The dark truth behind Deleter

by Juliana Andrea Agbulos

"Hindi ka na makakatakas dito," one of the nerve-racking lines that piqued the interest of the viewers. "Deleter," a techno-horror film directed by Mikhail Red that became the talk of the town for this year's Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), was deluged with various praises and criticisms on social media. But what was really the darkness behind this?

Lyra, portrayed by Nadine Lustre, a content moderator whose job was to delete or ignore any graphic material that could have been shown on social media. Despite the disturbances in the nature of her work, she remained unbothered given the dark past and trauma that she had.

Growing up, Lyra’s childhood taught her to stay quiet, regard less of how bad the things she witnessed were. When she was a child, she saw a crime that in volved her loved ones, however, she couldn’t say or do anything about it. In this way, she be came an introvert who would rather keep everything to herself. Unfortunately, until the day she started working as a content moderator, she never talked or did anything about the crimes, horrifying acts, and illegality she saw. Meanwhile, Aileen, played by Louise Delos Reyes, cried hysterically during their shift at work one night after watching a disturbing video. A few days later, she was found dead outside their company building when she jumped from the roof. When Lyra witnessed what happened to her co-worker, Aileen, the thoughts of her body covered in blood started to haunt her. The movie revolves around listen to this album, you may hear a few glimpses from her past albums, but certainly, that is the point. Taylor described Midnights as 13 different nights throughout her career. Maybe, that is the reason why fans are gushing over these newest tracks because it allows them to go back and relive those good old times. Every Taylor Swift album is like a new learning material for every Swiftie who likes to dissect and decipher her songs.

Lavender Haze, the first single in this album, is about being in love and doing everything she can to protect that love from negativities and all the things that keep on damaging her relationship. When you first hear its very pop vibe, it makes you feel like you want to dance and be in love.

And that is what Taylor seems to have been telling us — that she’s in love and she’s protecting that relationship from all the negativity and weird stuff that surrounds it.

Taylor presented Midnights delving deeper into her vulnerable parts of life. And just like everybody else, after hours really hits differently as insecurities, shame, guilt, insomnia and all sorts kick in.

This brand-new album of hers would probably be the theme song of our life, especially for nocturnal people out there. Those songs that you play in the middle of the night where you begin staring at your ceiling and start contemplating your life? Just like it, life is a mixture of our terrors and sweet dreams — and it keeps us awake at Midnights.

A look back on Rizal's last love

by Angelika Estrada

explaining the day-to-day gruesomeness and struggles of a content moderator. It was not only a horror film, but upon noticing the trivial details, it also showed some practices that most workers in the same field would find relatable. As for the cinematography and transitions, Red never disappointed his viewers, as he was not a novice to the horror genre. The dim, red lights and shadows gave that heavy and eerie ambiance that made the movie more thrilling. Furthermore, the sound effects added realism and made the audiences’ hearts race as they anticipated scenes where they thought a ghost would sudden- throughout the film. The acting was realistic, showcasing powerful emotions brought to the table by the heroine. Due to her magnificent portrayal, Lustre was hailed as the Best Actress and the Female Star of the Night for this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) at the Gabi ng Parangal last December 29, 2022, held at the New Frontier Theater. Moreover, the film bagged the following awards: Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, and Best Picture. Red also brought home the award for Best Director. ly appear. However, the plot lacks coherence, has flaws, and even confuses viewers towards the end of the film. Though the ending was mind-blowing, it only answered a few questions, leaving the audience awestruck and perplexed about what happened in the end.

GMA’s Howie Severino once again gave a meaningful documentary about the life of Dr. Jose Rizal titled, ‘Ang Huling Pag-ibig ni Rizal.’ In this documentary, Severino shed light on Rizal’s last four years in Dapitan, as he considered those years a significant chapter in the national hero’s life.

Furthermore, the actors did a great job portraying their roles, most especially Lustre, who stayed with her character i-Witness is a Philippine television documentary broadcast by GMA Network. In this show, there were several documentaries featuring the life of Jose Rizal. Howie Severino had followed every bit of Rizal’s life from his childhood in Laguna until he grew up and became a doctor overseas. Dapitan became Rizal’s home after he was sent to the place by the Spanish government as a punishment for his works that tainted and exposed the oppression that the people had to suffer because of the friars and authority. In this episode, Severino narrated how Rizal has adjusted his life because the place is so different from where he used to be. The documentary eventually toured its viewers in Dapitan and introduced them to Rizal’s greatest contributions to the place. It’s no surprise how Severino crafted the entire documentary in a very organized, informative, and impressive manner –of course, with the help of the whole production team. With small clips of actors dramatizing Rizal and Josephine Bracken’s time with each other, the documentary made it a lot easier for people to feel the things the lovers felt when they were together.

Conclusively, "Deleter" depicted the dark side of the web industry and how content moderators go through their days hoping that inappropriate videos do not make their way onto the internet. It also explored what traumatic events can do to people and how one must continue to live and be tough in a world full of violence, disgusting acts, and horrors of life – things that people couldn't imagine they were capable of.

The information shared by Severino and the documentary itself is essential, as it describes how differently Rizal lived his life as an exile. Although Rizal wanted freedom, and a bigger city to live in, he never wasted his stay in the place. This fact is how Severino, in this episode, described Rizal in Dapitan –productive, intelligent, and influential, even in the given situation. This documentary is worth watching, especially for students who want to know more about Rizal.

Maybe Rizal’s last love was Dapitan and its people. The place where he lived with a woman from Hong Kong named Josephine Bracken, who he was with for twenty months, the woman who he wanted to get married with, the woman who made his lonesome life a little better. Dapitan, where he bought a lot, built a school, a clinic and a house – all having different shapes of walls, for his students to learn about geometry. Maybe, it was his last love, the last time he saw beauty, the last time he taught and learned at the same time – where he lived even in exile.

The documentary shows signs of Rizal slowly building a place where he can leave his people and his last love. A place where he was also loved, accepted, and respected by the people and where he was even called an “idolo ng bayan.”

Rizal was unable to fulfill his greatest wish to be free, but his life continues to inspire the people of today — just like how he did for his students. The same goes for all the people he knew, taught, and loved in Dapitan — Rizal’s last love.

What's up mga beshywap!!!

Uhaw na uhaw na ba kayo sa chika o sa attention ng crushycakes niyo? Pwes mamaya na ang mga crush, unahin na muna natin ang latest chika for the first semester. Daming events nako, daming pasabog! Nakakatuwa dahil unti-unti nang bumabalik ang mga students sa school! Dumadami na rin ‘yung mga crush ko, hehe. Charot lang! Anyway, tara na nga at pag-usapan muna natin ang mga chika for today's video.

Fresh na Fresh Ang Freshie Fest

Oh, gulat kayo noh?! Syempre 'di tayo magpapahuli sa pag-welcome sa ating freshies for this school year! Super fun and meaningful ng mga gan’tong event, especially for first-year students. They get to go to school, explore it along with different colleges pa! Taray 'di ba? Puro booths at games ang ginawa ng bawat student councils para sa mga freshmen. Nahihiya pa ba kayo sa isa't isa hanggang ngayon? Hatakin ko kayo sa jail booth eh para lang mag-usap na kayo, charot lang po. Anyway ayon na nga, sana na-enjoy niyo yung Freshie Fest at sana may new friendships kayo mga mars.

PHP

199 Food?! In this Economy?!

Panis! 199 pesos at may buffet-style food ka na agad beh! At hindi lang yan isang type of food ha! Combination 'yan ng delicacies sa iba't ibang Asian countries at isama mo na ang Mexico diyan. Gusto mo ng pizza beh? Oh bibigyan ka ng mga CITHM students ng pizza tas iced coffee, brownies at chicken pie empanadas na din. Saan ka pa? Basta marami silang pagkain dun sa Food Avenue nila noong December 4, busog na busog talaga ang mga dumalo. Tried and tested na rin ng ate Lala mo yan, bongga pa ng decorations oh ha. Sulit ng mga pagkain noh? In this economy? Definitely and indubitably.

Mga Bonggang College Week

Balita kong ang daming college week sa bawat department na may kanya kanyang pasabog mga beshie. Naka-attend ba kayo? Na-enjoy niyo ba? Astig ng mga laro at ang ganda ng vibes ng ating co-Perpetualites sa bawat event. Ano favorite part niyo mhie? Ang akin ay ang mga pageants, aurang aura at palong palo bawat contestants eh. Mapapasigaw ka talaga sa excitement so much! Sa U-Week ulit mga beh. Abangan ang susunod na kabanata!

Finally, General Assemblies!

Sa wakas, after what feels like a hundred million, billion, trillion years, may mga general assemblies na rin tayo sa mga departments mga mhie. Mula sa College of Computer Sciences hanggang sa College of Arts of Sciences, nagsigawaan na sila ng mga assemblies para we get to know each other a little better 'di baaa? I lab it! Yung iba may seminars, yung ibang assemblies naman ay may pa-games pa. Ano pa ba ang kulang? Con fession mo sa crush mo? Beke nemen, patapos na ang year beshiecake. De charot, pero ayon na nga sana man lang nakita mo siya sa general as sembly niyo ‘di ba. Ah ibang course ba siya? Oh well, bawi next event. More events pa naman in the future guys, wag mawawalan ng pag-asa makausap si crush pati na rin ang paggawa ng bagong besties.

Anyway, ayan na ang mga latest chika for today. Wag kayo mag-alala, marami pa akong chikang iniipon pero saka na natin sila pag-usapan at baka umabot tayo ng ilang araw dito. Keri niyo ba yon? Wag na muna at gutom na rin si ate mong Lala jusme, kain na muna at magpahinga us.

Sayonara mga beh, kita-kits ulit kapag mga latest chika ulit ako!