The GUIDON - August-September 2021 Martial Law Special

Martial Law Special AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2021 EDITORS: KIANA R. ALTOVEROS AND AISHA C. SAID COVER ART: JAYCOB BUSTAMANTE LAYOUT ARTIST: KAITLYN W. MERCADO

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Martial Law Special

Middle-class memoirs from Martial Law

BY PIOEE B. BASSIG AND CHRISTIANNA P. LUGOD PHOTOS BY CASEY MATEO GRAPHIC BY SAM DELLOMAS

THE REALITIES and legacies of t he late d ict ator Ferdinand Marcos’ regime remain contested to this day.

Despite overwhelming evidence that Marcos thrust the nation into one of its darkest chapters in history, some still insist otherwise. A conf luence of factors such as religion, gender, and socioeconomic status, among others, contribute to varied experiences and recollections of Martial Law. In the early years of Marcos’ term, there were hopes for genuine economic development.

As his administration progressed, however, the centrality of Filipinos’ socioeconomic strata was highlighted as crises began to pile on and affect Filipinos across social classes.

In the face of a violent regime, middle-class Filipinos in particular were caught between prioritizing their safety, pursuing prosperity, and challenging the status quo. As history shows, ordinary Filipinos responded in ways as diverse as the Filipino middle class itself.

ORDINARY PEOPLE AMID EXTRAORDINARY YEARS One member of the middle class during Martial Law was former Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) Employee Eduardo Liwanag, who describes his life during the era as uneventful except for the imposed curfew.

During those years, Liwanag’s job was to visit and do meter readings for MERALCO-serviced homes.

When protests took place in areas where he did fieldwork, he was forced to leave his task unfinished.

He avoided rallies and similar political activities outside his work, fearing something bad might happen to him.

Despite avoiding activism, he still encountered the marks of Martial Law. On trips to Tanay to acquire pigs for his wife’s business, Liwanag would see groups of tall trees etched with people’s names. Upon hearing the locals’ stories, he realized who these names belonged to. “‘Yung mga natorture, ‘yung mga nawala.

May mga tama pa nga ng bala kung minsan ‘yung mga puno eh (Those who were tortured, who went missing. Sometimes the trees would have bullet holes in them),” he recalls.

M a r t i a l L aw d id not remarkably affect Liwanag, his family, nor his colleagues in MER ALCO, so his focus laid strictly on his livelihood.

“Noong panahon na ‘yun, kailangan kong magsumikap, magtrabaho, maghanapbuhay— para sa pamilya ko. Hindi ko naisip na, ano ba talaga ‘yung epekto sa akin ng Martial Law? (During that time, I had to persevere and make a living for my family. I didn’t think about how Martial Law affected me),” Liwanag recounts. He also admits that living in a secure home and having a stable income allowed him to learn about the regime’s violence from a safe distance.

For mer Soc i a l St ud ies teacher Delia San Andres was a middle-class high school student during Martial Law, but her story largely differs from Liwanag. While her father was the lone breadwinner in their family of 10, they still had

“enough for everyone’s needs.”

Despite admitting her family’s detachment from politics, she was always disturbed when she saw the poverty on the streets and heard about the bombings in Mindanao.

In the 80s, San Andres’ nationa lism wa s f ur ther awakened. Her activism was roused by the country’s political and economic climate while she was in school and continued well into her adulthood as she

signed several petitions, and supported teachers’ strikes.

As she practiced her activism, she was guided by an essential realization. “If I want a better life for my family, I have to contribute to transforming Philippine society,” she says.

The stories of Liwanag and San Andres showcase but a fraction of the Filipino middle class spectrum. Ultimately, these stories reveal how socioeconomic status colored middle-class

‘‘

Kasi siyempre noong panahon na ‘yun, kailangan kong magsumikap, magtrabaho, maghanapbuhay—para sa pamilya ko. Hindi ko naisip na, ‘Ano ba talaga ‘yung epekto sa akin ng Martial Law? EDUARDO SANTOS LIWANAG FORMER MANILA ELECTRIC COMPANY (MERALCO) EMPLOYEE

became the family breadwinner.

Alongside rampant human rights violations, she saw her family’s subsistence threatened as the high cost of living and her siblings’ matriculation strained their resources.

In light of all the turmoil, San Andres participated in protests,

Filipinos’ lives in different ways, but it hardly prompted a singular response against the regime. Liwanag and San Andres both fulfilled their roles as breadwinners; but where Liwanag took a more cautious approach, San Andres saw systemic social change as indispensable.

FILE PHOTO FROM THE MARCH 1985 AND OCTOBER 1984 ISSUES PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARTIAL LAW MUSEUM, PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION CENTER, CULTURAL CENTER OF THE PHILIPPINES, AND LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT AUTHORITY

ECHOES OF THE PAST Prior to Martial Law, the middle class was engaged in patron-client relations, benef ited from economic development, and did not have distinct political demands.

Scholars have also documented that a majority of the middle class simply tolerated Martial Law in its early years.

Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Politica l Science Lecturer Benjamin Roberto Barretto noted that incentives for the middle class to challenge t he reg ime were sca rce, especially when the aff luent were prospering. “When your income, your money, gets affected, that’s the only time you clamor,” he adds.

Like Liwanag, Barretto was a member of the middle class who was not directly exposed to Martial Law’s harms. “For a while we were just enjoying life. And then some of us—or many of us—suddenly felt that, ‘What about the poor?’” he says. He credits much of his political awakening to his college education at ADMU, where he became more critical of the realities then. He acknowledges that, while the middle class was facing their share of struggles, the poor were disproportionately affected as the economy fell to the ground.

Decades later, Liwanag, San Andres, and Barreto all lament that the nation is still saddled with several troubles it faced during Martial Law. “Militarisado ang pagtugon sa pagtutol ng mamamayan sa [“pandemya” o “virus”] noon (The response to citizens’ pushback against the “pandemic” or “virus” then was militaristic),” San Andres stresses. She adds that what typified the social ills of the

Philippines t he n—a s it does today—was the primacy of the elite’s interests.

While these persist, Liwanag and San Andres both agree that more Filipinos are afflicted in the current context. “[Ang COVID19], walang pinipiling social classes. Mayaman man o mahirap, makapangyarihan man o walang kapangyarihan tinatamaan ng virus (COVID-19 does not discriminate between social classes. Rich or poor, powerful or not—the virus can afflict them),” San Andres asserts.

Still, in crises past and present, the ability to weather negative circumstances largely relies on socioeconomic status. T his was true during the Marcos reg ime, when Liwanag and others like him in the middle class were able to lead relatively comfortable lives and focus on individual safety and prosperity. Similarly, in a pandemic accompanied by undemocratic gover nance, some families have more leeway to focus solely on their wellbeing while being shielded from the more adverse impacts of the pandemic.

However, a s ev ident in t he t rajector y of M a r t ia l L aw—wh ich concluded in EDSA— personal and social interests often intersect. For the vast majority of Filipinos, regardless of class, being idle had become too costly. As such, sooner or later, it becomes imperative to challenge this unjust status quo.

The GUIDON | August-September 2021

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Behind the complex

BY FELICITY C. SANTOS AND JERIKA P. UY ILLUSTRATION BY JAYCOB BUSTAMANTE

AS PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte nears the end of his term, the administration grapples to fulfill its ambitious infrastructure projects amid a pandemic. The Build Build Build (BBB) program remains a clear top priority, with infrastructure disbursements of Php 869.5 billion in 2020 alone.

Infrastructure continues to be a primary agenda for strongmen in politics. However, there is often no sustainability behind it, University of the Philippines (UP) Economics Teaching Fellow Jan Carlo “JC” Punongbayan said. Infrastructure projects have been observed to be a smokescreen for injustices committed at a particular time, thus holding the government accountable is necessary to see through the facade.

URBAN ILLUSIONS Data reveals that infrastructure quality is still consistently higher in democracies over those under authoritarian regimes.

However, strongmen continue to pursue grand infrastructure developments a s illusive represent ations of t heir administration, UP Architecture Professor Gerard Lico, PhD said. With ambitious projects that outlast their authoritative sponsor, the memory of the regime becomes centered on what is left behind even after the term ends or the president dies.

“When you have buildings all around, the person or the authority becomes visible. His or her omnipresence becomes more palpable than any other art form... So, even after the fall of [former President Ferdinand Marcos’] regime, the buildings are still there and they speak of a mythological golden past,” explained Lico.

This tangible representation of a regime aims to not only misguide citizens with illusions of progress and cement the administration’s power during its term, but also to detract from its wrongdoings or failures. “It’s about the creation of urban spectacle, but these spectacles are diversionary,” Lico affirmed.

In these cases, the tempting economic promises of infrastructure projects provide illusions which tend to overshadow the problems the country faces, such as human rights transgressions and the COVID-19 crisis. Despite these pressing issues, Punongbayan stated that the administration prioritizes the BBB program by investing more money in it over the pandemic response. “ U s u a l l y , dictators push for big [infrastructure] projects as a way to cement their legacy and deepen their influence in politics a nd societ y. But history shows that such edifices were usually vehicles of various acts of corruption,” Punongbayan added.

Looking back at history—especially at the time of Marcos— misplaced priorities and investments may cost the country years of debt at the expense of the Filipino people.

DEBIT AND MERIT The debt incurred from Marcos’ infrastructure projects is still being paid off

today. One example would be the Cultural Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Complex, which was founded by former first lady Imelda Marcos to “nurture Filipino culture.” While the CCP is still in operation today, the country incurred a debt of over Php 63 million from the theater’s construction alone.

Another key project of the Marcos regime is the Bataan Nuclear Powerplant (BNPP) that aimed to mitigate the 1973 oil crisis.

Despite geographical hazards and subpar structural integrity,

construction pushed through with costs totaling to $2.3 billion.

Apart from functionality or the lack thereof, infrastructures immortalize the name and legacy of the administration it was built under, despite being plagued with controversies and corruption cases.

Furthermore, Lico added that “Architecture becomes instant propaganda.” Thus, the public is reminded of just how powerful an administration has to be to build such structures—further motivating leaders to prioritize

‘‘ It’s about the

creation of urban spectacle, but these spectacles are diversionary.

GERARD LICO, PHD PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE

infrastructure projects like the CCP Complex and BNPP. As a result, Punongbayan explained that Marcos’ martial law and infrastructure-oriented policy led the economy to a debt crisis in 1984 and 1985.

Similar to the irresponsible priority Marcos placed on in f ra str uct ure, Duter te has repeatedly stated that infrastructure spending would increase under his f lagship program BBB even with the pandemic at hand. However, Punongbayan explained that economic recover y from BBB has not been sufficient to make up for the losses.

Part of BBB is the Kaliwa Dam, a project funded by a loan from C h i n a a mou nt i ng to Php 12.2 billion.

While construction may incur sudden financial losses as the Philippines struggles to pay t he debt , indigenous g roups a lso face a not her type of loss. T heir displacement and the eradication of their sacred sites and burial g rou nd s w i l l cost irreversible damage.

On the other hand, Duterte has proposed the construction of the Virology Science and Technology Institute to mitigate future outbreaks.

With Duterte urging Congress to enact a law to create the institute, the construction is set to receive a Php 500 million portion f rom

the General Appropriations Act. Similarly, other infrastructure projects are lined up to improve the economy and the wellbeing of Filipinos one way or another.

CRITICAL CREDITOR While there are differences between Marcos’ and Duterte’s approach, a similarity arises from the control they have over policymakers in their administration. For Marcos, Punongbayan explained that infrastructures were built with the help of his allies like late businessman Herminio Disini for the BNPP. For Duterte, it is m ade possible w it h the supermajority he enjoys in Congress.

Punongbayan added that the current administration’s confidence roots from the official development assistance which banks on “China’s investment promises.”

While life should not come to a complete stop because of a pandemic, misplaced priorities can repeat the mistakes of the past. These can cultivate a diversionary illusion that the economy is doing well even if it is not the case.

Beyond the issue of increasing loans and debt, infrastructures must serve and benefit the public who ultimately pays for it. A s such, w ith the launch of new infrastructure projec t s m a sk i ng a slow and disorganized pandemic response, the masses must remain critical in the face of a seemingly faultless facade.

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Martial Law Special

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE OFFICIAL GAZETTE OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, REVOLUTION REVISITED, SUNDAY TIMES MAGAZINE, RETROSCOPE PH, PETE REYES FOR THE MANILA TIMES, BOY CABRIDO, AND JACINTO TEE

DISSENT IN STROKES. Several local artists have shown support for the Tumindig movement, which aims to protest red-tagging and the Anti-Terrorism Law through art.

Between lines and strokes Despite persistent censorship and persecution against critics of the government, artists continue to stand their ground and use art as a medium for political engagement.

BY LIAM ISAIAH LAO AND RYAN SUAREZ PHOTO COLLAGE BY DARYL D. SY

ART OFTEN goes unnoticed in the frontlines of activism and political engagement.

However, through the course of local history, various paintings, photographs, and literature have aided in awakening political consciousness and challenging oppressive authorities by featuring marginalized realities and relaying impactful messages.

While oppressive figures continue to silence and red-tag critics and activists, art remains a powerful tool for subversion and resistance by empowering audiences to respond through a nd beyond t he work s .

Testament to this is Kevin Eric Raymundo’s (otherwise known as Tarantadong Kalbo) viral Tumindig movement.

Across different generations, dissenters and artist-activists battle enduring issues against repressive censorship. Hearkening back to the 1972 Martial Law declaration, recalling the sociopolitical unrest and corruption rooted in the regime becomes more pressing amid rampant historical denialism.

TO NEVER FORGET Born in 1968, renowned visual artist Toym Imao became aware of the injustices of Martial Law at a young age. As a child, he understood the impact of the

Marcos regime through the censorship of animated shows such as Voltes V, Mazinger Z, and Daimos, which all started airing locally in 1978. “During that time, this was our way of experiencing what Martial Law is, what dictatorship is—when all these beloved entertainment [shows] were suddenly curtained and experienced censorship,” Imao expresses.

Ateneo de Manila University Fine Arts professor and Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) member Karl Castro also shared that a highly stringent board of censors reviewed various movies, articles, and performances from its draft level. He notes that the strict censorship, among other reasons, urged artists of the time to form CAP in 1983, which still confronts similar issues today.

Aside from censoring dissident artistic works, the Marcos administration also aggressively persecuted its critics to impede the freedom of expression at the time. “We should [also] look at the sequestering of media, the political killings, the salvaging, the shutdown of student institutions and organizations,” Castro claims. He adds that these issues went hand-in-hand with the Marcoses’ propaganda for the seemingly perfect “New Society.”

Although numerous artists received government support in line with the administration’s patronage of the arts, Imao recalls that many progressive artist-activists went underground to craft protest art. In the local art and literary scene, social realists came into prominence as a response to sociopolitical unrest, including Lino Brocka for film and Edgar Fernandez for visual art.

Looking back on those times, Imao notes that the period was marred by “election fraud, intimidation, [and] redtagging,” which were issues that he deemed currently resonant.

T hese experiences largely shaped his current art style: Memorializing painful histories through pop culture and present contexts to bridge generations while igniting discourse. “We also have to image the darker period of our history so that we will not forget,” he remarks.

Years after the Marcos regime, art is still indispensable in the fight for a better society as modern technology makes artworks more accessible. Imao claims that artists have become more creative in depicting suffrage and oppression, citing the Tumindig movement as a classic example.

WITH RAISED FISTS The Tumindig movement began with a digital illustration that satirical artist Raymundo posted on July 17. The cartoon features numerous prostrated “fist people” resembling a gesture made by President Rodrigo Duterte and his supporters, with a single fist daring to stand amongst them.

Raymundo did not expect to inspire a movement with Tumindig. The artwork was not his first foray into sociopolitical discourse, as his Facebook page features timely political satire in comics and cartoons. However, Tumindig took on a different tone.

It was borne out of his frustration with the current administration, as well as his protest of the disconnect between the local art community and current events.

Raymundo utilized Tumindig as a vehicle of expression, giving him the courage to dissent amid the Anti-Terrorism Law and other censorship attempts.

More than courage, other local artists and organizations

also found inspiration and a rallying point in the illustrator’s work, creating their own version of the iconic fist to express similar sentiments. Among vthese participants were several Atenean organizations such as HEIGHTS Ateneo and the Ateneo Association of Communication Majors (Ateneo ACOMM).

HEIGHTS Editor-in-Chief Stanley Guevarra (3 AB LIT ENG) shares that the organization was motivated to join the movement due to the stand elicited by the artwork. “It’s a movement coming from an artist inspiring other artists. But while it is artistic in nature, it is also inclusive because we see that it also tackles, for example, sectoral issues such as that of nurses and farmers,” Guevarra shares.

Ateneo ACOMM President Jennifer Clemente (4 AB COM) notes that the organization has always been vocal on sociopolitical discourse. “We thought that joining this movement is something that

would help us show our members and people who follow ACOMM that this is something that we stand for,” she says.

BEYOND THE CANVAS The fight goes past exhibits and film festivals as artists recognize and act on their duty as Filipino citizens to promote positive change in society. Castro states that one of the most important things artists could do is foster change beyond art.

“Whether you organize, gather signatures for a petition, or you join an organization and deepen your awareness of an issue, what you do outside of art is also very important. That’s your duty as a person; it doesn’t matter if you’re an artist or not,” he asserts.

As artists persist in telling the stories least heard, their emphasis on amplifying marginalized voices and remembering censored narratives shall remain everresonant in the battle for truth and justice.

‘‘

Whether you organize, gather signatures for a petition, or you join an organization and deepen your awareness of an issue, what you do outside of art is also very important.

That’s your duty as a person; it doesn’t matter if you’re an artist or not.

KARL CASTRO MEMBER, CONCERNED ARTISTS OF THE PHILIPPINES

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

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AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2021 / VOL. XCII NO. 1

SHOOT FROM HOME. In lieu of on-site graduation photoshoots, Ateneo AEGIS opted for at-home photoshoot alternatives for the Class of 2021. PHOTO BY VIONNA VILLALON

Ateneo AEGIS faces onslaught of roadblocks for Batch 2021’s yearbook

BY BILLIE ASUNCION

DUE TO the reimposition of Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in the National Capital Region, Ateneo AEGIS announced the postponement of in-studio photoshoots that were meant to take place from July 31 to August 21.

According to Office of Student Services Director Cholo Mallillin, the pandemic has severely affected Batch 2021 because of the delayed yearbook photoshoots. Aside from this, Ateneo AEGIS also faced backlash from the graduating students due to the prices listed in the initial photoshoots primer posted on July 17.

That said, Ateneo AEGIS Editor-in-Chief Lorenzo Pisig stated that the concerns were taken into account in the updated policies released on July 23.

“Rather than contributing to wellness, which was also the original goal, there were cases where [the quarter schedule] increased stress or pressure because students had to submit requirements.”

BENJAMIN T. TOLOSA, JR., PHD ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR THE CORE CURRICULUM

FEEDBACK FROM BATCH 2021 After Ateneo AEGIS conducted the Senior’s Pulse for the batch in February, Pisig noted that a majority of the graduating batch wanted to have toga photos in the yearbook.

With this knowledge, the AEGIS board offered students an at-home, do-it-yourself (DIY) option and a physical, in-studio option. Pisig shared that the board prioritized finding a way for students to get a toga photo safely and accessibly.

According to Mallillin, Tinoley Digital Photography was the only studio that offered digitally altered toga shots among the possible suppliers. He said this was one of the deciding factors in choosing that studio as the AEGIS board had already anticipated that digitally altered photos would be necessary for most students given lockdown restrictions.

Pisig also stated that the AEGIS board chose Tinoley Digital Photography because it provided the lowest cost for its services which includes the services of the photographer, the walletsized prints, and a 10x12 inch glass-framed print.

However, many students on social media felt that the pricing for the photoshoots was still “unfair” despite AEGIS’ considerations.

Notably, Batch 2021 student Jt Valiente enumerated the pricing issues in a Facebook post on July 18.

According to Valiente, Php 1,800 was pricey for a service that could be done at home or “outsourced for much cheaper.” Along with this, he pointed out that financial aid scholars were given a discount for the in-studio photoshoots, but not the DIY photoshoots. “​​Meaning to say you’re actually incentivising people who may be financially challenged at this time to leave their homes,

and risk their health? If that is the case, then I’m even more disappointed,” he wrote.

Five days later, Ateneo AEGIS addressed these concerns by renegotiating prices with the studio and updating the primer to include more affordable packages and offer discounts for DIY photoshoots to financial aid scholars.

Mallillin added that the AEGIS board was understanding of the original poster’s intent when addressing these concerns.

“We actually saw naman point per point where he was coming from. It sort of necessitated a change in perspective [for] us,” he said.

EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL PROCESSES After resolving the concerns raised by Batch 2021 and gaining approval from the Vice President’s council, Ateneo AEGIS was scheduled to carry

out in-studio photoshoots from July to August.

Mallillin explained that AEGIS board members have to present comprehensive plans to the council before any on-site activities could be approved. This was first accomplished in April when the council allowed students to register and attend in-studio photoshoots.

However, after these initial plans were postponed due to the ECQ in April, the AEGIS board was required to present their proposal to the council once more for in-studio photoshoots to be allowed. While these plans were approved, they were eventually canceled again due to the ECQ’s reimposition in August.

As of writing, in-studio photoshoots have been postponed until further notice. However, students that availed of the DIY ATENEO AEGIS FACES › 5

LS to follow semestral schedule after considering feedback FOLLOWING A full year of online learning, Vice President for the Loyola Schools Maria Luz Vilches, PhD announced in May that AY 2021-2022 will use a semestral calendar. According to Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Josefina Hofileña, the feedback received from the Loyola Schools (LS) community was the reason for reverting to a semestral schedule.

The Vice President’s Council came to the decision after feedback revealed that the previous quarterly schedule led to several challenges for both students and teaching personnel.

In addition to the growing mental health concerns among students, the University administration also considered the recurring feedback that the quarterly schedule left

BY MOIRA V. CAYABYAB

insufficient time for accomplishing academic workload and little “elbow room.”

Despite the mixed opinions regarding the two systems, the administration ultimately decided on a semestral schedule because it would seemingly benefit the LS community more compared to the quarterly setup.

WEIGHING THE PROS AND CONS Hofileña explained that the administration had always intended to evaluate the feedback from both students and faculty to determine the next academic year’s system. While most of the data was

collected from the surveys initiated by the Sanggunian throughout the academic year, the administration also considered comments on Facebook group Loyola Schools Online Learning Community.

According to her, the feedback revealed that some LS community members favored the quarterly schedule because they felt that the 48 to 60 learning hours and fast-paced nature of the classes were fitting for the online setup.

On the other hand, Associate Dean for the Core Curriculum Benjamin Tolosa Jr, PhD, said the quarterly setup became an administrative problem since it created a mixed schedule. While

the core classes followed a schedule template, Tolosa said some major classes remained semestral.

Furthermore, Tolosa mentioned that the quarterly system became a challenge for the students who experienced having professors that gave heavy requirements to compensate for the shortened learning hours.

“Rather than contributing to wellness, which was also the original goal, there were cases where [the quarterly schedule] increased stress or pressure because students had to submit requirements. There were two major requirements needed for each quarter and there was a LS TO FOLLOW SEMESTRAL › 5

“I’m very grateful that this particular AEGIS team was on board when this happened. Kasi nga, sobra ang pinagdaanan nila. It’s really very frustrating.”

CHOLO MALLILLIN DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF STUDENT SERVICES

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BEYOND LOYOLA Open for business BL / Page 01

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News

GBSEALD launches ADL Learning Exchange 2021, Learning Circles to refine online learning

BY ZOEY C. ATILLO

TO STRENGTHEN the University’s goal on education reform and refine online learning in the Ateneo, the Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design (GBSEALD) conducted the first Adaptive Design for Learning (ADL) Learning Exchange 2021 and the Learning Circles in July.

Last May, the University administration notably renamed the fifth Loyola School (LS) into GBSEALD to recognize the “extraordinary donation” from the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, which aims to contribute to the school’s capacity-, knowledge-, and influence-building objectives.

As part of GBSEALD’s programs, Ateneo Institute for the Science and Art of Learning and Teaching (SALT) Director Galvin Ngo, PhD spearheaded the ADL Learning Exchange on July 14, 21, and 28 to exchange ideas and share reflections about practices in online learning among Jesuit schools.

GBSEALD also created the mentoring program Learning Circles to ensure students’ personal care in their learning journey, according to Ignatian Initiative for Teacher Excellence Program Director Jeraldine Ching.

REFINING ONLINE LEARNING For three afternoons, the Learning Exchange hosted 80 educators in 76 sessions as they shared practices, strategies,

and content that were helpful in online teaching. Tying the program’s topics, Ngo cited three key principles for effective online learning: Content, coach, and community.

He said that under the principle “content,” he motivated teachers to design course materials intentionally rather than “dumping information” so students would be guided in their learning experience. Ngo also stressed the importance of teachers as instructional coaches to their students by being present in synchronous and asynchronous discussions and active in emailed feedback.

He further highlighted the value of a community that offered students opportunities to interact with their peers instead of just their teachers or online modules.

Aside from the Learning Exchange, Ching cited the Learning Circles as a support group among graduate students to ensure that they find a community in the Ateneo. It aims to provide students with personal accompaniment so no one is left behind, nurture their passion for learning and teaching, and help them build personal relationships among their peers.

Moreover, Ching stated that the program carries the tradition of Ignatian spirituality founded on magis, the spirit of excellence, and cura personalis. She added that the Learning Circles would help differentiate GBSEALD from

other schools of education due to its mentoring and personal accompaniment initiatives.

CHALLENGES AND RESOLUTIONS On the other hand, Ching explained that the main challenge GBSEALD encountered during the academic shift was helping Ateneo educators adapt to online teaching. However, Ching clarified that this was remedied by the school’s programs that actively trained teachers in online instruction.

According to Ngo, the logistics of the Learning Exchange was a challenge since people were used to personal conferences. To address this, SALT restructured the program with the goal of minimizing technical difficulties in an online space. Ngo explained that they created virtual rooms in Zoom to conduct the sessions, and utilized Google Docs to list down the schedules and links for each meeting.

Ngo also said getting people to attend the sessions was a challenge. To remedy this, they sent emails for sign-ups and posted frequently on the GBSEALD Facebook page. With this, he said he was “pleasantly surprised” by the 650 people that registered to learn and prepare themselves for the coming semester.

“There was a very nice spirit of wanting to improve oneself. [...]

This was really a celebration in a

INNOVATION IN EDUCATION. The administration named its fifth Loyola School the Gokongwei Brothers School of Education and Learning Design (GBSEALD). The school will be located on the fourth floor of the Areté building. PHOTOS COURTESY OF OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY AND GLOBAL RELATIONS AND JUSTIN DE JESUS FROM ARETÉ

way [of what] those efforts [over the past year in online teaching resulted] in, and I think people wanted to be part of that,” he said.

THE FUTURE OF ONLINE TEACHING As part of GBSEALD’s vision, Ching hopes to form students into competent teachers who are rooted in their Catholic faith, Ignatian spirituality, and love for the country.

“I hope that we will be able to share to teachers and educators how education is really a mission.

It’s a work of love and response to the call of faith,” said Ching.

Moving forward, Ngo said that GBSEALD will continue to offer the Adaptive Design for Learning course guided by the three principles to walk teachers through the process of designing their syllabi and online courses.

He also said that they constantly communicate with LS deans and vice presidents to gauge the training needs of teachers.

When asked about GBSEALD’s future plans, Ching stated that they are currently working on the necessary steps to open the undergraduate and doctorate programs as soon as possible. She added that they first need to hire the correct staff, secure a sufficient number of students, and solidify the aforementioned programs.

I hope that we will be able to share to teachers and educators how education is really a mission. It’s a work of love and response to the call of faith.

JERALDINE CHING DIRECTOR, IGNATIAN INITIATIVE FOR TEACHER EXCELLENCE PROGRAM

EDITOR: ALLIANZA O. PESQUERA | LAYOUT ARTIST: NEIL R. REYES

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STUDENT SAFETY. Due to the socio-political climate in the Philippines, the Sanggunian passed the Socio-political Safeguarding Act to protect students who participate in political demonstrations. PHOTO BY PAULINA SINGH

Sanggu passes the Socio-Political Safeguarding Act against red-tagging, harassment

BY ANNA PINEDA

THE SANGGUNIAN passed the Socio-Political Safeguarding Act in May to further institutionalize actions against red-tagging and socio-political harassment. The Act was passed in response to the red-tagging incidents that followed the November mass student strike against the national government’s “criminal negligence.”

“Our students are engaging in the sociopolitical because they see multiple problems and multiple issues that our government is not resolving and not responding to,” Sanggunian Vice President TJ Alcantara said.

Acknowledging the Loyola Schools (LS) student body’s desire to air grievances toward sociopolitical issues, the Sanggunian aims to formalize existing rights for students who participate in socio-political civic engagement.

The Act will thus introduce the Socio-Political Harassment Help Desk, the Socio-Political Bill of Rights, and the Sanggunian Legal Counsel during the first semester of AY 2021-2022.

Desk, reports of harassment may be submitted to the different pages for the Sanggunian, Council of Organizations of the Ateneo Manila, League of Independent Organizations, or the Ateneo Resident Students Association.

Through these entry points, the reports will then be recorded and sent to the relevant offices, namely the LS Office of Guidance and Counseling for mental health concerns, the Ateneo Human

MANDATES AND POLICIES Upon the formal launch of the Socio-Political Harassment Help

“Our students are engaging in the sociopolitical because they see multiple problems and multiple issues that our government is not resolving and not responding to.”

TJ ALCANTARA SANGGUNIAN VICE PRESIDENT

Rights Center for legal advice, and the Ateneo Residence Halls for temporary shelter.

The Socio-Political Bill of Rights lists all student rights concerning expression and freedom from militarization, harassment, and undue searches or arrests.

According to Alcantara, the Bill of Rights is a reinterpretation of the Magna Carta for Undergraduate Students Rights and will serve as the Help Desk’s guiding principle.

“Ito ‘yung mga karapatan ng mga students when it comes to the sociopolitical [sphere], at nandito ang Sanggunian para ipagtanggol ang mga students if their rights are violated,” he added.

(These are rights for students when it comes to the socio-political [sphere], and the Sanggunian is here to safeguard the students if their rights are violated.)

Following the Help Desk’s launch, the Sanggunian will look for a lawyer and notary public to fill the role of legal counsel, which will have to be approved by the Office of Student Activities.

CONSTRAINTS AND LIMITATIONS With the establishment of the Sanggunian Legal Counsel, LS Legal Counsel Nina Patricia Sison-Arroyo commented that the Act does not specify the specific process, qualifications, and roles for the said legal counsel. “The bill needs to clarify how the legal counsel will be selected, [...]

and how prepared is Sanggu to shoulder the expense,” she said.

Regarding the budget, Alcantara clarified that compensation for the Sanggunian Legal Counsel will come from the Sanggunian’s emergency funds which amount to up to Php 1.5 million.

Aside from budget constraints, Alcantara also said the University recommended the Sanggunian to omit “protect” in the Act’s policies.

“When we say protect, it gives a certain expectation that whatever happens, you will be saved or we can prevent harassment. And that’s impossible [...] because we don’t control the harassers or the people who will be attacking us,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Sanggunian CoCommissioners on Socio-Political Development Téa Abastillas and Alyanna Abear cited difficulties in refining technical definitions.

“At what point is it just saying your opinion, and at what point is it red-tagging? That’s sort of the boundary we’re trying to establish right now,” Abastillas said.

To help them gauge red-tagged Ateneans’ experiences, Abastillas and Abear said that they have been contacting political organizations within and outside Ateneo to familiarize themselves with students’ concerns and political stances.

COMMON GROUND In the meantime, Alcantara said the Sanggunian is open to

amending and improving the Act in the upcoming school year.

Subsequent to its implementation, the Sanggunian will continue to address the concerns raised in consultations.

They also released the Student Needs Survey on August 11 to consolidate the student body’s top five concerns for AY 2021-2022, which will be the basis for the CA Convention held on August 27 to 28.

According to Alcantara, the CA Convention is a data gathering initiative open to the student body.

Students can sign up to become delegates to raise concerns on relevant topics such as student activism, voter engagement, and public health during talks and breakout room sessions.

Furthermore, Alcantara said the Sanggunian continues to work hard to stand for the students despite its limitations. “As long as we’re here, the Sanggunian will continue serving and will continue looking for other ways to empower the student body, so that we can all become productive and effective members of our society,” he said.

“We’re hoping even the most politically-uninvolved or uninterested are able to find something that they are concerned with and hopefully we can help capacitate [...] [by] making sure that these students are safe to express and take action towards what they want to achieve sociopolitically,” Abastillas added.

The truth is we cannot protect students. When we say protect, it gives a certain expectation that whatever happens, you will be saved or we can prevent harassment. And that’s impossible [...] because we don’t control the harassers or the people who will be attacking us.

PHOTO BY JIM DASAL

TJ ALCANTARA SANGGUNIAN VICE PRESIDENT

4

News

PHOTO ESSAY

AGS cafeteria used as vaccination site for eligible QC residents

BY BILLIE ASUNCION AND ZOEY C. ATILLO PHOTOS COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE

THE QUEZON City (QC) local government unit (LGU) has been utilizing the Ateneo Grade School (AGS) cafeteria as a COVID-19 vaccination site to inoculate hundreds of eligible QC residents since May. Under the mandate of the national government, the vaccination site was first made available to those who belong to priority groups A1, A2, and A3. These refer to medical frontline workers, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities aged 18 to 59 respectively. Additionally, the QC LGU has also begun vaccinating frontline personnel in essential sectors under the A4 priority group.

The AGS cafeteria was deemed an ideal location for mass vaccine operations due to its wide-open spaces that allow for good air circulation.

Likewise, the areas surrounding the AGS cafeteria allow ample space for patients to wait in line before getting vaccinated.

According to the University website, eligible QC residents could register for inoculation through the eZConsult mobile application, which is available on both Google Play and the App Store. During registration, users secured their vaccination site by selecting “Ateneo de Manila - Grade School Cafeteria Vaccination site (Gate 2).” Eligible QC residents could also schedule their vaccinations through assisted booking appointments in their respective barangays.

Those who have confirmed their slots were then allowed to enter the venue on their scheduled date, strictly through Gate 2 of the Loyola

Heights campus only. Walk-ins were strictly not accepted for efficiency and the safety of both patients and volunteers.

Aside from patients, professors and students of the University’s School of Medicine and Public Health served as volunteers in the AGS cafeteria to assist the patients.

According to the University, this initiative was part of the Ateneo’s concrete response to the pandemic. This vaccination site operates in conjunction with the University’s other COVID-19 projects such as the drive-through and walk-through reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction testing facility BlueSwab and the University Vaccination Program for Ateneo employees that launched last August 3.

The GUIDON | August-September 2021

5

NEW YEAR, DIFFERENT SET-UP. For the second academic year in quarantine, the Loyola Schools administration decided to return to a semestral set-up given the setbacks of the quarterly system. PHOTO BY SOLEIL NICOLETTE

LS to follow semestral... a shorter period of time to do it,” he said.

With these benefits and complications in mind, the administration kept the modified learning hours for the semestral schedule and limited synchronous sessions to at least one per week.

ADDRESSED STUDENT CONCERNS Due to the time constraints and stress caused by the quarter schedule, the school representatives also expressed the positive implications of a semestral schedule for their constituents.

School of Science and Engineering (SOSE) Representative Rika Cruz mentioned that students under SOSE courses would benefit from a semestral schedule by giving them more time to focus and

develop the needed skills for their respective fields.

Similarly, School of Social Sciences Representative Ivan Nabong also said that a semestral schedule would help students be able to better retain information for future classes.

“How can you learn those heavy subjects within that short period of five to six weeks? And you’re going to be expected to retain that throughout college since it’s a prerequisite for other subjects in the coming semesters,” Nabong said.

School of Humanities Representative Patrick Capili and John Gokongwei School of Management Representative Liezel Brito further mentioned how students in their third or fourth year also preferred a semestral schedule because of their thesis classes.

How can you learn those heavy subjects within that short period of five to six weeks? And you’re going to be expected to retain that throughout college since it’s a prerequisite for other subjects in the coming semesters.

IVAN NABONG SANGGUNIAN SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES REPRESENTATIVE

IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION Despite the advantages brought about by a semestral schedule, the school representatives said that the online learning setup can still face other challenges that affect students’ learning such as inclement weather.

However, they encourage students to approach them and answer constituency checks so their concerns may be raised to the administration.

According to them, constituency checks help them address concerns more effectively since they have better knowledge of what challenges and difficulties students may have.

In line with this, Hofileña also encourages students to answer the Course and Faculty Evaluations after the end of each semester.

“The evaluation is really [for] course and faculty, so you’re evaluating not just the faculty but also the course. Things like this: Delivery, questions about licensure exams, questions about number of hours, those kinds of things can be brought up in the course and faculty evaluation,” she said.

Additionally, Tolosa also hopes that members of the LS community will be more mindful of what other people are doing and be more considerate of each other’s workload.

“The focus should really be learning, at the same time integration and collaboration. [...]

It might help if people are talking to one another, especially given the amount of requirements and when they’re due.”

first AEGIS board to experience handling yearbook operations online. Because of this, Pisig said that Batch 2022’s AEGIS board may learn from their experiences.

“We never really expected everything that was going on. Last year’s batch naman, photoshoots were done before COVID hit, so they weren’t as affected. Kami talaga yung una, and I think we helped din naman because of that,” he said.

Mallillin emphasized that when working on yearbook procedures, resilience is key.

“I’m very grateful that this particular AEGIS team was on board when this happened. Kasi nga, sobra ang pinagdaanan nila (Because what they went through was too much). It’s really very frustrating,” he said.

Updates on the Class of 2021 yearbook may be accessed through Ateneo AEGIS’ official Facebook page.

Ateneo AEGIS faces... packages have been allowed to proceed with their photoshoots at home.

With the yearbook still incomplete, Pisig mentioned that the transition in leadership has also been an issue. “​​A lot more people are really tired, a lot more people have been exhausted of org work. It’s been a bit challenging to really pass this on,” he said.

Mallillin echoed this sentiment, saying that under regular circumstances, the succeeding AEGIS team would have already

taken over and begun preparations for the next batch’s yearbook at this point.

He further said that the next AEGIS team may be hesitant to step up given the difficulties the current AEGIS team faced. “​​People are already mindful na it’s a very difficult job. [...] People get the impression na walang ginagawa yung AEGIS. Actually, on the contrary, they’re working really, really hard. It’s really [because] external circumstances are working against them. As much as they are pushing for

their batch to have these photos taken, ang hirap talaga from a safety perspective,” he said.

STRENGTH IN ADVERSITY Despite the delays in yearbook operations, Mallillin praised this year’s AEGIS team. He mentioned that despite the adversities, including delays that were not fully within their control, the team “kept their spirits up.”

In anticipation for the next batch’s yearbook operations, Mallillin mentioned he still wants to “prepare for the

worst” despite his optimism in vaccination advancements.

“If it's going to be a DIY photo again, then maybe very early on, whatever comes out of this year, that will probably still be our mode for next year,” he said.

While no official plans have been made yet for Batch 2022’s yearbook operations, Pisig said that 2022 will “be in good hands.”

Mallillin noted that since Batch 2020 was able to proceed with their photoshoot before the lockdown was implemented, Batch 2021’s AEGIS board was the

EDITORIAL

The myth of Filipino herd immunity EDITORIAL CARTOON BY KYLA NICOLE VILLEGAS

AS THE more contagious Delta variant sets off large outbreaks across the globe, local government units (LGUs) in the Philippines face a greater sense of urgency to vaccinate their constituents and build immunity against its spread.

Metro Manila LGUs have held up to their vaccination promises well, inching closer and closer to their vaccination targets each day.

However, for those outside the capital region, vaccination still sits at disproportionately lower rates.

These unequal vaccination rates between Metro Manila and the rest of the country open the door to yet another devastating surge as the Delta variant ravages the Philippines. Ultimately, herd immunity in the Philippines is unattainable for as long as the Department of Health (DOH) does not accelerate mass vaccination nationwide, especially in areas where vaccines are scarce.

IN THE DARK Currently, data presented to the public fails to paint a clear picture of vaccination progress in the Philippines. No tracker consolidates and breaks down vaccination efforts throughout the country similar to the COVID-19 Dashboard available on the DOH website.

Instead, DOH releases vaccination bulletins through their official Facebook page. These were

broken down per region until May 18, when they shifted to presenting data per category instead. This left the public to rely on bulletins from their local government units (LGUs) for updates specific to their area.

Constant updates from the LGUS in the National Capital Region (NCR) allowed external institutions to consolidate vaccination data in the area.

Conversely, there are on-the-ground accounts of how citizens remain in the dark on the progress of vaccination in some provinces.

This is due to the national government’s strategy of prioritizing cities with high cases and high economic contribution, further exemplifying the government’s Metro Manila-centric conception of the pandemic.

To address this gap, the DOH must take steps towards presenting a consolidated account of vaccinations across the whole country breaking it down per region, not just Metro Manila.

A LOGISTICAL NIGHTMARE Aside from providing more transparent COVID-19 vaccination

reports, the government must also address the logistical problems that hamper provincial LGUs’ inoculation efforts.

Before launching the country’s COVID-19 vaccination program, the DOH assured the public that the country has sufficient storage facilities for vaccines that need to be kept at 2°C to 8°C and -20°C temperatures. However, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire noted that five regions—three of which are in Mindanao—are still incapable of storing vaccines that require -80°C to -60°C storage temperatures to maintain efficacy.

This poses a serious stumbling block to the Philippines as it begins to distribute its largest vaccine shipment of 40 million Pfizer doses that must all be stored at -80°C to -60°C temperatures. Notably, this shipment is hailed as a solution to the supply issues that have slowed inoculation efforts—especially in far-flung provinces pummeled by COVID-19 cases. But now, Filipinos in these five regions must anxiously wait for LGUs to secure the proper facilities for their areas.

In the meantime, other regions that already have the necessary facilities stand by to receive their COVID-19 vaccines. However, the government has seemingly left them in the lurch, too, by continuing to distribute a large fraction of its vaccine supply among NCR LGUs and nearby provinces first.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque swiftly justified this prioritization scheme to “increasing cases” in these areas, as well as “being highly urbanized, having a dense environment, and their contribution to the regional and national economy.” But politicians refuse to accept this, asserting that regions far from NCR have also been languishing amid prolonged COVID-19 surges.

Thus, the divide persists— leaving countless Filipino communities vulnerable to Delta surges that will further devastate their already weakened healthcare system. Meanwhile, others’ livelihood is put on hold due to the ensuing lockdown.

If the DOH wants to hit its vaccination targets, it must act

fast to address the yawning vaccination rift. It must accelerate its vaccination campaign to accomplish the 700,000 jabs per day that former Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit recommended.

Moreover, the national government must allocate more vaccines, manpower, and other necessary resources to LGUs that struggle to accomplish such large-scale vaccination programs.

The Philippines does not stand a chance of achieving herd immunity—and ending the pandemic at large—until the state presents a fuller picture of the vaccination program progress by contextualizing data per region.

Additionally, the DOH must also pursue an accelerated and more equitable vaccination program in light of the Delta variant.

Until then, the widening rift in immunity between regions remains, and time is running out.

With the Delta variant cases rising, the DOH risks erasing all strides that have been made towards pandemic recovery and further devastating a nation already battered by a year of lockdowns.

If the DOH wants to hit its vaccination targets, it must act fast to address the yawning vaccination rift.

8

Opinion

VOLUME XCII, NO. 1 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2021

BLUE JEANS

The politics of pizza

BY DERICK M. GABRILLO

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

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

Andrea Mikaela B. Llanes, AB COM ‘22 ASSOCIATE EDITOR

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

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

IN 2018, Icelandic President Gudni Johannesson proposed a ban on putting pineapples on pizza. This matter was brought to the attention of Johannesson during an engagement in a high school where one student asked for the president’s thoughts on the matter. His response was that he would legislate against the addition of pineapples on flatbreads if he could.

The public reaction was mixed, and Johanesson quickly withdrew his statement after a wave of backlash. People protested the president’s statement over social media in support of the topping while calling attention to

worse alternatives. Johansseon’s debacle serves as living proof of how the humble “Hawaiian” pizza is among the most divisive discussions in the culinary world.

Such is the case in my family.

My brother thinks it’s sacrilege, but I am an ardent believer in Hawaiian pizza.

I believe that the addition of pineapples adds a layer of complexity to nearly any kind of pizza. It illuminates the plate with a neon tinge, balances umami with tang, and refreshes you with every bite. However, it seems that flavor is not for everyone. It muddles the taste of the cheese or is out of place among savory

ingredients, or so some would say. My brother and I would have similar arguments when ordering pizza. It always ended the same way—with compromise.

I will stand my ground and say that Hawaiian is indeed a good option for pizza, but I will also concede that it isn’t for everyone.

People may have different persuasions depending on their upbringing, while others may have grown out of it. Some such as myself didn’t think much of the flavor at first, but have since acquired a taste for it. These differences allow for greater discourse and debate—but at the end of the day, a decision must be made. Which flavor of pizza will we order?

Some restaurants and chains are gracious enough to offer different flavors on one pizza. In those cases, choosing toppings is easy. Everyone gets what they want. However, this is not the reality we face on most days.

Most of the time, we can only get one flavor.

Even after the choice of toppings is sorted out, the size

of the pizza is still up for debate.

Sometimes it is a matter of cost; other times, of practicality. My brother and I would ask for a larger size than our parents would so we have something to munch on later that night. My parents, meanwhile, consider such a frivolous expense—after all, why pay for something I won’t finish immediately?

When that happens, we not only negotiate among the family but also with ourselves. What am I willing to compromise to make everyone else happy?

In the end, everyone adjusts and we almost never pick our first choices. We always arrive at the flavor that no one will complain too much about but no one will ever be completely satisfied with either. We also choose the size that will minimize waste and leave enough slices for later.

Strategic decisions like that may not always leave the best taste in your mouth, but they will get you full nonetheless. And so, begrudgingly, we order the food.

Ultimately, the decision of which pizza to get is in the hands

of the person ordering it. If that person is you, then you need to pull the trigger at some point.

As you’re about to order, some thoughts may race through your head: Am I choosing what will benefit everyone? Can I actually change the order by myself if I wanted to? Should I? Can I still convince someone to take my side? How much am I compromising by allowing for something so radically different from what I really want?

Will I lose myself if I make this call?

I don’t know the answers to these questions, and I won’t waste any more time or energy thinking about them. After all, it’s just pizza. I can always have another one next week.

However, I just might save those same thoughts for the national elections next year.

from a pre-pandemic world are the possibilities of life. I was one of those students who found refuge in how school could be a great equalizer. At school, you could dissolve into all these rituals that made student life so exciting. In the same vein, extracurriculars were these great spaces for possibility and learning beyond theory within the classroom.

Now, against the backdrop of Zoom, these opportunities of escapism feel volatile. As if—at closing a tab—the red tape of reality is ushered in immediately and any approximations of normalcy feel like inauthentic representations of a life lost.

After over a year in community quarantines and synchronous sessions with faceless classmates, sometimes it feels like I’ve accumulated centuries’ worth of human love in my veins. At the slightest touch, I’m ready to inject it into the bloodstream of anyone willing to listen.

Ultimately, that’s what I miss the most: The possibility

of having someone listen. The warmth of another stranger’s body. The thicket of tension at Dela Costa as students line up for oral exams with crumpled index cards in hand. The suffocating heat of Bellarmine classrooms.

Feeling cocooned in a mass of sweaty, anxious bodies pulsing with youth and the arrogance of time. I miss the distinctions, rites, memories—a life colored by the participation of another.

As the first graduating class of an entire year in online school, celebration may feel ornamental at best.

Pursuing higher education at all is a right unfortunately withheld as a privilege in the Philippines, and to graduate is an honor in itself.

Yet I feel insatiable for wanting more. I am deeply thankful to have continued my education in the midst of a pandemic but truthfully, I am still mourning.

Without the physical ceremony of a graduation, I feel stagnated.

I’m unsure of how to live without feeling as if I’m chasing for a world that no longer exists.

I do not know how to say goodbye.

Regardless, I will still try.

To my fellow graduates, our generation is inheriting a world that requires the difficult work of choosing joy and nurturing hope to reimagine a better one.

We leave Ateneo with a more tempered understanding of what it means to participate in each other’s lives and care for our communities. We exit with the capacity to channel our grief into action for those who do not have the privilege of time and space to grieve at all. There is still so much we do not know but until we can all scream, laugh, and weep together in a sea of blue with all our family as witness, chosen and blood—to celebrate is to persist.

Derick M. Gabrillo (3 BS MEC) is a Beyond Loyola staffer of The GUIDON. You may contact him at john.gabrillo@obf.ateneo.edu.

DESIGN EXECUTIVE EDITOR

CHALK MARKS Allianza O. Pesquera, AB COM ‘22 NEWS EDITOR

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

Kiana Lane R. Altoveros, BS LM ‘23

Exit wounds

BEYOND LOYOLA EDITOR

Aisha C. Said, BS LM ‘23 FEATURES EDITOR

BY SOFIA K. GUANZON

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

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

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

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

Casey Augustine A. Saballe, BS PSY ‘23 Daryl Robyn D. Sy, AB COM ‘24 PHOTOS EDITORS

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

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

Alissa Mae Evangelista, AB COM ‘23 VIDEO PRODUCTION DIRECTOR

Neil Christian R. Reyes, BS CH-MSE ‘23 INTERIM DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT EDITOR FOR DESIGN

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

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

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

Jose Angelo A. Buenaventura, BS CTM ‘23 Enrique Benjamin B. Halili, BFA CW ‘22 SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGERS

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

I HAVE always thrived on distinctions. Curating playlists to close a year. Wearing a pair of lucky socks on final exam days.

These little rituals and private ceremonies have shaped my life, molding the fluidity of time into truths I can hold. With the loss of physicality in a pandemic-ridden world, I mourn for much larger losses that I can no longer name.

It feels as if all the grief, anger, and anxiety have atomized in the same parts of me that house my capacity to hope, laugh, and choose joy.

Although one cannot talk of COVID-19 without acknowledging the deeply rooted inequalities magnified by the pandemic, a feeling we all can claim is ours is the collective grief of

instability. For graduating students, our university life is eclipsed by a sadness that is too bloated, ugly and formless for words. It is difficult to reconcile personal sadness with the political, to mourn for ourselves while thousands of people are swallowed into statistics: Positive COVID-19 cases, recovered cases, backlogs. Even as I write this, I can’t help but feel bogged down by the futility of articulating a bleakness that envelopes us all.

I’ve spent the past year imagining what it would be like to navigate a world wherein every surface was not always a potential petri dish for COVID-19. In these imaginings, it becomes clearer that what I pine for the most

Sofia K. Guanzon (AB Dip-IR ‘21) was an Inquiry Staffer of The GUIDON in AY 2018-2019 and AY 2019-2020. She may be reached at sofia.guanzon@obf.ateneo.edu.

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Luz R. Rimban MODERATOR

For comments, suggestions, and contributions, email:

desk@theguidon.com

I TRIED fighting for the last few centimeters of height I could get before I reached 18. The ticking time bomb has since exploded, and now I am left to live with the curves for good.

I was diagnosed with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) when I was in sixth grade.

My doctor recommended that I go for the bracing treatment with a Boston brace—which I could wear under my clothing— over the riskier surgery, as I had moderate S-shaped scoliosis.

In an attempt to seek more affordable treatment, we went to a public hospital specializing in my condition. The head doctor gave me a different brace; a more structured-looking one. She went on to explain how the former brace option was not as effective as the latter. Convinced, we went for it.

Back then, I didn’t realize that this piece of metal could change my life.

The Milwaukee brace was a pain. The expectation to wear it for 23 hours was just not feasible; it meant one’s day would be dedicated to following a strict routine of shower and therapy.

With the gravity of my AIS, I had to visit the hospital every three months. I’d skip class each time because the process of adjusting the brace was time-consuming.

The process was inefficient and the approach was unprofessional; I remember being threatened with surgery when I refused to wear my brace for 23 hours.

Behind facades

ALISSA EVANGELISTA

The blind curve Truthfully, I did so because judgmental glances were another hurdle I had to overcome. There were times I’d go outside and people would be staring at me.

It was a physical struggle with bruises being left on my skin, and mentally by seeing a mix of pity and disgust in people’s eyes.

Besides that, I barely got to wear the outfits I wanted.

Wearing the brace alone was hot and uncomfortable. What more if I were to bother wearing delicate pieces of fabric? The feeling of wearing it was nothing like

Regina George at Spring Fling or Chanel no. 6 in Scream Queens.

I cannot embellish the story. I can still be in the narrative of such films, but only as someone to be bullied. Unlike Regina George or Chanel no. 6, high school was a tough time to wear it.

With that, I decided to only use it during nighttime. It only kept my curvature as is because of the limited time of use. When I turned 18, the head doctor prompted me to get a new brace. Surprisingly, I saw that it was the same brace they

claimed was ineffective. I couldn’t be more frustrated with how inconsistent the same doctor and hospital could be. If only I had their approval to wear the Boston brace, I would have worn it every day. Now, time is gone.

While I have dodged the fear of being isolated in high school, I couldn’t help but be enveloped by other fears surrounding scoliosis. I fear that one day I would be discriminated against; this time, by an employer who sees me as either disabled or too short to make the cut.

While I have dodged the fear of being isolated in high school, I couldn’t help but be enveloped by other fears surrounding scoliosis.

I am also discouraged by the chance that the myths surrounding scoliosis pregnancy might actually be true or that I would pass this on to my future children, and they would have to deal with the same difficulties I experienced. The fear lives on.

Scoliosis has been normalized, almost to the point where people may start thinking it is not a longterm disease that may require treatment. AIS in particular has no known cause and can affect anyone, which is why it should be taken seriously. This is not a laughing matter or an opportunity to compliment anyone that they have great “curves.”

Just like our spines, scoliosis treatment is like going through blind curves where the future is uncertain. There is no assurance with the time and money invested.

So as to not have another experience of uncertainty like mine, it’s important to invest in studying AIS more. Doing so can make treatment plans consistent, and patients will no longer have to consult multiple professionals. On top of that, each patient’s mental health should be prioritized, too.

I wish communities and support groups were made more available to me; that way, I wouldn’t have felt alone as I traversed the road of treatment.

What the rest can do is to drive smoothly on the road, and take it easy on us with scoliosis—to not surprise us as we take on the blind curve.

The GUIDON | August-September 2021

A step back

SAMANTHA ONGLATCO

The ugly road to recovery Trigger warning: This piece contains mentions of eating disorders.

I WANTED a cookie for breakfast.

As I got up and prepared to shove a cookie into my mouth, I suddenly thought of how many calories I’d consume if I ate it. I would consume about 55 calories for one piece; 160 if I had three. Then I caught my line of thinking and reminded myself: You don’t do that anymore.

I’ve had an unhealthy relationship with food since I was in high school. I’ve always been naturally

big-boned, which my classmates often pointed out during my early teenage years. One classmate even coined a special nickname for my thighs: Crispy pata, comparing my legs to that of a pig’s. The same classmate often made fun of me every time he saw me eating my baon, reminding me of the weight I would gain.

Another classmate sent me an anonymous message on ask.fm, a popular question and answer platform at the time, saying, “Akala ko ba magdadiet ka na? Ang

Daybreak

BEATRIZ C. REYES

Love letter STUDENTS ARE normally introduced to campus journalism through the distinguished school press conferences; I started my journey in 2009. Since then, journalism has had a profound impact on my life, but my gratitude for the craft has been hushed for more than a decade.

The reason? I’ve been immersed in the work I love doing.

This is my first—and last— published love letter for campus journalism, an activity that has been with me throughout the highs and lows of my student life.

My first foray into journalism was through feature writing.

It was an unexpected stint: A fourth grader trying to put on her big girl’s shoes by shadowing upperclassmen preparing for competitions. I was fascinated with how they weaved their words together without sacrificing the quality of their content. I wanted to be like them—so I trained to be like them. I practiced and read every day. At one point, I even believed that I would take up a communications degree for college.

Life never goes as planned.

Currently—and without regrets—I am finishing my final year of college with a business degree. I still joined a student publication. I couldn’t see myself outside of the field, even if the activity wasn’t directly related to my degree.

However, my experience as a student journalist enriched how I understand business issues in three ways.

First, campus journalism has taught me the importance of effective communication.

For some, this might already be a given; being involved in student publications has the perceived implication that one is good with words. But when faced with panelists who only have 10 minutes to listen in on your presentation, every second counts. The key points must then be delivered in a clear and concise manner which, as easy as it sounds, is no easy feat to pull off.

Communication is not just about choosing the right words but also deciding which points to highlight and to emphasize.

It’s choosing the message which matters most to your audience.

Angling the information, however, should still be discussed in a fair and objective way.

Campus journalism has taught me the importance of ethics; of how fairness, balance, and truth prevail regardless of what the audience wants to hear.

Oftentimes, there is an often neglected fine line between what the audience wants to know and what they should know. In seeking stories as a journalist, there are hard truths that should be reported. Business problems can also be analyzed in the same

Happenstance

KIANA R. ALTOVEROS

This is me trying I GREW up hating the skin color I was born with.

During a time of identity discovery and overwhelming insecurities—also known as high school—backhanded compliments and snide remarks about my medium complexion were thrown at me on a daily occurrence. My first high school crush once told me that I’d be pretty if only my complexion resembled my mother’s: Light pink, pale, and perfect. My high

school peers even belted out the pop hit Dark Horse by Katy Perry every time I walked the school hallways from one class to the next.

Since then, I wished for the kind of transformation that Nam—the main character in the famous Thai romance comedy A Little Thing Called Love (2010)—successfully went through. Nam’s struggles about her physical appearance and confidence in the former half

taba taba mo padin.” (I thought you were going on a diet? You’re still so fat.)

Because of these comments, I started to deprive myself of food at the young age of 13, finding comfort in feeling hunger pangs.

When I was 17, I was diagnosed with a major depressive disorder for a number of reasons—one of which was low self-esteem. Not too long after, I discovered that I could force vomit all my food out.

I vividly remember feeling a sense of relief when I tried purging for the first time, thinking that I finally found a way to eat and not gain weight.

I continued to have frequent bathroom visits right after meals, covering it up as indigestion.

With every “ang payat mo!” (you’re so thin) that gave me a sense of satisfaction was also a corresponding bathroom visit to ensure that it would stay that way. I became obsessed with being thin, but at the same time, I never felt slim enough. way, especially by understanding which issues are the most pressing so management immediately knows how to take proper action.

For example, will you tell an owner that their company is thriving when your research and analysis show that they are not?

It’s a difficult truth that they need to hear.

Finally, campus journalism has taught me humility. It directed me in ways that I never imagined, and I have learned to accept that. The past points show how I applied what I learned in journalism to the business world—which, I admit, is only very limited since I experience it through the lens of a University student. While I began as a student writer, I’m proud to say that I’m ending my journey as a student manager.

My current role in the publication marries my interests in solving business problems with my passion for journalism. My team and I provide insights regarding the publication’s operations, as well as generate strategies on how it can thrive online and in the years beyond our term. We create plans in engaging with our stakeholders, creating reports to enhance how the publication runs, and maximizing the online reach of the work of each staffer while securing their stability as members of the organization.

Life leads us in unexpected ways, and I am grateful for the opportunity.

As this will be one of my last published pieces, I consider it a privilege to be a student journalist—one who has been guided by great mentors, coaches, editors, and colleagues. Once again, to campus journalism, this is a thank you for all the years and the experiences that we shared together. of the film deeply resonated with my existing insecurities.

At certain moments, I even felt like her story was too similar to mine.

Nam, like many others, daydreamed about winning the heart of Shone, a popular senior who seemed way out of her league; mostly due to her crooked smile, outdated eye glasses, and darker complexion. With slight persuasion from her group of friends and her enormous desire to get Shone’s attention, Nam was determined to undergo the ultimate summer makeover.

As the movie portrayed, the makeover’s success meant a whiter, therefore, more beautiful and confident Nam. There’s a sliver of hope for me, I thought while watching the scenes in the movie unfold, I can just be like Nam. This realization marked the beginning of my obsessive

Ever ybody around me thought that my weight loss was a result of fatigue in school, not knowing what I was doing to myself behind closed doors.

I was eating less and visiting the bathroom more frequently.

One day, I ended up telling my psychiatrist about what I was doing to myself. I didn’t know that I was experiencing symptoms of bulimia nervosa nor did it ever cross my mind that I had an eating disorder. I used to associate eating disorders with rapid weight loss, but the signs for bulimic patients are less obvious since their body weight stays within the normal weight range.

Seeking treatment was the first step on the long and ugly road to recovery. I had to garner enough willpower to resist the urge of visiting bathrooms every time after I ate and I had to unlearn years of bad habits and wrong mindsets. The mental battle it would take just to get myself to eat often left me in tears as

I fought off the thought of how many calories I was taking in.

It took months of getting used to eating at regular times, and regaining my appetite took even longer. However, I stayed committed to my journey towards recovery. Over time, I’ve learned that being healthy means being strong and well, not being thin. With one spoonful at a time, I began to get better.

I am still on a journey to recovery, but I am proud of myself for how far I’ve gotten.

I have learned to love my body with all its flaws and imperfections because it is what gets me through every day. After all, how could I not love it? My body does its best to take care of me because it loves me, so I will do my best to love it back by taking care of it well.

So in the end, I indulged in the cookie I held myself back from. My body could do with a treat for getting me through another week.

Memory loss

ALLIANZA O. PESQUERA

A quarter-life crisis IF I were Bella Swan, I too would have urged my vampire boyfriend to make me immortal at 17 years old. At least, I always thought I would up until this point in quarantine.

When I turned 20 in March of this year, I imagined my body desiccating to the point of mummification; that the sheer weight of age on my soul would start showing on my skin. At 20, I felt like I was too old for all my current habits and hobbies like I should have developed a new, more adult personality as soon as the clock struck 12.

There isn’t a single thing I could put the blame on for my warped relationship with age, but I do think it all boils down to my environment. In books, the main character defeats evil by the age of 13. In TV shows, the main character dates around and meets the love of their life in high school. In movies, the main character peaks in college and the fun ends as soon as they receive their diploma.

The way I saw it, all that is left after acquiring these milestones are a boring nineto-five job and domestic life.

And boredom, according to German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer in Studies in Pessimism, is just another form of misery. friendship with various whitening beauty products.

I drenched and bathed myself with whitening soaps, scrubs, lotions, and many more.

Wearing shorts or anything that would expose my skin to the sun was cautiously avoided. Even beach trips that I used to long for started to become terrifying as I was adamant that outdoor activities may backtrack my socalled progress. Such desperate determination to rid myself of this insecurity ultimately dictated the rest of my life.

Not until recent local campaigns of self-love and selfacceptance were promoted on social media did I start to truly realize the depth of internalized colorism that I embodied for the past eight years. I witnessed local makeup brands such as Colourette Cosmetics and Happy Skin Cosmetics finally

As I equated adulthood to inescapable boredom, I entered the Ateneo as a bright-eyed 17-yearold hoping to live as much life as I could. I thought that this was the only stage in my life where I could make mistakes and laugh while doing so. I especially reveled in the nightlife, embracing the sweat of activity like there was no tomorrow.

Amid complete strangers in the dead of night, I never felt more alive, and so I wanted to stretch that feeling to an eternity.

When my friend told me that she wished she was more like me pre-pandemic, I told her that there is no shame in taking it slow, which there isn’t—except time seems to be working against us as my batch is mere months away from graduation. This daunting realization leaves us with nearly nothing left to do but reminisce about the nights we could barely remember and regret the time wasted in quarantine.

That is not to say that everything was perfect. I chased experiences more than I did sincerity. I didn’t say “no” even when I wanted to in the hopes of collecting more rose-tinted anecdotes. I did all the things I did at 17 because I thought I would never have the opportunity to do those things again once I graduated from college. manufacture products suitable for all types of skin tones, and local morena celebrities cease advocating for the whitening products I religiously worshipped.

There’s no doubt that these color positivity campaigns have started to go against the grain and move towards a future free from skin color prejudice and discrimination, but its impact on my personal journey truthfully remains to be minute.

In navigating life with these advocacies in the background, I realized that the desperate determination I developed during my formative years has totally consumed me. Deep down, I still look at my mother and wish that her pink, pale, and perfect skin was something that I also inherited.

In rare times that I feel the rays of the sun on my skin during quarantine and isolation,

9

Over time, I’ve learned that being healthy means being strong and well, not being thin. With one spoonful at a time, I began to get better.

Because the option to prolong my youth by way of vampire venom was out of my reach, I opted to view life the way Greek epic poet Homer described in the Iliad. According to him, “Any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we’e doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now.

We will never be here again.”

That said, Homer’s words no longer resonate with me as they did before. Mortality is not this intangible thing that brings my life meaning. Nowadays, when I think of mortality, I think of my forgetful grandmother who had to grieve anew each time she saw the urn.

When I think of mortality, I think of all the funerals I was not able to attend because of the pandemic.

Bodies cannot be buried once they have been turned to ash.

Likewise, I cannot go back in time to relive my so-called glory days just because I am too afraid of becoming a full-fledged adult.

But I digress. Hypothetically speaking, had I been turned into a vampire at 17 and abandoned my human life, I would not have experienced the joys of 18, the painstaking uphill climb of 19, nor the daily grind of 20.

I turned 19 and 20 at home, and I have not seen a single one of my friends since on-site classes were suspended. While the lockdowns may have seemingly fast-tracked me into adulthood, aging is not the crime being committed against me.

I may have become an adult against my past wishes, but the quarantine has certainly put boredom into perspective as only a certain percentage of our population can afford to remain at home. And if I become bored, so be it. I simply want to leave college with the newfound acceptance that my life did not end when my teenage years did.

I instinctively remind myself to get cover. My father’s jokes about my lightening complexion trigger a familiar flutter of excitement and pride as if I finally achieved something. Admittedly, knowing well enough about this issue leads to an overwhelming feeling of shame and disappointment soon after.

Everyone is finally accepting me; why is it so difficult to do the same? It’s frustrating to admit that I’m yet to be capable of encouraging people who feel ugly, undeserving, and uncomfortable with their own skin.

But I wrote this piece as a reminder to myself that although I am yet to free myself of internalized colorism, at the very least, I am trying. And to you, whose story sounds too similar to mine, I hope that you find it in you to do the same.

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Sports

The GUIDON | August-September 2021

10

SPORTS OPINION

SINCE THE cancellation of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ (UAAP) 82nd and 83rd seasons, there has been no shortage of speculation regarding the plans of the league for its return. More recently, the UAAP itself has provided its own updates for the possible 84th season. Atty. Rebo Saguisag, the collegiate league’s executive director, shared his optimism that the UAAP could return sometime next year.

While fans have been without the UAAP for nearly two years, there is a possibility that the league will be limited to select sports, such as men’s basketball, women’s volleyball, cheerdance, and the opening ceremonies. While these events are extremely popular among fans and good for league revenue, it can be argued that the UAAP should re-angle its return with a much safer perspective in mind.

Much of the difficulty surrounding sports leagues in the new normal is rooted in the risk of transmission associated with physical contact in these sports. As such, noncontact sports are seen as the safer option in the new normal because safe distances can be maintained between athletes.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose a hindrance to the UAAP, focusing resources on non-contact sports is the best option for the community moving forward.

WORRYING REALITY The Philippines’ current situation with the COVID-19 virus has worsened since the UAAP discussed its potential return last June. With the Delta variant now present in

Changing the spotlight

BY VITO MARTIN ILLUSTRATION BY FRANCES LOPEZ

the country, Filipinos are in the middle of another spike in cases. As of September 10, the Department of Health tallied 17,964 new cases for a total of 175,470 active cases. Despite the rise in cases, Metro Manila’s lockdown has since been relaxed to modified enhanced community quarantine.

Though the UA AP will certainly have safety protocols in place for the athletes and staff that will participate in its return, the UAAP has yet to release concrete safety plans to the public. Worse off, the history of sports leagues and their protocols in the Philippines has never completely stopped COVID-19’s transmission. Notable examples

of COVID-19 risks in sporting leagues can be seen in the positive cases of both the Premier Volleyball League and the Philippine Basketball Association.

These recent developments pose a threat to the return of the UAAP and even put into question whether sports leagues should be relaunched at this time. Though there are systems in place to protect athletes before stepping foot in the arena, non-contact sports ensure a minimal risk of transmission during the games as well.

NEW NORMAL SPORTS T he a forementioned notion that social distancing

makes non-contact sports safer is supported by the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases, which allowed non-contact sports such as running, swimming, tennis, golf, and badminton to be conducted in low-risk areas. Fortunately, the UAAP has no shortage of non-contact sports in its current arsenal.

While non-contact sports do have reduced transmission risks, problems concerning fan reception and viewership may arise as these sports are arguably less popular than those that have been singled out for ret ur n.

Attempting to heighten the

popularity of these noncontact sports becomes more important when one considers the implications the UAAP’s return can have outside the league itself.

As a collegiate league, a large part of the UAAP’s demographic are young Filipinos and aspiring athletes who look up to the players they host. Should the league focus on non-contact sports when it returns, it will also inspire aspiring Filipino athletes to take up these sports in the new normal; creating a safer environment for Philippine athletics at the time of COVID-19.

The country has already shown that there is a future to be invested in with non-contact sports. Eight

As the country continues to live with the COVID-19 virus, the best step forward for the UAAP should still be to prioritize the safest option both for the sake of their athletes and the audience that looks up to them.

out of the 11 Olympic sports that the country participated in are classified as non-contact.

Of those eight sports, swimming and athletics are already UAAP events, and it should not be outside the realm of possibility for the others to follow suit.

Fresh off the nation’s best ever Olympic outing, the interest in these sports is at its peak; presenting the UAAP with a prime opportunity to invest in noncontact sports.

A MORAL OBLIGATION More than just being a collegiate athletic league, the UAAP carries with it a moral obligation to inspire the Filipino people, as discussed by Saguisag. “Right now, there’s the view that studentathletes really have a special role in society, that they can probably give the nation something to rally around,” explained the UAAP Executive Director.

Given the UA AP’s large audience, that moral obligation goes past the need to unite the nation in the spirit of athletic competition. What the UAAP does with its return could have a lasting impact beyond the league itself. Ultimately, non-contact sports present the UAAP with an avenue for a safer return to collegiate sports—something that fans and athletes are bound to appreciate.

As the country continues to live with the COVID-19 virus, the best step forward for the UAAP should still be to prioritize safety, both for the sake of their athletes and the audience that looks up to them. The virus has forced all lives around the world to adjust to the new normal, and by investing in the non-contact sports that they already host, the UAAP can now follow suit.

The GUIDON | August-September 2021

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G A L L E R Y O F E AG L E S

SJ Belangel: A legacy unfolding

BY RA SOLOMON

IT WAS in the Gilas Pilipinas against South Korea International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Cup qualifiers match where Samjosef “SJ” Belangel made arguably the most iconic shot in Philippine international basketball history.

In his path to becoming a Gilas icon, Belangel developed from a highly touted Bacolod recruit into a focal point for Ateneo in multiple University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UA AP) basketball championships.

BONA FIDE PRODIGY After first playing in Bacolod, the future star would make a name for himself in St. Joseph School Iloilo with a 99-point outburst in an Under-13 league game. In the eighth grade, Belangel returned to Bacolod and continued exhibiting his scoring prowess through 85-point and 65-point outings with Tay Tung High School.

The Bacolodnon’s prolific scoring and natural feel for the game eventually caught the eye of Ateneo High School coach Joe Silva. Belangel—ironically from a La Sallian family—turned down offers from La Salle Greenhills and De La Salle Zobel to become a Blue Eaglet. For him, the decision ultimately came down to academics.

“Pumunta talaga ako [sa Ateneo] for academics. Gusto ko makapagtapos and matulungan yung family ko sa academics man or basketball (I went to Ateneo for academics. I want to help my family, may it be through academics or basketball),” he said.

MAKING WAVES IN THE UAAP In ninth grade, Belangel moved to Manila with his family to pursue his Atenean basketball dream. The transition period that followed was a significant challenge to Belangel’s growth, exacerbated by UAAP residency rules that forced him to miss

out on the Blue Eaglets’ Season 77 Juniors’ Championship.

Seasons 78 and 79—SJ’s first two seasons for the Eaglets— would be challenges of their own as they failed to get past the semifinals.

In his senior year of high school, a determined SJ would earn his place in the Mythical Five as he averaged 16.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in Season 80. Belangel led the Blue Eaglets to the hilltop with its 19th Juniors’ Championship before committing to stay home in Ateneo for college. “Napamahal ako sa system and culture ng Ateneo (I fell in love with Ateneo’s system and culture),” he said.

Belangel’s minutes were limited as a rookie. However, he would be instrumental for the Blue Eagles in the deciding Game 2 of the Season 81 Finals against the University of the Philippines. In the first quarter, he ignited a 7-0 run which swung the momentum for Ateneo, ultimately securing the Blue and White’s second straight title.

Come Season 82, Belangel furthered his stellar efficiency, averaging 6. 4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists on 40.5% shooting from three in just under 12 minutes of playing time. His impressive season gave him his first-ever UAAP Player of the Week Award.

The Blue Eagle impressed yet again in Game 2 of the Finals against the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, recording his Seniors’ Division career-high of 15 points—all from three—to propel the Blue Eagles to its historic three-peat. For Belangel his improvement from Season 81 to 82 can be credited to the system and mentorship that he received while under Coach Tab Baldwin’s tutelage.

GILAS STINT After impressing with the Blue Eagles, Belangel landed a spot in Baldwin’s final 12-man Gilas Pilipinas squad for the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. In Gilas’

fourth game of the qualifiers and first match-up against South Korea, the Atenean seized the opportunity to make his mark on Philippine basketball through one of the most iconic shots in Gilas history.

Tied at 78-all, Gilas needed one more prayer to seal the win.

According to Belangel, the play was originally designed for Carl Tamayo to shoot in the middle. “‘Di agad napasa ni Dwight [Ramos] so naiwan ako na papasahan since ako yung nasa pinakamalapit na side (Dwight Ramos wasn’t able to pass immediately so I was left open as I was on the near side).”

Seeing the initial play broken, Belangel decided to take matters into his own hands.

With 2.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Belangel caught

an inbound pass from Ramos in the right wing, inches away from stepping out of bounds.

After dribbling to his left, the 5’10” Belangel pump-faked the towering 6’6” South Korean Seounghyun Lee—prompting the big man to jump for the block.

Belangel had to adjust his already awkward position and went on to shoot an off-balance three to the right of Lee’s outstretched left hand.

As he released the ball, Belangel called bank. “Nung pagka-shot fake ko, sobrang hirap na ng angle ko naisip ko lang talaga na i-board ko yung tira (When I faked the shot, the angle was already hard so I thought to shoot it through the board).”

And the bank was open. As the buzzer sounded, Belangel’s three-point heave graciously

kissed the backboard into the net, bringing the whole Philippines to a frenzy as Gilas Pilipinas triumphed 81-78.

The historic shot secured Gilas a spot in the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup. “Proud ako kasi hindi lang ako ang nanalo, buong Pilipinas yung nanalo (I’m proud because it wasn’t just me who won, the whole Philippines won),” shared the two-time UAAP Seniors’ division champion. Belangel proved to be a crucial player in his debut stint with Gilas Pilipinas, averaging 7.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and two assists.

A LEGACY BEING BUILT Following his excellent performances w ith Gilas Pilipinas, Belangel looks forward to finally resuming play in the UAAP. Now a senior,

Belangel continues to improve on his game and is hoping to impart his experience onto his teammates.

“Gusto ko na ako naman magturo. Dati, you learn from your kuyas, ngayon ikaw naman kailangan [para] sa mga new recruits (I want to teach this time. Before, you learn from your older brothers, now it’s you who’s needed for the new recruits).”

Just 21 years old, Belangel a l re a dy h a s a h ig h lyaccomplished UAAP career and a successful Gilas stint under his belt. Still, the Bacolodnon prodigy remains hungry for more and is just starting to unfold his legacy—with a UAAP four-peat and a successful professional basketball career in sight.

HOMEGROWN TALENT. SJ Belangel at the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 82 Men’s Basketball match against the University of the Philippines last October 30, 2019 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

PHOTOS BY KELLY VENERACION

EDITOR: JAVIER P. MAPA AND JOACHIM S. MELO • LAYOUT ARTIST: KURT TAN • READ MORE AT theguidon.com

A LEGACY UNFOLDING Since starting out as a Bacolodnon prodigy, SJ Belangel has evolved into a pivotal piece for Ateneo basketball’s latest dynasty and a Gilas icon.

Sports

One shot at a time

ILLUSTR ATION BY KURT TAN

[Getting vaccinated] is not just about being able to play in the UAAP, it’s [about] the general well-being of everyone [and] getting our lives back to normal.

EM FERNANDEZ DIRECTOR, THE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS OFFICE

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W IT H T HE Un i ve r s it y Athletic Association of the Phi lippines (UA A P) sti l l hindered by health concerns, logistical complications, and financial issues amid the COVID-19 pandemic, fans and athletes alike await the league’s appearance in the “new normal.” This return grows more likely as the nationwide vaccination program presents the UAAP with the opportunity to better protect itself from the virus.

With health and safety being primary concerns in planning the UAAP’s return for Season 84, vaccinating the league’s stakeholders against COVID-19 is a step towards the tournament’s resumption.

THE GAME-CHANGER According to a R appler Sports report, all sportsrelated discussions between the UA AP and concerned government agencies were postponed due to the sudden surge of COVID-19 cases from March to April. Before the deferral, the resumption of on-site training was approved by the Commission of Higher Education (CHED), yet this was denied by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID). Both government organizations have yet to discuss the return of face-toface competition.

Furthermore, on-site extracurricular activities—such as sports events—remain prohibited unless permitted by the IATF-EID, as stated in a memorandum released

by CHED last February 10. It is important to note that the IATFEID conditions were made prior to the arrival of the nation’s first vaccine doses. With the recent distribution of vaccines, University Athletics Office (UAO) Director Em Fernandez divulged that achieving herd immunity favors the league’s Board of Trustees (BoT) in receiving

BY AUGUSTO L. CRUZ AND JURIS SALVANERA

clearance to commence the tournament and on-site training.

“It would be easier for [the UAAP BoT] to seek permission not just from CHED, but also from the university presidents [and the IATF-EID, if all participants are vaccinated]. At the end of the day, everybody wants to have a safe environment to have the tournament,” Fernandez commented.

Should the CHED and IATFEID approve the league’s requests, Fernandez states that the UAAP BoT has targeted February 2022 for Season 84’s debut. With the vaccine now in play, the UAAP hopes that its stakeholders are immunized by December in order to have full-contact training reinstated at least two months before the tournament begins. To ensure smoother operations should face-to-face affairs resume, the UAAP BoT is already making the necessary preparations such as scheduling each sport’s events.

As for Season 84’s sports roster, the UAAP’s first option is to have all sports participate in the tournament. If this proposal is not plausible, Fernandez believes that the league’s second option should be to host Men’s basketball and the second semester sports that had their seasons curtailed in Season 82.

In terms of the tournament’s format, it is still uncertain whether the IATF-EID will require the league to implement a bubble that limits outside contact, regardless of whether UAAP will achieve herd immunity.

Although vaccinating the league may not guarantee the UAAP’s immediate return, immunizing its stakeholders makes pursuing Season 84 feasible.

ADVERSITY AMID UNCERTAINTY Alongside the UAAP’s goal of securing a safe environment

for its stakeholders are the challenges in achieving herd immunity. Given that the UAAP community is vast in number, it is uncertain if vaccines will be made available to everyone by December due to limitations in the national supply.

According to the data collated by The GUIDON’s Research staff, only 12.9% of the country’s population have received at least one dose of the vaccine as of August 11.

This leaves 87.1% of Filipinos still unvaccinated. Within the National Capital Region, only the local government units of San Juan, Marikina, and Mandaluyong have given 85% of their local population their first dose of the vaccine.

Despite these statistics, Fernandez argues that having access to vaccines is not necessarily an issue for Atenean UAAP stakeholders. In a July survey conducted by Ateneo’s UAO, where 358 Atenean athletes answered the form, 136 were fully vaccinated. Additionally, 109 have gotten their first doses while 114 Atenean athletes have not been vaccinated. As for the coaches—out of 74 respondents—43 have been fully vaccinated, 12 have received their first jab, and 19 have yet to be inoculated.

While Fernandez cannot give an estimated number of how many more vaccines the league’s stakeholders require, he is optimistic that all seven other UAAP schools are doing their part to vaccinate their members.

“Alam ko (I know) the other schools are also doing their [own] survey, and they’re suggesting to all their coaches and athletes if you have access to vaccines, please vaccinate,” voiced the UAO Director.

Vaccine hesitancy is another hurdle that the UAAP community faces, especially considering

controversies such as the Dengvaxia vaccine and the fear of vaccine side effects. These issues serve as barriers to nationwide vaccination, thus impacting the league and its dependence on herd immunity. In the opinion of Ateneo Women’s Badminton stalwart Mika De Guzman, education on vaccines is key to relieving hesitancy. “If we don’t start thinking of ways [to educate] the marginalized sector on the importance of getting vaccinated, we will continue to face this virus for a very long time,” shared De Guzman.

Additionally, the threat of the more transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant has forced the country into stringent lockdowns due to spikes in positive cases. The prospect of future implementations of enhanced community quarantines and other lockdowns might prevent the UAAP from pushing through even if the majority of the league’s members are vaccinated.

However, De Guzman is certain that the vaccine provides substantial protection from the virus. “When you get vaccinated, you’re not just protecting yourself but you’re also helping the world to stop the spread of COVID-19,” she stated.

PIERCING THROUGH THE FUTURE Since events like the UAAP are heavily dependent on herd immunity, consolidating the country’s vaccine supply and immediately inoculating the UAAP’s stakeholders helps push forward the league’s return.

As vaccines are considered essential to the return of the UAAP, systems such as Ateneo’s vaccination program and national online information platforms are welcome developments towards more efficient inoculation. While the return of the UAAP is still uncertain, vaccinations remain to be a concrete way towards safeguarding the health of each Filipino moving forward.

If we don’t start thinking of ways [to educate] the marginalized sector on the importance of getting vaccinated, we will continue to face this virus for a very long time.

MIKA DE GUZMAN MEMBER, ATENEO WOMEN’S BADMINTON TEAM

REDEFINING MAGIS When the value of magis is misunderstood, Ateneans are left vulnerable to burn out. The GUIDON looks into its consequences as the second year of online classes begins.

EDITOR: MINA MATA • LAYOUT ARTIST: TIFFANY CU • READ MORE AT theguidon.com

Inquiry

04

Going the distance: The Loyola Schools’ post-pandemic future

BY ALEXANDRA P. ELICANO AND ANDREA TIBAYAN

THE FUTURE OF LS LEARNING. With post-COVID-19 and post-quarantine restrictions gradually becoming imaginable possibilities, the Loyola Schools administration reflects on the previous remote academic year while preparing for what lies ahead.

PHOTOS BY TRINA CAMACHO AND JERRY FENG

AFTER A year of distance learning riddled with inaccessibility concerns and learning loss, Loyola Schools (LS) students and faculty now face a worrying future of a permanent shift to flexible learning.

When the LS transitioned to remote learning last year, the University faced numerous challenges such as conducting thesis and the National Service Training Program online.

These concerns, among others, continue to alarm LS students as the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) announced last May 21 that they adopted a policy to continue flexible learning “this school year and thereafter.”

According to CHED Chair Prospero de Vera III, this ensures students’ safety in case of another pandemic and capitalizes on the investments made in last year’s transition to the new learning setup.

While the LS has not permanently implemented flexible learning, the longevity of the current health crisis has posed questions on the future of the LS’ education system and whether it will adopt the policy beyond the pandemic.

FLEXIBLE LEARNING ‘HERE TO STAY’ Last year, the LS administration launched the virtual campus Ateneo Blue Cloud, which includes the University’s primary learning management system Canvas. This particular subscription cost over Php 25 million, according to Vice President for the Loyola Schools Maria Luz Vilches, PhD. While this setup allowed students to attend classes from their own homes and asynchronously study at their own pace, many still had unstable internet connections, lived in unconducive learning environments, and lacked necessary gadgets.

Meanwhile, in preparing the faculty for online classes, the Ateneo Science and Art of Learning and Teaching (SALT) Institute spearheaded the Adaptive Design for Learning (ADL) Course to train LS faculty on online course design and delivery. For this year, the Ateneo SALT also launched an additional initiative called the ADL Learning Exchange to reflect on the previous year of online classes last July 14, 21, and 28.

Regarding adjustments in academic policies and programs, The GUIDON has reached out to Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Josefina D. Hofileña for updates on this matter, but she has not issued a response as of writing.

Moreover, Information Technology Resource Management Office (ITRMO) Director Sandra Francesca Lovenia shares that the ITRMO constantly evaluates the current technology used in the LS to ensure that the information systems are efficient for online classes.

Should the LS permanently shift to flexible learning, Lovenia asserts that this long-lasting change in mode of learning is an issue that goes beyond the University. Nationwide efforts such as addressing the digital divide, for example, must be done to ensure that no student would be left behind during the transition.

“Lahat ng schools, lahat ng faculty, lahat ng students (All schools, all faculty, all students), are they really ready for that setup?” she asks.

LEARNING LOST Despite these adjustments, LS students have expressed their concerns over the sudden shift to the online setup last school year. For One Big Fight for Human Rights and Democracy Convener Heather Andres, the extended implementation of flexible learning was not

Education is not a private good but a public good.

MARK ABENIR, DSD PROFESSOR, DEVELOPMENT STUDIES PROGRAM

expected. They and their blockmates lament the difficulty in adjusting to the new system of learning, citing that online resources such as LS One were not disseminated extensively.

“I rarely hear my co-freshies last year bring up utilizing LS One for help. [...] [How] to navigate these sites weren’t really shown sa start of the school year,” they say.

Meanwhile, Kabataan PartylistKatipunan Chairperson Marco Mañaol believes the current setup negatively impacted the University’s quality of education.

Despite the LS administration’s efforts to provide aid such as pocket wifi for students, Mañaol and his peers express that the environment was still not conducive to learning.

“Marami talaga ‘yung pinapagawa ng profs pero di naman na-re-retain ‘yung lessons (The profs assign a lot of work but the lessons are not retained),” he says.

Andres and Mañaol also noticed that online learning has negatively impacted the morale of students. For Mañaol, he believes that they have become more indifferent to the pandemic. On the other hand, Andres cites instances of students filing Leaves of Absence due to low morale.

Given these struggles, Andres and Mañaol collectively call on the administration to improve the online setup. They stand firm that remote education does not only affect LS students but the country as a whole.

In particular, school closures in the Philippines and other developing Asian countries have caused learning loss among students—a phenomenon referring to stunted academic progress due to disruption in a student’s education. These losses have prompted students to air their sentiments about the lack of learning they experienced in the online setup.

However, Development Studies Professor Mark Abenir, DSD, disagrees with the concept of learning loss. He argues that some were able to adapt to the new setup because there is learning involved.

“One could argue that [students are] learning how to be resilient, creative, or how to use different platforms in order to continue with their learning. There is also a shift from standardized tests to assessments that demand higher order thinking skills,” he says.

Instead, Abenir believes that students are experiencing a phenomenon called “interrupted learning,” where learning is

hampered by external factors such as the pandemic and the lack of proper resources for online learning.

ACCESSIBILITY IS KEY Mitigating learning losses and interrupted learning largely depends on the resources that are made available to both students and faculty alike.

Abenir emphasizes that students from lower income families who have no access to gadgets, unstable wifi, and no conducive learning environment have greater disadvantages. “[This] causes a lot of stress for students [and] a lot of hesitation for them to engage in online learning,” he emphasizes.

For Andres, the problem with remote learning is not the mode itself but how illequipped the Philippines is to aid students from low-income backgrounds. Thus, the new policy is a “big slap in the face” to millions of students.

“Let’s face it, distance learning is anti-poor. It’s really not fit to stay in a country like ours,” they assert.

According to Abenir, the problems of interrupted learning go beyond the LS. Citing that internet access is now a right, he believes that government institutions such as CHED should work to provide access to all locations—especially now that students are located in different provinces. “[M]ayroon ding factor ang geographical disparities where children are located. Kaya kailangan ma-work out ng government to provide internet access to different areas in the Philippines [and] whether they are in remote places [so] they would be able to connect [and not get left] behind in education,” he says.

Interrupted learning also poses ill effects on the country’s development. Abenir believes the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the inefficiencies of the country’s systems, which must be addressed through education.

Ultimately, he thinks that the LS must accommodate both the needs of students and the likelihood of flexible learning in the future to provide quality education that is suitable for all contexts.

“Education is not a private good but a public good. Ito ‘yung importansya ng (This is the importance of ) service learning and community engagement [where] students [learn that] the value of education is not [only] for themselves,” Abenir says.

INFOGRAPHIC BY KYLA VILLEGAS

2

lnquiry

A break in stormy weather: Reinvigorating calamity response

BY LUCAS TOLENTINO

EVERY YEAR, from July to November, the Philippines braces for the worst: Deadly floods, torrential rains, and raging winds in what is known as habagat or rainy season.

Although the Ateneo community used to find refuge in the confines of the Katipunan campus— built strong enough to withstand the heavy winds and rains—the onset of the pandemic has completely changed this. Community members are now in their own homes all across the country and can no longer evacuate to Katipunan so easily.

With habagat currently in full swing, the Loyola Schools (LS) administration and the Sanggunian face the daunting challenge of defying these geographical barriers in ensuring that their constituents are safe and dry.

A SCATTERED ATENEO COMMUNITY A hazard is a threat of a naturally occurring event that matures into a calamity when it has the potential to endanger the

human population. Thus, crudely built, low-lying infrastructure in densely populated slums in the country lay waste for its residents in the wake of typhoons.

The human toll of these disasters are widely encompassing.

Victims are uprooted from their homes and agricultural land, and farm crops are damaged.

Miners and farmers employed in mountainous regions also fall victim to landslides.

Unfortunately, the same holds true among members of the LS community, as they too, are unexempt from the wrath of these disasters.

According to Sanggunian Vice President TJ Alcantara, LS students commonly suffer through days-long power outages and destruction of property.

Even worse, some lose access to food, water, and shelter, which they struggle to find amid the looming health threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moreover, students last year needed to bear the additional burden of juggling their online classes’ demands since some

While there are natural hazards, we can’t really control, such as volcanic eruptions or earthquakes, whether the hazard becomes a calamity or a disaster depends on how societies have been built, and whether we are resilient.

CHARLOTTE GONZALEZ DIRECTOR, ATENEO INSTITUTE OF SUSTAINABILITY

professors did not extend deadlines even during calamities.

Since then, the Vice President of the Loyola Schools has updated the guidelines to address online learning disruptions due to inclement weather in a bid to appease these turbulent conditions for AY 2021-2022.

Furthermore, Alcantara assures the student body that the Sanggunian does its best to monitor their needs and address them as soon as possible.

In the wake of typhoons, for example, the Sanggunian conducts constituency checks and puts up emergency hotlines to check up on students. They also refer those in need of learning packets and financial aid to the Office for Student Services (OSS) and the Office for Admission and Aid, respectively.

Nonetheless, Alcantara admits that these efforts can only go so far. One of the most pressing problems that the Sanggunian faces now is addressing the needs of LS students in far flung areas where calamities hit hardest.

Alcantara acknowledges that students face vastly different contexts and need varying kinds of assistance. Thus, he also emphasizes that the Sanggunian’s constituency checks must be augmented with other ways to gauge stakeholder welfare, which the Sanggunian is currently “hoping and planning” to do.

BECK AND CALL ON EAGLE GROUNDS While such measures fall short in fully quantifying constituent’s needs amid calamities, the Sanggunian relays their concerns to the proper LS offices.

For LS students, employees, staff, and auxiliary personnel whose homes have been badly damaged by typhoons, the Campus Safety and Mobility Office (CSMO) opens up evacuation centers within the LS campus where they can stay for a few nights. The office also organizes evacuation centers in other school units for the rest of the Ateneo community.

In the wake of Typhoon Ulysses, which made landfall on November 8, 2020, OSS Director Michael Mallillin also says that the University rescued and transported employees and students to these evacuation sites.

The University also deployed clean-up brigades at employees’

damaged residences—a form of assistance that will “potentially” continue in the future.

When these typhoons involve floods, the CSMO further opens the parking areas in the LS campus and allows LS community members to park their vehicles there.

Aside from such physical relief, an important aspect of typhoon response that has largely gone unnoticed is mental health support. Calamities are agents for psychological distress. The number of people grappling with mental health issues increases when disaster strikes, says Loyola Schools Office of Guidance and Counselling (LSOGC) Director Gary Faustino.

During these disasters, the LSOGC monitors areas that have been ravaged by calamities and announces to the people in these areas that the LSOGC is available for help. “You can come to us if, for example, this whole thing has traumatized you [or] you want to talk to someone,” says Faustino.

He emphasizes that students during such disasters must become self-aware of their mental state so they can consider reaching out to someone whom they trust.

If these still can’t be addressed, then he advises students to avail of secondary care by talking to an LSOGC counsellor.

In the upcoming years, the role of self-awareness and mental health assistance becomes more important than ever, given how disruptive calamities become more frequent.

PIERCING NATURE’S WRATH While the repercussions of such calamities make itself known on personal scales, it is but a piece in the puzzle of an even larger phenomenon.

These tropical cyclones that pummell the country are an effect of global warming and a worsening climate at large, which are largely due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests that contribute to Greenhouse Gases (GHG).

At the University level, the Ateneo Institute of Sustainability (AIS) leads the fight against climate change. The AIS developed the University’s sustainable development agenda in 2013 and has since spearheaded several campus sustainability initiatives to achieve this.

Our mandate, our mission is of course to work for the best interests of our students. So we are putting the welfare of our students, of our community always at the center and always at the most important levels of what we do.

TRISTAN ALCANTARA SANGGUNIAN VICE PRESIDENT

Notably, the covered walkways and the e-jeeps on campus are included in the roster of AIS’ initiatives and are specifically designed to promote sustainable modes of transportation. On the other hand, the waste-water treatment and recycling practices are AIS’ other initiatives in conserving campus water resources.

As per the Ateneo Campus Sustainability Guidelines of 2016, these initiatives reduce GHG emissions and create conducive environments where pockets of flora and fauna may grow, effectively downscaling the impacts of the current climate crisis.

Such disaster reduction initiatives have shown great promise in minimizing the damaging effects of calamities.

“While there are natural hazards we can’t really control, such as volcanic eruptions or earthquakes, whether the hazard becomes a calamity or a disaster depends on how societies have been built, and whether we are

resilient,” AIS Director Charlotte Gonzales points out.

Such devastating effects speak to the essence of disaster resiliency: Knowing when and how to correctly act in preparation for a calamity reduces disaster risk. Thus, disaster management programs remain crucial to society, as the way societies respond to natural phenomena calibrates the extent of a disaster.

At present, the Filipino populace must render primary concern over calamity response initiatives, seeing as how the rainy season is up and coming.

Alcantara stands firm that the Sanggunian will fulfill its duties to the student body: “Our mandate, our mission is of course to work for the best interests of our students. So we are putting the welfare of our students, of our community always at the center and always at the most important levels of what we do.”

With reports from Paolo Buenaseda

The GUIDON | August-September 2021

3

4

lnquiry

Redefining magis

BY GERARD IGNACIO AND KHAELA C. VIJAR

AS ATENEO enters its second year of online learning, the prevalent issue of burnout remains a primary concern for the Loyola Schools (LS) community.

Burnout—defined as the state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress—has been a persistent problem in the LS. Because of this, some students have opted for a leave of absence (LOA) to take a temporary break from school.

The heavy demands of remote learning—such as taking classes exclusively through a computer and balancing studies with other commitments—have made students much more vulnerable to burnout. With the mental health crisis brought by the pandemic, the calls for burnout to be classified as a medical condition have only been amplified.

While an LOA is an avenue to ease this concern, the stigma surrounding it remains the biggest roadblock holding back students from filing for one.

STUDENT STORIES With the shift to the online system, students requesting an LOA will only need to complete a form and ask for a recommendation from the Office of Guidance and Counseling (LSOGC).

For Hannie Perez (2 AB POS), the biggest concern with filing her LOA was the shame of getting delayed. “I didn’t want to get left behind, plus my batchmates were all thriving with their orgs and acads,” she shares.

Perez filed for an LOA in her freshman year, during AY 20202021. At that time, she was grappling with a 13-hour time difference from the rest of her classmates and professors since she was residing in Texas, USA. Due to the difficult setup, her interest in her course began to wane, so she felt that taking a break would be most beneficial for her.

Despite concerns of being left behind, she cites the LOA as one of the best decisions she’s made for herself. It made her realize the problem with “hustle culture,” which nudges students like her to power through hardships for the sake of productivity.

When you enter the Ateneo, you put a challenge on yourself.

There’s pressure to excel, to be more; that’s the wrong concept of magis.

GARY FAUSTINO DIRECTOR, THE LOYOLA SCHOOLS OFFICE OF GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING

“I used to find it so inspiring how students work hard despite what they got through, but then I realized that we shouldn’t glorify the concept of having to physically, mentally, and financially drain ourselves just to be successful or to be recognized,” she says.

Louie Catimbuhan (3 AB POS), filed for two LOAs: One in his first year during AY 20182019, and another in his third year during AY 2020-2021.

Catimbuhan’s first LOA was endorsed to him after he was diagnosed with attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder.

He had a hard time focusing in classes even as they were onsite, so he opted for a temporary break from school to focus on his mental health concerns. He filed for another LOA as the lack of physical interaction in the remote setup made it more difficult for him to focus. He shared that his second LOA was well-spent taking care of his mental wellbeing by attending therapy.

SIGNS OF THE STIGMA Despite the positive experiences of students who have taken LOAs, the stigma behind taking a mental health break still remains.

The act of taking an LOA is generally uncommon in the Philippines, Psychology Professor Arvin Boller shares.

The reason behind this is mainly cultural; Filipino families enforce the idea that there is a need to enter the workforce immediately after they finish their schooling.

Boller says this is so because of the differences in values between each generation. The current generation of parents possess a more career-driven mindset as opposed to their children who place more emphasis on selfcare. These parents thus become extremely involved with their children’s education, placing excessive pressure on them.

When students enter the classroom, teachers tend to place a similar kind of burden on

their students to excel. However, the negative implication of this is that it feeds into the existing pressure students feel as they continue reaching for the top.

“For every behavior that you engage in during your life as a student, you’re being measured.

With that notion of being measured comes the pressure to perform; to do something,” explains Boller.

MISTAKEN FOR MAGIS Such academic pressures are evident in the Ateneo, where the concept of magis or the idea of “doing more” dominates conversations.

“When you enter the Ateneo, you put a challenge on yourself.

There’s pressure to excel, to be more; that’s the wrong concept of magis,” LSOGC Director Gary Faustino states.

Ateneans tend to use this idea in order to justify their tendency of overworking at the expense of their well-being.

This understanding of magis is often associated with resilience, as doing more entails the capacity to keep going.

Resilience is inclined to become a buzzword; one used to praise an individual for championing the hardships in their lives. However, it could also be used to glorify their ability to rise above misfortune rather than acknowledging the issues that led to their dire circumstances in the first place.

In the classroom, students are seen as resilient if they are able to balance their academics, extracurricular commitments, and their personal lives.

While this may seem beneficial, its negative effects manifest in the long run. Students may be preoccupied with getting achievements that they may not realize neglecting self-care can lead to burnout.

A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT When students take an LOA due to burnout, “getting delayed” is not the correct phrase to use as there should not be any rush

I used to find it so inspiring how students work hard despite what they got through, but then I realized that we shouldn’t glorify the concept of having to physically, mentally, and financially drain ourselves just to be successful or to be recognized.

HANNIE PEREZ 2 AB POS

in completing one’s education, according to Sir Boller.

“There’s this misconception na there’s a time limit, na it’s a race. Kaya nga ang tawag nila pag nag LOA ka, you get delayed.

Delayed for what? Parang malelate ka for something, which is not the case,” Boller states.

(That’s why when you take an LOA, they say you get delayed.

Delayed for what? It’s like you’re going to be late for something, which is not the case.)

He believes that education is about making someone a better person. That journey may be a long one, and it may include taking on a mental health break every now and then. “I think, at least, [in the] Ateneo—the students especially are becoming better in realizing that this is a misconception of what true

productivity is. More and more students are realizing that this is a marathon, not a sprint.”

Faustino encourages students to take an LOA should they feel the need to. For students who may still struggle with the decision, he advises them to avail of the LSOGC’s counselling services. He shares that attending a session with a professional may show the student a more objective perspective on the situation.

Boller shares an analogy for those who are hesitant to reach out to someone: “If you have a baggage, you have to find someone or somewhere you can drop the baggage for a little while. [It] can be other people, noh. It’s like asking them, ‘I’ll just leave this here, can you check it for me in the meantime? I’ll take it back later.’”

FINANCIAL LIFELINES While quarantine restrictions have caused a recession that hit small businesses the hardest, government initiatives like the Sustainable Livelihood Program seek to remedy the country’s economic woes.

EDITOR: KIANA R. ALTOVEROS • LAYOUT ARTIST: GERALD LOIS M. ROLDAN • READ MORE AT theguidon.com

Beyond Loyola

02

Open for business

BY MAXINE S. KANG AND DERYN VENTILACION ILLUSTRATION BY JULIA YABUT

WHOLLY UNPREPARED Le Fleur Cafe Owner Chelsea Ann Quiambao has encountered many challenges since her startup business resumed operations last January after being closed for eight months. “Ang store mo is open, close, close, open...

Yung ibang store hindi na nila kinakaya lumaban so nagclose na sila (Your store opens and closes.

Other stores could not afford to resume their business so they had to close),” Quiambao ​​ lamented.

Aside from erratic operations, labor was also a top concern. At the onset of the pandemic, the cafe paid its employees two months’ advance salary, which was a big

burden for the business since it was not earning then. Laying off employees was unfortunately unavoidable. Q ​​ uiambao described the decision of reducing her staff from five workers to three as extremely difficult. “Masakit sa puso na magtanggal ng staff, kaya lang we have no choice (It’s hard to relieve some of our staff but we have no choice),” she added.

When the cafe was finally allowed to operate at 20% capacity during enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), shifting to takeouts and deliveries was a struggle as packaging required a separate budget. Q ​​ uiambao tried to boost deliveries through food delivery apps like GrabFood and Foodpanda, but found the 25% to 30% commission fee too costly.

While MSMEs like Le Fleur Cafe attempt to adapt to the changing business landscape, the uncontrollable nature of the new normal leaves them at the mercy of recurring lockdowns and conservative economic policies.

SCRAPING BY With millions suffering from unemployment and underemployment, the Philippines’ economic managers have enacted various recovery measures to prop up the economy. The Bayanihan to Heal as One Act allocated Php 200 billion for its emergency subsidy program (ESP), covering 18 million households. The Php 5,000 to 8,000 grant per household or ayuda was meant to be distributed in two tranches.

However, distribution was delayed due to corruption and inefficiency at various govern-

,,

MICRO, SMALL, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) have suffered from disrupted cash flow, skeletal workforces, and strict quarantine restrictions during the pandemic. Out of 1.5 million MSMEs, 26% were unable to maintain operations and temporarily closed down.

Their struggles only worsened as the economic recovery has been slow, with lawmakers opting for a meager fiscal stimulus package.

More than a year into the pandemic, there are hopeful signs as vaccination rollout began prioritizing economic frontliners. Businesses also received a quick reprieve when lockdowns downgraded to milder classifications in July.

However, uncertainty still remains as limited vaccine supplies, the emergence of the Delta variant, and recurring lockdowns cast a shadow over the road to recovery.

Ang store mo is open, close, close, open...Yung ibang store hindi na nila kinakaya lumaban so nagclose na sila.

CHELSEA ANN QUIAMBAO LE FLEUR CAFE OWNER

ment levels, with over 900,000 families receiving no aid by as late as of August 2020.

The ESP was followed by the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, which granted lowinterest loans to MSMEs and a 60-day grace period for outstanding loans due on or before December 31, 2020.

Without consumer demand and

economic activity to necessitate these loans, however, many MSMEs did not avail of these, leaving around 70% of the Php 10 billion budget untapped.

Overall, the largely conservative fiscal policies hindered economic and social recovery, Ateneo de Manila University Economics Professor Joseph Anthony Lim, PhD said. According to

Lim, this is because economic managers wish to maintain the country’s credit rating from agencies such as Fitch, Moody’s, and S&P. If the Philippines borrows too much to fund fiscal stimuli, its creditworthiness will downgrade and other countries will be discouraged from accepting its loan requests.

T his conser vatism also restricted the ratification of the Accelerated Recovery and Investments Stimulus for the Economy (ARISE) Act. The bill was designed to stimulate the economy by doling cash loans out to MSMEs, creating jobs through infrastructure projects, and subsidizing workers’ mass testing. However, the bill was eventually killed, as economic managers claimed there were no revenues to support its Php 1.3 trillion budget.

The ARISE Act was instead replaced by the Corporate Recover and Tax Incentives for Enter pr ises (CR EAT E) Act, which reduces corporate income tax. However, Lim argued that reducing taxes is counterproductive, as tax cuts only detract from muchneeded government revenues that could be used as fiscal stimulus. “​​I n other words, why take out the taxes when you can use the taxes for ayuda?” he explained.

ROAD TO RECOVERY With fiscal policies unable to assuage the downturn in economic activity, hopes for a return to pre-pandemic productivity has been threatened by recurring

lockdowns. The country has exited a recession with a 9.8% growth in its Gross Domestic Product in the second quarter of 2021, but progress may be impeded or even negated without the assurance of public health.

The advent of the Delta variant has impacted already shaken consumer confidence.

Quiambao anticipates yet another drop in sales, sharing, “Kukonti ang mga dine-in guests, and sa deliveries naman, magiging mahina, kasi syempre, yung iba wala sila talagang income. (Less people will dine in, and the deliveries will weaken, too, because some have no income.)”

Her immediate hope for Le Fleur Cafe is that food delivery apps can become more accessible to small enterprises, and businesses can be given time to prepare for lockdowns before they are implemented.

Both Quiambao and Lim agreed that an efficient vaccination rollout is paramount.

“The economics just follow [the country’s health]… [Stopping COVID-19 is] the only solution so far, whether through vaccination, contact tracing, or a combination of these,” Lim expressed.

He also stressed that the economy cannot recover if people have no money in the first place, thus necessitating sufficient ayuda now more than ever. “Of course there is a lot of corruption there, which can be [manifested in] tardiness, late payments when people are already starving. Those can be corrected sana.”

2

Beyond Loyola

Financial lifelines

BY FRANCIS CAIGA AND DERICK M. GABRILLO ILLUSTRATIONS BY MELLO JERICHO MALIG

CONSTANT LOCKDOWNS and social distancing measures have reduced foot traffic and slashed workforces, increasing unemployment to historic highs and hurting businesses nationwide. Micro, small, a nd medium enter pr ises (MSMEs) have faced the brunt of the recession stemming from extended quarantine periods, many of which are now at risk of closure.

To remedy ailing MSMEs and rising unemployment rates, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) extended support through its Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP). The program aims to aid beneficiaries in finding employment and starting businesses. In 2020 alone, SLP served 291,195 households. However, a report by the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation found that SLP businesses had high closure rates and administrative costs made the program inefficient.

Despite these issues, DSWD Assistant Secretary for Specialized Programs Rhea Peñaflor said that the SLP exceeded its targets due to varying grant allocations— ranging from Php 5,000 to Php 15,000—for different MSMEs. The SLP was allocated Php 4.3 billion for 2020 and received an additional Php 1 billion through Bayanihan 2. Funds were then disbursed to beneficiaries through several options, the most popular of which is the “Seed Capital Fund.”

Moreover, the SLP has been implemented in conjunction with local government units that support and fund the program, thus helping more people on the ground. “[The DSWD is] making them champions, by meeting them, seeing eye-to-eye,” Peñaflor said.

As part of the microfinance council of the Philippines,

the DSWD partnered with the Development Bank of the Philippines, creating the Wasto at Inklusibong Serbisyo – Solusyon sa Larangan ng Pananalapi (WAISSLP) in January 2020. The new partnership primarily aims to educate stakeholders about financial literacy.

Despite t hese positive developments, the program has not been perfect and requires improvement. Peñaflor shared that many individuals were still unaware of the SLP’s services, underscoring the government’s task to educate the populace more on its welfare programs.

According to her, many resorted to informal loans during the pandemic, which are nationally unregulated and unsustainable.

Apart from the people’s lack of awareness on government programs, the SLP’s implementation has not circumvented the danger of COVID-19.

DSWD Project Development Officer III Moses Albiento said, “We want to maximize— to extend our hands to help others—[kaso] ang hirap kasi kami rin mismo vulnerable din (it is hard because even ourselves are vulnerable).” Until now, outbreaks among field workers have proven to be among the largest problems in the program, Albiento expressed.

Despite the pa ndemic’s threat, Peñaf lor said that the program’s implementation remains on track.

In addition, she highlighted the importance of access to sustainable livelihood over direct cash grants, especially in highpoverty areas.

“People do not ask for money, [they] ask for livelihood,” she said. Given this outlook among beneficiaries, Peñaflor expressed that the government should heed this concern to be more attuned with the people’s needs.

,,

[The DSWD is] making them champions, by meeting them, seeing eye-to-eye.

RHEA PEÑAFLOR DSWD ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS

Going digital

Features

Misunderstood vials

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BY ENZO LAGAMON ILLUSTRATION BY KYLA NICOLE VILLEGAS

MISUNDERSTOOD VIALS While vaccine efficacy reports may seem readily available, many remain fearful of getting their jabs, and their reasons are often ignored. In this comic, a local healthcare worker hopes to ease her community’s apprehensions.

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

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Quarantined internships From on-site to online, the internship experience is not without challenges and opportunities for students to grow.

NAVIGATING THE WEB. With the shift of jobs and opportunities to an online setting, students too have resulted in having home-based internships; their main platforms include GMail, Viber, and Zoom. Meanwhile, other companies found an interactive platform called Gather. PHOTO BY CASEY MATEO

BY EALA JULIENNE P. NOLASCO

nonetheless remain vital in transitioning from a pandemic to post-pandemic reality.

PRE-PANDEMIC INTERNSHIPS normally begin with onboarding and office tours. Once the standard two to three month work period ends, the offboarding process follows; preparing interns to leave with newfound friendships and a taste of the “real” world.

As the pandemic prolonged, quarantine restrictions forced internships to migrate their office walls to the four corners of the screen, its socia l space was thus reduced to monotonous virtual interactions.

Whether it’s to keep themselves productive or to get a sense of community in a socially distanced landscape, three college students share how virtual internships

WEBBED INTENTIONS In hopes of gauging potential careers, Research and Project Intern at John J. Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues Ryan Gorospe (4 AB POS) pursued his second internship immediately after finishing one at the Office of Senator Grace Poe (SGP). He shares doing so for “growth and experience.”

Similarly, former Rappler MovePH intern Angelyn Turiano from Ateneo de Naga shares that engaging in journalism after interning at the office of Senator Kiko Pangilinan helped her sustain connections and productivity and practice activism through writing.

On the other hand, dismayed that the org culture didn’t feel the same, once “org-active” Jenny*

(4 BS COMTECH) explored more engaging internship opportunities to exercise her skills and passions. Comparing her experience in her three voluntary Marketing and Public Relations internships and one at EON Group for practicum purposes, she notes that volunteer interns are treated with flexibility when it comes to workload.

While internships may no longer be conventionally bound to the on-site office experience, Gorospe, Turiano, and Jenny assure quarantined interns that they still have as much to learn as pre-pandemic interns did.

VIRTUAL OFFICE Once a remote option prepandemic, virtual internships are now the norm. The challenge of effectively transforming integration and bonding activities to virtual mentorships rests on

firms. Given this reality, internship culture is changing from a socially-charged experience to one with a heavy workload.

Turiano notes that systems vary among internships. In contrast to the structured intern work hours at the Senate, she shares that clocking in and out of their platform Slack had no real bearing in an output-based credit system.

Gorospe notes that there are also attempts to “mimic working environments” through virtual office tours, work hours, and supervisors’ anecdotes. He recalls having structured schedules and reminders during his SGP internship, as well as meetings he was required to attend.

Attesting that friendships can still be forged virtually, Gorospe adds that his daily tasks were opportunities to get to know his co-interns beyond the program. “At times, we even

called after work and then saw each other at work [the next day], so it’s like a simulation of a Friday night out with your coworkers,” he shares.

However optimistic his experience may be, the virtual migration ultimately does not preclude hurdles. Interns today are challenged by time zone differences, unreliable internet connection, and uncertainty rega rd i ng or ga n i z at ion a l culture and hierarchy.

Recalling how her supervisor denied her request to skip a meeting for academic purposes, Jenny reminds student interns the importance of proper time management. Turiano advises approaching the strictness with growth and improvement in mind, while Gorospe reassures that there’s always room for levelling off with supervisors despite the hierarchy.

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POST-INTERNSHIP R e con f ig u r i ng v i r t u a l internships to comply with health protocols is as challenging for offices as it is for students adjusting to technological challenges. As the virtual internship culture solidifies, it is clear that both parties remain susceptible to its shifting demands. One thing remains certain, though: Internships remain avenues for students to collaboratively grow and learn.

Gorospe emphasizes the delineation of universities and workspaces.

Whereas universities have magna cartas detailing students’ rights, internships do not. Hence, interns have to “take the leap of faith” and slowly “adapt to the culture,” Gorospe notes. Sharing practical tips, he advises, “First, know your interests. Second, always have a CV prepared.

Lastly, take risks.”

Jenny adds, “Don’t close yourself off to opportunities that you think you’re not qualified for. If it’s something you’re interested in learning, let the company say no to you. Don't say no to yourself.”

More than just an avenue for personal growth, internships are bridges to the real world of work. As such, beyond clocking in and out of workspaces, Turiano advises to keep the “privilege bubble” in check amid a distanced learning reality. “We must continue to stand firm with our beliefs and principles, and use the knowledge and skills gained in our internships to mobilize under an unsatisfactory regime.” *Editor’s Note: The name of the interviewee has been changed at their request in order to protect their identity and privacy.

Taking the long road

BY JULIA G. CHEN AND JACOB TAMBUNTING PHOTOS BY BETTINA CUAN WITH THE tap of a finger, efforts devoted to home cooking are reduced to a brief anticipation of the arrival of food ordered online. This luxury has prompted many to rely on food delivery services, more so with stringent quarantine protocols in place.

While delivery riders have assumed a frontline job to provide customers with essentials, their toils are often left undercompensated. Behind the expediency of food delivery services are workers struggling with long hours on the road and cases of unfair labor practices.

NAVIGATING THE INDUSTRY Food delivery companies have been advantageous to consumers and workers alike, as these companies have provided delivery riders with a source of income at a time of economic recession.

This opportunity motivated Karl Alfonso, a Foodpanda delivery rider, to apply for the company as he intends to help ease their increasing household expenses.

To make a living, Alfonso works from 10:30 PM to 7:30 AM

while abiding by the firm’s policies. At Foodpanda, workers are assessed based on their performance which are reflected on their batch numbers. He details that riders who work diligently— with no canceled and declined orders—ascend to a higher batch number, while those who fail to meet the established criteria are relegated to a lower batch number.

The higher their batch numbers are, the bigger the incentives they receive. He further notes that cancelling orders warrants a possible suspension.

Alfonso finds that these protocols can be unfair in the event of fake bookings. He discloses that the riders feel coerced by the company’s policies to cancel orders every time they are scammed by customers.

“Kaysa mag-abono [ako] ng mga 1,000 [pesos] plus na order, papa-cancel [ko] na lang kasi [wala akong] pang-abono (Rather than to pay for about 1,000 pesos worth of order, I would just cancel it because I don’t have the money to pay for it),” he explains.

Nonetheless, they are held

NON-STOP. Jose Paolo, a Grab driver for nearly two years, shares that the heightened demand for deliveries during the pandemic’s first few months led to him working for at most 12 hours a day.

accountable for these hoax orders.

“Kami pa rin ang nasususpend.

[Two days] ang kadalasang [suspension] pag na-fake booking ka. (We are still the ones getting suspended. We usually get two days of suspension when we get fake bookings),” he shares.

Moreover, Alfonso laments the indifference of the company towards riders’ suspension from fake bookings. He recounts, “Kahit anong hinaing ng mga rider [tungkol sa fake booking], parang hindi nila [kami] pinapansin (No matter how much riders complain about fake booking, they seem to ignore us).”

Following these hardships, delivery riders continue to bear the brunt of the company’s system as they endure grueling working conditions.

WEARING OUT THE TIRES As the pandemic forces companies to adapt, the on-demand delivery industry is no exception.

Experiencing these changes firsthand, GrabFood delivery rider Herodotus Manaog earnings have decreased as a result of this change.

“Dati mga eight hours kumikita na kami ng 1,000 [pesos]. Ngayon umaabot na [ng] mga 12 hours bago ganong kalaki ‘yung [aming] kita (Back then, eight hours of work would earn us Php 1,000.

Nowadays, we have to work for 12 hours to earn as much),” he says.

He believes this is due to severe unemployment, which has forced many people to apply to service jobs like Grab.

Alfonso adds that the long working schedule has continued to conflict with his education as a third year Civil Engineering student. “[Minsan napapasobra]

ako sa work na hindi ko na napapasukan yung [mga] subject ko kasi hindi [kinakaya] ng katawan kong bumangon (Sometimes I work so much to the point that I can’t attend my subjects because I can't get up),” he illustrates. Despite this, he explains that he juggles work with his studies to help provide for his family.

Similar to Alfonso, Manaog’s commitment to his family motivates him to continue working in the industry despite the inherent struggles.

Through his experience, he has recognized the perks of freelance work. “Katulad sa Grab, [kami ang] sariling [boss] namin. Minsan kung may lakad yung family namin, madali ako makasama (In Grab, we are our own bosses. This makes it easy to join my family when they have plans),” he elaborates.

A MILE AT A TIME As the economy confronts an upheaval, finding a living

becomes more difficult. This is a shared reality among many riders like Manaog who hold onto their jobs while better opportunities remain unguaranteed. “Hindi ko pa rin iiwan yung kay Grab kasi malaking tulong pa rin ito (I am not yet going to leave Grab because it has been a big help),” he expresses.

With a different route in mind, Alfonso aims to use his earnings to supplement future goals.“[Balak ko mag-ipon] ng pang-small business. [At] kung makapagtapos ako bilang Civil Engineer, [magfofocus] na lang muna ako [doon] dahil ‘yun naman talaga pangarap ko. (I plan to save up for a small business. And if I graduate as a civil engineer, I would focus on that because that is my dream),” he says.

Although prefaced with different goals in mind, the experiences of delivery riders demand recognition.

At the end of the day, behind their brief interactions with customers lies a road paved by work that both limits and enables them.