The GUIDON - August-September 2022 Martial Law Special

LS continues battle against historical distortion 50 years after martial law declaration

BY JUAMI AIZPURU AND ELOIZA MARIANO

IN COMMEMORATION of the 50th anniversary of Martial Law on September 23, the Loyola Schools (LS) community has prepared a battery of initiatives to combat historical distortion.

Beginning the University’s period of commemoration, the Ateneo Martial Law Museum’s (AMLM) Junior Fellows, the official student arm of the AMLM, will host a ceremony entitled “Martial Law @50: The Ateneo Remembers” on September 19 at the Leong Hall Auditorium. The event will feature keynote speakers such as Senator Risa Hontiveros (AB SOS ‘87).

Community Engagement

Head and AMLM’s Junior Fellow Kara Angan confirmed that from September 19 until October, the AMLM will open to the LS community and the general public an event commemorating the 50th

anniversary of Marcos’ declaration of Martial Law. This is all in line with their larger goal: to turn the campus into a “living museum” for what has been dubbed as one of the “darkest chapters” of Philippine history.

BEYOND THE DIGITAL MUSEUM

Following Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in 2016, the AMLM was launched as a digital museum to combat the widespread miseducation regarding the Martial Law period.

In line with its thrust, the AMLM held an online assembly last July 23 to invite different student organizations, offices, and departments in the University to organize their own activities for the upcoming 50th anniversary.

During the assembly, Angan mentioned that the Ateneo Art Gallery and AMLM will be releasing a series of video interviews that chronicle the untold stories of Martial Law victims and activists— accounts bolstered by experts’ insights. The AAG released the first video, “Remembering Martial Law: Butch Abad in conversation with Ryan Magno,” on their YouTube page last June 30.

The series was produced in conjunction with other pieces of art that commemorated the 50th year anniversary of Martial Law. This included the exhibition “Pio Abad: Fear of Freedom Makes Us See Ghosts” at the Ateneo Art Gallery (AAG) last April 19 to July 30.

Informing these initiatives—as well as all the other upcoming ones—are the three pillar thrusts of the AMLM: mag-aral (study), magturo (teach), and manindigan (make a stand).

Mag-aral points to the digital library on the AMLM’s website, which is divided into four sections: “Beginnings of ML,” “ML in the PH,” “End of ML,” and “Lessons from ML.” The second pillar, magturo, refers to the Martial Law resources made available to researchers and educators for the creation of their teaching modules. Lastly, manindigan pertains to the additional lectures, art pieces, infographics, and other materials sponsored by the AMLM.

REVISITING THE PAST

Along with the AMLM, the LS community has also begun planning their own activities for

the upcoming 50th anniversary of Martial Law. According to Asian Center for Journalism (ACFJ) Director Luz R. Rimban, the Communication Department’s ACFJ and Eugenio Lopez Junior Multimedia Center have partnered together for an interview series to commemorate student activism during Martial Law.

This series revisits the antiMarcos struggle of Ateneo Batch 1972 when Martial Law was declared. Speakers include the socio-political “Down from the Hill” manifesto authors Jose Luis A. Alcuaz, Gerardo J. Esguerra, Emmanuel A. F. Lacaba, Leonardo Q. Montemayor, and Alfredo N. Salanga, as well as other former student activists.

Aside from the alumni initiative, the Sanggunian Commission of Socio-Political Development (CSPD) Commissioners Arianne Villareal and Gabrielle Bernardo shared that their commission will also collaborate with the AMLM for student-led activities. In particular, they will stage live reenactments of scenes from Martial Law on university grounds.

In addition, Villareal and Bernardo said that the CSPD contacted various organizations such as the Ateneo Blue Rep, the Ateneo Musicians’ Pool, Matanglawin, and Heights. Together, they hope to host information campaigns, film viewings, and fashion shows. Notably, a plan is underway to host a forum aimed at debunking the myths surrounding Martial Law.

To fully develop these plans, the CSPD expressed that they will still have to hold meetings with the Council of Organizations of the Ateneo-Manila (COA-M) and other political organizations.

Moreover, COA-M President Nina San Andres also mentioned that their council will conduct a talk on student leadership and activism during the Martial Law period. They will also launch a social media campaign called “Martial Law @ 50: The Aftermath” with the Ateneo Junior Marketing Association.

Additionally, the Ateneo Musicians’ Pool will host a talk called “Music of Martial Law,” while Ateneo Entablado prepared a mural presentation and street performance entitled “Mulat Aral.”

As of writing, the League of Independent Organizations (LIONS) Coordinator Alex Derpo said that their league is in the process of concretizing its plans for the upcoming commemoration.

DESCENDING THE HILL

In recent years, student organizations within and beyond the Ateneo have played an indispensable role in combating the crisis of historical distortion. In this regard, San Andres recalled that the Council has always been committed to sociopolitical discourse and action and has also supported their organizations to do the same.

“As we are thrusted into these uncertain times where we find our truth to be at risk [...] we are

called to speak up and take a stand, utilizing the different platforms that we have [...] to respond to these challenges brought by the current political context,” she said.

In a similar vein, the CSPD expressed their hope that their initiatives spark conversations to safeguard history from distortion.

“Remember why we are Ateneans. Go back, remember, reflect, and look beyond. [...] We shouldn’t even be ‘on the hill.’

[...] If we are the ones saying that we’re on the top, then we are the ones who are blind to reality. [...] We are the ones splitting ourselves there,” Bernardo said.

DEFEND THE TRUTH

THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY

PHOTO BY RICCI V. PAGARIGAN

LS implements, refines policies for fully onsitereopening after two years online

BY ZOEY C. ATILLO

AFTER TWO years under the fully online setup, the Loyola Schools (LS) has begun conducting fully onsite classes for the first semester of AY 2022–2023.

According to the VPLS’ memorandum, the LS is now offering two other modalities for learning aside from the fully onsite mode: flex and fully online. Both onsite and flex modes offer face-to-face classes for students, while online

learning exclusively occurs on platforms such as Canvas and Zoom.

Given that all modalities still use online components for announcements and other learning materials, Office of Management Information Systems (OMIS) Director James Gregorio assures students that additional Wi-Fi routers will be delivered to the University by October to improve on-campus connectivity. Additionally,

more classrooms will be equipped with Wi-Fi coverage by the second semester.

As students now surge to campus for their classes, Office of Health Services (OHS) Director Henrietta de la Cruz, PhD also shares that the OHS is on alert for monkeypox concerns amid emerging cases in the Philippines.

TRANSITIONING TO A NEW SETUP

Among the three modalities now offered to students, Vice President for the Loyola Schools (VPLS) Maria Luz Vilches, PhD explained that the default mode of classes would be the face-toface set-up as LS classes are designed in the onsite mode by default pre-pandemic.

“While there is value in online classes, there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction among students and teachers. That kind of interaction is part of learning,” Vilches said.

consulted with the Office of Facilities and Sustainability and the Ateneo de Manila University Institute for the Science and Art of Learning and Teaching for the purchase of such gadgets according to audibility and visuals.

Given the broad need for Wi-Fi on campus, Gregorio assured that the PLDTConvergent Technologies Center (PLDT-CTC) Building, the Matteo Ricci Study Hall, the New Rizal Library, and the Old Rizal Library deliver full Wi-Fi coverage following the recent Wi-Fi expansion plan. Moreover, certain rooms in Bellarmine Hall were designated for online class using the available Wi-Fi routers.

Amid concerns on lagging Wi-Fi connectivity on campus, Gregorio added that the University will receive additional Wi-Fi routers by October, with the goal of equipping even more classrooms with Wi-Fi coverage before the second semester.

She added that the purchase of necessary gadgets using the University’s budget was another challenge. Ultimately, the administration needed to be “judicious,” and the gadgets that they bought needed to be practical and functional for both students and teachers.

On the other hand, School of Science and Engineering Representative Andrei Narciso added that students raised their own concerns in transitioning to fully onsite classes. Via the Sabihin sa Sanggu platform, they requested assistance for issues such as WiFi connectivity, which were then forwarded to concerned offices like OMIS.

ADDRESSING HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCERNS

As students surge towards campus for their classes, de la Cruz also reinforced the need to abide by health protocols.

such as mask-wearing and physical distancing.

Moving forward, she explained that the office hopes to improve its services by expanding existing programs, increasing the collaborative nature of health and wellness education, and creating opportunities to share these efforts with other schools and health services.

“The important aspect of Ignatian schools is caring for one another as a community. In enforcing these policies, we don’t police people. We don’t persecute people. [...] we want students to develop that concern for others,” de la Cruz said.

MARIA LUZ VILCHES,

With students now taking classes in novel setups, the LS also transformed its classrooms, particularly equipping flex classrooms with microphones, speakers, and cameras for blended courses. Aside from OMIS, Vilches explained that the administration also

Despite these welcomed academic developments into the new normal, Vilches noted coordination among offices and consultations for consensusbuilding was the major challenge the LS encountered due to time constraints and issue resolutions.

Currently, the OHS utilizes the LS’ Blue Pass system for medical concerns like contracttracing, student health record-keeping, and online consultations. Moreover, amid looming threats of other virus outbreaks, De la Cruz added that the OHS remains on alert for monkeypox concerns by implementing universal preventive precautions

Overall, as such changes and transitions take place, Vilches said that the administration would continue to get feedback from teachers and students from administrative reports and University surveys to gauge the LS’ community concerns.

“Learning is a two-day dynamic between teachers and students. We are trying our best to provide the necessary conditions for this dynamic. [...] We shall continue to provide the necessary classroom gadgets for teaching and learning,” Vilches said.

LS to offer transportation, railway engineering courses in AY 2022-2023

BY ENZO BELLO AND ELOIZA MARIANO PHOTOS BY JHANINE CAOILE

IN AN effort to progress railway education in the Loyola Schools (LS), the School of Science and Engineering (SOSE) partnered with the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) to offer three new elective courses: Transportation and Society, Principles of Railway Transportation, and Railway Management and Engineering.

LS Electronics, Computer, and Communications Engineering (ECCE) Department Officer-inCharge Gian Paolo T. Mayuga, PhD, confirmed that the new courses will be handled under ECCE and conducted onsite.

In addition to the three current ECCEtracks—Electronics, Computers, and Communications—Railway Engineering may also be added as a track for ECCE students in AY 2023–2024.

Engineer Robert Peña, part of the ECCE Department’s team-in-charge of planning, expounded that these courses are part of a minor degree program proposal that is currently being drafted for students majoring in the physical sciences and engineering. Additionally, the LRMC may host and offer a fivemonth onsite internship program classified as on-the-job training (OJT) for these students.

MANNING THE STATIONS

Expounding on the courses, Peña explained that the first course Transportation and Society will be an Interdisciplinary Elective (IE) course that provides a general approach to railway engineering. This will be open to any student who has taken Science, Technology, & Society 10 (STS 10).

Another IE, Principles of Railway Transportation, will be exclusively offered to physical sciences and engineering majors. Meanwhile, Railway Management and Engineering will be offered as a major elective for ECCE students taking the railway engineering track.

Discussions to bring these courses to the Ateneo initially began in 2019, when the LRMC contacted the Ateneo through Ateneo alumnus Manny V. Pangilinan and his group of companies. Then-SOSE Dean Evangeline Bautista, PhD, and current LRMC President Juan Alfonso initially intended to create a minor program for railway engineering into the school.

Guerrero, successor to Bautista, elaborated that the pandemic suspended these conversations, which were then revisited last September 2021 as quarantine restrictions eased.

“Given the impact of the pandemic on the economy, both parties, Ateneo and LRMC, decided to take it a bit slower in terms of working together in developing academic programs,” Guerrero explained.

Following the project’s revival, the ECCE Department started planning the courses by the end of the second semester in AY 2021–2022. They collaborated with the LRMC’s administrators and engineers in drafting the proposal and content started during the intersession term of AY 2022–2023.

“It’s essential that we work together to share resources, to solve problems, and just build the nation through collaboration,” Guerrero emphasized.

LEVELING THE ROCKY TERRAIN

Despite these developments, Guerrero cited that the main limitation encountered was the ECCE’s lack of faculty members trained in mechanical engineering and transportation. However, he clarified that the ECCE faculty members are eagerly collaborating with LRMC engineers, who may also serve as guest lecturers in the classes, on the course content and teaching.

In addition, Guerrero mentioned that there were differences in timetables while working with the private sector, highlighting the sector’s relative fast pacing. However, Guerrero clarifies that this concern did not pose a significant problem in developing the courses and is thankful for LRMC’s steadfast cooperation.

When asked about budgeting and the usage of facilities, Guerrero said that SOSE is still in discussions with the LRMC with regards to the necessary budgets and training that students may undergo in the LRMC laboratories.

As part of the partnership’s goal to further railway education and improve the transportation sector, Guerrero hopes to “build more appreciation” among students in finding solutions to improve railway and transportation issues in the country.

“We’re facing many challenges with the urban environment and to increase our chances of a sustainable future, we need our students to [...] experience what it’s like to work in this complicated type of system such as our railway and transportation system,” Guerrero said.

Moving forward, Guerrero also looks forward to the opportunities that working with the private sector can bring to the University.

Furthermore, he believes that the partnership between the University and LRMC will serve as the starting point for further developing railway education by increasing competence and compassion needed in the field.

“With the support of the administration, collaboration with faculty members and interest of the students, as well as technical expertise from LRMC, the ECCE department is upbeat in delivering the best possible railway program that can be offered,” Mayuga said.

“With the support of the administration, collaboration with faculty members and interest of the students, as well as technical expertise from LRMC, the ECCE department is upbeat in delivering the best possible railway program that can be offered.”

DR. GIAN PAOLO T. MAYUGA ELECTRONICS, COMPUTER, AND COMMUNICATIONS ENGINEERING OFFICER-IN-CHARGE

ZOOMING INTO

CHAPTER.

the country’s advancements in the railway industry, the School of Science and Engineering has partnered with the Light Rail Manila Corporation to design and offer interdisciplinary elective courses on transportation engineering.

As students surge towards dorms,

reactivation

WITH THE return of dorming students to the Ateneo Residence Halls (ARH), former members of the Ateneo Resident Students Association (ARSA) Central Board met online last July 20 to discuss ARSA’s reactivation.

Present in the discussion for the student resident sector’s revival were resident student volunteers and the Sanggunian Department of Administrative Affairs Chairperson Bernice Mendoza to help guide through the process of sector reactivation.

According to Mendoza, re-establishing ARSA means the Association can join the Sanggunian Central Assembly once again and raise student residents’ issues to the administration.

Previously, the administration and ARSA collaborated with one another to handle problems regarding room assignments— and their resulting impact on dormer culture and welfare— within the ARH.

In a bid to reactivate ARSA, the meeting attendees discussed re-

electing a new ARSA central board. They also talked about introducing first-time dormer-students to ARSA and accommodating students who were unapproved to stay in the dorms.

REVIVING THE SECTOR

Before such revival efforts, ARSA has been on a hiatus since October 2021. With no dormer-students residing on campus in AY 2021-2022 due to the pandemic, the association was barred from electing any new central board members and the sector was thus dissolved.

Mendoza stated that for ARSA to regain accreditation once again, students residing in the ARH must establish a working technical group and president.

“ARSA is an independent sector. […] If they have concerns that they want to be raised to the administrators they need representation in the central assembly,” she clarified.

However, it may take until the second semester to restore the association due to the large influx of new dormer-students who are unaware of ARSA, making it difficult to recruit volunteers for the working technical group.

Expounding on this, Former ARSA Central Board member Anton Burog said that the majority of students who resided on campus before the pandemic are already incoming fourth year students.

“There are now three batches of new faces because the incoming freshmen, sophomores and juniors have never stayed in the dorm. […] Teaching the culture will be so much more difficult because only a quarter of the dormers know what ARSA is,” he said.

Complicating the bid for revival, Burog explained that many former ARSA members are experiencing difficulty in filing their dorm application due to the 25% capacity reduction and the new criteria for acceptance.

Currently, the priority and ranking for ARH acceptance favors scholars endorsed by the Office of Admission and Aid, varsity athletes endorsed by the University Athletics Office, and students who were located out of town.

ARH Director Rene San Andres further added that as new dormer-students enter the residence halls, so too will new resident advisors. Many of the previous advisors left the University in 2021, and as such, the ARH is currently in the process of recruiting new ones. Resident advisors will still uphold the same roles, being assigned to different ARH buildings acting as counselors and mentors towards students.

In the meantime, Office of Student Activities Formator Roxanne Lopez stated that while the sector is being re-established, the goal is to have more students who are willing to volunteer in gathering concerns and facilitating student activities in the dorms.

MAKING HEADWAY

Current dormer and student volunteer Earl Lopina welcomed changes to the current ARSA composition, citing them as an opportunity for a new culture in ARSA to emerge. She was happy to share that starting the first semester of AY 2022-2023, the International Residence Hall (IRH) residents will be fully integrated into the ARSA community.

Previously, these students— considered Associate Resident Students—could avail the student residents services but their involvement in resident events and activities needed to be approved by the ARSA Central Board. Now, with the integration, foreign students will be cooperating more with ARSA, helping to provide diversity and feedback on how to better accommodate international students.

However, Lopina still hopes to bring back a few aspects of the “old” ARSA culture, mentioning

BY JOAQUIN

the possibility of re-establishing the Freshman Care Committee, a support group that would be for both freshman and sophomores who are new to the dorms.

“They (ARSA) gave us a community when we were just starting out at [the] LS back when we were awkward freshmen and we didn’t know anything. … Our staff really became that family for us,” Lopina said.

As of writing, the University has announced that students may apply for dorm slots once again.

For those who are unable to dorm on campus, Mendoza announced that the Sanggunian has created an Off-campus Accommodations Database. Using the database, students may search for potential roommates or dorming establishments outside the University. Students who own off-campus dorm rooms may also put up their units for rent in the database.

AS THE new beginnings and the transition to onsite classes, the Orientation Seminar (OrSem) Tindig was held through a hybrid setup, with the first half held online from August 3 to 6 and the second onsite from August 9 to 10.

The OrSem Committee (OrCom) organized the event in contrast to the past two iterations, OrSem Tuloy in 2020 and OrSem Tayo in 2021, which were held fully online.

Regardless of the excitement garnered by the novel hybrid setup, O-Chairperson Gabriela Pinga said that multiple contingencies for the event were still set should there be issues with health or weather conditions. Among these contingencies was a fully online setup given an increase to Alert Level 2 or higher and rescheduling in the case of typhoons. Notably, unforeseen adjustments were also made to the original onsite schedule—initially slated for August 8 to 9—due to the freshmen’s enlistment problems with scheduling and blocking.

A GRAND WELCOME

Despite OrCom’s “limited experience” in organizing large onsite events like this, Pinga said that they were guided by consultations from different offices and by numerous dry runs for the volunteers.

“The senior batch today [was] the last batch to experience an onsite OrSem. We felt that it was also our (the senior batch’s) duty to bring it back to life because we also experienced it ourselves.” Pinga added.

Addressing the health concerns and protocols of the event, Pinga stated that the OrCom only planned to host onsite campus tours as it was the safest way to expose freshmen to campus life given that people were constantly moving.

She added that during the campus tours, OrCom logistics members were stationed around different parts of the campus to ensure that everyone practiced social distancing and mask-wearing at all times.

Pinga said that as a contingent to Alert Level 1, some activities were done online prior to the onsite dates. These include plenary sessions regarding office functions and block-specific activities such as games and individual introductions.

TAKE A STAND

For this year’s theme Tindig, Pinga said the OrCom wanted to exhibit the student body’s sense of community as the campus rapidly evolves in the hybrid setup.

“Given that we’re still transitioning to a fully onsite setup—and also that the Ateneo community is changing in many ways—I hope we keep that OrSem spirit alive,” she added.

Feeling grateful, Pinga owed the success of the whole event to the entire volunteering committee. She noted that during her time as O-chair, the volunteers stepped up to the task and were continually critical to the fine details of the event.

In welcoming display, LS community greets 2600 freshmen in OrSem Tindig

BY JOAQUIN BAANG PHOTOS BY DARYL D. SY, BETTINA CHAN, JHANINE CAOILE, STELLA ARENAS, AND VIONNA VILLALON

History in peril: Remembering amid revision

AS PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. walks the halls of Malacañang Palace, he must be more than content in knowing that the restoration of the Marcos family to the pinnacle of Philippine politics is complete.

However, while Marcos Jr. has won the presidency on the backs of a convincing majority, the question still remains: Is Marcos Jr.’s presidency capable of erasing Martial Law narratives?

REGAINING WHAT WAS LOST

When dictator and former President Marcos issued Proclamation No. 1081 in 1972, declaring martial law throughout the country, Marcos Jr. had just turned 15 years old.

His father declared Martial Law for the supposed reason of quelling the communist insurgency led by the Communist Party of the Philippines and its New People’s Army.

Many political dissidents, opponents, suspected communist collaborators or sympathizers, and even regular Filipino citizens were thus imprisoned—all in the attempt to create Marcos’ “New Society.”

Included in this New Society were many of Marcos Sr.’s political allies, personal friends, and acquaintances who were then given positions

of power and influence in the public and private spheres. This resulted in profound crony capitalism and corruption, crippling the Philippine’s economic growth throughout the period—all while the Marcos family and its cronies lined their pockets.

Marcos Jr. himself became Vice Governor of Ilocos Norte from 1981 to 1983, before assuming the position of Governor of Ilocos Norte from 1983 to 1986. Marcos Jr. was also Chairman of the Philippine Communications Satellite Corporation in 1985, where he was linked to the selling of government shares to Marcos cronies.

While the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution put an end to Marcos Sr.’s despotic rule, the events that transpired afterwards only contributed to the return of the Marcoses to power.

The decision that ultimately marked the beginning of the Marcos restoration was the return of Marcos Sr.’s remains to the Philippines in 1993. Unbeknownst to the public, this then would culminate in Marcos Sr.’s burial in the Libingan ng mga Bayani in 2016 under former President Rodrigo Duterte—thereby affording more legitimacy to the false notion of Marcos Sr. as a hero.

In 1993, a year after the Marcoses were allowed to return to the Philippines,

former First Lady Imelda Marcos was convicted in Criminal Cases Number 17449, 17450, 17451, 17452, 17453. A January 1998 Supreme Court (SC) ruling later acquitted her of the charges placed against her in Criminal Case No. 17453, while another SC ruling in October 1998 acquitted her of the charges in Case No. 17450. It would therefore be pointless to argue against the decisions of the Supreme Court. What is up for debate is the reality that the Marcoses benefited from the lengthy periods of time between legal proceedings, and the many years it took to resolve the cases and appeals involving them. For example, from 1992 to 1995—while Marcos Jr.’s mother faced the criminal cases placed before her—he was elected a representative for Ilocos Norte. In 1998, he became the province’s governor.

Even in light of the convictions upheld by Philippine courts, there has been a general lack of inaction from the government. A prime example of this is when Imelda Marcos was found guilty of graft in 2018, yet the Philippine National Police refused to arrest and detain her, citing her advanced age as a humanitarian consideration.

The Marcoses have remained powerful throughout decades of clandestine political moves, all stemming from their exile in 1986 and ending in their

return to the highest seat in Malacañang in 2022.

REFUSING THE TRUTH

Leading up to his election, Marcos Jr. repeatedly denied the facts surrounding his family’s history and actions during the Martial Law era and pushed forward new narratives. These false narratives perpetuated by the Marcoses often paint their family in a good light, simultaneously putting into doubt the lived experiences of those who fell prey to Marcos Sr.’s authoritarian policies.

For Marcos Jr., the domestic situation in 1972 concerning the country’s security was dire enough to warrant his father’s declaration of martial law. He argues that the country was left with no other choice but to defend itself from opponents of the government. Further, political allies of the current president have denied the occurrence of abuses and human rights violations during the Martial Law era, such as Atty. Larry Gadon, who ran under Marcos Jr.’s UniTeam senatorial slate.

While it is a subject that the president has exerted much effort to avoid in the past, Marcos Jr. has said that he could only apologize for his own wrongdoings and that he could not apologize on his father’s behalf. This tactic successfully deflected the topic of human rights

abuses away from Marcos Jr., while simultaneously creating the idea that Marcos Jr. was not involved in his father’s 20-year rule.

REFORGING A NEW SOCIETY

In the process of gaining back their political capital, the Marcos family has relegated to the sidelines the legal and social issues placed before them since their return in 1992. This would contribute to the emergence of a disillusioned Filipino people that would later elect Marcos Jr. to the presidency.

However, regardless of the power the family may amass, they will never be able to completely erase the shared history of Filipinos who suffered, resisted, and perished against their family in the past. This struggle has been an ongoing one, and the eyes of every Filipino will be trained on the president— as the people remain the supreme power of the nation. While Marcos Jr. may grace the halls of Malacañang today, the quiet quest for justice will define tomorrow.

EDITORIAL

Losing the hunger games

BY ANDREA MIKAELA LLANES

BACK IN college, my friends and I would joke about only affording one good meal a day.

“Good” was pretty subjective. Some days, it would mean being able to stop by KFC for dinner. Other days, we would be referring to the pre-prepared dishes at Lawson or 7-Eleven.

If we were feeling particularly boujee, we’d make our way to Samgyupsalamat—at the price of not eating the entire day and budgeting our leftover allowances for the rest of the week.

It never occurred to us that there was anything wrong with these habits. For the longest time, I was convinced that starving oneself was simply the college experience. It was not until much later that I realized: Why should starving be anyone’s experience?

At large, food security is weighed on a national scale. June 2022 surveys showed that around 3.1 million Filipino households have experienced involuntary hunger. Consequently, the government continues to scramble in coming up with solutions. Their plans involve better food security coordination, local alternatives for crop imports, and collaborations with the United States (US) in building food production capacity.

To a certain extent, there have also been efforts to alleviate the issue of food insecurity within

Dust Bunnies DARYL D. SY

DID YOU know that Lorde was only 20 years old when she released Melodrama? In the album, she expresses her experiences as a girl entering adulthood. All in all, Melodrama is nothing short of a very relatable rollercoaster of emotions. Like the protagonist of Melodrama, I, too, have had my fair share of parties, blank days, friendships, heartache, and everything else a typical 19-year-old would have experienced. I’m on the last leg of my teenage years, so here I am thinking: What is there after 19?

I have spent the last two years of my life sitting at my desk, staring at a screen, and living the same routine for days on end. I felt that even as time moved forward, my life paused at the age of 17. Then, I was a high school graduate who didn’t have a graduation, suddenly experiencing her freshman year of college through squares on a monitor. Every day thereon, for approximately 730 days, felt exactly the same. Now, I’m in my junior year, rapidly approaching what is probably my final year of college and the end of my journey in formal education.

People ask me what I’m looking forward to doing after graduating from university. I simply shrug my shoulders and reply that I’m only 19. I’ve got a long way to go, why should I be worrying about what job I want to do for the rest of my

schools. The Department of Social Welfare and Development has been conducting supplementary feeding programs for day care center children, and Senator Ma. Imelda “Imee” Marcos continues to push for the redistribution of the infamous NutriBun.

However, in the discussion of achieving food security, there never seems to be any room on the table for our country’s university students.

The US Government Accountability Office has acknowledged that millions of college students across the nation have been going hungry. This lack of access to affordable and nutritious food revealed direct links to adverse effects on students’ academic performance and overall mental health, even increasing dropout rates in higher education institutions.

A lifetime in a fifth of a century

life? Can’t I just worry about what I’m going to have for lunch tomorrow? Then, the realization that I’m already 19 kicks in.

In my head, turning 20 is simultaneously lightyears away and just a few hours from now.

I’m old enough to be driving myself to places and living on my own, but I’m also young enough for it to be socially acceptable to spend my weekend building a Batmobile Lego set.

This point in my life has become a void of uncertainty. I spend my days wondering what I’m supposed to be doing in the future and if there is anything I need to do now. I’m left taking everything in one day at a time, unsure of where this will all lead me to and if it will lead me to something I’d be happy with. All I can do is hope that it will lead me somewhere good.

When I think about turning 20, I’m filled with fear. I will have broken through the invisible boundaries of teenhood. Because of this, I will also have this unspoken increase of freedom in any decision I make from here on out, which also means that anything that goes wrong from here is all on me. I will no longer be considered a teenager. Instead, I’ll suddenly be this independent, mature adult woman who’s just a hop, skip, and a jump away from being thirty. It frightens me to even think about possible ways I could have put my teenage

years to better use, but at the same time, I have no regrets spending my years the way I did. After all, it is what has led me to where I am now. Besides, who really knows where life will take them?

Every now and then, I look in the mirror and see my teenage self who is on the brink of adulthood. I see myself and remember going to parties and hurling my guts out as soon as I get home. I look back on those nights I spent alone in my room, comfortable in the silence within my walls. I reminisce on the moments I’ve shared with the people I have loved and the people I still love. I find solace in these memories and wonder if I will ever be able to experience them again.

Teenage years aren’t meant to be perfect and not everything will go the way I want it to. All I have to do is live through it and savor those moments of imperfection because soon enough, I’ll enter a new chapter of my life and I won’t even realize it. Entering this new beginning isn’t me abandoning my teenage self. It’s me giving myself the opportunity to experience everything else that life has in store for me. Ultimately, I’ve only had a sliver of what life has to offer me. With the fear and uncertainty of the future, I have no choice but to brave it and look ahead. In the words of Lorde, I’m 19 and I’m on fire.

In trying to solve the issue, the US government has built on-campus food pantries and implemented the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food stamps for at-risk students.

Though progress in the US is slow, it is progress nonetheless— much more than what the Philippines has been doing for its own college students. Time and time again, we have neglected the fact that living expenses are essentially educational expenses. Food and housing security will always be necessary to achieving quality education.

Anyone who says otherwise reaffirms the decades-old sentiment that suffering is part and parcel of transitioning to young adulthood. It shouldn’t be. Solving the problem ultimately begins with inclusion. Before anything, college students should

be able to pull up a chair and be in the room where it happens. Candid conversations on the extent of food insecurity across different universities will aid in better visualizing how pervasive the issue is and how crucial it is to lobby for change.

Further on, the government can work on providing better support for students at risk. It might benefit them to take a page from the book of how the US has been handling this crisis: Bolster assistance programs, establish food pantries, and strive for more systemic responses.

For as long as there are college students who are getting by on one meal a day, then we can never truly say that we are addressing our nation’s food deprivation issue.

It is not a matter of putting into place a hierarchy of whose hunger should be alleviated first.

It is merely way overdue for us to recognize the gravity of this problem, the urgency of which we need to act, and the importance of community. Our students deserve spaces where they can communicate the depth of this matter, as well as sustainable safety nets that will allow them to focus on their education. Until then, it is a game that none of us will ever seem to win— unless we can level the playing field and change the rules as we go along.

Andrea Mikaela Llanes is an AB Communication alumna of Ateneo de Manila University. They currently work as a Content Writer for REX Education. For more, you can reach them at andreabllanes@ gmail.com.

Adagio STELLA ARENAS

Letting your heart dance

CLASSICAL MUSIC has always been a staple in my life. As a child, my mother often played the piano at different times of the day. In the mornings she preferred church songs, in the afternoons she favored OPM tunes, and in the evenings she leaned towards classical music. Through time, in one way or another, I have become attached to the classical genre that my mother used to lull me to sleep. There has always been an expectation that I, too, would play the piano. At the young age of six, it was easy for me to read notes and play scales and pieces.

My teacher would often praise me for being able to pick up the lessons quickly, and I relished the fact that I was good in at least one aspect of my life.

However, perhaps it was the built-up stress and frustration, but as the years passed by, a realization dawned on me that playing the piano no longer offered the same satisfaction that six-year-old me felt.

While waiting for my turn in taking lessons at the music academy, I heard a reverberating sound that shook my being. Slowly walking through the hall, I took a peek from the

crook between the door and the wall and saw a massive bowed string instrument.

I had no idea what it was called. I fondly remember calling it the “big violin,” but I had no opportunity to formally ask its name because my professor suddenly called me. After all, we had to start our lessons. During the entirety of that hour, my mind was elsewhere and I could only think about that soulful melody.

A couple of months later, I no longer played the piano and finally switched to this beautiful instrument called the cello. Unlike my earlier days in learning the piano, it was not a smooth-sailing experience. Bruised fingertips and sore muscles were common after an arduous lesson.

There is also the need to be aware of your posture—a vital part of good playing. As someone

I GOT Chloe when I was 13 years old—I lost her when I was 20.

Chloe was a white and brown Shih Tzu who acted more like a cat than a dog. She was never the active type to run around and play with, as she preferred staying close and sleeping in. She was always calm, except for the occasional barking at the people at our door.

The days leading up to her death were normal. She was her usual quiet self, spending the whole day in her spot, so her passing really came as a surprise.

We never got a medical diagnosis for Chloe—she was just gone by 2:42 AM on an unassuming Monday morning. By 4:12 AM, I was preparing to go to school on auto-pilot mode, too paralyzed and shocked to process what had just happened. I saw her for the last time at 5:32 AM.

As of writing, it has only been about a week since she left, but I don’t think I’ve properly grieved her loss. I continued living life as normally as I could.

Every thought about her when she was alive was either dismissed or dealt with in denial. In my head, she was just at my Lola’s house while I was away at school, and I could visit her on the weekends when I was home. I couldn’t manage to bring her death up to most of my friends who knew her. I thought that mentioning it would finalize her loss—that doing so would mean actually letting her go.

Three days later, she came back to me in a pink box that contained

who has always had bad posture, it took a lot of time to break this bad habit. Scales and etudes were difficult and exhausting to execute due to my frail fingers.

Despite the multiple stumbling blocks, I chose to stay—I showed up to every lesson and practiced every chance I got. Fortunately, with enough patience and determination, things got better. The strenuous etudes and exercises became more bearable. Pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach that I only then admired while silently listening to other students practice were now part of my lessons.

There are times when I ask myself why I put up with all the hardships brought about by playing the cello when being a student is already exhausting enough. It took a while for me to ponder and come up with an answer, and it ends up being so simple—playing the cello makes

ChloeMundane KHAELA C. VJAR

what was left of her: a few strands of fur, her footprint immortalized on clay, and her ashes. On the front of the box is a smiling photo of her, and her birth and death dates. She was only with me for 7 years, about 3 years shorter than the minimum life expectancy of a Shih Tzu. I feel a pit in my stomach when I look at the dates because it feels like I was robbed of a few years of life from her. It’s too late to know what caused her passing, and that mystery will just have to be something I’ll carry for a while.

Since Chloe’s death, I’ve learned a thing or two about dealing with loss. For example, the five stages of grief consist of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I’d argue that guilt sits somewhere in between. This guilt stems from my inability to shake off the feeling that her death was because of my own doing—if only I had noticed the signs as soon as they appeared, if only I had gone home earlier to check up on her, and if only I was more responsible.

When blame cannot be put on an accident or incurable disease—and belief in some sort of higher order cannot explain the death of a loved one—I think it’s only human to assume that you had something to do with it. In my case, I was the only one responsible for Chloe.

I’ve also learned that grief is often unpredictable. Despite my efforts to suppress it, grief oftentimes has its way of making its presence known. While I don’t cry when I talk about her

my heart dance in a way that emotionally moves me, and with that, I want to touch the heart of at least one person through my work.

Eventually, I knew I would not pursue music once I entered university. Although classical music gave me immense happiness throughout my life, nothing compares to the love I have for studying medicine.

Instead of spending hours practicing etudes and repeating specific passages to project the right emotions in that part of the piece, I find myself studying chemical reactions and analyzing case studies for hours on end. There is something about being able to change the trajectory of someone’s life through a diagnosis or surgical operation that excites me.

Being part of a community that strives to aid in improving the well-being of people and

anymore, I fight back my tears when I remember her like in the middle of my public management class.

I don’t know how I’ll fare in the next few days, weeks, or even years following her loss—if I’ll continue living in a constant state of guilt or if I’ll eventually get the closure that I need. What I know now, however, is that I’d want to keep her memory alive for as long as I can.

I keep her alive by using her name as a password in my notes app. I keep her memory alive with my refusal to remove the things that I would have bought for her online in my shopping cart. I keep her memory alive by writing about her here.

Chloe will always be my first dog—the one who was with me while I navigated high school up and my junior year in college. She was the only one I felt comfortable talking to about the things I couldn’t discuss with anyone. She was the only constant amid the endless changes in my life.

I miss her more and more every day. I miss her when I go home and she’s not there to greet me, and I miss her more when I go downstairs every morning only to realize that she’s not there. I wish I knew what else I could say about dealing with grief, and I wish I could write about it well. However, most importantly, I wish she was beside me and I wasn’t writing about her loss.

be of service regardless of circumstance continues to inspire me. All of these factors combined reignited the flame within me, urging me to let my heart dance once again, but now with newfound reasons.

I may be in a completely different field from my first love, but they are not that far from each other. Music taught me tenacity, discipline, and patience that I can carry with me as I navigate this new chapter of my life. The most significant lesson that I have learned in music, however, is pouring your all into your craft. In the same way that I have dedicated myself to music, I aspire to do the same in medicine.

MY MOM and I would always pass by pet stores and look at all the dogs that were on display. Seeing dogs of different breeds interacting with each other always seemed to catch my attention.

We frequently talked about getting a sibling for our first dog and, after passing by a particular pet store, we bought one. My mom was never an impulsive person but seeing this dog just called out to her—and me. It was a cute Shih-Tzu with white fur. During the car ride home, I was just thinking about

Pet stores

once cheerful dog in such a condition was something I wasn’t ready to see. Our tita told us that our dog stopped eating, which is a common symptom of parvo. I brought a small piece of chicken which, to my surprise, she ate. It brought me a small glimpse of hope that everything would be okay.

Unfortunately, my parents decided against the only option left to sustain her through the infection which was medical confinement. The hospitalization would

inside a cage the entire day. Witnessing all these dogs in one store is only a facade that hides the dark reality of how some of these dogs are treated. I observe how dogs from these places can easily contract numerous diseases as they are stacked next to each other. Ultimately, these dogs live in unsanitary conditions with caretakers who don’t take proper care of them.

Not knowing where and how these dogs were treated just makes me sad. After researching more into the topic, I found out that most pet shops get their puppies from puppy mills. These places often breed sickly dogs that often have a lot of genetic defects. The motive to sell pets purely for monetary gain and disregarding any compassion for the dogs they have sickens me.

An even worse realization that dawned on me is that my experience is only one story out of countless. There are still puppies in the same stores that will be struggling through the same things that my dog went through.

Understanding entropy

ABIGAIL M. CHUA

THERE ARE only a few days of quarantine that I can recount off the top of my head—the most relevant events being my first day of college in 2020 and the first case of COVID-19 in my family in 2022.

Most of my weeks during the pandemic were spent doing the same things in the same order as I waited for a sense of normalcy to return in my life. While I knew this was the best way to stay safe until the virus could be contained, it also meant that I was forced to face everything head-on without the usual distractions that came with being able to leave the house.

However, at the beginning of 2022, I found out that a friend of mine had passed away from something unspeakable.

We’ve only just begun

or are stigmatized in our society. I found myself drawn to stories about the LGBTQ+ sector, unable to understand why these labels were such an issue to others not part of the community when no one would be harmed by learning another’s identity.

Moreover, as I continued to meet more people that identified as LGBTQ+, even less reasons came to mind as to why there was a divide between them and society in the first place. Regardless of

cooperation—not just of the government but also the health sector on the ground— to allow the LGBTQ+ to express themselves as they would in a perfect world where sexual orientation and gender identity did not matter at all. As individuals, it may also feel like there’s not much that can be done on our own. There are times where all we can do is understand the sector more, but there will also be times where change will only come if we push

the countless possibilities and memories that I’d share with our new dog. I was excited to see how our current dog would react to finally having a sibling to play with. Even things like what to name her made me excited. My parents decided to name her Mellai, so that she’ll have a name similar to our other dog Mellow.

About a week later we noticed that both our dogs started to develop a cough. Worried that it might be coming from our new dog, my parents decided to separate our dogs and bring Mellai to our tita’s home until Mellai got better. Sadly, things didn’t get better. We found out that she developed a parvovirus infection—also known as parvo—a highly contagious disease common in dogs who come from puppy mills.

Visiting Mellai for the last time is something I will never forget. Seeing our

cost a lot of money and there was no guarantee that she’d live through it or even live a healthy life afterwards. It was a decision I was strongly against, but deep inside I understood why my parents made such a decision.

Before we left our tita’s home we decided to say our goodbyes to Mellai. The next day, sadly, she passed away.

Ever since I was young, I have always wanted a dog, but due to my allergies, we weren’t able to get one. Instead, I would go to pet stores and look at the dogs they had on display. However, after going through my experience of losing Mellai, my views on these stores soured.

Now, every time I pass by a pet store, I avert my gaze since looking at the store would be a reminder of what my dog just went through.

I no longer see the dogs on display as cute but instead see how they are inhumanely treated as they are stuck

Getting my first pet during the start of the pandemic made the lockdown a lot less lonely than it was. Seeing my dog greet me after a long day of school will always remove any stress that the day has brought upon me.

As much as I love dogs, the experience with Mellai has made me reconsider getting another pet.

It made me realize that we have to stay vigilant against supporting puppy mills and make sure these dogs are being treated with the proper care they deserve. Instead, more people should adopt from places where they are sure that dogs are being taken care of.

With the pandemic still in full force, most of my grieving came from calls with mutual friends and going through old conversations with him. The most difficult part during this time was having to grieve without being able to fully explain his death to my parents and hearing all the rumors that were circulating about why it had happened in the first place. I knew that older generations especially would not be particularly understanding about the circumstances surrounding the event.

In the months that followed, I kept asking myself if I had done enough to show that I cared about him—such as the causes he stood for. I wondered if I could even do anything to prevent this type of situation from happening again. When he passed, it highlighted not only the disparity of resources for the LGBTQ+ community in the Philippines, but also the changes that still needed to be made in order for them to feel comfortable in their own skin.

Being raised in the 21st century where almost everything and everyone is connected through the internet has provided me with the opportunity to learn about topics that are seen as taboo

how I felt, I still encountered many people who believed that there was something wrong with choosing to love someone of the same gender.

Whether it be microaggressions against the community through harmful stereotypes and caricatures, or outright discrimination in the streets, there are still too many cases of mental and physical harm inflicted on the sector. Many of these problems only worsened during the pandemic, especially as closeted members of the community found themselves on lockdown without their support system or in worse cases, stuck with families that did not accept them.

There is no quick fix that can make the community suddenly equal in the eyes of everyone in the Philippines.

Equality requires broad

for it together. This is not to say that the world is not slowly changing on its own— the LGBTQ+ community is slowly getting to the point where the media has grown to feature them as threedimensional characters who are more than just angsty love stories or other stereotypes. More and more people have begun to pay attention to the urgent call for a shift in thinking towards a more inclusive tomorrow.

I look forward to a society where the LGBTQ+ sector no longer has to hide or change their identities to feel welcomed. Until the day arrives, I urge that we all listen, respect, and fight for the rights of those who have done nothing wrong but choose to be themselves.

Orgs were pressured into voicing out their political stance within a short period of time—something that not many were used to. At one point, I would find myself sitting in Discord calls with organizations at 1 AM as they convened to discuss whether they would support the petition or not.

be heard, to take action, and hopefully, to affect meaningful change—especially within our organizations.

BY ASSUMPTA NINA SAN ANDRES

I NEVER truly understood the power that we have even as students until the One Big Strike protest that rattled the Ateneo Community in November 2020.

The protest was initiated by a group of students that called for the Duterte administration to take action and provide a better emergency response in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The manifesto detailed several demands from the petitioners and called for students to stop fulfilling their academic requirements until the demands

were met. As the petition gained more traction, the student body was polarized to the point that it was elevated to the Sanggunian’s Central Assembly (CA) for the CA’s endorsement to gain more support.

With the Council of Organizations of the AteneoManila (COA-M) being a sectoral representative in the CA, we were called to endorse the petition.

However, we took this not as a decision to be taken lightly as it required the consensus of all COA member organizations.

Many student leaders at the time might consider One Big Strike as one of the most challenging events that we faced as an org community in 2020. Eventually, the consensus was to not endorse the petition.

As I started my term as COA-M President this year, I thought about this event and how we could have all handled it better. Personally, I agreed with the intent of the petition and would have wanted to express support, though I don’t believe that it was an effective way of responding to the needs of the crisis at the time. However, if there is anything for us to learn from this, it’s our capacity to

Organizations have always been a central part of student life in the Ateneo. Here, students are able to find spaces for them to better live out their advocacies and meet like-minded people who share their interests. This community acts as a microcosm of the wider Philippine society, and as members, we are trained not only to be effective and skilled within our own organizations, but also as responsible citizens of the country. It’s no secret that as Ateneans, we have the privilege of being sheltered from the harshness of reality. But this is also exactly what our Ateneo education today fights against.

Orgs play a significant role in student involvement because within these circles lay the heart of organized student life in the Ateneo. During times of external crises, orgs must take a stand and use their platforms to address

social issues. This is where our role in nation-building comes in.

The events of One Big Strike shocked many both inside and outside of the Ateneo because of how radical the protest seemed. It placed every org in a position where they had to take a stand in an issue that had an impact beyond their organization.

However, perhaps this is a good time for us to be reminded that when Martial Law was declared in 1972, many of our organizations and student groups were dissolved as the state feared how student involvement would ignite the minds of many. Yet Ateneans have never been quiet when it comes to dissent.

Rather than succumbing to the external pressures of a dictatorship, Ateneans instead took this expanded consciousness and geared it towards serving communities, and subsequently, the nation. This gave birth to some of the organizations that we

still have today, as well as the Office of Social Concern and Involvement—all formed as a response to the political context of the time. The declaration of Martial Law catalyzed the manifestation of Jesuit ideals for organizations such as “forming men and women for others,” and has set the context for the org community we know today. Coming from the challenges that the past years has brought, may we take this experience and learn from it. As we navigate this new setting that the org community has been thrusted into this year, may we continue to remember why we are part of these organizations and why we commit ourselves to what we do. Most of all, may we learn and have the courage to step outside of the bubble we are in as Ateneans—to heed the call of the greater challenge that the country faces today.

BLUE JEANS

Re-envisioning student organizations towards nation-building

Seeing all these dogs in one store is only a facade that hides the dark reality of how some of these dogs are treated.

In the months that followed, I kept asking myself if I had done enough to show that I cared about the causes he stood for.

AS THE University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 84 came to a close, the athletes of the Blue and White have turned inadequacy and heartbreak into desires of greatness for the upcoming Season 85.

Last year’s active Blue Eagles look to rebound from their shortcomings, while Atenean athletes absent from Season 84 anticipate a busier athletic year.

GROUNDED FLIGHTS

The Ateneo’s finest athletes who suited up in the previous season saw their tireless efforts to top the competition foiled by the season’s end. All nine Blue Eagle teams that bannered Katipunan in specific events of Men’s Basketball, Women’s Volleyball, Men’s and Women’s Chess, Cheerdance, Men’s Beach Volleyball, Men’s and Women’s 3x3 Basketball, and mixed poomsae returned home without a single gold medal.

Within the set of unsuccessful teams was the Ateneo Men’s

Returns and Recalibration: The Road to Season 85

BY RALPH ANTHONY BAUTISTA AND ETHAN M. ENCARNACION ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA ROSE RAGAZA

Chess Team (AMCT)—a six-man faction that sank to the bottom of the Season 84 Chess Tournament standings.

Joshua Tan, a rookie for the AMCT last season, shared the same grateful outlook as other athletes who were called on to play for Season 84. Beyond his initial bliss, Tan was forced to face a reality check: The Men’s Chess Team was chained to cellar-dwelling finishes far before he was even a Blue Eagle.

Tan and his teammates were optimistic about planning training sessions for a fruitful campaign, however, the uncertainties brought by the unorthodox Season 84 setup posed a challenge. “[In] our preparation during that time, we weren’t aware [of] what the plans were gonna be for chess. We were just trying to improve our game, [so] we weren’t really prepared for that kind of setup,” Tan said.

Confusions brought by such an unconventional format impeded quality in training sessions for the Men’s Chess Team. This consequently led Tan to feel the agonizing effects of fatigue from the frantic season’s unusually condensed schedule that consisted of multiple hour-long games.

“In the first [few] days, I didn’t really feel fatigued. [Things changed] a couple of weeks after; I would sleep extra long and do nothing else,” he said.

Despite their best efforts, colossal challenges overwhelmed Tan and company, plummeting the team to a dead last with a 1-9 win-loss finish. While Tan and other active Blue Eagles were struck by deflating defeats, other sportsmen within the walls of Loyola also grieved over their own missed opportunities.

FORCED INTO DORMACY

For some, excitement with the return of UAAP turned to

dismay when it was revealed that Season 84 was going to be held in a limited setup with only seven sports as opposed to the regular season with 18 sports. For a select few, it meant finally returning to play with their peers, but for most, it meant being benched and sidelined for the meantime.

Basketball, one of the sports included in the limited setup, has always been followed by passionate fans, and with Season 84 on the horizon, it was reasonable to expect all basketball divisions to finally make their return. As a result, when the Men’s division was cleared for resumption, their female counterparts echoed disappointment in the holdout of the Women’s division.

“I’ll be honest, I was frustrated. I was a bit jealous because we all have been waiting for the same amount of time [to return],” explained Ateneo Women’s Basketball Team (AWBT) Captain Jhazmin Joson.

Ultimately an athlete’s growth is largely dependent on consistent play, so a season’s worth of hiatus could be ruinous. “I’m not gonna lie, I was actually thinking of quitting [the sport] already,” Joson said, citing the difficulties brought by the inactivity of full-court Women’s basketball.

Joson, however, credited her teammates and her coaches for talking her into persevering through the break. She shared that the team has found a new sense of patience with one another—a vital step in improving the team’s overall chemistry. The captain also emphasized that she and her fellow teammates had each other’s backs, even stressing that her teammates made basketball exciting for her again. “Going to training is like a piece of pie. Like I don’t mind waking up to train with them at

six in the morning [because I] just love their presence,” shared the veteran.

In their time away from UAAP 5-on-5 basketball, the Blue Eagles looked elsewhere for an opportunity to further polish their craft. Joson joined the UAAP Women’s 3x3 basketball tournament with teammates LJ Miranda, Dyna Nieves, Ylyssa Eufemiano, and Alexandrea Gastador. The team finished fourth among six other UAAP schools, a difficult result following a one-point loss in the semifinal matchup with the defending champions National University Lady Bulldogs.

In addition, the star point guard Joson shared that the Blue Eagles have not stopped training during the break. She knew it was only a matter of time before the Women’s division would make its return, and it would not make sense to simply let time pass by.

While the break has given the AWBT a timeout from the UAAP stage, the team still found ways to continuously work on their development both as a unit and individually. All athletes at the collegiate level can only play for so long, and grabbing every chance to hone their skills can help in making the most out of their competing years.

INTO THE FRAY

Joson describes the culture of her team to be different and exciting, pointing to their work ethic and fearless mentality as examples. The subpar finishes of the AWBT in previous years seem to be a thing of the past, as the captain is keen on propelling the Blue Eagles towards the coveted crown. She adds that breaking into the Final Four simply is not enough

and doubles down on her aspirations to finally earn a championship ring for Ateneo.

Meanwhile, a few months after the season ended, AMCT’s Tan found himself catering to team captain duties for a youthful—yet determined— unit. Introducing a paradigm shift into the team has been his top priority, brought by productive learnings from their past mistakes and struggles.

“One big word for us now is culture. We have been too relaxed. It’s been my goal to lead the team to the culture that we want,” Tan explained.

Among the plethora of cultural overhauls that Tan spearheads are greater efforts in cultivating time management, staminabuilding activities, disciplined training sessions, and intensified analyses on the intricate moves of the game. With their unwavering

dedication, Joson and Tan are setting unprecedented standards for their performances in Season 85.

“[We don’t just want to be] in the Final Four,” Joson claimed. “We want to get that banner.”

“Seeing how hard our team has been working to improve our game, it’s hard not to expect a big improvement in our placement,” Tan added.

The stories of Tan and Joson during the previous season make it abundantly clear that an athlete’s battle for glory happens well beyond the court. Behind the scenes and in the dugouts, athletes traverse a playing field that often goes unnoticed and undervalued.

For any athlete that relates to setbacks and heartbreaks like Tan or Joson, Season 85 is not just a simple return to the competitive stage, but another shot at that unquenchable pursuit of greatness.

BUILDING THE RANKS This phenomenon of overseas recruits showcasing their incredible talent is not a new scene in collegiate basketball.

We have a huge, huge goal.

[We don’t just want to be] in the Final Four— we want to get that banner.

JHAZMIN JOSON

ATENEO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM CAPTAIN

One big word for us now is culture. We have been too relaxed. It’s been my goal to lead the team to the culture that we want.

JOSHUA TAN ATENEO MEN’S CHESS TEAM

The rise of a new jin: Eirenne Lumasang

BY JILLIANA MARIE GONZALES AND EURY SEE

EXCELLING IN both taekwondo and academics, Ateneo Women’s Sparring Team

Captain Eirenne Lumasang (3 AB COM) is a dedicated student-athlete and renowned member of the taekwondo community. Eirenne is creating an outstanding athletic career for herself—becoming one of Ateneo’s reliable taekwondo veterans—as her experiences and contributions establish an impact on younger generations.

EARLY ROOTS

The skill and interest of Eirenne in taekwondo can be attributed to her family’s athletic roots. Her father performed the Japanese martial art of aikido, her mother was a taekwondo and karate athlete, and her grandfather was a judo instructor. The extensive involvement of her family in the martial arts led to the young jin’s decision to pursue the sport later on.

With her family guiding her, Eirenne continued to showcase her proficiency in the sport by joining local tournaments such as the Palarong Pambansa— catching the attention of numerous schools. As she graduated from high school in St. Joseph College of Novaliches Inc., Eirenne was offered by AWTT Head Coach Elmer Rafael to join the team for college.

In the same year of joining the Blue and White, Eirenne was also on a hot streak in her sparring competitions with the National Team. In 2018, the all-around taekwondo jin was selected to be part of the National Team’s sparring division, while also notching her first gold medal in the National Poomsae Competition. Since then, the taekwondo stalwart brought home numerous medals such as a fourth-place finish last season in the poomsae team event and a bronze medal in the 2022 New Face of the Year National Online Taekwondo Championship. As she combines both mastery of

the martial art and dedication to the sport, Eirenne has collected an impressive array of hardware with six gold medals, two silvers, and three bronze medals.

Pursuing the combat sport, Eirenne heeded her high school coach’s advice and chose to train for both poomsae and sparring—preparing herself for the collegiate division. Although she intended to pursue sparring when she first arrived at the Ateneo, Eirenne decided to pursue poomsae as well after noticing the university’s lack of poomsae athletes. Today, Eirenne remains to be the only member of the Ateneo squad to participate and win medals for both categories.

BUILDING HER THRONE

Aside from possessing the exceptional abilities to engage in both poomsae and sparring, Eirenne stresses the key difference between the two sports in terms of their playing weights. “It’s really hard [because] in poomsae, our coach wanted us to gain weight but in sparring, they wanted us to lose weight,” she explained.

The taekwondo medalist describes the conflicting weight requirements to be one of the most difficult facets of participating in both sports simultaneously. Having to adhere to rigorous diets catering to her weight for both sports, Eirenne experienced a decline in her health and stamina due to a decrease in her nutrient intake.

In addition to these demands, the biggest challenge she has faced throughout her entire career as an athlete was the “lose weight” culture fostered in taekwondo. According to the taekwondo jin, she found it difficult to stop herself from fixating on calories consumed even months after weightadjustment periods. Despite clinching rare achievements in the sport at her age, Eirenne admitted to developing an

eating disorder during her years of practicing taekwondo.

When the 19-year-old taekwondo jin was included in the National Team, she had to follow a strict diet in order to compete in different weight categories for her tournaments. “Being part of the National Team, it’s [wasn’t] easy, especially with sports that involved weight categories. [...] You know parang it’s the price to pay [for] being branded as a National Team. You really have to maintain that diet,” she shared.

Nonetheless, Eirenne’s experiences have undoubtedly shaped her mindset in both her life as a student and as an athlete. Instead of aimlessly complying to strict lifestyle changes, Eirenne has now learned to evaluate the various weight categories before entering a competition. She has also learned to consult with her coaches about her playing weight to provide enough rest for her body.

Outside of weight concerns, Eirenne has picked up the mindset of discipline coupled with perseverance both on and off the mats. From her struggles, the jin has also acquired the practice of always giving her best and putting her heart into everything that she does—no matter the outcome.

“I realized it doesn’t really matter if you win or you lose, because in the end, what really matters is how you will use winning and losing in building up a good character,” Eirenne shared.

THE JIN’S NEXT STEPS

Putting forth the lessons she has acquired, Eirenne, alongside AWTT’s Kristin Santos and Martina Ventura, showcased their excellence during the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 84 Poomsae Tournament. After garnering an average score of 8.200 out of 10 in the competition, the trio was able to secure a fourth-place spot

in the Ateneo’s first final round appearance since Season 79.

Following their remarkable Season 84 performance, Eirenne shared that many things— including the competitions held in the face-to-face set up— have changed. Aside from the typical endurance and strength training, Eirenne has also been familiarizing herself with the new changes in preparation for the upcoming season, most especially in sparring. According to the captain, certain elements of the sport have changed, such as the application of kicks and the manner in which fouls and deduction points are given.

Despite the challenging adjustments in the sparring scoring system and rules,

Eirenne asserted that she is doing her best to deliver an even stronger performance next season. The veteran is looking forward to participating once again in the upcoming sparring and poomsae tournaments, especially amid the growing fervor of the UAAP community.

After years of countless sacrifices and struggles, Eirenne truly embodies the passion and drive of what becoming a true Atenean athlete means. The steadfast drive and determination of the Ateneo Women’s Sparring Captain are fueled by taking comfort in knowing that she will once again represent the Blue and White next season.

With all of the experiences she encountered in taekwondo,

Eirenne hopes to apply these lessons as she takes on the responsibility of leading her team on and off the mats. Leading by example, the former national sparring team member hopes to impart to her teammates and rookies the mindset she gained from her involvement in different teams throughout her athletic career.

Following the resumption of taekwondo competitions and inperson classes, Eirenne is steadily inching her way back to the dayto-day activities of a studentathlete. As she endeavors to build a lasting legacy even outside of her sport, Eirenne hopes to respond to every challenge headon.

I realized it doesn’t really matter if you win or you lose because in the end, what really matters is how you will use winning and losing in building up a good character.

JACK OF ALL TRADES. Eirenne Lumasang, a member of the Ateneo Taekwondo Team, competes and triumphs in competitions for both sparring and poomsae. PHOTO COURTESY OF EIRENNE LUMASANG

EIRENNE LUMASANG ATENEO WOMEN’S TAEKWONDO SPARRING CAPTAIN

PHOTO COURTESY OF EIRENNE LUMASANG

Building the ranks with overseas recruitment

BY JURIS SALVANERA AND ANGELA TIBUDAN

PHOTOS BY STELLA ARENAS

IN THE last University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Men’s Basketball Finals, numerous Filipino-foreign talents were on display. Chris Koon and Matthew Daves provided the spark off the bench in their attempt to help Ateneo capture its fourth straight UAAP title. This was foiled by the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, due in part to the clutch shots made by blue-chip recruits Zavier Lucero and James Spencer. This phenomenon of overseas recruits showcasing their incredible talent is not a new scene in collegiate basketball. The rise in foreign recruitment continues to be a blueprint for UAAP schools looking to boost their rosters. place more emphasis on incorporating menstrual awareness in its sports programs.

BUILDING A DYNASTY

As the Ateneo Men’s Basketball Team houses players from different parts of the world, Ateneo is one of the universities with the most overseas recruits. Despite a bitter ending to Season 84 and the departure of key veterans SJ Belangel, Gian Mamuyac, and Raffy Verano, the Katipunan-based squad will have no shortage of adept

player options this upcoming Season 85.

The first domino to fall in the series of Ateneo’s recent overseas recruitment was in 2021 when 6-foot-7 Kai Ballungay committed to the Blue Eagles after playing one year for California State University in Turlock, USA.

After serving residency throughout UAAP Season 84, Ballungay has already shown a preview of what he can bring to the Katipunan-based squad in the coming years.

An intelligent scorer with the perfect size to overwhelm smaller defenders and create space on the floor, Ballungay led Ateneo to the gold medal in the recently concluded World Cup.

Despite the notable publicity that these foreign recruits have received over the years, debates among the Filipino faithful regarding their impact on the growth of local basketball remain.

STRENGTHENING THE BAND OF BROTHERS

Alongside the line of foreign athletes coming in the country are the discussions on whether or not introducing new players to the local scene would benefit homegrown talent. Those who oppose overseas

scouting believe that local talent is underutilized due to unfair distribution of playing time and exposure between the local and international players.

In spite of the valid concerns posed by those against overseas recruitment, the positive results brought by these foreign prospects seem to outweigh the disadvantages that they speak of. The phenomenon does not only boost the level of competition in the UAAP, but it also enables local cagers to improve their skills by working with and playing against international recruits.

Homegrown Blue Eagle Sean Quitevis tends to lean towards the latter argument, in that he views talent brought in from overseas as a prime opportunity for growth. “It’s not Fil-foreign versus homegrown players. For me, it’s more of Filipinos from different backgrounds coming together for the love of the game,” he claimed.

Although Quitevis has seen limited playing time in the past seasons, Quitevis did not view the newly acquired Filipino-Foreign athletes as stumbling blocks to his performance. Instead of getting discouraged by his limited chances, he would rather focus on what is best for Ateneo’s program.

“As long as they [overseas recruits] have the right skill set, they deserve the playing time. At the end of the day, the most important thing for me is what is the best option for the team.”

For Filipino-American Chris Koon, furthering his basketball career overseas was not originally part of his plans. Nevertheless, he welcomed the chance to play for Ateneo with open arms because of the benefits it presented. Aside from the career opportunities that have opened up for him such as playing professionally in other countries and in the local leagues, Koon relishes the opportunity to compete against the country’s premier collegiate athletes.

“With Fil-Am players coming in, it will either highlight the good or the bad in the system that they go into,” Koon said. “When you go up with these guys at practice, you gotta get better. Even us Filipinoforeigners when we see the amazing talent players have here, it makes us want to improve as well,” he added.

Even though they come from different backgrounds, both Quitevis and Koon emphasized that there is nothing wrong with Filipino-foreign talents coming into the UAAP to chase their hoop dreams. They echoed

that this phenomenon, which fosters healthy competition and mutual learning, helps both of their games reach greater heights.

ASSESSING THE FUTURE OF BASKETBALL

With the stage almost set for Season 85, fresh foreign recruits will once again enter the court to give their all for their new schools. Given the constant injection of brand new talent, it is safe to say that the tournament’s current landscape is one where Filipino-foreign talents are firmly integrated into all eight universities’ respective systems.

The addition of international talent to UAAP teams does not only expand the culture of basketball in the country, but also raises the level of play that the homegrown talents can benefit from. May it be going toe-to-toe with recruits in training or competing against opposing talent, the local players are exposed to varying skill sets that they can pick up on to improve their game.

At the end of the day, all competitors possess a similar goal of bettering themselves on and off the hardwood. Regardless of the background of an individual player, a good

It’s not Fil-foreign vs homegrown. It’s like Filipinos from different backgrounds coming together for the love of the game.

SEAN QUIVETIS ATENEO BLUE EAGLES BASKETBALL PLAYER

SPORTS OPINION

team dynamic will always be a top priority in the goal of winning games in basketball, especially in a distinguished league like the UAAP.

“We want to get that banner.”

JHAZMIN JOSON

Beyond Loyola

Unmasking urban ills

BY CLAYTON DEJILLAS AND JUSTINE RAMIREZ

ILLUSTRATION BY JULIA ISABELLE YABUT

ANY SEEMING progress in the Philippines’ COVID-19 response is often upended by an uptick in cases, signaling a virus that evolves and a country content with playing catch-up rather than evolving with it. Unfortunately, this discussion on pandemic recovery is chiefly concerned with economic reforms—to the extent that bolder changes to current structures of cities are neglected.

Thus, the Philippines is notoriously known as a hotspot of the COVID-19 virus due to the infeasibility of social distancing in highly dense areas such as informal settlements and highrise buildings. As the country transitions into an evolved new normal, the country faces twin fundamental challenges: the unsustainable city landscape— and the ubiquity of urban planning at large.

CHRONIC VULNERABILITY

In 2020, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported an urban population of 58.93 million people—accounting for

54% of all Philippine residents. Of these citizens, over 25 million are housed in informal settlements.

“[Informal settlements] sprung up organically… [The Philippines is] a high growth country [with] a lot of poverty… I don’t think [the] government could cope with [those] challenges,” Liveable Cities Philippines Chairman Guillermo “Bill” Luz noted, emphasizing the twin goals of space and cost efficiency that informal settlements satisfy.

Apart from their shelters having frail construction and insufficient living space, informal settlements are characterized by inaccessibility to sanitation facilities and clean water.

Unfortunately, the spontaneous construction of informal settlements makes solutions to these problems elusive by design. However, government attempts at developing informal settlements have avoided restructuring efforts in favor of relocation and financial aid projects.

Due to the chronic insecurity of their housing, the urban poor

were uniquely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Former Ateneo de Manila University School of Medicine and Public Health Dean Dr. Manuel Dayrit remarked, “As an airborne infection, the COVID-19 virus quickly [spreads] in close-contact settings, crowded places, and closed spaces. These are the very conditions in urban poor areas.”

Further exacerbating this risk of viral infections is the dire lack of facilities for clean water, sanitation, and waste disposal. "However, to Dayrit, a population's health and quality of life are tied to the state of its local urban planning.

RISKS ON THE RISE

Although the urban poor bear the brunt of the pandemic, individuals with higher incomes in urbanized cities are not exempted from its effects. Factors that characterize an urbanized city, including rapid industrialization and a high density of infrastructure, also contribute to the increased

transmissibility of disease due to the propensity for high-traffic spaces.

According to Luz, the prevalence of high-density living is due to various lifestyle decisions, including the proximity of condominiums to worksites, schools, churches, or malls.

Economic priorities also seek to cleave residents to high-rise buildings in urbanized areas. “When you attract people in [cities], it also has an impact on city income, so there is an incentive for cities to attract these developments,” he said.

A 2020 study revealed that built environments—which includes condominiums, apartments, and hotels—foster the spread of COVID19 due to close interactions among individuals. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, as well as high-contact objects found in common places, serve as agents of transmission in these built environments.

Whereas these factors are concerned with public environments, private spaces of residents also worsen the spread of the virus. Self-

isolation in small homes is seen to reinforce problems concerning disruptions in familiar social movement patterns due to insufficient space for personal mobility. Thus, while these higherincome places ostensibly have the funds to finance better COVID-19 protective gear, other preventive measures such as social distancing and self isolation may not always be implemented due to lacking space—exacerbating transmission risks.

Policies such as the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of the Public Health Concern Act then become consequential in high-rise residential buildings, allowing building administrators to track residents who contract the virus.

Despite this, research shows that self isolation or quarantine is never always practical, especially when individuals live with others in compact spaces where they all share the same facilities and rooms.

Thus, Luz mentioned the importance of other technology,

namely healthier ventilation and fewer high-contact surfaces, as well as open spaces to urban cities. The latter becomes particularly important “not only for reasons [of] exercise and play, but they’re also there for safety.”

BUILDING BACK, BETTER

Notably, condensed living structures, when well-designed, can be advantageous for a community. For instance, water distribution is more easily administered to residences when they are vertically organized in a small tract of land than sprawled across a broad area.

This is a benefit demonstrated by condominiums, which are also seeing post-pandemic design changes that favor open spaces.

Now, the larger issue lies in informal settlements, which are difficult to strategically design.

Luz noted that because informal settlements organically arise and the construction of sanitation facilities are left to residents’ discretion, regulations could only respond to how these settlements were already designed.

For instance, current socialized housing policies designate residential spaces for lowincome citizens and effectively do away with the unplanned and disordered construction of informal settlements. However, while the country already enacts this mandate, these spaces have become mired in implementation issues, now hardly affordable to the low-income. Instead, they are lost to commercialization to serve the interests of business.

Aside from such policies, Dayrit hints at another approach to create a safe and healthy environment for all: a regenerative use of resources to gain the most benefit. “Where urban planning creates healthy places, the conditions for living become more wholesome and enjoyable.”

Ultimately, the ubiquity of urban planning exceeds far beyond the need to map out cities. The developmental values of a just urban design— such as security in the domain of health—favors the vast majority of Filipinos rather than merely the upper segments of the income bracket.

WHY THE PESO IS 'WEAK'

Does a weak peso spell doom? With great political and eco nomic uncertainty in this stage of the pandemic, the answer is not so clear cut.

Crossing civil hurdles to urban sustainability

BY RAM HEBRON ILLUSTRATION BY ALISSA CO

AS CITIES reopen from lockdown and accomodate bigger capacities once again, urban designers reiterate that unsustainably planned cities bear culpability for the pandemic’s rapid spread. Now, the race to retrofit cities against future

diseases must consider more than just technical ability— instead accommodating the broader civil hurdles of sweeping urban reform.

Models that seek to ease cities' glaring congestion—the most consequential manifestation of unsustainable planning—have been proposed on both local and international platforms. However, LGUs have lapsed in fulfilling this promise, instead prioritizing financial and

political interests which often sidestep public health concerns as a result. In an interview with Business World, architect Felino A. Palafox criticized the largely politician-led local COVID response and the lack of urban planning experts in the decisionmaking process.

These same criticisms can be applied to the national pandemic response, also chiefly run by politicians and the militaristic Inter-Agency Task Force. They put forth a battery of recovery projects as early as May 2020 in an effort to loosen traffic congestion, retrofit public buildings, and implement structural changes to disincentivize viral spread in public environments.

Despite these noble promises, the conditions of major sectors remain unchanged in the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic—again partly due to the lack of thoroughlytrained planning experts in the COVID response, says Palafox.

Ultimately, beyond ideation, these initiatives require material commitment to reap the benefits promised in their proposals. In an interview with CNN Philippines, Josephine Dionisio of the University of the Philippines Sociology Department notes, “Major structural changes such as the ones proposed in early 2020 would have to be implemented by both the government and the private sector.”

More than the presentation of

sustainable planning, she adds the challenge to effectively execute these projects lies in the willingness of institutions to invest their time and resources in these restructuring programs. These institutions, Dionisio says, are structured to favor centralized environments with high concentrations of people—a deeply ingrained work culture that acts as a hurdle for the aimed new normal. In this case, lasting reforms to end any looming health concerns will only prove more difficult as cities reopen, seemingly allowing unabated urban growth as last seen in preCOVID Metro Manila.

Thus, rapidly urbanizing areas such as those in Metro Manila must keep up with contemporary urban planning, ensuring sustainability with resilient and health-conscious environments. Work towards safe post-pandemic environments depends not only on the government’s proposed plans towards urban reform but also on the actions actually taken to bring these ideas to life. With the turn of a new administration, the responsibility now falls on a new set of hands to implement the necessary changes for post-pandemic urban planning to become a reality.

Why the peso is 'weak'

BY PIOEE B. BASSIG AND MAX S. KANG ILLUSTRATION BY SAMANTHA ROSE RAGAZA

THE VALUE of the Philippine peso sharply weakened in the second quarter of 2022, dropping to an 18-year low of Php 56.37 to USD 1 in July. Throughout that period, the peso was the weakest in Southeast Asia, as the declining currency stoked public concern on the outlook of the Philippine economy. Today’s sluggish peso, however, can only be understood with respect to economic developments at home and abroad which were prompted by the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CLOBBERING A CURRENCY

In the Philippines, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) does not predetermine the price of currency that it will maintain. Instead, the rate moves dynamically with respect to economic developments.

In terms of currency, the United States reigns supreme, often determining how other markets and currencies move.

When the United States Federal Reserve began to aggressively hike

interest rates to tame inflation, demand for the dollar grew. Higher interest rates mean that investors can expect higher returns by channeling their money into dollardenominated investments— thereby putting upward pressure on the dollar’s value.

From the Philippines’ side, Security Bank Corporation Financial Markets Segment Head Raul Pedro pointed to the surge in imports which increased demand for foreign currency and thus weakened the peso. Recently, the Philippines raised its imports to maintain growth, given that its productive capacity is still lagging due to COVID-19’s shocks.

Further downward pressure on the peso also came from increased speculation on commodity prices. After oil prices peaked in months prior, Pedro observed a wave of advance importation in June when prices slightly dropped, signaling that firms were preparing for the usual spike in demand late in the year. With the foreign exchange

market’s preference for the dollar, these prevailing conditions have further depreciated the peso.

HITTING CLOSE TO HOME

The consequences of a diminished peso are not straightforward. Since the US dollar is now worth more Philippine pesos, demand for Philippine exports may increase.

Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), especially those who are paid in dollars, will also find that their salaries are now worth more in Philippine pesos. This may boost gross national income, which is heavily reliant on foreign remittances.

Domestic realities, however, limit these potential benefits. The Philippines is still largely an importer, and its capacity to meet the increase in its export demand remains adversely affected by the pandemic. Furthermore, the increase in foreign remittances received by OFWs’ families are offset by rising prices of basic goods such as food and transport.

In the second quarter of of 2022, for instance, headline inflation, headline inflation averaged at 5.5%, exceeding the country’s target rate of 2 to 4%.

The weakening peso also makes foreign debt more costly to pay back. As of last year, the Philippines’ foreign obligations stood at $106.43 billion, 55.4% of which is denominated in the US dollar. Economics Department Lecturer Manuel Goseco also noted that the decrease in the peso’s demand has depleted the Philippines’ gross international reserves (GIR), which act as the country’s backup funds in case of an economic crisis.

Given the mixed consequences of the peso’s weakening, the BSP’s response is vital in effectively mitigating the negative effects.

PLOTTING THE PESO'S TRAJECTORY

Goseco expects that the BSP will continue to provide leeway for the peso to depreciate as it is favorable for foreign remittances as well as the

competitiveness of local industries like agriculture. However, a stronger stance against the weaker peso is also necessary to quell excessive market speculation arising from the currency depreciation, which could lead to price instability.

“The BSP is cognizant that higher exchange rates do fuel further inflation,” Goseco explained.

On August 18, the BSP hiked interest rates by 50 basis points (bps), a tamer development compared to July’s hike of 75 bps. This would encourage firms and households to save rather than spend, thus curbing inflation and currency devaluation but also slowing down economic growth for the year.

Furthermore, the peso's value will be dependent on US inflation, as well as the Federal Reserve’s policies. Goseco points out that while inflation in the US is showing signs of stabilizing— with the consumer price index staying constant in July—the Federal Reserve now has to “work it downwards.”

On the Philippines’ part, BSP Governor Felipe Medalla projected that inflation will continue to exceed the 2 to 4% target due to the prominence of foreign inflationary forces. Correspondingly, credit agency Fitch Solutions forecasted the dollar to be valued at an average of P54.30 this year and P56.40 in 2023.

Amid a turbulent period in history, myriad factors are responsible for the peso’s decline and the consequences thereof are equally complex to dissect. Nonetheless, the matter will continue to be cause for public concern, especially amid a new administration and an enduring global health crisis.

Editor’s Note: The views of Raul Pedro and Manuel Goseco are their own and do not reflect the views of their affiliations.

Post-sentence prejudice

BY GAB APLASCA AND KATRINA B. ANTONIO ILLUSTRATION BY PAU LASALA

COLD AND blue, Aey* sits in the deafening silence of her ill-lit room. A former detainee, she longs for the warmth of her past barkada, after she was recently overlooked for their latest reunion despite her still being in their group chat.

Such is the harsh reality that awaits most persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) outside their stifling and decrepit cells. Even after serving their sentences, PDLs continue to be imprisoned by society’s stigma against them. Today, former PDLs typically experience hardships in employment, all while they are shunned by their loved ones and embattled in adverse self-perceptions.

SOCIAL CHAINS

Life within the four walls of most detainment facilities in the country is rife with complications. Aey, who was detained in the Quezon City Female Dormitory for three years, immediately felt overwhelmed by difficulties in acclimatizing to the jail conditions when she was a new convict. “Doon ko po naranasan ang matutulog ka sa loob ng banyo, hihiga ka sa sahig na puno ng ihi, puno ng tubig (That’s where I experienced sleeping inside the comfort room, lying down on the floor covered in urine and water),” she describes.

During her tenure as a health aide and trustee in the jailhouse, Aey assisted jail staff in distributing maintenance medication, cared for any fellow inmates who were ill, and had occasional access to the jail’s administrative records. Her roles allowed her to better observe overt issues such as extreme cell congestion, as well as covert ones such as the jail administration’s false reporting of food deprivation. The latter

came as no surprise to Aey and her fellow inmates, who were reportedly living on meals smaller than peso coins.

In a similar situation herself, Kim*, another former PDL, shares Aey’s sleep-related woes, stating that the majority of the rest she got while imprisoned was fragmented due to frequent headcounts and designated activities. For family-minded Kim, the most grueling challenge of captivity is the time spent away from her loved ones. Each day she lived inside her cell, her yearning for the children she left outside only grew stronger.

Despite leaving such adversities in their cells, PDLs’ plights do not end once their sentences are completed. Free from the struggles and corrections officers’ watchful eyes, recent releasees tread the outside world in the newfound fear that society will cast them down with prejudice.

Upon Aey’s release, for instance, she felt apprehensive because of the discrimination and judgment she expected to face. “Kung ano ‘yung mga pinapanood sa loob ng pelikula, parang ‘yun din po ‘yung naka-mindset natin–yung ‘pag galing sa loob, masama [kang tao] (People commonly internalize film portrayals of inmates–if you’ve been in jail, you’re an evil person),” she expresses.

Unfortunately, such anxiety is not unwarranted. Aey and Kim were both fortunate that they did not experience any form of rejection from their immediate families. However, Aey and Kim’s once close friends did not hesitate to burn down their bridges with the former detainees once they were released from prison. Thus, Kim felt aggrieved after catching wind of her former friends cautioning one another

to steer clear of her due to her “tarnished” reputation.

Such stigma associated with the PDL label also poses hurdles in their professional lives. Aey recalls a job application that went awry when the interviewer questioned the three vacant years in her resume. After deliberating whether or not she should reveal her jail time to the HR department, Aey ultimately decided to tell the truth after her interview. As she feared, HR revealed that her incarceration proved to be an unavoidable obstacle to her employment.

HELPING HANDS

With a looming stigma awaiting them after release, former PDLs are in dire need of assistance in their reintegration into society. Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Jail Senior Inspector Captain Edo Lobenia, in charge of overseeing the operations of jails in the Davao Region, was moved to address this need after conversing daily with PDLs. “[I] noticed that their stories are also the stories of ordinary Filipinos, who have families… who have children waiting for them to be back home,” he expresses.

Thus, Lobenia founded Second Chance Philippines (SCP), an employment opportunities to former PDLs by partnering with different businesses. SCP’s beneficiaries have gone on to work for spas, gasoline stations, coffee shops, and construction companies.

However, certain qualifications for applicants of these jobs remain. Thus, some detainees— prior to their release—are given the chance to undergo educational and livelihood programs under BJMP. Kim was one of them. “A- attend ka ng [Alternative Learning System

(ALS)] , ng school niyo kumbaga, talagang pursigido ka—kailangan mo talagang mag- attend sa laha t ng mga activity doon (You attend the ALS sessions, basically school, and you really have to be persistent in attending all the activities there),” she says.

With the help of the Department of Education (DepEd), the Bureau of Corrections brings the ALS inside jails, where many PDLs continue and finish their education. With teachers sourced through DepEd only visiting jails once a month, several PDLs are assigned as instructional managers. Having earned a college degree in nursing, Aey was able to teach Science to her fellow PDLs.

Shortly after being released, Aey and Kim then joined the Focused Reintegration of ExDetainees (FRED) program under the Humanitarian Legal Assistance Foundation, Inc. (HLAF). Beneficiaries undergo sessions where they are encouraged to share their problems and are then given advice about stress management and mental health.

Graduates of the program also receive a small monetary investment from HLAF. “Pwede nilang gamitin pangsim ula ng maliit na negosyo tulad ng street food [stall], sari-sari store (They can use it to start a small business such as a street food stall, a sarisari store),” Peter*, an HLAF community organizer, states.

BREAKING FREE

Even with measures in place to help curb the impacts of the stigma against former PDLs, there is still much that should be done to help alleviate their struggles with being fully accepted by society. Lobenia believes that the persisting stigma against PDLs boils down to a lack of community

awareness. He has observed that harmful stereotypes and microaggressions about detainees can be lessened if people are better informed on the realities of PDLs: their social backgrounds, the hardships they endure, and their continuous efforts to improve. “[Programs to combat the stigma against PDLs] will also, little by little, change how we see these kinds of people— that these kinds of people are also ordinary people who just committed mistakes,” he says.

Having experienced social exclusion herself, Kim shares the same sentiment. She hopes that if people encounter former PDLs, they simply ask about their situation, showing them an eagerness to hear their story, rather than make rash

judgments. With a newfound sense of gratitude, she now chooses to focus on the time she has with her family, and her personal growth.

With continued assistance from HLAF, Aey is now a proud owner of a bakeshop. However, the chains of prejudice remain intact, along with the efforts to break them.

“Ang mga PDL , dapat bigyan ng chance para magbagong-buhay… pwedeng magbago kung gugustuhin mismo ng tao (PDLs should be given the chance to change… change is always possible if the person desires it),” Aey expresses.

*Editor’s Note: The interviewees’ names have been changed at their request to protect their identity and privacy.

Ang mga PDL, dapat bigyan ng chance para magbagong-buhay… pwedeng magbago kung gugustuhin mismo ng tao.

EATING DISORDERS Nostalgia is too easy to glamorize. The worst parts of the past slither into the present, reinforcing dated but timeless standards dictating that skinny remains superior.

AEY PERSON DEPRIVED OF LIBERTY

Jail overcrowding and insufficient facilities dominate the PDL sector’s predicament, but their unseen pains must no longer go unnoticed.

Martial Law through the lens of art: The AAG’s Ligalig exhibit

BY CHRISTIANNA P. LUGOD

ART GALLERIES are in a prime position to communicate, critique, and chronicle historical events. The Ateneo Art Gallery’s (AAG) exhibit Ligalig: Art in a Time of Threat and Turmoil is no exception to this, as it hosts some of the most recognizable artworks from one of the most unforgettable eras of Philippine history.

Located in the Mr & Mrs Chung Te Gallery in the AAG, Ligalig (meaning “troubled” in Filipino) features art and poetry created during the Martial Law era. The artworks reflect the daily life, human rights abuses, and other social realities that the artists witnessed or underwent in Marcos Sr.’s Philippines.

By crystallizing the everyday experiences, politics, and human rights violations of the era, the artists of Ligalig have chronicled the nation’s experiences of a disturbing era that has scarred Philippine history.

A MIRROR OF THE PAST, A VISION OF THE FUTURE

Upon entering the exhibit, visitors are welcomed with a text emphasizing that Ligalig features social realism art: A genre or aesthetic and political art movement that emerged in the late 1970s amid the country's conditions of martial rule, according to online art gallery Vintana.

“Social realism isn’t inherently stylistic. It’s a shared point of view

that seeks to lay bare the true conditions of Filipino society,”

AAG volunteer Janine Bernardo (4 AB AM) says. She adds, “Art is also a form of response by people. It serves as a platform to tell these stories that would have otherwise been forgotten.”

One of the pieces in the exhibit that illustrates art as response and social critique is Eric Zamuco’s Wadapak/Dapak (2014). It is an installation of old student armchairs restored and illuminated by shaped glass tubing and neon light.

The academic imagery of the piece is intensified through its naming. Being the phonologically Filipino version of the English expletive, Wadapak captures Zamuco’s shock when the Ateneo Scholarship Foundation invited Imelda Marcos as the guest of honor to its 40th anniversary event. Following this, Wadapak/ Dapak serves as a critique of historical preservation as well as education in the Philippines.

It criticizes the Ateneo itself—the institution that allowed the piece to be made.

Wadapak was originally illuminated with blue lights, but Zamuco says that a “glitch” coincidentally happened when the 2022 presidential campaign period began. Thus, one of the illuminated chairs turned pink—the campaign color of presidential candidate and opposition leader Leni Robredo.

“When a change of color happens on neon lights, the electrodes need to be changed.

But this felt like fate as it started happening during the campaign

[so] I decided not to [repair it] at this time,” Zamuco says.

As a well-intentioned “emblem for hope or truth,” Zamuo eventually crafted a new chair, now intentionally fitted with pink lights. The original chair is still with Zamuco, who is still deciding which exhibit or fundraiser the chair will go to.

DESCRIPTION BY DESIGN

Museum visitors may also take much away from the arrangement of the exhibit’s works. An AAG tour guide herself, Bernardo notes the intentionality and logic behind the design of the museum tour. She cites how Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera’s wall of art—featuring the visceral Mag-Ina (1969) and The Family that Starves Together Stays Together (1968)—shows how society’s smallest units, families, were the most affected during Martial Law. In fact, six out of ten Filipino families were poor at the end of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s dictatorship.

The wall across from what Bernardo calls “the BenCab wall” bears pieces that depict more specific and harrowing events. One such event is the killing of Italian missionary priest Tullio Favali, depicted in Anna Fer’s Favali at iba pang Biktima (1987). Slain in 1986, Favali was the first foreign missionary to be killed by anti-communist paramilitary forces during Martial Law in the Philippines.

Other pieces in the gallery feature the nuances of Filipino life under Martial Law,

whether in urban or rural settings. For instance, Bintana ni Momoy (1983) by Imelda Cajipe-Endaya reflects a rural setting, highlighting provincial life and experiences from the era. In depicting this diversity in experiences, Ligalig emphasizes that the threats to life and freedom that characterized the Martial Law era and encompassed the whole country.

TAKEAWAYS IN A TIME OF THREAT AND TURMOIL

As disinformation continues to taint the texts of history, the artists of Ligalig firmly stand with their stories against Martial Law. Drawing from her Art

Management background and experience working in the gallery, Bernardo believes in artists’ prime position to be preserving history. “The hand of the artist is as powerful as [the hand of] any other member of society,” Bernardo asserts.

More importantly, the fight to remember and set history in stone transcends the canvas.

Bernardo enjoins art audiences to be critical and engaged with current events and social issues beyond just the local art scene.

“It’s important to remember that art isn’t your only source of material. It can be a starting point [for] examining the truth,” Bernardo says.

The Internet has been and will be bad for eating disorders

shortened to “pro-ana,” this subculture treats anorexia as a lifestyle instead of a sickness.

STUCK TO THE STATUS QUO

While eating disorders are taboo, they are shared realities for many. Unfortunately, prominent portrayals of EDs are rooted in harmful stereotypes. Characters with EDs—like Gossip Girl’s Blair and Skins’ Cassie—are usually also smart, rich, or both, giving people the message that perfection comes with an eating disorder.

better about themselves, they constantly have to bring other people down,” Anya shares.

Making spaces to talk about EDs isn’t inherently bad as EDs can and should be addressed, but without moderation, conversations on these sensitive topics will only be triggering.

THE WEIGHT OF IT ALL

BY ALLY DE LEON

EATING DISORDERS (EDs) make their presence felt everywhere—from the media we consume to the beauty standards we uphold—but are scantly talked about in the open. When people do talk about them, true intentions get lost in romanticization. At worst, these discussions only fuel the unhealthy behaviors we may have thought were out of season.

While society has made space for body positivity, skinny supremacy is back—if it ever left in the first place. The Kardashians are reversing their Brazilian Butt Lifts, leaving the

curvy bodies they placed into the mainstream and swapping them for extremely skinny looks.

Vogue Magazine also announced the return of the 2014 Tumblr girl aesthetic, built on alt-rock bands, Doc Martens, and the romanticization of mental illnesses. In the end, one can’t help but feel that a desire for thinness is an inescapable cycle.

NEW TRENDS AND OLD F(R)IENDS

These throwbacks to the slender look come as no surprise—nostalgia is too easy to glamorize. Unfortunately, the worst parts of the past slither into the present, as society reinforces dated but timeless

standards echoing that skinny stays superior.

“Now that more and more people are starting to realize how unattainable [the Kardashian body type] is, we’re [reverting] to 2000s beauty standards because being rail thin, though extremely detrimental to one’s health, doesn’t really require a huge sum of cash to achieve,” activist and fashion model Anya* (3 AB EU) shares.

Even when beauty isn’t defined by tiny waists, some “#fitnessgoals” actually harm more than help. For example, “that girl” wakes up at 5 AM, has 10-step skincare routines, and relies on green juice. Because “that girl” romanticizes being

productive and practicing selfcare, it sounds like a dream, but sometimes, that’s all it is. At its worst, the lifestyle can be a nightmare if it morphs into orthorexia: an ED built on the obsession over “clean eating.”

For Anya, the lines between “that girl” culture and disordered behavior are thin; it is hard to distinguish between true health and a blind desire to become thinner—known as “thinspo”—given that every “that girl” just so happens to be skinny. Ultimately, this “healthy” lifestyle’s transformation into orthorexia and disordered behavior is a rotten fruit of pro-anorexia culture. Also

People with EDs have tried to talk about their illnesses more openly, but this has not been an easy journey. This much is true for Eating Disorder Twitter (EDTWT), where teens as young as 13 years old discuss their unhealthy diets. Destructive behaviors like weight competitiveness and fatphobia taint spaces like EDTWT, only worsening a user’s preexisting ED or giving them one in the process. According to Anya, EDTWT enables teens to bully each other into staying anorexic, with the mockery of fatness inherent to this behavior. In particular, “fatspo,” the antithesis of thinspo, is passed around by EDTWT users as warnings for themselves against gaining too much weight. Otherwise, they’ll grow as large as the heavier people they mock.

“Many people on EDTWT feel that they are better than most people—[those] people who eat without counting calories, caring about grease portions, and don’t count how many steps they take in a day. It’s a very ‘high school bully’ type of mindset, where, to feel

Having a slim physique is an ideal shared by many, but this does not have to come at the price of hatred towards the self or others. Weight loss can happen without the subconscious promotion of disordered behavior.

“We live in the age of instant everything. So when we want to lose weight, we want that to happen in an instant, too. But the problem is, healthy weight loss just doesn’t [happen instantly],” Anya says.

However, as the pro-ana trends of the past now find a contemporary resonance, it’s no longer enough to preach body positivity. It needs more.

As cliche as it sounds, a movement towards healthier views on eating and bodies does not stop with the self.

There’s a need to fight against toxic standards as a collective and recognize disordered behavior for what it is, in hopes of helping those in need of help. While easier said than done, especially since fatphobia thrives in Filipino households, it’s a challenge worth taking for our collective welfare.

*Editor’s Note: The name of the interviewee was changed to protect their identity and privacy.

CREATIVITY AND ACTIVISM. ART, SUCH AS THE MARTIAL LAW-CENTRIC EXHIBITS IN THE ATENEO ART GALLERY, HAS PROVEN ITS POWER IN PRESERVING THE STORIES AND TRUTHS OF AN ERA. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ATENEO ART GALLERY.

BLINDING BLUE LIGHTS. FROM TUMBLR’S PEAK TO TIKTOK’S REIGN, A CYCLE OF TRENDS ENCOURAGES MOSTLY ADOLESCENT WOMEN TO PARTAKE IN HARMFUL EATING HABITS AND UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLES.

PHOTO BY LIANA FERNANDO.

Social realism isn’t really stylistic, it’s a shared point of view that seeks to lay bare the true conditions of Filipino society.

JANINE BERNARDO ATENEO ART GALLERY VOLUNTEER

Depicting the injustices of Martial Law, the Ateneo Art Gallery’s Ligalig exhibit emphasizes the role of art in memorializing national struggles and sentiments.

One can say that health is wealth all they want, but skinny supremacy seems to have never left. For those who’ve grown up on the Internet, pro-ana behaviors eat them up as they choose to starve.

Distorted Rememberinghistory:tales of Martial Law past

THE DISTORTION of historical truths about the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ legacy has taken center stage in the current age of disinformation. In particular, educational institutions are faced with a bigger challenge to combat the slew of propaganda attacks and false narratives about this period in history.

The Ateneo, in particular, is known to have actively condemned the atrocities during the regime of Marcos Sr. Then, Loyola Schools (LS) faculty members were members of legal socio-political organizations. Moreover, today, the Ateneo’s efforts to keep the nation’s memory of Martial Law alive manifests in its promotion of the Ateneo Martial Law Museum (AMLM) and its issued statements condemning the Marcos regime.

Unfortunately, the country’s presentation of history in textbooks does not directly target such historically distorted claims, giving leeway for disinformation to thrive. As the calls to “never again and never forget” echo louder within and beyond the Ateneo, educational institutions are again challenged to commit themselves to the war against historical distortion.

TELLING THE DICTATOR’S TALE

Ateneo de Manila University History Professor Jose Ma. Edito K. Tirol, PhD defines historical revisionism—different from historical distortion—as the method of amending historical narratives to illustrate a clearer picture of the past. According

to him, it is not inherently detrimental to revise historical information if the revisions are to correct and ensure historical accuracy.

Meanwhile, historical distortion is the deliberate alteration of history with the ill intent of perpetuating lies. He cites as examples the denial of the human rights abuses and the Marcos family’s ill-gotten wealth during the Martial Law period to garner support from the public and re-emerge in the national political scene.

In response, in 2016, the late Ferdinand Marcos’ interment at the Libingan ng mga Bayani birthed initiatives like the AMLM, a digital library of lectures and learning materials to build national memory through storytelling.

Moreover, perturbed by the insufficient uproar against a hero’s burial for a dictator, Tirol conceptualized the class Martial Law and Memory (HISTO 172). The class was offered as an elective course during the second semester of AY 2016-2017 and was discontinued due to logistical factors. During its run, the course aimed to illuminate the timeline of Marcos’ 20-year rule to show “what happens when the narrative begins to change.”

Experts such as Bienvenido F. Nebres, SJ delivered a series of lectures during the class to demonstrate the interwoven aspects and magnitude of the regime’s atrocities during Martial Law.

When historical truths are perverted, it becomes increasingly important for institutions, departments, and historians to take a stand, said Tirol. “ Kung mananahimik ka (If you remain silent), you’re going against the whole point of history, which is the truth.”

In her own bid to defend the truth, League of Atenean Historians member Bea Magbanua’s (4 AB HI) desire to pursue a history degree was also ignited by Marcos’ burial. Under the LS History program now, students like her conduct thorough reflections and look back to investigate how people remedied social ills, including the Martial Law injustices, in the past. In doing so, they are reminded of what is at stake if they forget and refuse to learn from the nation’s history.

However, with the triumph of the Marcos disinformation machinery, there has been a growing public disapproval of history as a discipline. In the age of disinformation, Tirol says that “intellectual thinking has been demonized.”

In response to the public’s disenchantment with history, Magbanua encourages engagement at the grassroots level that is founded on equal, two-way communication. “The right approach is to engage people first before we try to tell them our side, and we have to listen to their side equally as well… we can’t [just] expect them to just absorb what we’re saying,” she shares.

FINDING DEPTH BEYOND NUMBERS

Behind the steady decay of social memory is the flawed history pedagogy, specifically the fixation on mere enumeration and memorization in schools throughout the country.

Tirol explains that memorization is unsustainable because the Filipino culture of forgetting and forgiving is deeply entrenched in society. “It is precisely that ‘move on’ culture that allows the same people or the same groups to trample on us again and again,” he shares.

He emphasizes that memorizing and understanding memory are two different things. Resonating with this sentiment, Magbanua’s takeaway from her first major courses was that people learn through stories.

However, history at the basic education level appears unappealing to students. This is because classes are engrossed in dates and statistics, failing to put significance to these numbers and explain the relevance of historical topics to students’ personal lives.

This manifests in the way Martial Law is often watered down in textbooks. By solely listing down the Marcos regime’s achievements and providing shallow presentations of its inequities, history textbooks push students to passively learn without attempting to critically examine its context.

“The problem with many textbooks [is] they don’t really give depth, and it is tragic

because the Martial Law period was 20 years, and yet it is treated as, maybe, a one-day lecture,” Tirol laments.

Moreover, Associate Dean for Core Curriculum and Political Science Professor Benjamin T. Tolosa Jr., PhD identifies the tendency to depict a balanced narrative in textbooks as something that should be contested. “There is an acknowledgment that it’s (Martial Law) a problematic period… but for some reason, I suppose they want to present parang a balanced picture that’s why they emphasize the infrastructure part.”

In these times, Tirol mentions that it is wrong for historians to remain neutral because their silence goes against what history stands for—to seek the truth. He emphasizes the need to humanize stories by talking about firsthand accounts of victims testifying to the atrocities and not relegating these narratives to mere tales of the past.

Thus, educational institutions have big shoes to fill in fortifying the collective memory and addressing the learning gaps aggravating the educational endemic. Tolosa says that the History courses included in the Ateneo core curriculum emphasize historiography, the method of writing history with an emphasis on primary sources.

He also stresses the importance of gleaning insights about the country’s history and current context from other prescribed

‘

courses in the Ateneo core and co-curriculum. This includes Theology of the Catholic Social Vision (THEO 12) and engagements with marginalized sectors carried out through the Office of Social Concern and Involvement’s Binhi, Punla, and Bigkis programs. Tolosa shares that these courses are vital in addressing the cultural disconnect between students coming from privileged backgrounds and the majority of Filipinos.

MAKING HISTORY

Beyond institutions, the LS community, along with the Filipino public, are also compelled to continue the fight in preserving historical truths.

To this, Tirol encourages the youth to have courage in standing for what is true and to express based on factual research. “To speak with credibility, to speak with responsibility—that’s what I wish young people would do.

Di lang hirit nang hirit, tira nang tira, but to also know what they stand for and why they stand for that truth,” he emphasized.

Keeping the collective memory of struggle and freedom alive demands efforts from institutions and students alike to speak out, as Tirol explained.

The youth, in particular, hold great influence in paving the country’s future. “Tayo mismo, makasaysayan tayo… We’re not going to be exempt from history. We’re going to be part of it, we’re going to be making it, and we’re going to be passing it to the next generation,” says Magbanua.

A HOME ON THE HILL Many provincial scholars struggle to feel welcome as financial woes and crippling homesickness deny them a lively welcome on campus.

BY MARELLE BAÑEZ, ASHLEY ENRIQUEZ, AND CLARE PILLOS ILLUSTRATION BY FRANZ MANLUTAC PHOTOS BY VIONNA VILLALON

Stepping into a

WITH REUNIONS taking place in SEC Walk, first meetings in CTC, and Red Brick Road bustling with life, the Ateneo campus is vibrant with students and staff onsite.

To ensure the health and safety of the Loyola Schools (LS) community amid the ongoing pandemic, the administration has updated its COVID-19 policies to adjust with Alert Level 1 enforced in NCR. However, the student body has expressed concerns about the effectiveness of these protocols with a bigger population coming onsite. Through these policies, the administration aims for practicality and trust within the LS body.

With the first semester in full swing, collaboration among LS members is needed to ensure the safety of the community.

A TALE OF TWO STUDENTS Intersession of AY 2021–2022— the first time the University would proceed with onsite operations since the pandemic—served as the testing grounds for on-campus classes to assess the LS COVID-19 policies.

Nicole Nuguid (2 BS BIO) contracted COVID-19 moments later her classmates tested positive during Intersession. As she was on campus every weekday, she had classes in laboratories where, according to her, social distancing was more difficult to enforce given the limited space.

As soon as Nuguid experienced COVID-19 symptoms, she opted not to attend class and reported her case to the Loyola Schools Office of Health Services (OHS). Within the next hour, she received an email with a step-bystep procedure to schedule an appointment with the University physicians. Along with that, OHS also conducted contact tracing.

Danielle Suguitan (2 BS BIO), on the other hand, was one student who was exposed to another symptomatic student. Shortly after exposure, they received an email from the OHS on the necessary procedures to follow. While Suguitan was under monitoring for exposure, they were still permitted to attend onsite classes and were only asked to email back the OHS for updates.Despite their onsite experiences, Nuguid and Suguitan have lauded the efforts of the administration in enforcing health protocols but lamented the lack of responsibility some students have when following safety guidelines. Now, the challenge of trusting the student body with upholding safety in the LS without the strict surveillance of the administration has yet to be overcomed as COVID-19 cases surge.

IMPROVED GUIDELINES

The LS administration is constantly updating the LS health policies and protocols in adherence to national guidelines, from the removal of daily health declaration forms to the RTPCR testing requirement for unvaccinated individuals.

However, other protocols remain in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. For example, isolation tents are still located in the University as holding areas for students and faculty who experience symptoms on campus.

After conducting contact tracing, the OHS does a risk assessment to determine if an individual is at low risk or high risk. OHS then notifies their contacts and gives instructions on quarantine and treatment

procedures. They also inform professors to ensure that students with COVID-19 are excused from their classes and are prioritizing their recovery above all.

Given the Ateneo Blue Pass System’s significant role in contact tracing, such as the scanning of QR codes for campus and building entry, students like Nuguid worry about the new ID system set to replace it. However, University Physician Dr. Norman Marquez clarifies that the Blue Pass System would not be fully removed, only its campus entry protocol. Thus, it would still be used for other purposes such as health monitoring and telemedicine consultations.

He also shares that an enhanced ID system through Radio Frequency Identification—also known as RFID, which acts similar to a QR code—will soon replace it for campus entry and contact tracing come September 1, although no other information regarding this has been given as of writing.

With the shift to the new ID system, Marquez says, “We need to understand that we are at a different phase now of the pandemic. So, we will also need to adjust to what is practical, but at the same time, still maintain and address the health and safety concerns of the community.”

PLANNING AHEAD

Different contingency plans are in place to prepare for upticks in COVID-19 cases inside the campus and ensure the safety of the community. For Marquez, the most effective approach would be mitigation

We really have to work together. The university can provide the systems and structures, but ultimately, we will have to understand and take the initiative to be healthy and safe. [...] It starts with ourselves, and we can encourage one another to follow the protocols.

ALEXANDRA

DANNI NATIVIDAD

a new blue era

of COVID-19 transmission: intensifying contact tracing as well as providing guidance and interventions in the form of treatment protocols.

Marquez emphasizes that a campus-wide lockdown would not be automatically imposed if COVID-19 cases suddenly balloon on campus. Similarly, he adds that the University can opt to shift back to fully online classes if the majority of the LS population suddenly becomes symptomatic, whether confirmed or suspected.

“We’ve gained so much, invested so much in the online learning system. That will not be put to waste, that will always be part now to make sure that there will be less disruptions,” Marquez says.

Examining the University’s health policies and protocols, Ateneo Professional Schools Office of Health Services Director Dr. Jhason Cabigon points out that the LS is very up-to-date with local, national, and even international guidelines.

As a medical professional, however, Cabigon says that he prefers to have stricter protocols implemented in the LS to ensure the safety of the community. Additionally, he shares that another general challenge for the Ateneo is the constant and drastic changes in the local and national protocols the University needs to comply with.

ATENEO, ANEW

As LS students returned to face-to-face classes amid the threat of COVID-19, mixed feelings of excitement and worry proliferated. Cabigon reassures the students, “[The] safe resumption [of classes] is possible as long as everyone will adhere to our

health and safety protocols— and this is evidence-based.”

In line with this, Cabigon recommends having a safety officer—a teacher or a program coordinator—per class who will monitor the students’ health status every day, report it to the OHS, and disseminate health policy updates. He also believes that having safety officers could also ensure that no one is misrepresenting facts about their health status and improve the communication between the LS administration and the student body, especially with regards to health-related concerns.

Echoing Nuguid’s and Suguitan’s sentiments, Cabigon reminds everyone as well that there is a shared responsibility among the LS community members when it comes to COVID-19 prevention. He asserts that there is no one measure that could stop the pandemic and individual efforts are needed to protect oneself and their loved ones.

In relation to this, he shares the Swiss Cheese Model of Protection in which each protective measure is represented by a slice that needs to be combined with another slice for increased protection against COVID-19.

“Each slice, for example, would have this flaw. But if we will be putting one slice over the other, eventually, the holes will be covered. Diba your hand hygiene, your face mask, your distancing, your air ventilation, and eventually, your vaccine.

With all these, it will greatly lessen your chance of getting the [virus],” Cabigon expounds.

With students setting foot on campus after two years, the Ateneo enters a new era marked by a stronger sense of

“

The safe resumption of classes is possible as long as everyone will adhere to our health and safety protocols— and this is evidencebased.

DR. JHASON CABIGON ATENEO PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS OFFICE OF HEALTH SERVICES DIRECTOR

CAMILLE DOMINIQUE (MON) SALIPSIP NATIVIDAD AND SAMANTHA ROSE RAGAZA

A home on the hill

BY AREN TEODOR AND LOURENCE SEGOVIA ILLUSTRATIONS BY PAU LASALA

CLUTCHING THEIR ticket in one hand and their luggage in the other, Loyola Schools (LS) provincial scholars rush to fulfill their dream of finally arriving on campus. Propelled by the return of onsite classes, they scramble to find lodging on campus amid soaring costs of living throughout the country.

While the University has begun granting dorm scholarships again, testimonies prove that this has not guaranteed a smooth landing for many scholars. Due to the limited budget for dorm scholarships and the scarce accommodations on campus residences amid the pandemic, others had to fund their own housing, trading off quality for affordability with their tight budgets.

Thus, LS scholars say that they must now contend with financial burdens and academic pressures to excel—all on top of dealing with the anxieties while far from home.

LEAVING THE NEST

Among the growing population of LS scholars is Zylver Wayne Bautista (2 AB EC).

Flying in from Abra Province, he was not spared from the obstacles on his way to Katipunan.

Bautista is an academic scholar with a dorm grant, which

initially granted him a stay in the Ateneo Residence Halls (ARH). However, he was unsuccessful in securing accommodation there because of the Halls’ reduced capacity in view of the University’s COVID-19 health protocols. Thus, his grant was instead converted to an allowance amounting to Php 6,000. Unfortunately, other lodging options near the campus were still too costly for him. He was only able to find shelter in his friend’s house in Barangay Batasan Hills, about 9 kilometers away from Katipunan.

On top of lodging expenses, Bautista lamented that his daily spending for food and transportation in Metro Manila would have sustained him for a week or two in Abra. Amid such financial woes, he plans to spend his converted dorm grant on living expenses instead.

In contrast to Bautista’s lodging experience, Marchrius Danielle Gallardo (3 BS CSDGDD) had a relatively turbulentfree experience preparing for onsite classes and campus residency. However, having yet to depart for her dorm as of writing, she worries about the troubles that await her at the end of the trip. Like Bautista, one of her apprehensions is dealing with

finances and budgeting without her parents’ guidance. While somewhat daunted by this reality, she views this as a lesson on financial independence.

Adding to the already heavy baggage carried by scholars living away from family is the crippling feeling of homesickness.

FLIGHT TURBULENCES

As students residing away from their home provinces are no longer under the wing of their parents, they are also cut off from vital social support, according to Ateneo Bulatao Center Psychologist Karina G. Fernandez, PhD. She calls social support a “protective factor” of mental health.

“Whether it’s practical support [such as] your mom making your breakfast, or emotional support that you can talk to your best friend or your ate, or just companionship support— you have these people who will always go with you,” Fernandez explains.

The lack of such social support can drag scholars into a psychological nosedive. Fernandez explains that they become burdened by depression, waning interest in activities, and social withdrawal—all of which may result in dismal academic performance.

Addressing the lack of social support, she urges distressed students to open themselves up to an ever welcoming LS community while still keeping in touch with their families back home.

“Look for other sources of social support. Allow yourself to be vulnerable and reach out. There are people, individuals, groups, organizations, systems that are just waiting and begging for you to seek them out,” she says.

Fernandez cites two havens for scholars in the LS: Ateneo Gabay, and the Office of Admission and Aid (OAA), which has become more than just an office for scholars.

As early as AY 2021–2022, the OAA already began preparing for onsite classes with supportive measures for scholars, according to Scholarship Officer Christine Magboo. With more than 2,300 student scholars in the University, the OAA recognizes the need to efficiently address their concerns, particularly the lodging woes of those coming from the province.

Because of the high-cost accommodations, some scholars have considered working while studying. However, they are restricted from taking fulltime jobs and are “strongly discouraged from engaging in part-time work” as stipulated

in their scholarship contracts. Magboo explained that the OAA wants scholars to focus on their studies as having occupations may affect their academic performance.

To assist scholars, the OAA immediately compiled a list of off-campus dorms where scholars could stay. Magboo said the office also granted some provincial scholars with living allowances for food and other necessities, recognizing the rising commodity prices in the country.

Furthermore, OAA’s Scholarship Officers conduct regular individual consultations with the scholars to discuss their situation and well-being. As former scholars themselves, these officers hope that the scholars who come to them feel less doubtful of their abilities and more assured of their place in Ateneo.

FLYING TOGETHER

While living outside their comfort zones may seem daunting for Atenean scholars, the University’s support allows them to find a home away from their own. Just like any household, however, they understand that bigger problems may still come their way.

According to Fernandez, having a comfortable social environment within the campus is crucial during this adjustment period.

Similarly, Magboo also urges student scholars to find their niche in the Ateneo where they can relate to and feel safe. “If mayroon kang isang organization na tanggap ka, [...] parang nakakadagdag ‘yun sa confidence (If you have that one organization where you feel accepted, that would boost your confidence),” she says.

For scholars and students alike, the journey does not simply end by arriving at Katipunan, as the challenges brought about by the onlineto-onsite transition remain. Academically, Bautista expects a “major adjustment” during the first semester. For Gallardo, physically interacting with peers after two years of distance learning may be challenging.

Despite these predicaments, both of them try to look at brighter skies and appreciate this long-awaited chance to be back on campus—remaining hopeful that as time progresses, they hold onto their belief that the Ateneo is the place where they truly belong.

KARINA G. FERNANDEZ, PHD ATENEO BULATAO CENTER PSYCHOLOGIST

Look for other sources of social support. Allow yourself to be vulnerable and reach out. There are people, individuals, groups, organizations, systems that are just waiting for you to reach out and begging for you to seek them out.