T R U T H
B E Y O N D
VOLUME 64 NUMBER 3 · JULY TO AUGUST 2019
K N O W I N G
Maligayang kabuwanan, Lasallians! THE OFFICIAL S TUDENT MEDIA CORPS OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF S T. L A SALLE
NEWS
The University celebrates another accomplishment as three USLS-IS students went home victorious after nabbing the bronze medals in an international Math competition. read on page 2
EDITORIAL
The Spectrum calls for the humble countrymen to rise and unite against the fallacies shrouding the Filipinos from the truth. read on page 4
DEVELOPMENT
CEd Dean felt honored as he secured a spot for a scholarship grant given by UB Fellows program among the nominees from various Asian universities. read on page 6
VANTAGE POINT
Lasallians engaged themselves and built bridges with fun-filled activities in a three-day club fair themed “Myriad: An Era of Possibilities”. read on page 8
DAGWAY
A Bacolod-based band is rising to stardom from their humble beginnings as former members of USLS’ music club continue to serenade the crowd. read on page 10 OUST DUTERTE. The people of Negros reunited and rallied the streets at the Capitol Park and Lagoon during the annual State of the Nation Address.—PETER JOB T. BEARNEZA JR.
NEGRENSES SLAM FOURTH DU30 SONA BY IVEE E. MANGUILIMOTAN AND HANA PATRICIA RAJ E. HAUTEA WITH REPORTS FROM JORIE E. TORIANO AND MAEGAN JOY MATAMORO
Thousands of people all over Negros Occidental converged in Bacolod City to defend their rights, sovereignty, and freedom in a twopart series of rallies and protests organized in light of President Rodrigo Duterte’s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 22. UNITED PEOPLE’S SONA Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Negros (BAYAN) spearheaded the United People’s SONA which involved approximately 2,000 protesters marching from the Capitol Park and
Lagoon to the Bacolod City Public Plaza at 1 p.m., along with speeches and the burning of an effigy of the president. Participants of the rally included sugar workers, farmers, and people from different fields of work, as well as various human rights groups. Correspondingly, two priests were invited to give the Statement of Solidarity— one from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bacolod and one from the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI Aglipay). “These are the faces of the
citizens who protest no matter how difficult their situations are, because it will only get worse if they sat down and did nothing,” BAYAN-Negros Secretary General Michael Dela Concepcion stated. Dela Concepcion continued to list four things they predict to happen following the United People’s SONA: (1) that Duterte will “ratsada” Charter Change, (2) that he will attack the UN Human Rights Council for passing a resolution to investigate the Philippines, (3) that he will “ratsada” death penalty, and (4) that he will
Lasallian prof co-founds first Negros digital paper BY STARLENE JOY B. PORTILLO
Journalism in digital ink— this is how Digital News Exchange (DNX), the first online paper in the Negros Island, was described by its founders. The DNX team is led by former Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) Multimedia Director, Julius Mariveles, as the Executive Editor with his wife, USLS Communications Department Chair Hannah Papasin-Mariveles. Launched last Aug. 19, DNX aims to cover “often neglected angles” on news stories relevant mainly within Bacolod City and Negros Occidental, accessible through multiple online
SHIFTING. Hannah P. Mariveles shares the relevance of digital journalism in an interview at the English Cafe.—ANGELO F. DESPI
platforms, namely: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, along with an independent news portal. “What is great about technology is that it can merge everything. Who doesn’t want to go to a onestop shop?” said PapasinMariveles, who serves as E-MAIL thespectrum.usls@gmail.com
DNX’s Managing Editor. According to her, DNX wants to maximize what digital technology has to offer. Thus, the online paper combines traditional and new media through the use of audio and visual supplements such as infographics, photos, NEWS / PAGE 2
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declare Martial Law. “He is not a unifying president, he is a divisive president,” Dela Concepcion remarked in connection with the administration’s issue on the implementation of Martial Law referring to mass protests and critiques. He added that there are many who protest against the president because he has
done many things that the community does not agree with. “Number 10—he’s the best in terms of human rights violations. [Duterte is] the number one human rights violator. Out of all the presidents, he even beat Marcos,” Dela Concepcion said as he rated the president’s performance on a scale of one
to 10. NEGROS YOUTH SONA PROTEST Later that day at 4:30 p.m., Tribu Duag organized the Negros Youth SONA protest through a series of speeches and the raising of placards as they protested under heavy rain by the Fountain of Justice. NEWS / PAGE 2
USLS collars PERAA award BY MA. KRISTINE JOY R. BAYADOG
WITH REPORTS FROM ANGELA A. CORONEL AND CHRISTIAN DOMINIC L. LEDESMA
The University of St. La Salle–Bacolod received awards on three categories during the 57th Private Education Retirement Annuity Association (PERAA) anniversary celebration that took place at the Marco Polo Hotel, Davao City last July 26. PERAA was focused on providing adequate programs to participating private educational institutions through the achievement of economies of scale from commonly managed funding and retirement arrangements, and by operating as a nonprofit organization. This year’s anniversary theme, “The Search for The Outstanding PERAA Members”, shows affirmation and recognition of dedicated, exemplary, and outstanding service to the nation through education.
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“We are lucky to have three top five semifinalists from the University of St. La Salle that basically were chosen from over a thousand PERAA member institutions,” Dr. Annabelle Balor, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and one of the PERAA awardees, said in an interview. Along with Balor who garnered first place in the Academic Head Category, Jessica Pacalioga also won second place in the FullTime Teacher Category, and University of St. La Salle grabbed first place in the School Category. “I always say that as education leaders or as administrators, we don’t have any control over the results, but what we have control over are the conditions that will bring about success,” Balor expressed. Moreover, she also shared her immersive training experiences
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at Harvard Graduate School of Education and University of Melbourne in Australia prior to PERAA achievement. Balor said that through her observations as a visiting academic, she was able to adapt and put into implementation one of the best practices of the University of Melbourne–the Study Without Teaching (SWOT) Days program provided for students to have a breathing space of two days before exams and one day after. She also expressed that the administration is doing everything to bring the university to the next level—from formulating development programs, setting goals for the academic year, hands-on support in the licensure examination performances, and to maintain the university’s accreditation status.