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Time, and time, again. PETROS 2016 goes Retrograde to shed light on the origins of the Children of the Millenia how they are born from love and war; how they are the babies of rebellion and insurgence; and how they became the young of the renewed spirits. PETROS 2016 delivers content inspired from the struggles & joys of the 40’s through the 90’s and how they may or may not reflect the own battles of the present time. We are the Children of the Millenia and this is why we are.
Illustrated by Thea Bianca Ellaine Pangolibay // Words by Maria Sophia Galido
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technical adviser
vivien grace jubahib, phd
EDIToriaLBoard Editor-in-Chief Associate Editor Managing Editors Office and Circulations Managers
the rock The official student Publication of San Pedro College
maria sophia galido Jackie Lyanne mae pinili Project Heads
Feature Editor Cultural and Literary Editor News Editor Column Editor Sports OIC Lampoon OIC Health and Entertainment Editor Community and Development Editor
jennicel jane acosta
Senior Layout Artist
ALRIZ MARK TAN
Jeritz George orbigo Freah Quitorio rapha Angeline Catangui Janley Jude Ano Mary Grace pascua
Senior Staff
Senior Photojournalists
junior Staff Junior Layout Artists Junior Writers www.instagram.com/spctherock
www.spctherock.org
Irene Grace Jalandoni nico angelo solon mynard pontillo alfonso sebastian alba Vicente Maduay III
thea Bianca Ellaine Pangolibay
Senior Arts and Graphics Artist
www.twitter.com/spctherock
Alexa marie paden Lois Saye Camaganacan
Arts and Graphics Editor Web Editor Photo Editor Layout Editor Multimedia Editor Editorial Cartoonist
Senior Writers
www.facebook.com/spctherock
mynard pontillo alfonso sebastian alba jackie lyanne mae pinili shania winona tracey canda Maria sophia galido roselle marie maduay
Eric Christian Fabian judy andrea palado Hanzelle Clarisse dela cruz Jewel Davis Kiang Paola Jane enriquez Irick Angelo Venus zapphira sambas von janrey reta nico carlo balintag Jovilyn ugdang Nicole kate dayrit Jomarie quen obenza francine nahum manguiat
Junior Arts and Graphics Artists
Kyle imee Silud Mark Henryll omaguing Joseph Romuald Maduay
Junior Web Artists
David Uy III Pearl Marianne Escote Jasha AlListine Arizola
Junior Photojournalists
DOROTHY JOI PIMENTEL jezza mae barrera theresa ann deseo WENDELLYN BRAGAT gianne karl aballe
A M E S S AG E F R O M T H E R O C K 2 0 1 5 - 2 0 1 6 “The Rock Editorial Board and Senior and Junior Staff 2015-2016 bid goodbye along with the school year. With this, we would like to thank the SPC Community for the unending support. We commit to continue giving the students what they hope for in our releases: true, relatable, creative, and meaningful content that are for the students. Together let us ROCK the new school year ahead of us. God bless us all!”
ROCK RECAP 2
The Cock - August 2015 1000 copies in circulation
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The Rock Broadsheet November 2015 1400 copies in circulation
Bato - February 2016 900 copies in circulation Petros - August 2016 900 copies in circulation THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF
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the ultimate self expression
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NEWS TIDBITS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED 3
SPC BAGS AWARDS FROM APSCUR COMPETITIONS 2016
On the other hand, The Rock headed Panagtagbo 2016, the election debate, during the Miting de Avance. The new Saligan 2016-2017 President is Dharyll Vicente. Visit The Rock’s Facebook page for the complete list of new Saligan Officers.
* DAVAO CITY CLUSTER ELIMINATION 1st Place - CHOIR - SPC Chorale 2nd Place - APSCUR JINGLE WRITING - Dharyll Mae Vicente 2nd Place - STORYTELLING - Krisna Fernandez Binibini - GINOO AT BINIBINING PAMANTASAN - Cassandra Jan Buhawe
Photos by Gianne Aballe of The Rock
4 kaalam is limitless
* REGIONAL FINALS 2nd Place - CHOIR - SPC Chorale 2nd Place - APSCUR JINGLE WRITING - Dharyll Mae Vicente 3rd Place - STORYTELLING - Krisna Fernandez
Kaalam Dance Company held a successful dance showcase called Limitless last February 23, 2016 at the SPC Gym and invited the Ateneo Dance Theatre to join them. The event was for the benefit of the Lumads of Surigao, the victims of Bagyong Pablo and cancer patients.
The Davao City Cluster Elimination was held at St. John Paul College of Davao and Philippine Women’s College of Davao last January 26-27 2016 while the Regional Finals occured at Kolehiyo ng Pantukan, Pantukan, Compostela Valley last March 3-4 2016.
Photo from Kaalam Dance Company
6 A FRUITFUL YEAR FOR SPC CHORALE
Photos from Mr. Belindo Aguilar of the Office of the Student Affairs
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SPC Chorale won 5 awards from outside school competitions this school year. Besides the APSCUR wins, they are also the Champion at the Koro sa Pasko 2015, 1st RunnerUp at the Himig Handog Chorale Competition 2016 at Tagum, and 1st Runner-Up at the Harana sa Abreeza 2016.
— SPC is the first educational institution to adopt a Philippine Eagle. SPC has now adopted Eagle WXORO87F030 and will sustain the food and veterinary care of the bird through a yearly donation of Php 125,000. SPC and the PEF’s partnership was made official last March 6, 2016 at the Philippine Eagle Center. Information and photo from the Philippine Eagle Foundation
SPC’S DIAMOND JUBILEE IS ON
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saligan elections 2016
A successful Saligan Elections 2016 held by SPC COMELEC occured last March 1, 2 and 3 2016 at the Computer Lab.
San Pedro College participated in the 8th Association of Private and State Colleges and Universities in Region XI (APSCUR XI) Culture and Arts Competition 2016 and bagged the following awards:
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Rocker-on-duty: Maria Sophia Galido
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Richard Salas, the conductor of the choir, expressed that the choir grew musically. He said that it also entailed hard work and patience from the group and the determination to level up.
5 the sports clinic for everbody Saligan Supreme Students and the SPC Sports Department organized the annual Summer Sports 2016 with the theme “Seizing the Flame of Excellence and Aptitude in every SPCian Through PEACE; Perspective, Endurance, Agility, Confidence, and Enjoyment”. The event was held last May 30-June 4 at San Pedro College and Robinson’s Highlands. Summer Sports Clinic 2016 provided various workshops for sports, speech and academics, and music all for free for SPCians and non-SPCians alike. Veiw all the pictures of Summer Sports Clinic 2016 at The Rock’s Facebook page.
Photo from SPC Chorale
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Changes at times can be pretty nice or can be nervewracking. It is considered as a combat that is always happening in today’s world and it is difficult to keep up your weapons in order to stay on track. However, changes may bring good things despite of our ever-changing world. Many people are trying to do better for our society and for their personal values—and it is a good change. Deep down, we are willing to do something to make these changes a life-transforming one.
What are the struggles you experienced in SPC?
Francis Ian Salaver, MD BMLS Professor
“Struggles come in many forms and can affect basically different aspects of our lives. In my 8 years of teaching experience in SPC, the major struggle I had was when I had to balance my schedule as part-time teacher in the BMLS department and as a medical student during my 5th year. Last 2014, I had my postgraduate internship at SPH and most of my duties would require that I should be in the hospital for more than 28 hours. I could only get the chance to sleep once I had already cleared the emergency room of the patients and most of the time, it didn’t happen due to the incalculable amount of patients admitted every now and then. I was only allowed to go home after 12nn the next day but sometimes, I had to extend beyond that depending on the number of patients I had to make rounds with. After my hospital duties, I had to go home straight to my dormitory to review my notes and
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to prepare lecture materials for my 5:30-8:30pm classes. In one of my subjects (Immunology), I had to memorize all the information in the lecture and organize them in a manner that the students could digest them easily and I found it effective for their understanding if I wrote all the lecture concepts on the board and let them copy so that they can understand the lesson clearly and have their “pabaon” of lessons ready in their notebooks. After my 8:30 pm classes, I had to prepare a brief summary of the admitted patients so that if the consultants would make their rounds the next day, I had something to update them with. Before I would go to sleep, I made it a point that I have already checked the quizzes and had formulated new ones for the next lecture class. I was sleep-deprived and physically stressed. What kept me going were my love for teaching and the interest that my students showed me during lectures. My BMLS department has entrusted me with the subjects so I really had to make sure that I would give my best. I hope I did.”
Rosa Medel Alde-Libot Med-LT, Literature/English professor
“Struggles? They are real even to the happiest and most successful person in the world. As a teacher, the students’ response to learning, struggles me for it frustrates me to know that they only study if they are told to do so. As an employee, it is more on the administration to consider the cause of every worker in the academe especially during the implementation of K-12 next school year. As a colleague, it is more on the support from the co-teachers not only professionally, but also personally.”
What kind of change do you want to see in SPC?
Aubrey Myrge Geraldo BSN student
“As a nursing student, there were times when I said to myself, ‘Why in the world am I doing this? I should have done something else!’ But, there were also times when I said, ‘I love this and I can’t wait until I graduate and become a registered nurse!’ Every week, I have school stuff that need to be complied within the due date along with completing clinical time at the hospital and going to classes. I need to wake up early to avoid having extensions and it is also hard for me to find time to study in order to maintain my grades.Indeed, it is not that easy to stay motivated especially when you have tons of things to do in just a short period of time. Still, I know that all of these require a lot of effort. Motivation at times is hard to find, but I definitely faced my own struggles by keeping up a straight face and acting like these things do not bother me at all.”
How did you overcome whatever struggle you had while studying/ working in SPC?
Ilton Vince Ramiro BMLS student
“Self-motivation is the reason why I am still here and still fighting a battle to be a graduate of San Pedro College and hopefully, to be a Registered Medical Technologist in the future. Moreover, I am fully armoured with trust and support from my family and friends in this “bloody battle” as what they would describe this.”
Teresita Francisco RS professor
“I believe that struggles in life are instances for appreciating salvation. As an RS teacher, my struggles in work were more of putting into practice what I thought and preached. I struggled in these because these were neither easy to do, nor lighter to carry. I experienced a lot of misconceptions and misinterpretations and those on the top considered me loud and aggressive. However, I believe always that “If God is with me, no one can be against me.” This belief has always been my gateway towards overcoming my struggles because I struggled not so much for my sake, but for others to know that I meant what I used to say and what I used to teach.”
Luzviminda Ranay
Arvin Paul Farolan
“Anyone can be a teacher but when teaching becomes a mission, it is a different story.... The only change I want to see is when my student leaves my classroom; he/she becomes a better person. I want to continue a generation of HONEST, WELL-DISCIPLINED, and GOD-DEPENDENT person. You see, there are a lot of things to show especially in chemistry as how God has been so good to His creation, a lot of things to show that God exist. I tell my students that science is not there to tell you there is no God. Science is a proof that there is God! I may not influence all of you but one is enough to continue that generation.”
“I think change is sometimes counterproductive- end up to have no more than a placebo effect. But if there is just one thing I want in SPC, it is that I hope there will be an encouragement that the students should be more involve in embracing the principles of freedom of speech so that every student can participate in every discussions like “how civility and tolerance become hallmarks of students” or even in debates. As this semester gets underway, the good news is there are ways to improve the climate for freedom of speech. Like this, for instance, making use of the student press. Even if I am not a regular contributor, I think that a well written “opinion editorial” can go a long way to express and share opinions to others in a polite but firm manner.”
Chemistry Professor
John-Francis Ycong BSRT student
“I keep myself sane by indulging in food and DotA— on occasions though. Timing is very crucial! Play and go out a night before a quiz or an exam, and you will do bad. Study too much without relaxing and you will start seeing people as insignificant bits of atoms wondering why they decided to form humans when they could have been better off as textbooks or whatever it is you indulge in. Nevertheless, students should always remember to get through every challenge is to evoke why they are here. Everyone knows what they are doing; some people know how they do it, but only very little know why they do it. Not in a materialistic kind of: “So I can get a job, get money.” kind of thing. But, it must be fulfilling inside. In my case, simply to be better than whom I was yesterday.”
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Danielle Albarracin BSPSYCH student
“I hope to see excellence in SPC not only in terms of facilities, but even in the simple things such as starting events on the scheduled time, cleanliness, and quality projects made by the students. These are the small things where the greatest effort is much appreciated. Also, another change I desire is for the integrity to be imparted among the students so that they will know that there is so much more to life than just grades. Lastly, the ultimate change that I am most excited to see is for the SPCians to know God not just by name, but by heart for it is in the heart where excellence, integrity and love are found.”—
BSBA-mm student
As the saying goes, “Change is the only constant thing in this world.” Yes, it is unquestionable! Nothing is indeed permanent. A lot of people or maybe all of us deal with this thing— “CHANGE.” We evolve, we adapt, things change, society change, technology change, people change, even feelings change. We continue to seek for the things that will complete us. No matter how old you can get, it is good to develop a pleasant mindset in dealing with all of these changes like those people. Do not be afraid with change, if it is for the better; then deal with change! Rocker-on-duty: Nicole Kate Dayrit Photo by THERESA ANN DESEO Layout by Janley Jude Ano 11
Fifteen years is a long time, and in that span, a lot could happen.
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or Howard Matthew Kwan, life is a series of inconvenient paths, difficult decisions, and awkward moments, but that's how it goes. It may be hard now, but always remember that everything happens for a reason. Challenges come, but we are more than ready to face them, it's just a matter of perspective, and he got a new and exciting change in perspective when he became the Top Male Model for Faces Year VII. Howard felt the pressure of having to adjust his schedule to accommodate both the internship and the screening of FACES, but being a Child of the Millennia, who are the embodiment of change, he made it to the top. ”We owe it to this world to do something with our lives to make it better. We have the tools, now all we need is each other.” “Have you ever seen a bunch of kids fooling around then this responsible young adult comes to set them straight? Yes, we’re the kids, but at least our fun is harmless. “This is how Howard describes his groupmates from BMLS 4 Group 3, who he says, represents the good, the bad, and the crazy of this generation. “We’re the type of people who have fun(a lot), but when the need to be serious come, you can count on us to deliver. We may not always agree on everything, but as with every family, we are there for each other when the need comes. Hate may not be absent, but love and togetherness is abundant.” Rocker-on-duty: Eric Christian Fabian Photos by Freah quitorio and Zapphira sambas Layout by Rapha Angeline Catangui 12
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“A
im for greatness with a kind and compassionate heart.”
When asked if what were the struggles that she encountered when she joined FACES, she said she welcomed any outcome of her endeavor. “If it’s for me, it’s really mine. If not, no.” She would gladly accept the honour of being a FACES model, if she was deserving for it, and she really is. You can really grasp why she is deserving to win when you hear her answer. When she asked what world she thinks she will see and live in the next fifteen years, she said “I hope to see the world in a better condition. I hope that our world’s current issues will be addressed accordingly and we can see an improvement. There should be awareness in order for each and every one to cooperate for the betterment of our planet. I hope we the world will be full of human beings helping one another and taking care of the animals. Campaigns for our mother earth shoul td be put into action”
Her final message for other SPCians is “Education and hard work must come together. We’re fortunate enough to be in school so don’t take it for granted. Our actions today will dictate our future. Gain wisdom through your experiences.
Wealth isn’t only defined by money instead it is living worthwhile and the lives you’ve touched along the way.
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SPCians getting together to bond, to showcase talents, and to enjoy the day’s festivities—and it’s better than ever!
The celebration of Studetnts’ Day has been a longtime tradition in the history of San Pedro College. Arguably, it’s the second biggest event of the school year, following the celebration of Intramurals. This time, the students unite, not under the banner of departmental teams or colors, but rather under the good old white and blue. It provides a sense of unabashed school spirit in a closed environment usually focused on academics and extracurricular activities.
Another great thing to note is that the campus as teeming with students eager to discover what the organizing committees have had in store for them. It was quite easy to get lost in the feeling of excitement coupled with school pride..
To sum it up, the day’s festivities were: an inspiring Institutional Mass, from the international students and Kaalam’s Project HYPE, the annual Mr. and Ms. Confidence contest, Edge outdoor wall climbing, Gandiva archery, 3-on-3 basketball games, and an all-new Your Face Sounds Familiar: SPCian Edition.
Further details about these activities can be found on The Rock’s official Facebook page.
IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN Rocker-on-duty: Alexa Marie Paden
Photos by Dorothy Joi Pimentel | GIANne KARL ABALLE | THEresa ANn deseo
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opinion soon-to-be moms—made Facebook look less “jej”. Their newborn brother, Snapchat—the stronghold of transient prominence—carved a smile on Erwann and made the bottle of lotion become the grown man’s bedside teddy bear.
MYNARD PONTILLO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
# lo v e i s b l i nd
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ur beloved national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, who with no doubt would have had thousands of Twitter followers today assuming he can sum up his views in 140 characters, once said that, “selfies are the cancer of the society.” I am not quite sure about the first part though I’m certain he said something about kanser and lipunan. I could pretty much jumble every quote I put in this article and it would still make sense than a biblical verse on a topless selfportrait on your newsfeed. Vanity social media. These words are like pot and pot addicts. The more you indulge with social media, the more you get high with vanity. These days I feel more reassurance of my Alden-like façade and Greek god physique with hundreds of profile picture likes than with my mother telling me that I’m as handsome as my dad. I know, however, that these impressions of the society towards your physical appearance is what makes the world go round since the turn of turn of the millennia. It all began with MySpace and Friendster, the Pangaea of the evolution of digital exhibitionism, home to the primitive jejemons who, like the Neanderthals when they discovered fire, had shimmering eyes and happy faces with every new profile theme they install. Then came the worldchanging, earth-shattering Facebook, the databank of the common people. YouTube gave us our own TV channels; Tumblr and Blogger made us feel we’re all creative writers. Twitter made stalkers and followers rhyme and LinkedIn did what it does best, deleting faults in every positive commendations. Instagram made “selfie” the word of the year in 2013 while Tinder— the digital conference of self-loathers and
Being fair, social media have given us loads of benefits. In our awesome generation, we can now chat with friends from far away, communicate with a horde of people in just a click, listen or watch to what other people say or do, share experiences to everyone we know and many other things that are not doable in pen and paper. Our parents and even grandparents have joined our flock of our compeers. It brought us closer together and bound us into a community adaptable to change and technology. If we use social media right, the words “world peace”, “zero crime-rate” and “eradicated hunger” won’t just become slogans of political campaigns but rather, a testament of indefatigable unity and exterminated stupidity.
Alfonso sebastiaN Alba Associate editor
S ECO NDS TO LO S E
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oments, hours, days, weeks, scores, fortnights, and so on. Throughout history man has been obsessed with the measurement of time. In the beginning, it’s hard to imagine just how humanity started counting without any G-Shocks. Sure, the first few days were measured by the sun’s rising and setting. That much is known, but what about weeks? Months? I can imagine cavemen loosely basing the span of a month by how often cavewomen have their periods. Time has done much for us, and over the years it has fulfilled many roles. As a teacher, it taught us the wisdom to value the things in life that will one day disappear. As a commodity, we trade our time to learn skills so that we can one day improve life for us and the people around us, and subsequently allow us to use our time more efficiently. As a gift, we give our time to other people to show them that we care about them, and ultimately time is the one thing that every person yearns for in the end.
So maybe the next time you post your #OOTD, learn a thing or two about the poverty in Africa or the efforts of UN to alleviate the war-torn Afghanistan. Maybe follow-up a Snapchat post with some knowledge about Philippine politics and laws or instead of posting about how confidently beautiful you are, show you have a heart and post You may have guessed that time is currently some community work you’ve done. a very cliche theme, with college going on and the rest of our lives ahead of us... Blah blah blah. Much I know it doesn’t sound right, it’s of our time goes into preparing for the future, we just not fun enough or those of kinds invest our time hoping it doesn’t go to waste. Which of work do not belong to our party- is why most of us bother going to college in the first loving generation. But maybe it’s time place, rather than stay at home and do useless, to embrace the true purpose of living, stupid things like have healthy sleeping habits. As a maybe it’s time to start thinking that we millennial, the thought of wasting time fills me with emotions that transcend mere annoyance. I could are not alone in this planet and there is be at home reviewing for a long test, but I’m stuck no way we’re greater than some of our in traffic with a PUJ driver that stops and picks up fellow human beings. Maybe it’s time every person standing on the sidewalk on his way to to love others rather than just publicly Matina. loving ourselves. With the school year rolling into a close, exams being scheduled and futures being planned out, Because tell me honestly, if the there is less time to waste and more of a haste to world was blind, how many people make the most of what is left. would you impress? We spend time dawdling around, being angry at each other and at ourselves, questioning the moves we make, and regretting the decisions that were left undetermined. These uncertainties are the enemy of time well spent. My advice? Get up, get the girl, ace that quiz. Fix the mistakes you’ve made, and live with the ones you can’t. Do not let yourself be a victim of your own pity or inaction, going down to the road of regret because no matter how much you ask for more time, there will never be enough.
opinion
SHANIA WINONA TRACEY CANDA MANAGING EDITOR
PROMISES A N D L E GAC I E S
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omfort women”. While reading our history books, we found this term tucked away in a single sentence in a paragraph describing the Japanese Occupation, as if it was over and done with. Then we moved on to the next page. However, the issue of these women- an estimated 200,000 from Korea, Taiwan, China, Indonesia, and the Philippineswho were abducted from their homes and forced to live a life of servitude, has not moved on. These women are still living. They are the breathing testimonies to the horrors of the Second World War. They are also an epitome of justice not being served, no matter how much one has suffered. The country has yet to put a simple memorial for the women who were raped and tortured on a daily basis by soldiers. Japan and South Korea reached a deal just the past year where the former will address the demands of South Korean comfort women with an apology and an $8.3 million fund for survivors. Here in this country however, the lolas are still waiting for their monetary compensation that in no way completely pays for the dignity of which they were stripped. It’s not that the government was completely ignorant of the issue. According to the lolas of Lila Pilipina, an organization of those who survived sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers, Gloria Arroyo promised them that she will help them if they vote for her when she ran for president because “Babae din daw siya.” Gloria Arroyo won, and then stepped down from the seat and on the hopes of resolving the issue.
President Aquino also said that he will appoint former Ambassador Emmanuel Lopez to handle their case, and even vowed that he will ask Congress to create a law so they will receive their well-earned compensation. However, while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Benigno Aquino III were celebrating their countries’ close ties just January of this year, a group of comfort women were protesting just outside Malacanang’s pearly gates, saying “Mahina at matanda na kami. Kilos na!”. “An unequivocal public apology from the Japanese government, accurate historical inclusion, and just compensation.” These things are the only things that these survivors want. Perhaps the government is too busy to provide for even just one of these. After all, what is a woman who was forced to give all that she was compared to a budding presidential who dishes out promises to win the trust of millions of Filipinos? It is one thing for the people to express their plights and reach out their desires for a fairer system. It is another for someone to take advantage of these real problems for which they actually have no solution. It seems that we Filipinos have a penchant for hearing what we only want to hear. And we are so easily moved by mere words of assurance. Indeed, this is a country made on legacies and promises. In many ways, our generation is lucky. We were born in a time of relative peace. Whilst wars and strife are still alive in some places of the world, the rest of us just struggle with the daily goings on in our lives. Although there are now laws which protect women and children from abuse, there are still none who will uplift the burdens of those already mistreated. “Comfort women” is not just a term found in our history books. No, it is not over and done with. And even if these women themselves have moved on to the next life, their family members, friends and supporters formed “Pamana”- an organization who will continue to fight for justice. One day we may only remember them by our history books, but by all means their legacies are not forgotten. And it is up to our generation to make sure that the promise that justice will be served- not only to them but to all those weak and silencedwill never be broken.
JACKIE LYANNE MAE PINILI MANAGING EDITOR
Transition
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eing future-oriented is probably the trait the current generation seems to promote; always thinking about innovations and advancements in order to better shape the days of tomorrow. However, I think it’s healthy to pause for a moment take the reverse route once in a while. We all know that history has been shaped by various trends, events and factors, both good and bad. But I guess no matter how bad something from the past is, it always yields sort of lesson. That’s why I feel that sometimes, figuring out how we got here is just as important as actually getting there. It’s kind of amazing how each decade prior to this century is distinct yet positively connected to one another; each year being a template of change for the years to follow. Like how the tiresome wars of the 40s and 50s lead to the countercurrent and peace-oriented movement of the 60s, while the overly loose tendencies of the 60s brought a bit of conservatism back to the 70s. So I guess in a way each year brings forth change while at the same time eliciting a need for change. Each decade is a cultivation of the previous ones; where we are now is a product of the mix of cultures we pooled through the years joined with a bit of our own color. The overly clichéd line of ‘What has passed is past’ may be true, but without revisiting the past, we may not be able to truly appreciate the present.
In an era of war and freedom, goodbyes were like no other.
You’d never know if it was
the last.
Photo by FACES Models Make-up Artist Hair Stylist Layout by 18
Freah Quitorio Howard Matthew Kwan Junah Elaine Sienes Pauline Dy Analou dy Von janrey Reta
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Tick – tock … tick – tock … tick – tock … time flies so fast yet the scar remains. Is it too late now to say sorry? Legends of the great heroes from the past are considered as good bedtime stories for these mirror bravery and patriotism. But what people do not appreciate is the real darkness behind every page. The beauty of heroism shadows the ugly truth of agony reflected in the story. War. Suffering. Death. Egoism and ideology was the conflict between the minds of the people. It was never easy to accept other person’s belief and just throw away theirs. Then, the war began. The world suddenly became a battlefield. Swords and arrows scratched the peace within nations. Guns and canyons breached the unity of allies. The havoc of the past scarred the kinship of the society. The bed of roses was sheathed with thorns. Pride was the priority. Weeping mothers were evident in every corner. Lost children were scattered on the streets. The world had never been a shelter for babies. It was for those who hailed bullets as gods. Life became a waste. Blood stained the beauty of the past and left trauma to its victims. The chain of death tangled the innocents and the world became a sanctum of chaos. What’s worse? Until now, the darkness remains and is progressively consuming the conscience of the people. The cry of Paris threatens the world for another peril has been raised. The mourning of Jakarta spreads throughout. Sorrow and death irk the silence of the people. Aid becomes agony. Freedom turns into torture. This signifies that war still e n v e l o p e s the current era. Suffering is still a worldwide phenomenon. The wings of the modern civilization continue to be plucked by the horror of war. Indulgence becomes a luxury while misery is free Together with the mechanization of the world is the metamorphosis of peace to hostility. When will the scar heal? When will the war end? When will sorry be enough? 20
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Rockers-on-duty: Eric Christian Fabian and Vicente Maduay III Illustrated by Kyle Imee Silud Layout by Maria Sophia Galido The differentiation of a group of people by a group of people due to a perceived trait. That is how discrimination is defined by sociology. However throughout time, discrimination could be an offensive joke, public humiliation, imprisonment, deportation, or being killed. We present you this small overview of the major discriminations that were resonant during the past century up to the present.
H o o k ed n o s e a n d a v a r i c i o u s In 1903, a book telling the story of the supposed plan for world domination by a group of old merchants was published in the time of the collapsing Russian empire. Almost four decades after the publishing of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a group of old men were again in deep conversation, this time planning a final solution to the threat of world domination by a race of hooked noses and avaricious people. From the start of the rise of the Nazis, the Jews had been the scapegoat of the German people, alongside the communists, for their defeat in the First World War. By the time the Second World War ended, six million Jews had been systematically ‘eliminated’ by the Nazis and their collaborators. Dubbed the “Final Solution”, extermination squads and concentration camps were established to rid the world of Jews. As the war progressed, the Allies overran the death camps, and the atrocities at Auschwitz, Buchenwald and Dachau were broadcast to the horrified ‘free’ world. It was this time that mass media was used for the first time to show the horror of genocide. The survivors of the Holocaust, the homeless Jewish people looked to the British Mandate of Palestine, as the new Land of Promise. After tense negotiations, the United Nations divided Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state. The bitterness of dividing Palestine with Israel and the defeats of the Arab coalition armies in several wars against the Jewish state made Arab leaders use Jews as scapegoats, saying that the global Jewish conspiracy is preventing the rise of Arab nations. Currently the anti-Semitism movement is on the rise, old and new expressions of it persist. This can be seen in denial of the Holocaust ever happening, opposition to Israel policy, and violence against Jewish people, establishments and communities. For the people who have been accused for thousands of years to have killed Jesus, for hating humanity as a whole, for causing the Black Death, for being greedy usurers and misers, for sacrificing Christian children for blood rituals and for betraying countries and the usual accusation of planning to dominate the world, it is a wonder that their culture is still standing stronger.
Color - coded Inferiority America. Land of the free, with a government by the people and for the people. It is ironic though in the land of free speech and equal rights ethnic minorities face social injustice discrimination because their skin tone is not white. This problem of racism lies with its history. The West, particularly America, has been engraved with this “societal mindset” which had been thousands of years in the making. One of the notorious examples of such was the enslavement of Africans in the New World. Slavery was accepted due to the belief that Black Africans were “less fully human” than the White Europeans. They thought that this could be seen in
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the barbarous ways that the African kingdoms were ruled. However, it should be noted that. if not for European guns and gold, and the corruption that it caused there, Africa would have been a thriving and an advanced civilization. This became the basis of racist European statements such as the statement of Scottish philospher David Hume. “I am to suspect the Negroes to be naturally inferior to the Whites.” Racism stemmed after enslavement was declared illegal by Europe, and the cessation of the American Civil War of the emancipationist North and the slaver South. However racism reared its ugly head again from the ashes as groups of white supremacists like the Ku Klux Klan, supported by government legislature that gave legal credibility to segregate Whites from Blacks, who suffered social, economic and educational disadvantages.
African-American activists such as Martin Luther King Jr., fought back for their civil rights in an arduous struggle which some of them, such as Martin, paid for with their lives. The prize, however, was the Civil Rights Act of 1968 and the equality of Whites and Blacks in the eyes of the law. However, like a stain on one’s shirt, there is still anti-black violence in the world today, and the world must not condescend its occurrence.
Asian-American people, particularly Chinese-Americans, Japanese-Americans and Filipino Americans have also undergone discrimination. For 200 years, until now, these Asian-American races witnessed and experienced denial of equal rights, harassment and hostility, physical attacks like murder, even knowing that somehow they may be able to live the American dream. They, like the Black people, because of stark contrasts in culture, had been used as scapegoats for economic recessions, disease outbreaks and conflicts, such as World War II.
Colors of the ra n o i b w
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer were discriminated constantly and were hated by their kin who are unable to grab a hold of their feelings and inner struggles. They strive for equality but fail to do so and instead get denied of basic public accommodations because of their gender and sexuality. This story of discrimination ended with a colorful resolution, as the movement moved towards an equality between people. Before a rainbow appears however, there are storms. A storm of oppression, total discrimination and disrespect for the community and considering being “gay” as a sickness during the 60’s. Worse, being “different” was considered a crime by the police and in the field of medicine and psychology, as a medical diagnosis and mental disorder. Thus homosexuals took to hiding. Seeing the reaction of the society towards the group, the faction decided to sought recognition and inclusion in the American society. The homosexuality equality rights movement sprung to life. They fought to end job discrimination, media invisibility, and church and military discrimination. Moving on to the late 70’s, more or less the group achieved the goals they set upon themselves. With lesser discrimination and even erasing homosexuality as a mental disorder, the LGBTQ community had a bright future. But storm clouds brewed in the horizon. In 1981, “gay cancer”, or what we now know as AIDS spread mysteriously in the gay community. The LGBTQ community was once again ostracized by society as they were feared to transmit their disease. Feeling that the government turned a blind eye, the homosexuals took this serious matter from their own hands once again. Gays and lesbians involved themselves in the advocacy against GRID (the name of AIDS at that time) and money, skills and recruits went towards the research and service for this unknown disease.
Slowly but surely society soon had a different viewpoint on what truly is gay. In the year of the new millennia, a momentum of marriage equality was formed in Canada and US due to the influence of the decade-long movement of homosexuals. As of 2016, same-sex marriage has been legalized in Canada and all of the states of the US. But in many parts of the world, being gay is still shunned, and some governments and religions still do not welcome homosexuals with an open heart, so the struggle continues.
B o m b e r s, b l l i o n a r e s, i & i e s belly danc r
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In a conflict spanning a millenium, from the rise of Islam, the Crusades, the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Cold War, the partition of the Holy Land, to the emergence of radical Muslim groups, to Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, Muhammad’s followers have clashed with the descendants of Abraham. Both sides have bloodied each other, and the resentment is mutual. Now, at the turn of the 21st century, to be a Muslim is to be discriminated as a terrorist of a violent religion. ISIS, Al Qaeda, the Taliban and other groups became household names. Seeing men wearing keffiyehs is enough to scare people. Muslims were profiled by government security
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agencies and subject to government raids. Hollywood meanwhile portrays Arabs as either suicide bombers or oil tycoons while Muslim women as temptresses. Everywhere, Muslims are under attack in their war torn homelands or in their discriminatory host countries.
The unwashed masses According to Oxfam, by this year, 2016, 1% of the population will own 50% of the world’s wealth. Although, according to the World Bank, the percentage of people living in extreme poverty (9.6%) has decreased by 200 million since 2012, there is still a very stark contrast in the living conditions of the extremely rich and the extremely poor. The rich distance themselves from the ‘unwashed masses’. They hire some of the plebiscite to protect them against their own kind. They get to choose the best of the best that the planet has to offer. They also only marry from their own class to ensure that their power is within the same group of people. These people are given very special privileges, have disproportionate influence in the lives of other men, and see themselves as above their own kind. Those who live in the flip side of the coin however, live in the fringes of what can be defined as human dignity. More than 600 million around the world live with less than Php 90 a day. These people are also discriminated when they go to affluent areas, their physical appearance of poverty making people avoid them, for many in the masses also refuse to be seen with their own fellow poor, as they want to be on the top too. But who are they fooling?
Noble savages “Ngano nag tiniil man ka? Mura man ka ug tagabukid uy. Huwag kang sumigaw, hindi ka naman tagabundok!” Many of us have heard or even said these statements. Not just here in the Philippines, but in many places around the world, ethnic minorities are discriminated. They are treated as subhuman, live in marginalized areas, and they are socially, economically and politically disadvantaged. We tend to forget that they were the original inhabitants and founders of our cities. We forget that we are their legacies. Our technology and society was derived from their first innovations. They also live more harmoniously with the environment than us.
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It is part of Filipino tradition to value one’s ancestors, but do we give it to our indigenous peoples? Around the world, indigenous people are being pressured to give up their ancestral domain to huge corporations or governments. They are in the firing line for protecting their land for the future. While they are struggling, we only aggravate the situation by regarding them as inferior citizens because they live in the mountains. Is this how we give our ancestors respect?
N e r d s, w e i r d o s, f a t t i e s
“Taba. Nerd. Weirdo.” You can seem bespectacled, overburdened by books and other educational materials. You can see them. They don’t have the current sense of fashion. They’re different as they mostly pursuit intellectual interests or niche activities. They don’t speak to anyone. We all have classmates who have their unique characteristics. Being perceived as different, they are not treated as normal. They are made fun of. Many are the times that fat people are being laughed at during P.E. class, a classmate is made fun because he/she does not know how to wear his/her clothes fashionably, a girl is subject to rumors because she appears to not talk to anyone. These people might appear ridiculous but they still possess talents and skills. These abilities even though they might not appear ‘fun’ to society, are important qualities that can help the individual and can contribute to humanity’s progress. For example, the nerd kid being bullied for not knowing anything other than reading encyclopedias may one day discover the cure for cancer, and his bullies may end up working for him when that time comes. Currently however, we are still shortsighted, and we might lose some of humanity’s brightest gems through this bad habit.
Hope for the future Discrimination has been with us from the dawn of mankind. It is part of our humanity to pinpoint differences in others. But being human also means we should embrace all our individual uniqueness with open arms. To be human is to help everyone to be confident, for everyone to be able to cope with their uniqueness, to stand up for themselves and their group. We must always remember that in all of our differences and diversity, we comprise only one species, we all belong to Homo sapiens. There is unity in diversity.
E nt er Tai n M ent And T ele Vi si o n A
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One Direction, Justin Bieber, T-Swift, Cara Delivingne, Channing Tatum, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, The Walking Dead, Scream Queens, AlDub KalyeSerye.
our mothers have told us, too much of anything can be dangerous. Television, in itself, is not harmful. Through the television, we see our favorite actors and models in our favorite shows and our favorite bands performing. It only becomes harmful to the society when misused. A good 30-minute show on a lazy day or on a stressful day won’t do any harm, but watching TV the whole day? Congratulations! You just earned yourself “The Most unproductive Human Being Award” and a free glass of water to splash to your dry eyes. Admiring your favorite actors and actresses and wanting to meet them is absolutely normal but to the point of actually worshipping and obsessively stalking them? That is just terrible. This just goes the same to wanting to desperately see your favorite bands and singers to the point, despite all the financial difficulties, of painfully saving and investing 50-100,000 pesos for a concert ticket. The television may be one of the things that filled the minds of these fanatics but it wasn’t the television that drove them to obsession. The usage pattern of the TV and the behavior of the user decide the outcome. If people tried learning time management then they would know the right amount of time they should only be spending to watch TV. It is also known that some television channels recklessly show semi-nude films and violence hence it is very important that people choose the shows and channels they watch. Entertainment is only made to TEMPORARILY take our minds off from the cold reality therefore it is essential that we never forget what is real. Knowing your current difficult financial situation, why would you spend so much for a concert? Why would you go over so much about the person who played Deadpool or Spiderman when in reality, the only difference between you and him is the job you have?
Television and entertainment is a gift to the society. It is how you use it that decides if it becomes a curse or a blessing.
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o you know them? Are you another ‘number one fan?’ Did you have to stay up the whole night to watch these shows? Did you scream with glee when you heard that an 8th Harry Potter book was coming? How affected were you when Jon Snow died or when Glenn actually survived from getting devoured by zombies? Did you cry when AlDub finally met each other?
One Punch Man, Fairytale, Naruto, One-Piece, HunterXHunter.
Did you endure the probably-shrunk-by-Megamind’s shrink ray-font size they use in the subtitles they put, just to watch these anime shows? How many hours have you sacrificed to finish one season? These are just few of the names and the shows that everyone keeps track of nowadays. You probably know all these names and watched these shows.
Why do we waste so much time watching television?
Showbiz and TV provide us temporary relief from the harsh real world. It shuts our mind. No matter how stressed and tired we are when we arrive home, we’re only a push of a button away (or probably a dozen or more if you have cable) to ease our mind from all the pressure we get from work or school.
But sometimes our escape from reality is too much.
Television and entertainment have had a huge impact on our society. It helps take away all our stress and it has filled life with a new charm. But, as all THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF
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Children of the Millenia
Yesterday is but today's memory... memory 26
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tomorrowis
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dream. dream
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For Better or For Worse: Balancing Romance in College Rocker-on-duty: Nico Angelo Solon Photo by Freah Quitorio Paola Jane Enriquez Layout by Maria Sophia Galido
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ollege life may be stressful and filled with unending deadlines, but there are a lot of reasons to love college— such as sports or extra co-curricular activities or... romance. 28
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Yes indeed, the bliss of collegiate romance is nothing compared to that of younger versions of romance such as high school and puppy love romance. In college romance, you start to think “Hey, this may be the person I’d be spending the rest of my life with if we get through this ruckus.” But of course, as we all know, studies must always come first. But just because we study, it does not necessarily mean that we should compromise our relationships. Here are a few tips on how you can balance your time with studies and your lover in college:
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Communicate with them… With your lessons
In theory, people will never forget the sweetest things that their loved one says. As time goes by, it might go faded, but the gist of the matter said will always be etched at the corner of people’s minds. Now, imagine if you reinforced those sweet words with their lessons, most probably they’d remember it in the examinations, right?
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take them on a date... A study date
Sometimes, you don’t need to spend much when you’re on a date. You just need one place and two to three orders, like during study dates. Study dates are the easiest dates you can ever have. It’s easy to ask people out for a study date without looking like an entire creep, budget wise you can go on kkb or treat them if you have your savings with you and on top of that, you don’t have to run out of words because you’d probably use your textbook lingos during conversations. The major advantage is you get to spend hours of stressful fun while you actually learn something out of it while you read. The major disadvantage, of course, is that there may be a possibility that you can’t read a thing when he/she’s in front of you.
Surprise them with their favorite comfort food
Throughout the course of college life, there will be occasions in which people would cry in front of their notes and in desperation, talk to them saying words like ‘Why won’t you get in my head?’ or ‘I’m trying to understand you but you make it so hard.’ These may be signs that their glucose stores may already be depleting and since glucose is a major energy source of the brain, then nothing is more romantic than replenishing those glucose stores and making it look romantic at the same time. Surprise them in their dorms while they are crying in desperation to understand the lessons.
Motivate them
The only real relationship goal in college is graduating it. Some may have the pleasure of graduating together while some may graduate first before the other. But whatever happens, reach for that goal of getting out of the competitive battle alive because if they really are the one, you’ll look back and say we survived that pit and we did it together. Reach for that goal where the tears that will roll down your cheek will be for happiness. When the only thing that can shake you off is the hand of the dean as he/she hands you your diploma. Never forget to show them their past victories and how your present can be the ticket to the future that you show to them. SAN PEDRO COLLEGE D A V A O C I T Y , P H I L I P P I N E S
Girl: Yeah :( nothing seems to get in Boy: I know one thing that can Girl: What? Boy: I’m downstairs, I brought you your favorite banana split.
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Boy: Hey, you still studying?
Find the humor in every tragedy
College is like the married life. There will be times when it’s for better 90 or for worse 70. In sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer and of course, till graduation do you part (uhm, hopefully not). But for people to stay together, one needs to see the humor in every dilemma without invalidating them. When he feels like he’s ugly because he has pimples, tell him he still looks good but at least right now, you guys won’t get hungry because he has a rice field on his face. When she feels like she’s going to fail, assure her that she’ll do better this midterms. Then, say the only place where she falls is, when she falls for you. There is humor in every tragedy because laughter is not only meant for mending physical pains, but emotional and mental frustrations too.
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e are living in a time where the world is very much open to us. We can just contact anyone around the world at any time, with just a few keystrokes. Or we can just take out our smartphones and search for the latest issues whenever we feel like we’re missing out on something and too busy to even turn the TV on. Or we can just bid that newspaper boy goodbye and log in to our accounts and be informed of the latest news. The Internet, more so the social media, was originally just one ultimate constellation of ideas our predecessors have worked on long before it became the commercialized mass information and entertainment blitz it is today. The roots of social media stretch far deeper than anyone can imagine. Although it seems like an ordinary trend to most people especially today’s generation, sites like Facebook and Twitter are the natural outcome of many decades of social media development.
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Now we may ask the question, what impact and change has social media imparted for the world and the people in it? Through the years, we have seen at how the internet and social media have been enjoyed by people to do various things and bring extraordinary joy to the world. One of the most advantageous things the internet has done for the people is that it provides as a vessel for the awareness campaigns of nonprofit organizations. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube are cost effective means of spreading the message and getting support. It has raised concerns on certain issues reaching millions of people around the world. Social media is also a very effective medium for teaching the youth. Children are growing up in an unusual time. This is the generation that lived and grown up with a ubiquitous Internet. Surely, the interest of these school kids in learning is much greater as the Internet is involved and utilized. Teachers have also been influenced in getting much needed information from the Internet, making their job easier than doing manual research in the library. In a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 69% of the teachers say that the Internet has a ‘major impact’ on their ability to share ideas with their students as well as with their co-teachers. To a classroom connected to the Internet, no place is more than a few clicks away, expanding the opportunities for mentoring. Social media has also made it superbly possible for individuals to discuss very crucial topics, widen their personal knowledge about certain issues, and discover and unravel things they have not known long before the advancement of technology. Say for example, young adults around the world, who are the major users of the Internet, are now more involved than ever in their respective country’s politics. These teenagers can just take a research of the biography of an aspiring candidate and judge whether they would vote for that certain person or not, with just little effort on pressing buttons. We are provided by these social networking services an accessible and powerful
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toolkit for acting on issues that affect the economy and the welfare of the country. Debating and discussing are just two of the things young people do, be it in a local, national, or international context. On a not-so-serious note, the Internet also helps us in getting what we want without exerting much effort. It meant online shopping. It has become a popular shopping method ever since the Internet had a takeover. People can save time, save fuel, and save energy. Admit it, we all get tired walking around and choosing the best dress in approximately seven stalls. Majority of the online stores also offer prices that are much cheaper than what you will find in the mall. Social media has taken over our lives. What’s shocking is that fifteen years ago, we were still depending on the library and taking out the massive encyclopedias to search for something. Fifteen years ago, we were still waiting for the mailman on our front porch to give us the awaited letters from our dear friends. Fifteen years ago, we would go to the market and spend five pesos just to know the latest buzz. Now, we can just do all these just by pressing certain buttons and Voila! Our questions have been answered within five seconds. The Internet has really given us an opportunity to see things from various perspectives, voice out our own opinion to the whole world, and even send love to the people who we miss from the other side of the globe. There may be good changes, but not all consequences of technology are good ones too. We just have to remember that in the end, we still have to keep our life centered in reality and use social networking and the Internet as a small portion of it and all would be fine. And if we cannot, maybe it would be time for us to turn off our smartphones and personal computers and go outside our house and smell the scent of real life happenings..
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O
ur culture is our international thumbprint. Historically speaking, our culture is uniquely infused with other foreign influences. Three hundred thirty-three years of invasion and colonization from the Spaniards has molded our country into a dominantly conservative Catholic one. Diversions from the social norm are inevitable, but at what cost? Counterculture. That is the precise term for it. But, what is counterculture? According to the dictionary.reference.com, counterculture is the culture and lifestyle of people, especially among the young, who reject or oppose the dominant values and behaviour of society. Deviants of society. Hippies. Are you a hippie? I’m sure you’re not. You’re not wearing raggedly eclectic worn out clothes nor carrying a placard with the peace symbol and the line, make love not war. This counterculture youth movement rejected the cultural standards and norms of their parents. Not a very different picture from today. Counterculture is once again in full motion. Truly, history repeats itself...as always. With the approval of same sex marriage in the United States, the radical youth mass are Some sociologists speculate that counter culture is indeed evitable. Past, present and future, it will always be there. And usually it is spearheaded by the impulsive, wilful and destructive youth. Our esteemed hero, Dr. Jose Rizal once said that the youth is the hope of the nation.
But what if that hope was too much?
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Social media and advanced technology has become an infinite and valuable outlet for the youth to express themselves and take part in every current event. Like for example, last July 26, 2015, the United States of America has legalized same sex marriage. Immediately, numerous Facebook users utilized the option of adding the signature rainbow flag in their profile pictures WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING ITS TRUE MEANING! Impulsiveness is embedded in the DNA of the youth and one must learn to rein and tame it. You’ve heard the same old adage since the dawn of history. The youth is the hope and all that. Remember, Daedalus had the hope and answer for escape within the Labyrinth. Hope was quite promising for him and his son, Icarus. But, what happened? He told Icarus not to fly too high but his son paid him no heed. I will leave it to the reader to know the terrible fate of Icarus.
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THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER YET Rocker-on-duty: Alexa Marie Paden Photo by paola jane enriquez Layout by mynard Pontillo Model: julie grace apigo 36
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Dear young, intellectual reader: If I still had the mindset of a young, 10-year old me, I would have been appalled at being labeled a ‘feminist’. The painful stigma behind this word has been alive for centuries. Man-hater. Angry. Sensitive. Patriachy-killer. Feminazi. In all honesty, I pictured a feminist to be a bra-burning, anti-body-hair-shaving kind of woman. The kind that ate men’s ‘fragile egos’ for breakfast. Man, I was wrong. Well, I’m here to tell you about a few things.
First: the hard truth. Feminism used to be fighting for the basic right for women to vote. Feminism used to be fighting for a young girl’s basic right to education. (Sadly, it still is.) But now, feminism covers all kinds of things; and to be a feminist, you only have to believe in one idea: that all humans, men or women, are able to have equal social, political, and economic rights. If you believe in equality of the sexes, despite the physical differences of men and women, you are a feminist. Every day, 672 young girls are married off to older men without their consent. That’s 28 girls per minute. Every day, hundreds of boys are sold off to militant groups to be child soldiers and human shields in battle. Imagine hundreds of thousands of children being ripped away from the childhood they deserve, the childhood you’ve enjoyed. That’s pretty much an eye sore to humanity, don’t you think?
Second: the gender spectrum. There is no battle of the sexes. It should have never been a dichotomy in the first place. When you hear stuff like—“be a man!” “boys don’t cry!”—you’ll realize that it translates to “don’t be a woman,” as if being the other sex is to be the lesser. We need to get rid of this stigma, that a man has to be strong always, and a woman needs to be feminine and relinquish all control to the former. Enough of shaming a man for being more in touch with his feelings. A human being has feelings, and it is entirely normal for one to be entitled to feel what he feels. It’s not gay—and that shouldn’t be used as an insult either. Boys don’t cry? Might as well cut off a guy’s nerve endings so as to prevent him from feeling. Enough of shaming a woman for her looks or her intellect. Beauty or brains? Let me repeat—it’s not a dichotomy. Let’s not act like mascara shuts a girl’s eyes so tight that they are unable to read a line of Rizal or solve a math problem. No girl should ever think that they are unworthy of education because society tells them to stay at home and do chores, and be pretty enough for a man to take her as a wife.
Third: what we all need to do. The fight’s not over yet. Rape culture, female genital mutilation, victim blaming, slut-shaming, the fight for basic human rights like education or freedom to make choices—it’s never-ending. Educate yourself on the struggles of both men and women in oppression. Advocate and be a voice for those who cannot, for those who do not have a voice. Stop the rape and sexual assault jokes. Quit comparing yourself to the other girls and boys. You, dear reader, are you, and nobody else can define, much less change, that. To quote self-proclaimed feminist Emma Watson: “If we stop defining ourselves by what we are not, and start defining ourselves by who we are, we can all be a lot freer.” ‘Til next time, dear reader.
Feminist. xx THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF
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living the luxury of liberty loaned from our lore Rocker-on-duty: jennicel jane acosta Illustrated by jewel davis kiang and joseph romuald maduay Layout by janley jude ano
Dear Katharina,
Hi!
It’s me, your longest friend. I’m writing to you on this starless first night of May, 2016. Right now, Philippines has long been freed from the shackles of her colonizers and is celebrating the comforts of democracy – or so everybody would like to think. I would like to clarify this to you from the start, PHILIPPINES DO NOT HAVE GENUINE DEMOCRACY. Given how fairly sound and small oligarchy has been dominating the country’s political and economic landscape for about three decades, the Filipino people are merely an audience at a puppet show. As the Latin expression from the Roman Poet Juvenal puts it, “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes” (Who is to guard the guards themselves?) Those who are in power pull the strings and the government is the puppet. We, the audience, only see the puppet giving us a show but we do not have a single idea what happens behind the curtains. But enough of this gloomy introduction! This letter would not be about the repulsive and terminally ill Government of the Republic of the Philippines for a number of reasons. First, I am no expert in Philippine bureaucracy and how it works (best leave this to our lawyer friend!) Second, it will be a waste of space in this magazine to propose solutions for a perennial problem to government leaders who have grown unsympathetic in heeding calls for reform (of course, for their corruptive schemes). Lastly, I am more thrilled to share to you a topic that I am always drawn towards (and it’s not science this time) – MEDIA. I am fortunate to be a writer in our school’s publication and be given the freedom to share my thoughts to the public. On print! With this privilege, though, comes the
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responsibility to uphold our sacred duty to the studentry – which our services must be carried out with the highest standards of ethical practice. As a writer, I should not allow an unbalanced article to be published without exhausting all means humanly possible to obtain all sides of any issue that I shall work on. I am in a position of special public trust, and so, I shall be conscientious at all times. Of course, I could list all the contents of our Code of Ethics here but I am sure that by now, you get the gist: being a writer is a responsibility. What I want to stress out is that, this responsibility does not only encompass us, writers, because living in a 21st century democratic country, every Filipino has the right to freedom of expression. Article 3 Section 4 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution clearly states that, “No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people to peaceably to assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.” It is not only the writers who get to publicize their ideas because in this era, we have the SOCIAL MEDIA, where everybody can express their thoughts and with just a click, share it to the whole wide world. Today, when every bit of info (legit or not) is shared faster than ever, we become au courant with the world’s real problems. In this age, we have seen the undeniable power of this freedom of expression – number one example, of course, is the very influential media. But the question that I always ask myself is, what do we do with your freedom to express? Do we only exercise this in the confines of our social media accounts for bashing and criticizing people whenever we can, or are we making a difference?
I never really liked people who bully others just because they can. Just because they are rich, successful, famous, intelligent – no matter what – nothing justifies putting down a person through oral defamation. From where I stand, I strongly believe that all – regardless of their religion, race, and gender – are free to express their opinions so long as they are within the bounds of truth, justice, and goodness. Never should one be free to slander or to spread foul incrimination to cause harm to others and distort peace in society. Explicitly, everyone is accountable for their words. I just don’t understand that while many people comprehend the concept of good and bad, they still give in to their tendency to adhere to their tempting emotions and type malicious words on social media. (And don’t make me write you back a sample! You know well the words that I mean.) This fact is both frustrating and disappointing. This freedom of expression may not be absolute, yes, but it comes in handy at times when we want to pursue a radical change in the society. As a character in a favorite Kdrama of mine had said, “No matter what era we are in, public discussion has always been recognized to capture people’s hearts.” People who are wealthy are in no need of this freedom to express because we live in a world where money talks. But, to the impoverished commoners, being able to voice out their cries of famine, malnutrition and diseases, is very important. For them, to be able to call out for their loved ones who were taken hostages, who died in a shootout defending our country, who singlehandedly
faced the Chinese crew in Philippine waters – this right is very precious. And so I beseech you Katharina, to help me reach out to our friends, that we exercise this freedom of expression, not only for our selfish needs but to make a change for the future and help alleviate the conditions of our brothers and sisters who do not enjoy the same privileges as we do. The world we live in is full of enemies – foreign and domestic – but this is not the way it was supposed to be. Our ancestors spilled blood, in unity, for our liberty. And so, I think it should be fitting that in unity, we strive for excellence and success. Let us not bring down our brothers and sisters who climb the ladder first by bashing or bullying them. Instead, let us support them and be happy for their success. Let us celebrate our own. And then, let us give back. Through our small individual acts, I am sure that collectively, we generate a change that could ovethrow the greatest obstacles possible. I rest my pen for now. Hasta la proxima vez. Always,
Jennicel PS. Keep in mind these words of Harvey Fierstein. “Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself.” Write back to me when you can. I'll be waiting.
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out with the in with the
that’s what
is all about 40
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FACES Models: Arkeer Tan Quir Nicole Maghuyop Photo by Jezza Mae barrera Make-up by Pauline Dy Hairstyle by Analou dy Layout by Nico Carlo R. Balintag
This is the start of a
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Rocker-on-duty: Alfonso Sebastian Alba Photo by Irick Angelo Venus Layout by Alriz Mark Tan FACES Model: Arkeer Tan
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arents and grandparents have this habit of criticizing young people for being very attached with their gadgets. My Lolo would be apprehensive whenever he caught me using my phone. Right after that, he would ask me to turn on the WiFi in his iPad so he could reload his lives on candy crush. Technology presents another divide between us millenials and our older counterparts. If I had a 20 Peso bill every time someone over the age 40 would ask me to fix their projector / computer / TV / Electronic Toaster, I might have enough money to afford a second-hand copy of “How to Explain Technology to your Elders.” During this dawn of technology, everything is as fast as our wireless data plans allow. Out with the old, in with the latest version of iOS. The very pace of life has accelerated to a blurring velocity, to the point that the things we could do in one day, would’ve taken hundreds of hours in times before. Ah the millenials. A generation of people born too early to freely explore space, and too late to explore the New World. This is a generation of streamlining. Making things faster and easier. It is now officially easier to stalk every past profile picture of that cute person you see in the Auditorium than to actually talk to said person. The future really is now. And to the rest of the world, we are the bringers of that future. Able to solve most problems with just the flick of a finger or a call on the phone. We traded in our days of sunny afternoons of basketball with our street barkada for LED screens
But if this really is the future, one question still remains to be answered. Nike, where are my Self-Lacing Hovershoes? 42
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half time
THE DECADE BEFORE THE NEW MILLENIUM Rocker-on-duty: MYNARD PONTILLO 44
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Remember the July 1990 earthquake in the Philippines which killed 5,000 people? Remember when the US military closed the Subic Bay Naval Station and left the Philippines in November 1992? Or the time when the death penalty was restored in 1994 because of widespread crime or when the nowSaint, Pope John Paul II urged young Filipinos to reject cynicism in January 1995? Remember that? Yeah, me neither. I was still hanging out with my fellow cells inside my father’s epididymis when several of those things happened. Now before I slip and tell you about how my parents decided to VHS and chill for the world to have the most awesome person in May 1997, let me get you to the part where I give you a sweet case of nostalgia. The nineties isn’t like a boring infomercial you see in the middle of a YouTube video. Yes, it was preceded by a thrilling revolutionary 80s and followed by a modern, technologyfueled 2000s, but this was the decade when old things were gradually going out of sight and new, innovative stuff were put into spotlight. It was also the time when outstanding Filipinos, especially in sports, made us proud of our race. Back in the days when our ates and kuyas danced to the beat of Macarena and Barbie Girl in shiny dance club floors, Paeng Nepomuceno, a six-time Word Bowling Champion, made the shiny bowling floor even shinier in the international arena. In 1992 and 1996, Nepomuceno added two more World Cup of Bowling championships to his already impressive stash. Before the start of the millennia, he grabbed another gold in World Tenpin Masters in 1999. When I was in elementary, an old friend told me they have the same hobby as we did. They called it slumbook, we called it “O-2-Graph”. It prepared us for job interviews in the future as we answered questions like, what is your favorite food,s describe yourself and what is love. I always answered M2M, I am who I am because of who we all are, and love is like a rosary full of mystery to those questions, respectively. My classmates would always come running like Lydia de Vega when they were about to sign one. Don’t know her? She continued to be one of the epitomes of the words “as fast as lightning,” the next decade after being dubbed as Asia’s fastest woman in the 80s. She won her last three gold’s in SEA Games for 100 meters in 1991 and 1993, and 200 meters in 1993. While the not-so-young people indulged themselves in Brick Game, Super Mario, Mach Rider and what my childhood friends call Bambir Man, our parents were rooting for their teams in the PBA. The first half of the decade before the millennium saw the intense rivalry between Ginebra and Shell; teams with names used today by guys with cars and evil plans for their girls. Plus, the Alaska Milkmen won a grand slam in 1996 and nine titles in the decade. No “milk” jokes. Also, FIBA allowed professionals to play in international tournaments in 1989. The first all-professional Filipino team won silver in 1999. And finally, right at the same time when Eraserheads were soaring to the alapaap of their success, a 16-year-old Manny Pacquiao started to stuff weights in his pockets to make it to the minimum weight division. He was then 98 pounds—seven pounds under the lightest boxing division, and stood 4’11”. He won via decision in his first fight against Edmund Ignacio in January 22, 1995 in a fourround bout. His first loss came 11 bouts after, losing to Rustico Torrecampo via third-round knockout. He was forced to use heavier gloves in the fight since he came up short for the required weight. But he refused to succumb to his first defeat and years later, he became world’s pound-for-pound king. He brought honor and glory to the Philippines and just this year, comments like “mamatay ka na sana Manny” and “kahihiyan ka sa Pilipinas” surfaced on social media. Adorable. Today, many questions about the future of Philippine sports still linger. Though we saw the rise of potential-packed newcomers like Kobe Paras and Jordan Clarkson in basketball, the Younghusbands and Azkals in soccer, Wesley So in chess, Marlon Stockinger in formula racing and several other young athletes, sports is a series of gambles and no one can be sure what will happen next. Adding to it, the youth with the new wave of technology, has a new pastime. More and more boys think they have a brighter future competing in The Shanghai Major and ESL One Frankfurt 2016 and there’s not a lot of girls who would want bruises in a sports skirmish. But, I am still proud because at least we still have interest in knowing and learning sports even if we’re not able to play it, right? Let me test you. What sport was declared by Republic Act 9850, signed by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
on July 27, 2009, as the Philippine National Sport? THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF
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We, the Millennials Who are the Millennials? Rocker-on-duty: Irene Grace Jalandoni Photo by dorothy joi pimentel Layout by Janley Jude Ano FACES Model quir nicole maghuyop
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• According to Time magazine, Millennials, also known as Generation Y, are people with birth years ranging from the 1980s up to 2000. However, there are no definite dates to which the generation starts and ends. Some researchers believe that the generation has already started in the 1970s. • Those who are considered Millennials belong to the first generation to come of age in the new millennium. • Generations prior to such are the Baby Boomers and Generation X.
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athering data from 1990 to 2010, the number of Millennials who choose to live with their parents gradually increase from time to time. On the other hand, majority of them say that they want to own a home sometime in the future.
Age Range 18-34 years old 35-44 years old 45-54 years old 55+ years old
% of renters who plan to buy a home some day - 93% - 75% - 72% - 39%
I
n the 1970s, the median marriage age was 23 years old. With a difference of 7 years, today’s estimate is at the age of 30. On the other hand, Millennials dislike being single forever, though they might have been putting off marriage and children more than the past generations. Since the 1960s, the percentage of young people living on their own and married has dropped by more than 50%, with just 23% of 18-31 year olds by 2012. However, surveys have shown that they do envision married life with children someday.
M
illennials, among other generations, are the most likely to save and spend money for traveling. They are more eager to wander to new places, experience different cultures and reach multiple destinations.
Would like to travel abroad – 75% Say they crave adventure – 69%
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here is no wonder that various ways to be fit are being introduced and practiced in the present day. Exercise? There are cross fit, zumba, aerial silks and several more. Healthy diet? Aside from the traditional methods, there are now a variety of new diet techniques made to suit different lifestyles, such as Cohen and Atkins. It only shows that the Millennial generation takes health and wellness more seriously, accompanied with the use of gadgets to count the number of calories burned, make diet plans, track training data and search for daily workout routines.
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hen it comes to food, Millennials tend to be particular with their preferences. It was found that they are twice more likely to care about organic food and to develop taste for exotic foods and creative menu ideas than non-Millennials. They are also more into specialty and convenience stores, online ordering and delivery services. Compared to other generations, Millennials are also most likely to eat out during off-peak hours. They often go to casual-dining restaurants that serve moderately priced food in a casual atmosphere, but they prefer fast-casual options that serve high quality of food but do not offer table service.
E
ntertainment, movies, restaurants and convenience sum up the ultimate mall experience for Millennials. Stores categorized by lifestyle with appealing appearances and atmosphere. They also want integrated online and offline shopping experiences to research and compare products, share recommendations and arrange for easy or discounted delivery.
C
lothing preferences also reflect that of clothing store services. A large percentage from Generation Y prefers experiential, lifestyle environments where they receive help and approval from fashion consultants rather than just basic sales assistance. Female Millennials care about neat and well-lit dressing rooms with seats where they can lounge, while male Millennials seek more fun and energizing places to shop in with music played.
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or the past few years, organizations that support causes for charity work and advocacies have grown in number, increasing social awareness among the youth. In a study, almost 50% of Millennials would be more willing to purchase products from a company that supports a cause, while 37% of them would gladly spend a bigger amount for a cause they believe in.
C
onsidered as a vital part of the Millennials’ daily lives, social networking has become much more than just a way to connect to peers from past to present. These sites, especially Facebook, serve as sources of news and information and deemed as news platforms. They have also become important additional arena for politics.
Rocker-on-duty: Judy Andrea Palado Illustraded by Jackie Lyanne Mae Pinili Layout by Nico Carlo Balintag
Are you a
Destiny’s child Destiny’s child and Spice Girls are two of the hottest girl groups during the 90’s and they have made significant contributions to the music industry. From their hit singles and perky nicknames, they’ve colonized the R&B and Pop genre by storm, together with other phenomenal artists and bands, and they will always be remembered for their talents and showmanship.
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Choose a sport you would prefer to play
Choose a fastfood chain you prefer
Pick an animated show you like the best
a. Karate
a. Jack in the Box b. KFC
a. Pokemon b. The Proud Family
b. Judo
Choose a color you prefer
Choose a country where you want to go a. United Kingdom
a. Pink and Brown b. Gold
b. Germany
Pick you preferred pet
The food you crave most of the time
a. Tropical Fish b. Cat
a. Cake
b. Ice Cream
or a
Spice girl
If majority of your answer is A, then you are a SPICE GIRL! If majority of your answer is B, then you are a DESTINY’s CHILD! THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF
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b e h i n d - t h e - s c e n e s
the rock is as hard as it gets. The challenge of being a Rocker is to balance fulfiiling our duty as student journalists and trying to pass our subjects. Yet, we take on this rollercoaster head first and just enjoy the ride with our fellow Rockers. Got anything to contribute? Send them to bato.spctherock@gmail.com.
Can you take the challenge? IF YES, BE ONE OF US. JOIN THE ROCK JUNIOR STAFF EXAMINATION 2016. Stay tuned this August 2016.
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The FACES photoshoot is shot at location at The Big House: A Heritage Home, Juna Subd. Ave, Matina, Davao City. All makeup and hair are by Paulyn and Annalou Dy. Contact thru: 0922 822 8596 / 0977 171 4236. Thank you!
MORE THAN WORDS Submitted by Flowerchild Sticks and stones may break my bones but your words are spears and boulders that pierce my heart and crush my soul -a.p There is a value in speaking. But also, there is a value in being heard. Having this freedom to express ourselves freely comes with our individuality—our diversity of opinions, our difference in views. But hate speech—it is the speech that causes other people to hurt in ways no physical means can.
The right to express is a right everybody has, but like all the other rights, it entails responsibility. When we exercise our right to free speech, we should also practice responsible speech. Rather than remaining voiceless, choose to fight. Fight against inequality, oppression. Fight hate speech against equality, racism, transphobia, homophobia, stigma against mental diseases, and many others that have not been mentioned. Be the counterculture in a current of those who go with the flow. Acknowledge that everybody has the inherent right to know the truth and hold an opinion without being judged for it. However, one must remember that the freedom to express does not equate to the freedom to hurt another with one’s words. One’s right immediately ends with the violation of another’s.
So let those words bloom, flowerchild; spread love, not hate.
We say that actions speak louder than words, but in another way—words can convey power. Power to speak up, power to make something known, power to express. THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF
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petros
DRAW | WRITE | BLOG | CAPTURE | DESIGN EXPRESS | REACT
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