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EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL BOARD SY 2020-2021
KEESHA CAMILLE F. RAMOS Editor-in-Chief
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KAE LANIE RAE S. ESGUERRA Associate Editor
ILENE R. ONIA JERALD RAFAEL C. RAMIREZ Managing Editors
CHRIZTEL ANNE C. BASBAS News Editor
John Benedict S. Nacino Justine I. Garcia Angela Allen P. Cabrillas Banie Joanne D. Ong Darren M. Ballesteros Carmela V. Bajin
GRAVIN B. MERCADO Features Editor
Lance Andrei P. De Jesus Alexia Yhuanne I. Fabia Nikka T. Macadangdang Eliza Neeh C. Bautista
JAN CARLO A. MARAÑA Science Editor
Patricia Arabella R. Santos Justine Ace C. Sandoval Nicalaine M. Dizon Jaren Mykel A. Javate
JOHN JIMWELL B. RAFAEL DJULIANA ODESSA R. NIMES Sports Editors
Esron B. Garcia Achillez Marcuz M. Cajayon
HANNAH ESTHER V. BRAVO Head Cartoonist
John Zen O. Gabuni Raven C. Segui Nicole Princess C. Dela Peña
JEMIMA E. PAGAD Head Photojournalist
MOSES JAMUEL M. ALFONSO Layout Artist
ANGELIQUE C. LLENA KENNETH CHRISTOPHER S. DUMLAO VERA MAE R. RIGOR
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GRACE V. BRAVO RUBY GRACE R. MALLARE ROMINA N. RAMOS PERCIVAL R. TABOR
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EDITORIAL
The True Value
The pandemic may have stopped us from doing important things, but it can never stop the impact of journalism in our lives.
On March 20, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte declared the Luzonwide Enhanced Community Quarantine when COVID-19 entered the country. This caused people to stay at home so that the virus will not spread. It affected many sectors like education, tourism, and transportation. Still, even though it created a significant impact on our lives, the pandemic highlighted the importance of journalism.
Before the pandemic, the only issues important to most people would be show business scoops, politics, holidays, and class suspensions. However, during the pandemic,
when people were forced to stay at home, they have become more interested in learning what happens around through reading, viewing, or listening to news. Without these, people would not be aware of the number of COVID cases as well as the government’s plan of action.
In the case of campus journalism, many students found the ‘lockdown’ as an opportunity to strengthen their skills. From the early months of the pandemic, various contests, Online Press Conferences (OPC) to be exact, were popular among the young writers. These OPCs are not just venues to win a coveted prize but an opportunity for growth.
While the campus journalists increased their knowledge in writing, they also discovered what their roles are in these times of the pandemic, that is, to report information with fairness, debunk fake news, and simplify the complex. The OPCs also opened up opportunities for the student journalists to write as a whole. One of these pages is The Scientific Process that aims to write articles that give simplified view in complicated scientific terms and analogies that the readers can understand, aside from that, they also correct some pseudoscience that can be found on the internet.
There are also student publications that created social media pages for them to post their articles. These pages aimed to inform the people in their locality what the happening about their place or in school is. Journalists work hand-in-hand to play their role amid the pandemic, trying to help to spread factual information to the people. With this kind of teamwork, people will have access to the news that they deserve. Journalism, at this time, is essential.
STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART |
Keesha Camille F. Ramos
My Son got Addicted to Online Games
Dear Keesha,
Firstly, I want to thank The Grain for giving a parent like me a chance to get something off my chest. I am worried about my eighth grade son. When he was in grade 7, he used to be very kind, considerate, thrifty, and enthused about studying. During the first day of classes as grade 8, he still showed excitement: waking up early, grooming himself, carefully answering his modules, and submitting the modules promptly. But a month later, I started noticing changes in him. He became hot-headed. He always picked fights with his older sister when she refused to help him answer his modules. On top of that, he would submit his modules late.
Only to find out that the change was caused by a game called Mobile Legends. He spent most of his time playing it, even at midnight. And whenever he ran out of load, he would yell at me. I tried to understand him, but I have to admit that his new attitude not only hurt my head but most especially my heart. I am thankful that he managed to maintain his grades, but I still wonder if the changes in my son’s attitude is really caused by his addiction to cell phone or something else. I hope you could help me.
Differentiate: Wanting and Deserving
MERITORIOUS | Jerald Rafael C. Ramirez
There is a difference between getting what you want and what you deserve. Amid the pandemic, classes resumed using distance learning modalities. One of which was the online modality that enabled the use of the internet to deliver the curriculum. Classes were not the only ones resumed, but it also made meetings and events possible, especially extracurricular activities.
Students taking part in extracurricular activities were fortunate to stay at home while in the contest proper. Sounds convenient, but risky. As contestants can hide through screens, some of them may abuse this by cheating, since the organizers, facilitators, or fellow competitors might not know what happens behind deactivated cameras. The platform might have changed but the same rules in the face-to-face competitions must still apply, like coaches should maintain a safe distance from the contestant during the contest proper. This is especially true when the contest is off-cam. There will be a greater risk of cheating when the participant is at work. A coach c a n help the student and make competitions disadvantageous to others. But there are some exceptions. To cite is when the coach is a parent who lives with the contestant at home. There is no problem with having the parents cheering the contestant, but it does not mean they have to be there even when the contest is ongoing. It is never a wrong decision to support your hardworking child but not to the point of interfering with the event; it is not proper anymore, and a blatant disrespect to the rules of the
MERITORIOUS | turn to page 5
Band Aid Solution
ICE SAGE | Chriztel Anne C. Basbas
Through the lens of many, academic freeze - the cancellation of all educational activities, is the best option. But not for me, even though most Filipino students appealed for it before the start of the school year 2020-2021. Despite their call for an academic freeze, the enrollment in public and private schools reached 24.49 million, or 88.19 percent of the registration in the previous school year. For the Department of Education (DepEd), the call for this ‘solution’ is a “populist position that is not popular.” Also, DepEd repeated the warning of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), “the longer children stay out of school, the less likely they are to return” to support their decision. It can be recalled that the number of out-of-school youth has been persistently high in the Philippines. Face-to-face classes are unlikely to resume during the pandemic because it is risky. As a student, I think alternatives like the different modalities should be explored, no matter how difficult it is to adjust. If ever an academic freeze will be implemented, what will happen after? Further delays will cause the students to catch up to more lessons and force them to wait longer before getting their diploma and degree. Different student organizations backed up their #AcademicFreezeNow campaign with the difficulties of online education in the country. Also, they pointed out that many Filipino families and students are not privileged enough to go with the new standard education, especially that one of the modalities, I understand online learning, what they are trying is anti-poor. In addition, our country’s current state to point out. I even experienced some of the disadvantages does not help of the new normal students get education. But I still motivational believe that there support for learning. Suicide cases and mental health is a light after this tunnel; academic freeze will just make crises of the our stay dark and youth, which delay the process.happened, were also issued. The ‘fortunate’ ones have access to education, and
The Fault in our SLM
DIOSCURI | Angela Allen P. Cabrillas
Mistake-filled modules, misleading knowledge for learners. I was disappointed when I learned that some of the self-learning modules (SLM) distributed to learners contained many errors. More so, when several weeks after School Year 2020-2021 started, there were reported issues that some of the modules contained major inaccuracies in content and grammar. In an interview with Rappler on October 8, Education Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio admitted that not all modules prepared this year underwent "quality assurance." Let us first discuss the latest findings. On June 14, one of the errors that were reported was about the definition of a Filipino mythical creature in a grade 10 learning module. Its definition included terms inappropriate for formal education. According to GMA News, DepEd Usec. Tony Umali told the House Committee on Public Accounts that the errors were inexcusable and unacceptable and that module has been recalled in February. Imagine a child at a very young age uttering vulgar words like a daily expression. A typical parent might find it really disrespectful. And coming from a teacher, a supposed role model, that should be alarming. This incident might be caused by many factors like media, pandemic fatigue, quickpaced workflow, or low quality education on the part of most teachers. Let us be realistic; not all teachers have enough heart to consider their job a calling, and so the “wrong” cascades to the learners. In another module, an actress experienced what seemed like body shaming, discussing that she got her obesity from constantly eating in a fast food chain. Writers must be careful on the choice of words because sometimes, these words could be insulting or unpleasant. They must be sensitive enough to consider gender issues and biases in their writings. The DepEd issued a public apology regarding the matter, emphasizing that it does not tolerate nor condone any act of body shaming, ad hominem, or any similar act of bullying both in the physical and virtual environments. This issue is just like the discrimination against a minority group in a learning module that went viral on February 9. One of the DIOSCURI | turn to page 5
Health Comes First
EXCERPT | Jan Carlo A. Maraña
With t h e spread of COVID-19 worldwide, none of us have prepared to face the pandemic. The city we live in, San Jose City, lacks infrastructure, so the Local Government Unit (LGU) had to convert schools as temporary isolation and quarantine areas. I do not agree with repurposing the schools to become isolation and quarantine areas because it is a threat to our health; learners might get virus from the surfaces. San Jose City National High School was one of the institutions that turned into a quarantine facility. It was risky, given that the school is at the heart of the city and many houses surrounded the area. Every day, we risk the safety and lives of people living near the school. What if the president suddenly declares to resume face-to-face classes? That will surely put many lives at risk, especially now that the virus rapidly mutates. The teachers, the students who are mostly minors, become vulnerable. I do not think that disinfection is enough to assure that the classrooms are safe. Knowing that the virus is invisible, so we are not really sure where they thrive. The virus is not something you pick up in the pathways but through
EXCERPT | turn to page 6
THE GRAIN THE GRAIN
Waiting for the Better Days
SAOIRSE | Gravin B. Mercado
During this crisis, distance learning has become unfavorable for both students and teachers. Is it worth normalizing in the coming years? The Department of Education (DepEd) has made an effort to ensure that education continues during this lockdown. They introduced modular (printed or digitized), online learning (online class), radio and televisionbased instruction, or a combination of these (blended learning), and they also assessed teachers who will be advance teachers. San Jose City National High School is striving to adapt to these new modes of learning. Despite the Department of Education’s efforts to continue education through distance learning, Some students, including myself, prefer faceto-face learning. Face-to-face learning helps you focus more intently since there will be fewer distractions than at home. In a traditional classroom setting, you may feel more at ease, have the opportunity to engage with your teacher and classmates, develop better knowledge, and have your questions and difficulties resolved instantly. Face-to-face learning also has advantages for parents. According to Life Education, socialization and friendship
ICE SAGE | from page 3
the latter is left behind. I understand what they are trying to point out. I even experienced some of the disadvantages of the new normal education. But I still believe that there is a light after this tunnel; academic freeze will just make our stay dark and delay the process. In my perspective, the academic freeze will only be a band-aid solution. It will affect our economy, especially the children’s overall development. It will also
development help youngsters learn more about themselves, acquire empathy, manage stress better, and benefit their child’s mental health. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that, at school, children receive much more than just academics. They gain social and emotional skills in school, mental health care, and other services that are difficult to replicate online. Teachers benefit from face-to-face learning because of the resources and the working or private areas. Teachers at the school office or our school’s “department offices” face little to no interruption in contrast to distance learning, where their children/family members may bother them while they teach. With that being said, online classes are also part of distance learning, and a stable WIFI connection is necessary. In distance learning, you can express yourself without fear of being judged by your teacher or classmate. When it gets hard for recitations, you have the opportunity to lighten up the mood because distance learning can make you feel anxious at points in time. You can be stressed out and still have a good time. However, face-to-face education is the ideal sort of education because the effectiveness of distance education is still unclear. And, before the pandemic, this mode of learning was not generally known in the Philippines. I would say that, if alternative types of education are possible, it would be great if distance learning was not as normalized as today. For the time being, long rests and a cool breeze from the outside are all we require. During this pandemic, everyone faces challenges; all we can do is find joy in everything and hope for a brighter tomorrow.
result in a higher unemployment rate in our country because of school closures. ‘No vaccine, no classes’ that is what they say before. But since vaccines are rolling out in our country, getting vaccinated is one of the advisable options to do. Through my lens, this difficult time will help us to make changes someday as the hope of the nation and people. For now, academic ease and longer breaks are what we needed.
The MIGHTY
I haven’t done a lot since the pandemic, just like going out with my friends. - Marjorie Duyon, 8-SPA-A
en
The Grain asked City High: “What were the things you love to do when you were still going to school but can no longer do now?” Here are their answers...
I very much miss the moments when I get to spend time with my friends. Listening to their jokes and stories makes me happy and contented. These happy moments makes my school year memorable. I wish this pandemic will end soon, so I can spend time with them once more. Arielle Stephanie Reyes, 8-Newton
I really miss doing activities like experimenting with things and doing a project. I still miss queuing at the Flag raising ceremony and eating at the canteen. When this pandemic is over, I will make sure to graduate and make lots of friends. Jessica Baron, 8-Online 1
I miss being with my friends and classmates, eating lunch together and after class going to church to serve and eat with them. Maykel Santillana, 9-PM 16
Bonding with my classmate and friends. Yashmiene Dizon, 10-Aristotle
Photo Source: Mr. Heherson T. Bautista
I can’t get to different places and I miss dancing on stage. Phoebe Jane Naco 8 SPA-A
MERITORIOUS | from page 3
contest. Even if they win, the so-called hardworking student will only lie to oneself for relying on unlawful means. Things that have been achieved through cheating will only be an undeserved title. The fruits of such an affair will only bear ill will to the people who resort to it. They may get what they want, but eventually, they will receive what they deserve: punishment.
DIOSCURI | from page 4
activities in the learning module required the learners to decide whether or not the statement is correct. The statement read: "Hindi ako makikipaglaro sa aking kaklase (sic) na Igorot dahil iba ang kanyang pananamit." Another instance is an illustration depicting a family of farmers as beggars because some of its members wore tattered clothing, if not underdressed. The story was about a hardworking farmer, but the way it was shown in the module raised the brows of many critical minds. Jenice Ramiro, a concerned citizen said there was no problem with the story; the problem lies on the first illustration showing farmers wearing shabby clothes, while some of the children barely wore anything. Whatever the skills to master are, the fact that the statements were written that way might give learners an idea that it is okay to make fun of people based on their body type, economic status, ethnicity and the like. Generally, these kinds of information might teach learners to embrace bullying and stereotyping, some cultures that we need to wipe out already in this generation. Most module writers violated the Social Content Guidelines of DepEd, especially the part that said, ‘Avoid inaccurate, unnecessary, or inappropriate portrayal of or reference to the physical appearance, cultural customs, social classes, symbols, observances, festivals, dress, names, or language of any ethnic group or nationality.’ I understand that the sacrifices the module writers (teachers, mostly) have to go through in this new normal must not be taken lightly, but the physical, emotional, and psychological fatigue that come with it must not serve as excuses to give us lots of wronglywritten materials. The quality of our learning amid the pandemic is mostly dependent on them. If they continue to serve us with erroneous learning materials, then who knows what kind of society they might shape in the future. The higher ups should consider giving longer time to address these issues – without pressure if they can – just like when they decided to give us learners reasonable leniency to submit our outputs, so that next school year, little to nothing like this might happen again.
STRAIGHT | from page 3
Dear Concerned Mother,
Thank you very much for trusting me with your concerns. I believe your son must have gotten the attitude from his playmates. Because of the pandemic, we, students could no longer meet our friends physically, so we keep in touch through online games. But it seems like the friends he met have different personalities and traits. I’m afraid not all of them are worth your child’s admiration. Your son’s story is quite relatable because I also play online games. These games relieve us from stress in our school works. But my online friends warned me about being too aggressive in playing the games. We also remembered our priorities before engaging in such activities. Your guidance as a parent is helpful in letting him choose his circle of online friends. You can also teach him how to manage his time, because he might regret spending all of it in playing mobile games. He should know that these games are only for entertainment. You can also sit down with your son together with your other family members and talk about what they did the whole day to know what he and his siblings are going through. Being there in good or bad times means a lot to them.
Keesha
Mental Health Matters
HYGIEIA |Ilene R. Onia
The negligence of mental health is getting worse day by day. When I was at a mall, a girl committed suicide. She jumped from the third floor, screaming as she was falling. Although the medic was quick to respond, she still died the next day. According to Springer, six million Filipinos are estimated to live with depression and/ or anxiety; 8.9% or 1 in 10 of those are young adults. The government spends only 3-5% of the total budget in the mental health sector. Even before the pandemic, mental health illness is the third most common disability. Mental health is a topic that is often overlooked. We often put a barricade on due to the stigma attached to it and the concern of loss of face, sense of shame, and weakness. The Philippines has only 600 professionals, mainly in Manila, making it more difficult. The nearest free psychiatric clinic to San Jose City takes two hours away, and even that still costs money. The ones here can be expensive, ranging from one thousand to three thousand per session, not to mention the prescribed drugs for maintenance. The Division Office has conducted related webinars for high school students' mental health advocacy awareness programs. We also had this TikTok contest provided by the Commission on Youth-Dioceses of San Jose City that targets consciousness on depression and anxiety. But even if we are aware, even if we have all this knowledge on mental health, if no one aids the pre-teens, teens, and adults that need help, the issue with mental health will remain unaddressed. The most feasible way is to include the affordability of mental health professionals in the already signed law. That way, psychological support will be accessible for everyone.
EXCERPT | from page 4
infected individuals leaving contagious liquids that enter your nose and mouth. Also, Department of Education Secretary Leonor Briones said that the use of schools as quarantine facilities during the raging coronavirus pandemic should be the last resort. Yet one year has already passed since the lockdown, and we have chosen the last resort. Converting school buildings into quarantine areas should not go on for a long time. Soon, face-to-face classes will be inevitable, and the last thing we learners want to be are patients of COVID-19. The government – local or national alike – must do something about this. There has to be budget allotted for the building of facilities. If that budget materializes into let’s say one quarantine area on a very isolated part of the city, then that is a good start. For now, I stand my ground that converting school buildings into quarantine facilities must stop. It is not sanitary, and definitely not safe.
TOMORROW IS A DEAD END Kaelanie Rae Esguerra
