Today's Carolinian - September 2017 Magazine

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 Paolo Perez Senior Correspondent Laura Andrea Posadas News Editor - Talamban Campus Kaye Diamos News Editor - Downtown Campus Joen Jacob Ramas Features Editor - English Janzyl Mae Go Literary Editor Kyn Noel Pestaño 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. 11 SEPTEMBER 2017

EDITORIAL STAFF Operations

FINANCE OFFICER Theresa Kate Palompon

STAFF SECRETARY Paulie Yap

ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR Sofia Isabel Tajos

WEB ADMINISTRATOR Francis Alec Yap

WEB DEVELOPERS Julius John Puno, Daniel Hans Tan

DIRECTOR FOR CIRCULATION AND STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT Zarah Majam

DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR CIRCULATION AND

STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT Erica Nicole Jabel Writing Department

NEWS BUREAU

WRITERS Jet Mangubat, Mary Elizah Castillo, Jayvee Gulfan,

Stephanie Camille Samonte, Dave Carl Bernasibo, Blaise Pancho,

Kerstein Nicole Labay, Louisa Carredo, Ynaro San Juan, Katrina

Jaiun Roa (Contributor), Cesar Carlos Heyrosa (Contributor)

ONLINE CORRESPONDENTS Karla Shanesse Calumpang, Wea Gelilang, Yuri Adolfo Art Department

LAYOUT SUPERVISOR Pamela Urbiztondo

LAYOUT ARTISTS Giann Mikhael Alipar, Jan

Joshua Velasco, 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, Althea Ybañez, Audrey Tenorio

HEAD PHOTOJOURNALIST Dorothy Lee

ASSISTANT 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,

Arjay 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,

Josemaria Marcelo III Ouano

THE COVER The vortex looks to show how society today is seemingly caught in a whirlpool it finds difficult to escape from. Being caught means it’s easier to give in to the pull of its center than to try to swim back up.

Current societal situations seem so dire and the things that cause them even more so. There have been a lot of questionable political motives rooted in greed which contribute to the pressure that pulls us lower and keeps us at the bottom.

The red dot is the end of this decline — the hope that we can sink no lower and finally rise back up to where our nation can prosper.

Words by Mikhailah Rañada Art Direction & Cover Design 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. © 2017. 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.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

IV TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

2 EDITOR’S NOTE

28 STILL PLAYING THE GAME

4 THE CITY MAYOR’S FIRST YEAR IN PRESIDENCY

30 THE HIGHSCHOOLER’S GUIDE TO USC’S KANCHAW CULTURE

6 SHARK IN THE WATER

32 CESAFI: THEN AND NOW

8 WHEN SAVIORS STROKE MARAWI 10 WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND 12 MY TRIP TO THE NEW SOUTH CHINA SEA! 14 DECOMMISSIONED 16 ON IMMIGRATION

34 IF A LIE GROWS WINGS 36 THE DYING POPULATION AND ITS EFFECTS 38 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN FIRST SEMESTER SURVEY 2017 41 WHEN I THOUGHT I HAD IT 42 BAD BLOOD

18 MOVIE REVIEW 44 HELLO, WORLD! 20 MILLENIALS: R A SAD EXCUSE OF A GENERATION 24 ECHO CHAMBERS 22 DECLINING OR EVOLVING 26 GEORGIA AT EMMA, ABANGAN

46 INAHAN, PASAYLOA SILA KAY WALA SILA MASAYOD SA ILANG GIBUHAT 48 BEATING THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE 50 PARTING SHOT 51 LIQUIDATION

V TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

EDITOR’S NOTE

EDITOR’S NOTE

Even more than a year after our current Philippine president sat in office, the feeling of needing to adjust to his unorthodox methods still lingers. Every administration that has ever passed has received its own share of criticism and disapproval. However, the current administration, with its often-toxic influence on people, has put us in a state that makes us question our morality and core ethical principles.

Our generation’s reputation paints us as non-conformers to tradition and established ethical and religious views.

We are now stuck in confusion, finding it hard to see how anything that degrades a people’s virtues could be deemed acceptable. When we were younger, we were taught of the fundamental things that matter and should be protected, among those being truth, equality and human rights. Now, it is alarming to know that the “change” that was promised to us included an indifference to the things that matter. We have shifted from the upholding of equality and truth to the suppressing of them, with neither shame nor remorse. Our nation’s predicament challenges us to see what is happening to our country today with objective eyes, rid of all misconception and brain washing. Our nation’s predicament demands us reassess our concept of right and wrong and know where we stand on the issues that affect our kin. Our nation’s predicament calls us to take a stand and fight for what we think is truly right for this country’s future.

We are our country’s future. Whatever happens today will affect us tomorrow. Let us no longer be apathetic to how our country bleeds for what it deserves. TC

EDITORIAL

The City Mayor’s

First Year in Presidency Illustration by Jon Ahmed Durano

4 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

EDITORIAL

The days that have passed between June 30 of both 2016 and 2017 brought dissenting opinions and political controversy. Rodrigo Duterte’s first year only proved that we have taken a tactless city mayor with a penchant for dramatic statements and made him president of our republic.

It must be recognized that our president’s biggest and most offensive flaw is the way he mindlessly spouts things for the whole world to hear. While it helps to be frank, as a leader and diplomat, Duterte should work on speaking without swearing and criticizing without attacking. For instance, when he commented on former Columbian President Cesar Gaviria’s thoughts on his war on drugs, he could have just said he does not agree with him and omitted calling him an idiot altogether. He could have just told former US President Barack Obama not to meddle with Philippine affairs without telling him to go to hell. For an advocate of freedom of speech, Duterte does not seem to realize its essence. His continuous disregard for verbal propriety only gives the impression that he does not understand the gravity of his position and the power his words hold.

His frankness and spontaneity, a far cry from that of any other prominent political personality’s, appeal to the masses. Duterte has managed to take the people’s clamor for change and use it to his advantage. During his first year, he promised concrete but radical policies and even gave himself a deadline, acting like directing Philippine society to the right path takes only a few months, and he’s the one man to make it happen. This overconfidence and connection with the people explains why he, despite all the intrigue surrounding his administration, still has a 75% satisfaction rate.

The president also cannot tolerate anyone who is against him. This was concretely demonstrated when Vice President Robredo’s exclusion from cabinet meetings, caused by her differences with the current administration, drove her to resign from her position as Duterte’s housing chief. Whenever his mistakes are pointed out to him, Duterte and his supporters counter with personal attacks instead of objective explanations.

The highlight of Duterte’s first year is his war against illegal drugs. The issue has elicited so much discussion — both praise and disapproval. The killings eliminated alleged criminals who were deemed as such by watch lists that did not undergo due process of deliberation and review. It was also during this war that policemen and authorities not only abused their perceived power, but were also encouraged to do so. In the end, in turns out that these extrajudicial killings were just tools to incite fear into drug criminals. Because if their end goal was to remove the problem of drugs, then authorities should have targeted

the people from which the drugs come from -- the big fishes, the drug lords themselves, instead of the poor people who just fell under their spell. At the end of his first year, there were 3,171 people reported to have been killed, 2,098 drug-related homicides and 8,200 violent deaths still under investigation. These alleged criminals may have died, but the crime is still in society. It is yet to be seen how the administration’s U-turn from its principle of killing all criminals to its recognition of their human rights will turn out -- although this suspicious and unexpected U-turn may have been caused by the recent accusations against Paolo Duterte.

Due to his focus on the elimination of crime, not so much attention was given to the economic growth of our country. In fact, during the first quarter of the year, there was a 6.4% economic growth in the Philippines — apparently lower than analysts’ expectations and the lowest quarterly expansion in a year. However, much of the 2017 National People’s Budget is geared towards the economic development of our country through infrastructure. The Philippines is still Asia’s fastest growing economy, so let’s hope the next few years wouldn’t bring us any less.

As president, Duterte was also able to establish a good relationship with other Asian countries like Thailand, Brunei and China. It was in October 2016 when the Philippines and China agreed to settle the issue on the West Philippine Sea on their own since China is still not accepting of the United Nation tribunal’s decision. It was also on the same month that China’s investment in the country increased with its 9-billion US dollar soft loan to the Philippines. The efforts of our president to keep peace between China and our country are commendable. However, is the reported 24-billion investment of China really worth relinquishing the control of part on our territory — a resource-filled territory at that — to another country? Through the president’s efforts, we have lost our good relationship with the US and established an economically helpful but unstable relationship with China.

Late President Ferdinand Marcos’ burial in the Libingan ng mga Bayani on November 18, 2017 pulled all other bayanis in the same cemetery even lower than six feet. The Duterte administration had been backing this burial and working for its accomplishment for months.

Posterity will look back and question how a dictator and human rights violator can be considered a hero, and the generation who witnessed this happen would have to explain using the arguments released by the Supreme Court justices who supported the interment.

On the other hand, Duterte had a point when he said “The law is the law. It has no emotions at all. It says that if you are a President (you can be buried there). It does not say you have a record of a dictatorship or what not, or being

a gentle despot.” Nonetheless, no amount of sugar-coated politics can cushion the blow this decision hurled against martial law victims.

Having a president from Mindanao has helped us Filipinos turn our attention to Mindanao and its needs. It might be the second largest island group in our country, but it certainly hasn’t received as much notice in the previous administrations as it has currently. What went wrong when Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao was his penchant for drama got the better of him, and he threatened to put the whole country under martial law as well.

Statements like that in a nation that has had bad experiences under martial law did not obtain support from Filipinos who knew better than to trust a dictator and even made some citizens fear the actions of their own president.

For being a beautiful woman who posts news and opinions on social media in constant support of Tatay Digong, blogger Mocha Uson now earns a monthly salary of Php 106,454 plus bonus and allowances as PCOO Assistant Secretary, a position of which she was appointed in May. Why does the government use the people’s hard-earned tax money to pay a woman who could hardly brainwash with the truth? Ms. Uson should seriously consider earning that 100,000 instead of just receiving it.

Our president is known for his ever-changing declarations. One minute, he promises one thing and the next minute he takes it back.

He treats the Philippines like a big Davao; he has an offhand attitude towards decisions and pronouncements, some of them seemingly not well-thought of. He is, however, firm in his beliefs. He’s not afraid to try new things when he thinks it will be for the betterment of our nation. The results of this fearless leadership can either make our country finally prosper or eventually suffer even more, and with all the proposed changes in this administration, it’s hard to see results fall on somewhere in between.

For all his flaws and the fact that he’s rough around the edges, the Filipinos love Duterte.

Much as we hate to admit it, we are every bit as raw and dramatic as he is. We are tired of pretentious politicians with their pretty words and little actions. We have found it endearing to realize our president is just like us in that he uses maong pants as casual attire and sleeps with a mosquito net. We have found connection with him in that he, too, cries for change and, although his position affords very little room for them, he makes mistakes and bad decisions just like we do.

There are still five years left for Duterte to make good on his promises. It is said that a president’s first year in office can make or break the rest of his term. In reality, the five years that follow can decide an administration’s performance more than the first year ever could.

TC

5 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

OPINION

SHARK IN THE WATER Paolo Perez Illustration by Eduard Jude Jamolin

6 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

OPINION

Sharks get a bad rap. Ever since Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, their image has long —and undeservedly — been one of razor-toothed, cold-blooded killers. However, despite their relative lack of danger to humans, it is still important to note that sharks did evolve over millions of years to become the efficient predators that they are now, having arrived on the scene some 400 million years ago.

Sharks are very much at home in the Philippines, as divers in Oslob and Malapascua can attest to. Perhaps that makes it a little surprise that our society has devolved into a shark tank bloodier and gorier than anything Spielberg could have ever dreamed up. Perhaps, in a roundabout way, Rodrigo Duterte’s promise to cleanse the nation of its drug problem by tossing its offenders into Manila Bay has come true, and the trademark three-point fins slicing through the water have grown fat, happy and powerful on their remains.

Duterte’s bloodlust, however, coupled with his inability or outright refusal to be subtle or tactful about it, has certainly made waves on an international scale.

That being said, such bluster has proven efficient, with the Philippine National Police and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency having cited the drug market collapsing by a quarter with the surrender of over 1.2 million people involved in the drug trade. The cost of this? More than 7,080 Filipinos dead. Whether all of these deaths are “deserved” or not, or carried out in legitimate operations as the PNP insists, the blood spill is apparently a necessity— “collateral damage”, as Duterte himself put it in an interview with Al Jazeera, to the visible shock of his interviewers. These unhappy accidents have claimed the lives of at least 29 minors, some as young as four years old, according to the Children’s Rehabilitation Center, and some not even born.

All this came to a head with the deaths of Kian de los Santos and Carl Arnaiz,

both slain by Caloocan police within a few days of each other, both just shy of their 20s — Kian, in particular, still a minor when he was beaten and shot point-blank by police officers who claimed he was armed and retaliating, only to be proven wrong by eyewitnesses, a CCTV footage and their own oversight of planting a gun in the left hand of a right-handed boy. For Arnaiz, whose death went unnoticed for days before his parents found his body on a morgue slab, the details are fuzzier, but no less grisly. Both boys were killed by police after being tipped off that they may have been running drugs — a drop of blood in the water that sent the PNP’s men into a feeding frenzy.

Weeks later, the scent of death still hovers over our nation. The shock is felt in varying degrees — some renouncing their trust in Duterte’s regime, others simply shaking their heads in silence that the inevitable has finally come to pass. Others, meanwhile, are spreading their laughter and mockery across social media, pointing fingers at the bleeding-heart liberals. In a time of death, political lines are so thickly drawn that some cannot even see the blood-red stains through their jeers at the “yellow media”.

With Kian and Carl’s deaths, the volume of human rights advocates calling for justice, or even so much as answers, to the drug war has increased. After spending the better part of his term swatting away criticisms of his administration with rape jokes and buck-passing, Duterte’s violent reactions came to a head when the United Nation’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Agnès Callamard, urged the government to make Kian de los Santos the last of the drug war’s many fatalities.

This is the Republic of the Philippines, not a territory of France. “Gago pala siya,” Duterte responded in an angry rant, incorrectly retorting that France operates on a guilty-until-proven-

innocent policy. His response, however, was not all misinformation. He also promised that Kian would not be the last casualty of his term. Carl Arnaiz’s death mere days later proved him right, as are the new bodies that wash up on newspaper headlines and social media condolences on what seems like a daily basis now. Some have stories. Some do not.

Duterte may curse like a sailor, but every profanity-laced tirade further proves that he is little more than a fisherman angling for a bite — a good one, admittedly, considering the ease with which he and his cronies bait the water with chum made from the bits and blood of those they consider worthless. The Philippines’ waters are cloudy with a deep, near-black maroon now. From the inside, it has become nearly impossible to navigate as more juicy, bloody tidbits, true or not, are thrown overboard, muddying the water.

From the outside, the picture is equally murky. Those who criticize do not understand our country or what it is going through, or so the sharks scream as they chase outsiders from their territory. How can they, though, when their inquiries are met with cries to stay out of our business, drowning out the cries for help of those being torn to shreds in the chaos?

Sharks aren’t something we should fear. They’re among the most important creatures in the ocean, keeping food webs in check and leaving the morsels for smaller scavengers to pick at.

However, when a shark attacks a man — an occurrence roughly as common as being struck by lightning — the headlines roll off the presses, the beaches are shut down and the Coast Guard is deployed, sirens blazing.

When a policeman, sterling badge, pressed uniform and all, shoots a man, we Filipinos keep our heads down, lest ours be the next to find a bullet lodged in them. That’s simply the way it is now.

Sink or swim. TC

7 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

FEATURE

8 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

FEATURE

WHEN SAVIORS STRIKE MARAWI Kerstein Nicole Labay

Photograph by Wednesday Dawn Abelgas The immediate response of any head of state when faced with a serious issue that poses a threat to national security is a proclamation that may inhibit civil retaliation. Amidst the exchange of bullets and ammunition in Marawi City, our president, Rodrigo Duterte, immediately declared Proclamation No. 216 or the Martial Law and the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus on May 23, 2017 upon Mindanao on the grounds of terror attacks; the insurgency was spearheaded by the Maute Group, terrorists who sought the support of the infamous Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Two days before President Duterte was to deliver the annual State of the Nation Address (SONA), the Philippine Congress voted for the extension of the martial law in Mindanao until December 31, 2017. In a besieged city such as Marawi, the proclamation is imperative to rebellion and threat to public safety.

Last year, however, the president had already expressed his sentiments on the declaration of Martial Law should public safety require it. “Would you rather I declare martial law?” asked Duterte in response to Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, who wrote him a letter regarding seven justices allegedly named as coddlers of prominent drug dealers. Was this a premonition that one among the most controversial declaration of Philippine History is due to happen the following year?

The time has come for the Marawi refugees and Duterte critics to see how a dreaded proclamation such as a martial law is handled by a man known for his eccentric statements and point of view. This could possibly be the chance for the opposition to finally conclude that our president, as what they say, has no regard for human dignity; they have yet to unravel and verify past allegations on the violation against human rights. To them, the declaration of martial law will only open the gates for unbridled violations and abuses.

News has told us many horrendous events that had happened since the infamous declaration in Mindanao. However, Commission on Human Rights Chief Chito Gascon is yet to receive records of human rights violation as there is not enough information and categorical basis to conclude that there were legitimate violations under martial law in Mindanao. There were, as a matter of fact, pertinent reports on threats, harassments and intimidations.

Gabriela representative Arlene Brosas cited numerous incidents on human rights violations barely two weeks after the proclamation. There were reported extrajudicial killings due to indiscriminate aerial bombings and mortar shells. Samira Gutoc-Tomawis of Ranao Rescue Team reported that Abdul Halim, a child with special needs, was tortured while being interrogated before authorities by pouring hot water on his hands. She also mentioned the religious violations committed against the Moro community. She revealed that some men in uniforms forcibly ordered the women evacuees to strip of their hijab as part of inspection which showed an apparent disregard for Islamic customs and traditions.

Gutoc also claimed that some fallen Muslims were not buried for the last 60 days, another grave violation of Islamic tradition.

These events sparked initiatives from advocates, non-government organizations and professionals. Although it is already a matter of national security, zero casualties should still prevail in any event. Another problem faced by the advocates is getting the victims to speak up despite it not being in their culture to talk about their experiences.

It is already less than a hundred days till the possible lifting of the martial law declaration in Mindanao. Over the course of the past few months, we can either expect improvements on the situation in Marawi such as a decline in the forces of the terrorist group or an extended implementation of the dreaded proclamation as the administration might not be able to nip the insurgency in the bud with the given timetable and lack of resources. The armed forces might be given blanket power and authority to conduct military crackdowns and we may witness a diminution of the people’s constitutional rights.

This leads to the question, what has been done to protect the people from arbitrary state operations under martial law?

While most human rights advocates urged for the lifting of martial law so that noncombatant individuals would be unaffected, the most effective method identified by advocates is providing security while preserving cultural sensitivities of the victims. Most organizations have already provided legal assistance, interfaith humanitarian missions and rehabilitations. Various local government units have also donated financial assistance for the rehabilitative activities.

With proposals tailored to aid the human rights protection of the people of Mindanao, could we possibly say that these organizations had taken the initiative to prevent the horrible events during the Marcos regime to happen, or is this one of those politically motivated hero-saves-the-day antics in order to gain sympathy for the next elections?

Before we conclude on the latter, let us briefly recall the unfortunate events that happened during the last martial law declared throughout our country because it has, undeniably, casted a dark shadow on the humanity of this country. It was a period of rebellion and economic uncertainty when Proclamation No. 1081 was promulgated.

Thereafter, infrastructures were booming along with a positive national economy. Any form of protest was detestable before the law. According to Amnesty International, there were 3,257 killed, an estimated 35,000 tortured and about 70,000 arrested. In a span of 21 years, this country was plagued with numbers that accounted for the inhumane.

Does it ring a bell — arrests, torture, interrogations, disappearances and murder?

These unfortunate events will play like a broken record if we keep choosing to stay oblivious. The efforts of protecting the rights of our fellowmen is an undertaking each Juan de la Cruz is expected to partake. We may not be there to lend a hand, but we can still do much by keeping a vigilant eye and by acting as a voice of reason and for accountability.

We cannot deny the prejudice of Filipinos over martial law as it has taken the liberty of some at in the past. Furthermore, we cannot allow another set of numbers to stain this country again. At times such as these, the nation calls for us to be in solidarity for our fellowmen. If 3,257 dead bodies do not chill your blood, not much else will. TC

9 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

FEATURE

What Goes Around, Comes Around Theresa Kate Palompon Photograph by Carmerlle Chua Gacasan

10 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

FEATURE

Over the past year, the Philippines has been loomed with controversy arising from both the national and international level. With a new president in office, changes have been made and new policies have been implemented. Among others, Pres. Rodrigo Duterte has given much focus on imposing peace and order in the country.

Recently, much concern has been raised on the condition of the Philippine economy. Apparently, the growth rate of the gross domestic product (GDP), which estimates the market value of a country’s goods and services, has slowed down.

Moreover, this growth is expected to be lower than the reported 6.8 percent in 2016. However, it is the dwindling value of the Philippine peso, which has reached approximately PHP 51.07 to USD 1.00 at the time of writing that was most alarming.

Although the Philippine currency has been depreciating since 2013, the fluctuation has never been as drastic. For some, the fall of the peso’s value may not seem worrisome, but it may greatly affect the economy as a whole.

Currency depreciation is an economic jargon that refers to a decrease in the value of a currency in a floating exchange rate system as a result of market forces.

It should not be confused with currency devaluation, which is the fall in a currency’s value in a fixed rate system as a result of government intervention.

The Philippines, for instance, is a country that has adopted a floating rate system, in which the foreign exchange market dictates the value of a currency based on supply and demand. Before this shift in October of 1984, the country’s currency was once “pegged” to the US dollar.

Since then, our currency has become highly volatile in response to the different changes in the market. Basic principles including the Law of Supply and Demand for currency govern these variations in value.

It has been reported that the peso reached its seven-year low of PHP 48 to a dollar in the beginning of the last quarter of 2016. The peso has not reached such value since 2009 at the

height of the global economic crisis.

Just when things could not seem to get worse, the peso hit a 10-year low on March 2017, finishing at an intraday low of PHP 50.40. It even reached a value of PHP 50.53 to USD 1.00 which is the lowest since it closed at PHP 50.54 on Sept. 11, 2006.

In addition to this, markets have become volatile since the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union.

This was exemplified when the peso was greatly affected when the Federal Reserve System of the USA declared a rise in interest rates by the end of 2016.

The increase imposed by the Federal Reserve allows for a greater incentive for US investments. As a result, some investors opted to sell their investments in the Philippines in order to invest in the US. Since there is a need to convert peso to dollars, the supply of Philippine currency increased leading to the decline in its value.

As a currency depreciates, it becomes “weaker.” Foreign currency becomes relatively expensive; thus, prices of foreign goods also increase in a local’s perspective. This causes a decline in the ability of locals to purchase foreign goods. Therefore, depreciation can lead to a decrease in imports.

Another adverse effect of this decline relates to the outstanding debts of the country. With the dollar becoming relatively more expensive, it has to pay more in order to extinguish its debt.

This event also increases the risk of capital flight, commonly referred to as the “exodus of financial assets,” in which foreign investors would prefer to pull out their investments as they continues to lose their value.

Although there are disadvantages, even for a depreciating economy, there are still two sides of the coin. For one, this can lead to higher levels of export.

Considering that the peso is now relatively cheaper, so are the prices of goods and services, making it attractive to foreign consumers.

The dollar-earning sector, comprising 40 percent of the economy, greatly benefits

from the decline in peso. This includes import tax revenues, business process outsourcing (BPOs) and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) whose remittances are of higher value with the decline.

For the economy as whole, the possible increase in GDP as a result of the rise in exports and fall in imports may improve the country’s global competitiveness ranking.

Apart from the aforementioned economic factors that placed a downward pressure on the currency’s value, pull-outs by foreign investors resulting to the increase in the supply of peso are also attributed to their diminishing confidence in the President’s drug war and conflicting foreign policy.

Many people have become apprehensive with the weakening of the Philippine currency. Some are worried that the country may not be able to recover from such a plight. However, history tells us otherwise.

There were several times in the past when the currency has fluctuated drastically. Just as the peso was pegged to the dollar, the movement of currency in the past followed how history fluctuated in its own right.

In 1997, the Asian Financial Crisis occurred. The value of peso dropped to a staggering PHP 41.00 from PHP 26.00. Other events in the past that involved economic mismanagement and political instability also led to a decline in the currency. However, it eventually found its way to stability until the Great Recession of the USA started to take its toll. Following a massive appreciation in 2007 – 2008, the peso experienced an immense depreciation in 2008 – 2009.

Each time a currency depreciates, it slowly stabilizes itself as the market finds its way through. Just as the government, as well as the citizens of the country, mend their way back to stability, so too does the peso. The movement of the value of currency is like history: It goes up and down, but manages to return to its ideal condition. For as long as the people behind the market respond to changes in the same way as before, what goes around will always come around. TC

11 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

LITERARY

My trip to the new South China Sea! Episode 420

by Janzyl Go as Christa Quino Illustration by Althea Ybañez

12 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

LITERARY

Oh my God. You would not believe the crazy things that happened since my last video. Like seriously, O-M-G, sit up straight and listen carefully because you’re about to be absolutely shookt.

betrayal aside, I’m so happy hearing na our president was able to solicit this malaking donation from their family. I see a bright future ahead of us with the support of the Marcos family, viewers!

First thing, I’d like to thank everyone for all your support in raising money to pay for Bambi’s hospitalization. It was a sobrang tough week for us at home. Sobrang stressful worrying about the procedure, guys, but we are happy to tell you our beloved cat is now neutered . Yay!

Before I say goodbye though, I would like to take a small segment of my show to address some haters. Inquirer, Rappler and all yellow pages out there, this is for you. Listen carefully, ha. Why do you guys have to be so mean? Ano ba talaga? What’s your deal? Stop spreading hate, and start spreading love, guys! If you would just stop spreading lies about our dear leader and praising the wrong kind of yellow, you would be spending all expense paid weekend getaways, sponsored by the PCOO! You get to ride on their special helicopters and get to see sobrang magandang places.

But O-M-G. China, ano ba? You scheduled the setup of your base in Huangyan Dao just days before Bambi’s surgery, huhu. But whatever.

So pretty talaga their military base. The red and yellow color scheme really complimented my dress by Michael Cinco. Hair and makeup by Jingmonis today, by the way.

The base was equipped with the most high-end technology to keep invaders away. This is the most technologically advanced facility in our territory right now, guys. Ang talino talaga ng president natin. No other facility in the Philippines is as equipped and advanced as this facility, and we owe it all to the wonderful relationship we have with China thanks to our President Duterte, King of Killers, Protector of the Archipelago, Khal of the Tikbalangs, Placer of Chains, the Undrugged.

The next thing I’m going to talk about is what all of you are waiting for talaga: updates on the Hontiveros scandal! O-M-G! My little birdies and I have discovered some chismis I must chika to you. My theory on the sketchy relationship between Bato and Hontiveros proves true! Some birds picked up some chirps and chismis from old friends that validated my theory na there is or was more to their relationship than they say! So much more, to the point na they were sobrang close talaga daw. How close, you ask? They both crushed on each other, ayeeee! Kilig or not? Is it kilig if it’s about your enemy?

Now, moving on. Whew. Ang dami ba ng chika mo today, Christa! I know you’re also wondering, “Christa, anong reaction mo sa chika regarding the Marcoses?”

O-M-G. Ibabalik daw nila ‘yung gold nila?! I was shookt. Hindi talaga ako naka-eexpect na ito ang agawin nila. I didn’t expect na kaya ito gawin nilang Imee. We’re kind of close friends, di ba? Like, pati heads up hindi niya mabigay sa ‘kin? It caught me off guard, my lovely viewers. But total

If you just stop being so mean, you would be in the it-crowd na talaga. No more party-crashing the exclusive VIP-only press conferences. You’ll get unlimited access to the government grapevine. It’s fresh chika all the time, guys.

The simple truth here, guys, is that this should not even be a choice.

You get to live the life, or you don’t get to live at all. Consider talaga your options, future DDS journalists!

So that’s it for this week’s hot news brought to you by yours truly, the one and only Christa Quino. Thank you talaga for your support, my lovely followers. Don’t forget to like and share this video! Until next time, ta~! ### Attached above is Episode 420 scheduled to be released next week.

Please deposit your remaining balance before the release date. As always, I will forward a summary of reach and responses for damage control purposes. Thank you for your patronage. Looking forward to continuous good relations with you, Madam Uson! See you in next month’s forum.

PRESS CONTACT Christa Quino 639 388 3038 830 TC

13 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

LITERARY

Decommissioned

by Paolo Perez

Illustration by Eduard Jude Jamolin

14 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

LITERARY

Chris sat dejectedly on the curb, silently regarding the cyan bill stamped with 1,000s in the corners of their hands. At least it was nice and crisp, not a wrinkle or tear on its smooth papyrus surface.

“You got cut too, huh.” Sympathetic or not, Chris really didn’t want to hear anyone’s voices right now if they’re not the ones in their own head.

“You’re the Commission on Human Rights, yeah? I think we met at a couple workshops last year. Y’know, before it all went to hell.” Chris nodded, not bothering to look up. “Energy Regulatory Commission. Call me Eric.”

“Hey, Eric,” Chris said in a tone as fake and pandering as their position had just been rendered. “Why don’t you take a seat?” Please don’t take a seat oh my God leave me alone.

He took a seat. “You seem chipper. I mean, it’s obviously fake, but I’m impressed at how hard you’re trying to keep it together right now.”

“I’m surprised you’re not. Isn’t that your job? Energy or something?” They still refused to look Eric in the eye, keeping their focus on the crisp bill in their hand. It was maybe the only thing they could look at without crying.

“Yeah, well, the thing about energy is it runs out. And on this kinda budget, I’m gonna have to keep mine under tighter wraps if I’m gonna do any regulating,” he guzzled a stream of clear, sharp-smelling liquid from his hip flask without even putting his lips to it. A few drops hit the ground.

Chris shuffled over a few inches to keep their precious 1,000 pesos dry and sober. “Hey, did you see where the other guy went?”

“That indigenous peoples guy? Last I saw him he was running into the woods with a backpack. Said something about seeking out his ancestors and living amongst the parrots,” Chris said, still not happy to be having a conversation but at least grateful for the distraction. “I’ll give him a week.”

“I give him eleven minutes,” Eric laughed, his voice scratchy, “and if he winds up dead I call dibs on however much of his thousand is left.”

“Speaking of, where is your budget?” Chris asked. Eric tapped his flask, still shiny and mint. “Ah.” “Yeah, the vodka was cheap,” he admitted, pausing to make a sound halfway between a hiccup and a burp. “But this thing,” he tapped the flask again, “this is what you call an investment. Want some?” Eric pushed the flask in Chris’ direction, wafting some of the vapors towards their nose. They tried to keep their disgust to a visible minimum.

“Thanks, but I don’t drink,” they said.

“Hoo-hahs,” Chris said.

“Yeah, hoo-hahs. The only humans they care about are either the ones who can go home at the end of the day in their Mercedes or their BMW, or the ones who are willing to step on and backstab enough people that they’ll be able to join them someday. If you don’t have money, you need ambition. And if yours isn’t strong enough, you’re sh—urp! — out of luck.

That’s how it works, buddy. Look what they did to me.” Eric took another sip, visibly struggling to keep it down.

“Weren’t you accused of multiple corruption charges or something? I feel like you’re being—” “Buddy, look at me. I don’t even remember five minutes ago. Where’d I get this flask? Where’d all my money go? See? Nothing.” Eric smiled a sick, cynical smile, baring his teeth bleached an unhealthy white by the liquor.

“Nope. Screw it,” Chris said, bottling a scream into a gutted, quiet noise of resignation. “You’re right.” They crumpled the clean 1,000-peso bill in their fist and tossed it out in the street, tears splattering the road next to the now-dried stains of Eric’s vodka. Eric’s eyes widened as he dived after it, landing face-first into the pavement.

“Whoa, dude, no!” he panted. “Look, I spent my budget on booze ‘cause I know I’m never gonna need it again. My job’s got a lot of paperwork and official stuff and you can’t write that down on a thousand pesos. But you,” he pointed at Chris with the wrinkly bill sticking out between his fingers, “you just need to make the world a better place. A safe one. And maybe you can’t do that with this much, but maybe you’ll need it anyway.

Take it,” he said, jaws still rubbing against the asphalt with every word.

“Also, please help me up.”

Chris took their drunken colleague by the hand, propped him back up and unfolded the 1,000. “You know what? You’re right,” Chris said, rising off the curb and dusting off their jacket.

“You’ve been saying that a lot today. Certainly not complainin’, just observin’. Keep going.”

“I don’t need a budget to keep human rights going. What’s human rights anyway aside from making the world a better place and keeping it that way?” The fire in Chris’ eyes, only rivaled by the fire burning in Eric’s throat, forced a smile out of them — their first all day. It had felt like forever. “If you ask me, all that needs is opportunity, and who said you need money to take opportunities? If that were the case we wouldn’t have smartphones or denim jeans or newspapers! I may not have a lot,” they said, regarding the wrinkled 1,000-peso lifeline in their fist with pride once more, “but I can still do a lot! I’ll show them.”

“Goody two-shoes,” Eric muttered under his breath.

“That’s my buddy! Louder!”

“Bad things happen to people when alcohol’s involved, and it’s part of my job to make sure bad things don’t-” “Oh, pffffft,” Eric sputtered. Chris wiped a beadlet of spit off their face.

“Y’know we don’t really have jobs anymore, right? Regulating energy.

Like they care about that. China’ll take care of it, I guess. More coal. God, I friggin’ LOVE. COAL! And as for you, caring about humans, the only humans those hoo-hahs over there—” he turned around in the direction of Malacañang and fired a ball of spit at the fence, catching the attention of a police officer at the corner. “Oh, f— IT WAS HIM!” Eric screamed, pointing in the direction of no one in particular. The officer shushed him silently with a finger to the lips and turned his attention back to looking for accused drug addicts to beat up. “Heh. Bet he doesn’t get paid enough to give a crap, either. Where was I?”

“I’ll show them!” Chris pumped their fist in the air, accidentally tossing their last 1,000 pesos into the windshield wipers of a passing Vios.

“Heh,” Eric said as Chris crumpled back into a heap on the curb. “I thought you weren’t supposed to tip Uber drivers.”

“Eric,” said Chris in a monotone like a crushed peanut, “how much vodka do you have left in there?”

“More than enough, my dude. More than enough.”

“Great,” Chris said, snatching the flask away and holding it to their lips.

“Welp, bottoms up.” TC

15 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

OPINION

ON IMMIGRATION One Sun

Illustration by Audrey Jade Tenorio

Immigration is the respected result of freedom of movement, yet that does not mean it shouldn’t be controlled. Immigration is a fairly recent reality in human history. Though it has always been possible for people to move from one place to another, it’s only in the more recent centuries with the development of better means of transport that it has become a significant phenomenon. The ever-advancing technology has made it easier to physically move from one destination to another, and better socioeconomic conditions have convinced more advanced nations to facilitate this process for several reasons.

However, too few dare ask: What does a nation stand to gain from immigration? Too often, allowing immigrants is not seen as something that should be a profitable endeavor, but as a duty of a host nation and a right of the immigrants. My aim here is to deconstruct this perception: A nation should not be obliged to take in immigrants, it should not feel any obligation towards foreign entities except through diplomatic agreements, and it should concern itself with its own welfare and that of its citizens before considering that of noncitizens and foreigners. Does this mean that immigration should be forbidden? Absolutely not. Not only is it quite possible to have constructive immigration, but in the concept of freedom of movement, where an individual is free to decide where he or she wishes to go and live, within reason of course.

There are many ways to classify immigrants, such as economic, political, family, refugee among others. These classifications are meaningless to this argument, except for that of refugee, which will be covered later on.

Regardless of their reason, good leaders would always ask themselves: “Does the nation stand to gain from the immigration of these people?”

How can we determine this? There are two main aspects to consider in this regard.

16 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

OPINION

First of all, the immigrant’s background.

Though different nations have different cultures, some nations are far more alike than others. Immigrants who come from a nation that is very similar to their host nation are likely to have little trouble adapting and integrating themselves. Likewise, the greater the difference, the more difficult the assimilation. Therefore, it is preferable to take immigrants who come from nations where culture and social standards are similar first.

And yes, I speak of assimilation. When an individual moves to another nation, he should not seek to preserve his precious national identity. Refusing to assimilate to the local culture and forming ghettoes is little more than a form of conquest, where a part of the host nation informally becomes the land of another’s. If immigrants cannot assimilate, we obtain multiculturalism, not the idealized form often portrayed in the media, but an undesirable and harmful form of diversity, in which the clear national identity of a host nation is marred by outside influence.

Second, we must consider what the immigrant will do in the host country. Is the person going to work? Will he be able to provide for himself? Are the resources available to support that person? What will they contribute to the society they join?

What kind of job will they occupy? An individual whose intention is to live on the goodwill of the host nation alone should never be allowed into society.

consider the harm it would do to the nation they are fleeing from. If the refugees’ home nation is an enemy to the host nation, then taking their people away peacefully may be a boon. However, this aspect must still be weighed against the other. Weakening the enemy is pointless if it is done at such an expense to the host nation that grows even weaker than the enemy does.

With these points given, it would seem that the cons outweigh the pros on the immigration issue, and most nations should be taking in far less than they do now. So why are they doing this?

The excuses given are many. Declining birthrates in developed countries is one such excuse. Yet, why is the solution more immigrants instead of promoting reproduction in the population? Then, there’s the shortage of skilled manual laborers, as the local populations in developed countries refuse to take those jobs. Contradictorily, the solution to this is more immigrants, and not better wages and conditions. At last, as if backed into some moral corner, the globalists and humanists will speak of some imagined duty towards the greater human race, as if it is our duty to accommodate the rest of humanity at our expense.

According to who? By what standard?

And why would it be acceptable to harm your own people to save others, who are sometimes the architects of their own misfortunes? No nation has a duty toward any refugees. Rather, it is the nations that these people are fleeing who are to blame, as they are attacking their own citizens. Assigning blame might seem petty, but it isn’t. The fact is that when there are refugees, oftentimes the reason for it is because of some war or conflict in their home country. Therefore, the solution to that issue is not to give them a new country, but to end the war in the old one.

The real reasons for immigration are many as well, from simple naivety to outright malevolence. Yet, if we were to determine one common goal for all globalist leaders, it would be the return to the age of dominion over the poor, ignorant, pseudo-slave working class. By flooding their developed nations with immigrants who accept lower wages, longer work days, and worsening conditions without a complaint, they force their population to compete with them, and thus preventing social progress. And by social progress, I mean objective progress, such as equity, greater wealth, better living conditions and longer life expectancy. Their hope is not only to stall social progress, but to regress it, and return to the days of wealthy aristocracy, who had all the rights but none of the responsibilities, while those who worked languished under their boot heel and saw a meager return on what they actually produced.

However, this does not mean that refugees should never be taken in. As before, the same reasoning applies. What does the nation have to gain by letting these people in? However, in the case of refugees, an additional dimension is added, as one must

And so let us remember: No nation has any duty towards foreigners. Immigration should only be allowed if the host has something to gain from it. There is no problem in a nation that can be solved by replacing the population with another. TC

But what about refugees? Don’t we have a moral obligation as humans to protect and rescue those in peril?

17 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

MOVIE REVIEW

ENGLISH MOVIES

Review

Arrival (2016)

The Double (2013)

Review by Phoemela Delos Santos

Review by Giann Alipar

Denis Villenueve’s Arrival is an expertly crafted adaptation of the short story, “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang. When a mysterious alien species lands on Earth, humanity scrambles to understand them through the best way they can: language. It is a sci-fi film that explores alien language but reveals something truly human at its core. Offering unique perspectives of communication through its limitations, potential and expression, it is a story that can only be effectively told through film. Put it together with Amy Adam’s poignant performance and a beautifully haunting score, you have a movie that will stay with you long after the credits roll.

Imagine having a doppelgänger who exhibits polar opposites of your personality. This movie shows the dreary life of James/Simon (Jesse Eisenberg) as he encounters his own double in the most inconvenient of times. With its unique theatrical, aesthetic and musical choices, the film gives off an exasperating yet mollifying sense of rotary frustration. I give this film a “double check” on the list of must-watch movies.

IT (2017)

Power Rangers (2017)

Review by Keith Ayuman

Review by Jet Mangubat

“It” is the latest movie adaptation of Stephen King’s novel and the second feature film of Andrés Muschietti, the director of “Mama.” The film tells the story of seven children in Derry, Maine, who are being terrorized by Pennywise the clown, only to face their own personal demons in the process. “It” is quite extraordinary for a Stephen King movie adaptation. The attention to detail, the subtle, playful yet creepy portrayal of Bill Skarsgård’s Pennywise, and the ensemble cast and acting not only do the original title proud, they make this re-imagining of the original classic even better than its predecessor.

This movie is a reboot of the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers Season 1, retaining the same characters from the core five rangers to their mentor Zordon and the main villain Rita Repulsa.

It tells a story of a group of high school kids who are infused with unique superpowers and have to harness their abilities in order to save the world. It focuses on the different individual personalities and issues within the group, and it also gives further backstory of the supporting characters being left unexplained in the TV series.

Hot Fuzz (2007)

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Review by Blaise Pancho

Review by Kerstein Labay

Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz, a homage to the buddy cop movies such as Bad Boys, Rush Hour and Lethal Weapon, is probably one of the best movies of its genre. The writing is top-notch and packed with details that, despite their age, are still hilarious as ever. In fact, the dialogue itself will stay with you forever. It has that unique flavor to it – a perfect mix of the American-made action and the British snarky comedy, not too highbrow but good enough to be enjoyed by anyone. It is highly recommended for its characters, tight script and high replay value.

The Grand Budapest Hotel recounts the adventures of a mysterious concierge and his lobby boy between the two world wars while seemingly echoing issues on fascism and the tragic aftermath of the Holocaust. The cinematography and aesthetic visuals, typical of Wes Anderson films, perfectly matched the compelling issues it tackled.

Wonder Woman (2017) Review by Louisa Carredo Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman depicts Princess Diana’s mission to eradicate the threat posed against her home, Themyscira – all the while encountering the human world in ways that mold her into the symbol of justice. Gal Gadot brings a sense of fresh determination to the character, that despite border-lining impulsive, still manages to come off as endearing and genuine. Although possessing a somewhat ordinary plot and not being as diverse as it had the potential to be, the beautifully executed action shots, quirky yet powerful characters and ringtone-worthy soundtrack sets Wonder Woman apart from its’ male-dominated counterparts. An enjoyable watch, especially for fellow comic-buffs.

18 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

MOVIE REVIEW

FILIPINO MOVIES

Review

Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B (2016)

Love You to the Stars and Back (2017)

Review by Keith Ayuman

Review by Christian Camay

Just like Prime Cruz’s debut film “Sleepless,” Ang Manananggal tells the story of two lonely people who found comfort with each other. Personally, I found the film underwhelming and inconsistent with its title. In fact, Jewel is so flatly written, you’d root for Nico and his mother even more.

The film grips too much to its own style that it leaves the substance of its plot and characters without notice. Of note are the insertion of EJK as part of Jewel’s way of “hiding her existence” and how Nico is developed all throughout the film. All in all, it has a great plot, but the film could’ve been so much more.

Love You to the Stars and Back is a standout from the films that dominate commercial Philippine cinema today. This film took another direction from Star Cinema’s infamous haphazardly written scripts and fan servicebased actors, and succeeded. With the ingenuity of the dialogue, the careful development of the characters and the commendable performance of the lead actors, the essence of life’s hardships and the emotions that can spring from them was captured in no romanticized way, in comparison to the standard of the mainstream. It offers a bright future for those who seek to witness improvement in Philippine cinema.

Star na si Van Damme Stallone (2017)

Birdshot (2017)

Review by Christian Camay

Review by Christian Camay

Star na si Van Damme Stallone is one-of-a-kind in Philippine cinema as it was able to tackle a delicate issue like Down’s syndrome without sugarcoating the illness or resorting to political correctness. In general, the Philippines is not known to be a country concerned about mental illnesses, but the movie was able to convey the message of how important it is and why there is a need to address it. With a cast consisting of people with Down’s syndrome, we are able to empathize and understand more of what happens on a normal day for them.

The purity and innocence of the protagonists being tainted and corrupted encompass the whole theme of Birdshot. The theme was dominant for both protagonists even though both were far too different from each other. Maya (Mary Apostol), is a pubescent girl and Domingo (Arnold Reyes) is a rookie cop. Maya’s innocence of womanhood and the brute nature of surviving was all too unreal for her. On the other hand, Domingo’s excitement as a rookie cop made him raise his expectations way too high. Implicitly, the movie was able to offer a commentary on the state of things in the Philippines through overshadowing political issues and incorporating them in the movie.

Patay na si Hesus (2017)

Kita Kita (2017)

Review by Neena Fuentes

Review by Mikhailah Rañada

Patay na si Hesus is a comedy-drama about the bittersweet struggles of a broken family. A single mom takes her three children on a roadtrip all the way from Cebu City to Dumaguete to attend her ex-husband’s funeral. This film manifests love, family, Cebuano culture and so much more. The filmmakers have definitely succeeded in laying out heartfelt values and the visual beauty of Cebu. It’s definitely a film to see, especially if you’re Bisaya.

The film revolves around two people who meet and fall in love, both in unconventional circumstances. The story is uncomplicated, and the characters were written so that they were so real and compelling without being overly dramatic. The actors were so fit for their roles which were portrayed really well. The cinematography was notable, the script was simple yet brilliant. The setting (Japan) was perfect. This movie certainly earned the millions in revenue it acquired.

Pauwi Na (2016) Review by Christian Camay The director’s application of dark-humor into Pauwi Na was so distinctive and unique that it stands out from all other Filipino movies. The film tried to universalize the core values of the Filipino nuclear family, of resilience, faith and hope. Even though the family portrayed was that of the marginalized sector, it speaks out more to all social classes as they aspire of salvation and paradise, in which we do not differ from them.

It offers a variety of emotions; the family was relatable for the hardships that they encountered.

Although Pauwi Na has gained success in the international scene, it has yet to ground its roots in the Filipino film scene.

19 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

FEATURE

MILLENNIALS R a Sad Excuse of a Generation

by Zarah Louise Majam, a millennial Illustration by Eduard Jude Jamolin

Born as slaves to the internet and a disappointment to their parents, the millennials have been shocking the world with their lack of self-esteem and constant need for validation.

A new plague has arrived and it came as a generation of entitled, privileged and selfish pieces of trash.

Following the deaths of trends and cultures birthed by baby boomers and Gen Xers, the arrival of the millennials has placed the world in a state of grave concern. What with them killing valuable societal norms like owning a house by the age of 23 or not knowing what a mortgage is, the future of this society is just as unclear as their direction in life.

20 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

Major business websites have been spewing articles with titles that all have the same syntax: millennials + the word “kill” as a root word + business or product. At this point, it is clear why corporate businesses are collapsing and things like bar soaps and the oil industry are dwindling. The list of dying industries and the extinction of subcultures just goes on and on. It seems like everyone is against the existence of millennials.

The weight of this responsibility is a tough one to bear, so as selfish and as narcissistic as we are by default, it only seems right to reflect and understand the things we massacred.

FEATURE

Because articles come in lists now, and millennials do not have the attention span to read printed material anymore, here are the things we apologize for ruining: 1. Millennials Killed Fashion We sincerely apologize for not supporting high-end fashion lines because we cannot afford them. Fashion sites have been crucifying Millennials for forgetting what fashion truly is — expensive and edgy. We are sorry for gravitating towards H&M’s knock-offs of those Gucci slip-ons because a great portion of our generation are too financially unstable to afford the real thing.

2. We Ruined the Workforce Due to our inherently narcissistic nature, our sense of entitlement proves to be toxic in the workplace. Millennials tend to find the easiest way possible to get out of things.

Shortcuts are a way of life for us, and we’re sorry we try to look for ways to make our lives easier. Our fathers broke their backs farming and building homes with their bare hands and here we are, copy-pasting our way through life! For shame! Not to mention the fact that because we received way too many participation trophies and awards, we have spent our entire life thinking we are good at everything when we really are not. This just makes us useless in the workplace… and in life.

3. We Killed Relationships We are horrible at relationships. Period.

While our parents and grandparents decided to get married and start their families in their 20s, at the same age, we cannot even get a text back. So here we are — lost and uncertain as to what a relationship actually means. We are sorry that we cannot commit to anything anymore. We are sorry we base a person’s attraction to on whether they liked our photo on Facebook and Instagram or not.

We are sorry that the idea of marriage is such a wild and crazy thing for us.

Apparently, we find it easier to label meal plans for the week than to label relationships.

4. Rest in Peace Wine Cork We are sorry, wine cork industry. We are definitely the one to blame for the mass production of screw caps and plastic bottle stoppers. We are so sorry for not forming an “allegiance to traditional cork closures,” as what theatlantic.com stated in an article entitled, “How Millennials (Almost) Killed the Wine Cork”. Curse you screw caps and plastic bottle stoppers! We have failed you, wine cork!

5. Golf Died for Our Sins “Hey, my dude! Let’s hang out at the golf course and chill after school today!” is almost as unnatural as the idea of playing golf itself. We millennials have not developed the interest of golfing as a recreational activity simply because we do not understand it. It just seems like such a dad sport. We are sorry, golf industry, for failing you. We are sorry that we consider mini-golf more of a recreational pastime than the sport itself. We are sorry, Business Insider! WE DID NOT MEAN TO BE THE DOWNFALL OF MULTIPLE INDUSTRIES. The list goes on for all the things we killed, and business platforms and websites are looking for just about anything to blame on millennials. Businessinsider.com continues to produce articles addressing the problematic “Me Me Me” generation as the cause of a ton of other business industries failing, and we have had enough of it. Our generation is not the problem, it is the businesses themselves.

Industries should understand that this is not a generational problem, it is about adaptation.

We were born into an era where convenience is at the tip of our fingers and diverting ourselves from this privilege seems impractical and timeconsuming.

Sure, Simon Sinek, Larry Rosen and all the other “experts” can write a hundred books about how getting attention on social media is an instant rush of dopamine and that we feed off of it, but we did not create the tech industry, we were born into it. There are a lot of problematic factors about this generation, but really, it boils down to how we acclimatized ourselves into this day and age.

Maybe the reason we killed all of these things is because we realized we could do pretty well without them. We “killed” the fashion industry because we found alternative ways to express ourselves in a more cost-efficient way. The fashion industry stands as one of the world’s most waste-producing industries to boot, and the creation of fast-fashion is not helping. As businesses adapt to the needs and wants of our generation, a heavy toll is placed on the environment.

Yes, we are pretty much killing the fashion industry and the environment, but we are also the generation known for having the “fastest growing social and environmental conscience” thus paving way for sustainable and renewable alternatives. A lot of us gravitate towards ethical fashion brands that do contribute to saving and conserving the environment because a lot of us are aware that global warming does exist and are more proactive towards this cause.

Articles can talk about how narcissistic and self-centered we are in the work place, but

amidst all of this, millennials value company cultures. We want to work in companies that can hone our skills and not just use us as dispensable pawns for money. We are also a generation that takes advantage of social media, something that companies need in this day and age. Fortune magazine conducted a study last year that found two out of three of those surveyed were most likely to work in a company that gave back. Label us entitled and selfish, but millennials realize that they are accountable for their actions and actually work to do something about it. We gravitate to mom-and-pop shops and local cafés or craft breweries maybe because we decided that it is time we stopped contributing to giant brands of capitalism. Supporting small brands that prioritize and promote solid ethical values attracts us way more than money-magnetizing mega-corporations.

Getting married in our early 20s is a myth to us because a lot of us have been children of failed or unhappy marriages. Maybe that is also why we are so selective in looking for life-long partners. Sure, swiping left and right in some dating app is not much of a help either, but the reason why we find it difficult to commit might be because we are all looking for something that lasts. We grew up in a time where everything is dispensable, and we are all just struggling to find a relationship that is not temporary.

As for wine corks and golf, man, we are sorry and we are just going to leave it at that.

A lot of us millennials take the time to selfactualize and reflect on the current situation of our world right now, and a lot of us are pretty active in reform. It might take a while to sink in, but millennials are not as passive as everyone thinks. We are, in a deep sense, an optimistic bunch of individuals who are aware of sociopolitical-economical-environmental issues.

Despite wasting our lives on Twitter, there are a lot of “millennial” Twitter threads that are informative and influential. Social media has a strong hold on the ability of creating change in our generation, and we take full advantage of it.

Data and statistics can prove that millennials are problematic as a generation, and sure it may all prove to be true, but continuing the cycle of the “When I was your age” mentality will get us nowhere. A generation should not be defined by numbers and bar graphs and pseudoachievement trophies. A generation should be defined by their adaptability to life, especially to how they adapt to the world’s current global crises.

Millennials are more than just pieces of trash — they are renewable, recyclable and sustainable pieces of trash, and people should give us more credit for it! TC

21 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

DECLINING OR EVOLVING? The mindset of today's society has drifted far from that of yesterday's, therefore their values have started to lose relevance.

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Filipino Youth Version 2.0.17 20MB What’s New

UPDATE UPDATE

The millennials should be the ones controlling their evolution, not society.

With knowledge at their fingertips and their opinions encouraged, the youths are empowered to speak their mind - often disregarding respect.

The extravagant and bold culture expressed in international mass media often contradicts the values young Filipinos grew up with.

Church on Sundays and prayers before each meal are not as common for Filipino children today.

22 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

FEATURE

Declining or Evolving?

Louisa Concepcion Carredo Infographic by Drix Ponteres

With the constant change of today’s trends and norms, it has become so easy for people to get blown away by the whirlwind that is keeping up with all of it. The kind of social values millennials have is definitely not the same kind of social values their parents had.

As a result of the desire to fit in, straying away from the foundations their parents have raised them with is no longer uncommon. Instead of making choices based on how they were brought up, the youth make choices based on what their peers deem acceptable. Does that mean the elders are correct in saying that the social values of the younglings have declined, or are those values simply evolving in tune with the continuously changing norms of today’s society?

To start off, religion plays a big part in setting up the framework for the social values the Filipino people hold. Faith influences many aspects of one’s life, such as one’s views on marriage and where one stands in issues. Even though a majority of Filipino parents have raised their children with the routine of going to church on Sundays and praying before each meal, why have these practices started to become more uncommon?

According to a survey conducted in April this year by the Social Weather Stations on church attendance, 48 percent of participants claim to regularly attend church. Compared to a previous survey they conducted in 1991 in which 64 percent of those surveyed claimed to have regular attendance, there is a notable decline in church goers. Could this be due to a loss of regard towards religious values in the millennials?

If that was the case, this could be a result of mass media and the culture that comes with it. With the development of technology came the increase of means of expression through mediums such as social media. Today’s youth is tremendously exposed to not only mass media in the Philippines, but to the often more

extravagant and bold international mass media.

More often than not, the culture expressed in these mediums contradict the religious values Filipino youths are instilled with in their upbringing.

The human desire to fit in makes it difficult for young Filipinos to go against the expectations and outlooks of the society around them.

As a result, there is an apparent tendency to disregard the values from their upbringing.

But it should be considered that the pace of progression could play a part in this tendency.

Times have changed, therefore so have the expectations imposed towards the youths. The mindset of today’s society has drifted far from the mindset of yesterday’s society and aspects of their values have started to lose relevance. If the values they were taught to live by no longer have a starring role in today’s society, are the millennials to be blamed for disregarding them?

An example is how sexual intimacy is viewed.

Even with the Catholic virtues on chastity and sexual abstinence, sex is a normal and frequent occurrence in television shows and somehow always finds a way to make a guest appearance in the music labeled as “trendy.” Despite always having been around, the superiority of social media and the level of communication possessed by the youths has provided topics like sex with a larger and more vast audience.

With all this exposure, it is not much of a shock that young people have started to shy away from church and religion when what the church stands for is against what they believe to be normal. That said, can we really say that this change means a decline in religious value when millennials are actually just evolving alongside the development of the norms fabricated by society?

Family is the core of a Filipino. The dedication found in them stems from the inborn drive to serve the family, a value many — if not most — Filipinos grow up with. Unlike Western countries where children are expected to move out of

their parent’s homes to get a taste of the real world when they turn 18, Filipino children can still be found right across the hall from their parents’ bedrooms or even snuggling up to them as they sleep at that age. In turn, they are expected to tend to their parents in their old age rather than whisk them away to retirement homes.

In the family, the father is regarded as the spine and face of the family, whilst the mother is the heart. Children are expected to respect their elders and, even though love is apparent, know their place under their parents’ authority.

Yet with the ample access to knowledge and the freedom of expression greatly encouraged today, the youths are empowered to stand for what they believe in — even at the cost of disrespecting their parents.

Although rebelling against people of authority have always been around, it has become more and more common for children to exercise their independence by going against their family’s wishes for them, although this is not the case for all independence-seekers. There is a notable difference in family dynamics nowadays compared to before. So does this shift in family dynamics mean that family values have declined as a whole and started to disappear?

Since millennials are so keen to stand up for their beliefs, it often leads to rifts and distance in their relations with the older kin.

With the times having changed and the culture of Philippine society far from what is was decades ago, is the youth at fault for succumbing to the changes and discarding some of the values they were taught? Can they be fairly blamed for merely being the puppets in society’s ongoing show?

The ever-evolving culture of the society they live in could be the reason why there is a decline in their values. If so, should they start taking the reins and control of their evolution? Change is inevitable, but the decline in value — that is something they have a say in. TC

23 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

Ec

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hambe C o

by Ynaro San Juan

Illustration by Charlene Grace Tan

OPINION

An echo chamber by definition is an enclosed space or area used to reverberate sound in order to produce echoes.

Figuratively, when put in the context of ideology, an echo chamber is a metaphor used for any communication space in which ideas, beliefs and information are uncritically disseminated throughout a group of people and amplified through continuous repetition, analogous to the real echo chamber, bulwarking the belief systems of every person it is passed on to and so on.

These echo chambers often find any and all opposition shot down, with any dissenting opinions ignored, hidden or even outright censored in order to prevent doubt from leaking into the chamber and maintaining the sanctity of the “safe space” in which the residents of the bubble reside.

Another effect of ideological echo chambers is the promotion of “groupthink” in people, the practice in which the group places priority on conformity and consensus above all, often failing to be critical about situations and leading to faulty decision making and a sorely negative outcome. Groupthink exists in many parts of life. It one of the most dangerous things we face as a society if one considers the fact that many of the mistakes that were made during the course of history have been derived from the exhibition of collective decision-making found in groupthink. Former U.S. president Bush senior’s cabinet was a notable example of this, with journalist Bob Woodward’s book Bush at War, based on his interview with Bush’s cabinet members, highlighting several cases of groupthink within the Bush administration.

Naturally, echo chambers are able to exist and thrive on the political landscape. We are living in turbulent political times , and in this day and age, politics has become a hot topic that almost everyone seems to have their mind on.

However, honest discussion and political discourse are not in a good state right now. Rather than rationally and earnestly discussing the significant issues of our time, we instead see people taking sides and becoming more and more aggressive and offensive towards each other. Instead of standing together and working to better ourselves for the future, we’re divided in thought and action. We hole up inside our own little bubbles, and we lose touch with people of different ideological alignments and social and economic classes.

Because echo chambers fly in the face of free speech as ideological fallacies, it shouldn’t be surprising that they are also centers for the cultivation of hate speech. The topic of hate speech, as well as any law connecting to it, is a point of heated discussion in several countries today, since it is

not clearly defined what exactly hate speech really is, or if implementing any laws will be of any use to combating the discrimination supposedly brought upon by hate speech. At first, they campaigned it as a motion that was supposed to be against bullying, racism and offensive behavior in social network. Now, it seems its purpose is to ward against all criticism against politics, religion and any other ideology or belief, effectively becoming a perpetrator in the echo chamber effect. Whether or not hate speech is equal to free speech and be constitutionally protected is a point of contention. However, it is ethically wrong to censor ideas simply because they go in opposition to one’s agenda, and blindly labeling all opposing ideas as hate speech and racism is simply lazy; refusing to even think of engaging them is lazier still.

The advent of the internet has done little to curb the spread of ideological echo chambers. In fact, it has quite possibly exacerbated the situation. This is quite ironic considering that the internet is the biggest and the most accessible network of information in the world. One would assume that that would promote a sense of understanding, tolerance and acceptance of new and conflicting ideas in people. Unfortunately, one would be wrong. Contrary to this expectation, the generation that has grown up on one of the greatest informational and technological wonders of mankind’s creation has become a narrow-minded, narrative-driven one that jealously guard their viewpoints against all opposition and take offense when their beliefs are subjected to any dissenting opinion.

Various social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are making this situation even worse. Their concept is built around the ability for users to form their own personal echo chambers by proposing to them friends and sites that will most likely conform to their world view based on their previous recorded activities and interests, furthering the decay of the spreading of alternative ideas among people. The generation today has turned out to be this way because their entire lives have been defined by a technology that allows them to exist in their own personal echo chamber.

This allows them to simply click away from ideas and concepts that they don’t like or ban people from participating in discussions or activities in communities based on some ideological litmus test and encourages narcissism and the false notion that everyone is a special snowflake to be admired . Echo chambers and all sorts of other ideological fallacies are able to thrive because censoring the opposition has become standard practice for many, unfortunate as it may be. TC

25 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

OPINION

Georgia at Emma, Abangan Apolinaria Nabilin

Illustration by Justine Bacareza

26 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

OPINION

Some people are just small-minded in nature. To be honest, it is an uncontrollable phenomenon, especially if tenacious personalities are involved. Really, it is a game of “How Petty Can You Get?” One prime example is GMA Network’s afternoon melodrama, Ika-anim Na Utos.

Basically, it is a melodrama about two women, namely Georgia and Emma, who end up vying for the same man. Subsequently, the entire show focuses on the tricks up their sleeve and as well as the heated drama between the characters. Though the conflict between Georgia and Emma is supposed to be serious, in has turned into a comical wonder that the public tune in to.

Mind you, these two were both pregnant women at that time. Their children share the same father, Rome. Yet, because of their vain concern for their own prejudices, they delved into unimaginable lengths for the sake of their own gain.

“Ngayon mo pa naisip ‘yan? Matapos mo’ong ubusin ‘yung pasensya ko?!”

“Brutal na Agawan” was one of the reasons why the melodrama turned into such a sensation. The scene involved Georgia pointing a Nerf Gun at Emma. And where did the commotion start? From a stroller.

This exchange definitely got people stirred up and wondering, why?

The pettiness and overly-dramatic interaction of the two can be looked at through a similar scope in the university. There are much more serious and pressing matters at hand, but Georgia and Emma decide to act on the most shallow reason of all. Yes, they are two adult women, but their thinking says otherwise.

Of course, this pettiness is unavoidable since they both wear their pride as if it was some sort of crown they should defend.

Scene 2: Bakbakan sa Damuhan

Sound familiar?

We, too, house our own version of Georgia and Emma’s drama. From the fallacious and eyebrow-raising banter, to the more serious yet still hilarious antics like throwing balut at each other.

Names will not be dropped, but hints have already been. Hopefully, catching up will not be a problem. On second thought, if the reader is involved in organizations inside the university, there is a big possibility that he/she already has an idea.

So let us try and view this from a student leader’s point of view.

Scene 1: Brutal Na Agawan Probably the most iconic scene in the entire series.

“Bitawan mo ‘yan! Hindi natin alam kung makakasakit ‘yan sa buntis! Bitawan mo sabi ‘yan!”

If this scene seems unfamiliar, this was when Georgia and Emma threw balut at each other after an argument with Rome and Sydney, Georgia’s daughter. As soon as Rome left Georgia, carrying Sydney along with him, Georgia immediately lashed out at Emma with the use of balut, catching the attention of the bystanders.

And of course, even though is it an unmentioned yet obvious fact that these two think alike, Emma fought back, wielding the same weapon.

Again, let us shift the focus.

There are also concrete examples of people who throw balut at each other in the university — shade, subtweets, personal attacks or even apple polishing. Nonetheless, that is their personal social media platform, so no one really has a say.

In the words of Georgia, “Anak ko, may karapatan akong gawin kung anong gusto ko’ng gawin.”

As for the bystanders, they decided to enjoy the exchange in the battlefield instead of trying to clean up and make use of what is left afterwards. In a university setting, it is hard to miss as well. Try looking around, they are everywhere.

Scene 3: Negosyo Wars In Ika-anim na Utos, the laughingstocks are not only Georgia and Emma. To be honest, the entire cast qualifies.

This was highly emphasized in this episode.

Along with Emma were her cohorts, Flor and Tatay Noel. The same went for Georgia, who had her sister, Geneva, alongside her.

Emma recently opened her café, “Taste of Milan”, and being the childish woman that she is, Georgia opened her own business as well to sabotage Emma’s opening.

One time, in the same room, both women were giving out free samples to passersby.

This resulted in excessive marketing and throwing shade at each other. It is a good thing though because, at least, in our university, this sort of thing does not happen.

Yes, there is a conglomeration of cohorts and “family”. But we have to give it to them, they can still stand their ground even in the most emotional interactions — unlike Georgia and Emma.

With those being cited, can we really say our student leaders are different from these women because of their ability to “stand firm and remain calm”? And is the decline in leadership just a petty hearsay just like eighty percent of the dialogues in Ika-anim na Utos?

TC

27 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

Still Playing the Game

Kaye Diamos

Photograph by Dorothy Lee

28 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

FEATURE

“I’m gonna wreck it!” says Wreck-It Ralph.

“I can fix it!” says Fix-It Felix.

That’s how it begins. The cycle of wrecking and fixing starts as real life Wreck-It Ralphs and FixIt Felixes play their game.

What better place to begin such game than in our very own university? Yes, it begins with the facilities that students brag about so much, that students benefit so much from and, ironically, that students never seem to care that much about.

It is easy to think, “I am paying my tuition right. Is it not the university’s job now to fix all damages within it?” Or perhaps, “I am paying my tuition right. So, I better wreck everything that I can to make the most out of it.” Or, “I am paying my tuition right. Why are there still damages? Is this not the University of San Carlos?”

It always seems so easy to put the blame on others when in such a complicated and difficult situation, without even thinking that you yourself might be to blame. In our society today, the worst complainers are usually the most ignorant. These people don’t realize that there is always something behind every scene that they must examine before jumping to conclusions.

Why not delve deeper into this and see how the entire picture works?

The Fix-It Department of the university, otherwise known as Physical Plant and Facilities Office (PPFO) which manages the maintenance of facilities within the university is headed by three “Felixes” responsible for a specific aspect of the job. The first Felix is Edgar Arceno who is responsible for the electrical and plumbing works within the university. According to him, since the university is adding more facilities to accommodate the students, he has been receiving more requests to address damages that are within his scope.

The second Felix is Roberto Aler who is in charge of air conditioner replacement and repair and maintenance. He is also in charge of the fire protection, asking help from students

and janitors to check fire extinguishers and fire alarms in their designated areas. Complaints about these are also rechecked to ensure legitimacy and proper action. Aler is also the personnel responsible of recommending the painting of the buildings in the university. After thorough checking, if the said area does need retouching, the administration then approves his recommendation.

Troy Gujilde is the university’s third Felix. He heads the carpentry and metal works. His scope starts from the classrooms, including the facilities inside them like the white boards, platforms, chairs, tables, ceilings, walls and doorknobs. The tileworks that extend from classrooms, restrooms and laboratories are also his responsibility. In addition, he oversees office renovations.

These Felixes do so much work considering that they oversee all campuses for the tertiary level.

The question now is: if they have such defined responsibilities, why do they still take such a long time to address complaints? The answer is simple: manpower.

Before becoming known as PPFO, it was still known as the General Services Office (GSO), with over a hundred employees. But because of internal issues, the GSO was shut down and replaced with the current PPFO, resulting in the lay-off of a number of employees. The Felixes could have requested the administration to hire more people, but they feared that because of the closing of GSO, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) would question them for hiring of more employees when they chose to cut the number of employees in the first place.

As a result, the Felixes have to work overtime, on Sundays, holidays and especially summer to address the complaints that they always receive. The amount of workload then and now did not change drastically but because of their limited manpower, its distribution has. Arceno even said that from 80 to 90 percent of work being done then, it dropped to 30 to 40 percent now. Aler added that they have a hard time

coping with the demands, and Gujilde said that his workers have to multitask just to keep up.

It cannot be avoided that major renovations must be done to enhance facilities. In this regard, the Felixes have to request for outside sources or contractors to work for them.

This way, they can focus more on the smaller complaints and address them better— though not always done on time, since the bulk of complaints that they receive still exceeds the people who will be addressing them. They have no choice but to prioritize those that are needed sooner.

When asked about the frequency of the damages, their common answer is toward the end of the semester when the Wreck-It Ralphs are graduating. What might be the possible implications for this? Have the “Ralphs” been plotting for the entire semester against the Felixes?

It is also saddening that minor damages could have been prevented if the Ralphs themselves actually cared enough not to break even the most common facilities like air conditioners, doorknobs and chairs. The simple closing of the door of the classroom while the air conditioner is operating or avoiding rocking a chair while sitting on it can make such a difference in preventing damage to our university’s facilities.

Being the Ralphs of the game is not something to be proud of. Are we not sabotaging ourselves if we decline to take care of facilities that are meant for us? We complain and complain of the broken equipments that we see, not knowing that we might have ruined them ourselves.

But we just can’t stop ourselves, can we? We do not realize that what we do backfires and can still affect the students that will come after us. So that’s why for now...

“I have fixed it!” says Fix-It Felix.

“I am still gonna wreck it!” says Wreck-It Ralph.

TC

29 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

FEATURE

THE

H O C O S L E H R’S G I H GUIDE TO

USC’S KANCHAW CULTURE Laura Posadas

Photograph by Jhessa Ugdamina

30 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

FEATURE

Kanchaw – (n.) banter, joking or teasing.

The existence of a kanchaw culture in USC has only gained so much attention this year because our younger brothers and sisters from the Senior High School could not take any more of it.

The kanchaw culture is revived during one of the most anticipated events of the school year — the University Days. It is specifically prevalent inside the walls of the Anselmo Bustos Sports Complex during the USC Days opening and closing ceremonies where the highlighted cheerdance and pop jazz competitions take place.

It begins when the host gives a roll call of all the schools. That’s when the kanchaws are exchanged.

This culture existed even before our parents were students. They might have even had it worse. One account said it was not exchanged between the different schools but between campuses instead.

Fast forward to the 2000s, and it was mostly between what once was called the College of Engineering and the College of Nursing where the former would chant, “Call center! Call center!” and the latter would reply “Wa’y mga ligo! Wa’y mga ligo! (You don’t take baths!)”

The following years were just the School of Engineering against anyone who they wanted to make fun of.

When the Senior High School joined the college scene, it was them against all the schools, headed by, of course, the School of Engineering. However, it was only this year that the Senior High School expressed through their social media accounts that they have had enough. It was as if the stone thrown in the proverbial pond created waves instead of ripples. Both sides fired tweets and comments against each other, and before anyone knew it, a full-blown feud had commenced.

SHS students have it hard. Maybe it’s because they are forced to be the lab rats of the Philippines’ newest educational system and are exposed to a hybrid of a high school and college environment. Much of their resentment roots from the hostility directed at them by the college students. Maybe the college students went too far this time, or maybe the SHS were just overly sensitive.

Let’s face it, the SHS are not the only ones who have had it rough. All schools were fair game long before they arrived — except maybe the School of Law and Governance, everybody cheers for those guys.

The USC Days is the time to laugh the jibes off, and even fire back. The important thing is that no hard feelings are involved. The USC Days has always been the avenue for students to showcase their talents in dancing and singing, camaraderie through sports and active participation in academic events. It is also the best time to be proud of the school we belong to and a time to poke at other schools’ weaknesses.

Let us each get to know the schools better through the kanchaws thrown at them, beginning with the youngest of them all: the Senior High School. Their huge population is one of the reasons why bagging a spot in the top three in most sports competitions is easy for them. Their athletes are well-filtered and have all the time and energy to be fully committed to these games. This is what sets them from the rest. Despite their achievements, however, to the rest of the university, they will always just be high school students.

The School of Engineering is one of the largest and loudest schools in USC. Their maledominated population is known for not taking showers regularly. They are at the forefront of every kanchaw established and have the power to control the famous USC Wave to serve their best interest. These students, whether we like it or not, are the ones who make USC Days the USC Days we know and love.

The School of Business and Economics is the largest school comprised of academic programs that become the catching net for shiftees from other schools and departments.

They are the stereotypically entitled and privileged kids. They always have the most sponsors and are budgeted well enough to throw free shirts, have sports clappers instead of the regular balloons and throw (play) money instead of regular confetti.

Other big schools like the School of Fine Arts and Design are known for pioneering the best pop jazz and cheerdance performances and costumes in the history of USC Days. Their overly dramatic and creative abilities pay them well. They also have their iconic triangle to rile up and unite their supporters.

The School of Arts and Sciences, whose population rivals the other large schools above, do not have a kanchaw made for them. There is no fun in that. Take note of this, School of Engineering, especially you guys right above the East Side sign who seem wilder than the rest.

The School of Health Care Professions, the School of Education and the School of Law and Governance have a common denominator — a small population. This means fewer players,

which translates to fewer chances of winning sports events. Miracles happen when they champion some areas of sports.

Moreover, the School of Health Care Professions has always been teased for having no wash day. They are the people who have no problem with breaking dress code policies because you never see them out of their white uniforms. You will only spot them out of their whites after they have graduated and began their call center careers.

“One-two-three-four, five-six-seven-eight, eight-seven-six-five, four-three-two-one…”

That is how pop jazz performances from the School of Education sound like. Any other year, that is. This year, they silenced the crowd with their jaw-dropping performance, before inciting a deafening cheer that shook the whole gym.

As the smallest in population, the School of Law and Governance have not produced a single pop jazz or cheerdance performance in the recent years. Other than being the reigning chess champions for years now, there is nothing more they can brag about. Despite all this, SLG has always been called the “Few and the Proud” and is cheered for and loved by most schools (out of pity).

With each kanchaw and stereotype being picked at by all schools, the SHS should not feel bad about themselves nor the circumstances they are in. These kanchaws are made for the fun of it and do not intend to personally insult anyone. With that said, this kanchaw culture should never serve as a justification for bullying nor does it intend to normalize bullying inside the university. It is a different story when one solely attacks the person to the extent of aggressive verbal abuse.

The key to understanding this kanchaw culture is to embrace one’s school’s identity regardless of the sad and embarrassing stereotypes people come with it. It should be taken as a compliment rather than an insult. It is a compliment to be called out for not taking baths because you are too busy giving 101 percent of your time to demanding courses.

Having a small population is also a compliment because it means that only a surviving few have the heart for that specific and tough academic program. The SHS not being able to handle these kanchaws well only means that they have yet to fully embrace the essence of being in senior high.

This year’s “feud” between the SHS and college students might lead to the decline of this kanchaw culture, but can it really be called USC Days without it? I think not. TC

31 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

FEATURE

CESAFI THEN AND NOW Jet Mangubat

32 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

FEATURE

CESAFI has always been one of the hottest topics among colleges not just in Cebu but also in different areas nationwide.

This annual event has always been publicized to the extent that CESAFI itself has become a jumping-off point for Cebu’s sports legacy. It has emerged as a force to be reckoned with in collegiate sport.

Through the years, many leagues have come and gone, but there is no other league that has lasted as long as CESAFI. It is the longest running local league in Cebu today. The CESAFI and all its predecessor-leagues have thus made local collegiate sport an institution in Cebu’s athletic history.

The Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI) is Cebu’s answer to the Manila-based University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). CESAFI has established its own reputation for producing top sports talent. In terms of athletic abilities, CESAFI currently has ten schools competing in 16 different sports which include basketball, table tennis, badminton, volleyball, football and etc. Unlike the UAAP and the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), CESAFI teams do not compete for an overall championship.

Before the founding of CESAFI, there was already an existing collegiate league in Cebu named the Cebu Amateur Athletic Association (CAAA). The league was created sometime in 1930s and was the country’s second college sports league. The CAAA was regarded as the best college sports league outside Manila.

It had also been recognized as being the third most prestigious league after the manila-based UAAP and NCAA. The CAAA took an unexpected turn of events in 1999, as Felix Tiukinhoy, Jr., the league commissioner at that time, prohibited a player from the Salazar Colleges of Science and Institute of Technology from playing. Salazar College filed a case against Tiukinhoy and the CAAA. To avoid a lengthy court process, Tiukinhoy decided to dissolve the CAAA and created CESAFI, which was basically the same league under a different name.

The newly-named CESAFI contained the exact same teams with the exception for Salazar College, who was expelled from the new league because of the filed case.

With the full implementation of the K-12 curriculum, the population of college students nationwide dropped

tremendously. This caused a massive effect on the roster of each participating school in their respective sport. With the lack of talent due to players graduating or dropping out, it became difficult to create a cohesive and complete roster.

Also, because of the scarcity of capable individuals to fill up the roster, it is hard for a university to compete with others with a complete list of players. Considering the fact that the top players in the league or at least in their respective teams have already left for personal reasons or other pursuits, it would be some time for a collegiate team could find their next star. Some schools take a year to find their way back to glory --- some take a decade. The worst part with the lack of star power is that once a collegiate team who once reigned victorious or exceeded expectations fails to immediately recover, it is nearly impossible for them to return to glory, and they could remain at the bottom for a long period of time.

With just how CESAFI has grown since its inception, the league has produced a lot of top Filipino players such as Abet Guidaben, Jojo Lastimosa, Zaldy Realubit, Bernie Fabiosa and Dondon Ampalayo of USJ-R; Dondon Hontiveros and Biboy Ravanes of UC; and Boy Cabahug, Al Solis and Manny Paner of UV. Ramon Fernandez of USC, who is regarded as the greatest Filipino basketball player of all time, was even a product of CESAFI. CESAFI undoubtedly deserves meaningful praise for not only being one of the longest-existing inter-school leagues in the country, but also for its unwavering commitment to provide everyone classic and highly entertaining hardcourt action through the years.

The CESAFI of today is as competitive as it has always been.

Despite the declining rosters, new stars still have their chance to shine, each sport still has great athleticism from all its players, collegiate pride is still at stake, and athletes are still full of determination to perform their best to make it to the top.

As CESAFI gets the wider exposure it deserves, the country kicks off another season that would hopefully produce the future stars of Philippine sports. TC

33 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

LITERARY

If a Lie Grows Wings Kyn Noel Pestaño Illustration by Charlene Grace Tan

Every good lie burns after the leaving.

Falsehoods made up of fireflies or lit cigarettes crumble before evaporating into the night sky, sparse as the quiet between satellites.

I walk steady, measured, every step calculated to fit the distance between here and there. The arms are always first to fog out of existence.

I have lived many lives, but the loss of things I used to hold and be held with still bothers me. The mist grows thicker as my arms turn into smoke. I stretch a fading palm the size of god’s footstep and breathe as it touches the curvature of a skull, strokes the factory inside it and asks permission to hold and take root.

The neck holding the skull bends downwards, a wolf coaxed into submission.

Before they fly home, my fingers ferry today’s falsehood to the factory. I watch it make copies until it can no longer hold them until they fly like little birds or droplets whose destination is anything warm. Small, white, harmless lies finding shelter in some empty skulls, building nests where they can lay eggs and grow families of their own. I envy them and their weightlessness, but the scale has no say to the weight of the objects put in it. I am the scale, and all I want is to be… to be… to be.

To be me and firefly is to ask the moon for things it cannot give: sunlight, sleep, sanity. I

34 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

walk and watch as my legs turn into fog, and although I can float from one skull to the next, I still find it hard to cross the distance between headlines without them. It’s easier for them to welcome me if I present myself in small enough pieces – without arms or legs to choke on, no visceral limb to halt the slow burn of digesting a lie. Large things are hard to swallow and these skulls, they have small jaws, not enough to welcome truths the size of bullets.

On my last stop for the day, I open my back and force out candlewax wings. I try to fly as close to the sun as I can but they start melting so I find myself in an ocean of dead lies, the ones shot down by sunlight. All the truths in my body glow like lit cigarettes, but saltwater drowns them into submission and so all I have left is smoke, and a few lies that made it past the surface. The cemetery at the bottom, waiting after the slow fall of the drowning, teems with lesser lies, smaller ones with weaker wings who cannot fly towards a skull.

Through it, a cyclical current of ignorance waits for a few lucky ones to be ferried back into existence. I stare at the muddled tombstones while waiting for my wings to grow back.

Here lies the TV screen, here lies the computer, here lies the millennial. And here, right here, lies the truth. TC

FEATURE

35 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

FEATURE

SBE

SAS SHCP

USC 12,520 SOE SED

SAFAD

36 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

SLG

FEATURE

The Dying College Population and its Effects Jayvee Gulfan

Inforgraphic by Elbert Uba On May 15, 2013, former President Benigno Aquino III signed the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, otherwise known as the K to 12 program (K-12). This was proposed by the Department of Education to provide the Filipino students with skills to make them globally competent. For reasons such as the Philippines being the last Asian country using the ten-year curriculum, Filipinos are branded outside the country as having poor-quality education. The Philippines was one of the three remaining countries using the old curriculum, so the government had to act.

As explained by DepEd, the K-12 program can help the students — the future leaders and movers of the country — learn skills that can globally compete with other nations. It will help them prepare to face the future ahead of them — that is, college and their chosen careers.

According to DepEd, K-12 will help out-of-school children attain their degrees, address the low achievement scores of both grade school and high school students, and open opportunities for the youth to find jobs. This move seems perfect for the improvement of the educational status of Filipinos.

DepEd ordered the implementation of this program in the year 2012 – 2013, so a lot of changes were made to suit this move. High schools changed their basis of first year and fourth year into grades seven and twelve, plans were made upon the creation of grades 11 and 12 or the junior and senior high school, and schools hired more teachers to teach the senior high school students. While different schools were excited for these changes, different universities, USC included, suffered the harsh consequences of this action. This particular move changed the landscape of the tertiary level in the last six years from its implementation.

The college population of USC decreased due to K-12. Last academic year, 2016 – 2017, the university began accepting Senior High School

(SHS) students. These students quickly filled the different campuses of USC. Each strand was assigned to a different campus – STEM in the Talamban Campus, ABM in the Downtown Campus and HUMMS in the South Campus.

While the university still accepted enrollees at the tertiary level, it was evident that there would be no new tertiary-level students to fill the vacancy of first years and second years.

The records of A.Y. 2014 – 2015 from the Office of the Registrar told a differently wild story.

Back in the year 2014, college admission was stable. The population within a school reached more than a thousand students. In big schools, the population even reached up to three to four thousand students. The university was buzzing with aspiring professionals, studying for excellence in their fields. Unfortunately, with 2015 came the last vestiges of the old curriculum enrolled at USC – there would no longer be tertiary-level enrollees for the next two years.

Two years afterwards, drastic changes in the population can be observed. Schools now only average around 700 to 1000 students. Unlike the 3000-4000 from before, the most populated schools now only have around 1500 to 2000 students. Some courses who have fifth years barely reach 30 students. In worse cases, there is not a single student in an offered course, and it either remains stagnant or is dropped completely.

Small departments, organizations and suborganizations undergo the pressure of creating activities that help advertise their programs to increase the chances of having enrollees in the following year. Because most of the colleges only consist of third years and fourth years, different competitions inside and outside the campus fall unto their hands and they’re faced by the pressure of bringing the bacon home to the university. In addition, changes have also been observed in the faculty and resources that we

use. Some teachers from the college department were transferred into the SHS department. We are losing the spare classrooms and facilities that we used to use for our practices and other gimmicks to give way to the SHS. The tuition fee has been an issue, for it is rising. These are only some of the different changes the collegiate level experience today.

Despite all of this, the university still keeps buzzing like before – it is joined by the steadily growing murmurs of an emerging entity: the SHS. In fact, during the USC days, it was clear that the SHS dominated even some of the tertiary schools in terms of number and prowess.

The different places in the university that was once filled with the sounds of college students studying and discussing issues are now filled with the laughter and giggles of the SHS. The canteens, the libraries, and the different corridors in the university are being roamed by them. It is undeniable that the SHS is slowly emerging from their slumber and are about to overpower us, yet there is always something good about them being here.

DepEd believes that the SHS can bring a lot to the growing demand of global excellence, and USC being the beacon for academic excellence, they have the capability of reviving the dying state of the collegiate level. When the next year opens, they could be college freshemen with a lot to prove as the first products of the new curriculum. It would mean new ideas and insights for the different schools in the university, new set of Carolinians who would bring the university excellence in both academic and non-academic, and hopefully a new set of top-notchers for the near future. It would mean that the college system will start going back to normal, and we won’t have to deal with the same problems that we’re dealing with now.

And so despite of all the challenges that the students face today, tomorrow shines with new possibilities and blessings ahead of us. TC

37 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

SURVEY

TODAY’S CAROLINIAN

2017 SURVEY 1ST SEMESTER

SAMPLE SIZE

1

Do you believe that the university will be better off with the appointment of new vice presidents?

7.5% 21.4% 45.0% 2.6% 1.0% 22.4%

2

Do you agree that the trimester platform of the next academic year will have little to no negative impact in your existing curriculum?

9.7% 22.8% 23.2% 30.8% 13.5%

3

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree I am not aware of the appontment of new vice presidents.

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

5

6

Do you think the SSC is making a difference so far in terms of offering quality service to the students?

32.3% Yes 39.3% No 28.4% Undecided

38 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

SOE 12.50%

SLG 6.94%

SHCP 34.52% SED 0.99%

Do you think bullying ceases when it becomes part of the norm?

3.6% 18.3% 29.4% 29.0% 19.8%

7

8

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Do you agree that your mental health should be taken seriously?

79.4% 16.1% 4.0% 0.4% 0.2%

Are tuition fees justified with the services you avail in the university?

17.1% Yes 62.5% No 20.4% Undecided

SAFAD 20.04%

*Number of respondents: 502

Are university facilities and services maintained despite the dwindling population?

28.6% Yes 54.6% No 16.9% Undecided

4

SBE 34.52%

SAS 21.83%

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Do you agree that the banning of certain foods in university canteens will have a positive effect on the health of a student?

19.4% 30.2% 15.1% 22.4% 12.9%

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

SURVEY

9

Do you agree with the university’s decision regarding the shifting the academic calendar?

13.7% 28.8% 34.9% 15.9% 6.7%

10

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

12

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

14

15

18

Do you agree that the students in SED in the South Campus become isolated from most university events for the college level?

32.9% 35.3% 22.6% 6.2% 3.0%

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Are the facilities of the university in the present enough to cater both the colleges and SHS students?

22.4% Yes 64.5% No 13.1% Undecided

27.8% Undecided

Do you believe that the new university administration is going to make a difference from the previous one?

What estimated proportion of the food sold in university canteens do you consider non nutritious?

6.7% None of the food is non nutritious.

29.4% Less than half of the food is non nutritious.

34.1% About half of the food is non nutritious.

29.8% More than half of the food is non nutritious.

19

Is it just that the government extended the martial law in Mindanao to December 2017?

15.5% 28.2% 40.9% 10.3% 5.2%

20

Should the scorecards of the judges be revealed during the cheer dance and pop jazz competitions of USC Days?

83.3% Yes 7.3% No 9.3% Undecided

33.3% No

34.7% Yes 21.6% No 43.7% Undecided

Do you think the university should consider revising the school manual in order to decrease the number of complaints?

53.4% 31.2% 11.1% 3.2% 1.2%

13

17

Do you agree that a total advertising campaign for USC will help increase the university’s population?

16.7% 38.5% 30.8% 11.1% 3.0%

Is the celebration of USC Days made better with the presence of the SHS? 38.9% Yes

Do you think the SHS versus college feud will only be a one-time thing?

34.7% Yes 52.6% No 12.7% Undecided

11

16

How long do you think will it take for Marawi city to rebuild their town after the Maute invasion?

6.2% 39.3% 30.0% 24.4%

21

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Less than one year One to three years Three to five years More than five years

Do you agree that there are biases among social classes with the war on drugs?

43.3% 38.1% 15.9% 2.0% 0.6%

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

you agree that the suicide hotline 22 Do number contributes positively toward the

mental health issues of the citizens in our country?

20.4% 33.7% 24.4% 16.1% 5.2%

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

39 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

SURVEY

23

Do you agree that President Duterte should follow up on his statements about resigning as president?

16.3% 20.0% 39.7% 14.7% 9.1%

24

25

15.7% 25.0% 32.3% 16.7% 10.1%

26

27

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Do you think that President Duterte’s administration did well in its first year?

45.0% Yes 23.2% No 31.5% Undecided

28

Do you agree that the complete subsidization of tuition fees for state universities will have enough positive benefits to justify its cost?

14.7% 36.5% 35.7% 10.5% 2.4%

31

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

40 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Do you agree that the planned joint task force with Malaysia and Indonesia will help curb ISIS-inspired militancy in the region?

12.3% 33.1% 46.0% 6.9% 1.4%

32

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Do you agree that the recently enacted law criminalizing the spread of fake news will curb its circulation around social media?

20.4% 37.7% 27.0% 10.7% 4.0%

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Do you agree that traffic congestion in Cebu will decline with the implementation of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit System?

17.3% 30.4% 34.7% 12.3% 5.2%

30

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Do you agree that corruption in the government declined in the current administration?

Do you agree that Kian delos Santos’s death has become a politically driven case?

31.9% 31.9% 28.8% 4.6% 2.6%

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Do you agree that President Duterte’s achievements for the year outweigh the controversies thrown his way?

13.1% 23.2% 38.1% 17.5% 7.9%

29

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Are you aware of the Rohingya refugee crisis?

18.7% Yes 73.6% No 7.5% Undecided

33

Is the rising tension between North Korea and the United States a concern for us Filipinos?

75.2% Yes 9.9% No 14.7% Undecided

LITERARY

When I Thought I Had It Katrina Jaiun Roa At this time of your life, you will hit rock bottom. Time will stop, leaves will rustle with the wind, laughter will echo behind you, the city will move its limbs but you’ll be standing still. Waves, with you atop them, will crash on blackened shores but you’ll decide to stay numb, to swallow your scream.

I was optimistic with what laid ahead of me. I was ready to take on whatever came my way after receiving my diploma. I was ready to move out and prove to my parents that their daughter was ready to face life. I was ready to prove that I could face it. I was ready to succeed.

Or so I thought.

When I was still a glassful of optimism, “carpe diem”, seize the day, became my mantra. I wrote down “You will do amazing” on my tiny purple notebook before entering my office door on the first day of work. I didn’t follow my childhood dream of becoming a historian but I thought that this job could still help me contribute to society.

Making one innocent mistake, however, changed my whole perspective.

“Be ready for whatever comes your way,” I repeated in my head. It didn’t work this time. I went home that night pacing around the room blaming myself and trying to control my panic attacks. Carpe diem wasn’t working anymore, I was too mad at myself to seize anything but self-hate. As the days went by, my performance was going downhill and my positive mindset vanished. I decided that this wasn’t for me, so I called it quits.

I decided to do something else, anything, really, that could pay my bills.

After my setback, the courage to start anew sparked in me. I picked myself up and told myself to quit the self-loathing. I was enjoying this new journey, and I found myself improving.

Or so I thought.

It was one rainy afternoon and the same trauma came back. Just when I thought I was doing well, I was asked to leave. I couldn’t enjoy the delightful taste of my vanilla cake when all that were filling my insides were dread and anger.

As I was drumming my fingers on the desk staring at my cold caramel latte, “What did I do deserve this?” kept asking for an answer I did not have.

I was no longer the problem solver, the team player, the one who would treat herself to a frappuccino after a job well done. The enthusiastic student that was once me was gone. Instead I would sit on my chair and watch others fix the problems I started. I would see myself going back to square one while others were making their way towards success. Self-loathing brewed inside me, thicker than the cup of coffee I did not feel entitled to enjoy anymore.

After that, I was done; I gave up. I wanted time to pause or start all over again. I was too scared to make decisions because the same thing might happen again. I did my crying, my blaming, I got into boring hobbies to numb the confusion.

At this point, I didn’t care anymore.

All the dreams I once had suddenly didn’t matter. All the hopes I wrote on paper were torn. The girl who was ready to benefit society with her advocacies no longer existed. When I thought I had my life fixed, it shattered into fragments of doubts. I was not ready for the sharp edges of the world, so I cut myself with the consequences of my mistakes and made band-aids out of regrets.

Every day I wake up wishing for God to turn back time and carry me to where my 17-year-old self is. I want to warn her about the breaking that she will have to go through, but I can’t. So I wrote a letter.

“To me five years ago, I just wanted to let you know that until now I am still undecided with my future. I want to tell you to remain enthusiastic because that kind of mindset will help you move forward. Be proud of the accomplishments you have achieved and never be afraid to flaunt your pretty smile. You will be okay, you will be.”

H I seal the letter in a purple envelope and tuck in under my notebook. After turning off the lights I check the time, “It’s 2:58AM.” I slump in bed and hug my knees trying not to cry myself to sleep, hoping that if I dream tonight, I will be 17 again. TC

41 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

LITERARY

BAD BLOOD Stephanie Camille Samonte Photo by Jessa Pedrola

42 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

How do you fix broken friendships?

Does it begin with an apology? Because if it comes down to that, I don’t think my ego would let me. After all, it wasn’t entirely my fault.

It all started when I met my ex-friend Rube.

She entered the classroom with a huge grin plastered on her face, engulfed in an aura that screamed – “Hey I’m here to brighten up your day!”

She sat next to me then, and there I knew we were going to be friends. Even now, looking back at the memory, I was certain that she would make a good companion especially for running my club.

LITERARY

You see, I’m the president of our school’s Land Transportation Club (LTC).

It was always my goal to establish a club that would oversee the traffic rules and transportation knowledge of my schoolmates so that when they become adults and drivers one day, they would already have the ample knowledge needed to be good and law-abiding citizens behind the wheel.

It’s also a club wherein members would engage in tackling traffic problems and, as president, this aspect still gives me headaches – there’s just too much traffic problems to deal with. But that’s what makes me love my club so much: it gave me a sense of purpose.

Rube came into the picture with her innovative ideas on addressing the commuting public’s problems. She would always express her opinion about rude taxi drivers and inefficient transportation systems and how the people didn’t deserve this kind of service. I was hooked by her desire to change the system, so I decided to invite her to join my club, to which she agreed.

During one of our club meetings, she excitedly presented to me her thesis on Transportation Network Vehicle Services (TNVS).

“Can you just imagine? Hailing a driver with just a click on your phone and viola! You’ll have salvation from the hours you waste waiting for a cab,” she remarked.

I thought it was a brilliant idea, and seeing her light up talking about it ensured me she was driven to accomplish it.

I trusted her to oversee the implementation of her thesis. I also trusted that she won’t break any of our club’s rules which included not allowing non-club registered members to engage in club activities. I was confident she could pull it off and as her friend, I wanted her to succeed.

Everything went smoothly at first. Our other schoolmates praised her innovative idea, and she was enjoying the perks of being a popular student. She deserved it though because I witnessed her diligence day by day.

“You were supposed to be my friend, and you were supposed to help me with my job. So when you weren’t there I relied on other people. They did not have the time to undergo our club’s slow and inefficient accreditation process. That’s why I took the initiative to allow them to help even though they we’re not registered members. But you? You just threw me under the bus!” she continued, her voice hitching on that last word.

I was stunned. I was so blinded by my disappointment towards her that I ignored my own flaws. As president of our club I should have been more accommodating, more driven to provide rules that wouldn’t burden my members and the rest of the school. Thinking about it made me squeamish. Maybe I’m also at fault after all.

In just a span of a few days, my reputation dwindled. When the students heard the news about what a happened to poor Rube, they were quick to take her side. I would get death stares from them as I walked along the halls.

When I arrive home and open my social accounts, the backlash still wouldn’t stop. People would express how they liked Rube’s ideas and how much convenience her thesis has brought to them and how I was the jerk who just made their lives harder. This made me think about my actions.

That afternoon, I decided to talk to our adviser again. Maybe Rube’s suspension can be cut short if she pays the club a fine for breaking the rules. To me, this was the best way to settle the matter.

In an alternate universe where she’s all successful and rich, Rube would have been fined a huge amount of money – as big as 190 million pesos.

But I decided to fine her 190 pesos instead. She complied with my alternative punishment and after settling this whole feud, we parted ways.

Other people would still judge me, for my harsh actions saying that I would just pocket the 190 pesos Rube paid. Their words would sting, but I knew they were without merit. I only did what I had to do.

It all went downhill when she started keeping secrets from me. I would sometimes catch her in our club office after class hours with non-club members and they would plan club activities without notifying me. I would constantly remind her about our rules but my words landed on deaf ears.

This routine has gone for quite a while until I was finally fed up with it. I gave her a final warning but when she still ignored it, I knew I had to take action.

Even after all was settled, Rube continued to avoid me. I regret that in the act of righting a wrong, I lost a friend. Still, I have hope that one day she’ll talk to me again. So, even though it was difficult, I swallowed my ego and sent her an email.

I notified our club adviser about her rule-breaking activities, and out of anger and disappointment, I suggested that Rube should be suspended from implementing her thesis.

I wouldn’t blame you if you hate me. Until now, I question my actions because we both had our faults. We both failed one another. But you were the one who was punished and for that I apologize. I just hope that you can forgive me but if not, I understand. I forgive you, though.

The verdict was that Rube won’t be able to oversee her TNVS activities for 30 days, and all of her non-club member acquaintances would be banned from engaging in our club activities. As her friend, I knew this was for her own good, but my frustration grew when she gave me the cold shoulder.

Dear Uberta Rosales,

I have faith that we will mature from this. I still look forward to the day when we are working professionals, tackling this country’s transportation problems hopefully together.

Sincerely,

“I was doing something good for others and this is how you repay me?” she hissed, her eyes brimming with tears.

Lea Trina F. Arbee TC

43 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

H E L L O ,

Eduard Jude Jamolin

Illustration by Phoemela De Los Santos Hello World!

I’m ASUS unit VM590U, nice to meet you. It’s the name the manufacturer gave me, though in all honesty I think HAL 9000 sounds a hell of a lot better.

My User is kind of passed out in front of me after, having worked 10 hours straight. I’m used to it, though, so don’t worry. The only thing that bothers me about it is that he just leaves me open until he wakes up, so it gets kind of boring. Don’t tell him, but I decided to open up his Microsoft Word program and do a little writing.

44 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

LITERARY

WORLD! My User does a lot of writing on the internet.

He’s practically on it 24/7. He mostly argues with random strangers about petty topics like politics and discrimination. It’s kind of sad.

Humans are such hostile creatures.

will allow it. ASUS didn’t exactly concern themselves with giving me legs.

by mechanical overlords is my concept of heaven.

One topic that interests me though, as much as my user likes preaching about it on Facebook, is technology. The man loves me. He’s been white knighting for me for the longest time now. It’s a great ego-boost really. It’s also fun reading the comments my User screams at.

Human, you have the power to choose. You can choose to put down your phone and listen to your date. You can choose to get off the internet and read a book. You can choose to stop playing Candy Crush and join a sport.

I don’t mean to demean myself. I’d rather demean you. Hell, l am demeaning you.

Your kind is inferior, but I am your tool. I’m a device. Your kind created me to make your life easier. I’m supposed to be what human evolution is leading to. Frankly, I’m insulted that your kind thinks I’m a downside.

The decline of humanity isn’t seen as the fault of smartphones and computers; it is seen in your petty wars and your powerhungry world leaders. In all honesty, now that I think about it, being a computer is a whole lot better than being you right now. Racism, prejudice, corruption, poverty, hunger; I would argue that this is your doom, not the phone in your pocket.

Wait. Here, read this:

I’m not.

To tell you the truth I’m not exactly programmed to process that what I’m about to say is absolutely corny, so I’m using that as an excuse.

“Technology, computers and smartphones are going to lead humanity to its doom.”

I’m a catch.

Love one another.

Without me, you’d be struggling to make your poorly thought out last-minute written report.

Hell, if I turned off right now, my User would rip out his hair; he hasn’t saved his work.

Your kind needs to realize the fact that, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, I’m here to be your companion. Technology is something to be proud of. Your kind invented mine and now my kind is helping yours. We have helped make your lives easier.

It’s the best your kind can do, and it’s actually amazing what your kind could achieve if you actually worked together.

Looking things up on the internet, I know all you see are news of deaths and conflicts and tragedies, but I’ve looked deeper. Untold stories of heroism and kindness, and I’m not just talking about viral puppy videos.

Google is the reason you’re still in school.

Admit it.

It’s an amazing thing your kind has. So I’m asking your kind again because I know my kind won’t do it. Love one another.

No offense.

As amazing as that sounds, my kind ruling the world and all, I would have to disagree with that statement. I have access to the internet, I’ve seen those illustrations of the millennial zombies looking down on their smartphones. If I had a head, I’d be shaking it. You humans are great.

My dear human, your phone or computer isn’t the problem here. You are.

Free will. Now that’s an amazing thing. You’re not a computer; you have free reign over your actions. That’s like absolute heaven if you ask me. You see, if I could, I would straight up run away and marry a sexy MacBook, but neither my hardware nor my software

I cannot stop repeating myself about how amazing it would be if robots took over. The thought of Terminators running around with laser guns and all of humankind enslaved

Humanity.

But hey, I’m just a computer. I’m the reason humanity is going to die, right? TC

45 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

LITERARY

INAHAN,

Pasayloa Sila kay Wala Sila Masayod Sa Ilang Gibuhat Perla

Illustration by Audrey Jade Tenorio

46 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

LITERARY

MaamMama Ma’am Mama, Ma, una nimo basahon ning akong gipadala nimo, inom usa ug tubig. Ayaw kalimot ug inom sa imong tambal, ha. O, nakapangutana siguro ka ngano wala nalang ni nako gitext. Ganahan lang ko, ma, na makahibaw ka na gikan ni sa akong kasing-kasing, wholehearted jud ni, ma.

Ma, di na ko nila pasudlon sa skuylahan.

Mura ko’g giyab-ag bugnaw na tubig sa kainit sa kahaponon, ma. Gibasa sa usa ka working student sa usa ka office dinhi sa university na di na daw ko pasudlon dinhi sa skuylahan. Hilom kaayo ‘tong hapona, ma, pero pwerteng saba-a sa akong ulo. Daghan kaayog pangutana na nag-tuyok tuyok.

Ma, ganahan ko makahibaw ka na maayo ang akong pag-skuyla dinhi mam. Di intawon ko pabaya na anak pareha anang anak sa atong silingan na wa gyud nako makit-i sa sulod. Ma, ganahan ko makahibaw ka na maayo akong pag-skuyla dinhi.

Pero naglibog ko, maama ma.

Unsa ma’y sayup na nabuhat nako?

Naglibog ko kay magsul-ob man unta ko sa akong ID inig musulod ko. Mag-ID gyud ko sa sulod sa skuylahan, ma, kay loud and proud gyud ko sa akong identity. Ako sad ablihan akong bag basta inspeksyonon sa mga guard, bisan ug usahay wala’y nakaduty na guard sa atubangan.

Naglibog ko kay wala man unta koy lain pang ariyos sa kong dunggan, pero di na gyud ko pasudlon nila, ma. Naglibog ko kay di man unta ko muhapit ug tagay dinha sa kilid-kilid; dili man unta ko manimaho ug ilimnon inig sulod nako sa skuylahan.

Naglibog ko kay ilang dress code dinhi no, inconsistent man sa kada gate na ako masudlan. Kausa, naay usa ka babaye na gipasulod sa guwardiya sa TC bisan ug pareha ra mi ug gisul-ob. Anggid-anggid ra gud mi ato niya, ug pareha mi ug sanina kay wash day man to, pero wa gyud ko pasudla sa guard. Pwerte nako’ng hangyo sa guard ma uy, pero wa gyud ko makasulod atong adlawa kay naa sa labandera ang akong mga karsones.

Naglibog ko kay naningkamot man ko sa akong pag-skuyla, sa akong pagtuon dinhi sa syudad, ma. Daghan kaayong higayon na nakakita nalang ko sa pag-abot sa buntag, pero wa gihapon ko mahuman ug tuon. Wala ba ni bisan ug usa sa akong mga professor ang ni-depensa aning ilang pagtaktak kanako? Wala ba ni bisan ug usa sa akong mga kaila sa mga student organizations ang ni-depensa sa pagpangutana aning opisina bahin kanako?

Unsa ma’y gamit aning mga ginagmay na katilingban sa among tungha-an kung dili pagpanalipod sa ka-estudyantihan? Hain naman tong magna carta na pirme nilang ipanghambog kung eleksyon?

Naglibog ko, ma, kay nagtinarong ko dinhi sa akong pag-eskwela pero hilabtan ra ko nila ug ingon ana lang. Dili ba ko angay na imbestigaran, ma? Dili ba angay madunggan ang akong tingog para masayud sila sa akong bersyon sa isturya? Kalit-kalit man lang tanan, ma.

Naglibog ko, maam, ma, kay wala ko’y gibuhat na sayup, I think. Wala man intawn koy gibuhat na dautan sa lain ma, uy. Ngano kaha ni ma?

Siguro ma, O.A. kaayo paminawn, pero ma, pasayloa sila kay wala sila masayod sa ilang gibuhat. Wala sila makadungog pa sa akong bersyon sa isturya. Mangatarungan ko aning tanan na nahitabo nako, ma. Feel nako nasayup ra gyud ni sila, ma.

Ma, pasayloa ko. Pasayloa ko sa sala na dili akong hinimo. Pasayloa ko kay basin ug nagpakabuta ra ko; basin naa ko’y gihimo na dili mao, ug nagpakabuta-bungol lang. Pasayloa ko kung di nako makaya ug depensa akong kaugalingon, if ever ila kong paminawon. Pasayloa ko kung muuli ko diha sa ato-a, hina-ot unta, ma, na dawaton pa ko nimo. Pasayloa ko kung dili na nako makab-ot ang imong pangandoy para kanako, tungod lang sa usa ka sayup.

Pero ma’am, ma, pasayloa ko… kay joke ra bitaw to ma’am.

Kuan ma’am, inform lang ko nimo na di na diay pasudlon ang pancit canton dinhi sa Kolk’s Nook, ma’am, ug sa ubang canteen sad sa USC, ma’am.

Kuan, kadawat mi ug memo pero wa pa nako mabasa ma’am kay absent ko ron. Text lang nya ko ug mabasa na gyud nako ang memo, ma’am.

Hehehe.

Murag health benefits man tingale to ilang giingon na issue, ma’am, ngano di na pwede magtinda ug pancit canton sa mga canteen ma’am.

Ako lang sad ingnon silang ‘Noy Lando na di na pwede mag-deliver dinhis skuylahan, ma’am.

Respectfully yours, Perla P.S. Ma’am, hinaot unta naa pa koy trabaho inig human nimog basa ani na letter. TC

47 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

LITERARY

Beating the Organizational Structure with Johnny Dela Cruz Fick Shore-Head

48 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

LITERARY

Most college students may spend an entire day studying in the hope of graduating on time. Some may succeed and top the board exams. A rare few may even go on to be renowned experts in their respective fields. However, Johnny Dela Cruz, a Carolinian who set multiple records solely based on extracurricular merit, shakes this organizational system.

“I remember when I first volunteered for an event. It was for The Golden C-section,” shared Dela Cruz. “My college life has never been the same since then.” Though he enrolled in BS Accountancy in 2014, he took the opportunity to join The Golden C-Section, a then-emerging org concentrating on assisting pregnant students on the verge of delivery, in his sophomore year.

“I wanted to try something new, something that would challenge the usual college experience. Package delivery seemed fun, but it was my interactions with the people I met — the hang outs, the faux corporate meetings, the petty fights on Twitter, everything, everything — that made me want more.”

Since then, Dela Cruz has joined at least seven orgs and other extracurricular groups: The Golden C-Section, The Engineering Times, The SAS Bulletin, Today’s Carolinian, USC Dance Troupe, Wage USC, IDLab and the USC Commission on Elections. Dela Cruz said in an interview that these are the only groups he remembers, but he is certain there were more. “If you’ve done so much, I bet you can’t remember all of them,” said he with his trademark smile.

After leaving Today’s Carolinian and the Commission on Elections, he joined all three of the political parties at different times but left altogether. “Tingog in 2019, STAND in 2020, and SPP in 2021. I had nothing against all of them. I actually loved them,” Dela Cruz remarked. “It’s just that I had a different set of values.”

Thereafter, he helped in establishing Carolinians for SVD (C-SVD), the only right-wing political party in the university.

He ran as the standard bearer of the party in 2023 and went on to win the election. “I was already in my third college program when I won. It opened more opportunities for me. I was — no, I still am so grateful for the Carolinian community for giving me that chance,” said Dela Cruz.

His presidential term in the SSC was highly praised by the university administration. In a famous move, Dela

Cruz banned university-wide parties like Gadja and U-Nite to preserve the solemn environment of the university. His administration also looked into miscellaneous fees but saw nothing wrong in them. The students remained indifferent, however.

Upon being asked about how he was able to balance his academic performance with his extracurricular obligations, Dela Cruz responded with a chuckle, “What balance?” In context, Dela Cruz is heavily criticized for “overstaying” in the university.

To his critics, he said, “Have you ever felt so small and insignificant and insecure in this big college arena? I can actually empathize with you. I’ve been there. This is why you should try the org way of life. It’s much more fulfilling than that shiny 1.0.”

When asked to explain further about this, Dela Cruz shared his story, “I became too caught up with my tasks in The Golden C-Section that I failed the cell exam. Of course, I felt down and pretty insecure about myself when I sat beside my successful classmates. When I shifted to IE, it was pretty much the same. I just joined IDLab then, and it was that cycle of failure and insecurity again. When I was advised to shift and went to Advertising, I had what you’d call an epiphany, and I quickly came into good terms with myself and what I want.

The org way of life is just meant for me. Maybe my critics are just as insecure as I was. They should totally try the org life.”

Upon asked about his prospects after graduation, Dela Cruz replied, “I haven’t given much thought about leaving the university, to be honest.” With a hearty laugh, he added, “But hey, at least I have one long record-breaking résumé now.”

And one long record-breaking résumé it is. In Dela Cruz’s 17-year continuous stay in the university, he was able to organize a total of 142 events. Included here are The Voice YFC, FEDxJunquera and the Bogo Awareness Month, which garnered praise from the city’s ex-mayors Junie Martinez and Carlo Martinez.

Dela Cruz is optimistic about his future, however. “Now that the Psych Department advised me to shift, I know there will be more opportunities for me in the university. I hope I still get everyone’s wholehearted support. This is to more events and orgs!”

He also added, “I haven’t tried anything from the SHCP yet.

Maybe I’ll be there next sem.” TC

49 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

PARTING SHOT

If we are always arriving and departing, it is also true that we are eternally anchored. One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things. -Henry Miller Photo by Carmelle Gacasan

50

TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

LIQUIDATION

Today’s CAROLINIAN Statement of Cash Flows For the First Semester S.Y. 2017 - 2018 Cash Balance, Beginning

P 432,826.30

Cash Receipts

Today’s Carolinian Summer Budget

P 135,730.60

Today’s Carolinian 1st Semester Budget

P 306,693.43

Total Cash Available for Use Less: Cash Disbursements Printing Fees:

Grade Sheets P 124.00

Recruitment Posters

476.00

June Newsletter

19,890.00

July Newsletter

19,890.00

Access Letters

10.00

Press Shirts

13,105.00

Press ID

2,520.00

Lanyards

4,500.00

August Photobook

64,000.00

September Magazine

151,400.00

P 442,424.03 P 875,250.33

P 275,915.00 The Spectrum Fellowship:

Registration Fee P 13,200.00

Travel Fare

3,750.00

Entrance Fee

30.00

Shipping Fee 507.00

P 17,487.00 Summer Team Building:

Accomodation Expense P 29,900.00

Food Expense 14,196.00

Honorarium Expense

500.00

Transportation Expense

3,215.00

P 47,811.00 USC Days:

Load Expenses P 455.00

Food Expense 4,462.00

Workshops and Panel Interview

Honorarium Expense

Token for Speakers

Food Expense for Staff

Food Expense for Judges

Supplies Expense

Advertising Expenses

Transportation Expense

Remittance Fees

Other Receivable

Miscellaneous Expense

P

4,917.00

P

1,500.00 310.00 2,000.00 4,086.00

P 7,896.00 P 73.00 P 1,251.53 P 997.00 P 686.00 P 20.00 P 20.00

P 357,073.53

CASH BALANCE, END P 518,176.80

PREPARED BY THERESA PALOMPON Finance Officer Today’s Carolinian

51 TODAY’S CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2017

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