EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Mikhailah Rañada Associate Editor (Internal Affairs) Patricia May Compra Associate Editor (External Affairs) Zachary Borromeo Managing Editor for Administration Christian Rey Camay Head of Writing Department Kyn Noel Pestaño Senior Correspondent Laura Andrea Posadas News Editor - Talamban Campus Cesar Carlos Heyrosa Deputy News Editor - Downtown and South Campus Louisa Concepcion Carredo Features Editor Janzyl Mae Go Literary Editor Paolo Perez Art Director Mar Virgil Eway
The Progressive Student Publication of the University of San Carlos
UNIVERSITY OF SAN CARLOS Cebu City, Cebu Philippines 6000 VOLUME XXVIII No. 12 FEBRUARY 2018
EDITORIAL STAFF Operations FINANCE OFFICER Theresa Kate Palompon STAFF SECRETARY Paulie Yap ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR Sofia Isabel Tajos WEB ADMINISTRATOR Julius John Puno DIRECTOR FOR CIRCULATION AND STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT Patricia May Compra Writing Department NEWS BUREAU WRITERS Jet Mangubat, Mary Elizah Castillo, Stephanie Camille Samonte, Dave Carl Bernasibo, Blaise Pancho, Kerstein Nicole Labay, Ynaro San Juan ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Yuri Adolfo Art Department LAYOUT SUPERVISOR Pamela Urbiztondo LAYOUT ARTISTS Giann Mikhael Alipar, Janrick Carl Romales, Celina Aguirre SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Francis Ian Palanca GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Drix Lloyd Ponteres, Elbert Uba, Diane Therese Diana HEAD ILLUSTRATOR Eduard Jude Jamolin ASSISTANT HEAD ILLUSTRATOR Jon Ahmed Durano ILLUSTRATORS Justine Patrice Bacareza, Charlene Grace Tan, Phoemela delos Santos, Audrey Tenorio HEAD PHOTOJOURNALIST Keith Ayuman PHOTOJOURNALISTS Wednesday Dawn Abelgas, Eloise Noreen Diaz, Carmelle Charlene Gacasan, Jessa Marie Pedrola, Garel Sison, Franco Rolito Hermosilla, Jhessa Marie Ugdamina, RJ Milan, Neena Fuentes, Viktor Lequin HEAD VIDEOGRAPHER Gifthir Lemuel Elmido ASSISTANT HEAD OF VIDEO DEPARTMENT Ian Llamera CINEMATOGRAPHERS Czarina Gicale, Shekinah Danong, Christian Paul Naparota, Joseph Michael Tan, Zia Gudelosao, Jack Ponpon, Francis Garcia VIDEO EDITORS Daniel Johns Masilang, Robert Lim, Frank Go
THE COVER Everything is cyclical; the universe spins in a rhythmic pattern. They say history repeats over and over – events replicate themselves for centuries, cycles of poverty, violence, hatred, war. These events were set in motion in the past and would continue to echo in the future; a world’s potential going nowhere in particular. Does this mean humans are inept of learning from experience? Not knowing our past puts us at risk of making the mistakes made before; hence, allowing the past repeat itself. As the world progresses, people should understand history in order to break the wheel, create an effective transformation to what seems like a fixed pattern, an unchangeable fate of the future. Words and Cover by Carmelle Gacasan Art Direction by Mar Virgil Eway
HOW TO REACH US LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, with the writer’s name, e-mail address and contact number, should be e-mailed to todayscarolinianusc@gmail.com. Letters may be edited for reasons of space and clarity. © 2018. TODAY’S CAROLINIAN All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited. Today’s Carolinian publishes one to two issues per academic year. Today’s Carolinian may also publish occasional extra issues. An electronic version (PDF Format) of every publication is available in the Today’s Carolinian website.
ELECTIONS
SSC 2018
CO NTE NTS 2
Editor’s Note
4
Dear Faculty
6
When The Papers Resonate
8
Citizen Journalists Assemble
10
Training Humans
12
Reading Today’s Carolinian
14
Bitcoin: A Bitginner’s Guide to Bitgetting
16
Word War One: The 21st Century War
18
R U Worth The Gram, Sizt?
20
Some Days, You Will Still Want to Kill Yourself
22
The Conscious Conscientious Decline
24
Two New Councils
26
A Memoir on Carolinian Films
28
Gandarrapiddo: The Revenger Squad: A Film Gem
STNETNOC Liquidation: A Fluid Fallacy
30
Cities in Dust 34 A Bomb on Campus 36 On Banning Individuals From The Today’s Carolinian Page
38
Today’s Carolinian Second Semester Survery 2018
40
No Learner’s Land 42 Perils of Modern Exodus 44 The Necessity for a Revolution
46
When It’s All in the Mind
48
The Final Spark 50 To Keep Hold 52 Parting Shot 54 Liquidation 55
EDITOR’S NOTE
2 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
EDITOR’S NOTE
Revolution - a progressive motion of a body around an axis so that any line of the body parallel to the axis returns to its initial position while remaining parallel to the axis in transit and usually at a constant distance from it. The society is ever changing. One seemingly insignificant action can result to a change in the course of history. What we fail to consider, though, is that history revolves rather than evolves. In order to advance to a better future in its relative sense, we need to look back at our past and reassess our present. Are we making the same mistakes made in the past? Are we really doing things right? Is it right that civilians are uprooted due to war? Is it proper for nation leaders to have petty fights on social media? What do we learn from political rivalry? What is the line between justice and injustice? Lives have been sold in exchange for freedom and rights. The harder we think, the more we realize we could any time be back to square one. Reality can be cruel to its spectators, and sometimes its spectators would rather not be such. Here is a depiction of how circumstances are. Here is the reality we sometimes do not wish to see.
3 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
OPINION
DEAR FACULTY Carlos
4 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
OPINION
How was your enrolment? The launch of ISMIS 2.0 supposedly streamlined the process, and we have to give credit where it’s due — it certainly worked better than its previous version. Unfortunately, while the online system has upgraded itself, it seems that the human component remains the same.
enrolment. Whether we graduate or not depends on whether we were able to take all the classes we need. These are pivotal days. While we may be able to overlook some negligence mid-semester, it is too much to just sit by and say nothing in enrolment season when so many of us are getting dragged down.
Did you also spend an entire evening just refreshing your ISMIS to see if your grades were in yet so you can finally enroll? It’s okay. You were not alone.
These problems happen every semester. ISMIS noticed and stepped up its game, why haven’t the faculty? These repetitive problems ought to have been addressed in previous administrations.
Grades were being held hostage if not submitted too late. Students were blocked for reasons not their responsibility or fault. Block schedules that were missing subjects, and schedules were inputted into ISMIS all wrong.
We acknowledge that measures were put up by the administration to address this. There is supposedly a fine in place for every grade a teacher submits late. However, we must question its effectiveness or even its implementation considering how many students are still left looking for their grades long after the deadline, whose teachers are sometimes unreachable, sometimes even on vacation.
A simple lag prevented students from enrolling in important majors and prerequisites to multiple classes in the following semesters. That lag was no one’s fault, but the student was left to drown in the problems that followed. “Well, that’s life,” was the response the student was met with at the department, despite it being completely reasonable to reach out to them for assistance with this matter. We were, apparently, old enough to fix this on our own. With little instruction and a measly two or three days, we tried our best to meet all their requirements. We ran around like chickens, and yet, when we finally gathered everything, the people we needed were not there, and it was nigh impossible to contact them. On the most pivotal days of the semester, the responsible personnel were on vacation or some unnamed and vague “official business” with no specific return time. “Just come back later,” echoed in offices all over our three campuses. “There’s still no response from the Chair or the proper authorities.” While this problem is most prominent during enrollment season, we see also see this mid-semester, albeit less so.
We cannot begrudge them their long-deserved rest and relaxation. There are undeniably some excellent members of the faculty who go over and beyond what is expected of them. They work tirelessly year after year to come up with lesson plans to educate us. But we also study and work hard to get our degrees, and one grade getting held back could mean an entire life plan getting adjusted. We also have to take into account our community’s and our close family ties’ perception of a delayed graduation. The stigma around it affects our relationships with the guardians who financially support us. Enrolment is only one of many manifestations of this issue. Plenty of students celebrate a teacher who is lax and won’t do much. A little bit of shiny apples under the teacher’s table, and that’s a perfect score already. Yet, an easy A is just another manifestation of their apathy towards our actual learning — although no student would complain. We need faculty members who are more sympathetic to the plights of students. A great majority of them seem to have long forgotten what student life is like and are completely removed from its struggles. So here’s a message to the faculty:
“You can consult me on Monday afternoons only, because that’s our schedule for this class,” one student recalled her internship adviser saying. As you would expect, the teacher was rarely there when she said she would be. Our internships are a big part of our college lives and demand a significant chunk of our time. When not done right due to a lack of guidance, it causes a huge step-back. Can you imagine a delayed graduation because of some missing or incorrectly filed forms that your adviser completely forgot to advise you about? Our lives, not just for the next five or so months, depend on our
We do our part in class, and all we ask is you do the same. Please, be there for us. Listen to our problems and advise us on what to do. Do not leave us to fend for ourselves. Students come and go, but most of you stay. You are the ones who have seen these problems arise time and time again. You are the ones with the experience and the authority to address them. Please, invest in we who invest in you.
TC
5 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
FEATURE
WHEN THE
PAPERS RESONATE Theresa Kate Palompon Photograph by Wednesday Dawn Abelgas
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FEATURE
Despite what many may think, one of the strongest forms of weaponry does not involve sharp edges and bullets. It cuts but does not cause bloodshed. It scars, and the scars do not fade. Instead, it marks itself in history.
Though the efforts are manifested on paper may often be underestimated, the sacrifices made by journalists should not be belittled. Apart from braving storms and wars without defense, some journalists have laid down their lives in honor of the truth.
That is the power of journalism. It is a blade that disguises itself on paper. It is a pistol with words whilst its photographs are bullets. Journalism draws fuel from ideas that ignite revolutions. Like grenades, they remain silent until they explode.
To this day, the role of journalism in the country remains the same as that in the past. It is still meant to provide an accurate depiction of the country’s state rather than to just inform others. Journalism still stands to fight for the truth.
Our country, amongst others, can attest to this power. For through paper, the eyes of our ancestors were opened and the injustices inflicted upon them by their colonizers were discovered. It was through words that the Spaniards experienced one of the greatest threats of their regime in the Philippines.
As of November 2017, the Philippines has been ranked as the fifth most dangerous country for journalists according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. In their official tally, around 177 Filipino media workers have been killed since 1986. In the present administration, at least four have been reportedly killed.
That nation of eight million souls should not, must not be the exclusive preserve of theocracy and traditionalism. –Graciano Lopez-Jaena alias Diego Laura
Apart from the hostile environment that the country has, the Philippines has also been known for its Culture of Impunity when it comes to majority of its murder cases. Almost 90 percent of the murder cases for journalists in the country were left without convictions. This, among others, imposes the greatest threat to Philippine press freedom.
Back in 1888, a group of Filipino scholars and liberals exiled in Spain created an organization that aimed to bridge the gap between the Spaniards and their colonies. This movement was headed by Galicano Apacible, the cousin of Dr. Jose Rizal himself. Filipinos living in Spain at the time of its inception coordinated their efforts to unite the country, protect its members, fight violence, support education and implement reforms. But despite the organization’s endeavors towards building a better nation, it was never their intention to involve violence in the equation. In order to provide an avenue to reach its goals, these reformists found a way to relay the message they hoped to share. In their strife for reformation, their movement birthed La Solidaridad [The Solidarity], a newspaper published by the Soli in 1889 that acted as the heart of their propaganda. However, the circulation of the material was greatly monitored due to its content. The propagandists ensured that La Solidaridad remained an accurate reflection of reality, containing only the truth about the Spaniards’ takeover. Although the publication of the La Solidaridad was rapped with limitations, production continued until 1895. In spite of its short existence, the message of Soli was able to reach the ilustrados who soon became leaders of the Philippine revolution. We are persuaded that no sacrifices are too little to win the rights and the liberty of a nation that is oppressed by slavery. –Marcelo H. del Pilar alias Plaridel Journalism has never been viewed as a form of revolution. Oftentimes, it is only seen as a form of information sharing and a courier of facts. For some, the only battles that mattered were the ones fought with swords and guns, but the contribution of such craft to the liberation of our ancestors can never be discounted.
The Philippines also made its mark in journalism with the occurrence of the Maguindanao Massacre back in 2009¬ — with over 32 journalists killed along with 25 civilians. It was considered as the single deadliest event for journalists that has ever been reported. The aims, therefore, of La Solidaridad are described as to collect, to gather, libertarian ideas which are manifested daily in the field of politics, science, art, literature, commerce, agriculture and industry. –Diego Laura Today, the state of journalism in the Philippines has been compromised with the emergence of “fake news.” The lack of verification of information has often misled the readers and viewers of media. The influence of social media platforms such as blog sites have overshadowed the works of journalists from all over the country. Because of this new form of information dissemination, the reliability of news has been placed on the line. While they fight against oppression and lies, the journalists are faced with a greater challenge to prove their credibility to the public. With this, another revolution is set to ignite. A revolution where journalists fight not for the people, but for themselves and their reputation. That nation of a hundred million souls should not, must not be the exclusive preserve of theocracy and traditionalism, for no sacrifices are too little to win the rights and the liberty of a nation oppressed by slavery. In a country where ideas override the truth and opinions reign over facts, the battle in print begins. TC
7 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
FEATURE
CITIZEN JOURNALISTS ASSEMBLE! Louisa Concepcion Carredo Photograph by RJ Milan
8 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
FEATURE
Make room, Cebu Daily News, SunStar and Philippine Daily Inquirer! A more updated, more involved and more diverse generation of superheroes has arrived. Hailing from different ends of the nation, this rapidly-increasing team of all-seeing reporters have joined forces and taken it upon themselves to deliver to their countrymen the information and values they so earnestly need and deserve. They are — the citizen journalists! Possessing gadgets with cameras built into them and subpar internet connection accessible at the press of an icon, these journalists have successfully mastered the art of social media-manipulation, making them a force to be reckoned with. Before we welcome them into our country’s journalism community, however, are we certain that this new batch of heroes are ready and deserving to join the ranks of their seniors? The citizen journalists have a good array of powers up their leotards and utility belts, a prominent one being their ability to be everywhere at once. With eyes in so many places, they are able to cover an immensely wide geographical and demographic range, allowing them to provide information to so many different people all over the country at a variety of angles. Due to the advancement of technology, smartphones with competent cameras and voice recorders are available to most people, and at the close of 2017, around 30.4 million Filipinos already had their hands on one. Bringing social media sites like Facebook into the mix, with their Facebook Lives and My Day features, gives citizen journalists the perfect outlet for news to be recorded and quickly disseminated. As for Facebook users in the last year, 31.61 percent of Filipino smartphone users access their accounts at least once a month. Since most of the public have easy access to Facebook at their convenience, they are granted the opportunity and means to contribute to
the nation’s journalism community. The inclination to appoint themselves as journalists at any given moment is likely because they easily can. This ability gives them an edge in terms of speed as they are in the position to record and share as soon as they are aware. In addition, one of their crucial strengths lies in their title. They are citizens, first and foremost. Often not journalists by profession, these people experience daily life in full force and due to this, are able to deliver their peers information that is sometimes overlooked by the larger superheroes. Seemingly smaller yet still very relevant issues such as local teenagers going missing or recent shootings at the nearby Gaisano mall can be brought to light. In terms of analyzing, more eyes and minds are able to fill or question the gaps in the information presented to them. They then can start forming conclusions, using their own experiences for reference. With millions focused on an issue, whatever needs attention is bound to be brought up — whether or not it will create a war amongst colleagues will depend on the issue. But as with all heroes, they also have their fair share of Kryptonite. Stemming from the fact that they have an abundance of freedom online, citizen journalists can often disseminate information and statements with less finesse or truth than professional and more experienced journalists. The occurrence of misinformation due to lack of confirmation or even desire for fame is inevitable as their freedom makes their possibilities limitless. This limits their self-control and regard for responsibility. Even if the news and information delivered is relevant and useful to the public, whether or not the said news is trustworthy varies from source to source. The number of sources online regarding the same event or issue can also lead to confusion as those on the receiving end may not know which is most reliable. It
is for these reasons that it is likely for the public to place more trust in better established superheroes like Cebu Daily News and CNN Philippines who have already made a name for themselves and have a reputation of reliability to uphold. Citizen journalists are heroes to not only the Filipino citizens, but also to the Philippines itself. If this generation excels at creating an online presence where news can be recorded and disseminated, let them do what they do best! Avenues such as Rappler and Inquirer allowed citizen journalists to thrive doing just that. The information shared and issues raised by the public were presented on a platform that encouraged their input on matters they reported on. This practice created a bond of comradeship in the nation. Instead of working on the country’s Kryptonite, the focus shifted to developing its strengths. As the number of people contributing information and angles increase, the number of watching-eyes multiply and the superhero team of citizen journalists expands — a bit wider with every post uploaded, shared or talked about. With the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shutting down Rappler, it goes to show how much we need to recognize citizen journalists and give them that place amongst the big guns of journalism. This will provide the public with a fighting chance to pave the way for journalism that allows anyone and everyone to put on a cape to serve themselves and their country. In terms of taking a punch at what their seniors go up against, like the different issues and nemeses they tackle and stand up to, they may still have ways to go. Everyone has to start somewhere. Superman started as an alien living as a simple country boy, and Captain America started as a frail young man who failed to enlist in the army. Look at them now. Imagine what citizen journalists could also become. TC
9 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
LITERARY
TRAIN ING HUMANS Sofia Isabel Tajos Photograph by Neena Fuentes
10 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
LITERARY
She’s here. I slowly make my way to the living room as I hear the door opening, my mechanical paws warm against the cold hard floor. I eye her warily, resisting the urge to run and call out to her; it makes her upset. I used to greet her with enthusiasm, wagging my tail and barking as loud as a puppy can for, “I missed you!” I still missed her. I was naïve when I first arrived in this apartment a couple of years ago, merely an animal pre-programmed to do basic commands — sit, stand, fetch, roll. With her help, I gradually learned what to do and not to do. The long scratch on my back is a reminder that I should absolutely not wag my tail. It took me a while to recover, but it was fine. At least I learned that it was wrong. I no longer show joy, because her happiness is more important than mine, and she gets disappointed. When she gets disappointed her face distorts, and I get scared. It is hard — to be scared of the one you love the most — so I hold it in. After all, she knows what’s best for me. I was trained to distinguish good from bad; she knows what is right. There are probably more things that I must learn about, but I am willing. Today she greets me through a gesture I know all too well — a short, blank stare. She sighs and walks to the kitchen, with me following closely behind. I look at her and wonder what else is in store for me today. She moves and I see her hand move to grab something from the countertop and— oh no. Oh no! Was I walking too fast? Were my little steps too loud? This time I made sure to not step on her feet! I wasn’t even sticking my tongue out! I whimper and ready myself for what’s to come. I prepare myself for the pain that comes from being unable to walk for a few days again. Her hand is about to lash out, and her face is distorting. I am scared. I am scared. I am scared. I long for the day I get used to this kind of fear. I close my eyes, but the blow never comes. ----
“How is Subject # 256 doing?” “He’s holding it together, but his own perspective is starting to become much more different from the other subjects. 256’s environment has been undergoing drastic changes to see how far he deviates from the norm. We made it so he thinks a couple of years already went by.” “That’s good to hear. We plan to put him back in a stable environment after the test. How he formulates his own opinions after that will determine how bad his past environment has broken him. We can get what we need from there.” “Even thousands of lines of code get dysfunctional under a bad setting, huh?” “Yeah. How much more if it were humans, right?” “I guess we’re all similar to 256. We talk about our conscience like it defines who we are, but we’ve always been restricted by factors and circumstances we’ve no chance of knowing about. Don’t you think our conscience does not point to what is really right, but rather what we think is right? People tend to break when what they’ve believed in all their lives is challenged.” “We might even end up exactly like 256. With our luck, we might already be just like him.” “That’s our brain for you. But we have to keep trying. We have to continue with what we know. I hope that somewhere down the road, we can get it right.” “Wait. Do you mean our conscience’s definition of right or the real right?” “Which do you prefer?” “I don’t know. But I hope 256 gets it right.” TC
11 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
OPINION
Reading Today’s Carolinian| Fick Shore-Head
12 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
OPINION
What’s up, hookers. I want to begin this article by sharing why I decided to join Today’s Carolinian. I want to say that I have longed for too long to serve the Carolinian body. I want to say that I have realized that I have charm, uniqueness, nerve and talent — a talent that should be shared to the students through campus journalism. I want to say that I want the ideals of fairness, integrity and truth be realized. Too bad I only learned to speak the truth, and to spill the capital T here, I was just a student with too much free time, a blank résumé and an ego to take care of. And oh, Today’s Carolinian is not STAND, Tingog Carolinian nor SPP. Better be a spectator than a participant to all their personal dramas, especially during election season. Choices. However, there come times at the bus stop when I would think, “Did I really make the right decision here?” I mean unless the letters H, O, R and O precede the word scope, and the outrageous things Fick Sh— I, rather, write, nobody ever reads Today’s Carolinian anyway. Still, like vampires needing blood for sustenance, we need people to read us, and here are the reasons why. First, reading us strokes our egos. As students, we want to be recognized. The only way to get through the toughest of classes is to stand out, right? But anyone who has no talent whatsoever in his or her courses just vanishes into the background. How to go about that? Yup, do some writing or art in Today’s Carolinian. I mean some of us are like some — before the pitchforks, emphasize on some — members of the SSC. We embrace fame, but we won’t try to gain that by organizing nonsensical parties and then posting close-ups of a small crowd to give the illusion of a huge turnout. Oh heck, no. We do that through our self-proclaimed talents in writing or art. Love us, and we’ll love you. It’s plain simple. Second, reading us helps us get awards. I mean winning awards in press conferences is the ultimate goal of any student publication in the Philippines, right? Campus Journalism Act of 1991, my bottom. Forgivable though, as recognition is the ultimate goal of anything in this country anyway. Reduce political and social issues to their most basic entertainment value. Go for shock, and present the president wearing drag surrounded by dead bodies. Be larger than life, and
try to be on the offensive against high-ranking politicians only to end up with petty arguments with their cults. Do something risky, and cry home to mommy when criticized. Maybe leave a few group chats out of anger and shame. Make vague statements in Twitter. We all know our shenanigans. Third, reading us makes us feel as if we’re part of something larger. The platform to talk about the mundane things we find interesting, the distinction as the best, the extra entries in the résumé, they all sound good, don’t they? Then again, the truth here is that none of this would matter upon graduation. They say that college is a microcosm of the real world, but whoever they are forgot that our extracurricular experiences in college just make up an insignificant portion of it. Just like how being an active president in a TOCSO-awarded organization won’t help anyone pass his or her courses, being in Today’s Carolinian won’t get anyone a job easily after graduation. The least requirement for that is a grade of 3.0 in all subjects. Yes, friends, work! Fourth, rea— never mind. It gets tiresome trying to offend my colleagues, the SSC and the students at the same time. It’s too much hard work, and I’m just a student struggling to get my PhB degree. What I’m getting to is that I am just a student. Like any other student, I turn in half-baked projects for a half-baked subject. Half-baked coverage for a half-baked publication. Halfbaked policies for a half-baked student body. For all its worth, maybe they’ll ask me to take off my Today’s Carolinian ID after this, but I’d like to keep it on please. I mean it’s not personal — just a drag of a write up. When faced with the black mirror of our mistakes, we should take this as a wonderful journey to self-improvement. This is the part of college that is the microcosm of the real world. Learning equates growth. Who am I kidding? We’re too conceited to learn this. I mean just count the number of defensive online posts there are whenever someone says something against the SSC, or the number of online posts about the lantern constructed from our September 2017 magazine. Better fall on back rolls than that level of unprofessionalism. As in the great tradition of learning, reading is fundamental. If we can’t read ourselves, then how the heck can we read somebody else? Always and forever, Fick. TC
13 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
LITERARY
BITCOIN:
A Bitginner’s Guide to Bitgetting Paolo Perez
Illustration by Charlene Grace Tan
14 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
LITERARY
Ah, Bitcoin. After lurking in the background of the internet for the better part of the 2010s, only emerging in discussions of shady backdoor deals, the cryptocurrency erupted in full force at the end of last year ready to capture our hearts, minds and bank accounts. But everyone’s asking: what, in fact, is Bitcoin? We’re gonna level with you: we barely have any idea, either! To help you understand, we’ve enlisted the help of one of the most influential investors from Silicon Valley to Wall Street, Connr Clark, who graciously accepted our correspondence to sit down with him in his home just a stone’s throw away from all the technological action of Silicon Valley. Pulling up to Clark’s house, the first thing one notices is the fact that his lawn extends up to his earth-sheltered roof, inviting local pigeons and the occasional vagrant to snack on seeds and grass. The second thing is the rust-orange Tesla sitting in his driveway. Certainly not the colorway I would have chosen. He’s left the door unlocked for me, but the lights are off. I take a seat in one of the many odd beanbag-armchair hybrids dotting his floor. Clark emerges from behind a door five minutes later, bent over a sinister black mug. “Koooombuuuchaaa…” he half-exhales, half-growls. My spine straightens itself in fear and awe. Clark clears his throat, hacking violently, before apologizing in a voice modulated into a perpetual TED talk. “Kombucha. Would you like a cup? It’s fresh.” I fear the elixir’s power, but perhaps it is yet another piece of the key unlocking the puzzle to solving the mystery that is Bitcoin. I take the mug, hands trembling, and sip from the unholy concoction of… “Black tea and a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast,” Clark explains, beaming as he takes another sip from his own cup. “Now then, why are you here again?” His tone is entirely inquisitive, not at all condescending. A busy man such as himself must simply be too preoccupied to keep track of all his appointments. Only those stuck in 2012 still trust Siri, as Clark himself famously put it in an interview with QG magazine. The word forms on my kombucha-soaked lips, hesitant to leave them, but I have come too far. “Bitcoin.” A wry smile sneaks across Clark’s face. “What is… Bitcoin?” My legs tremble in anticipation of the knowledge I am about to receive. “First I must ask you this. Have you any experience with fiats?” Clark’s mood has changed from lighthearted to stern, but passionate and guiding. “Yes, sir. Someone nearly hit me in a crosswalk with one once.” My pen and notepad rest in my pocket, but I am too intimidated by these ancient teachings to take them out. “My ex-girlfriend drove a Chrysler, if that counts.” “And the blockchain,” Clark bends forward a bit, his tone more hushed now. “Do you know of it?” I gulp and shake my head no. “The blockchain is Bitcoin. Without the blockchain, Bitcoin is nothing. We are nothing. We are Bitcoin, and without the blockchain, we have no meaning. We are joined together. Blockchained together,” Clark says, rubbing his chin, “and come to think of it, I guess I just explained decentralization to you, too. Two birds, one stone. Now we can move onto the real thing.” Clark’s business models are so top-secret, so closely-guarded, that
although he gave permission for me to relay them, I am forbidden by the Law of the Blockchain to quote them to you directly. Even so, if I ever found a way around this powerful, binding contract I would pay dearly with my soul, my firstborn and the soul of my firstborn. He would also, and I am not at liberty to confirm nor deny whether this is a direct quote, “sue the pants off [me]”. Without further ado, here are Connr Clark’s top tips for Bitcoin bitginners to get out there and bitget. First and most important, Clark says, is the ability to take risks. As a cryptocurrency, Bitcoin is very volatile, comparable to a baking soda-andvinegar cocktail, an anxious Gaboon viper, or ISMIS. Values can fluctuate rapidly. A Bitcoin at the time of writing is worth about six thousand US dollars. That’s a lot of money, and investing 10,000 dollars for one measly Bitcoin is certainly a daunting endeavor. That’s 20 dollars that could be better spent elsewhere… right? The willingness to risk it all is critical in any kind of financial endeavor, so if you’re that guy who never gathers up the stones to confess to his crush and then complains about being single, maybe stick to your day job. Second, don’t expect to make much out of Bitcoin without a good computer. You’ve got to spend money to make money, and a computer with excellent processing power won’t just be your fishing boat in a sea full of delicious cryptolobsters, it can take you all the way to the yacht dealership. An ordinary PC won’t cut it, either — not in today’s crowded market. Clark recommends an at least 8-GPU, open-air rig with aluminum casing and its own power supply, as well as at least two gigs of RAM, a high-quality video card and an i7 processor at the very least. On a completely unrelated note, Clark’s action-packed point-and-click adventure RPG, Housestumped, releases on Steam this April. Third, if Bitcoin is too intimidating for you, Clark suggests you try another cryptocurrency, such as Ethereum. In time, one can become a big fish in a small pond and make the leap over to Bitcoin. What’s the difference? Clark can’t tell you, because frankly he has no real idea what Ethereum is, either. He says to drop him a line if anyone figures it out. It’s probably roughly the same, anyway. Probably. After all, we are all one with the Blockchain. Clark’s fourth tip is his most important (forget what we said about the first, we just wanted to make sure you were still reading): capital, capital, capital. As mentioned above, a Bitcoin in today’s market is worth a whole eight thousand dollars. Just to get your head in the game, it’s important to be ready from the get-go. Where are you going to get that money, though? For younger readers, Clark suggests dipping into the old college fund. Bitcoin is the new college, anyway. For older readers who are almost certainly already in crippling debt, Clark figures you might as well take out a loan and see what happens since things probably can’t get any worse in that regard. After sending me on my way with some literature about the Way of the Blockchain and a 400-dollar juicer that he couldn’t use because his home WiFi wasn’t compatible with its QR code generator, Connr Clark retreated into his earth-covered home for his afternoon glass of unfiltered spring water, now sickly-green but still worth the 60 dollars he paid for the jug. With tenacity, luck, shrewd know-how and Clark’s advice, you, too can live the life of the Bitcoin big boys. TC
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FEATURE
Word War One: The 21st Century War Laura Posadas Photograph by RJ Milan Our grandparents often tell us stories about the horrors of war, but what they could not tell us was what war was going to be like in the 21st century. So maybe this time, war does not begin with an assassination of an Archduke or the rise of a far-right political party. Instead, maybe it begins with tactless words exchanged by the western hegemon and the Asian isolationist. There has always been tension between the United States of America and North Korea, before and even after the June 1994 North Korean Nuclear Crisis. However, the threat of a possible World War has heightened once more at the end of 2017, and it will only persist to do so if North Korea continues to test nuclear-capable missiles and America’s president continues to give outrageous statements in 280-character tweets. Since 1984, North Korea has been testing missiles and nuclear devices with successes and failures in between. The most notable success yet was the hydrogen bomb designed for the use of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launched last September. It was the most powerful and had the longest missile flight yet. Instead of stopping there, they launched another missile last November, putting the USA comfortably within reach. Indeed, Kim Jong Un is a step closer to mass producing and perfecting the technology. While North Korea flexes its military arm, the entire international community, especially the United Nations Security Council, have refused to let North Korea get away with this. Economic and diplomatic sanctions have been imposed since 2001 and additional sanctions have been added throughout the years. Agreements and talks have been attempted, but North Korea would not budge. Despite having enough economic leverage over North Korea, China has not yet fully pressured North Korea to denuclearize, an option that Donald Trump sees fit to solve the crisis. It has been believed that North Korea will not stop producing and testing nukes for the security of the Kim Jong Un regime. According to Jeffrey Lewis, a nuclear policy expert at the Middleburg Institute of International Studies at Monterey, “Kim Jong Un is fearful of ending up like Saddam Hussein or Muammar Gaddafi and has decided that nuclear weapons are the best way to ward that fear off.” Additionally, analysts speculate that North Korea’s drive to test missiles are politically-driven as they launch on occasions such as the Independence Day of the United States, the appointment of a national security aide and foreign minister nominee of South Korea and the launch of China’s “One Belt and One Road”. Unlike Donald Trump, North Korea has perfected the use of sending a message without needing 240-characters. While previous US presidents have handled this issue with care
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and precision, Donald Trump continues to stir things up with his unconventional way of diplomacy. With a mouth that cannot be tamed, it is only a matter of time until a country takes his racist remarks to heart. One of his most recent targets were Haiti, El Salvador and countries in Africa referring to the nations as “shithole countries”. This sparked outrage across the globe as huge numbers of people had been planning to join a mass anti-Donald Trump protest when he visits the UK in February. The Norwegians reacted negatively to Trump’s invitation to be immigrants. Meanwhile, his mouth continues to play favorites and has made North Korea its star. He has labeled Kim Jong Un as a rocket man, madman, sick puppy and has threatened North Korea with his “bigger” nuclear button that works. He also added that if they continue the threats, they will be met by fire and fury like the world has never seen. Kim Jong Un has also fired back and labeled Trump as a lunatic, loser and as someone who is mentally deranged. With all these absurd comments thrown back and forth by supposedly respectable men, tensions have increased and any miscalculated action by both parties can spark a world war. The fear of a World War III has always lingered since the end of World War II. It has been haunting the whole world, especially those who have experienced it. The threat of a Third World War was already experienced during the Cold War in which proxy conflicts took place in the Korean Peninsula and Vietnam. When the world was divided into two dominant ideologies — capitalism and communism, the USA competed against the USSR for supremacy in nuclear warfare. That was then, but the fear of a World War III has now made US troops train in South Korea, made China build nuclear bunkers on North Korean borders and has led people in Hawaii to fear for their lives when a false nuclear alarm broke out. In the end, nobody wants war. The number of lives lost, properties destroyed and cities nuked during the previous wars have made it the darkest times of human history; never have human rights been so close to extinction. The wars have taught the whole world to embrace peace and promote basic human rights. The previous wars have become a catalyst for growth in the very theory of international law. We have aspired to become bigger than ourselves and we no longer resort to war as easily as we did several years ago. The word war between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump may be annoying at times, but it is everything we want it to be because we, along with these two powerful men, cannot afford another World War. For as long as powerful world leaders will continue to avert from swallowing their prides and putting the interest of their nations and the world over theirs, the threat of World War III, and perhaps of civilization’s collapse, will continue to loom over us and the generations that will follow. TC
FEATURE
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FEATURE
R U WORTH THE GRAM, SIZT? Kerstein Nicole Labay
Photograph by Eloise Diaz
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FEATURE
Gram. \’gram\ a metric unit of mass nearly equal to the mass of one cubic centimeter of water at its maximum density. Millennials have a lot of explaining to do for causing the definition of the gram to become obsolete. This international unit of mass has translated itself to a platform that allows users to upload their photos and videos to a community — Instagram. Instagram, the queen of social media apps, or so it is called, was launched in October 2010. Two months after its release, over two million users were hooked with features that allowed them to upload photos and videos with digital filters, follow other people and geotag locations. It has even recently launched “Stories”, a feature that allowed the upload of photos and 15- second videos for followers to see unlimitedly for a 24-hour period. “R U worth the gram, sizt?” Instagram, along with other social media applications, has revolutionized the way people socialize. Kevin Systrom, Chief Executive Officer of the company that runs the app, said that “Day One: Instagram was a combination of Hipstamatic, Twitter [and] some stuff from Facebook like the “Like” button. You can trace the roots of every feature anyone has in their app somewhere in the history of technology.” With hybrid features from other social media, Instagram has been telling us that it is definitely here to stay. Hashtags for fitness, exotic travel, food and other inspirations matched with picture-perfect selfies and sceneries blast the feeds of millions of users right now. We are taught to curate our lives with double-tap-worthy snaps hanging on our feeds and to know the successes and fiascos of celebrities, creating a market that rakes cash for the profit-minded. Undeniably, Instagram has provided us leisure, social relevance and confidence to share our stories with the public. Countless are the stories being uploaded out there, but not all of them have content worth sharing. So, we ask ourselves: what makes a story worth posting on the internet? Posting pictures online has positive and negative effects in our mental performance. Laura Sherman, lead author of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) brain mapping center said, “When teens learn that their own pictures have supposedly received a lot of likes, they show significantly greater activation in parts of the brain’s reward circuitry.” She further said that it is the same portion of the brain activated when we see the image of the person we love or whenever one wins money. “It could be explaining, at least in part, why teens are such avid social media users,” she said.
Likes, a social currency Likes have become a social currency. With the constant improvement of Instagram, an emergence of paid advertisement has plagued netizens. Paid models post selfies with the products of their brands to rake cash. These women use their flawless make up, slim waists and cosmetic enhancements to convey a madeup reality for their followers to see and associate the product with their seemingly perfect life. The number of likes per gram is commensurate to an amount her sponsors agreed upon. While it is a woman’s right to use anything in her arsenal to earn a living, what is distasteful is the false reality she offers to viewers. Results of a survey conducted by the United Kingdom’s Royal Society for Public Health revealed that majority of its 1, 479 respondents rated Instagram as the most dangerous application for mental health. Social media sets unrealistic expectations and creates feelings of inadequacy in its users, usually young people. Over time, these feelings may develop into serious mental issues such as anxiety and depression. Last year, a Facebook Live footage circulated online; it was a video of a student — a Carolinian — committing suicide for thousands of viewers. This was performed with her toddler nearby, oblivious to her mother’s actions. Tragic as the story sounds, we can only infer that she struggled with internal turmoil that led her to document her death with an audience. Controlling the content Generally, social media applications, including Instagram, have no control over the content we post online unless someone reports it. How many abusive stories have been uploaded before they are taken down by reports? And what if nobody reports them? We can only expect for the worst. We are liable for what we post online. The key to a positive interaction through social media applications is to heed the call towards responsible posting. It takes a single tap to share what we love to a community or to prevent a bad content from circulating. Keep in mind that standing up for the right things doesn’t hurt. Social media has revolutionized the convenience of interaction. Even more to the gram we are enjoying is the weight of responsibility of keeping our content worthy of double-taps and reposts. Are you really worth the gram, sizt? Your stories, your obligation. TC
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LITERARY
Some Days, You Will Still Want to Kill Yourself Paulie Yap
Illustration by Audrey Jade Tenorio Some days, I write love notes on my lover’s neck Yesterday, a death wish in a song But most days - I write my bids farewell At fourteen, I wrote my first suicide note On a ripped page from a Biology notebook, A teenager was saying sorry to her mother I wondered, “which medium should I use?” Mail or e-mail? Or just place it in her car I wanted my death to be quiet - maybe even dramatic She never got it Between old papers, the apologies were still there A dozen sorry’s, a few thank you’s At one point, I laughed at myself for even writing it Put it in a box called “teen angst” Day after day, I would think of the times I tried A supposed heart attack An endless sleep, or even a re-enactment of Sylvia Plath’s But the back of my head still had space So I simply went on and tread the water There were dark days But I held on to Andrea Gibson saying, “The most healing thing we can do is remind ourselves, Over and over and over - other people feel this too” Some days, I would feel alive Both in the noise and my solitude And some days, I slowly die in both On the 9th of December 2017, I wrote another one And then another, followed by three more. Eventually, my body gave out to emotion Sleep came after that, And on a morning whereI was pinned down to my bed, Still clutching all the words I had written Some days, you will still want to kill yourself TC
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LITERARY
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FEATURE
THE CONSCIOUS CONSCIENTIOUS
DECLIN E Elizah Castillo Photograph by Garel Sison
There is an old Japanese saying that goes, “For want of a nail, the horseshoe was lost. For want of a horseshoe, the steed was lost. For want of a steed, the message was not delivered. For want of an undelivered message, the war was lost.” The saying, though old, still holds as a reflection of today’s truth, in that our small and seemingly insignificant actions or even inactions can become catalysts toward an unforeseeable tidal wave of events. Our relationship with society is a reciprocal one. As such, we cannot escape the complex and intricate interdependence of ideals, principles and standards that links peoples together. This convoluted and often problematic scheme ultimately translates to the rise or demise of a society. And at present, we are unfortunately suffering the latter.
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FEATURE
BLISSFUL IGNORANCE: Historical Revisionism
Dili ko mu botar sa mga nindot ug programa besh.
Besh, unsa ba jud ang nahitabo sa Martial Law sa panahon ni Marcos?
Ha? So unsaon man diay nimo ug botar?
Nilambo dyud sa kaayuhan ang Pilipinas, besh.
Siyempre, adto dyud ko sa mas dako ug kwarta ihatag.
Dili diay na tinuod ang ilang gi ingon na daghan ug human rights violations ana na panahona?
The fact that the Philippine elections is branded by persistent votebuying and clientelism only validates the claims of many scholars that the quality of Philippine democracy is steadily deteriorating. Simply put, Philippine politics may be characterized as perverted, degenerate and retrograde. The weed that is patronage politics has long taken root and is now so entrenched across all political and economic dimensions. It is as if Filipinos have recognized that patronage politics is just the inescapable and incurable norm. But it must not be.
Dili dyud na tinuod besh! Wala may nahitabo na human rights violations anang panahona. This simple and casual denial of the heinous and disgusting atrocities committed during the Martial Law of the Marcos Administration is tantamount to the best forms social engineering — negligence and disregard. This is now the unfortunate reality that defines the contemporary Philippine socio-political landscape. We witness politicians altering an era of graft, corruption, media suppression and so much more only to support their personal agenda. We also witness the Millennial Generation willingly distort the awful horror that occurred during Martial Law. Historical Revisionism must not be tolerated nor accepted. Therefore, the best counter movement is the promotion of a holistic understanding of our most delicate historical fabric. This entails a critical and exhaustive process. No longer should the blemishes be hidden, nor the flaws be omitted. The facts along with the faults of the past should be scrutinized and meticulously studied. Only historical veracity must prevail.
Patronage politics undeniably hampers a prosperous and vibrant democracy. It is a complex problem, powerful but not omnipotent. Patronage politics can be stopped by crushing the vicious cycle of malfeasance and through upholding good governance. Good governance begins when citizens fulfill political obligations with integrity and responsibility. Choosing to resist vote-buying is probably a good start. INHUMANE MONSTROSITIES: War on Drugs Hay besh, mayo pa mulayas nalang ko sa Pilipinas! Ngano maka ingon man ka ana, besh? Kay wala naman gi protecta ang atong mga katungod.
Too little effort: Environmental Degradation Tinuod dyud na besh. Hay, unsa nalang ang gamit sa atong mga balaod? Besh, ngano nag effort pa man dyud ka anang reduce, reuse ug recycle? Kay makatabang man daw ni siya ug maayo sa environment. Hay besh, dili dyud na tinuod. Lost cause ra lagi na ang 3Rs. Ahh, mao ba? Sige, undangan na ni nako kay wa man kaha ni padulnagn. There are more trees cut than planted every day; that is the gospel truth. A severely degraded environment and unsustainable use of natural resources will ultimately accelerate if not be the harbinger of countless economic, social and political problems. The world in which we reside is a product of cohabitation and coexistence among all its inhabitants. The lack of concern towards environmental problems will be experienced by all as global catastrophes and natural disasters. Total damages brought about by environmental degradation is now amounting to several billions and only seem to be increasing with each passing year. Clearly, all present efforts to alleviate them are not enough. A key challenge that remains is the lack of public awareness and participation. There must be a purposeful involvement among all sectors of the polity. An example is the integration of responsible consumption behavior through the three R’s in different social institutions. A global problem can only be resolved through a shared global effort which is the sum of a multitude of simple and honest actions — like something as simple as properly disposing one’s garbage. Disenfranchised Conformity: Patronage Politics Besh, kinsa man imong i-botar sa karon na eleksyon? Ang katong nindot ug mga programa?
The bloody and violent war on drugs pursued by the Duterte Administration is not the best means of achieving a truly developed Philippines. The root of the Philippines’ political and economic backwardness is not the terror of drugs but the persistence of extreme poverty. It is rightly manifested through the alarming inequality of the income distribution. Numerous scholars maintain that the income gap among the classes in the Philippines is only expanding with each passing year. Essentially, crime and drugs are some of the obvious effects to the core social problem of poverty. Hilariously, this horrific purging waged by the current political administration is challenged by overwhelming nonchalance and disinterest. The Filipino people must realize that apathy and refusing to speak up during these troubled times is tantamount to inhumanity. The protection of every person’s rights and dignity must always be given premium. Every passionate voice is strongly encouraged to stimulate political legitimacy and moral authority once more. Has a nation ever been born in a day? — Isaiah 66:8 Ken Follet once stated, “A child is like a revolution; you may start one, but you never know how it is going to end.” Change, like a child, is not brought about in a single night nor year. It must undertake a meticulous and laborious process. Both require careful supervision and scrutiny throughout their challenging but meaningful journeys. Both demand utmost prudence. They should not be aimless. They must achieve genuine purpose through consistent and effective action. The legacy of a revolution rests upon it effecting a concrete, positive and substantial change. TC
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LITERARY
TWO NEW COUNCILS to Serve Carolinian Body Starting April Chika Photograph by Jhessa Ugdamina
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LITERARY
Reliable information was gathered recently from a rumor started by yours truly that the administration plans to add, along with the existing council, two other Supreme Student Councils effective in April 2018. The decision came about because the admin sees how the current system of mixing members from three different political parties in one council can be a hindrance to the implementation of promised activities and platforms. The new system will allow three councils to be the highest governing student organization in the university. Each student council will be comprised only with members of Tingog, STAND and SPP. Three different elections will be performed by the same Commission on Elections; voting will be compulsory, but the students will only be required to vote in one of the three elections. Upon investigation, one of the reasons why some promises don’t come to be is because project proposals from the minority are sometimes rejected by the rest of the council by virtue of nonmembership in the political party represented by the majority. It is believed that this new system will ensure that all promises made during the elections have a chance of being fulfilled. This then protects the right of the empowered Carolinians who are known to vote for advocacies and platforms and not for the candidates themselves. The rise of three councils can also improve student involvement in extra-curricular events and co-curricular activities. The number one issue when it comes to organizing events is often student attendance. Why go through all the trouble to gather sponsors, file permits and prepare a venue only to have 12 attendees to an event meant for 100 persons, right? With three councils, the empowered Carolinians will now have more choices of events to ignore but demand liquidation reports from! Well, at least I feel like they demanded; nobody really questioned the lack of liquidation report even when they didn’t find it in the latest magazine of Today’s Carolinian — if the empowered Carolinians
actually looked beyond the pictures in it or are even aware of the provision in the SSC Constitution being referred to. It is hoped that with the emergence of three different councils who stand on three different platforms, twitter wars between the council members can now be avoided and the sun will finally shine where shade used to be. This new and well-thought-out system will benefit us empowered Carolinians the most in the most concrete difference the SSC makes throughout our student life: cutting class hours during classroom campaigns. Thanks to their pretty (long) practiced speeches, oral exams with our terror teachers are cut short! In this regard, three elections will truly be a blessing. Of course, this change will not only benefit us empowered Carolinians, but also the student leaders in the incoming councils. They now have a valid reason to increase the SSC fee. Surely the current Php12.25 per student won’t be enough to fund the snacks for the official meetings of three councils. Being the people to bridge the gap between the university administration and the students, the SSC plays a vital role in the protection of our interests as empowered Carolinians. With two new bridges, there will be more media for dialogue between two parties where one can so easily be influenced by the other. The Supreme Student Council is the organization that makes sure our concerns and welfare are not overlooked by the administration. Is it good or bad news to have three new councils that can now accommodate the same number of people from each of the political parties in USC? And what of the compulsory voting for each student? But then again, if the indifferent empowered Carolinians refuse to recognize their role in building the bridge to the administrators, then why can’t it be forced upon them? TC
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FEATURE
A Memoir on Carolinian Films Keith Raymier Ayuman Photograph by Franco Hermosilla
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FEATURE
Weird minds, passionate hearts and artistic visions: a 2015 USC thesis film festival memoir. The Cebuano film scene has existed for quite a while. From the 2000s starting with Jerrold Tarog and Ruel Antipuesto’s 2006 film “Confessional” and ending the decade with flying colors with Remton Zuasola’s 2010 one-take masterpiece, “Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria [The Dream of Eleuteria],” you can easily tell that the scene has not only developed visually but has also matured from its themes and style. This extraordinary film scene, though still in its adolescence, is a very competitive one because it has centered not only on established directors. Every aspiring filmmaker has been trying to outdo the other and every school has been showcasing films made by their students, both hoping to bring Cebuano cinema back to the masses. One of the schools whose students have consistently contributed to the scene is the University of San Carlos. Enter setting: March 2015. This was when Carolinians truly went beyond what others thought they could do. Carolinians are usually associated with topping board exams and kids whose parents can afford the expensive tuition fees. However, we are so much more than meets the eye. It was on March 20, 2015 that everyone realized how artistic we can truly be. The Department of Cinema hosted its first annual Thesis Film Festival. Its aim and purpose: to show everyone at SAFAD the short films made by the senior Cinema major students and to convey what these students have learned after four years of studying films and the art of cinema itself.
brothers for a can. The film was an allegory to what a human will and can do for his own survival and needs. With its well-choreographed stunts and long takes, it is difficult to even imagine the experience of watching the bloody action scenes. Jay Hernandez’s “Bugang” told the story of a terrorist group that aimed to exploit the corruption and filth of a senator. The film opened with the phrase “Kung naa kay gahom pagpildi sa kangil-aran, unsa imong buhaton? [If you have the power to defeat evil, what will you do?]” What followed was a 12-minute imagery juxtaposed scene after scene to emphasize the question the film consistently intended to ask: “Is the truth meant to be told for the sake of justice or is it meant to be hidden for the sake of an underprepared society?” S. Solidum’s “Ale Alejandra” and J. Ocleasa’s “Dymphna” portrayed a new feasible approach to a Cebuana character. Built on vengeance, love for her sister and barbecue sticks (yes, BBQ sticks), “Ale Alejandra” told the story of Alejandra and her brutal journey wiping out all the remaining members of a group called “Sutukil” who betrayed and murdered her older sister. Other than the noteworthy editing of the film and the enjoyable atmosphere, its quotable dialogue made it one of the most entertaining short films to debut from the Cebuano film scene. “Dymphna,” on the other hand, also showcased a heroine’s journey to peace. Unlike “Ale Alejandra,” however, the heroine’s journey tackled themes of acceptance, affection and morality. It told the story of a nurse still new in a mental institution and a patient who was too hard to handle. The film’s calm and serene storytelling, style and its conflicted characters felt like waves brushing against the shore; it all blends perfectly together. The subtle emotion and the feel-good factor not only immortalized the phrase “Cinema as an experience,” but also “Films as comfort.”
People from different departments lined up at the theater. Known personalities from the film scene ate at the buffet table. Everyone gazed at the movie posters outside. Everyone was at their most formal and sheer anticipation and excitement filled the air.
Finally, there is Dani Bautista’s “Among mga Kanta [Our Songs],” a documentary about the Mandaue children’s choir. Words cannot describe how well-made and beautifully directed this film was. The symmetry, storytelling, colors and the songs were just like the voices of the choir — a beautiful synchronization of visuals, story and harmony molded together. This will soon be an immortal and important piece of Cebuano filmmaking. It was also a great tribute to music and the Mandaue children’s choir itself.
Enter stories:
Enter character:
The thrilling imagery, well-crafted storytelling and surreal atmosphere of K. Dagatan’s “Sanctissima” and A. Hernandez’s “Handurawan sa Kahilitan [Daydreams of Wilderness]” moved me. “Sanctissima” told the story of a mother whose job is to abort unwanted babies from teenagers. “Handuraw sa Kahilitan” told the story of a mental patient with anthropophobia, a fear of people. Though both films were different in approach, theme and style, both had one thing in common – they lingered.
I was never quite the same after that event. From an unsure adolescent, I was slowly rebirthed into an aspiring and inspired storyteller and filmmaker. There was a spark within me that told me that this was it; this was truly my passion. Upon exiting the school, the air felt so different. The sounds of engines roaring down the street and the voices of people felt like poetry to my ears. It was a day to truly remember.
S. Atenta’s “Pakigbisog [To Struggle]” and Jay Hernandez’s “Bugang” innovated a new vision of delivering an allegorical film and gritty fight scenes while simultaneously still consistently dealing with political and social issues. S. Atenta told the story of a survivor battling against two
March 20, 2015 was a Friday when cinema, poetry and art imitated life itself. It’s true what people say about first experiences. “It will always be the most memorable one.” They think of the obscene – I think of a date. TC
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FEATURE
GANDARRAPIDDO: THE REVENGER SQUAD: Filipino Cinema Gem Patricia May Compra Photograph by Franco Hermosilla
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FEATURE
I was supposed to spend the night getting wasted in Payag Payag when our head writer Runaldo Paul had me do a review on Director Loy Arcenas’s Ang Larawan. So there I was lining up for a seat at the Director’s Club in SM Seaside. I figured that if I was going to watch a 1941-period movie, at least I have free popcorn to keep me awake. A few minutes later, I found myself sitting alone on a large black chair, along with possibly ten other people who clearly had nothing fun to do on a Sunday night. The credits rolled, and in a short while the movie started. It opened with Sandino Martin’s Bitoy Camacho seeking an interview with the high-profile painter Don Lorenzo Marasigan. Call me a cinema enthusiast, but I have always seen that the standard for good movies, such as Enteng Kabisote, Praybet Benjamin and just recently the magnum opus of Philippine cinema, Gandarrapiddo: The Revenger Squad always have a good line up of sponsorship commercials. For example, the Ariel commercial Easter egg in a Kris Aquino movie, and an obvious placement of Biogesic when John Lloyd had to take care of his lady love. That’s something iconic and strongly economic at the same time. Ang Larawan has none of those. Disappointing. Don’t get me started with Ryan Cayabyab’s music. The orchestra is just not fashionable anymore. So are the manifestation of the greatness of a musical score and the operatic singing. Rather, music should be accommodated by inspirational lyrics that speak to the modern Millennial: “Gigil si aquo. Aaaaahhh werpa! Gigil si aquo. Petmalu, ikaw ang lodi lodi! Gigil si aquo. Petmalu, ikaw ang lodi lodi!” Movies should be out with the old and in with the new, and really kudos to The Revenger Squad for achieving just that. Ang Larawan really was nothing compared to Vice Ganda’s pipes and sick beats.
Also, halfway through Ang Larawan the characters were drawing much attention to the painting as problems arose. But for the entire movie, I seriously had no idea what the painting looked like. As a spectator, it’s important that our senses should be directly satisfied, not immersing into the Filipino past or having us guess the metaphor behind the mysterious painting. What this movie needs is a Pia Wutzbach to make its content seem important or a similar ring to MCU’s The Avengers with a twist of Pinoy pride. After all, originality — based on our cultural heritage — is a bore. The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) should be about festivity, entertainment, mistresses and celebrities that have high face value . These show the true Filipino intellectuality and awareness. This makes me question why Ang Larawan bagged almost all awards from the MMFF, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Joanna Ampil, Best Musical Score for Cayabyab, Best Production Design for Gino Gonzales, The Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Award and the Posthumous Special Jury Prize given to Nick Joaquin, who wrote the play Ang Larawan was adapted from. An act of protest should be done because the fate of the Filipino cinema is changing, not recognizing the worth of The Revenger Squad, which just recently became the highest-grossing Filipino movie of all time. Can anyone name an iconic movie that can top PHP 571 million in gross sales The Revenger Squad made? I’ll wait. It truly shows how sophisticated the taste of Filipinos for cinema is. With the last piece of my popcorn gone and the movie finally coming to an end, I was just glad I got this all over with. Walking away from the theater, I thought to myself what a time it was to be alive, to be a Millennial and to be able to see my lodi film first. The Revenger Squad will have its justice served someday, and that will be the day my faith in humanity will be restored. TC
29 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
FEATURE
i u d q a i t i : o n L A FLUID FALLACY Paolo Perez, Janzyl Go
30 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
FEATURE
The election season brings scrutiny not only on the Supreme Student Council hopefuls, but also on the outgoing members of the SSC whose terms are at a close. One of the major issues of this academic year’s council has been its ongoing trouble with liquidation reports. Since the school year began, the current SSC administration has been notoriously behind on releasing important financial disclosures to the Carolinian body. Complicating matters further is the fact that the liquidation process doesn’t end with the council. Compiled receipts and documents have to be passed on to the USC Commission on Audit, a separate body entirely. Although this system forces checks and balances in the form of an outside party, the fact remains that this year’s reports have been coming in slowly or not at all. Without the receipts to keep tabs on a project’s economic footprint, it is practically rendered moot in an official capacity. The penalty enforcing this, according to incumbent SSC President Deodatus Burgos, is that the persons responsible for the activity or project will shoulder the entire expense should they be unable to produce receipts for liquidation purposes. To address some of the concerns brought up regarding tardy liquidation reports, the SSC and COA held a special public session last Feb. 4 disclosing the current progress. Although Burgos has claimed that no problems involving the admittedly harsh penalty have been encountered so far, it was disclosed during the session that a total of 11 receipts remained
unaccounted for. The exact details of each, and whether they will be dealt with in the prescribed manner, are unknown. Although the delays involving the liquidation are, in many cases, understandable, this does not make them acceptable. This is not only a matter of public trust, but of power, as the coffers of university activities are fed directly from student tuition. Even without the clearance for formal and complete reports, the fact remains that the student body is entitled to transparency on the state of how their money — their investment, is being utilized. The sad irony is this: Despite the prevalence of SSC activities and programs on-campus, the most easily quantified elements — the financial, numerical ones, simply… are not. It’s true that, in denying the student body this transparency, even since the first semester, the SSC has made not only a glaring mistake, but a continued and sustained one. However, with the complete apathy of the student body they are meant to serve, this may not be excusable, but neither is it shocking. The release for liquidation of all first-semester projects is dated Feb. 10. Second-semester projects will be released on March 17. The time for apathy has come and gone, Carolinians. While deciding where your vote will go this year, perhaps it would be prudent to examine where your tuition has gone over the last one first. TC
31 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
PREPARED BY: Nhanina Asupan Chairperson Commission on Audit
LITERARY
CITIES In Dust Blaise Pancho Photograph by Garel Sison Earth is facing another extinction. Nature only seems to work when creation and destruction exists; each essential to the other. A natural process, so to speak. This extinction, however, is unique in that nature isn’t part of the causality. The beings birthed by nature, the ones who lorded Earth for centuries, have successfully wiped themselves off the planet’s surface. Nuclear cataclysm. Countries ignite a powder keg – a tinderbox of tensioned events born from childish states of affairs and political upheaval. Rockets fly over the horizon, striking major cities and towns, leaving a mess of smoldering craters and ruined civilization. New York, Shanghai, Dubai, Mexico City, London and all the metropolitans in the world destroyed with just a push of a button. Neighboring towns and provinces swept away by the blazing wave of cinder and firestorm.
34 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
Mushroom clouds dot the continents. Hurricane-force winds filled with firebrands engulf ground zero. Incineration spells for quick and painless death. Those who hide from the urban underground suffocate from the gases released by the clouds. Soon, malevolent smoke loft high from the remains of the burnt landscape. Radiation floods the untouched wilderness. Vegetation rots from the ashen winds sent by the blast. Black carbon falls down as rain. The order of the food chain collapses. Small patches of society are all that is left after the destruction. In just three hours, civilization ends itself. Year 0. These remnants sift among the burned plains and devastated structures soon as the atomic fires have cleared, hoping to find whatever was left just to survive. The soil was too scorched to farm, and the water inland was undrinkable. Starvation was inevitable, and rationing of supply did not help the plight of the remaining society.
LITERARY
Everywhere they go, only a hot, barren desert greeted them. Much like the dwindling resources, hope became a commodity. From a billion strong, only a few thousands survived the harsh conditions. With no other choice, the last beacons of humanity hid underground and into caves, surrendering to the fate of the world. Year 50. The thermonuclear winter passed but not much has changed then. Massive amounts of radioactive fallout still spread over. Skeletal vestiges of proud architecture swayed against the cold winds beating the broken wasteland. Infrequent acid rain ravaged the regions, leaving corrosive death behind its wake. Murky toxic clouds shielded the entire world. Charred, desiccated trees and shriveled bushes littered the countryside. The sky turned into a sickly pale green background. Human habitation was almost impossible. Despite the circumstances, life still persisted. Aquatic organisms inhabited the irradiated waters. Pockets of wildlife began appearing, away from radioactive areas. Forms of fish, sprouting new appendages, happily swam in streams and rivers. Scarred mammalians like dogs and cats populated most regions of Earth. Insects such as flies and cockroaches grew massive, unopposed. Within a few years, they became the new lifeforms that walked the ruins. Time elapsed, and florae emerged from the soot and underwater. Synthesizing irradiated atmosphere, purple weeds and surviving ferns slowly covered the battered land. Radioactive-eating fungi sprouted from the stressed environment, rivaling the heights of evergreens. It was still a slow process but progress was still progress. Year 100. A new age dawned. The mutation from the fallout proved its usefulness to the animal kingdom. The development was horrific, but it was a start. They began to feed on the evolving plants. The dogs fought for territory while cats hunted for food. Rats
devoured the massive insects and sometimes, each other. Plants swallowed the urban rubble and all the traces of civilization. Rusted façade and concrete blocks tumbled quietly from the hellscape. The black carbon clouds gave way to the stars above. Sunlight penetrated the once-dim Earth. The winds no longer carry radioactive fallout as it decayed itself. Year 200. The inhabitants living in caves and underground opened their doors. However, they were not what they used to be. Altered from the darkness inside, the inhabitants took a while to get used to the blinding sunshine. Soon, the outside world welcomed them. The desert planet flourished with patches of vegetation. Water became bearable to drink. Nonetheless, they have to fend for themselves for the evergrowing predators roaming the land. It may be a struggle, but society began to build itself, one step at a time. Human civilization had a good run. With the ruins of the old choking on dirt and sand, the survivors rediscovered all that was left behind. The former glories and all its stories were washed with eager hands. All the mistakes from the past needed being learned. And it took a planet-wide destruction to start it all. Now, the world is different, and everything goes back to scratch. But humans as they are, we persevere and start anew. While Earth suffers from a catastrophe, it fixes itself. A cycle of the natural process since time immemorial. And just like that, Earth faces another evolution. Nature only seems to work when creation and destruction exists; each essential to the other. Here lie the cities in dust. Welcome to the new world. A natural process, so to speak. TC
35 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
a
BO MB on campus The Black Prince
Illustration by Eduard Jude Jamolin
36 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
LITERARY
At 7 a.m., I came across a message. “LISTEN.” I wasn’t alone. Other students were gathering around the gate where the word was written in red paint over the university’s logo. The school guards were trying to take control over the situation but at this point it was already hopeless. The students were taking pictures. Within minutes, it was all over everyone’s Facebook feed and spreading like wildfire. I took a look at my own account. The story was everywhere. Pictures of the message circled around social media. It showed up in my feed, my chat box, even Today’s Carolinian already had a post about it. One post stood out in particular though, uploaded by some user named Rev Olusyon. Subtle. This Rev person claimed to have written the message, following it up with another threat. In all caps the post opened with: THERE IS A BOMB INSIDE THE CAMPUS. I continued reading the rest of the post. It certainly got my attention; I tell you that.
“THERE IS A BOMB INSIDE THE CAMPUS. I put it there. It will explode 3 p.m. this afternoon. For too long has the school ignored our voices and squandered our money, time and energy. And for what? For us to go to a university that ignores its own students? So I’ve decided to send them a message they cannot forget nor ignore. Now before I come under fire, please remember the times when you had to struggle for enrolment every single semester. Remember every single complaint that they never fixed. Remember the times they used our money for parties and events without replacing our broken chairs and old equipment. I’ve become tired of this and you should too.”
Class wasn’t cancelled, annoyingly enough. I assumed the school saw the incident as just a scare prank that shouldn’t be taken seriously, either that or the post hadn’t reached their inboxes yet. It certainly reached ours. Everyone was talking about it. Mostly everyone shrugged it off, treating it as a joke. Some were genuinely concerned. Others were rooting for Rev. “So what do you think of all this?” My friend asked me during lunch. “I think he’s going too far but he did bring some good points about the school. I mean, our canteen sucks. Almost every single table here is missing chairs and the ones that aren’t are
completely broken, and most of them have been for years. I sort of agree with him about the school neglecting us,” I wobbled the seat next to me to prove the point. “Yeah, but a bomb? Really? I think he’s absolutely crazy. I don’t even think he’s going to do it. It’s probably just some stupid prank,” she countered. “Maybe. But what does that say about our school for someone to actually do something like this?” I said. It was time for class. It was already afternoon. Things were starting to get tense. The bomb was supposed to go off at three. By around 2:45 someone had stirred up the classroom. “Oh my god the bomb guy posted a Facebook Live.” The class erupted. Everyone picked up their phones, turning on their data and checking their Facebook feeds. Rev was being serious. His livestream was near the dorms. The bomb was ticking away in his hand. He was in in his school uniform wearing a black mask to hide his identity. The classroom was noisy, everyone was talking, others were panicking, and some, I could see, were smiling. This is crazy. He was going to blow up the dorms because enrolment was a bad time? Because the school failed him? The guards were on alert, but he already threatened to detonate it early if they come any closer. There wasn’t enough time to evacuate anyone further away from the gates than Bunzel. It was almost three. Everyone was glued to their screens. Understandably, our teacher was too. It was dead silent, the class, probably even the whole building. We were about to witness a terror bombing inside our own campus. Then the 3 o’clock prayer started. Rev moved to detonate the bomb in the longest seconds of my life. And then the bomb exploded, not with a crackle or a ka-boom, but with a familiar set of guitar chords. “Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me…” Rev sang along, barely able to contain his laughter, as the guards tackled him. It was just a prank, we realized, as the confetti drifted past our eyes.
The following day Rev Olusyon was still the most talked about person in school. Turns out, he was an ex-student who really just didn’t like the university. The consensus was that he was just insane. Everyone said they saw him laughing on the way to the police station, still singing Smash Mouth. By noon, I walked to the canteen for lunch. I saw one of the chairs being repaired. TC
37 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
FEATURE
ON BANNING INDIVIDUALS FROM THE
Today’s Carolinian Facebook Page
Cesar Carlos Heyrosa
Photograph by Viktor Lequin
38 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
FEATURE
In light of multiple harassments on Today’s Carolinian via its Facebook account, members of its editorial board opted to have certain individuals, who are not staff or faculty members, or students from the University of San Carlos, banned from availing its services. These said harassments involved personal attacks on the staff of Today’s Carolinian as comments on posted articles and through the inbox service in Facebook pages. This move was done mainly to protect the members of the publication.
and censorship: “When you have someone who has an account on a social platform and they’ve put their time and energy into making connections and they know that’s where their audience is, and then they get their account shut down on that service, that absolutely feels like a huge limit on their freedom of expression and can be very disruptive. It feels like censorship. But we need to remember the difference between government-imposed censorship and a particular company not being willing to host your speech.”
This may be apparently ironic because Today’s Carolinian, as a student publication, must uphold the value of anti-censorship in its dealings. The freedom of expression is indeed important. After all, Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
Third and most importantly, it is specified in Rule IV, Section 4 of the Rules and Regulations for the Implementation of Republic Act No. 7079 (Campus Journalism Act of 1991) that student publications must advance students’ rights and responsibilities, as well as promote their general welfare. Today’s Carolinian encourages intelligent discourse in its online platform, especially among the students of the university.
However, the freedom of expression is as complex as it is important, especially in the advent of such a revolutionizing technology as the World Wide Web. The question holds: Was the move by Today’s Carolinian to ban certain individuals in its Facebook account justifiable? First, the main function of Today’s Carolinian is for it to serve as a student publication for and by the college-level Carolinians. Simply put, similar to the USC Supreme Student Council, the members of Today’s Carolinian are college students themselves who volunteered to offer publication services to the entire college population of the University of San Carlos.
However, personal attacks, especially by entities outside the University of San Carlos, undermine the freedom of expression of the members of Today’s Carolinian, and such members are students themselves. Additionally, some of these are even directed to non-members of Today’s Carolinian but are students of the University of San Carlos. These said attacks vary from repeated harassments to full-scale cyberbullying, which by their nature are hindrances to the platform for discourse offered by Today’s Carolinian. The publication, therefore, may assert its freedom to ban individuals guilty of compromising the students and their avenue for discourse.
To be entitled to such service, one must have subscribed to the publication through a payment incorporated in the miscellaneous fees in student assessments. This essentially makes undergraduate and graduate students of the University of San Carlos stakeholders in the publication as well. Because its service is to its stakeholders, Today’s Carolinian is not obligated to offer its platform to those who are not enrolled in college programs in the University of San Carlos.
Weighing on these three reasons, the editorial board of Today’s Carolinian decided that it would indeed be a justifiable move to ban certain non-Carolinians from its online service.
Second, Today’s Carolinian is not a public utility, and as such, it is not obligated to offer all of its services to all of the public. With this, its banning of certain individuals from using its platform is not strictly an impediment of his or her freedom of expression, as there exist others that are willing to accommodate his or her ideas. As a private body, Today’s Carolinian thus has a right to uphold its own policies in the online mediasphere. On the question on whether or not this is idea-suppression, Emma Lanso, the director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology of the USA, made the following statement about blocking in social media platforms
It has to be clarified, however, that this step is not seen as a backward step for free speech, but a step forward for logical dialogue. This does not mean that Today’s Carolinian does not welcome engagements from non-college students of the University of San Carlos. In fact, Today’s Carolinian highly encourages interaction as long as the discussions remain free from harassment and bullying, especially to and among the Carolinian body. Despite being discouraged, logical fallacies in the comments are inevitable and forgivable. No matter how strong the desire to be rational, humans will always be emotional animals first. It is when the commenter clearly intends to verbally harm the students of the university that should not be condoned by any entity tasked to protect them. TC
39 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
TODAY’S CAROLINIAN
2018 SURVEY 2ND SEMESTER
1
2
Do you agree that the SSC has contributed to your holistic development as a student of USC? 6.0% Strongly agree 33.1% Agree 35.9% Undecided 19.2% Disagree 5.7% Strongly disagree At what age should a student care about political issues? 12.1% Below 13 years old 19.2% 13 to 15 years old 50.2% 16 to 18 years old 12.8% 19 to 21 years old 5.7% Above 21 years old
SLG
9.25%
SAS
SHCP
17.79%
5.34%
SBE
24.91%
SAMPLE SIZE
SAFAD
12.46% SED
2.49%
SOE
27.76%
3
How often is the SSC attentive and responsive when it comes to attending to your concerns?
7
Have you felt the SSC’s presence this school year?
4
7.5% Always 37.0% Sometimes 14.9% Rarely 6.0% Never 33.8% I have not tried raising my concerns to the SSC. 0.71% Unanswered Do you agree that Today’s Carolinian should continue publishing content with underlying bias with regards to politics? 21.4% Strongly agree 29.5% Agree 26.3% Undecided 13.2% Disagree 9.6% Strongly disagree
8
By how long is your travel time in going to the university increased because of heavy traffic? 2.8% More than three hours 15.3% Two to three hours 41.3% One to two hour(s) 22.8% Less than one hour 17.8% Heavy traffic does not affect my travel time
Do you agree that there are significant differences in the policies and platforms of USC political parties that set one aside from the other? 11.0% Strongly agree 43.4% Agree 24.2% Undecided 14.9% Disagree 5.7% Strongly disagree 0.71% Unanswered Do you feel that your department is currently sympathetic of your needs as a student? 13.9% Sympathetic 26.7% Moderately sympathetic 30.2% Neutral 17.4% Moderately apathetic 11.4% Apathetic 0.36% Unanswered
9
5
6
NO. OF RESPONDENTS: 281
10
28.5% 48.0% 22.8% 0.71%
Yes No Undecided Unanswered
Do you agree that the current clean and green policies in USC are enough to keep the university premises clean? 7.1% Strongly agree 29.2% Agree 17.1% Undecided 33.5% Disagree 12.5% Strongly disagree 0.71% Unanswered Do you agree that the upcoming transition semester will have negative implication on your health, i.e. physical, mental, emotional and others? 28.5% Strongly agree 28.8% Agree 23.1% Undecided 15.7% Disagree 3.6% Strongly disagree 0.36% Unanswered
satisfied are you with SSC’s performance in 11 How this school year? 19 3.9% Very satisfied
12
13
14
15 16
17
18
29.2% Satisfied 32.0% Undecided 25.6% Unsatisfied 8.9% Very unsatisfied 0.36% Unanswered Do you agree that riding motorcycles or services like Angkas are useful in going to school? 40.6% Strongly agree 37.4% Agree 14.6% Undecided 2.8% Disagree 4.3% Strongly disagree 0.36% Unanswered Do you agree that sociocultural events in USC distract students from their studies? 6.8% Strongly agree 14.9% Agree 20.3% Undecided 41.6% Disagree 15.3% Strongly disagree 1.07% Unanswered Do you agree that there is a need for transparency in every university organization? 58.0% Strongly agree 25.3% Agree 13.2% Undecided 2.8% Disagree 0.0% Strongly disagree 0.71% Unanswered Will you be voting in the upcoming SSC election? 58.4% Yes 18.1% No 23.1% Undecided 0.36% Unanswered Do you agree that the tax reforms are beneficial, not only to you, but to your family as well? 11.0% Strongly agree 26.3% Agree 39.5% Undecided 14.9% Disagree 7.5% Strongly disagree 0.71% Unanswered Do you agree that the multiple incidents of fire last January would motivate the government to strictly implement fire safety inspections in business establishments? 45.2% Strongly agree 37.7% Agree 8.9% Undecided 7.5% Disagree 0.7% Strongly disagree Do you agree that President Duterte should stay in power beyond 2022 if allowed to do so? 16.4% Strongly agree 18.9% Agree 27.0% Neutral 17.1% Disagree 20.6% Strongly disagree
Do you agree with Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque’s statement that no Filipino team alone can afford research at Benham Rise? 4.3% Strongly agree 17.1% Agree 37.7% Undecided 20.3% Disagree 20.6% Strongly disagree
20
Do you agree that voting is enough as a means of political participation? 7.5% Strongly agree 26.3% Agree 12.1% Undecided 40.9% Disagree 13.2% Strongly disagree
21
Do you agree that Mocha Uson deserves an award pertaining to journalism and/or nation building? 2.5% Strongly agree 5.3% Agree 24.9% Undecided 23.1% Disagree 43.8% Strongly disagree 0.36% Unanswered
22
How often does politics create a divide between you and your friends? 10.7% 31.0% 36.7% 21.0% 0.71%
Always Sometimes Rarely Never Unanswered
23
Do you agree that the government requiring online registration prior to appointment makes transactions more convenient? 21.4% Strongly agree 46.3% Agree 22.1% Neutral 7.8% Disagree 2.1% Strongly disagree 0.36% Unanswered
24
Do you agree that implementing federalism in the Philippines could increase the efficiency of the country’s operations? 16.0% Strongly agree 34.5% Agree 38.8% Neutral 6.4% Disagree 4.3% Strongly disagree
25
Do you agree that Filipinos and Chinese fishermen can work without conflict in Scarborough Shoal? 13.9% Strongly agree 31.3% Agree 20.6% Neutral 22.1% Disagree 12.1% Strongly disagree
FEATURE
NO LEARNER’S LAND: The Plight of an ERDT Scholar Cesar Carlos Heyrosa
42 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
FEATURE
To ensure the quality of the practice of engineering in the Philippines, the Engineering Research and Development for Technology (ERDT) is an initiative created by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). ERDT is a conglomerate of eight universities throughout the country that offers scholarships for graduate studies in several engineering fields, of which USC is a part of. Among the scholarship privileges is a monthly stipend, or allowance, of PHP 25,000 as of the year 2017. This has successfully attracted engineers practicing in the industry or the academe to pursue a higher standard for education, as well as to upgrade credentials. However, a scholar under the program, who will be referred to as Caloy as a request for the confidentiality of his identity, reported that the monthly stipend is regularly handed out late. According to Caloy, as of Feb. 3, 2018, the stipend has been delayed for the third time. Their allowance from ERDT is supposedly handed out between the 15th and 20th of each month. It has to be considered that most graduate students view these scholarships as their source of income while they are on leave from their jobs or while they are unemployed. Graduate studies may be required for promotions, as well as for professional instruction in universities. It is also an opportunity for fresh college graduates to receive high-paying jobs upon entry in the workforce. With this, Caloy stated that the delays in the allowance associated with his ERDT scholarship has affected his day-to-day dealings negatively. “Given the fact that I committed myself to the scholarship program, my responsibilities as a person are also entwined with the benefits that I get from this. Of course, we need to allot money for the daily expenses, bills and other payments. If the financial aid will be delayed, we scholars have no choice but to lend some money (with interest) to make sure that we still pay our bills on time and be able to sustain our needs.” According to Caloy, not all scholars experience such problem. The delays began when USC shifted the ERDT scholarship transactions from Chinabank to Landbank for scholars enrolled in the academic year 2017 – 2018. As confirmed by another scholar who also requested for anonymity, ERDT scholars enrolled in past academic years have not experienced major delays in receiving their allowance. Their transactions remain with Chinabank.
university only assigned two signatories for transactions under the said bank, as opposed to the five signatories for Chinabank. Caloy added that the Accounting Office disclosed that these two signatories are part of the USC administration and are “somehow hard to find”. When asked for a confirmation if the problem does not involve DOST and revolves around USC internally, Caloy stated that the group overseeing ERDT generally delivers the stipends promptly. “The ERDT team that makes the initial request to the Accounting Office does their job on time. It worries them always because no matter how early they do their request for the release of the allowance, the problem always happens. The government has already allotted the budget for us, which is basically handled by Landbank. This means that the only thing needed for our money to be released is the signal from USC to Landbank.” On how he views the action of the Accounting Office regarding the delays, Caloy said, “The Accounting Office in USC does not realize that their job can greatly affect the lives of many. What makes the office complacent about the delay is that they are not sanctioned for the delay in the processing of documents. No matter how many days they delay it, it still won’t incur a loss on their part.” Today’s Carolinian sought an email interview with Ms. Maria Joylene Jakosalem, the in-charge of the stipends of ERDT scholars in the Accounting Office. However, there has been no response as of date. When asked if he still recommends USC for ERDT, Caloy stated, “I cannot say for now. The issue has been relayed to the higher ranks already. If they won’t solve the problem within the second semester of this school year, I will definitely not recommend this school for those who want to apply for an ERDT scholarship. They can still choose other schools that can provide both quality education and timely support which includes the release of their allowance.” It is indeed unfortunate that students like Caloy experience such trouble. Although it is the aim of the ERDT program to revolutionize education and technology in the Philippines, this effort cannot be realized without the administrative cooperation of its member universities. Much more than this, advances in the quality of education in our country cannot happen with scholars deprived of the support that is rightfully theirs. TC
Caloy revealed that upon inquiry with the Accounting Office, ERDT scholars under Landbank experience these delays because the
43 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
FEATURE
PERILS OF MODERN EXODUS Stephanie Camille Samonte
Photograph by Wednesday Dawn Abelgas
“No one escapes the wilderness on the way to the promised land.” – Anne Dillard In early September 2015, a family embarked on an illegal boat ride in hopes of finding refuge in the lands across the Mediterranean Sea. Armed only with only their clothes on their backs, they rode an eight-seater boat along with 12 other people and sailed from Turkey towards Greece. Yet, not long after, the tempest proved to be too menacing and the rickety plastic vessel faltered against its waves, sending crowds of people into the sea. One of them was a 3-year-old boy whose body was photographed later that day — washed up and lifeless.
That little boy was Alan Kurdi, a Syrian refugee who, along with his mother and brother, succumbed to the circumstances of their attempt at a better life. His image quickly went viral. It became a harrowing eye-opener for the rest of us who were secured enough to view his image safely from our smartphones and TVs yet remained blind to this reality. His story painted a bigger picture and told the stories of the millions suffering the same predicament and until now, are still hoping that they could escape from it. Fast forward to 2018 and the canvas remains the same. Multitudes of people around the world are still suffering from what is now being dubbed as the “Modern Exodus.” According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, we are now looking at the highest levels of displacement on record with 65 million people, 22.5 million of which are refugees mostly composed of children below 18.
44 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
FEATURE
With those numbers, more than half come from Syria, Afghanistan and South Sudan — countries standing on the tipping platform of anarchy and turmoil. Not since World War II has the world witnessed this many people displaced, and similar to the events of that era, most are displaced because of war and prejudice. Forced with a choice to stay in bedlam or gamble for a chance at survival, it is no surprise why most of these people choose the latter. With extremist actions from their own countrymen and the government stripping them of their rights through corruption, violence, slavery, human trafficking, poverty and persecution, they would rather endure the hardships of what lies beyond their homeland for a chance at freedom.
threatened by diseases and starvation, every day is a battle for survival. In the end, they may have escaped the harsh realities of the land they fled from only to suffer in the embrace of looming freedom. Despite the bleak situation, there are still some who work hard in alleviating these trying times. The United Nations’ Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) caters to the needs of these people and their ongoing provision of funding for humanitarian crises worldwide is gradually helping in alleviating this crisis. Along with other volunteer groups, they provide supplies to refugee camps and address the people’s health and accommodation problems. Moreover, with cooperation from global leaders, a profound solution may be present in the near future for these refugees.
But freedom comes at a hefty price. In the wake of this crisis, the influx of people took tremendous toll on the countries involved in the accommodation of these migrants. With resources stretched to cater to the needs of the people, some countries understandably called for the return of the migrants to their homelands. More so, the rising sentiments of fear and discrimination from the global community only added to the gravity of the problem. Xenophobia fueled by the prospects of terrorism and racism might as well be the biggest hurdle refugees have to face. Reports of illegal migrants spreading the politics of fear in several countries proved to be counterproductive to the provision of aid since it only provoked host countries to take countermeasures in ensuring the safety of their own citizens. Also, with terror groups such as ISIS recently inflicting mayhem in places such as Europe, immigration became even more challenging if not impossible. With the difficulty of crossing borders and processing asylum sanctuary from other countries, most of these people spend their waiting hours in packed refugee camps. Hundreds of families huddled in thin-sheeted tents are made to share scarce food and water supplies on a daily basis. Exposed to the elements and
Continued awareness is also essential in addressing this problem so that the outside community would also involve themselves in relief operations. Although, with the enduring existence of strife in several countries threatening actual progress in this agenda, it’s now a question of how the world will respond in addressing problems deeply rooted in hate and political tension. Providing financial and physical aid is one thing, but bandaging a wound caused by divisions and injustices in society is even harder to fathom. The scars from the very same wounds that have wrought our history are far from healed and their vile appearance is more prominent now more than ever. Thousands of years ago, the great Israelite exodus headed by Moses came into fruition once they escaped the tortures of Egypt and finally reached the Promised Land. Now, the cycle comes full circle as a new group of people make the journey for similar reasons. The only difference is, with the likes of Alan innocently losing their lives on the road towards salvation, the Promised Land might just be a mere mirage of false hope. TC
45 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
OPINION
THE NECESSITY
FOR A REVOLUTION Ynaro San Juan Photograph by Neena Fuentes
When is the right time for a revolution and how should it be achieved? To the first question, there are two answers: The ideological one and the practical one. Both answers are quite simple to state, yet not so easy to detect. Ideologically, a revolution should happen when the nation is ruled by a tyrant or when its leader’s incompetence is damaging it. Practically, a revolution should happen when there is more to be gained than to be lost. The truth is actually both: A revolution should happen if the nation is tyrannical or incompetent and there is more to be gained than to be lost. Although what’s stated proves easy to say, determining when those conditions have been reached is difficult, at best. When are leaders tyrannical? When are they incompetent? When do you know you have more to gain than to lose?
46 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
I’ll start with the first and easiest one: When do you know you have more to gain than to lose? This one is simply mathematics yet oftentimes revolutionaries overlook it. They’ll oust their leaders with the belief that “things could not possibly be any worse”, then things actually do get worse. Evaluate this: What services does the government provide? Is there any justice within the nation? Who are our enemies and how would they react to a civil war? Can we keep our nation afloat without the current government? In the end, what good is it to get rid of a tyrant only to starve to death? Or to replace incompetent leaders with worse ones? So, all the variables must be taken into account before engaging in a revolutionary act. As the saying goes, “Out of the frying pan and into the fire”. Next, how do you know your leaders are incompetent? This is seen through calamities; famines, pandemics, immense criminality, financial crashes and so on. Yet, these events could be completely out of the hands of the leaders. Even the most competent leader can’t predict, prevent, or end natural disasters which lead to
OPINION
these issues. However, one can tell if they had prepared for such eventualities, how they react to such events, if they acted for the good of the nation rather then their own when those incidents occurred. It goes back to the “profits/losses” equation: Can you tell with relative certainty that different leaders would have handled the situation better? If so, then it’s time for a revolution. Finally, we have tyrants. Believe it or not, detecting a tyrant is more difficult than you’d imagine. Even the most benevolent of leaders will have to take decisions which will harm to help the nation. To these people, the leaders will appear as tyrannical. Yet here is the key, isn’t it? If the decisions always harm as few people as possible while benefiting as many as possible, then they’re clearly not tyrannical. So, we can define a tyrant as a leader who takes decisions which benefit a minority to the detriment of the nation at large. We can thus state the following: “If leaders are making decisions which benefit a minority to the detriment of the nation OR if leaders would definitely be capable of taking better decisions AND there is more to be gained than to be lost from a revolution, THEN it is time for a revolution” Yet how can a revolution be achieved? In revolutions, violence is not always necessary. This is what people have in mind most of the time when they think about revolution. Scenes from the anti-tsar October revolution in Russia or the June Rebellion in France seem to come to mind with frenzied revolutionaries waving flags, storming government offices, and setting up barricades. Yet these outcomes are the least desirable. A violent revolution brings about death, destruction, and both political and economical instability. Simply put: The losses incurred by a violent revolution are great and thus will likely outweigh the gains. But I digress. Most revolutions are in fact, non-violent, we simply call these types of revolutions something else: elections. Whether you’re a democracy or any kind of republic, it is possible to remove the current rulers and replace them through an election. Rather than explain the intricacies of such a well-known process, I‘d rather touch on when it’s time to go for something else. Namely, when the voting pool gets limited to candidates which are all either incompetent, tyrannical, or both. The obvious answer to this problem would be to present candidates which are neither, yet this is not always possible. So, when all candidates are incompetent or tyrannical and it is impossible to present a candidate which is neither, then it is time to abandon elections as a viable option. There exists one more method of revolution other than one through violence or election, one seen in our society, and actually in many others: the quiet revolution. The quiet revolution happens when
most or even the entirety of the population ceases to listen to what the authorities have to say at once. This works best if the enforcing bodies, namely the military and police, collaborate with the population. A famous example of this would be the first EDSA revolution during the Marcos regime which ended with very minimal bloodshed in no small part due to the cooperation of both the sympathetic police and military. In the case of quiet revolutions, citizens need to build new, alternate power structures to replace the old ones and compete with them. As time passes and the new, better power structures actually do their job, the old leaders’ authority will wane and the revolution will be achieved. However, a quiet revolution requires a very homogenous population which is in agreement with the abandonment of the old power structure. It is a hijacking of authority, so to speak. To give a specific example, imagine a government has an office of roads. They manage roads and they do their job poorly. Now, a citizen says “I’ll make my own office of roads!” receives donations from other citizens and actually starts doing the job the old office of roads was failing to do. Eventually, people stop paying their taxes to the old office of roads and instead start paying them to the new one. The old one gets replaced with the new one in a non-violent way. As said, this is only possible if you have the collaboration of enforcing agents. If the old office of roads demands that the police arrest the new office of roads and they listen, then it becomes impossible to achieve a quiet revolution. All this being said, I would like to make clear that my point here is that before attempting a violent revolution, elections or hijacking authority must first be attempted. Usurpations that end in bloodshed must always be the last resort. There is more to be said about revolution, and I suggest that you the reader read up on it because it will most likely — unfortunately — be very important in the coming years. People need to understand that revolutions are necessary, yet they also need to ask themselves two questions before doing so: 1.) Is it worth it? 2.) Can we do it without violence? If we can educate people in this matter, I am convinced that we can avoid many horrors in the near future. Denying the legitimacy of revolutions will not prevent them from happening; it will only prevent people from learning how to achieve them properly. Only then will people realize that when weak men create bad times, then strong men must replace them to create good times. TC
47 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
FEATURE
WHEN IT’S ALL
IN THE
MIND Jet Mangubat
48 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
FEATURE
It is not unusual for young people to experience the blues or feel down in the dumps occasionally. In fact, everybody of all ages will experience these feelings over the course of their life, often accompanied by many physical, emotional, psychological and social changes. Unrealistic academic, social or family expectations create a strong sense of rejection and can lead to deep disappointment. When things go wrong at school, at work or at home, we often overreact. Many of us feel that life is not fair or that things never go our way. We feel stressed out and confused. To make things worse, we are bombarded by conflicting messages from parents, friends and society. These causalities often compound each other and give rise to more serious conditions such as depression. Depression is perhaps the most publicized but also the most commonly misunderstood mental illness in the world. Approximately two-thirds of teens with major depression also battle another mood disorder such as dysthymia, anxiety, antisocial behaviors or substance abuse. Unfortunately, depression is somehow often thrown around too lightly. It is important to note, then, that depression is not a state of mind — it is a problem within our minds.
Going through depression is like living in a different dimension. The line between those with mental disorders and those without — that line between sanity and madness — is thinner than people think. An example of how depression affects individuals is the death of singer-songwriter Kim Jonghyun, aged 27, a member of the South Korean boy group SHINee. With all his apparent success, Jonghyun still went on to question his life choices. The stress of being in the public eye is a cause for concern for artists in the entertainment industries, as exemplified by another recent suicide of Linkin Park frontman, Chester Bennington, who had been open about suffering from depression and addiction. Fame doesn’t make you immune to mental illness, addiction and abuse. Being in the spotlight doesn’t mean that you are always shining. “Why? Why did they taking their lives? Who was to blame for their despair? What could be done to the cause of the loss?” There’s never just one answer. There is never a way to make sense of a beautiful life lost, and there’s never a remedy for the hole that’s left in the hearts of those who loved someone who ended their lives.
Most depressed people are not aware that the despair and hopelessness they feel are flowing simply from their own negative thoughts. Thoughts are mistakenly seen as privileged, occupying an exclusive territory, immune to being affected by mood and feelings, and therefore representing some fixed truth. Some people assume that the negative experiences they have directly cause their depression which makes it difficult for them to approach their problems as they get overwhelmed and demoralized. We generate negative thoughts so automatically that we are unaware that it is happening at all. It is negative thinking that makes it so hard to see an end to depression.
Depression is real. It is hard to watch someone you love suffer from it, but making it appear as nothing but sadness does not help. Depression drains energy, hope and drive, making it difficult to take the steps that lead to healing.
It is a physical impossibility for a negative mind to generate positive thoughts. When we allow ourselves to dwell on the negative aspects of life, negative thinking expands to fill all of our thoughts until there is no room for positive thoughts to grow. It becomes an endless cycle.
If someone you love is struggling with depression, realize that it is not a sign of weakness nor something to be embarrassed about. No one thinks twice about going to the doctor for a broken leg or heart problems. Getting help for depression is just as important.
The problem is that disbelievers of depression or mental illness in general, have no idea of how it actually feels to go through it every single day. They only believe it when people finally fall victim to it. Depression isn’t just being sad — it is so much more than that. Some people still conceptualize depression as an emotion and by that logic, a choice. The choice to remain in that state is weakness, lack of willpower.
However, while overcoming depression is neither quick nor easy, it is far from impossible. It is not as easy as “snapping out of it,” or “just be happy!” but people have more control over it than they realize. The key is to start small and build from there. Feeling better takes time, but you can get there by consciously making positive choices for yourself each day.
Each one of us is important. Life matters. We have the voice, feelings, talents, abilities, and qualities that make us truly unique from everyone else. There are people who love us, care about us, want the best for us, and will miss us when we’re gone. If you do not feel that you have anyone to turn to, it is never too late to build new friendships and improve your support network. Each one of us is important. Life matters. Someone will miss you when you’re re gone. You are loved. TC
49 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
LITERARY
THE F I N A L S P A R K Dave Bernasibo
Eth. D-3 File no. 34 Jan. 05, 2028 Unknown.mp3 Is this thing on? I hope it is. Hi, I’m Ambelu Azzaik. I’m from Ethinicia’s third district, the tourism district. The year is 2025 and the country is in the middle of a civil war. President – sorry, I mean Supreme Leader Sire Feisul has locked down borders. We have nowhere to go. No foreign aid comes in unless they are personally invited by the federal state. If you’re hearing this recording, I’m probably dead or held captive by now. If by chance you are part of the rebel forces, please use this recording to spread information throughout the districts. If you’re foreign aid personnel, please do take this with you on your way out and help spread information on our situation. If you’re a federal soldier, well, screw you.
50 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
LITERARY
A year after Feisul won the 17th Ethinician Presidential Elections; he formed a constitutional convention to help form a federal constitution. The transition would take around about five phases, a full year for each phase. The first one was the clumping up of the cities of Ethinicia into six districts, divided according to economic status. The capital city of Mayila was turned into a standalone district aptly named the Capital. District 1 is the region where most economically progressive areas were, where most high-rise infrastructures were built. District 2 was the powerhouse of Ethinicia. Though not as economically progressive as the District 1 cities, the cities in in the 2nd District were known for their innovations in producing energy, which was an essential part of an Ethinician’s daily life. [Indistinct chatter in the background] What? So where was I? District 3, where I’m from, is the paradise of an almost modernized country. We focus on farming, landscaping and basically just maintaining the natural beauty that Mother Earth gave us. District 4 is the country’s major warfare hub. Weapons plants, army barracks, aside from the main barracks at the capital, and large deserted areas for nuclear testing, these are the views you get to see. District 5, though just a bridge away from the fourth, remains as a major aquacultural district, with most areas belonging to the region being seaside villages. That was the first phase; the next year, Supreme Leader Feisul signed the Tax Adjustment Law. Under this law, all prices are bound to increase, most notably oil prices. Oil is, of course, an essential requirement for transportation vehicles. And with the increase of oil comes the increase of transportation cost, which eventually causes a domino effect which leads to the rise in prices of all goods and services. It seemed fine – [Alarms blaring] What was that? Denni, what was that? [Man’s voice]: Intruders detected, we have to leave now! Almost done The economy’s crashing. District 4 has started a revolution and has been recruiting people from other districts. Other D4 rebels have taken shelter in 3. Ethinicia’s bound to fall. We need you, whoever you are listening to this right now. Take arms and fight the tyranny, topple the throne we have allowed the monster to sit in and save our country! [Man’s voice in the background]: Evacuate to HQ now! Our location’s been compromised! [Explosions in the background] [Man’s voice in the background]: Arsonists! [End of recording] TC
51 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
LITERARY
TO KEEP
H O L D Kyn Noel Pestano
52 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
LITERARY
the largest things I know in life, I keep hold and fold once, twice, thrice; ocean, sky, placed inside a photograph at the back of a little boy, the sky a yellow warning, the sea a quiet sob r a i n last night darkened the trees, the ball, an orange sunset stuck at the mouth of a darkened ring, the house, damp and lifeless like a still-born, its cracks tracing all that has left it, sipping every last drop, thirsty for anything other than d u s t that settles, that stays that does not go the rope on the mango tree settled, stayed did not g o
i hold the smallest word my tongue could spill about the man, who left to find the largest things in life; i f her body did not sway i f the boy grew up outside her death i f the man came back and found a son i f his son sluiced down memory’s jaw, found something other than hate “i f” such a small word carrying a universe of regret . one day, a boy throws a ball at the mouth of a ring, then a man catches it after a lifetime of studying its flight, one day, the man catches it sooner, folds the largest things he knows and holds them close like family one day, silence isn’t the loudest thing he hears at night . TC
53 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
Photograph by Elosie Noreen Diaz
“In this battlefield man has no better weapon than his intelligence, no other force but his heart.” - Jose Rizal
PARTING SHOT
TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
54
LIQUIDATION
Today’s CAROLINIAN Statement of Cash Flows
For the Second Semester S.Y. 2017 - 2018 Cash Balance, Beginning Cash Receipts: Today’s Carolinian 2nd Semester Budget Inkblots 2017 Additional Budget Accounts Receivable Total Cash Available for Use Cash Disbursements: Teambuilding: Transportation Expense Accommodation Expense Food Expense Materials Expense Honorarium Expense Campus Media Day: Transportation Expense Food Expense Honorarium Expense Printing Fees Materials Expense Inkblots 2017: Registration Fee Travel Fare Transportation Expense Food Expense Accommodation Expense Miscellaneous Expense Kris Kringle 2017: Token Expense Prizes Expense Food Expense Materials Expense Miscellaneous Expense Printing Fees: November Newsletter December Newsletter KURIS 2017 Election Primer February Magazine Kuris Sponsorhip Letter Recruitment Poster Other Expenses: Tax Epense- Bank Transportation Expense Supplies Expense Food Expense Remittance Fee Prizes Expense- KURIS 2017 Online Maintenance Expense Miscellaneous Expense Add: Interest Income- Bank Cash Balance, End
P
5,101.00 28,400.00 18,475.00 480.00 750.00
P 165.00 1,142.50 2,620.00 452.00 739.50 P
P
P
P
P
P
518,426.80
P
260,540.28 20,000.00 4,187.50 803,154.58
P
530,912.53 667.67 272,909.72
53,206.00
5,119.00
6,400.00 13,342.24 1,954.00 4,242.25 4,200.00 50.00
30,188.49
2,019.00 1,620.00 3,203.00 280.50 129.50
7,252.00
14,490.00 13,600.00 70,250.00 111,200.00 217,250.00 100.00 340.00
427,230.00
133.53 492.00 249.00 1,410.00 2.00 3,000.00 2,430.00 200.51
7,917.04
Prepared By: THERESA PALOMPON Finance Officer Today's Carolinian
55 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | FEBRUARY 2018
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