The GUIDON - March-April 2022 Halalan Special: A Seat at the Table

A Seat at the Table 2 0 2 2 N AT I O N A L E L E C T I O N S S P E C I A L I S S U E

NEWS • OPINION • SPORTS • PERIPHERAL VISION • DINNERTIME POLITICS

LAYOUT BY NEIL R. REYES ILLUSTRATIONS BY TIFFANY CU PHOTO BY DARYL D. SY

2

A Seat at the Table

Politickin with o

While the “Persons for and with Others the Ateneo, its application is felt at a

BY AIDAN BERNALES AND JUDE LOURENCE G. SEGOVIA

DIVISIVE MAY be the best word to describe the current state of the elections. The overwhelming attempts to inf luence people’s vote left and right have normalized disinformation and derision in the campaign rollout.

With Halalan 2022 on the horizon, politically active Filipinos continue to rise in number as many remain discontented with just shading the ballot. After a troublesome regime riddled with deaths and disease, this tight electoral race has pushed many—especially Ateneans—to put in twice the effort to fight for their future.

MAKING THEIR MARK First-time voters are known for the fire they bring when venturing into new democratic territories.

Ta ke for exa mple Ma r ia Maranan (2 AB HI), whose volunteer work for Kabataan

Para Kay Ka Leody (KPKL) involved contacting interested volunteers to campaigning his platforms from house-to-house.

“I was actually very surprised that people are actually very open to learning about our platforms,” Maranan says. In particular, they resonate with Ka Leody’s efforts to increase the minimum wage, junk contractualization, and tax the rich for COVID reparations.

Maranan has been adept to all these platforms as she was a part of the bloc that pushed Ka Leody to run for the presidential seat.

While Maranan is involved on the ground, June Vasquez started his political journey as a fact-checking personality.

Alongside his role as an Ateneo Campus Minister, Vasquez shares his political voice in TikTok under the alias Uncle Jabog in his campaign for Leni Robredo. He cites that her clean record, Angat Buhay program, and relief efforts encouraged him to vote for her.

Vasquez admits that he was not enthusiastic to vote, but he decided to be more active to combat the growing disinformation online. As a

fact-checker under TikTokers for Leni, he debunks several fa lse cla ims. One of his notable videos disproves a presidentiable’s educational attainment. As of writing, it has roughly 100,000 views.

The 2022 polls may have sparked participation from these two, but the fire of activism has long been ingrained among Ateneans who grew up learning the school’s mottos.

MOTIVATED BY THE MANTRA Maranan and Vasquez are just two of several members who actively embody the Atenean mantra of being “persons for and with others” in time for the 2022 polls.

Coined by then Society of Jesus Superior General Pedro Arrupe, SJ in 1973, the mantra refers to someone who acts not with self-interest but with love in a world that is morally corrupt.

Arrupe, racked by the fear that Jesuit graduates were unable to promote justice and liberation of the oppressed, called for an education grounded on social change, teaching students to be “men for others.”

Modified over time as “men and women for others” and “persons for others” to be more inclusive, the mantra is now termed as “persons for and with others.”

As the countr y remains steeped in political tumult, Ateneans are now urged to heed the call in an effort to reclaim the country’s democracy.

For Vasquez, an Ateneo de Naga alumnus, the mantra inculcates a genuine sense of care for his community, thus compelling him to cast his vote in the upcoming elections and wage the fight against election disinformation.

“We’re not called ‘persons for others’ for nothing. Since it’s a national election, I think it’s a good time to apply that,” Vasquez says.

Similarly, Maranan lives up to the mantra in her bid to challenge society’s capitalist system embedded with greed and exploitation.“In an ideal society for me, everybody would work together to take care of each other…not [to] profit but to ensure that everybody has food, clothes, a home, and a community,” she says.

While this mantra is only spoken within the Ateneo’s confines, its

The GUIDON | March-April 2022

3

ng for and others

s” mantra has been deeply embedded in a national scale this election season. spirit comes alive even beyond the University’s walls.

PIECING OUT THE POLITICS With the rise of people’s voluntary involvement—dubbed as a people’s campaign—this Halalan 2022, Ateneans and even non-Ateneans alike are exemplifying what it means to be “persons for and with others.”

Like Maranan and Vasquez, other campaign volunteers consider their participation and engagement as their core commitments. For instance, they shell out their own money to produce campaign materials, fund outreaches, and provide food for people attending their candidates’ rallies.

Political Science Professor Carmel Abao, PhD, explains that people’s spirit of participation in solving social problems comes when the current government solutions are not based on people’s demands. “[Being persons for and with others is] being in solidarity with those in need of solidarity by contributing your skills and competencies in solving problems and not just for earning money,” Abao says.

Recognizing that the pivotal elections on May 9 could be an antidote to these social ills, Filipinos are now compelled to engage in political affairs.

As an Atenean academic, Abao herself also pens articles that advance political discourse so Filipinos might make informed decisions for the 2022 elections. In particular, Abao sees the people’s campaign as one of the key emerging trends during the elections.

For her, the strong presence of social media has fired up the people’s campaign. Since there are no institutionalized channels for political participation, online platforms can be a tool for voters to share moving political content and mobilize themselves. As a result, these further amplify their desire to be more politically active.

Abao says that Filipinos’ spont a neous a nd orga nic pa r t icipat ion i n people’s campaigns highlights their genuine feelings of enthusiasm and energ y to engage in politics, although it may not be representative of the number of actual voters.

T he people’s ca mpa ig n contrasts with the traditional

methods of campaigning, which focus on contacting local officials to ask for their endorsement. According to Abao, other presidentiables like Ferdinand Marcos Jr. still subscribe to traditional campaigning because it has delivered wins before and can still work until today.

Despite the effectiveness of conventional electioneering, Abao believes the people’s ca mpa ig n cha l lenges t he traditional campaign trail and ignites a strong message that there is no single route to winning elections. She asserts: “[The people’s campaign] could really make a difference in the polls.”

FLYING FURTHER As the 2022 presidential polls draw nearer, Maranan and Vasquez continue to f ly farther than Loyola grounds to radiate the energy of the people's campaign to others even more.

When talking about their dreams for this countr y, Vasquez says, “I dream for a country whose leaders inspire their people.”

Though she acknowledges her candidate is the underdog, Maranan hopes de Guzman bags the victory nonetheless. “It’s a pipe dream,” she acknowledges, but she also understands that simply having a voice and using it to benefit fellow Filipinos is a win in and of itself.

Retrospectively, one might wonder why the stamp of Ateneo is placed on the “Persons for and with others” mantra when it is no more an Ignatian value than a human one. Abao goes as far to suggest that it is a moral value. “It’s the same for everyone,” she says.

Having already rekindled Filipinos’ spirit of volunteerism this Halalan 2022, the only challenge left now is how they would keep the flame alive and all the more brighter even after the polls.

W h i le t he m a nt r a i s unrestricted by the confines of the Ateneo, it is also not limited by time and place. Filipinos prepare to cross the finish line on May 9 with deep recognition that the choice they are about to make will affect not just themselves but others too.

PHOTOS BY SOLEIL NICOLETTE ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANDIE TSAI

4

A Seat at the Table

When the religious becomes political

BY ALEXANDRA P. ELICANO, ASHLEY ENRIQUEZ, AND ICA POLICARPIO

CATECHISM STORIES shared in theology class are tales as old as time. Recursively taught every year as students climb up the educational ladder, these proclamations on doctrine, morals, and worship are taught as integral, immoveable lessons on everyday life. In turn, students absorb these religious ideas as “cold facts.”

However, the relevance of religious education has begun to wane in recent decades. As the increasingly progressive generation leads the way in introducing more secular ideas in the University, theology classes buckle in standing the test of time.

Due to the preoccupation of religion courses with complex religious doctrines, students now question how religion offers much practical use— especially in navigating the deep moral outrage incited by the upcoming elections.

SIGN OF THE TIMES Devout Christian Lorraine Joy Bales (2 BS PSY) has long valued the irreplaceable role of religion in her life. She begins her days in prayer with God, who has been with her during her darkest moments.

Honoring a lesson she learned from her youth ministry, Bales believes that the Church’s teachings should not be separated from politics to successfully live out God’s commandments.

This is partly why she found the Ateneo’s Jesuit education particularly fulfilling.

The Ateneo’s Jesuit education plays a major role in the social

POLITICS AND FAITH. With the upcoming elections that have the power to decide the future of the nation, some people may be finding themselves holding onto the guidance that their religion and faith may bring.

GRAPHICS BY ELLY KIM

transformation of its students.

True enough, Bales views classes on religion and faith as vital in forming students’ political identities since they foster moral and intellectual virtues aimed to promote the common good.

Going beyond religious truths and concepts, Bales maintains that the Ateneo’s Theology classes helped her become more vocal about different social issues. Imbued with the virtues of the common good, Bales chose to become a vocal supporter of presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo and has also joined a Robredo caravan and campaign rally.

While students like Bales see the value of religion classes, translating this appreciation into actual student participation remains a challenge for these courses. Bales shares that she only sees less than half the class in synchronous sessions every week.

A s ide f rom rel ig iou s institutions, churches are also confronted with the challenge of engaging Catholic adherents.

In a predominantly Catholic country, the status quo of religious education instills the truths about doctrine that has only turned away young believers.

Centered on the importance of religious facts such as doctrine, the current system ironically fosters the opposite of the very definition of Theology: Faithseeking understanding.

Former University President Jose Ramon “Jett” Villarin, SJ agrees with this diagnosis and warns against the implications of a Church that alienates its own people.

“ T he Church has been complicit and slow to change.

So, there’s been efforts to better understand where people are coming from and this alienation of young people [away from] religion,” he laments.

As the Jesuit education’s primary goal is to form the whole person, Villarin states that Theology should not be taught as detached catechism.

Instead, T heolog y classes should confront why people are disenchanted with religion and why they feel alienated even if they are spiritual.

By operating on the personal level, theology can come alive.

People are moved by the stories taught in classes—so much so that they arrive at the big answers to their faith.

SHEDDING LIGHT Amid the political turmoil that the country is plunged into, the fundamental concepts of morality and conscience underscored by theology courses extend beyond the classroom’s confines. Thus, these courses provide a framework that pushes students to fathom the complexities of life using the human faculties of reason and conscience.

“Rel ig ion g ives you a worldview that's based on a truth of life,” Theology Professor Raoul Dominic Roncal says.

As questions of justice and truth arise in today’s political climate, Roncal says that theology articulates the Catholic Social Teaching that is centered on the preservation of human dignity and pursuit of the common good.

It strives to enrich students’

understanding of their faith and the truth to push them to break free from a self-centered perception and assess how they can serve society.

S i m i l a r l y, P h i l o s o p h y professors train students to think critically, holistically, and with the perspective of the transcendent, viewing the self as a fraction of a greater whole.

“What we teach in philosophy and theology is a discipline of thinking where you have a sense of openness to reality, and the capacity to understand that [phenomena] that present themselves to you have a deeper meaning,” says Philosophy Professor Agustin Rodriguez.

Thus, the Ateneo’s religious education aims to orient and not indoctrinate Ateneans in having a “deeper grounding” of phenomenon, Rodriguez shares.

An understanding of the truths of life will animate them to work for the common good. This effectively resolves the tension of how Filipinos detach morality and spirituality from political realities because they see politics as a mere transaction, Rodriguez elaborates.

Bales affirms this through her own classroom experiences: “I think the Ateneo educates us, the students, to be really politically engaged and active in response to the crisis and to the issues confronting our society today, especially through the lens or through the prism of Catholic Social Teaching.”

TAKING A STAND Asserting the significant role of religion in politics, Ateneo

T heolog i a n s, Ph i losophy professors, and individual Jesuits recently released their endorsement of the Leni RobredoKiko Pangilinan tandem—also stirring up conversations on the separation of Church and state.

In response, Villarin debunks the myths about this contested legal concept. He says that the separation of Church and state only refers to the ability of any citizen to freely practice any religion without restrictions by a state-mandated religion. Thus, the concept has nothing to do with hindering religious people from speaking about political matters.

Despite the difficult balance between taking a stand and potentially alienating “their f lock,” Villarin reinforces the importance of having t he Chu rch engage w it h political issues.

“Politics is concerned with the common good. If you have a leader who divides people, then that ends up in murder and injustice,” he says.

Villarin also reminds of religion’s crucial role in political action as exemplified through the undeniable impact of Jesuits and religious figures during the Martial Law era. Under a government that restricted free speech and oppressed any form of dissent, the Church stood alongside other nongovernmental organizations and people’s groups for society’s right to truth and human dignity. By mobilizing the underground dissemination of the news, the Church equipped society with the means and information

to criticize the injustices of their administration.

Today, religious institutions play an undeniably similar role in combating the dissemination of dishonesty in mainstream media. “When the truth is being mangled, the Church has to speak up because certain ethical boundaries are being crossed,” Villarin emphasizes.

KEEPING THE FAITH To encourage participation among students in theology classes, Rodriguez reminds instructors to remember the goal of teaching Philosophy courses.

He explains,“We don’t teach them about their spirituality and their religion. We teach them how to think about it critically and philosophically, in the hope, of course, of it ser v i ng t hey're becom i ng better human beings.”

With the current proliferation of disinformation and historical rev isionism, Ronca l t hus highlights how a vote in the May polls is not just a political choice but also a moral one.

He challenges voters, “The political realm has entered the moral landscape… and what's the moral landscape? It's about right and wrong.”

“If we really are true and sincere in our faith, that will be expressed and manifested in our choices and our behavior, especially in the votes that we will pass in the upcoming May 2022 Elections,” Bales reminds LS students, asserting the inescapable reality that the religious will always be political.

Read more at theguidon.com

MARCH-APRIL 2022 / VOL. XCII NO. 5

T H E OF F ICI A L S T U DEN T PU BL IC AT ION OF T H E AT EN E O DE M A N I L A U N I V ER SIT Y HOLD THE TRUTH TO POWER

LS community pushes back against cyber libel cases from Quiboloy’s KOJC

BY BILLIE ASUNCION AND WEI TANAMAL PHOTO BY BETTINA CUAN

FOLLOWING R APPLER’S series of investigative reports on Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s sex trafficking indictment, several members of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) Church filed 11 complaints of cyber libel against everyone involved in the reports’ creation.

As of April 4, the Cagayan de Oro prosecution panel dismissed the cyber libel complaints against Rappler and the interviewees due to insufficient evidence.

Among the respondents of the complaint was Development Studies (DS) Program Director Jayeel Cornelio, PhD, who was interviewed for his thoughts on the Church as a sociologist of religion. Along with Cornelio’s insights as a sociologist, the series also included accounts from former members of the KOJC as Quiboloy’s victims.

According to Rappler, members of the KOJC filed the complaints on various dates in January and February 2022, shortly after the reports were first published in December 2021. The complaints accused the respondents of “attacking, discrediting, maligning, and destroying” Quiboloy’s name, and stated that the reports turned the KOJC into a “laughing stock.”

Prior to the case’s dismissal, the Sanggunian, the Development Society of the Ateneo, the Ugnayan ng mga Makabayang Guro sa Ateneo (UMAGA), and AB DS Batch 2022 released statements of support for Cornelio in response to the cyber libel complaints.

That said, Cornelio stated that the KOJC filing cyber libel complaints is meant to be a “distraction” from Quiboloy’s arrest warrant issued by the

United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation for fraud and coercion, bulk cash smuggling, and sex trafficking of children, among others.

“By filing cases against Filipinos who talk about this, the public is distracted from the real issues at hand,” he said.

THE TRAGEDY OF RELIGION Aside from being a distraction from Quiboloy’s indictment, Cornelio stated that filing cyber libel complaints against those involved in the creation of the reports is a form of “legal harassment.” He noted that, in particular, the KOJC has weaponized cyber libel against journalists and academics in a bid to “evade responsibility” for its own abuses.

This ties in with a statement that Cornelio asserted in his interview with Rappler where he described religion as not only having a psychological but also social effect. According to him, the Church incites fear in its followers, creating the idea that standing against the Church is a reflection of one’s obedience to God. In an interview with The GUIDON, he also said that the cases the KOJC members filed were meant to preserve its image and reputation. “It’s [about] the protection of the institution, and to me, the sad part about [that] is they become unaccountable for their own misbehavior,” he said.

Cornelio described this phenomenon of the Church using fear to evade accountability as “the tragedy of religion in the Philippines.” He noted that since cases were filed against those that spoke out against Quiboloy, there may be a negative impact

on anyone who may have wanted to further expose the Church.

In particular, he shared his experience with a former member of the KOJC that, contacted him after the reports were published.

He said, “[I] don’t know him, but he just told me, ‘Dr. Cornelio, this is exactly the experience that I had, is there any way that you can help?’

Now that cases have been filed against us, saan na pupunta yung taong yun? (Where will they go?)”

researchers who are just doing their jobs.

Although Cornelio is not its constituent, the Sanggunian asserted that the spread of malicious claims towards academics is irresponsible. It also emphasized that the suppression of academic freedom discredits the ability of academics in holding institutions accountable for perpetuating abuse against the people.

“I think especially with Dr. Jayeel being literally a program director, it really is a direct

My hope is that we will not back down. My hope is that we willl continue… with our responsibility as a university… that speaks truth to power.

JAYEEL CORNELIO, PhD DEVELOPMENT STUDIES DIRECTOR

CLAMPING DOWN ON FREEDOMS In its statement, UMAGA said that Cornelio deserves to be paid tribute and not rocked by allegations that purposely suppress freedom of expression.

UMAGA member and Associate Professor Michael Pante further expressed that the cyber libel complaint has wider implications for the academic field. He noted that cyber libel “has essentially been weaponized” against

attack on us as an educational institution because [...] what Doc Cornelio was saying were really just facts—were just analyses of the situation—which is what we encourage our students to do,” Sanggunian President Kara Angan said.

Cornelio also said that everything is backfiring on the KOJC since credible universities see the legal harassment as an attack on academic freedom, specifically the legitimate

responsibility of universities to rigorously research about a field of study.

On the other hand, Vice President for Social Development Rizalino Rivera said that there is no need for the Office of Social Development to issue a statement, assuring that the isolated incident does not impact the community.

“I hope we are not affected.

I hope we proceed as we’re doing now,” Rivera said. “If [the complaint is] an isolated incident, not much. It won’t affect us very much. Now, if there’s a pattern of filing of libel charges against our faculty, then that’s something that should be taken seriously,” he added.

TAKING A STAND As part of the Bill’s iContrary to Rivera’s statement, Pante stressed that the case is not just “an isolated thing” as it sets a very dangerous precedent for academics. “[The] people who have vested interests to protect, what would prevent them from using libel [...] against researchers who simply want to conduct investigations in the pursuit of truth and justice,” he said.

In line with this, Angan also emphasized the need for student councils and organizations to take a stance on issues concerning academic freedom. “I think especially in this political climate, and with direct attacks to our institutions, to our community members, I think students and organizations, and student governments shouldn’t be afraid of taking a stance,” she said.

“More than anything, it should galvanize us because we know that this is just a test case or the start of what else could happen [...] under a regime—a ‘democratic regime’—

that embraces authoritarian tendencies,” Cornelio added.

Although the Office of Social Development did not release any statement in response to Cornelio’s cyber libel case, Rivera mentioned that they were able to check in on Cornelio, who is thankful the Loyola Schools community rallied around him.

Rivera also emphasized that if the new Philippine president has autocratic tendencies, there is a greater possibility of more libel incidents filed against those in the academic field. Despite this, he hopes that “the University [will] be bearers of truth and be at the forefront of telling the truth to society.”

IN THIS ISSUE OPINION An eternal quarantine Page 05

SPORTS On each other’s team Page 08

A SEAT AT THE TABLE Religious education Page 04

PERIPHERAL VISION Out of the woods Page 02

DINNERTIME POLITICS First-time jitters Page 04 Like us on Facebook facebook.com/TheGUIDON Follow us on Twitter @TheGUIDON Follow us on Instagram @theguidon

2

News

OIR reopens applications for JTA in the Spring 2023 Term

BY JUAMI AIZPURU AND YUAN PLACIDES

AFTER LAST semester’s online shift, the Loyola Schools (LS) administration decided to resume all international mobility programs such as the Junior Term Abroad (JTA) program, starting the second semester of AY 2022-2023.

According to Of f ice of International Relations (OIR) Director Karen Sunico in her April 6 memo, the second semester of AY 2022-2023 is the earliest possible time for the administration to deploy LS students given the nomination period and processing time required for student mobility.

Sophomores and eligible juniors had until May 2 to complete their submission of intent. After which, the OIR will release the provisional list of available host universities for the JTA Spring 2023 term on May 16.

PAVING THE ROADMAP As the OIR tests the waters by resuming the application processing for the said JTA program, Sunico wrote that the program may still be suspended at any time when necessitated by government advisories. As of writing, the OIR is still waiting for the official government advisory that will allow international student mobility programs.

Notably, the JTA program is an “ongoing development” as some partner universities are affected by border regulations due to COVID-19 situations in different places of the world.

T he OIR a l so c ited t he geopolitical tensions between Russia and Ukraine currently affecting parts of Europe and pa r tner universities t here.

Cu r rent ly, t he Ateneo h a s linkages with various schools

in Easter n Europe, such as the L omonosov Moscow State University (Institute of A sian and A f r ican Studies) in Russia.

While the OIR will implement the JTA program in compliance with safety regulations, Sunico reiterated t he Un iversit y President Roberto Yap, SJ’s March 5 memo which reminded students to be “cognizant of the volatility of the situation” and “prepared to address concerns while abroad.”

In the LS-wide Outbound St udent Exch a nge Zoom Information Session conducted last April 18, OIR Outbound Coordinator Sebastian Bundoc disclosed details of the initial release of the list of host universities on May 16.

T his list is expected to consist of less than 30 host universities and information

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES. With the suspension of the international physical mobility program for the past two years, the University President intends to continue JTA, STA, IXS in the next academic year. PHOTO BY STELLA ARENAS

on their spring term student exchange programs. “We’re also anticipating some reservations with our partner [universities] that are near major conf lict [areas] around the world, such as the new outbreak in China and the war in Ukraine,” Bundoc shared.

However, Bundoc assured the students that the OIR w i l l “ do [t hei r] b e s t to provide [students] with the information that [they] need” in order to conf ir m their intent for the JTA program this coming June 27 to July 2.

“For those planning to do JTA or STA, they can expect ASEC and the OIR to be prepared with details regarding requirements, admissions, and information about the foreign country itself.

SOFIA EVIDENTE PRESIDENT, ATENEO STUDENT EXCHANGE COUNCIL

SURFING NEW WAVES With the resumption of international physical mobility programs, Ateneo Student Exchange Council (ASEC) President Sofia Evidente shared that ASEC has several projects planned for the next academic year. Foreign exchange students can look forward to several events that allow them to meet local Atenean members and adapt to Ateneo and Filipino culture.

As for outbound students, she said ASEC and the OIR can provide information about the requirements, admissions, and the foreign country itself.

Additionally, despite the “constantly changing” and “unclear” safety guidelines, Evidente mentioned that ASEC’s members are excited to return on-site for mobility programs given their struggle in the online setup.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, ASEC adapted to the online setting by coordinating with the OIR to organize initiatives such as the Online Learning Exchange Program (OLEP).

T he OLEP consisted of online alternatives for foreign exchange students such as the “buddy system” with Ateneans,

study abroad help desks, and a website featuring testimonials and tips for Ateneans interested in the said undertakings.

To bolster information sharing on different cultural issues in an online setting, the ASEC also created podcasts and released publication materials tackling advocacies like Asian representation in the media.

However, Evidente said that ASEC had struggled to promote these activities through online platforms. Remarking on their struggle during the online set-up, she asked, “How could [ASEC] fully function as an organization without ‘student exchange’?”

She added that this struggle stems from ASEC members being unable to enjoy the full experience of guiding exchange students throughout their time in the University or to immerse themselves in other countries or cultures.

“Since physica l inbound a nd o ut b o u nd m o bi l it y programs are what ASEC has been accustomed to planning before the pandemic, I believe that we would have a smoother transition as compared to switching from on-site to online,” Evidente noted.

the LS Gender Hub, InTACT program, LS Gender Focal Point (LS-GFP) Committee, Sanggunian Commission on Anti-Sexual Misconduct and Violence (CASMV), and CGE. Santos shared that they have been working on the workshop and the accompanying InTACT module on safe spaces since February. She also mentioned that the module now includes Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression (SOGIE) concepts.

“We like reiterating [our support for the SOGIE equality bill] every now and then because people sometimes forget about it. […] We believe that it’s really important to have a continuingon conversation about the SOGIE equality bill,” Santos said.

She h igh lighted t he relevance of their Sapphic Book Recommendation project, claiming that women do not get the spotlight in both heteronormative and LGBTQ+ contexts. “When it comes to relationships of queer women, it’s not very widespread right now, so we want to highlight those relationships through book recommendations,” she said.

To better understand the views of the students, CASMV Co-Commissioners Michelle Go and Louise Sanchez joined Santos in the InTACT workshop.

According to Go, the various support offices and student groups on board allowed for the delivery to be more mainstreamed and uniformed as prior feedback requested.

FILE PHOTO BY ROBBIN M. DAGLE AND LORENZO CORRO

LS launches Advocacy, Women’s Month initiatives

BY JOAQUIN BAANG

TO CELEBR ATE Women’s Month, the University Gender and Development Office (UGDO), Sanggunian, and Loyola Schools (LS) Gender Hub launched a series of events and initiatives in promotion of gender equality, empowerment, and resilience.

As the events were rolled out, the LS Gender Hub released a statement on March 8 to commemorate International

Women’s Day wherein they recognized the community’s grief and need for healing due to the struggle towards gender equality. The LS Gender Hub reaffirmed its commitment to gender justice and a genderinclusive, gender-responsive, and gender-safe community.

Likewise, the Sanggunian Commission on Gender Equality (CGE) stood in solidarity with

women, stating that “we must continue our fight until all women can enjoy the equal opportunity, representation, and safety that they deserve.”

CGE Co-Commissioner Althea Santos said that this year’s Women’s Month focused on educating and engaging with the LS community by spotlighting “less popular issues” like queer female relationships and trans students.

She cited two specific initiatives that tackled these topics, namely the March 16 Introduction to Ateneo Culture and Tradition (InTACT) Workshop on Consent and Boundaries, as well as the March 26 Sapphic Book Recommendation project.

BEHIND THE SCENES The said workshop was a collaborative effort between

EDITOR: ALLIANZA O. PESQUERA | LAYOUT ARTIST: CHANTAL RAMOS

We’re hoping that these programs and talks can impart the knowledge and listening skills that can help people become more sensitive. While it can be hard to quantify, we’re hoping it reflects and emerges in the org cultures.

MICHELLE GO SANGGUNIAN COMMISSION ON GENDER EQUALITY AND COMMISSION ON SEXUAL MISCONDUCT CO-COMMISSIONER

“Having the panel in the plenary we had is helpful because students got to hear insights from different perspectives such as the Gender Hub, student [representatives], the UGDO, and the Ateneo Legal. In a way, we are learning about this as a community,” Sanchez added.

MAKING A CHANGE A side f rom t hese t wo initiatives, CASMV partnered with the LS Gender Hub to give gender safe spaces training sessions to student organizations last April 1 and 8. The training tackled the basics of proper boundaries, online safe spaces, information on bodies that can provide support in the LS, and guides on practicing empathic listening for survivors of sex and gender-based violence (SGBV).

Go echoed the importance of changes in organization culture, saying, “A lot of people, CASMV included, saw the need to make our organization’s cultures and practices more sensitive to people’s boundaries

and identities, so we wanted to have training where we could hopefully get to the heart of that.”

Go and Sanchez both hope that these Women’s Month events can be the foundation to help build a more gender-sensitive culture in the LS community towards SGBV victims. Additionally, Go said she wishes that the topics taught in these training sessions can emanate into all facets of LS organizations.

As for Santos, she noted that this Women’s Month reflected the unity within the LS community. “We collaborated to make these events [...] and it shows that the admin and the students are united in this advocacy of Women’s Month and [in] creating safe spaces in Ateneo,” Santos shared.

3

sexuality. This project will be in partnership with the Office of Campus Ministry and aims to help connect queer members of the LS community to their faith.

Santos also shared that the CGE has been sending out surveys and consulting with individuals who have had experience in opening sectors so that an LGBTQ+ sector can be formed.

As for Sanchez and Go, they shared that CASMV has begun a few minor arrangements for the face-to-face setup. Currently, they are preparing to capacitate their first responders to deal with on-site interactions.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE Santos revealed the few shortterm and long-term events planned by the CGE for the upcoming months, most notably of which is the establishment of a helpline on faith and

Association of Transferee Students wins sectoral accreditation

BY ELOIZA MARIANO

THE ASSOCIATION of Transferee Students (ATS) became an official sector in the Sanggunian on April 4 after surpassing the 10% signatory requirement of the sectoral referendum with 1,918 (19.4%) votes, according to the Ateneo Commission on Elections (COMELEC).

As a recognized sector in the Sanggunian, the ATS can represent transferee students’ interests in the Central Assembly (CA) and coordinate with the Loyola Schools (LS) administration.

14 transferee students spearheaded the petition for sectoral accreditation, with Lead Petitioner Felisa Foronda (2 AB POS) serving as a liaison between ATS and the Ateneo COMELEC and overseeing the whole application process.

According to Foronda, the initial plan was to form a

student organization, but upon recognizing and experiencing the gaps in transferee representation, they set their minds on becoming a fullfledged sector.

THE TRANSFEREE EXPERIENCE W he n f i r s t e nt e r i n g the LS, transferees must undergo their Individual P rog ra m of St udy (IPS) adjustment and validation to avoid retaking the subjects they already took in their previous schools.

However, Foronda stated that the administration must address the ineffectiveness of the information dissemination regarding these processes as it’s difficult to keep track of all the dates and documents that need to be fixed.

For me, I hope that future transferees find that clarity and conviction to do the same that we’re doing for the others. Because we’re here to be able to make the experience better for future Transferees.

For them to not feel the way that we felt.

SOPHIA BARBAS ATS SECTOR PETITIONER

GRAPHIC BY MATTHEW PROFETA

She also observed that other universities have designated offices and organizations for irregular students, while the University had none. As a result of these gaps within the University, she noted that some transferees have gotten delayed up until their senior year as their subjects had not yet been validated.

W hen it comes to the enlistment process, Foronda added that transferees are left with the “remnants of the remnants.” Since transferees often have to wait to enlist on free-for-alls, she explained that class slots were either conflicting with other subjects or tagged for a specific course or year. Hence, transferees are unable to enlist for their advised subjects despite having already taken the pre-requisites.

Moreover, ATS member and petitioner Sophia Barbas (2 BS CH) mentioned the struggle of adjusting to a new University and environment. She mentioned that, outside of events like the Freshman Orientation Seminar, transferees do not get assigned into the same blocks as their coursemates due to transferees

having a unique IPS.“It’s only in our [Interdisciplinary Electives and Physical Education classes], that we get to be with other transfer students,” she said.

With that said, Foronda explained that the ATS having an official seat in the CA and a budget allows sector members to launch more projects and propose reforms to address the said concerns.

INITIATIVES AND SOLUTIONS Prior to its sectoral accreditation, the ATS’s 15- to 20-member technical working group had already launched some initiatives to improve the experience of transferees in the LS. Among these was a year-round Transferee Helpdesk on their Facebook page that is geared towards assisting students through processes such as subject validation, IPS adjustment, and enlistment.

A d d it io n a l l y, fo r t wo consecutive years, they have held the Transferee Welcoming General Assembly to orient students on those processes.

They also released a semesterlong survey held from August to December 2021 to gauge the

number of transferees in the LS community along with their present concerns.

Despite the successes of these initiatives, Foronda shared that ATS’s biggest challenges concerned the sector’s limited manpower and the formalities that came with petitioning for accreditation such as preparing the needed documents and campaigning.

“The process of the sectoral petition relies on you gaining this amount of votes—10% of the student body. Ilan lang ba ang transferees natin sa Ateneo? (How many transferees are there in the Ateneo?) 205. So it’s very difficult to gain that amount of traction when you’re already a small sector itself,” she explained.

Sanggunian Sectoral Affairs Division Head Anton Burog corroborated the time-consuming accreditation process, saying that it is difficult but not impossible as the ATS has now shown.

He further noted that ATS’ accreditation is a “really big step” for the CA in terms of student representation. “All the credit really goes to the people who petitioned. They’re the ones who really worked hard for it and I

want to congratulate [them],” Burog added.

HOPES FOR THE FUTURE Moving forward, Foronda only hopes that transferees could have the same experiences as regular students, even with the “smallest” struggles like enlistments and finding a block. “ I h o p e t h a t f ut u r e transferees—I feel like that’s why we set up the sector in the first place—do not have to go through that na. That by the time that they’re in University, they’re well acclimated and well taken into account by the administration,” she said.

Still, Foronda encouraged her fellow transferees to not get discouraged with their experiences so far, and assured them that they made the right choice to transfer. “ You’ l l event u a l ly f i nd a good community within Ateneo. Whether it’s transferees, whether it’s within your course, whether it’s within your organization, you’ll find great people who’ll help you appreciate the University culture,” she said.

EDITORIAL CARTOON BY KYLA NICOLE VILLEGAS

EDITORIAL

Stealing the show JOURNALISM IS an essential ba s t ion of i n for m at ion dissemination during any country’s elections. Media companies and organizations are often expected to conduct coverage of electoral processes and candidates. Subsequently, these outlets can be criticized regarding the extent and delivery of their news.

As the nation geared up for Halalan 2022, the Philippines witnessed a discernible shift in its media landscape—particularly in the celebritization of political reportage.

Celebritization refers to the mobility that notable personalities feel they have when it comes to navigating the spheres of media and entertainment.

Commonly, this is exhibited in how showbiz figures might suddenly vie for a political position, which is a common occurrence in the Philippines.

A side f rom seek ing a government post, celebrities have also opted to foray into

“journalism.” Consequently, it has become increasingly crucial to assert the importance of responsible reportage of political affairs, as well as the vigilant consumption of media.

SELLING OUT Toni Gonzaga’s Toni Talks series received flak for its overall lack of teeth, especially in her video with the late dictator’s son, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. In refusing to dispute his false claims, Gonzaga—under the guise of impartiality—granted Marcos Jr. the platform to sway the public opinion in his favor.

Gonzaga is more popularly known as an actress and host who ventured into producing YouTube vlogs three years ago. With over five million people subscribed to her channel as of writing, her glorified coffee dates with the presidentiables have only contributed to the rampancy of local disinformation campaigns.

Allowing celebrities to get away with this has led even

larger media corporations to do the same. Such is the case of the Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) Presidential debate, which va r iou s loca l jou r n a list s slammed for perpetuating propaganda regarding bets who declined to attend.

SMNI h a s been w idely cr iticized for f uel ling disinformation, red-tagging activ ists a nd cr itics, a nd making misleading—if not entirely false—claims. Owned by pastor and US-indicted sex trafficker Apollo Quiboloy, SMNI has even been f lagged

by Facebook as a sharer of posts that violates the site’s Community Standards. And yet the network has continued to exponentially expand its social media inf luence while still receiving traction for its biased reportage.

EDGE OF YOUR SEAT One might be wondering: Who benefits from these avenues of

duplicity and misrepresentation?

The answer lies in the politicos who suddenly become singers and dancers come campaign season.

Those who engage in personality politics thrive in the celebritized version of journalism because not much is demanded of them beyond sheer entertainment value. Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno and Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao play this game well, dominating both alternative and mainstream media by sheer virtue of employing so-called pogi politics.

As an ex-actor and famed boxer respectively, Moreno and Pacquiao understand the value of pandering to the voting population. Pacquiao relies heavily on the concept of name recall that has positioned him as a “people’s champ” worth rooting for within and beyond the ring.

Moreno, on the other hand, banks more on the shock factor that can be elicited from radicality— which can be witnessed from the

controversial press conference where he called on survey runnerup Vice President Leonor “Leni” Robredo to withdraw.

For as long as entertainment can command the attention of Filipinos, then celebrities will only continue to venture i nto t he pol it ic a l rea l m whether as shiny candidates or masquerading reporters.

THE FAT LADY’S SONG In overcoming the dangerous precedent set by the entertainment factor of politics, one must begin with the very media institutions and personalities that perpetuate the phenomena.

Political reportage is not a field that can be entered on a whim. Pre- and post-campaign coverage must affirm the pledge that journalists often take; that is, to be accountable to the public, center integrity, and challenge falsehoods as they arise. Philippine politics is not meant to be tabloid fodder. It should be treated with utmost

responsibility and sensibility in lieu of its encompassing effects on society.

Likewise, media consumers must become more discerning.

Research has pointed out that Filipinos fall behind in inquisitiveness, instead passively believing in whatever information is available to them. Remedying the ills of celebritized journalism demands that Filipinos criticize the bearers of news, fact-check information as necessary, and support journalists and institutions who are ethical emissaries.

One day, it may become possible to dim the dazzle of star-power when it comes to Filipino politics if journalists and everyday citizens work hand in hand to combat inadequacy.

After all, the ballot that decides who rises to power is more than a popularity poll. It is a decision cemented in stone, influenced heavily by all those who intentionally shared which side of history they chose to stand on.

The ballot that decides who rises to power is more than a popularity poll.

The GUIDON | March-April 2022

5

CHALK MARKS

An eternal quarantine

BY ARVIN ROCA

WHEN THE pandemic first struck in 2020, I was among the very small population of people that was not entirely affected.

Not long after my college graduation, I got caught in a vehicular collision. It is believed that the neck trauma I experienced was the cause of my subsequent fibromyalgia—a disorder of musculoskeletal pain that also affects my memory, overall energy, and sleeping patterns. The effects of muscular rheumatism have effectively placed me in a wheelchair for the rest of my life.

Fibromya lgia made me immobile since I was 18; simply put, I have always been “locked down.” Come the nationwide quarantine, I already worked

from home, ordered everything I needed through online shopping, and kept up with friends primarily by chatting or video calling. All the things that everyone was only starting to get used to was just another weekend for me.

Two years later and things are getting significantly better. We’ve witnessed a dip in the number of confirmed cases, leading to more relaxed restrictions. People are going back out and meeting up with each other again. Most notably, political candidates are making glowing promises of how they hope to maintain these improvements.

And yet in all the debates I’ve watched and platforms I’ve studied, rarely is there a bullet

Fine Print ANDREA MIKAELA LLANES

Cutting costs IT COST my parents roughly Php 15,000 in psychiatric visits and psychological assessments before I could be clinically diagnosed with Bipolar II and Major Depressive Disorder.

Every time I am reminded of the price tag on my condition, I feel a bottomless pit of guilt in my stomach. I’ve been trying to convince myself that the cost would have been justifiable to me if it were for something visible—a broken bone, a cataract. Is this not essentially the same paralyzing experience, made different only because these disorders are not something I can point a finger at?

The difference, I suppose, is how long you can live with it. During a session with my therapist, I divulged to him that I’ve felt unstable for so long that I couldn’t remember what life was like before the mental illness. In turn, he asked me: “What took you so long to get diagnosed?”

It was not an unkind question.

I am sure that he came from a

place of genuine concern. After all, I had just admitted to dealing with a decade’s worth of baggage.

And yet I found myself unable to tell him the plain truth as to why I refused to seek someone out all those years.

I didn’t think I could afford to get help.

On average, therapy in the Philippines can run up to Php 1,000 to Php 4,500 per session.

Known medication brands such as Xanax and Prozac could cost Php 130 per tablet, some going as high as Php 300. These expenses might not seem like much, yet when they all add up, it is one hell of a bill to pay.

Luckily, there are cheaper alternatives for medication with smaller doses averaging around Php 50 a piece. More organizations now offer free counseling and psychiatric consultation services. But back when I was 10 and feeling unlike myself for the first time, therapy was borderline unavailable. In

Synonyms MINA MATA

The librating power of female friendships RELAY RACES are played in teams.

Once the first runner finishes their lap around the field, they’re required to pass the baton on to the second runner. I was never the athletic type who watched sports, but I witnessed my own version of a relay race at home.

Growing up, I’ve always expected many things from my mom. I thought she would be dependable in carrying the burdens of caregiving and patient in reconciling all of our family dramas. I expected her to be competent with balancing both career pressures and household chores, and—all the while—perfect amid all the uncertainties that life throws at her.

In that regard, I see motherhood as sacrificial by nature. My mom has the single most important duty to keep the family buoyed by supporting the many fixtures of domestic life at the expense of

her own energy, time, and identity.

These expectations of motherhood stem from a larger social contract, which relies on women to render the invisible labor that goes into running a society.

As the only other female family member at home, I was naturally expected to sub in and fulfill these responsibilities when my mom wasn’t available to do so. In true teenage fashion, I was frustrated that I always had to cover for her when my brother was just as capable of accomplishing these chores as I was. I hated dealing with these sudden disruptions to my routine—especially as they fell on top of all the emotionally alive and psychologically complex problems I had to deal with as a teenage girl.

Through the years, it became clear that womanhood was an all-encompassing identity, accompanied by a mounting tide

point dedicated to people like me. For the rest of us who are unable to keep pace with a world that is opening up again, will we be subjected to an eternal quarantine? If there are plans to safeguard the welfare and rights of able-bodied individuals postpandemic, why are there none being made for us?

One might argue that there are already existing reforms that benefit us. To that I say: It is not enough. During support group sessions with other individuals who have mobility impairments, we often discuss the things we hope to see come to fruition.

More allocated areas for persons with disabilities. On-time livelihood aids. Equitable employment opportunities.

Actual implementation of the policies in place.

Whenever we talk about these measures, we speak hesitantly.

We tend to hedge and lower our expectations. Sometimes, we even make excuses for the administration, reducing our very identities to a waste of space.

How unfortunate it is, that what might seem like basic rights to others are viewed as wishful thinking by us.

Nevertheless, my community remains hopeful. Maybe if we make enough noise then we will find ourselves a seat at the table. Nay, maybe we can help build a new table altogether.

Because the table being set now has no room for wheelchairs; it is too high for some of us,

my province, there were barely any options for psychological assistance; of the estimated 600 registered psychiatrists in the country, most are based in Manila. There was a moment of weakness when I even called the government-funded crisis hotline and was told that they couldn’t assist me because it was “beyond office hours.” For years, getting help seemed impossible.

Now, I am diagnosed and soon to schedule a session with my attending psychiatrist. I take two types of medications for my depression and another set for acute insomnia. It takes a conscious effort to not put a quotation on my healing—to not want to apologize to my parents for the value of my mental health.

Nonetheless, I still recognize the gaps in the system that make treatment inaccessible. An abysmal 3 to 5% of the country’s health budget is all that is set aside for mental health care, which is barely enough for the World Health Organization’s estimation of 3.6 million Filipinos suffering from mental, neurological, and substance use disorders. It is due time that both national and local governments invest more in mental health services.

Training and recruitment for health care workers should be at the forefront, given the uneven ratio of 0.41 psychiatrists per 100,000 people. The Mental Health Act should then be revisited to consider equitable distribution amid economic restrictions that prevent the general population from seeking treatment. Finally, wide-scale com mu n it y orga n i z at ion can bridge the gap of lacking services in more far-flung areas, a llow ing non-government units and private civil society groups to contribute if needed.

It has been easy to turn a blind eye and weather these conditions because they are largely unseen. But if 3.6 million Filipinos broke a bone, then it would be a completely different story. It would be seen as an epidemic—which is exactly how the Philippines’ mental health crisis should be viewed.

No person should ever have to wonder if they can afford to get better. The price of treatment should never be so steep that it would make someone feel guilty over getting help. These are hard pills that I am still learning to swallow, and graces that many others are yet to be granted.

of expectations that eclipsed whatever personal life I had.

These expectations to be serviceable and perfect towered over me, and my resentment for them eventually bled out into my relationship with other women, whom I held to the same standards that my mom held me. I expected my female friends to be graceful when managing the mounting demands of school and home life, patient with their peers even at their most challenging, modest when presenting themselves in public, and pleasant despite all the hormonal changes that upended their puberty-ridden lives. In turn, they expected the same from me.

Fueled by frustration, this dynamic devolved into a relay sport where my female friends and I passed on our shameful expectations from one person to the next. The recursive sport was equal parts enraging and draining, but it felt impossible for us to just walk away from it and admit that it didn’t matter. If we did, we were seen as less worthy in society.

Ultimately, the image of what a woman should be was so sacrosanct that I couldn’t even acknowledge my feelings of disappointment and rage to myself. I allowed my anger to fester, pushing me farther and

farther away from the women in my life.

It has taken me nearly 20 years to realize the tragedy of the split that occurred between me and the female community. In the current patriarchal society, I am still learning that the reason it was so painful is because all of us lost in the relay sport.

However, I’ve realized that reconciling my feelings of rage over this pervasive form of sexism would mean coming together with my mom and my female friends who understand these pains best.

It entails standing with them in solidarity as we brave the world together—not just as people of the same sex but as a unified community. In this sense, it calls for collectively recognizing that we deserve better than what the world subjects us to—whether it be a pedestal of extremely high standards or a competition against each other in petty public spectacles.

Ultimately, empathy is the most radical choice we can make in a society where women are often overlooked and underappreciated.

Unti l system ic cha nges fundamentally shift public perception of women, I can spark change through my own circle of female friends—and the personal will always be political for me.

too narrow for how many of us there really are.

At that new table we can reach and fit in, we might find it easier to establish non-negotiables, such as laws that could provide us human dignity and the initiatives that give us the same opportunities as everyone else.

Then maybe we, too, could leave out homes without fearing for our safety. We could meet up with our friends and one another, and visit actual grocery stores, and even have an office of our own.

It would be nice to no longer be in quarantine much like the rest of the world around us.

And so we hold on to our hope, and we continue to speak with one another and to anyone else

who will listen. We lie in wait, anticipating the government that is soon to come, because who is in power decides how much longer we will be in the fringes—locked away from a society that is quick to forget those who are vulnerable.

Arvin Roca is a BS Management alumnus of Ateneo de Manila University. He is currently a freelance writer who holds support groups for individuals with mobility impairments.

The Isms AZEQUIEL DE LUNA

Data points of insomnia THE MOST fascinating aspect of statistical thinking is its subtle ability to “predict” the future.

With enough data points paired with calculations, one can infer about the future and then act on such inferences.

This is enthralling because people do not have power over time but have the ability to forecast around it. It’s like a superpower, because it tries to go beyond what we see in physical reality. My perception regarding the philosophy behind statistics is that it’s a song of human rationality and an unknown future. It’s a tool for anyone, from a person computing the probability of being able to pay debts, an investor forecasting his stock returns, to a government assessing whether there will be an economic recession.

Hence, I apply statistical thinking in my daily life in order to inform my decisions amidst the unknown. My data would be the factors that are critical to a dilemma. For example: Back when I was deciding whether to be a film or business major, some of the factors that I considered were skills, habits, money, philosophies, dreams, family, industry forecasts, anecdotes, and more. I used these in order to gauge my happiness in a university major.

To predict such, I made a pros and cons list weighted with percentages, and diagrams that illustrate how decisions can affect other factors. I also did surveying with my peers regarding their thoughts on what I should pick, and collated historical data regarding my performance in subjects related to the course. I analyzed these data so rigorously that I only came to a decision during the last day of confirming slots—eventually choosing to become a business major.

While this rigorous reliance on data analysis may be lauded, it soon became my addiction. I often find myself distracted from the now due to my obsession with predictions and finding the optimal solution to my problems. There is a simpler term for this: Overthinking.

What was once a super power became a weakness, as the amount of thoughts eventually paralyzes me. I obsess over what could’ve happened in the past if I had made different decisions, or

what could happen in the future if I choose a course of action. I thought I had control over the mechanics of the unpredictable world. The deeper I get into trying to predict the outcomes of my choices, the more anxious I get.

This anxiety eventually manifested into physica l conditions such as frequent bouts of insomnia, wherein my mind won’t allow me to sleep despite being tired. There were days when I felt neither awake or asleep. Because I was too obsessed with critiquing my past and trying to control my future, my body robbed me of my present.

Overthinking also robbed me of my social connections. Two years ago, I decided to isolate myself and focus on my personal ventures, predicting that doing so would increase the probability of becoming happier and successful.

I used my insomnia as an excuse to do more work during ungodly hours. I thought my prediction was iron-clad, but reality played a cruel joke when it cast the pandemic throughout the entire world which stopped me from fulfilling my plans and seeing the people I love.

It begs the question whether people are really meant to beat reality’s mechanics. There is a film about a number theorist that dedicated his life to get the number that holds the universe.

Once he had the number, he started getting headaches, paranoia, and hallucinations which eventually led him to drill his head.

Statistical thinking is not about prediction but trust.

Rational inferences support our decisions, but at the end of it, we must trust the mystery of the world. This mystery allows us to appreciate the present while the future unfolds. Happiness does not exist purely in the realm of possibilities, but in the beauty of what already is.

I’m still a work in progress in this regard, but today I talked to my friends, exercised with a kettlebell, played Call of Duty, and went out for a walk. I might just be able to sleep like a baby later.

6

Opinion

VOLUME XCII, NO. 5 MARCH-APRIL 2022

BLUE JEANS

Art, for your sake

BY ZACHARY C. GONZALES

Founded 1929 by Rev. Frank O’Hara, SJ First Editor-in-Chief, Manuel C. Colayco, AB ‘30 PURPOSE To serve as a record of Ateneo history in the making; to serve as an organ of journalistic expression; to serve God and country.

Tatiana L. Maligro, AB COM ‘22 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Andrea Mikaela B. Llanes, AB COM ‘22

I’VE GONE through analytical geometry and introductory robotics courses, qua litative political research and governance classes, and environmental science lectures and laboratory sessions. Neither have anything directly in com mon— s ave for their heavy workload— but an odd recurring feature that amuses me

to this day is the fond memory of having done at least one creative output for each class.

The last thing you would expect from a research class is a creative poster and from an environmental subject a 20-minute video, yet that was what I was required to do. For the unawares and unskilled, making creative outputs is a nightmare. It is oftentimes daunting, draining, and discouraging to scramble for free and friendly editing software as well as instructional YouTube videos. The usual end result will be a decently passable work or a haphazardly Frankenstein one.

Disentanglement ANN GABRIELLE DOMINGO

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Beatriz Ysabel C. Reyes, BS ME ‘22 MANAGING EDITOR

The hunted

Neil Christian R. Reyes, BS CH-MSE ‘23 DESIGN EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Allianza O. Pesquera, AB COM ‘22 NEWS EDITOR

Martin Javier P. Mapa, BS ME ‘23 Joachim Miguel S. Melo, AB-MA POS ‘23 SPORTS EDITORS

Kiana Lane R. Altoveros, BS LM ‘23 BEYOND LOYOLA EDITOR

Aisha C. Said, BS LM ‘23 FEATURES EDITOR

Marina T. Mata, AB EC-H ‘23 INQUIRY EDITOR

Ann Gabrielle V. Domingo, AB COM ‘23 Daniela Ines D. Lorenzo, AB COM ‘23 VANTAGE MAGAZINE EDITORS

Samantha Dominique S. Onglatco, AB COM ‘23 BROADCAST NEWS EDITOR

Martin Angelo C. Ramos, AB COM ‘22 BROADCAST NEWS PRODUCER

Daryl Robyn D. Sy, AB COM ‘24 PHOTOS EDITOR

Kristine Kaitlyn Marianne W. Mercado, BS CS ‘23 Tiffany Gabrielle H. Cu, BS PSY ‘23 GRAPHIC DESIGN EDITORS

Abigail Pia M. Chua, BS CH-MSE ‘25 VIDEO PRODUCTION EDITOR

Alissa Mae Evangelista, AB COM ‘23 VIDEO PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

I WAS always a sensitive child—familiar with a heartfelt cry and moved easily by both cruelty and beauty. However, I did not always like this side of me.

Ocean Vuong has a line in his book entitled On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous that encompasses my approach towards emotional vulnerability almost perfectly: “To be gorgeous, you must first be seen, but to be seen allows you to be hunted.”

Apologies for the Freudian self-diagnosis, but I also always knew my fear of showing vulnerability

stems from the emotionally explosive environment I grew up in. Passion and earnestness—in my experience—only triggered volatility and instability.

I grew to favor calmness, control, and order to avoid the wreckage that came with heartfelt expression. I had always been shy as a kid, but I continued to cultivate this method of concealment like a magic trick that protected me when I was younger. Those older than me praised me for my “maturity,” and I treated my trust like an extremely rare piece of jewelry that only those most deserving among my peers would be given.

I’m not here to bash on those less skilled; I myself have much more to learn in terms of photo manipulation and video editing. My point is that these creative skills—be it editing or manipulation—have sort of become essential in today’s time. As our world is becoming increasingly digitized, many aspects of everyday life and business finds itself revolving and gravitating towards our laptop or phone screens, very much like the one you’re reading from now.

It has become a quintessential factor of the world today, which also translates into the crucial importance of multimedia.

Like basic communication or being adept with Microsoft Word, multimedia is gearing up to be necessary and a sought

after skillset. Indeed, as the world progressively becomes digital so follows everything else—and at the forefront of the digital landscape, image is everything. A striking poster will undoubtedly attract attention and an aesthetic video will garner widespread praise.

Moreover, these will be outputs you will eventually be expected to competently produce.

Com i ng f rom a n exmultimedia arts student, I urge you to start experimenting with whatever art programs or skills you can get your hands on. The learning curve may be difficult, but the end result is rewarding. Four years later and I’m still using my knowledge in Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro. Not only are

these skills just for academic or field use but for enriching the soul as well; painting, making poetry, composing music, and taking photos, among others, help temper the rigors of reality and bring color to the everyday.

Not learning multimedia skills doesn’t necessarily mean a death sentence, but not keeping up with the times has more boon than bane. In an attempt to rebuff the saying, I find myself asserting to you: Do art not for art’s sake, but art for your sake.

Every time I expressed strong emotions, I would immediately recoil and chastise myself to conceal better next time.

This fear of vulnerability, which I mistook for independence, served me adequately as I matured into my twenties. I became precise with almost every aspect of my life to maintain this inner sense of control—calculating almost every step to maintain predictability in my interactions. I also treated my emotional needs like ailments to be medicated with enough time with friends and good heart-felt media to cry to when I needed it.

When the pandemic struck in 2020, I was partially relieved to put off the necessary growing pains that I knew were prerequisites to forming close interpersonal relationships.

However, continuing to build these ironclad walls also stifled the side of me that is emotional, sensitive, and even loving. The

emotional cage that used to protect me increasingly became a hindrance to my own joy and capacity to receive love.

Although I thought I could put off the necessary inner work during my college years, the past two years have instead magnified my need for vulnerability more so than I dared realize. Independence does suit me best—with or without my fear of being weighed down by attachments—but there would always be a gnawing feeling inside me that urged me to reach out and break down all the self-restrictions I carefully built over the years.

Just like everyone else, I grew weary of both physical and emotional isolation as the pandemic went on. It was especially burdensome for me as this isolation only exacerbated my toxic coping patterns. The last straw to this—the breaking point at which I realized I could not continue to live like this—was when I led myself to

choose people who were nearly as emotionally unavailable as I am just because it was what felt safe.

When the new year turned over, I joked around with my friends that the coming months would be my “live, laugh, love” chapter. Jokes aside, what this really means is that I’m slowly giving up the illusion that I can continue to deny an integral aspect of what it means to be human. There are ways, I now realize, to express myself without causing destruction.

In a modern world that places extreme emphasis on hyperindividuality and grit, there really is something radical about cultivating tenderness during every chance one can get.

My fear of vulnerability cannot be resolved overnight or even before I graduate and step into “real” independence. Nonetheless, I’m slowly growing the courage to free myself from my own walls— even if it means risking being seen.

Funnily enough, only 30% of Filipinos in Metro Manila are private car owners. We still somehow witness immense traffic along major roads in the region even after improving connecting expressways. Sure, travel times may have decreased, but the points of congestion remain the same. Moreover, this highlights that those who do not have the budget to travel through skyways suffer more.

Even worse, many commuters— such as myself—are left in the shadows and are still waiting for the next bus to arrive because of the intense traffic.

I realized that waking up early to avoid traffic is the most concerning habit that we have. It should not have been like this if the government prioritized creating efficient mass transportation instead of resorting to bandaid solutions. They widened roads, built more skyways, conducted rerouting schemes, and implemented a new number

coding scheme, but all of these still led to Metro Manila having the 18th out of 404 worst traffic congested cities in 2021.

If you have the budget, you can just opt to book a taxi and have the comfort of travelling.

But for most Filipinos, they are forced to sacrifice more time in exchange for a more budgetfriendly option.

So much time is lost because we already anticipate traffic and long lines when waiting for the next train. We often blame ourselves because we could have arrived earlier, but we forget that it is not even our fault that the transportation system has been like this.

Right now, efficiently moving from Point A to Point B is for the privileged. As the national elections get nearer, we should elect a leader that understands an inclusive transportation system.

While the establishment of bike lanes is a good start, it must go beyond that.

Knowing how public transportation networks move should be the start of contextualizing how these can be connected efficiently. It can be a challenge because the transportation system has become way more complex because the chaos of inefficiency finds its way out of the band aid solutions, but we have to start somewhere. Should the next leaders find a way to bridge the gaps between one mode to another, the movement of commuters from A to B is much easier.

Commuters like me still had to wait in long lines in bus terminals and force myself in jampacked trains just to get home. I continue to endure five hours of walking along inefficiently bridged terminals, waiting in long lines, and standing in buses and trains just to get home to Cavite from Katipunan. I am not the only one.

Until the transport system is more humane, I think I still need to bombard my phone with alarms three hours before my scheduled appointment.

preference; it determines the fate of everyone in this country for the next six years. To reduce such a right to an “opinion” cannot simply be.

When your vote goes to leaders that are willing to ignore the presence of extrajudicial killings, the persistent violation of human rights and red-tagging, the absence of due process, and clear theft of the country’s funds, your vote becomes a reflection of what you are willing to let the country and its people experience. So yes, a sense of accountability falls on your hands when you provide these types of leaders the opportunity to play the rules of the game.

Ever since the election season began, I made it a point to always be critical of candidates—even those I support. I am willing to be proven wrong in my personal vote if that means that my country is given the governance it deserves.

At the end of the day, we cannot

always blindly defend our voting choice just because we refuse to admit we may have voted poorly.

I am no expert in Philippine history. I do not have the credentials to say I am one of the greatest fact-checkers in the country. Nonetheless, opinions should not be exempted from any form of criticism or verification. Some opinions can be misinformed—poorly informed, even. Thus, not all opinions can simply be acceptable.

This is why conversations and proper discourse between everyone is important. We cannot simply agree to disagree when the future of many Filipinos is at stake. It is high time to be open to discussing facts and to be proven wrong, even if it feels like a stab on our pride.

Do your research, gather your facts from reliable and credible sources, provide the evidence, then discuss even with those who may choose to disagree with you.

If the facts surprise you or even disprove what you initially thought, let facts question what you may have thought to be true and confirm it further if you want to. No one says the formula to this is going to result in changing anyone’s mind, but it reduces the divide created by the hostile environment political opinions have created. It provides a place wider than our immediate circle and echo chambers.

I hope we all learn to be critical of our opinions on political candidates for the last remaining days before elections, even when we feel like we already know better than others. It is easy to avoid such topics and run scared of being proven wrong or challenged, but know that your opinion carries a great deal of responsibility if the future is determined in a room with the ballot sheet on your table, the pen in your hand, and the only thing left to do is to start shading.

Zachary C. Gonzales is a AB Diplomacy and International Relations senior, and a Beyond Loyola staffer of The GUIDON. For more, he can be reached at zachary.gonzales@obf.ateneo.edu.

Carmela B. Masiglat, BFA ID '22 DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT DEPUTY FOR DESIGN

Jonathan William C. Talbot, BS CS ‘22 DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT EDITOR FOR TECHNOLOGY

Ivan Lewis C. Bueno, AB EC ‘22 EXTERNALS MANAGER

Diana Patricia C. Rivera, BS CH-MSE ‘23

Effervescence NEIL R. REYES

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER

Jose Angelo A. Buenaventura, BS COMTECH ‘23 Enrique Benjamin B. Halili, BFA CW ‘23 SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGERS

Azequiel Lexander P. de Luna, BS ME ‘22 Kiara Florencia D. Rodriguez, AB-MA POS ‘23

Maribas at dawn

RESEARCH MANAGERS

NEWS Juami G. Aizpuru, Billie Asuncion, Zoey C. Atillo, Joaquin Baang, Moira V. Cayabyab, Eloiza Mariano, Anna Pineda, Yuan Placides, Wei Tanamal SPORTS Tristan A. Abuel, Miguel Asis, Ralph Anthony Bautista, Neal R. Beltran, Augusto L. Cruz, Gap B. Estrella, Jilliana Marie Gonzales, Lei P. Macaranas, Vito Martin, Kristen R. Matias, Anton E. Mercado, Ira Nepomuceno, Juno Ileana Reyes, Juris Salvanera, Kristen C. Sison, Ra Solomon, Vincent Somera, Ray R. Vicente BEYOND LOYOLA Jana O. Ang, Biel L.B. Arevalo, Pioee B. Bassig, Francis Caiga, Angela Divina, Derick M. Gabrillo, Zachary C. Gonzales, Alexandra L. Grantoza, Ram Hebron, Max S. Kang, George D. Kho, Yves Lazaro, Justine Ramirez, Felicity C. Santos, Jerika P. Uy, Deryn Ventilacion FEATURES Katrina B. Antonio, Gab Aplasca, Aidan Reuel A. Bernales, Jullia G. Chen, Gabrielle Christina A. Cortes, Ashley Enriquez, Reign Iris Centeno, Enzo Lagamon, Liam Isaiah Lao, Christianna P. Lugod, Eala Julienne P. Nolasco, Ryan Suarez, Genesis Jacinth Tan, Jacob Tambunting INQUIRY Bianca Balobalo, Marelle Bañez, Alexandra P. Elicano, Ariana Enriquez, Gerard Ignacio, Patricia G. Policarpio, Camille Salipsip, Jude Lourence G. Segovia, Aren Teodoro, Andrea Tibayan, Lucas Tolentino, Khaela C. Vijar VANTAGE MAGAZINE Ena Algopera, Martin Celiz, Kris M. Fetiza, Therese Garcia, Natalie R. Gavino, Noelle D. Lejano, Gabrielle I. Lombos, Ylia Macazo, Giu Martinez, Jewel Ruther Miraña, Julianne Ng, Rina Julia Ortega, Jia Parma, Ryan Reyes, Rome M. Saenz, Leila Simon BROADCAST NEWS Julia Ericka C. Bayocot, Allison A. Co, Wira Dosado, Rebecca Filasol, Yanni Jose S. Francisco, Belle Gregorio, Kristen Louise Ifurung, Hannah Mantos, Samantha C. Olegario, Iana Luis Padilla, Maegan San Tian, Ria Tenido, Alia Tuprio, Kathleen U. Yap

THE RESUMPTION of on-site classes brought back my perceived normalcy.

This meant rebuilding relationships lost by the pandemic, walking along Katipunan Avenue to eat, and even waking up early to prepare for a class. However, this normalcy reminded me of how frustrating it is to get from Point A to Point B—especially when I am coming from Cavite.

Before the pandemic started, I couldn’t count how many times I needed to apologize in advance whenever I said that I was coming from Cavite. Unexpected traffic congestions

were so common then that even if I tried to leave a few hours before my scheduled appointment, I would still arrive a few minutes late.

Come the return of classes, this frustration remained the same.

I firmly believe that public transportation is the key for efficiency and productivity. If the system can transport high volumes of people, access to jobs would become much easier. However, the trend of roads and infrastructures remains focused on private cars. Even though skyways and bridges can bring convenience, to whom are these benefits actually directed to? We’ve since learned that convenience is inaccessible if you do not have the privilege of owning a car.

PHOTOS Stella Arenas, Nate Bosano, Bettina Cuan, Jim Dasal, Elly Kim, Eirenne A. Lumasang, Cinta Maddatu, Matthew V. Profeta, Jesh Dominic B. Quiambao, Paulina Singh, Kevin Sornet, Soliel Nicolette, Vionna Villalon, Alexis Wang GRAPHIC DESIGN Jaycob Bustamante, Sam Dellomas, Jose Emmanuel B. Laurel, Pau Lasala, Frances Lopez, Jezzyrae B. Maglente, Mello Jericho M. Malig, Franz Manlutac, Danni Natividad, Samantha Rose M. Ragaza, Chantal Ramos, Gerald Lois M. Roldan, Kurt Tan, Andie Tsai, Kyla Nicole Villegas, Julia Yabut VIDEO PRODUCTION Ella Alabastro, Hannah Arias, Jake Calingasan, Raya Ferrer Carrillo, Angelo M. Castro, Ethan Cheng, Lou Del Rosario, Fran Enriquez, Sophia Estoquia, Jeremy P. Fortaleza, Nicolah T. Gapuz, EG Golloso, Angela R. Manalastas, Marjorie Denise F. Manguiat DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT Josh de Vera, Emman Evangelista, Charm E. Naciongayo, Aidan P. Olarte, Jared U. Ong, Iya L. Perez, Julia J. Santos, Kevin A. Sibug, Katrina Bernice M. Tan EXTERNALS Tricia R. Alcantara, Silas S. Chiew, Alyanna De Leon, Irish Crystal Dio, Monica Gallardo, Cholo Hermoso, Angela T. Ibarra, Helena Lorenzo, Allyzah D. Mama, Nicole Mediavillo, Nina Sevilla HUMAN RESOURCES Tris Almedia, Justin Altubar, Julio Balagtas, Juleane B. Borres, Matthew Cañete, Anicia Guanlao, Dre Guerrero, Lexi Lagamon, Gerard Ma, Denev C. Ng, Kendji S. Tuazon, Yana Alessandra Villanueva, Regina Mae C. Yu, Libby Zorilla RESEARCH Samantha Ackary, Mark Lyster Carlota, Rafael H. Garcia, Arianne B. Mendoza, Kaiser F. Patawaran, Lander Pua, Trisha M. Purificacion, Enrikko Sibayan, Aga E. Villaroman SOCIAL MEDIA Daena Bigcas, Rei Jamola, Bea Pangandian, Noelle Paterno, Hailley Quiban, Maria Sophia Andrea E. Rosello, Kimberlynn G. Si, Althea Ramone R. Veloso, Bella Yara

Luz R. Rimban MODERATOR

For comments, suggestions, and contributions, email:

desk@theguidon.com

Blank Canvas CARMELA B. MASIGLAT

To demand better “RESPECT MY opinion,” has been a common statement between many discussions and online posts about the upcoming 2022 Philippine elections. Undoubtedly, this has caused widespread resentment among people with a lot having fall-outs with friends and family. But how far can opinions go when it involves the welfare of many?

Being a witness to history unfolding, it is difficult to deny that the Philippines has not been given the best

service its citizens deserve over the past years. The rampant extrajudicial killings, rising poverty amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in unemployment, poor healthcare, and clear cases of corruption have been some of the top national issues that running candidates are being asked to discuss. Is it not clear that the demand for a better form of governance and service all boils down to who we allow to sit in the country’s highest seat of power?

In an election where the fight for human rights and better governance is central, saying “respect my opinion” should be rejected. A vote is more than just a matter of personal

The GUIDON | March-April 2022

7

SPORTS OPINION

Sustaining her strides: Developing Filipino women’s sports programs

BY KRISTEN R. MATIAS

WOMEN HAVE relentlessly fought for equal footing in the athletic scene, combatting issues ranging from objectification to underrepresentation. While the past decade has seen an improvement in the treatment of women in the sports scene, the promulgation of mandates that further develop and protect women in sports remains overlooked. Systemic nuances based on sex are manifestations of the culture, politics, and social status of women in a particular country.

Several charters were enacted to promote the participation of Filipino women athletes. An impactful piece of legislation is the Magna Carta for Women, which put forth comprehensive provisions for women’s sports.

Central to these provisions is the Philippine Sports Commission’s mandate to create guidelines to integrate gender equality in its policies, funding, and activities related to women’s participation in sports for other National Sports Associations (NSAs). Likewise, it calls on Local Government Units (LGUs) to encourage female participation in sports.

Even with these put on paper, the gender-biased coaching force, meager opportunities, investments, and the lack of representation are sobering facts of sex disparities in Philippine

sports. Thus, a necessary shift in the national sports culture must be engaged through systemic changes at the grassroots, elite, and administrative levels.

UNCULTIVATED GRASSROOTS Girls are conditioned in such a way that confines them to activities associated with femininity due to a lack of representation, gender bias in media, and the small space for women in the local sports landscape—which ultimately trickles down to sports at the grassroots level.

In schools, sports offerings vary per institution. Beatrice G o, s p o r t s g o ve r n a n c e journalist, recalls that her all-girls basic education unit had meager support for sports and encouraged girls toward gendered activities. While not representative, stereotyping spor t s i n Fi l ipi no ba sic education units is common.

“The way the [school] viewed sports was something that you couldn’t make a career of as a girl, so the support was poor,” shared Go. As this gender bias is enforced through media and schools, the implementation of various sports opportunities in the local sports scene is affected. While LGUs have been making efforts to provide sports opportunities for girls, the opportunities

for girls in barangays to play different sports is limited.

Girls Got Game Managing Director Gely Tiu narrated how many of the participants in their sports clinics had no sporting background whatsoever because of inaccessibility in their respective communities or a lack of encouragement from their parents. “Many of them would indicate that sports aren’t for girls, and only played if it was available in their community.

Some parents won’t let kids join the program as they believe there are other matters for girls,” shared Tiu. Shortcomings at the local level have even bled through t o pr ofe s s ion a l s p or t s .

Despite being under the same federations and outside the equal allowances and bonuses mandated by law, women athletes do not receive the same support as male athletes. The Philippine Women’s Football Team (PWNFT) did not don the same uniforms as their male counterparts until 2021, and it was only in February of 2022 wherein the PWNFT’s games were televised. In basketball, the Women’s Gilas Pilipinas was four bubble training cycles behind the men’s team in 2021 despite the advent of international competitions.

It is therefore evident that the experiences of Filipino women

athletes have shown that the implementation of development programs must be underscored.

A SEAT AT THE TABLE By acknowledging these systematic issues, athletic leaders must tailor welldeveloped and supported athletic programs catered to women at the national and local levels. However, administrative changes must be made.

Studies have shown that the leadership level for all NSAs rema ins ma le-dominated.

Without proper representation at the top level of various sporting federations, it can be put into question whether women athletes’ struggles are factored into theirdecisionmaking process.

A limited space for women in national sporting institutions results in an administrativelevel need to institutionalize policies and programs aimed at supporting female athletes.

The provision of contextualized pathways will be able to address long-standing issues that women athletes face, such as training opportunities, inequitable pay, menstrual health, and maternity leave, with the latter as a prominent issue for older female athletes.

The case of Marestella TorresSunang—the number one long jumper in the Philippines—

involves her receiving no support from the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association during and after her pregnancy.

Torres-Sunang’s story testifies that a woman athlete can still be in her prime postpartum, as she broke the Philippine jumping record in her 2016 Olympic stint.

However, many women athletes end their careers because of inadequate pay or the lack of support from organizations to raise their families.

T hu s, by h av i ng more women at the management level, there is the likelihood of bet ter conveya nce of the ideals stipulated in the law, and the possibility of a conducive env iron ment for women at h letes . By knowing the realities on the ground, institutions can better equ ip spor t i ng prog ra m s w ith gender-sensitive a nd prag m at ic solut ion s, u lt i m ately cont r ibut i ng to t he s u st a i n a bi l it y of women’s sports.

“When women know that there is adequate support, when there are pathways for mentorship so [a woman athlete] can reach her full potential, that’s when you see more women and girls engage with sports. This will open doors for the Philippine sports industry as a whole,” voiced Ceej Tantengco, Go Hard Girls Host.

CHAMPIONING HER STORY Credit is due to the improvements made vis-a-vis the treatment of women, but things are far from ideal due to cultural disparities in the sports landscape.

There is a need for institutions to give women athletes the support they deserve. This is achievable through the presence of like-minded people in these governing bodies. To reinforce what is etched on paper, institutions must shift the sports scene to a more conducive and contextual environment for women and calibrate their myopic view of women athletes’ growth.

“We’re worth the investment— our stories as women athletes are worth listening to. It’s a matter of giving us the opportunity to share our stories, because there are so many female athletes working behind the scenes, even if they aren’t being paid attention to,” voiced the PWNFT’s Cam Rodriguez.

Regardless of how much stories of success tug on Filipinos’ heartstrings, narratives of resilience should not be the case.

Women athletes should not be treated as underdogs in the first place. Whether at the grassroots, collegiate, or professional level, the Philippine sports system needs people to fight for and keep girls in the pipeline for success—a cultural reset.

ILLUSTRATION BY PAU LASALA

EDITORS: JAVIER P. MAPA AND JOACHIM S. MELO • LAYOUT ARTIST: KURT TAN • Read more at theguidon.com

SUSTAINING HER STRIDES Although women continue to prevail, the lack of support from governing bodies is a sobering fact of gender bias in Philippine sports.

Sports

07

On each other’s team THE FORTHCOMING Presidential elections sparked much debate among Filipinos nationwide regarding which candidates are best fit for office.

With candidates possessing different campaigns, track records, a nd advocacies, evaluating these potential leaders is a necessary step for registered voters to appropriately exercise their suffrage. Performing such actions then must not be an isolated case, and encouraging the development of wellinformed political stances from one registered voter to another is ideal.

Despite the controversy su r rou nd ing a n at h lete’s i nvolvement i n pol it ic s, athletes’ additional platforms provide effective opportunities in mot ivat ing people to register, vote, and rightly choose their preferred candidates.

Contributions from studentathletes in the political arena then are welcome initiatives towards a promising election.

INHERENT DUTY As Filipino citizens, athletes are not exempt from the responsibility each Filipino bears in ensuring the country’s future and its people are secured. A student-athlete therefore cannot ignore their duty of contributing to the upcoming elections— for they are citizens first and sportsmen second.

As stated by Enrique Espina of the Ateneo Rowing Team (ART), “We [student-athletes] have to acknowledge that we can’t just focus on our sport.

We have the responsibility to, at the very least, encourage people to vote [a nd] ma ke sure that who they’re voting for come s f rom a wel linformed position.”

This obligation is especially important to uphold for athletes who possess platforms with extensive reach, given their ability to effectively com mu n icate w it h w ide audiences. Former Loyola Gaming member Timmy Albert emphasized that those with popular platforms have the capability to spark change. “As a student-athlete, you’re seen more, and whether you like it or not, you have the obligation and responsibility [to speak up],” he shared.

Similarly, Ateneo Men’s Track and Field Co-captain Matteo Crisostomo shared how a student-athlete’s efforts in the political scene can inf luence communities that only players may have access to. He is able to tap into the local athletics community among his wider online network, where a simple share on social media can influence his peers—regardless of t heir relat ion sh ip—to educate themselves on their preferred candidate.

Further elaborating on these influential platforms, Crisostomo divulged the importance for student-athletes to ensure that whatever they forward through such mediums is knowledgeable.

According to the decathlete, “When student-athletes make their voices heard, it bears more weight [since] that person may serve as an inspiration to someone. That’s why I feel like what they say holds a little more weight, so that comes with the responsibility of being more informed about what you say.”

Regardless of the size of a student-athlete’s platform or initiative towards the elections, the results achieved through these contributions are invaluable. Espina believes that

BY AUGUSTO L. CRUZ AND IRA NEPOMUCENO ILLUSTRATION BY MELLO JERICHO MALIG

the value of one’s political efforts lies in their ability to influence even a single person to register, be informed, or vote wisely—for this effect may eventually snowball from peer to peer.

Since those to be elected on May 9 are paramount in leading the country towards prosperity, duly exercising one’s right to vote is highly encouraged by Filipinos nationwide.

“To not vote in this election is not even passive, it’s disrespectful to the current landscape. Every vote matters,” Albert affirmed.

because they are convinced that their impressive track records, honesty, transparency, accountability, and inclusive platforms would lead the country to greater heights.

“Given their characters [and] their plans, it’s cohesive. If they all work together in the government, we can only expect good things,” Espina concluded.

These student-athletes are also aware of how integral it is to be a registered voter, as this is what allows any citizen to practice their

To not vote in this election is not even passive, it’s disrespectful to the current landscape.

Every vote matters.

TIMMY ALBERT FORMER LOYOLA GAMING MEMBER

ENABLING CHANGE As advocates of the same candidates such as Vice President Leni Robredo, Senator Kiko Pangilinan, Atty. Chel Diokno, and Senator Risa Hontiveros, the aforementioned studentathletes remain at the forefront of furthering their political advocacies through various means. They maintain their commitment to these candidates

constitutional right to vote. This is why the Ateneo Track and Field Team conducted a social media campaign on Facebook that encouraged people to register to vote in September 2021. Such an initiative served as the team’s response to the country’s need for better governance. Despite considering the effort as the least he can do, Crisostomo believes that it was the team-wide effort

that made the initiative even more powerful.

“Strength in numbers. When you’re a collective unit, there’s more power to that because it’s more inviting of other people to join,” Crisostomo explained.

Albert, who is both a gamer and a musical artist active on social media, also boldly utilizes his platforms in each of these communities to rally for the candidates he supports.

Despite the possibility of losing followers, the esports athlete believes that everyone including himself has a responsibility to be vocal about the leaders they want. Such resolve translated to Albert’s participation in Robredo’s Kulay Rosas Ang Bukas campaign by changing his Facebook page’s color theme to pink and actively engaging with his social media followers.

Meanwhile, Espina pushes himself to make enlightened decisions for the upcoming elections while also trying to better understand another person’s thought process—a skill that he credits to his experience as a former math tutor. These experiences have a direct hand in the tolerant and transparent nature of political discussions in the ART. Apart from utilizing social media and attending rallies to support his preferred candidates, Espina and the ART actively engage in open political discourse that promotes informed choices.

“We don’t cast judgment. As a team, we would want to make sure that everyone here is also educated,” Espina shared.

RIPPLING FORTH As the elections draw closer, it is undeniable that these student-athletes see in their

preferred candidates certain values and characteristics that are important to them, such as: compassion,honest, transparency, and accountability.

As such, every Filipino voter is encouraged to do the same and to seek out the candidates that best resonate with their own values, morals, and belief systems—whether that be the candidates these Atenean student-athletes align with or not. In the same way, it is no less integral that voters become familiar with the platforms and programs of all candidates, whether national or local. This comes hand-in-hand with the notion that each voter is in turn pushed to become educated on the issues, controversies, and track records of this election’s candidates—most especially those of their own preferred candidates.

Ultimately, there is no understating the fact that understanding goes a long way when it comes to discourse on these upcoming elections. While different people may disagree on the best candidates, an initiative to understand where each person is coming from could lead to lessons learned for all parties involved.

While the influence of athletes are often confined to the athletic scene, Espina, Crisostomo, and Albert have all proven otherwise—demonstrating the various ways in which athletes can use their influence effectively.

In their quest to utilize their platforms and influence others to make educated decisions for the upcoming elections, the said athletes have undeniably left footprints that lead to a promising future.

Peripheral Vision EDITOR: KIANA R. ALTOVEROS • LAYOUT ARTIST: TIFFANY CU AND JEZZYRAE B. MAGLENTE • READ MORE AT theguidon.com

02

03

04

OUT OF THE WOODS

BAHAY, BUHAY, KASAMBAHAY

THE VIEW FROM THE SOUTH

Deforestation in the Philippines is rooted in both ecological and social activity. The damage wrought by this phenomenon affects both public and private spheres of life.

Despite the existence of the Batas Kasambahay which mandates the legal and social protection of domestic helpers, workers in this industry continue to face various issues tied to precarious labor conditions, social stigma, and abuse.

The 2022 national elections are vital for the Bangsamoro who look to recover from the marked turbulence of the past six years and fight for greater autonomy.

2

Peripheral Vision

Out of the woods

BY ALEXANDRA L. GRANTOZA AND JUSTINE RAMIREZ

THE PHILIPPINES’ standing as one of the most severely deforested countries in the world imperils the nation in more ways than one.

Driven by factors such as land conversion and timber harvesting, logging has spared no more than 25% of the archipelago’s indigenous forest area. This has gravely disturbed the stability crucial to ecosystems’ survival and threatened indigenous communities whose ancestral lands have grown increasingly defaced.

The integration of social and ecological systems entails that environmental decay comes at a humanitarian cost. In turn, this relationship reveals that the solution to the environmental crisis lies in human initiatives.

THE SEESAW EFFECT The dependence on natural resources manifests in various forms of land use. An example of this is the ancestral domains

claimed by Indigenous Peoples (IPs). These domains cover lands, forests, and agricultural areas that IPs access for traditional activities such as hunting and fishing. Additionally, many IPs have homes and social institutions—including healthcare systems—in these areas. Due to the existence of IPs’ land tenure rights and national conservation policies, these lands are recognized as symbols of IPs’ identity and culture.

However, ancestral lands aren’t always protected by policies. For instance, illegal mining done by small-scale miners has affected the Obo Manuvu tribe in Mindanao by breaching their mountains.

Environmental violations committed by oil palm companies in Palawan have also resulted in difficulties for IPs, such as deforestation, erosion of traditional crops, and threats to food security. Rather

[Senate] should be putting money [in reforestation] and making sure it works, rather than saying, ‘It should work’ and pulling [funding] out when it doesn’t.”

ATTY. IPAT LUNA ENVIRONMENTAL LAWYER AND CHIEF OF PARTY INSPIRE PROJECT

than attributing blame for large-scale deforestation to land grabbing agencies and mining enterprises, restrictive policies often place IPs under fire for their ‘slash-and-burn’ practices.

To address issues on private land use and protect IP rights, conservation programs such as the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) campaign and the Land Rights Now campaign were created. These programs were made to highlight how individuals and communities often alternate between being protectors and destroyers, which can either accelerate or decelerate countries’ biodiversity loss rates.

WARNING SIGNS Thus far, humanity’s role in deforestation and biodiversity loss has been largely destructive.

Approximately 30% of the global biodiversity decline is credited to forest conversions on land use, often for agriculture or mining purposes. These developments result in deforestation practices robbing various life forms of their habitats and accelerating biodiversity loss.

The ecological imbalance wrought by biodiversity loss consequently prompts bacteria and pest infestations, noted Mendoza. Forests, in particular, house viruses that can be lethal to humans upon the lack of predators to enforce natural population control. In Brazil alone, a 10% yearly increase in forest loss resulted in a 3% increase in malaria cases. Being considered a megadiverse country, the Philippines’ rapid biodiversity loss is especially prone to causing grave instability in its highly dense ecosystems.

To safeguard forest resources is a daunting task that requires important actors at play.

According to Mendoza, protecting humans from hazardously

exploiting forest resources requires good governance.

“We have cases that have demonstrated [that] although you have a large population that depends on natural resources, if you have an effective government mechanism, [you can] have [a] good co-existence between [the] people and [the] natural resources,” he stated.

SLASHED DEFENSES Effective governance over forest use remains ambitious for the Philippines, given that its forestry code was written nearly five decades ago. Environmental lawyer and Party of the Inspire Project Chief Atty. Ipat Luna remarked that, while the current forestry code has its merits, it largely views forests as an exploitable resource and tolerates unideal logging concessions.

Additionally, Luna noted that Congress’ inability to establish a final scope of forest area hampers the implementation of existing forestry policies.

The legislature has also left reforestation efforts with deficient funding. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) spends 75% of its meager budget on bureaucratic functions, leaving under Php 10 billion for projects. Luna surmised that Senate’s conservative funding for the department is informed by skepticism towards the success of DENR’s endeavors, given the volatility of environmental factors such as typhoons. “[Senate] should be putting money [in reforestation] and making sure it works, rather than saying, ‘It should work’ and pulling [funding] out when it doesn’t,” she said.

For the successful protection of the country’s forests, Luna advised the adoption of a new forestry code that focuses on the sustainable production of wood.

Moreover, she highlighted the importance of adequate funding to encourage the effective

[If] you have a large population that depends on natural resources, [but] an effective government mechanism, [you can] have [a] good co-existence between [the] people and [the] natural resources.”

DEAN MENDOZA DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF FORESTRY AND NATURAL RESOURCES, UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES LOS BAÑOS

enforcement of forestry laws so the primary drivers of deforestation can be properly regulated.

ROOTS OF CHANGE In hoping for change within the government, Luna emphasized the value of political “inspiration” to put environmental justice on the policy agenda. She suggested that advocates explain the environment’s relevance to social realities, given how a purely factual approach to discussing deforestation has since failed in persuading society to care about the issue.

For Mendoza, a community’s will to protect its forests stems from an effective understanding of their importance. He urged that educators teach environmental science outdoors and allow students to witness first-hand how lessons apply to their

surroundings. This, along with the presence of “green spaces” where the youth can foster an affinity to nature, is what creates “intrinsically motivated individuals” who advocate for forest protection.

Those whose lives depend on forests have much to expect from the Philippines after pledges have been made toward reforestation.

This opens the floor for IPs to actively engage the nation in demanding government support in preserving ancestral lands.

With IP groups, environmental advocates around the country await the fruits of the government’s commitments to REDD+ and other climate goals.

These advocates—along with the entire nation—are ready to hold the nation’s newly elected leaders to their word.

ILLUSTRATION BY FRANZ MANLUTAC

The GUIDON | March-April 2022

3

BUHAY-KASAMBAHAY. In the Philippines, Kasambahays constantly face various pressing issues in the country and are lacking the protection and support they deserve from both their employers and the state.

Bahay, buhay, kasambahay

BY FRANCIS CAIGA AND GEORGE D. KHO PHOTO BY JESH QUIAMBAO

Lalo na kung meron kang pamilya, [mga] anak, pinapakain, pinapaaral … tinitiis kasi kailangan nila ng trabaho.

RONAHLEE ASUNCION PHD. DEAN, UP SOLAIR

UNDER M AN Y Fi l ipi no households are domestic workers or kasambahays who maintain these very homes. Despite their crucial role and prevalence in Filipino society, the sector is still plagued with various issues such as abuse, labor exploitation, and social stigma.

While there is legislation that seeks to address these problems, it has yet to see proper enforcement and budgeting from the government. Moreover, col lectively organizing kasambahays into realizing their rights as workers remains a daunting task given the social and cultural obstacles inherent in their work.

PRECARIOUS HELPING HANDS Filipino domestic work can be traced back to the precolonial era with the existence of householders or aliping na ma ma hay. T hese work arrangements were often bound by oral agreements and reflective of the past social hierarchy.

Though today’s general work setups have become more formal, the nature of domestic work has remained both precarious and informal—serving as an easy job alternative for Filipinos without any formal training or education. University of the Philippines School of Labor and Industrial Relations Dean Ronahlee Asuncion, PhD points to socioeconomic inequalities and poverty as some of the major drivers of this industry.

This notion of domestic work as an informal industry is what

keeps kasambahays under poor work conditions, according to Asuncion. For instance, employers often do not draft contracts with their domestic workers, relying instead on oral agreements. The lack of a work contract also deprives kasambahays of legal protection and social benefits such as Social Security System (SSS), Pag-IBIG, and PhilHealth insurance, among others.

Moreover, Asuncion argued that kasambahays are often unaware of their rights as workers or do not even acknowledge themselves as domestic workers because of the social stigma on their work. All these lead to an environment that leaves most workers vulnerable.

Apart from poor labor conditions, kasambahays often endure verbal, physical, and even sexual abuse that plagues this type of work. “Lalo na kung meron kang pamilya, [mga] anak, pinapakain, pinapa-aral …tinitiis kasi kailangan nila ng trabaho (Especially if you have a family [and] children to feed and send to school, you endure it all because you need the job),” Asuncion stressed. Thus, kasambahays are often caught in the tension between earning for their families and accepting poor work conditions—forcing them to put up with vulnerabilities and abuse.

SAFEGUARDING DOMESTIC WORKERS’ RIGHTS As legislators realized how kasambahays are prone to abuse, they passed Republic Act 10361 or

Batas Kasambahay outside of the Labor Code in 2012. However, a decade after its enactment, the law’s implementation has left much to be desired.

According to United Domestic Workers of the Philippines President Novelita Palisoc, most employers have been left unchecked from their negligence to fully shoulder their domestic workers’ social benefits as required by law. As a result, domestic workers have needed to file for self-employment under the SSS. Accountability also remains to be exacted whenever employers merely cover half of the expenses of their employees’ benefits— even though it should be in full— or when they give such benefits via direct cash inconsistently.

Most of these problems have been left unresolved due to great lapses at the barangay level— one of the focal implementers of the Batas Kasambahay due to its proximity to households.

“Hindi siya nangyayari kasi ang katwiran ng mga ibang barangay wala kasing ‘ngipin ang batas’ sabi nila (The law is not being implemented well because barangays argue that their units have no power),” Palisoc emphasized.

To this claim, Asuncion added that implementing the law is difficult because court orders are needed before entering private households.

WHAT THEY DESERVE, WHAT THEY NEED Beyond addressing the issues surrounding the Batas

Kasambahay’s enforcement, A suncion explained that information campaigns and capacity training with concerne stakeholders remain lacking. This is further compounded by the lack of properly allocated budget for these complementing programs, which should be reconsidered by future government officials, noted Asuncion.

Meanwhile, Palisoc hopes that lawmakers will soon amend the Batas Kasambahay, notably to define live-in and live-out arrangements. Domestic workers on a live-in arrangement are covered by the law since they reside at the home of their employers; in contrast, those on a live-out setup are not. This circumstance, Palisoc said, has helped employers circumvent the law, as they have been hiring more employees on live-out arrangements to avoid paying social benefits.

T hese a re but some of the prevailing issues which domestic workers continue to face, more so at a time great political activity. With the 2022 elections fast approaching, voting for the right executive and legislative candidates will be key to resolve and represent the needs of kasambahays.

Ultimately, having a partner in government would help in initiating dialogues among legislators, implementers such as local government officials, and kasambahays, rendering the possibility for changes in the domestic workers’ community more plausible than ever before.

“

Thus, kasambahays are often caught between the tension of needing jobs and having to accept poor work conditions— forcing them to endure vulnerabilities and abuse.

4

Peripheral Vision

The view from the south WRITTEN BY PIOEE B. BASSIG AND DERYN VENTILACION FILE PHOTOS BY ZACH G. GARCIA, JASON MARIANO, AND ALDO SANTIAGO

LEFT IN UNCERTAINTY. Despite continuous promises to restore and rebuild conflict-stricken areas of Mindanao, a sense of healing has yet to be felt across the entire region even as President Rodrigo Duterte’s term comes to an end.

FOR THE Bangsamoro people, the 2016 national elections signaled hope—marking the first time a president-elect hailed from Mindanao. Amid deep cultural differences, President Rodrigo Duterte won all regions in the island, including the now defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. To decisively win, Duterte situated himself as one of the Moros, frequently emphasizing his Maranao blood and highlighting Muslim Mindanao’s plight in his campaign speeches.

In the following years, the authenticity of Duterte’s image has been called into question.

Under his term, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has made strides in self-governance. Yet it has also withstood gross injustices, from the violence during Duterte’s Martial Law to the sluggish rehabilitation of Marawi City.

Left wanting, the Bangsamoro see the 2022 polls as their best chance to elect leaders who are willing to prioritize the Moro agenda and demand a c c ou nt a bi l it y for t he strongman’s legacy.

THE DUTERTE DISRUPTION The Duterte victory in 2016 is rooted in a promise to break free from the post-EDSA regime under which the Bangsamoro’s right to self-determination was inhibited. As such, Duterte’s signing of the Bangsamoro

Organic Law (BOL) in 2018 was a crucial first step in empowering the Moro community.

BARMM’s first three years saw material progress, such as a 16.5% decrease in poverty and a series of needed governance reforms, such as channeling subsidies to municipalities that had not been receiving state funding. Still, Suara Bangsamoro Spokesperson and human rights defender Amirah Ali Lidasan of the Iranun argued that Duterte’s legacy in BARMM must be assessed based on considerations beyond the BOL. She instead discussed how Duterte has failed to rebuild Marawi City after the 2017 siege. Lidasan stressed that images of markets, mosques, and a stadium boasted by the administration belie the state of Marawi’s displaced residents. “...most of the things that they have rehabilitated— walang impact sa mga tao kasi they cannot go back to their community,” she remarked.

Despite Task Force Bangon Marawi’s projections that the rehabilitation will be “90 to 95%” completed in June, no houses have been rebuilt on ground zero.

Most of the residents displaced by the 2017 siege will still be unable to return home by then.

The Marawi Compensation Bill—which would entitle residents in affected areas to tax-free monetary compensation for residential, cultural or commercial property—was only signed into law on April 27.

EVERYTHING AT STAKE In an effort to recover from the challenges under the Duterte administration, Lidasan described the 2022 polls as a pivotal point for BARMM as the future of the Moro people hangs in the balance. This election season has seen more Moro leaders than usual running for national posts: Faisal Mangondato for President, Samira Gutoc for senator, and the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) as the political party of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“Mas marami ngayon ang nakakita na (More people now realize that) they could give [a] voice [to the Moro agenda] by participating,” said Lidasan.

Unlike in 2016, the region seems divided in its choice for President as no one candidate enjoys a “solid south” voter base.

Incumbent Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte predicted that her running mate, Presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., will capture 70 to 80% of Mindanao votes.

Currently, a March Pulse Asia survey puts Marcos Jr. in the lead by 62% in Mindanao. Lidasan found this perplexing given Marcos Jr.’s dismissal of the need to prioritize Marawi’s recovery and his refusal to recognize the atrocities his father and dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. committed against the Moros during Martial Law. Meanwhile, other Presidential candidates have garnered local support and vowed to fast-track

rehabilitation efforts. This unpredictability, coupled with the hope of representation, underscore the importance of the upcoming elections for BARMM. BARMM IN MIND There is no disputing BARMM’s relevance in the 2022 elections given Marawi’s slow rehabilitation and the siege’s implications for terrorism legislation. With a history of cultural and religious discrimination at the hands of State forces, Lidasan called for the protection of Moro rights as part of the 2022 Moro agenda.

Ultimately, Lidasan noted that Duterte’s failings have struck a more personal chord precisely because he situated himself among and with the Moro. “Nagiging legacy niya sa Moro people is ‘yung pag-attack o pagiging traitor niya sa sinasabi niyang nirerepresent niyang people (His legacy to the Moro people are his attacks on and betrayal of the people he claims to represent),” lamented Lidasan.

In the May 9 elections, Lidasan encouraged voters to cast a protest vote against the injustices of the Duterte administration.

She also noted that this year’s elections are reminiscent of the 1986 and 2016 elections where voters protested against an unjust administration. As such, it is imperative that Filipinos stand in solidarity with the Moro people to correct Duterte’s failed legacy and safeguard BARMM’s future.

Dinnertime Politics EDITOR: AISHA C. SAID • LAYOUT ARTIST: GERALD LOIS M. ROLDAN • READ MORE AT theguidon.com

02

03

04

THE BASHFUL BIRTHRIGHT

CANNOT BE REACHED

FIRST-TIME JITTERS

As the elections continue to shine the light on candidates, the role of those who “inherit” the spotlight must be shown.

Amid the battle against deception in truth-telling, the community of Laiban is left in the dark without access to information from the rest of the country.

Voting for the first time can be daunting, but once people properly cast their votes, change will be within their reach.

2

Dinnertime Politics

OUTLOOKED. As children of politicians, it is expected for one to speak, act and navigate their lives and actions especially when the society keeps its eyes on them.

The bashful birthright

BY GAB APLASCA AND JACOB TAMBUNTING GRAPHIC BY ALEXIS WANG

THE CLOSE-KNIT ties that reside within Filipino homes manifest in various forms, including the strong valuing of family intervention, threegeneration homes, and principles such as utang na loob and pakikisama (debt of gratitude and fellowship). However, a full appreciation of Filipino family culture requires recognizing the emphasis on passing torches down each generation— involving properties, traditions, and obligations.

With the prevalence of political dynasties in the country, it would not be daft to infer that power is one such torch for families involved in government.

In a collectivist society that firmly believes apples shouldn’t fall far from the tree, it’s easy to pigeonhole politicians’ relatives with their more influential kin without considering that they may hold separate political views.

With the campaigning season for the forthcoming elections well underway, individuals reveal their impressions of life with powerful folks.

SPARK IN THEIR HEADS Life as part of a politically inf luential family comes with its own conveniences, but it can also be riddled with discordance.

Theo*, the son of two municipal officials and brother to a gover nment hopef ul, wa s initially unaware of his unique familial privileges. “I always saw it as normal because I didn’t know anything other than that life. I thought every other kid was going to the parties with these old, important people,” he shares.

Likewise, heiress to a line of national politicians Ella* shared Theo’s detachment to reality in her youth, growing up not fully understanding the gravity of the

numerous political gatherings she accompanied her family to.

As they matured, both Ella and Theo learned to better grasp their own privileged statuses and their kin’s authority beyond their roofs. For Theo, taking sociology classes and noticing the perks his parents’ positions afforded him– such as being able to skip long queues and run red lights–were enough to make him conscious of his family’s above-average stature. In Ella’s case, it was seeing her relatives on the news that prompted the realization.

Unfortunately, a greater awareness of their families’ situations introduced a sense of guilt into Theo and Ella’s lives.

Theo expresses feeling ashamed whenever his parents would use their name and connections to escape uncomfor t able situations. “It’s hard because I want to be equal with other people,” he remarks.

E l l a a l s o f r e q u e nt l y contemplates an inconspicuous life, though her remorse toward her family’s political involvement goes beyond simply being advantaged. Rather, it extends to the perceived dishonesty and wrongdoing in her relatives’ ways.

“I would often question what we had in life—where did I think they would get the money for [things], and I feel bad living a good life, knowing how they got the funds for [our luxuries],” she laments. Hence, Ella expresses a bitter distaste for political dynasties despite being in one herself, frustrated at her family’s perpetual recycling of platforms never to be pursued.

The disjunct between Ella’s principles and her relatives’ decisions fuels her desire to dissociate. “I’m not even proud of calling them family members.

I don’t even want to be seen with them,” she comments.

I would often question what we had in life— where did I think they would get the money for [things], and I feel bad living a good life, knowing how they got the funds for [our luxuries].

ELLA POLITICAL DYNASTY HEIRESS

On the other hand, Theo does not feel restrained by the weight his family name carries: “I always saw myself as separated from my family’s image. I don’t care who people think I am because I know who I am.”

Theo and Ella possess a common desire for genuine and righteous leaders in the country, even though it puts them at odds with their influential relatives. “I want people in the government to serve the public, but they treat the public like [their] servants.

We need a government that’s for the people,” Theo points out.

INCREASING FRICTION Besides the moral dissonance that politicians’ children go through, there exist other struggles that come with the inherited position. Theo notes how the pressure to keep up his family’s image puts career expectations on him to go into law or medicine.

However, Theo describes having a distant relationship with his family, who he only sees during mealtimes. “Especially during election period, they would never be at home so I grew up closer to my siblings and the katulongs [household helpers] in my house,” he recalls.

On the other hand, Ella feels that interactions with her political parent’s side are generally toxic. For the sake of their family’s image, she recalls instances of asking their approval before deciding what to wear and what to eat.

Ella also shares how her family’s politics follows her to school. “In [people’s] minds, politicians can do a lot of things.

Even if I’m just in school trying to learn, [they] are scared to approach me,” she says. She notes how this weariness and similar special treatment is what she’s

trying to avoid as she wants to “be like everyone else.”

Beyond this, she describes how family gatherings pressure her to “put on a smile” and how this caused her anxiety in expressing her own opinions. “I think my own beliefs would make the family hate me, so I’d rather not tell them something they’re not willing to accept,” she points out, leading her to maintain a distance from politics to find a sense of peace.

MANAGING THE FLAME Whether it be recognizing morals or setting boundaries, reconciling a situation that is beyond one’s complete control is a tall task for anyone to bear.

“I got tired of following [my father]. You feel you need to show up and contribute to the family… that ruined a lot of good relationships that could have been there,” Ella explains. Due to this immense burden, she feels they lost their family bond.

During overwhelming political events, she shares how she would go to the washroom in order to calm herself down. She elaborates, “It’s not as easy as just smiling to cameras and smiling to gatherings. It is also the pressure that you have to do something, that you have to contribute to the family.”

Theo feels generally weary, yet indifferent to his family’s situation. He attributes this to his stoic nature and how, at the end of the day, he knows his family members are good people.

However, Theo emphasizes that forging who he is outside his family has been crucial in reconciling with his situation: “I try to make an identity for myself outside of my family. I want to be known more than that politician's kid. I am way more than that.”

The GUIDON | March-April 2022

3

Cannot be reached

BY GABRIELLE CHRISTINA A. CORTES AND RYAN SUAREZ ILLUSTRATION BY DANNI NATIVIDAD SITUATED NINE rivers past the main highway, the people of Barangay Laiban in Tanay, Rizal have spent the last five decades off the power grid. While 95.63% of the Philippine population has access to electricity, the residents of Laiban are left behind as the minority—disconnected from a stable electrical grid with unstable mobile coverage.

In an age where electricity is a basic need, this deprivation keeps Laiban in the dark, magnifying their lack of access to reliable media channels as the 2022 national elections draw near.

LIFE UNPLUGGED The residents of Laiban have been dependent on a single diesel generator for the longest time. However, they struggle with maximizing the generator for electricity due to the heavy costs of its operation and maintenance.

Ernie*, who has been working in Laiban for almost two years, also notes that the machine is prone to damages especially when used constantly. The community thus decided to use the generator only from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. For cheaper alternatives, households usually depend on gasoline lamps to softly illuminate the dark night.

From the eyes of policymakers, barangays such as Laiban have not necessarily been ignored.

Policies such as the National Electrification Administration

Reform Act of 2013 mandate the provision of sustainable electricity in rural areas.

However, the community of Laiban has yet to feel the effects of this law. Ernie laments that it might be logistically impossible for electric power distribution companies such as Meralco to connect them to the power grid.

L i k e w i s e , t he i r lo c a l government unit (LGU) lacks the budget to readily respond to their needs. “Malaking pera po talaga magagastos kaya hindi po kaya ng LGU. ‘Yung kalsada nga po ‘di pa nila mapagawa, e kuryente [pa] po (The LGU can’t handle it because they’ll need to spend so much money. They can’t even have the broken road fixed yet, what more provide electricity),” Ernie elucidates.

In hopes of alleviating the concerns of the community, various organizations have provided solar panels for 150 households over the pandemic.

Ernie adds that these panels are able to supply electricity that powers lights and enables cell phone charging. The larger installations are also sufficient for refrigerators and televisions.

Despite the efforts of these non-profit organizations to supply renewable and sustainable energy in the community, mobile coverage and broadcast signals remain erratic. Ernie and other residents of Laiban have to travel to a riverside spot they call signalan to send a text or use mobile data. Although the

Sa komunidad naman namin, sana mas mapakinggan ‘yung mga kailangan namin (We hope that our needs as a community become more heard) ERNIE LAIBAN COMMUNITY RESIDENT

area is only a brief walk away, the residents become easily vulnerable to the risks brought by weather conditions such as extremely hot days or harsh rain showers.

These concerns spell a greater disparity between the community and more considerably developed areas that may pose deeper implications. “Nakakaapekto rin ‘yung kawalan ng signal sa pagaccess ng impormasyon sa Internet (The lack of signal affects our access to information on the Internet too),” Ernie laments.

IN THE DARK With insufficient reception for TV, radio, and mobile coverage, constituents like Ernie are largely isolated from access to reliable information. “[Kahit diyaryo,] hindi po uso dito.

Mahirap po talaga ang pagkuha ng impormasyon (Even newspapers are not distributed here.

Accessing information really is difficult),” Ernie says.

The information gap that afflicts the community poses a risk to further disinformation, as town gossip and hearsay become the primary source for news and election

updates. T hese stor ies— susceptible to distortion—are what reaches the rest of the community, and they have no way of verifying or exploring the facts further.

Aside from the stories they hear when they travel outside Laiban, the community also gains updates through the occasional local and provincial candidates that campaign in their area. On these rare instances, the candidates’ promises of providing solar power and flashlights shine a thin sliver of hope for Laiban.

However, the community’s enduring concern on signal and mobile coverage have yet to be addressed as political candidates rarely return after a single visit.

The scarcity of information p o s e s wor r ie s for t he community’s youth voters, of which numerous will participate in their first elections. “Sa tingin ko nga hindi po sapat ‘yung impormasyong nakukuha nila para makapagdesisyon sa pagboto (I think the information that the youth gets is not enough for them to decide on who to vote for),” Ernie says.

Despite the hurdles they have encountered, Ernie and the community continue to prepare for the coming elections. Their two precincts will utilize classrooms in their elementary school, and the LGU is set to supply a generator to power the voting machines.

EMPOWERED Mov ing for ward, Er nie maintains his high hopes for the leaders of tomorrow. In evaluating candidates, he and his colleagues believe in competence and ability backed by action.

“Basehan po namin ay ‘yung may kakayanang mamuno sa ating bansa. ‘Yung pagkakaroon ng malawak na karanasan bilang isang leader, isang kongkretong pagpapakita ng kakayanan nila,” Ernie declares.

(Our basis is someone who is skilled in leading our country.

One concrete manifestation of their skill can be seen in having an extensive leadership experience).

On behalf of the community, Ernie also wishes that the elected leaders heed their concerns and address the advocacies that the people of Laiban fight for. “Nakikiisa ako sa mga nagra-rally na teachers

at nagsasabi ng mga kahilingan nila dahil ‘yun din po kahilingan namin. Sa komunidad naman namin, sana mas mapakinggan ‘yung mga kailangan namin (I am one with the teachers who rally for the changes they want because those are also our wishes. We also hope that our needs as a community become more heard),” he states.

Largely isolated from the dig it a l spheres of socia l media and information, the experiences of individuals in communities such as Laiban emphasize the need to amplify the voices of sidelined groups and far-f lung areas. T he urgency of proper development and equitable change persist, especially during a period where access to reliable and accurate information can make or break the nation. *Editor’s note: The name of the interviewee has been changed at his request in order to protect his identity and privacy.

4

Dinnertime Politics

First-time jitters

BY REIGN IRIS CENTENO AND EALA NOLASCO ILLUSTRATION BY JAYCOB BUSTAMANTE

WITH OVER four million newly registered voters from the 18 to 21 age bracket, it is often noted that the “youth vote” will be critical in the May 2022 elections. However, the hope placed on this sector may not be predictive of the actual election turnout if done without caution.

Voting is a democratic right and a responsibility to be acted upon based on substantial decision-making, but voting for the first time may be an entirely different experience. Without proper platforms to educate oneself and practices to keep one’s information diverse and fact-checked, shading the ballot can be anxiety-inducing at best.

CITIZENS’ CALL Newly registered voter Ofelia Gasangue (1 AB MEC) defines voting as an “exercise of our suffrage.” Gasangue adds that is the act of choosing competent public servant leaders to serve the country and its citizens.

Due to the foreseeable impact of this year’s elections, several young Filipinos have taken the driver’s seat to campaign and become politically involved both offline and online. In line with this, first-time Atenean voter Lancelot Batara (1 AB MEC) shares how the awareness of the stakes held by the upcoming 2022 government has prompted him to register.

“As an advocate of progressive development in our country, I can show this by registering myself as a voter, because as a voter I have the right and power to choose our next leader, ” Batara elaborates.

For others—despite eligibility— the capacity to vote has been stalled by recurrent logistical factors such as scarce voter

registration facilities alongside other personal commitments. For instance, Jacob Publico (4 AB IS) shares that he has been eligible to vote since the last election period but only registered as a voter this year.

What helped change his perspective is his exposure to the Ateneo community where the importance of voting is instilled in students. “Most of our professors would always mention that ‘voting is more than the right; it's the political responsibility of every Filipino.’

So I carried that little burden inside of me… When the political events unfolded in our country, I kind of felt that I should use my right to uphold what is good,” he recalls.

Registering to vote, however, is only one of the many ways to uphold what is good. For Publico, it was only the beginning of his commitment to volunteering in his local government unit. As an active volunteer, Publico notes that not everyone has the same access, political exposure, and experience he has.

Similar to casting one’s vote, campaigning for an opposition party against a long-standing political dynasty in one’s LGU comes with many challenges and threats. Nonetheless, he shares continuing organizing events, spearheading on-theground and online campaigns, and rallying his party.

T he yout h i ne v it a bly constitute a huge portion of this year’s election. In a generation that is internet-reliant for news and communication, many people are in fret about the youth decision as social media platforms are loaded with disinformation. However, combatting and counteracting

these threats are not impossible when done collectively.

BREAKING THE BUBBLE Amid a political climate riddled with vote-buying, trolling, and suspected large-scale electoral manipulation, the most trivial challenge for any voter is keeping themselves informed.

Furthermore, first-time voters with their own political biases may overlook one key aspect on the spectrum of electoral mishaps—echo chambers.

For some new voters who firmly support a particular slate

platforms and track-records.

Afterwards, he recommends doing data triangulation, where one compares sources to several others for credibility purposes.

Complementing personal initiative to inform oneself and fact-check, institutions such as universities have continually equipped students for the coming elections. Ultimately, Publico remarks that there could be more efforts placed into diversifying interactions and perspectives on the ground. He believes it’s important not to alienate differing

crucial. Batara notes that the youth’s willingness to register despite the tedious processes is a bold statement in itself.

Despite the weight of the duty to vote, the power and grit of the Filipino youth continuously flow through various youth-led initiatives designed to inform the general public on how to do it wisely.

“You have to keep an open mind [and] know your choices, but you also have to know yourself well enough and the people around you.

So, think not just for yourself, but

have the capacity don’t just settle for voting, but also participate.”

More so, with the internet’s cauldron of misinformation and the rise of echo chambers amid the backdrop of electoral manipulation, one might be tempted to withdraw their vote altogether. However, it’s important that youth voters do not lose hope.

Registering to vote is only the beginning. First-time voters like Gasangue, Batara, and Publico prove that true change starts with acknowledging the power that a single shade holds. The

You have to keep an open mind, you have to know your choices, but you also have to know yourself well enough and the people around you. So, think not just for yourself, but for the people OFELIA GASANGUE 1 AB MEC or candidate, there may be an internal refusal to acknowledge the differing party. To this, Publico advocates genuinely engaging across different ends of the political spectrum to escape the unhealthy echo chamber.

As for actually exercising one’s right to vote despite its perceived “obsolete” capacity, Publico encourages practicing the feat of vote filtering, which is the act of researching the candidates’

camps as discursive engagements are necessary to progress forward.

A SHADE FOR CHANGE Bearing the responsibility of voting can be nerve-wracking considering the current state of the Philippine administration that is filled with political threats against activists and the restriction of press freedom comparable to a dystopian milieu. That is why the mere act of registering to vote is

for the people,” Gasangue remarks.

To ease feelings of anxiousness with regards to one’s voting preferences, rightful preparations are necessary. It is imperative to know one’s goal in voting in order to make a wise decision.

Gasangue suggests that one of the most important things to do in this election is to amplify—not just our own voices, but also the voices of the marginalized. To this, Publico adds: “As a first-time voter myself...if you

change continues when one’s vote is translated into action— be it through volunteerism in both local and national scales, or challenging misinformation, electoral myths, and echo chambers.

Ultimately, though change cannot happen overnight; it must begin somewhere. The upcoming 2022 elections is only one part of the process that must begin with youth voters right now.