potent offensive and defensive forms led by Pit Rito, who recorded 24 points, 13 rebounds, and five Theassists.second game became intense as Team Athea Alexa Builders and Team Gold Gloffa Builders got numerous attacks and points back-and-forth but was stopped as #15 Consulta of AAB made an error in the last five seconds of the match, enabling GGB to completely dominate the game with 8582 scores.For the third game, although playing on their homecourt, the Basketball Team of the University of Nueva Caceres had a hard time overpowering the fast footwork and the defense of the Golden Knights from Ateneo de Naga University, resulting in 28 points disadvantage, 56-84 scores. Amidst not getting the victory, UNC Greyhounds took the game as a chance to analyze their opponent’s tactics and help the fire incident victims. As the match continued until the last game, the Senior Tigers who were also from the Naga College Foundation affirmed why they were called “Tigers” inside the hardcourt as they targeted the endline of their opponent, J&J Albay’s Finest from Albay, with a three-point advantage, seizing the victory, 77-74. Even though being titled as a friendly match, the game served as the teams’ tune-up and preparation for the upcoming Legacy Games 1.0 (Naga Edition), which will be joined by eight universities in Naga. “Being able to help the victims of the fire incident in Bagumbayan Sur by showcasing my basketball skills was something to be remembered and be proud of. In my little way, it boosted my self-esteem. I felt elated, joyful, and blessed for having this God-given talent… ,”said Nico Andre Caronan, AB Psychology student and shooting guard of the UNC Basketball team. He also stated that the friendly match against ADNU helped them be more attentive to their shortcomings as players, be ready for the coming competitions and inspire them to strive more to reach the top. The game for a cause was partnered with the UNC General Alumni Association, UNC High School Batch 1996, Converge ICT

siya dahil ito ang pinaka una niyang kampeonato sa larangan ng Sepak Takraw. Kakabit ng tagumpay ng kaunaunahang sepak takraw regu tournament, naghahanda na ang UNC Sepak Takraw team sa nalalapit na torneo sa Agosto 12-14, 2022 na gaganapin sa Tuguegarao City, ayon kay Sepak Takraw Coach, Gerald Guevarra. ang NCF A na itinuturing nilang matinding karibal. Ayon kay Kevin Sales, isa sa mga manlalaro ng UNC, “ In the crossover, we fought NCF A in the cross over- the rival team. This game, we popped off. They were considered to be the best team in NCF. We barely won. It was super hard.”

With the goal of helping the victims of the fire incident in Bagumbayan Sur, Naga City, the University of Nueva Caceres hosted the 1st Bicol Championship League Friendly Game for a Cause, which was held at the UNC Sports Palace last May 28, 2022. The friendly match was organized by the Bicol Championship League and joined by different teams from Bicol, including the UNC Greyhounds, Team Legazpi Juniors, NCF Junior Tigers, Althea Alexa Builders, Gold Gloffa Builders, ADNU Golden Knights, NCF Senior Tigers, and J&J Albay’s Finest who commit to flare up sportsmanship and lend a hand to the victims thru sports.

WORDS BY AILA JOY ESPERIDA & PHOTOS FROM GERALD GUEVARRA

GREYHOUND SPORTS SPIRIT. The UNC Greyhound Basketball team showed the true sports spirit and compassion as the team participated in the 1st Bicol Championship League Friendly Game to help the victims of fire incident in Bagumbayan Sur, Naga City, which was hosted by the UNC last May 28, 2022.

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Sa pangalawang laban ng crossover, mas nagpakitang-gilas ang koponan ng UNC matapos nilang pulbusin ang TABACO A at ilista ang labing-anim na kalamangan na naging susi upang makapasok sila sa finals kontra sa NCF B. Pagkatapos sagupain ang iba pang koponan, itinanghal na kampeon ang UNC Sepak Takraw Team, samantalang nakamit naman ng NCF B at NCF C ang karangalan bilang 1st at 2nd runners up. Ayon kay Sales, hindi naging madali ang byahe nila patungo sa kampeonato. “The tournament went great. It was a one day tournament so it was game after game, jammed packed action. Unfortunately, there was something that we couldn’t control, which was the weather. It rained and the tournament took a pause because of the spills from the roof. It delayed the tournament, good thing that we requested to have lights when it went dark. Aside

18

In the 11-day run of the competition, Team Philippines hoisted our national flag higher and delivered record-breaking solid performances courtesy of our athletes who have carved their names already in their own sports and those who have introduced themselves to the international scene.

Hinirang na kampeon ang University of Nueva Caceres Sepak Takraw Team matapos magpakita ng kumpiyansa at diskarte sa katatapos lang na Sepak Takraw Regu Tournament 2022 na ginanap sa UNC Covered Court noong ika- 11 ng Hunyo, 2022. Ang nasabing torneo ang kaunaunahang Regu tournament na inorganisa ng UNC at nilahukan ng labing-pitong koponan mula sa iba’t ibang paaralan at lugar, kabilang na ang UNC, Naga College Foundation (NCF) Legend A, NCF Legend B, Pamplona A, Pamplona B, NCF A, NCF B, NCF C, Tabaco A, Tabaco B, Albay Sepak Takraw Association (ASTA) A, ASTA B, ASTA C, Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA), LIBON, Pasacao A, at PANDEMIC kung saan mayroong tatlo hanggang limang manlalaro ang bawat Nagsimulagrupo.ang torneo sa ganap na alas -8 ng umaga at natapos ng alas-9 ng gabi dahil sa nagkaroon ng pansamantalang pagtigil habang nasa kalagitnaan ng laro dahil sa malakas na ulan. Sa kabilang banda, unang nakatunggali ng UNC Sepak Takraw team sa crossover

& PHOTOS FROM OFFICIAL

NI RACHELLE PAJA HOME OF CHAMPIONS. Several Filipino athletes bagged championship titles to hoist the Philippine flag higher during the SEA Games 2022, including Carlos Yulo, Hidilyn Diaz, Eumir Marcial, and Ernest John Obiena held last May 12 to 23 at Hanoi, Vietnam.

2022; hauls total of 226 medals

WORDS BY AILA JOY ESPERIDA SPORTS FEDERATIONS, SEA GAMES, FB

OFFICIAL

06 The DEMOCRAT thedemocratunc

Philippines ranks 4th in SEA Games

from that, everything is great. There were no issues regarding the games and unexpectedly we won the tournament.”

Hindi naman naiwasan ng koponan na kabahan lalo na’t matagal na simula nang huling may nakalaban silang grupo mula sa labas ng unibersidad, idagdag pa na apat lamang silang manlalaro at nahirapan sila sa unang tatlong laban. “I know we were strong as a team but we haven’t tested our skills to other teams yet so there was a bit of anxiety,” ayon kay Sales.Idinagdag pa nito na naging emosyonal

SIPA TUNGO SA KAMPEONATO. Ipinamalas ng UNC Speak Takraw Team ang kanilang determinasyon at galing upang maselyuhan ang tropeo at tanghaling kampeon sa kauna-unahang Speak Takraw Regu Tournament 2022 noong ika-11 ng Hunyo na ginanap sa UNC Covered court. Ang nasabing torneo ay dinaluhan ng labing-pitong koponan mula sa iba’t ibang paaralan at lugar sa Bicol.

WORDS BY AILA JOY ESPERIDA & PHOTO FROM GNN TV 48 NAGA AND OFFICIAL ALBAY’S FINEST FB PAGE

Solutions, and Naga College Foundation. All the amounts collected from ticket sales of Php 25.00 each were donated to the victims of the fire incident.

AND ATHLETES’

The two-year hiatus ended for the biggest sporting event in Southeast Asia after it concluded the 31st edition of Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Hanoi, Vietnam, with Team Philippines bagging the 4th place in the medal tally with a total of 226 medals.

Pinabulaanan din ni Sales na ang matindi nilang preparasyon, pag eensayo at ang kagustuhan na manalo ang naging sandata nila upang tuluyang mapasakamay ang inaasam na kampeonato.

Kauna unahang Sepak Takraw Regu Tournament naging matagumpay; UNC itinanghal na kampeon

Pagkatapos tumigil nang dalawang taon, muling inilunsad noong ika6 ng Hulyo, 2022 ng UNC Greyhounds Taekwondo Team ang Taekwondo Mid-year Clinic Training para sa mga estudyante mula elementarya hanggang kolehiyo. Tinatayang nasa 10 hanggang 15 ang bilang ng mga nagsasanay na estudyante sa UNC New Building mula ikalawang batch, habang dalawa naman sa unang batch na karamihan ay galing sa ibang eskwelahan.Ayonkay Rolly Bayola, head coach ng UNC Taekwondo Varsity Team, “Mas makusog, mahamot ang pakapromote [ng training] dahil sa mga previous achievement na nakua ninda [mga atleta], both national, regional even international competition,”.Angmga parangal na nakamit ng koponan mula sa mga nakaraang kompetisyon, mapa-regional, nasyonal, o internasyonal ang naging dahilan kung bakit may mga estudyante mula sa Ateneo de Naga University at Camarines Sur National High School ang nagnanais na NI CHAREY MAE ALVARADO pumasok sa training ng team. Dahil sa bilang ng varsity players na kasama sa training, idinagdag si Sir Warner Langitan bilang assistant coach, ayon kay Coach Bayola. Ang karagdagang suportang ito ang naging dahilan upang maging 1;1 ratio ang pagsasanay sa mga atleta. Ang pangunahing layunin ng clinic training ay maituro sa mga mag-aaral ang tenets of taekwondo, at malinang nila ang core values ng isports tulad ng tiwala sa sarili, kapakumbabaan, tiyaga, at

Similar to what those student-athletes experienced, she did not have an easy ride; she started from scratch— sitting at the bench for a whole game and being a water girl, but these steered her motivation to always attend training, improve, and become better every day.

Mahalaga ring malaman ng mga atleta ang kanilang kahinaan, pagtuunan ito ng pansin, at malampasan upang tuluyan silang lumakas at gumaling sa larangan ng taekwondo.Angnasabing clinic training ay may bayad na Php 2,000.00 bawat estudyante at mag-eensayo hanggang sa ika-3 linggo ng Agosto.

UNC Taekwondo Team prevails in

KICK AND STRIKES FOR MEDALS. The UNC Taekwondo team showed their solid kicks and fiery strikes to bring home six medals and prevail in the 2022 SMART/MVP National Online Inter-School Poomsae and Speed Kicking Championships last June 18 and 26, 2022 WORDS BY AILA JOY ESPERIDA & PHOTO FROM SHYLOE DENISSE

“Nakapag aral po ako nang libre, sa magandang institution pa po because of volleyball. Kaya I am very grateful.”

■ ONWARD The 22-year-old Cum Laude is preparing for the next step of her life. While applying for any opportunity that arises, she is planning to review, take and pass the LET 2023 and is looking forward to being of service in the coming years. “I am looking forward to share and teach everything that I know to my future students. I know that we will be having so much fun and learning.”

CUMLAUDE — ATHLETE: Road to the # U nexpected c hampionship

AQUINOSPORTS

■ IT RUNS IN THE BLOOD

With all of these wonderful blessings, one thing is certain: she is happy and fulfilled. “I am honored that I could deliver such success to my family. I set aside those expectations thrown at me so that I could enjoy my college days, especially playing volleyball wholeheartedly.”Inaddition to that, she is also grateful to her coaches, teammates, and the entire UNC community for the opportunity.

Krizzia Jana Potencio Molina is a Bachelor of Physical Education graduate from Batch Banyuhay 2022 who received numerous awards, including 2nd Honors (72nd and 74th Recognition Day), Satisfactory Academic Performance Awardee as a Varsity Scholar (2020), Special Recognition Awardee (2019), and, of course, the Cum Laude, which made her even more grateful for all the recognition given.

She was a majorette before starting her career in sports, particularly volleyball. She is taking care of her skin tone because she does not want to have tanned skin, which led her to a challenging decision but was considered the best decision she made.

Fueled by their perseverance to bring honor to the university, the University of Nueva Caceres Taekwondo team prevailed in two national inter-school competitions – the 2022 SMART/MVP National Online Inter-school Poomsae and Speed Kicking Championships last June 18 and 26, 2022, both held online. The feisty Greyhounds showed off their valiant performance, delivering solid punches, kicks, and fiery strikes to clinch a total of six medals in the two competitions against different public and private schools nationwide. In the 2022 SMART/MVP National Online Inter-school Poomsae Championship, the team garnered three bronze medals from 8 Pair Junior Category which was played by Arwen Venize Festelejo and Benedict Albert Dayag; 5 Cadet Female Blue Category played by Shyloe Denise Aquino; and 14 Junior Male Black A Category represented by Benedict Albert Dayag. Aside from medals, Festelejo also got fifth place in Individual Poomsae.

From kindergarten to senior high school, only her father went on stage with her because her mother once told her that she would only accompany her once she graduated and received her college diploma, which motivated her to do well and graduate. “I am very thankful po sa parents ko for the support and love since day 0. I know I made huge mistakes, but they were still there for me, rooting for me. Mama & Papa, I love you!”

WORDS BY AILA JOY ESPERIDA & PHOTO FROM WARNER LANGITAN FACEBOOK PHOTO the Cadet Female Blue Fly-Fea category, while Ma. Ronela Daza gained a silver medal in Senior Female Black Fin-Fly, and Nathaniel Gian Mañugo reaped a bronze medal in Senior Male Black FinFly category.According to Aquino, having enough time to train, practice, and be holistically conditioned before the event enabled them to excel in various categories.

Despite her parents’ concerns, she remained motivated and eager to prove to them how she could excel academically

People have wondered, “How did she do that?” Being a student is already exhausting enough, but she graduated Cum Laude while bringing honor to the university as an athlete. Training after classes, tournaments during final exams, and many tasks that she survived.Itissimply a matter of managing your time, as she advised.

“Team advantage yung pagkakaroon ng time para sa training kahit mahirap pag sabayin yung pagiging athlete tapos yung academics…Wala naman akong nakitang shortcomings since tuloy tuloy naman yung laro namin,” said Aquino. When asked about their team’s standing since many veteran players have graduated this year, she stated that they recruited new players who attended their try-outs, so the team will continue their training to improve their skills and prepare for upcoming events. After the online championships, the UNC taekwondo team is now preparing for face-to-face fights such as the National Poomsae Championship on July 16-17 at Ayala Malls, National Kyurogi in August, Batang Pinoy, and R5 Regional Taekwondo which will also be held this mabuting-asal.year.

As time passed, her parents became anxious about her academic performance and sent her to a school with no volleyball because her training had become daily and she needed to compete outside the school. They were concerned about her being distracted due to multiple responsibilities.

As an athlete, she is always eager to learn and dedicated as she believes that nobody is perfect, so she always attends practice.

BY RACHELLE PAJA

VALUES. Sa kabila ng pagkakatigil ng dalawang taon, muling inilunsad ng UNC Taekwondo Team ang Taekwondo Mid-year Clinic Training noong ika-6 ng Hulyo sa kasalukuyang taon upang maituro sa mga mag-aaral na lumahok ang tenets ng taekwondo at malinang sa kanila ang core values ng isports tulad ng tiwala sa sarili, kapakumbabaan, tiyaga, at mabuting-asal.

19SportsVOLUME LXIX, ISSUE NO. IV MAYO 1 - Hulyo 15 2022

6Competitions;Inter-schoolNationalclinchesmedals

■ HOW TO BE YOU PO?

Despite the expectations on her shoulders and the initial plan of doing what a typical student-athlete would do — attend a class, pass the subjects, train, and compete — this 22-year-old future educator is able to secure the Latin honors that she was not aiming for in the first place.

“I managed to balance my academics and training because I know how to prioritize things, and I know how to manage my time properly. I think that’s my advice, learn how to properly manage your time so you can juggle everything--- your academics, training, even your nightlife”

“My parents were also athletes when they were young kaya siguro it runs in our blood, na halos lahat kami into sportsWhile(volleyball).”watching her siblings train for a volleyball tournament and becoming a sudden substitute for her sister, Molina’s passion and love for volleyball began without her realizing it would last a lifetime. “Nanunuod lang po talaga ako palagi sa gilid since my older brother and sister were playing volleyball that time…Then, unfortunately my sister’s birth certificate had a little bit of a problem back then, so my lola (a teacher) asked me if I wanted to play and be part of the team as a replacement for my sister.”

■ JUGGLING THE STUDENT-ATHLETE LIFE

Eventually, the sport was not just about the sport itself but the sisterhood they made in the long run.

The team also bagged three medals in Speed Kicking Championship, pounding numerous strong kicks as Shyloe Denise Aquino got hailed as gold medalist in UNC Taekwondo Mid-year Clinic Training muling inilunsad matapos matigil dalawangnangtaon

■ WORDS OF GRATITUDE

BY: AILA JOY ESPERIDA

by being either Top 1 or Top 2 in class during recognition while also enjoying her greatest love, volleyball. “Pinatunayan ko naman po na yung paglaro ko does and will not affect my academics…”

Tigsik ko an mga bagong Hunanakatukawkobago, garo na baga panos sa Parerehonamumugtakan.sanangmga bata! Hadaw ika na naman?! Daeng pahingalo si Nono, Ngaran mo kang panahon ni Lolo Pirming dalagan dawa may kaso ‘Gang ngunian ika pa guiraray? Tigsik ko an mga nanggana Garo ido kang nangangampanya Buntot na iyong gayong wagwag Mabuoton sabi! Mala palak-palak pala. Makakiligon an saindong tataramon! Garo anghel hali sa langit. Diputa! An nguso pala’y may sibang. Hilinga an banwaan may hilang.

MARIA JHOANNA YASIS

Tigsik ko an sakuyang mga kahimanwa Nag-aagrangay sa mahalong bakalon Dae na maray matulon Ta baka daa sa aga mayo ng makaon Tigsik ko si manay na nagsasakit sa buhay Mapatapos lang gabos na aki Sa harayong banwaan nagbaka-sakali Pero hadaw mayong diploma an saiyang pinili

NI NORENE CANTOR

Tigsik ko ining mga nagtarapos pa sana Batch 2022 an apod sainda Nag-aradal ning daeng saling An pagpadangat sa pagklase saindang pinahiling. Tigsik ko an mga bagong magiging maestra asin Enhinyero,maestro,nars, asin malaen-laen pa na Angpropesyon,pag-unlad ang iyo man lugod an saindang maging centro, Ngarig makaàwas na baga ang satuyang nasyon.

Tigsik ko si sakuyang padangat na Sigengbarkada,reklamo siya daa mayong kwarta, Alagad siya saro man sa mga nagradwar Perona, dae naghahanap trabaho baga.

Tigsik ko an mga nakatindog, Ginagarapo, pirming sinusupog; Ngingiritan ta daog daa sinda Habang nagtitios sa kamot kan mga Tigsiknanggana.koan mga nagbabasa Dae na kaipuhan maghapot pa Dawa mayong pinangaranan Aram na kun si irisay yan! Abaana!

NI PATRICK JOSEPH PANAMBO

NI CHAREY MAE ALVARADO

Tigsik ko an saimong ngirit Kansuhapon, dai risang pinipirit Paghiling saimo dai na nasúsulit Pagmamawot mo, ano daw an Tinigsiknamit? ko an saimong ngirit Kansubago, garo ka lang naiipit Siisay an saimo nambwisit? Mahiling ko pa daw na dai ka Tinitigsiknagsasakit?ko an saimong ngirit Ngonian, hinahalat ko pang Haremakapuslitpaghalatang ako an kumurit Sa mukha mong pabago-bago an Titigsikonsapit. ko ika sana-Ikang bihira nindang makumusta Alagad ngonian aramon ko muna Kun an ngirit mo saaga matitigsik ko pa.

Tigsik ko itong aldaw na ito na ako namundo Namundo sa kinaluwasan kang pirilian Naghibi man guiraray maski pighanda na ang sadiri Pirang semana bago an sakuyang mati nag-gaan Tigsik ko an futuro kan satoyang nasyon Malibog pa sa tubig na hali sa danawan Puon pa lang sugok na sais Ngunyan onse pesos ng gayo.

Panitikan20

Ika sana

NIAbaana!

Tigsik ko an mga nakatukaw, Na daeng labot sa mga Annagkukurahaw,paghunamo bungog, Garo pirming mayong nadadangog. Tigsik ko an mga tawo, Kadaklan sainda nagboroto, Dawa mahal na an bakalon Sinda pa nanggad an oomawon.

Isay man

NI JHEZYLLE FAYE LORIA GUHIT NI BRANDON JON DELOS SANTOS DEBUHO NG PAHINA NI DARWIN ESCARO

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