A Mere Quick-Fix

The abrupt revamp of our division’s sports coaching system will not help our performance in the upcoming Central Luzon Regional Athletic Association Meet (CLRAA).

A recent incident involving a sports coach and an athlete caused the Division of San Jose City to release a memorandum prohibiting male coaches and trainers from leading female athletes, which includes both individual and team sports in any major tournaments. Even though the sentiment behind the issuance is justifiable, it is not necessary. How one incident can change the system of an entire division poses a question.

The whole predicament was an instance when a sports coach and his athlete had an illicit affair. The memorandum was issued as a countermeasure to make sure things like this will not happen again. The memorandum took effect on January 16, 2023.

While the division crafted the memorandum with good intentions, they failed to see the impact this action may bring on the athlete’s performance in sports events like the CLRAA. Because of this issuance, a number of coaches, who do not practice illicit acts with their athletes, will be affected as well. Those whose only intention was to help athletes develop will now be banned from doing so.

There are many coaches in this division who perform their tasks professionally to avoid harming their reputation and to guide their team to their best performance. In the case of San Jose City National High School’s Volleyball Secondary Girls, their male coach has been leading the team since 2011, and all throughout those years, he was the one responsible for the team’s success.

The said coach has been training the volleyball secondary girls even before the opening of classes, and the school owes its victory to him. It is disappointing to know that the coach, who spent time training the girls and who worked hard to

Palarong Pambansa... from page 12

5th place: Taekwondo (12%) make them stronger, will just be replaced by another person who will take the credit for what he worked hard for.

The 5th placer is Taekwondo, a Korean form of martial arts specifically focused on punching and kicking techniques, which specializes in head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. Taekwondo training may provide benefits in organization, vision, body development, and mental awareness.

The same thing happened to other sporting events like Sepak Takraw girls and Table Tennis that used to have male coaches.

We are not demeaning our female coaches in any way. In fact, the one training the representatives for Batang Pinoy is a female. She has served as her daughter’s athletics coach for a long time and helped the athlete perform well, bringing honor to the school and the division.

However, it is a bad strategy to assign anyone who has little to no experience with the sporting events, or knowledge of and rapport with the athletes. Just like any other divisions, San Jose City is hoping to secure a spot in the upcoming CLRAA. With only a little time left, they need to give the existing male coaches this limited time to pass onto the incoming coaches their knowledge and expertise, not to transfer them abruptly to a team of the same gender just for the sake of avoiding possible immoral acts.

If the division is desperate for that incident to discontinue, grouping coaches and athletes according to sex or gender is not the way. That kind of relationship can also happen to a male coach and a male athlete, or a female coach and a female athlete, especially now that schools are already open in recognizing the LGBTQIA+ rights.

It would be better if the school and the division conduct background check on the coaches and trainers instead, and create a clear and comprehensive policy to ensure that the relationship between coaches and athletes remains strictly professional.

Again, now is not the right time to revamp the Division of San Jose City’s sports coaching system. The division can do better than that.

Honorable mentions are athletics, gymnastics, and pencak silat.

In Summary

Now that you know what the top five favorites at City High are, it is now your turn to decide. Do you agree with the rankings? If not, then which do you think should be the most popular sport in City High?

Djuliana Odessa R. Nimes

Every athlete deserves a chance at success.

When it comes to sports, there should be no barrier for our future athletes from the LGBTQIA+ community, Muslims, indigenous communities, and persons with disabilities to take charge and succeed in their chosen sport. Sports develop not only physical activity, but also intellectual intelligence and brainpower, which I believe everyone possesses. Athletes reach the top due to their time and sweat investment, backed by their strong play and passion.

It’s fascinating to witness how the San Jose City PWD Affairs Office acknowledges and values PWD athletes. They held a PWD Open Chess Competition with seven winning PWD participants at Walter Mart San Jose last March during the Pagibang Damara Festival. This has made the festival, particularly in the sports department, inclusive for all.

Additionally, the impact of the GROWL, or Gender-Related Offenses Watch Line Project, in our school is one of the major reasons the LGBTQIA+ students have been able to fully express themselves.

The project assisted us in providing legal aid, protecting human rights, and promoting equality for all genders and ethnicities.

Even if discrimination against our LGBTQIA+ students in sports is still prevalent, we must

Give them what they deserve HERMES

Earthquake Drill: Drilling the Students to Safety

The Philippines is prone to earthquakes since we are located near lots of active volcanoes. Because of this, it would be better if we become aware and have a general knowledge about overcoming earthquakes.

San Jose City National High School recently conducted an earthquake drill twice, on March 9, 2023. The school has a smart way of hosting earthquake drills, which happen at any day and at any time. It teaches students the knowledge about the situation, and how to act in an emergency situation.

It is admirable that SJCNHS holds an earthquake drill every month, not only to improve the student’s efficiency, but also enhances their knowledge about earthquakes as well. Every school should adopt this practice as well.

The earthquake drill doesn’t only teach students, teachers, and staff how to evacuate during an earthquake, but it also teaches them what to do when someone gets hurt or lost. Hence, every classroom has an Emergency Kit, and a flag that varies in color by their grade level.

The Philippine is at risk, because the “Big One” is expected shorter soon. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology are keeping their eyes out on West Valley, which is located in Metro Manila. According to them, Manila will be the most affected area after the “Big One”. ”Magiging malaki ang impact sa Manila, kaya inaaral namin ang