EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Karl Benedict Sayson Associate Editor (Internal Affairs) Miko Paolo Mangubat Associate Editor (External Affairs) Christabelle Escudero Managing Editor for Administration Katrina Jaiun Roa Head of Writing Department Cesar Carlos Heyrosa Senior Correspondent Christian Rey Camay News Editor Paolo Perez Online Editor Erikka Leslie Fernando Features Editor - English Kerstein Kylle Despi Features Editor - Filipino Hazel Olive Parmes Literary Editor Julienne Anjela Termoso Art Director Karl Adrian C. Aguro
The Progressive Student Publication of the University of San Carlos
UNIVERSITY OF SAN CARLOS Cebu City, Cebu Philippines 6000 VOLUME XXVI No. 7 SEPTEMBER 2015
EDITORIAL STAFF Operations FINANCE OFFICER Geralden Morre STAFF SECRETARY Paolo Louis Manghihilot ONLINE CORRESPONDENTS Xavier Luke Pulmones, George Ryan Lim, Yenna Chastine Deliman WEB ADMINISTRATOR Josemaria Marcelo Ouano III WEB DEVELOPERS Julius John Puno, Francis Alec Yap, Isaiah Cyrus Majam, Daniel Hans Tan DIRECTOR FOR CIRCULATION AND STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT Gabriel Ramon Arcenas Writing Department NEWS BUREAU WRITERS Esther Abigail Daang, Miriam Burlaos, Kurt Bidua, Jet Mangubat, Sofia Isabel Tajos, Ynaro San Juan, Zarah Majam, Bryant Gonzales, Therese Kate Palompon, Kyn Noel Pestano, Mikhailah Ranada, Laura Posadas, Lyka Bianca Aldemita, Karen Lepon (Contributor), Reyna Angeli Pesquira (Contributor) Art Department LAYOUT SUPERVISOR Leonel Dosdos LAYOUT ARTISTS Pamela Urbiztondo, Phoemela de los Santos, Orestes Talingting, Cherisse Sia, Mar Virgil Eway, Leonel Dosdos HEAD ILLUSTRATOR Zachary J. Borromeo ILLUSTRATORS Shari Gabrielle Llamis, Geralden Morre, Esther Abigail Daang, Xene Cabahug, Justine Patrice Bacareza, Paul Joseph Jamolod, Soika (Contributor), Ramon Kristoffer Tiu (Contributor) HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Angelo Nico Daroy PHOTOGRAPHERS Marben Kristian Lawas, Francis Garcia, Jose Anthony Bernaldo, Gifthir Lemuel Elmido, June Kirslie Escudero, Czarina Gicale, Shin Moynihan, Jasper Gabriel Ramirez, Shekinah Danong, Carmella Gacasan, Jessa Marie Padrolla, Christine Suson, Wednesday Dawn Abelgas, Christian Naparota HEAD VIDEOGRAPHER Francis Garcia VIDEOGRAPHERS Czarina Gicale, Jose Anthony Bernaldo, Shint Moynihan, Darryll Rapacon
THE COVER “The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next.” - Ursula K. Le Guin We are blinded by lines that hide the future. We hold a construct vision for a great life, yet the outcome remains unknown. Change is frightening; no one knows what happens next. It’s up to us to change our perspectives. Change is inevitable. Are you ready for change? Words by Katrina Jaiun Roa Cover Design & Art Direction by Karl Adrian Aguro
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. © 2015. 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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CONTENTS
2
EDITOR’S NOTE
44
W H E N # LOV E W I N S , W H O LO S E S?
4
WA R R I O R S T U R F
46
CEGP
6
A N G PA N I M A PA L A D N I J U N J U N
48
SONA 2016
8
T H E D E G R E E O F U N C E R TA I N T Y
50
O N F I N D I N G FA I T H
10
V O X P O P U L I : A S E A N I N T E G R AT I O N
53
THIS CITY IS DEPRESSING
12
U N C E R TA I N T Y AT I T S B E S T
54
G U G M A I S K A P OY
13
I L L U S T R AT I O N O F T H E M O N T H
56
W I L L C E B U E V E R B E SA F E AG A I N ?
16
W H E N WA L L S B E C O M E C A N VA S
60
D A A N G M AT U W I D
20
GOOD BOOKS
62
WHO RUN THE WORLD?
22
DREAMS OR DISASTERS?
64
T E R R O R T E AC H E R S
24
C A L E N DA R S H I F T
66
PA P E R P E O P L E
26
DEEP THOUGHTS
67
BAD BOOKS
28
CAROLINIAN SURVEY
68
T I TA N I C : H E R U N T O L D S T O R Y
30
TO THE FRESHMAN OBLIVIOUS
70
RANDOM HARM
32
VOX P O P U L I : A R E YO U R E A DY T O VO T E ?
72
A R E W E R E A DY T O D I E ?
34
BLISS
74
S PAC _ S
36
T H E A S E A N I N T E G R AT I O N
76
T H E WAT C H L I S T
38
U S C D AY S 2 0 1 5 H I G H L I G H T S
78
PA R T I N G S H O T
42
W H E R E I S T H E M U S I C AT ?
79
L I Q U I D AT I O N
EDITOR’S NOTE
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
In status quo, there are a handful of things being implemented and all the more things expected to arrive; to wit, the K-12 program, the International Eucharistic Congress, the ongoing APEC Summit, the upcoming 2016 Philippine elections and the ASEAN Intergration. However, will the things sought to be done be done? Will the targeted achievements be actually achieved? All that there is amidst the uncertainty is hope. We are the generation that our forerunners gave their trust to take care of what then was the future — which is our now. Indeed amidst uncertainty is hope. We are that hope. Let us explore the contrasting perspectives and opinions as we enter the void. TC
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
WARRIORS TURF Julienne Termoso and Miriam Burlaos Photographs by Angelo Nico Daroy
The University of San Carlos is known for its culture of excellence. Over the years, USC has been a home to several topnotchers in different licensure examinations, be it in Accountancy, Pharmacy, Architecture, Engineering, Fine Arts, Law, or Education. No wonder, when results about Carolinians topping the board exams are posted, there would be lots of people sharing the good news in social media and taking part in the accomplishment with the common tagline, “Proud Carolinian.”
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
The same holds true with sports events and competitions outside the campus walls. Nowadays, Carolinians can be distinguished from students of other schools through their Warriors Turf tee shirts, usually in gold and green, which represent the Carolinian community. The school spirit is evident, seeing that students wear their shirts with pride as though saying, “This is where I come from.” However, this was not the case prior to the existence of Warriors Turf. The founders of the merchandise outlet observed that during past CESAFI (Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc.) tournaments, USC Warriors had hardly any supporters and the attendees lacked the sense of school identity. Most Carolinians were not even aware that USC Warriors were competing in CESAFI. But with the birth of Warriors Turf, there was a sudden remarkable change. In the past, students would passively attend CESAFI events and only a few would eagerly cheer for the athletes. Indeed, Warriors Turf has become a powerful game changer for the Carolinian identity. Upon the rise of the brand also came overwhelming support from Carolinian students, alumni, and even the athletes’ fans. As a matter of fact, this year’s CESAFI basketball game kicked off with a cheer dance and marching band to support the Warriors. This year, Warriors Turf is launching a new batch
of shirts inspired by their theme, “We are One” – a statement that collects the pride of all participating USC athletes and the whole Carolinian body, ready to support the teams. Designs created by the team are defined by “prestige, class and pride” says Chrysilla Gayle Tudtud, a member of Warriors Turf and a university graduate. Warriors Turf’s advocacy of uplifting the school pride does not rest on sports events alone. With the desire to give the incoming freshmen an unforgettable experience and a new way to start off the academic year, they partnered with the USC Supreme Student Council, USC All Access and other school organizations to launch the first ever Warriors Fresh Camp. The event undeniably created a strong sense of camaraderie and passion towards the University, especially from the freshmen who are yet to experience the sense of being a true Carolinian. Consisting of seven people embedded with the “strong advocacy to uplift the school pride” and camaraderie among Carolinians, the team envisions a student body that is bound together by the Warrior spirit. It was founded on August 2014 as a business with an advocacy and penetrated the school grounds through the power of social media, going quite large with more projects to offer to the Carolinian community. TC
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
OPINION
ANG PANIMPALAD NI JUNJUN Padulong sa Dalang Wala pay Kasiguroan
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
Illustration by Justine Patrice Bacareza
OPINION
Maayong adlaw diha, migo ug miga! Naa na pud diay ko para sa ika-tulo na nako nga pagsuwat para sa Today’s Carolinian! Maayo ni nga nagka-isturyaanay na pud ta og balik. Bitaw oy, pagka-dako gyud nako og problema karon nga sem. Di man gud ko taga-syudad jud kay didto ko nagdako sa bukid. Mao ning sa akong pagikswela sa Sangkarlus, usa gyud sa akong mga pagsulay nga naatubang kay ang pagpangita og puy-anan. Sa Talamban ko nag-iskwela sa una, ug unya kani lageng swerte-on ta panagsa, naka-puyo gyud ko og boarding house atbang sa skwelahan, unahan sa kini ilang gitawag nga Langit ba. Apan aduna ko’y dakong problema ato kay sa higayon na hinuong perti nalang gyud nakong duula, sigi naman hinuon ko og ka-late sa akong klase kay lage, kumpyansa kay duol ra lage’g gipuy-an ba. Didto ko nagsugod og hagit sa akong kaugalingon nga mupahawa sa akong gipuy-an ug mubalhin og medyo layu-layo para magmatngon ko og maayo sa akong oras. Nibalhin ko unahan sa Bacayan, ug didto gyud ko gibinuangan sa panahon. Hinuon nagkat-on na ko og mata og sayo apan ang problema, first subject nako kay alas dose sa udto ug ining mga orasa, pagka-lisuda man gyud makakita og masakyan. Unya, kung naa man, puno sab lagi. Misuway ko og balik sa akong unang napuy-an sa Langit kay naka-hunahuna lang ko na siguro, kaya na nako nga mumata og sayo kay na-adjust na kintahay naku akong body block, apan sa pagbalik nako didto, puno na dayon ang mga kwarto. Unya kay nawad-an naman gyud ko og gana, nidesisyon nalang gyud ko nga mu-shift. Ni-shift ko didto sa Main, aw Downtown Campus diay. Lipay kaayo ko ato kay lagi, sama sa giingon nila, new environment, new
people, new life daw kuno. Sama sa unang problema gyud nakong gi-atubang didto sa una sa Talamban, parehas ra sab diri, ang pag-pangita og kapuy-anan. Ang nakalisud man gud, second sem na ko ni-shift ug ang mga kapuy-anan, puno-puno na gyud. Sa akong pagkayod og pag-pangita og kapuy-anan, salamat, nakakita na gyud ko diri sa Mandaue. Medyo sakit sad kay layo pero medyo makalipay ra kay naa na gyud ko’y kapuy-an. Ibutang ta nalang nga bittersweet ni siya nga kasinatian sa akong kinabuhi. Pero bitaw oy, di mada bitaw ang trapik. Gi-ayo pa ang dalan, panahon pas tinguwan nga magbaha ang dan, tuga-tuga pa ta aning APEC. Haska ju’ng, ambot nalang! Naa na ko sa punto nga sa higayon man nga matanggong ko sa trapik, dawaton nalang nako nga ma-late o ma-absent ko. Wa sa. Sa kadaku ani akong problema, maghunahuna na lang ko og unsa ko kaswerte nga kani ra akong problema ug may uban pang tao nga mas dako pa aning problemaha ilang gi-atubang, mao nah nga saludo ko ninyo! Sa mga sige og reklamo sa mga ginagmay ra nga mga butang, pangmata namo! Pasagdii nalang na’ng dugay ma-serve inyong gi-order sa Silogan kay aduna pa’y mga problemang angay problemahon ug tagaan og pagtagad. Sa wala pa ko kasugod og suwat niini, gipahinumduman ko nga ang tema sa magasin karon kay Uncertainty. Tinuod, sa panahon karon, daghan gyud og mga butang nga wala pa’y kasiguraduan sama nalang sa unsa’y mahitabo sa sunod nga tuig, K-12 naman kuno, mu-epekto ba gyud kaha ni? Makatiwas pa ba gyud kaha ang kabus og pagpa-skwela sa ilang mga anak? Kung ang tumong man diay ani nga programa kay para as daghan og
oportunidad ang mga kabatan-onan inig tapos nila og skwela, gapasabot ba kini nga sa pagkab-ot ana nga tumong, manaktak pud ta og mga maestro ug ubang empleyado? Ug kung tinuod man, asa man ni sila padulong? Sakto ba nga in order to give the youth better opportunities, it will be at the expense of other people’s current employment? Sa karong umaabot nga Enero, ang Internatonal Eucharistic Congress, maayo ba kaha atong performance isip host ani nga panghitabo? Trapik pa ba kaha ni sama sa unsa katrapik ang APEC karon? Ang APEC ba kaha, maayo ra ba kaha ang pagka-atiman sa atong mga bisita? Sa sunod nga tuig, eleksyon na sab. Panahon na ba kaha nga makuha nato ang atong dugay nang gipangitang mga lider? Aduna pa ba gihapo’y sturyang tikas ighuman sa pagbutar? Pasaylu-a ko sa daghang pangutana pero tinuod gyud nga pirte pagyung hanapa sa atong mga atubangunon. Unya kultura ug kina-iya ra ba nato, wala gyu’y pakialam, di manglihok ug kusog nga reklamo ra kutob. Maayo pa ang problema sa suda’ng dugay gi-serve, sa internet nga hinay kaayo, sa amiga nako’ng sige lang og tsimis, sa akong ex nga aduna na’y bag-o, kay gihatagan pa og pagtagad. Apan ang problema sa gobyerno, ang problema sa katilingban, gipasagdaan. Status nato sa Facebook, perting suko-a kay trapik, kay bati ang presidente, kay kawatan si congressman. Ang pangutana, nibutar ba ta? Timan-i lang nga problema sa gobyerno ug sa katilingban, problema natong tanan. Panahon na nga kita magpakabana sa mga panghitabo kay kita rapud ang makapatinaw sa hanap natong pagtan-aw sa atong mga atubangonon. Kita ang katapusang henerasyon sa K-10 ug angay lang nga maghimo kita og kabilin o sa Iningles pa – legacy – para sa sunod nga henerasyon sa kabatan-onan. TC
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
The degree of
UNCERTA Photograph by Angelo Nico Daroy
“I should’ve switched after the first week, but I didn’t” – a Carolinian Student
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
AINTY Back then, one wasnaive and the university choices he madeweren’t as well-thought-out as they should be. Now, he’s halfway or more through his program and the thought of being pigeonholed by his degree fills him with dread and despair. Unfortunately, it’s often impossible to know whether one likes an academic program or not —until he’s started it.
Countless college students get into serious trouble and don’t even recognize it. They think that when stuff comes up, nothing is really wrong, that everyone else floats the same boat, or that college is just one of the worst inevitable nightmares one can experience in their life. Others are just not sure; “Am I doing this right?” they wonder. “Bro, I’m all over the place. Do I stop?” A thought or two like this might have tapped one’s train of thought, but that’s not so bad. It might have even occurred that the third knock came after realizing that he went to school with some of the smartest bunch in the world—people whose knowledge is hardly human and would stun regularly — but he wouldn’t always know it. Then, the following probably came from the teacher whose monotonous voice and paragraph-long inquiries made the listener want to jump off a cliff and stab himself all the way down. Again, this student’s not sure. Here’s the thing; one is just kidding around – or so it maybe. When one’s down in the garage, all lights up, to finish the extensions and INCs the professor has gracefully given, trouble is probably just around. While on this, one should remember that centuries have dictated that extensions and INCs are the exception, for very special circumstances, not the rule. However, when it comes to a point wherein no more pushing does the work, or when even the parents can’t seem to encourage a little bit of a 3.0 to climb the ladder, that is another dilemma.Then, one should remember the excitement he feels for the course —if there ever was any. There comes the problem.The question to ask is if one has ever had an intimate want to be in that learning relationship. Most people don’t think about this, but it’s crucial for those who want to tackle a degree with all hopes up. That desire is impossible to find, though, by making the wrong decisions. Let us think about it. Everyone has reminisced about how they got into college, how they felt like exploring all the tricks there are to it, how they’d acquire better grades by ruling out procrastination, and simply having fun then and there. However, for some, the unavoidable just gets tied up and in no way does looking back become a good idea. An example would be of astudent who has always wanted to spend the rest of his life as a culinary expert. Obviously, for him, his predicament was that he did not enter a culinary school. Instead, as all the others were
Kurt B. Bidua
after a sound program, he went and studied, with all gears up, all the formulas and the chemical reactions that prove useful in the production of toiletries and the processing of gold. Although it’s not so terrible to be in a program that aids in the purification of metals and minerals, like BS Chemical Engineering, his initial thought of cooking a lovely panna cotta, while garnishing it with mint, turned to providing the tiny babies their daily diapers. That was it for him. Some other rare and extreme cases even start just right after the euphoria of the freshmen’s week wears off and the reality of lectures, seminars, essay deadlines and hellish exams kicks in; the moving around the bushes and the doubting of the suitability of the course then becomes difficult to overcome.There are innumerable others, but these are just the more common ones. Options are available for those unlucky ones who get into these situations. Unfortunately, these are limited. To start with, it seems childish and picky to enjoy a program just because it seems perfect. In fact, finding ways to motivate oneself when feeling a little offset from the hardbound books directly in front of them may be difficult. No one’s really going to ever like most of the syllabi. Some are bearable, while others are downright proven to have us pulling our hair out. There is not much one can do about it, though. No matter how much researching has been done beforehand, it is simply impossible to predict the courses one will love and hate unless it was his first choice. It’s risky business. This whole scenario can be translated into the more common words, “When a pancake’s burnt, one can never turn it to slurry again.” However, there surely is a way to make it taste better from there. A little scoop of honey on the sides and a touch of strawberry will cool it down. In other words, when talking parents through it doesn’t work, and when no one’s thereto finance whatever’s going to happen after quitting the course— stay there. It can be a lesson to some people: Don’t give up when things get tough. That is life, after all. Nothing is ever going to work out perfectly, especially not the career. Maybe doing a course one’s not sure about gives a little toughening. That said, one is never going to find a place in life if sitting on his behinds is all he ever does. If it’s not fun or challenging enough, there are clubs and societies everywhere one can join. If all of that doesn’t work and frustrations need to be vented out, one can do so with classmates. If one isn’t enjoying the course, there is a good chance that some of them aren’t either. Solidarity is the way to go in bad times. As Winston Churchill once said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” TC
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
VOX POPULI
Do you think the ASEAN Integration’s goal to “Unify to Compete” would increase our economic competence in the global market? Theresa Kate Palompon The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, more commonly known as the ASEAN, has long presented the blueprint on the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community which strives to create a single market and production base for all its members. It also upholds the economic harmonization of all the members of the ASEAN in terms of tariff rates; flow of goods and services; and even currencies. Little did we know, our country, which has been a part of the association since its birth in 1967, has already been imposing incremental changes that would try to help step up our game as we merge with our neighboring countries to compete, as one, against the global market. A very good example of these changes would be the implementation of the K-12 curriculum which has been a controversial source of argument in our country at present. As our country participates in upholding this goal, successive turn of events would be inevitable. One way or another, the ASEAN Integration would affect our nation as we cooperate in achieving its goal – to be a single economic region fully integrated into the global economy. However, the real question here is whether this advocacy would enhance our capabilities as a nation or would it just let us rise in the shadows of our neighbors. “For me, this ASEAN goal would not help the economic competence of the Philippines. It is because our country has not yet reached the point where our economy can compete with other Southeast Asian countries. Even though they are willing to unite all of the ASEAN countries, so that the third world countries may be able to compete internationally, this is not a guarantee that this goal will be realized on a long-term basis due to the fact that there will always be internal conflicts or disputes in other countries that they will prioritize in the future. That is why, in my opinion, it is better if our country will not rely on other countries in increasing our economic competence, but our government should first and foremost solve corruption and other problems in our economy so that unifying with other countries will be beneficial and not be a burden due to our own economic incompetence.” – Rachelle Menfal, BSA-1 “I believe that it will increase our economic competence as when our students’ and workers’ degrees are going to be accepted within the continent, then this opens a door for new and better experiences for everyone. The more experienced one would be, the more globally acknowledged we would become.” – Christianne Leigh Francia, Pharmacy 1 “I guess so, I don’t really know much about this. If we were to unite all the Southeast Asian nations, we would help each other to lift our economic standing and be globally competent.
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
VOX POPULI
I don’t really know much, plus it doesn’t matter if we move up in the economic standing since the rise of economy is not an assurance that poverty would be eradicated.” – Sol Langomez, Pharmacy 1
“Yes. Just as the saying goes, “In unity and collaboration, there is strength.” The weakness of one country’s economy can be improved by the strength of the other countries.” – Niña Maandig, BS Econ 1
“I think it would increase our economic competence since we would act as one region and hopefully, share resources among ourselves. What we don’t have, what we lack and what we don’t know could be answered and given by the other countries involved in the ASEAN Integration, which would be very beneficial to us. We could also share what we have and know with them. Several countries included in the Integration have done well for themselves and hopefully, if our country plays our cards well and abides by the laws, we could do well for ourselves and develop our country, especially our economy, in a way that would solve the most prevalent problems we now face.” – Vinz Martina Bacay, BSCE 2
“The ASEAN’s goal to ‘unify to compete’ would increase our economic competence in the market. If we separate ourselves from the global economy, we cannot compete. Our standards should be conformed and streamlined with the standards of the ASEAN. In the Philippines, we have the sugar and tourism industries which are part of the ten sectors identified as strengths of the country as well as of other ASEAN nations.” – Elyzza Ferenal, BSA-1
“Yes, it increases our economic competence because as an association of nations, it serves as a platform in which a participating country may showcase its own abilities and assets in terms of politics, culture and even its economy.” – Paunie Navarro, BS Archi-1 “Yes, the ASEAN Integration will definitely increase the Philippines’ economic competence in the global market. However, the real question lies in the country’s readiness for the said integration.” – Gail Ando, BSA- 2 “Unification of different Southeast Asian countries does help in increasing the economic competence of the country. When one country is fully aware of the capabilities of the other member countries, it will strive hard to be able to get to the level of other developed countries or even surpass them. It is just like people working for the same company, their job is to make the company better, but at the same time, they are competing on who is better at it. On the contrary, even though the Philippines is well aware right now of the different standings of most countries, we are just too preoccupied on solving problems that were caused by the people in position. If politicians would not practice healthy competition, unification may be a bad idea in the end.” – Marjorie Pasquil, BS ChemE-1
“Yes, because the union of countries would help in the economic growth and development of our country which is essential in helping solve the problem of poverty. We need to increase our opportunities, especially in employment. This would help, as well, our economic competence, globally.” – Pearl Saornido, BS Econ- BUS 2 “Yes, for me, it will increase our economic competence in the global market because we know that one of its major purpose is to unify different Southeast Asian nations in order to support one another in many aspects of development. What other better ways to succeed than having other countries, with the same interests and visions, behind your back.” – Joyce Ursal, BSA-3 “In my most honest opinion, I believe that Philippines is not yet ready for the coming ASEAN Integration because as a whole, our educational system is generations away from our neighboring countries like Japan, Singapore and Malaysia. The K+12 curriculum, recently implemented by our government, is a halfbaked program. Our classrooms and teachers are not ready to cater the needs of this curricular change. I am not saying that we can’t compete with them on some aspects, but holistically, we are at a disadvantage.” – BSAct 4 TC
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
LITERARY
Uncertainty at
Its Best by Ciela Tabor I threw paper planes in the air Which set aflame in the lonely skies Till its ashes become silhouettes On the empty night I waited ‘neath the meteors Wonderin’ where they’ve been The distance between light and dark The berth where our hands had been
I waited ‘neath the meteors Wonderin’ what they’ve seen? The stories they’d never tell The scars, the hatred, and the reasons they’d fell Did they chase after the night they’d hope? With naïve trust, thought of love’s sacrifice And followed suit? Or waited, waited and waited And in desperation, fell?
Illustration by Shari Llamis
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
ILLUSTRATION ILLUSTRATOR OF THE MONTH by RK Tiu
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
15Elmido Photograph by Gifthir Lemuel
Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
SOIKA: Miko Mangubat
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
WHEN WALLS BECOME CANVAS Illustrations by Soika
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
“Art is an evolutionary act. The shape of art and its role in society is constantly changing. At no point is art static. There are no rules.” - Raymond Salvatore Harmon, BOMB: A Manifesto of Art Terrorism
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
It is everywhere. We have seen it on our way home, right around the corner of the street, on the walls of our mostly visited establishments and even right outside the campus. Many of us ignore it, and some actually despise the “graphic disturbance” and “damage of visual property” it somehow causes, but there are people who also appreciate and promote this kind of art — street art.
spills or swallows vomits and human excreta, the artist successfully tackles many social issues. He incorporates his now-familiar characters with various objects, mostly in black and white, that demonstrate the issues that this generation faces, perhaps to invite curiosity and interest from the passers-by and, hopefully, to raise awareness and to call for action.
To those who despise it, it is vandalism. To those who think it is art, it is a masterpiece. To the indifferent, it is just the effect of random strokes of paint and stickers on the ramparts of the city. However, it is undeniable that street art is on its peak of visibility in Cebu.
He concurs that one of the problems that this generation has is the lack of involvement when it comes to social issues. He reminisced that way back to his college years, the engrossment the students had towards repressive school policies and tuition hikes was straightforward and fearless, incomparable to how apathetic we have become now.
What is street art then? When and where did it start? How was it able to reach this level of prominence in the face of our city? Street art is visual art. It is mostly seen in strategic public locations and is usually artwork executed outside the context of traditional art. It started as early as World War II with the graffiti “Kilroy was here” and it further nurtured into New York’s graffiti boom around the ‘80s, and until today, it grew with various genres of street artworks such as stencil graffiti, wheat-pasted posters or sticker art and many more.
“Dili na gyud pariha sa una. Karon wa nay paki ang mga batan-on. Puros na lang pachuy-chuy”, the artist said. His artwork depicting a man defecating on an open head of another indicates that everything else inside the latter’s head is, for the lack of a better word — sh*t. Furthermore, the vomit the man throws up is also described the same way as what is in his head — sh*t. This coincides with Soika’s opinion about how much nonsense is fed to and released by the youth nowadays.
Why do street art? Street artists travel around the world not only to show their skills and talents in this medium but also to impart that street art was never about the level of sophistication and complexity of its graphics. It is the message behind every stroke and palette that the artists attempt to convey. Street art is known for tackling social, environmental and political issues which majority tend to snub. In an informal interview, Soika — one of Cebu’s prominent street artists — regarding how he can achieve this end with his art, he solicits the disgust upon the sight of someone barfing out his bloody intestines in cartoonish detail. With his overtly pale man with long lazy flat eyes, black hair worn half as a bowl, elongated limbs and torso with irregular marks and an extremely wide mouth that either
Another problem that he tries to emphasize with his own style is poverty. Part of his recognized artwork is a pyramid that has a nose right below the apex which he calls “the ilongminati”. It is a subtle parody of the supposedly elite cult Illuminati which has a symbol that resembles supposedly an eye in the middle of the triangle. Here, it is “I can smell all of you” instead of see. Also, the image tries to portray the control of “the-top-of-the-foodchain” or the top 2 percent rich populace of the financial status pyramid of the country has over the more than 90 percent below. He believes that it should be the other way around, where people are not deprived of their rights and are made helpless due to lack of fortune. Being only one of the familiar street artists Cebu has, Soika confirmed that all Cebuano street artists belong to one strong family which is
known as UBEC Crew. He is proud to admit that there are no competitions and rivalries within the local artists, whether professional or amateur. All possess mutual respect toward each other. He collaborates with his comrades — WR, KDLT and the Bart Brothers to name a few — in many of their evident artworks with the same advocacy — to send messages they deem necessary to the public through art. Drawing on walls has always been part of our history ever since the caveman, which is all the more reason to nurture and appreciate it because it is art, and art is history. It is quite obvious that these street artists, these harmless rebels with a cause, are not content with showing the public the world beyond the glittering gold and shiny diamonds through words on paper or even on canvas. Art is a revolution where its purpose lies past the margin of self-expression and traditional aesthetics and material dimensions. There are no rules, and no government that could contain it. From here on then, street art is conceived. This is when walls become canvas. For a distress call or a call for action — street art begs to be heard. No matter what the style is and whoever did it, it is a message beyond restricted written medium. Boundaries are crossed from the mind to different hues and strokes with particular expertise and techniques. Smart and witty creations are translated from the imagination to ink, brush to bricks, cans to cement, enough to drive questions and ideas about how sick and diabolical this world has become and what we can do about it. Sure enough, we are uncertain of what is going to happen in the future and yet we wake up every day hoping we get a clue of what is in it for us then tend to overlook these hints all around us. The next time we come across these vandals, graffiti and images plastered on walls, we might want to think for a while and understand what these graphics and illustrations meant and ask ourselves: How much did we really care? After then we would perhaps realize that these street artists’ works show the true façade of this city, and these people knew and cared more than the stereotype we situate them in. TC
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
BOOK REVIEW
GOOD BOOKS WE S
Norwegian Wood The Water Knife Paolo Bacigalupi
Set at the tail end of the century in the American Southwest where endless drought has become the status quo rather than a catastrophe, The Water Knife’s plot revolves around Angel Velasquez, the titular water knife, as he “cuts” water rights from all over to deliver to his higher-ups in Vegas. When he is sent to investigate a potential threat in Phoenix, Angel’s story is tangled up with those of hard-boiled journalist Lucy Monroe and struggling, shrewd teenager Maria Villarosa. The prose is pointed without being pretentious, and the near-future setting makes the dystopian themes more relatable — not to mention terrifying. Definitely worth reading, but a glass of water may come in handy when doing so.
– Paolo Perez
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
Haruki Murakami
Norwegian Wood, written by Haruki Murakami, is elegiac in its approach, wrought with emotional tension, physicality and existentialism. It is a story of misadventure, the unforeseeable nature of growing up, the sorrow of death and the exploration of adolescent love. Murakami makes one slip into the life of the protagonist Toru, who only really wants to understand himself more than he can perhaps handle, while giving a glimpse of Japanese life in the ’60s. Apart from the clear Beatles reference that can happen to attract fans to the book, we have here a superb narrative, an engrossing storyline and a great setting both in time and place for a story to transpire.
– Carmelle Gacasan
Rebecca
Daphne du Maurier The novel narrates the story through the flashbacks of an unknown young woman, who remains nameless for the entire story. She meets a guy named Maxim de Winter who just recovered after the sudden death of his wife Rebecca. The plot revolves around Rebecca’s influence on the life of the young woman. The first parts of the story may require a lot of patience, as they deal with a hodgepodge of themes and personalities, but all will become worthwhile in the end. Additionally, the novel definitely has something for everyone: murder mystery, jealousy, and romance. Du Maurier’s way of putting the twist and turn of events would undeniably leave the readers in awe. It is a classic everyone must read.
– Emmanuel Alquizola
BOOK REVIEW
SUGGEST YOU READ
The Godfather
The Lottery Shirley Jackson
Mario Puzo
The Godfather gives us a peek into the private lives of the fictional Corleone family, showing us that even criminals have humanity in them. Set in the 1950s, it narrates the life of Don Vito Corleone and his family, struggling to live in a time of injustice and unrest. As we enter the underworld of these Italian immigrants, we begin to experience the politics and the lifestyle of these mobsters. Puzo’s brilliant writing brings a cast of unforgettable characters to life and ultimately brings to light the legacy of tradition and loyalty passed down from father to son.
– Josemaria Marcelo Ouano III
In the summer of June 27th, in a small American farming commune, the villagers gather in the town square to take part in the annual lottery. The event consists of selecting a family, and then a member of the chosen family, from small slips of paper drawn from an old black box. The lottery is ritualistic and done in order to ensure a good harvest. The tone of the story becomes more ominous midway, culminating in the “winner” of the lottery being stoned to death by the rest of the village. The story is highly symbolic, and serves as a vehicle of the author’s views on the pointlessness of violence and the inhumanity in the world, as well as a disturbing lesson on the dangers of conformity and tradition.
Supernatural Horror in Literature H.P. Lovecraft
It is not only the ghosts that haunt us at night; it is our minds that eat us alive. Freaky, psychologically insane and gruesome, it is not just about the fictional horror stories that dated back in the Victorian Era. Supernatural Horror in Literature by late 19th century author H.P. Lovecraft will surely be a bedtime story one would not want to read. This book describes one of man’s strongest emoticons: fear, in abstract ways that will surely keep anyone awake.
– Jaiun Roa
– Ynaro San Juan
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
DREAMS or Disasters? Sofia Isabel Tajos
Illustration by Shari Llamis
Billions of people, tons of places we have yet to explore. A thousand challenges we may never face, and the same amount we have already surpassed. We live in a large world. Isn’t it ironic that we have come this far, yet our real purpose is still unknown? We should’ve figured everything out a long time ago, but we never did. It is sad and a little bit cliché — teenagers ranting about the supposedly cruel world is rather common — but everyone zooms through life so fast that everything is a blur, and all we see are unknowns.
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
One minute we are having the time of our lives, and then the next we are trying to recover from a hard fall. We have to accept the fact that life is vicious, unfair; it is something that leaves us breathless and sad and happy and much, much more. Very few people know of this, and if we don’t, then we deserve applause for it is only in this way that we find the quote “ignorance is bliss” appealing. Being aware of the cruelties of life would put a huge weight on our shoulders. It is like keeping all of the secrets in the world inside us, with our minds forever seeking solace in lesser meaningful things. We know that some of the things close to our soul will end in vain, someday, so we step-up our game. We cherish these things more. We expand the emotions we use to forget the notion that we will soon be falling into an abyss, yet we only end up reminding ourselves of this nothingness. The idea of our dreams turning into reality was what we held onto, for us to not surrender to our frightening thoughts. Slowly — one, by one — our ideas perish, and we are left with empty hands trying to search for what they held before. We cannot ever bring back what is lost, as the shadows coincide with light, and confusion will be evident.
It is a given that some of us dream about things much bigger than we are, but not everyone can achieve his or her goals. Whether it is a child failing a test, or an adult not passing a job interview, failure is common, and it should not be used as an excuse to give up. Most of the time, though, we just cannot help but ask, “What other choice do I have, anyway?” Then, occasionally, giving up is the only thing left for us to do — not because we are weak, but because this is the only way for us to deal with all of the pain and the loss that are thrown at us by life. The universe has a funny way of wreaking havoc on most — if not all — of our dreams; we try to make up for it by dreaming big, dreaming hard. We dream for a better future. We dream for days where sadness will not be a part of the “List of Things We have to Worry About”. We dreamt for a world where everything is clear, where we will never have to wonder about the things that hold our hearts because everything is just as we see it. We never realize that dreaming enough can never make up for the way things are; some things are never meant to have beginnings . We keep on begging the wrong people for the right answers without even having the right questions. “Did I do well on the test?”
We are all living life like it is a race, a competition between ourselves and every entity that we encounter. It is us against love, us against sadness, us against fear; it was never supposed to end up like this. It was supposed to be these same things that would help us grow and help us dream, but everything is so mixed up that we fail to separate the things that could help from the things that could wound. We end up shunning roses because of their thorns, but we approach angel-like people without knowing their true nature.
“Did I offend the girl who tried to sell me cookies when I declined with just a shake of the head?” “Does he like me?” “Did she even know my name?” Uncertainties are a part of our daily lives; it is no stranger than seeing somebody on the phone, hurriedly walking towards their destination — yet we hate them because they tip the “balance” that we set up
ourselves. We hate them because we think that nothing is as worse as not knowing everything, so we try to analyze every move, every word, every sound of the earth, thinking that, one day, it would all make sense. It never will, though. It never will. The future is never as it seems. People tell us that “now” is particularly vital to our tomorrow, but that is not necessarily true. How many times have we heard about a person who failed to get a job despite having a degree? How many times have we heard a couple, who invested so much time into their relationship, end up not ever wanting to talk to each other again? Things are cracking, things that were supposed to last a lifetime. Where is the certainty a “good present” brings now? Everywhere around us, there is proof — broken buildings, broken hearts, shattered moments, starved souls — that nothing ever lasts, regardless of how good the past was or the present is to it. We think of everything we have ever wished for; our bliss slowly turning to melancholy. We try to think of the fragmented pieces of our illusions faintly, but we fail. The thoughts take over us all at once, like our minds lost electricity, and we are now just succumbing to the darkness. Everything is breaking down at the same time; our mistakes, our attempts — everything is sweeping us up and bringing us to another world. The things distinguishing clarity from obscurity are slowly disappearing, making our judgement of the things around us inaccurate. Opposites have turned similar. Your best hopes have turned into your worst fears. Are we treading on dreams, or disasters? We are traipsing on the fine line between both. TC
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
NEWS FEATURE
CALENDAR
: SHIFT Hazel Olive Parmes
Illustration by Geralden Morre
Ain’t Topsy-Turvy
“Ha? August na magsugod ilang klase? June pa lagi ato? Ngano man?” Questions of college students from the different parts of the Philippines, including from USC, regarding the so-called and trending “calendar shift” have been hanging around even before this academic year began. Some of us want our university to adopt it, some also think that the opposite would be better, and some just do not care at all. However, here is the thing: what makes this ‘June-to-August’ transition seem so and not-soimportant? We may have a few ideas in mind right now, but as of the moment, perhaps it would be more comprehensive to give an explanation on what it is going on. What really got our attention was that the University of the Philippines (UP), Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), De La Salle University (DLSU) and University of Santo Tomas (UST), which happen to be the country’s only universities to make it to the QS World University Rankings, have already moved their academic calendars by one or two months. Thus, does this mean that running a system parallel to them would make USC more prestigious? For us to have a clearer perception on this, let us talk about its pros and cons: among its great benefits are internationalization of the universities in line with the ASEAN Economic Community Integration for this year; synchronization of the academic calendar with ASEAN and other countries, opening more programs with partner universities; increased openness to inbound and outbound exchanges; increased research
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
opportunities; alignment of lessons and curriculum with foreign countries; opportunities for students to grow in a more international landscape; students in the agricultural sector having more time to help during harvest season; opportunities for foreign faculty members and professors to teach in our schools; bridging programs for incoming freshmen, who may take additional or supplementary classes to better prepare them for college; and improved rankings in inter-country university assessments. Looking at the other side of the picture, one might be surprised by the number of counter-statements, which agree with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)’s advice and our Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA)’s decision: Schedule of licensure exams will have to be adjusted; classes will coincide with the “hot season”; possible tuition fee increase for universities to align with international standards; less opportunity for local students to enter chosen universities since slots will have to be allotted to foreign students; graduating high school students will go through a five to six-month break before their first college semester; Holy week will have to be celebrated during the semester, while semestral breaks will fall during the Christmas break; moving summer break will affect businesses which attract the most visitors during the summer season; breaks of college students will not coincide with primary and secondary education students; term break classes will coincide with rainy season, which shows greater possibility
NEWS FEATURE
of class suspensions; and that there are not enough concrete reasons that a calendar shift is necessary, and more studies and research must be carried out before it can be proven to be effective. Now, zooming to a smaller scale, Fr. Anthony S. Salas, SVD, MM revealed all the major reasons why, as of now, Carolinians should not expect experiencing the calendar shift. His first point is the prioritization of foreign transferees over domestic students. According to him, there is no need to “serve” an average of 300 incoming foreign students over the hundreds other Filipino learners. His second point is that there is a huge possibility of a fewer number of enrollees in the university for the next academic year due to local causes. “Here in Cebu, you could actually see mothers almost carrying their students to schools, atat na ma-enroll ilang mga anak. So, if we have this calendar shift, we will expect them to bring their children to other schools and not in San Carlos,” said Fr. Salas. Moreover, he emphasized his third point: that we are not serving international students, but Filipino students. He also added that we have to look at the economic conditions of students, especially in rural areas. Taking into consideration the usual harvest that occurs in the month of April, money comes in June, and by the time August comes, the money is gone and there is none left for tuition fees. This is exactly the thought that Atty. Julito Vitriolo, executive director of CHED, also stated on a weekender report.
other countries which begin their classes in January and still perform excellently both locally and internationally. He specifically mentioned Cambodia, which starts its classes at the month of October, but other examples include Australia and Brazil, which begin their classes in January and February, respectively. “What the students need is learning. Everyone is striving hard to earn the quality of education that USC has. We [the admin] have actually already talked about that during our previous meetings, but as of this moment, we couldn’t see any reasons why we should move our classes from June to August,” he further explained. 2018, however, will not see a calendar shift, but the welcoming of a new breed of individuals through the portals of USC who are already a cut apart from the usual freshmen because of the K-12 curriculum, which would harness their vision toward what they really want to become and want to do in the future. Even now, schools are being urged to give attention to other possible ways to become integrated, like adapting a trimestral or a quarterly system. Though CHED says that autonomous higher education institutions have the option to move the start of their school year as long as it is within the law, the final say always lies in the hands of the authority. What we students are left to do is to abide with it and exercise productivity in every way we can. This could be good or bad news, but for the time being, our status quo ain’t topsy-turvy at all, and it seems it shall remain that way. TC
Fr. Salas also pointed out that not everyone knows about those
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
DEEP THOUGHTS
Paolo Perez
Illustration by Geralden Morre
“BS Biology?” my taxi driver, a jolly, chatty fellow, asked as we weaved through the Manila streets. He’d just finished asking about my program, and I answered. “Marine biology,” I clarified. “More on the aquatic stuff. The ocean, fish, coral reefs, things like that.” “Mermaids,” he chipped in with a laugh. It was such a common response that it used to annoy me, but I have grown to embrace it over the last year. “Maybe someday,” I chuckled, then the conversation turned to the verdict on the Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight and didn’t look back. When he dropped me off, I slipped him the fare and a tip and walked out into the sticky May air, flattered that a cabbie had taken more interest in my profession than most people I knew. Then again, at this point, it doesn’t exactly surprise me anymore. These days, most of us find ourselves relaxing on the beach, maybe going waist-deep into the waves, but no deeper. Many people are no strangers to snorkeling, but when the seafloor fades out into the uniform indigo of the open ocean, we kick back toward shore and safety. People just are not captivated by the sea like they used to be. It is more common to be terrified by the prospect of a miles-deep abyss, nothing but water separating us from the briny depths. We fear the ocean, and rightly so. The tales of shipwrecks and sea monsters slicing through the salty air have formed the backbone of tall tales and literary legends since time immemorial, from the Greeks’ twin whirlpools Scylla and Charybdis, to the callous force of nature that was Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, even persisting into the modern day with Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea or the unshakable mystery surrounding the Bermuda Triangle. However, these stories bring to light more than our fear of the water; they also betray our innate fascination with it. Head out into the open sea, where the horizon narrows to a slit, and jump into the water. Nothing much happens — a fish here, a piece of driftwood there. Everything is turquoise. Dive down and the green filters out until the blue takes over completely, and before too long, even the blue gives way to nothing but black, save the phosphorescent lights of deep-sea organisms. To enter the ocean is to submerge ourselves in the lifeblood of the planet. To the naked eye, the open sea is little more than a sprawling canvas made of solid blue, and it invites those who are brave enough to paint their wildest dreams on it. Doing so, however, is tricky business. It demands definition, and to define what one does not understand — aside from “a whole lot of blue” — begets nothing but trouble. The blind leading the blind, as the old saying goes. We build aquariums to bring the ocean to ourselves, creating working effigies from biology, engineering and architecture, but that
is all they are: effigies. They are merely, models rather than definitions. They are just bits and pieces of the genuine article boxed into glass or acrylic like living tabernacles. They may not be “real”, but they offer us the beauty of the new and the familiarity of the old without ever asking us to take our feet off the ground. The illusion shatters, even easier than the glass that contains it, when a curious fish or finger bumps the wall and stops just short of the other side. That familiarity is warm and inviting, but against the real thing, it does not hold a candle. The true ocean hides herself. Like a mirror, she cloaks herself with the sky — slate gray on overcast days, calm and cobalt when the skies are blue. When night falls, she grabs the starlight and scatters it across her surface, pricks of light on the crests of obsidian waves. She makes it the easiest thing in the world to touch the stars while guarding her own secrets with unbroken determination. To walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first had to travel 238,900 miles. Nine years earlier, the submersible Trieste and her crew of two completed the first manned mission to Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the Mariana Trench at nearly 11 kilometers — comparable to a trip to the mall and back. However, whereas Apollo 11 remained on the moon for 21 hours, Trieste’s bottom time barely grazed the 20-minute mark before a failing window brought it back to the surface. The ocean is illusory. We think we know her, but that is simply a comfortable lie. Comfortable lies are par for the course as far as we are concerned with the sea. We are intimidated by her, but we put on a brave face. We like to think of her as infinite, maybe because the bottom of the ocean — full of sulfur-belching smokestacks and creatures that look like Jim Henson’s nightmares — is even scarier than the thought of an endless abyss. The worst of the lot, though, is that we pretend that we do not need her, and we are being much too hasty in our attempts to prove it.
Civilization has been moving further and further inland as our need to scrape the sky grows. We have turned our backs on the same ocean that feeds us, brings us rain and gives us more oxygen than all the forests of the earth combined. Even worse, when we are not doing that, we are dumping sand and rock in shallow waters to make more room for real estate, shopping malls and investors. The sea gives us everything, but we give nothing in return. In fact, we are taking more than she can give, but who pays the price? What we like to ignore is that, if we continue on like this, it is going to be us. What is the point of destroying what we do not understand? Our society has grown so titanic, so all-encompassing, that the rest of the world is just a bunch of fish in a barrel. If we fire wildly, though, we just might end up shooting ourselves in the foot. We mask our fear and cowardice with bravado and faux vigilance, not realizing that when we gamble, we are betting a borrowed dime and wasting borrowed time. We owe the ocean more than we should, but we are too afraid to pay it back. We are too afraid to even look beyond the sand and beneath the waves. In short, we are afraid to understand. If we kill the ocean, we die with her, but to assume the opposite is plain hubris. The planet has done just fine without us so far, and it can continue to do so. Our job is not to decide whether that is true. Our job is to see straight down past the comfortable lies, into the inky blackness of the deep. Perhaps the safer option would be to ignore it, to box ourselves into glass walls and wrap ourselves in the same reassuring familiarity. But where is the fun in that? If we took the time to ask questions, while there are still questions to ask, who knows what answers we would find? One of these days, we might even find mermaids. TC
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
SURVEY
TODAY’S CAROLINIAN
2015 1
2
3 4 5
7 8
24% 60% 18%
28
2%
23%
Brilliant Just fine I’m not okay
Generally, how many hours do you sleep at night? 7% 19% 48% 19% 5% 2%
31%
Less than three hours Three to four hours Five to six hours Seven to eight hours Eight to nine hours More than nine hours
24%
7%
6%
Do you doubt yourself more than believing in yourself? 53% 47%
Yes No
Is your work or studies easily affected by your emotions? 62% 38%
Yes No
Were you sure of your choice of program before you proceeded to college? Yes No
Do you think your efforts in studying have paid you off? 31% 17% 52%
Yes No Sometimes
10 11
21% 50% 29%
Yes No Maybe
Are you honest when answering faculty evaluation forms at the end of the semester?
If yes, does it bother you? 45% 55%
12
11% 28%
Do you think there is an existing social hierarchy in the university?
17%
Yes No
Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
Yes No I think so
Would you agree upon the soon implementation of the official information system of the University by the SSC in the internet, and not by other means?
Yes No, because it’s compulsory No, because it does not change anything
72% 28%
Yes No
Do you think that all the security guards have the same knowledge regarding the school policies? 18% 49% 33%
Are departmental examinations a waste of time?
68% 13% 19%
9
8%
How are you?
54% 46%
6
SURVEY
44%
Yes, because I have an unlimited internet connection No, because I don’t always have internet connection Yes, because it is the fastest way to communicate nowadays No, because I think most of the students would be easily informed through text- brigade (maybe using a certain system)
SURVEY
13 14
Will you graduate, as you planned, on time? 74% 26%
Yes No
If no, what is stopping you from graduating on time? 26% 25% 34% 10% 23%
I’m a shiftee/transferee Financial problems I’m behind on some subjects I stopped school Others *I don’t know what to do after *Failure
10 15 10 16
Are you currently supporting yourself financially? 9% 91%
10 17 10 18
It is It’s not
19% 40% 41%
Yes No I did not notice any effect
Are you affirmative that your career path will be related to the college degree you will receive? Yes No
10 19
Do you think that being a Carolinian graduate guarantees you a high job position?
10 20
Where do you think will you be in five to ten years from now?
41% 45% 14%
19% 36% 20% 40% 12% 40%
Getting a master’s or doctorate degree Pursuing a career Start a business Raising a family I haven’t really thought about it Others *Get rich
51% 44%
16% 65% 18%
10 25
Yes No
Poor Stuck in between He will
Which of these 2016 Elections Presidential candidates do you think would bring about change in our country? (Candidates based on announced candidacy)
10 26
78%
Rodrigo Duterte
19% 3%
Mar Roxas Jejomar Binay
27 10
10 30
Yes No There is still a chance
Do you think there will be another species that will go extinct in the near future? 18% 72% 10%
10 29
Yes No I don’t care
Are we too far gone to fix the environmental changes we have brought about? 17% 20% 63%
10 28
(Note: He is not running for office anymore)
Do we have a responsibility to bring about social justice even in circles that we are not directly affected by or part of? 72% 10% 18%
Yes Maybe No
Are you currently satisfied with how the government is running the implementations for the country? 26% 74%
22 10
How good do you think the chances are that the next president will improve the state of affairs in the nation?
Are you satisfied with the effects of the tuition fee increase last school year?
73% 27%
10 21
10 24
Yes No
If yes, is financially supporting yourself worth the money you are spending for the University? 58% 42%
23 10
Will the Bus Rapid Transit system solve the traffic woes in Metro Cebu?
Yes, and we can’t do anything about it Yes, not unless we do something about it No, I don’t think so
What is your view on the legalization of same-sex marriage? 70% 30%
I’m okay with it I’m against it
Is there hope for the country’s government in the future?
41% 52% 7%
Definitely Maybe there is There is no hope
I am I am not
Do you think that the current urban planning system of Metro Cebu is improving? 43% 57%
Yes No
*Items whose percentages that sum up more than 100% because of surveyees’ liberty of choosing multiple answers
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
To the Freshmen Oblivious Theresa Kate Palompon
Illustration by Justine Patrice Bacareza
About three months have passed since the University of San Carlos opened its gates, yet again, to welcome students for a new school year. Academic year 2015-2016 is expected to open more doors and windows of opportunities for its students. However, old habits die hard. Despite the brand-new year ahead, some things just never grow old. Apart from the annual “comebacks” of the old students, the school always looks forward to the recent additions to the institution the freshmen.
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
The so-called “newbies” of the campus, who still hold some of that high school innocence, are not that hard to point out; they are the ones walking with big question marks written all over their faces. It is common knowledge that the transition from secondary to tertiary level is always hard, but being stuck in a foreign environment is even worse: not recognizing a single person in the hallway, and not even knowing if this is the right building for the next class. There are just so many surprises that freshmen did not see coming; discoveries that they feel stupid not to have made sooner.
FEATURE
Here are some of the things that most freshmen are oblivious to when they first set foot on the school’s territory. These are the things they never thought of experiencing, as well as incremental changes that they would have to deal with in adapting to the fresh start they have as college students. Surely, some of us got to experience them as first years, or even now, even though being freshmen was years ago. Being lost. Whoever has a great ‘sense of direction’ should be grateful for such a talent. As for those who are not really good at finding their way, we have to admit it, it was painful looking for classrooms on the first day. No one would blame another if he or she ever got inside the wrong building or worse, the classroom. The shift from the regular, single-classroom setting makes it feel like taking a drastic leap from living a sedentary life to being a nomad. The names. This is not about having to memorize people’s names. It’s just that when one is a freshman, one just cannot seem to get building and hall names right. For example: “Guys, we have an orientation in TBH.” “Theodore But-buttenburch? Butterbrunch? Ah basta, it’s in front of the BA Department.” Other tongue-twisting hall names we dread to say would include Philip van Engelen in Talamban campus and Albert van Gansewinkel in Downtown campus. Even the pronunciation of the Rigney Hall changes from one person to another. Riding shuttles. In the Talamban Campus, commuting never got any more interesting than doing so within the school’s premises. However, these dandelion-colored vehicles, despite their utility, also become the cause of the constant battle between convenience and
saving five pesos of one’s daily allowance. Some would choose to walk up the slope and salvage a portion of their money while the others choose to avail such a form of “luxury”. The school shuttles’ services are beneficial for those people, including freshmen, who are not accustomed to walking such long distances. Minors and majors. Before, subjects never really had any classification; each one must be allocated with an equal amount of attention. In college, though, we all have to get used to the concept of having “minor” and “major” subjects with the latter being of higher priority. Lines like “minor nga feeling major” are used to describe those general education subjects which demand much from their students. This mentality was easily adapted by the freshmen community in terms of their treatment towards the different courses under their program. What good does this system do us? This is a question whose answer is long overdue. Heaven versus hell. We are not talking about these states of being in the context of faith, but in differentiating high school from college life. Way back in high school, we get frustrated with making a single mistake. All hell broke loose when that happened to some of us. On the contrary, college came and passing marks became our desperate version of heaven on earth. It’s the sad truth; and despite that, it remains to be an undeniable fact. The schedules. “Five more minutes, mom.” Does this line ring a bell? It used to be our common mantra in refusing to wake up early in the morning for school. Now, for most of us, there is no need to groan these words anymore thanks to our new schedules. What used to be about eight straight hours of classes became five, with lengthy breaks
in between. There is a natural revision of routine, and the need to adapt to the shifts in one’s eating pattern arises. Out of the aforementioned changes, this should be one of the most extreme because it requires flexibility in coping up. The parties. It was barely a week since the start of classes when this year’s freshmen got to party to their hearts’ content during the first Warriors Fresh Camp. Certainly not all, but for many first year students, that just might be their first taste of a long, waking night filled with disc jockey mixes and close-skinned dancing. It was definitely something new and different with its booming oscillations from speakers and occasional skin-to-skin contact that dissociates it from regular high school norms. Those are just a few out of the many interesting things that we ought to discover as college students, whether as freshmen or not. In each day we spend in school, we can never get away from learning about both the school and ourselves. No matter how much we would want to know what, when and why beforehand, life always has its own ways to leave us flabbergasted. To all freshmen, always take a look at the bright side. Obliviousness is not always a bad thing. Yes, it leaves us clueless and unsure about whatever is going on around us, but it also gives also a certain thrill. If we knew every single detail about college before even becoming part of it, we would not have anything interesting to look back to in the future. Sometimes, mishaps from ignorance are what add spice to the chaotic world of college. We should not fret, as it happens to everyone. All of us got to experience everything for the first time. TC
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
VOX POPULI
Is the Younger Generation Ready to V te? Mikhailah Rañada
Electing our nation’s leaders is one of the biggest responsibilities every Filipino citizen has. It is so easy to vote for just anybody, but choosing the right candidate is essential for the future of our nation. Our needs honest and deserving government leaders – someone with the passion and love to serve, someone who would strive to do his job well, someone selfless enough not to take advantage of the position he is in. Dr. Jose Rizal believed that the youth is the hope of our nation. In the future, the youth now will be accountable for our nation, both in leading and voting. Are the current voters and future voters mature enough to make good decisions with regards to choosing the rightful leaders to elect? Is the younger generation ready to vote?
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VOX POPULI
“No, because I don’t think they have enough knowledge about politics since the younger generation today isn’t really interested in that kind of matter.” Shiela Avila, BSBA - Finance
“For me, most of the younger generation is not yet ready to vote because most of them are not aware of the news and issues happening in our country today. Most of them don’t bother to care who will run our country or who they will vote for because their minds are elsewhere. They care more about what they will wear, what they will do, etc. They are too preoccupied with other things in their own lives to care for the future of our country. Only few in the younger generation truly and honestly understand and care about the issues surrounding our country today. Only a few of them are informed well enough to cast an educated vote. So, that is why I don’t think the younger generationis ready to vote.” Vinz Martina Bacay, BS Civil Engineering
“No, I don’t think so because they lack the knowledge about how the voting would go and they still need proper education about the voting process. As what I have observed, the younger generation now is more focused on their social life and no more about the government.” Allah Lynn Mangana, BS Architecture
“For me, the younger generation is not yet ready to vote. They are easily swayed by the propaganda that media is spreading right now. Although they have the eagerness to respond to change, this generation lacks the eagerness to learn more about their community and how it operates. They are not yet affected by how our government works because they have yet to earn money for themselves.” Kirk Saromines, BSA
“Yes, but only with the guidance of the older voters. Voting for the first time should be worth it and not just for the sake of doing so.” Regeth Velasquez, BS Psychology
“In my opinion, no. Kay most nila kay walay ilahang own decisions. Musabay lang sila kung kinsa ang ingnon sa ilang friends, barkada, parents.” Mary Ann Bongbong, BSBA-Finance
“If provided with proper voters’ education and social awareness, yes.” Catherine Sullano, BSED Physics-Math
“Di pa sila ready.” Neil Marshal Oscares, BS Industrial Engineering
“Yes, the younger generation is ready to vote since they are already part of the society. They are able to discern what is right and wrong, and have opinions on how the community should be. This practice of voting can make the youth be aware of what is happening in the country as well.” Chona Gabo, BS Architecture
“[The] younger generation is not totally ready to vote because there are some that are not knowledgeable enough,maybe except for some who are always updated on the people running for a position in the government, and they depend or even ask their parents on who to vote. They need to involve themselves in Voter’s Education Forums in order to know the true value of their votes.” Michelle Fuentes, AB-POSC-PTS-Econ
“I would say it depends. But to give you a definite answer, I would say no. It’s a case to case basis since most of us are not fully knowledgeable and government-oriented. We have this tendency to follow the opinions of others without carefully assessing our own. Our generation also seems to take interest in the domino effect and jumping on the bandwagon, making us indecisive. Conformity level is at its peak yet there is still hope for us to be educated regardingthis, to be fully aware of the current issues in our country and to choose the rightful leaders.” Beatrice Angela Mel, BFA Advertising Arts
“No. Most people of my age are irresponsible and foolish. They don’t even know who to vote, and why they should vote for them. I understand that their voice must also be heard, but I think they need more experience to teach them what a very big responsibility it is to handle a poor nation.” Maybelle Sugarol, BED-SPED
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
OPINION
BLISS Cesar Carlos Heyrosa and Frederick Head
Ignorance is bliss. Article 19 of the International Bill of Human Rights states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” Here, we are given the official statement of the freedom of expression as a right.
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OPINION
Dinosaurs and humans once coexisted.
OS X is immune from viruses.
According to London-based group Article 19, the said right has six key aspects. First, it involves everyone regardless of race, level of education, sexual orientation and the like. Second, information can be sought, passed on and freely given privately or publicly. Third, any information — fact or opinion — can be communicated. Fourth, information is not under the limits of any territorial boundary. Next, information can be accessed through different modern or traditional media. Lastly, anyone giving information must be respected.
Fourth, information can be under the limits of human stupidity. With or without the use of the brain, we communicate. The former encourages a society of intellectualism — a community where free speech thrives with rational thinking. The latter inspires a relapse of thought, where everyone is free to blurt out idiocy. In the past these two notions battled each other. It is obvious which side claimed triumph.
The Great Wall of China is visible from the moon.
Next, information can be forced on everyone as long as one has the capabilities to have it announced or published. The only thing that anyone needs is an audience. For example, just recently, an erotic book series became a worldwide hit, spawned a film and coined a new subgenre of pornography. What began it all was an audience devoid of cognitive functions — and sadly, we make up that audience.
The official statement of freedom of expression is out-dated. In the present, we have formulated a new notion about free speech, albeit still based on its six original key aspects. To go onward into the future, it is apt that old ideas such as the freedom of expression should adapt to modern times. Vaccines cause autism. Hence, the International Bill of Human Rights needs a revised Article 19: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion, expression, gossip and misinformation; this right includes freedom to force opinions down everyone else’s throat without interference, and to give information and ideas through any media regardless of mental capabilities.” “Let them eat cake,” said Marie Antoinette. This evolution in the notion of freedom of expression is indeed more appropriate for our generation. This progress can be discussed even further by its six new key aspects. Einstein failed math. First, it still involves everyone. Whether one is a know-it-all or an imbecile with online connection, each one of us takes part in this evolution of free speech. It may be by spreading superstition as science. It may be by trusting anyone online. It may be by giving patronage to inept and shallow writers instead of literary geniuses. Because of all of us, information and expression have turned hardly reliable and excellent. Anti-social behavior and introversion are similar. Second, information can be passed more effectively if one forces it down another’s throat. We get it; the government needs reform, Roman Catholicism is evil for not supporting same-sex marriage, and glancing at a woman is rape. The catch, though, is that these may not be the opinions of the learned. Despite that, with three tons of passion and a mouth that never shuts up, we readily accept opinions without any further verification. Napoleon was short. Third, any information — fact, informed opinions, stupid opinions, gossip and misinformation — can be communicated. Female supremacy is feminism. Global warming is a conspiracy theory. Maria Ozawa wants to date our middle-aged bachelor of a president. Simply put, the insubstantial becomes important. Personal belief becomes fact. Misinformation grows rampant.
Eidelweiss is the national anthem of Austria.
Shaving makes the hair grow thicker and darker. Lastly, anyone’s personal opinion is always better than others’. Many bicker about everything with no knowledge about what they actually believe in. As an illustration, Catholics use the Bible against atheists without knowing that the Summa Theologica would benefit them more. On the other hand, atheists use quantum mechanics to support their arguments without fully understanding the implications of Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. What ensues is passionate gobbledygook, and everyone goes home dumber. Alcohol makes the body warmer. With these six key aspects of the new freedom of expression, it is clear that we instead did the exact opposite of making it evolve. We irresponsibly invoke free speech to supposedly strengthen our views. We stick to a system of values without deconstructing it to see if it is indeed correct. We do not ask relevant questions anymore. We do not doubt anymore. We do not think anymore. Scientific theories connote mainstream scientific doubt. As a result, what we have now is an uncertainty concerning the information we get — and consequently, an uncertainty about our knowledge regarding our immediate environment and, ultimately, ourselves. This is a transgression as dreadful and alarming as the other sins against free speech, and all of us have to suffer because of it. Evolution is false; a Supreme Deity made all humans on the sixth day. However, we fail to see neither the dread nor the alarm. We take no action because our ignorance is too comfortable. Our ignorance is bliss. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion, expression, gossip and misinformation.
Is ignorance bliss? TC
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FEATURE
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
THE ASEAN INTEGRATION: Are we prepared? Katrina Jaiun Roa
By the end of 2015, our country becomes part the new ASEAN Economic Community, whose goal is to improve the overall standard of living and quality of life. With this community, all gates are open for import and export of national goods, which gives an opportunity for businesses to either meet new partners or meet new competitors, thus making it an important player in the world economy. The plan of the ASEAN leaders was to establish the ASEAN Economic Community by 2020, but after the development of the various timelines and blueprints, the leaders decided to take the challenge and move the launch to this year. According to the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint, one of the goals of this brave moment is for the ASEAN Economic Community to achieve higher levels of economic dynamism. Additionally, they seek to sustain prosperity that is inclusive of integrated growth among the member nations of the community. Lastly, ASEAN Economic Community is aimed to be one region with free movement of goods, services, investment, skilled labor and capital in terms of its single market and production base. Already, the ASEAN begins to have high demands for local products in their market. With our nation being one of the Southeast Asian countries to have a large English-speaking community, this can be a huge opportunity to attract business firms from neighboring countries. Still, despite the ASEAN Integration opening up new business opportunities, the expected improvements may not come overnight and may take quite a time to process. According to the Doing Business 2015 Going Beyond Efficiency Economy Profile 2015, the Philippines is ranked 161 out of the 189 economies wanting to start businesses, and is ranked one of the lowest relative to other countries that are part of the integration. Another exploit of the ASEAN Economic Community is trade facilitation. A simple, harmonized and standardized trade-andcustoms process, along with related information flows that are expected to reduce transaction costs in ASEAN, is seen to enhance export competitiveness. It may also facilitate the
integration of ASEAN into a single market for goods, services and investments and a single production base. The Doing Business 2015 Going Beyond Efficiency Economy Profile 2015 in the Philippines stated that in today’s globalized world, making trade among economies easier is increasingly important for business. Additionally, exporters in developing countries can gain more from a 10 percent drop in their trading costs than from a similar reduction in the tariffs applied to their products in global markets. Globally, the Philippines is ranked 65 out of 189 economies on the ease of trading across borders. The ASEAN Economic Community also aims to improve infrastructure development, which is aimed to become an efficient, secure and integrated transport network in ASEAN. This can lead to the complete development of the ASEAN Free Trade Area, as well as enhancing the attractiveness of the region as a single production, tourism and investment destination and narrowing development gaps. ASEAN leaders planned this implementation for over a decade, and the ASEAN Integration is nearly here. Still, our nation has been experiencing a huge number of setbacks, which may cause us receiving an undesirable image — one that we may not overcome for many years. Our nation still struggles politically and economically, with its problematic urban transit system, corruption, and near-negligence in education, agriculture and other sectors. All these still remain as obstacles in doing business in the Philippines. Additionally, the Global Competiveness Report in 2009 cited that corruption is the foremost reason why doing business in the Philippines is problematic. Fortunately, in spite of these problems, the World Economic Forum reported in 2014 that the Philippines was the most improved country overall in terms of global competiveness in the last four years, ranking 52 out of 57 in terms of global competiveness. Taking all these into consideration, does our nation still have to time to improve in the dawn of the ASEAN Integration? Are we all prepared to address issues of poverty and corruption to give way to this new community? Is the Philippines — despite the many problems that plague it — truly prepared for the ASEAN Integration? TC
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
#USCD
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
DAYS2015
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
WHERE is the
MUSIC AT? Josemaria Ouano
Illustration by Shari Llamis
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
Music is everywhere. It has never been more accessible than it is now. Weekly events around Cebu showcasing local talents have been gaining popularity recently. If we try to tune in to any local radio station, it is of no doubt that we will hear the phrase “original Pinoy music” being mentioned over and over before the DJ plays another song. However, instead of joining the steady rise of electronic music around the world, the Philippines seems to be stuck in a loop — of artists recycling the same old formula and selling it to the masses. At some point, this makes us wonder: What exactly is “original Pinoy music” and where is it really heading? Music is a mechanism in which we are able to get a glimpse of how society does. In the late 1940s, the simple American standard ballads echo a place where the war was over and the citizens were living the American dream. Louie Armstrong and Frank Sinatra are the shining examples of this era long-gone. From the ‘80s came punk and its rebellious attitude, as well as synth-pop, due to the rise of technology. With it came rap, electro, techno and a bunch of other genres that all paved the way for what music is today. The late ‘70s to the early ‘80s jumpstarted an electronic craze that slowly started to dominate the market. In the Philippines however, it was the birth of a new genre — the “original Pinoy music” — or OPM. OPM is a term that originally referred to the numerous ballads of the late ‘70s. It found its roots in “Manila Sound”, a previous genre of the Marcos regime which included famous groups such as APO Hiking Society and VST & Company. Manila Sound is often characterized by catchy yet simple melodic phrasing and later by its disco-oriented themes. Unfortunately, like all good things, Manila Sound found itself coming to an end as the late ‘70s brought forth American disco singles such as Saturday Night Fever and Footloose to the Philippine airwaves. More so, the 1980s saw the decline of the disco genre in general as contemporary and ballads gained popularity throughout the Philippine market. The laid-back musical style of Manila Sound along with its knack for multi-layered tracks soon found itself evolving into what critics later called OPM.
Freddie Aguilar and Lea Salonga were the first to grab the spotlight in the mid ‘80s. They were followed by Rivermaya and the Eraserheads who led the Pinoy rock movement. Here, we see the genre evolve, keeping up with the international standards of music but at the same time adding the style of our very own artists. This resulted in unique melodies that produced a generation of bands eager to express themselves and their ideals through music. Nowadays, mainstream music in the Philippines is arguably dead, at least from a musician’s viewpoint. Sure we have bands like Bamboo, Urbandub, Six Cycle Mind and Hale that any Pinoy would be proud of, but the thing is that they do not appeal to this generation as much as they did to the last. Essentially, they no longer are this generation’s artists. Nevertheless, the ingenuity of these past artists is excruciatingly rehashed until they become lost to the children of the generation their music was born in. The perpetual laundry-washing of classic acoustic love songs is deprived of the essence of the original, and turns it into a tool to achieve profit. If we want good music, we ought to check out the indie scene. It is full of new artists filled with lyrical genius just waiting to be noticed. A new musical renaissance is happening under our noses but we fail to notice it due to the amount of international bands entering our radio shows. Indie bands such as Silent Sanctuary, Flying Ipis, Autotelic and Taken By Cars and Honeydrop are just a few examples of people trying to change the way how music works in the country. OPM has been reduced to a sliver of what it once was, an echo of a time long lost. Gone is the golden age of Philippine music. Then again, there are two sides of the coin. Love or hate it, this is the state of our music industry, a horrid cycle in which we see the same stuff being used over and over again. TC
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
When #LoveWins, Who Loses? Reyna Angeli L. Pesquira
Illustration by Geralden Morre Last June 26, the world rejoiced when the United States Supreme Court finally ruled in favor of samesex marriage. The hashtag #LoveWins spread quickly; people posted a Facebook status about it, shared a post with pictures and gave their own lengthy essay about how awesome it is, but how many of us actually know what #LoveWins really means? Unfortunately, legalizing same-sex marriage in the U.S. does not make it legal in the Philippines, and to this day, there are people who are wholeheartedly against it. We have to remember that the entire topic on #LoveWins is definitely more than just a hashtag. In fewer than 30 pages, the definition of marriage was completely redefined in the landmark case Obergefell vs. Hodges. The notion of marriage and equality are principles of centuries of debate and change. The case began narrating how the concept of marriage has drastically changed over time because of evolving beliefs. Historically, marriage was once viewed as a mere arrangement by a couple’s parents based on political, religious and financial concerns, but now it is understood to be a voluntary contract between two people. In the past, marriages had no other purpose but to sustain livelihoods or familial interests. Centuries ago, a married man and woman were treated by the state as a single, male-dominated legal entity. Men controlled the household, and women’s rights were relative to their husband’s. Thanks to feminism, women gained legal, political and property rights and society began to acknowledge that women had their own equal dignity. Interracial marriages used to be unimaginable, and young girls used to get married as early as twelve. These are all social constructs that have changed, and will continue to change. The idea of abandoning arranged marriages or the law of coverture once sounded absurd in the past, but discontinuing them has never weakened the institution of marriage. Instead, it has strengthened it. Now, the U.S. Supreme Court stressed on four main points: First, “the right to personal choice regarding marriage is inherent in the concept of individual autonomy”. The court illustrates that there are several factors that contribute to the decision of couples to marry, and that in itself is a right that must be protected. It reflects every person’s freedom to choose who they want to marry, regardless of their sexual orientation. The right to marry does not afford the right to specifically marry a man or a woman, but it grants the right to marry any person, man or woman. It neither marginalizes nor categorizes people based on their sexual orientation; instead it encourages us to see in multi-color: To see that men or women, gays or lesbians, heterosexuals or homosexuals are people all the same. Every person, regardless of orientation, preference, religion, age or race all have the right to choose. Second, “the right to marry is fundamental because it supports a two-person union unlike any other in
its importance to the committed individuals.” The name “Obergefell” comes from the names of one of the parties to the case named James Obergefell. James started a committed life with John Arthur over two decades ago, and in 2011, John was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS. In 2013, they decided to legalize this commitment by traveling to Maryland, where same-sex marriage was legal. However, the couple did not make it because John died three months later. Obergefell was denied to be listed as the surviving spouse on John’s death certificate. By law, “they remained strangers even in death.” The court seeks to protect commitments like this between individuals, and the only pre-requisite is sole commitment, and nothing else. Third, “it safeguards children and families and thus draws meaning from related rights of childbearing, procreation, and education.” Contrary to what most may argue, same-sex couples can build loving and nurturing homes for children, just like opposite-sex couples can. Many same-sex couples have built loving homes, adopting and raising countless children in need of families. Depriving the right of these couples to marry would in addition deprive the right of these children to a recognized and stable home. Further, the case also points out that the right to marry is not less meaningful without children. In the words of the Court: “It cannot be said the Court or the States have conditioned the right to marry on the capacity or commitment to procreate. The constitutional marriage right has many aspects, of which childbearing is only one.” Just because a marriage does not produce children does not mean that it is completely useless. There are too many babies and even more parents who made these babies yet are unable to provide for them. Parenting is a job that is not for everyone, and in the perspective of the child’s welfare, there is nothing wrong with choosing not to have children. It does not connote the end of the world or the end of the human race.
Lastly, “marriage is a keystone of our social order.” In legal terms, the marital status involves not just the privilege of childbearing, but also other governmental benefits like taxation, inheritance and property rights, succession, spousal privilege in the law of evidence, hospital access, medical decision-making authority, adoption rights, benefits to a surviving spouse, and so on. The court mentions that there is no difference between same and opposite-sex couples with respect to these benefits, yet same-sex couples are denied these benefits of marriage, when otherwise, many opposite-sex couples would deem the lack of these privileges as intolerable. Thus, it is degrading to “lock same-sex couples out of a central institution of the nation’s society, for they too may aspire to the transcendent purpose of marriage.” It turns out that marriage for everyone goes beyond the I do’s and the screaming babies. Rights are for people, and the U.S. Supreme Court believed that rights are not defined by who exercises them. The natural right to life, liberty and property is indeed for every person —just like there are rights to expression, to vote or to choose a religion. Marriage is an inherent right, so why should it be the first right to be assorted based on who is allowed to exercise it? The United States is only one of twenty-one countries worldwide to have legalized same-sex marriage. Will there be more after such contentions? In a legal perspective, the dissenting opinions of Obergefell vs. Hodges do leave issues of great deal regarding technicalities, but the legality of the stance requires a whole other story. When love wins, everyone wins. It would be fallacious to conclude that there would ever be a victor or a loser in the first place, when both sides were never meant to go against each other. When natural rights are given their due, it leaves no room for loss; there is only a gain. To end, here’s a quote:
This is one of the most contested perceptions by the church. Many who deem same-sex marriage to be wrong reach the conclusion that it is immoral based on religious or philosophical premises. However, the court proclaims that “neither they nor their beliefs are meant to be disparaged by the ruling, but when that sincere, personal opposition becomes enacted law and public policy, it demeans and denies liberty to those involved.” The court provides that it is unrealistic to conclude that opposite-sex couples would choose not to marry and have children just because same-sex couples can marry now too. The legalizing of samesex marriage does not erase all opposite-sex couples from the face of the earth, so as to deprive them of procreating. Legalizing same-sex marriage does not prohibit opposite-sex couples from marrying, nor does it create a void in the growth of the population, it simply creates more rights, choices and privileges for every person, instead of limiting them like previous trends.
“The closed mind has no place in the open society. It
is part of the sporting idea of fair play to hear “the other side” before an opinion is formed or a decision is made by those who sit in judgment. Obviously, one side is only one-half of the question; the other half must also be considered if an impartial verdict is to be reached based on an informed appreciation of the issues in contention. It is indispensable that the two sides complement each other, as unto the bow the arrow, in leading to the correct ruling after examination of the problem not from one or the other perspective only but in its totality.” - Justice Isagani Cruz in Ynot vs. IAC (1987) TC
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
NEWS FEATURE
CEGP-Cebu Holds Journalism Training for Student Publications Mikhailah Rañada & Christian Rey Camay
The Cebu-Wide Journalism Training 2015 organized by the College Editors Guild of the Philippines - Cebu Chapter (CEGP-Cebu) was held last August 21 at Southwestern University (SWU). The event was participated in by delegates from the different Student Publications in Cebu – Cebu Normal University’s Ang Suga, University of San Carlos’ Today’s Carolinian, Southwestern University’s The Quill, Cebu Technological University’s The Nation Builder, University of Cebu - Lapu-Lapu Mandaue’s Lights of Lapu-Lapu, University of the Philippines Cebu’s Tug-ani, and Saint Theresa’s College’s The Catalyst. For its second year, CEGP-Cebu organized a Cebu-wide journalism training which was hosted by The Quill. The organizers divided the day with different seminars, discussions, workshops, and competitions.
In the morning, enthusiastic students convened in the registration area for the prestigious affair. The talks started after the organizers called everyone to their Audio-Visual Room. To serve as the anticipatory set for the delegates, seminars on the history of CEGP, the role of campus press, our national situation and the challenges of the Filipino Youth were given.
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
NEWS FEATURE
The first seminar simply talked about the history of CEGP. The College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) was founded on July 25, 1931. It aims to unite all campus journalists and hone their skills in their work and expression as press. The first student publications to join the guild were the Philippine Collegian of UP Diliman, Varsitarian of University of Santo Tomas, and Guidon of Ateneo de Manila University. Its first president was Wenceslao Vinzons of the Philippine Collegian. Members were busy with journalism training, intercollegiate pageants, and relief operations for calamity-stricken places. Being the oldest and broadest intercollegiate alliance of student publications in the country, it continues its quest well into the present day with more than 750 member publications from more than 500 universities, colleges, seminaries, and convents in 68 provinces and cities nationwide. The second seminar plaintively pointed out the role of campus press as part of the media. As a realization of the State, campus press is an important institution in society that promotes and protects the constitutionally afforded right of press freedom. That is, it serves as the voice of the students in particular and the youth in general. In college press and publications, students are given a free and adequate venue for the discussion of their concerns, upholding social consciousness and defending the interest and welfare of the Filipino people by tackling both national and sectoral issues. Today’s setting has the power to prove that campus press can help strengthen the youth and student movements and consequently foment social change. The third seminar presented the national situation in order to challenge the Filipino youth to think outside of what they are shown. The speaker shared that the recent State of the Nation Address (SONA) overlooked and outright ignored reports about cases on human rights violations that had happened in the country. However, a video of the Lumads of Davao was shown to the audience contradicting President Aquino’s testimony. Last July 23, four days before the SONA, violence broke out as Lumads resisted policemen who attempted to break into the UCCP Haran compound in Davao City to dismantle their refugee camp and force them to return home. The Lumads resettled themselves to escape from Armed Forces members who had beaten, harassed, and threatened them. The next account was about our current country’s economic condition. Our economy is moving the wrong way – backwards. We are becoming import-dependent instead of being export-oriented. Further, the proposed national budget is 3.002 trillion Php; less than half of our country’s 6.4 trillion Php foreign debt, an indication that the Philippines is still having a hard time paying its obligation without addressing its own needs. The speaker’s final assessment was that PNoy is, again, in contradiction to his own statements.
The events then took shifted from a political scope to a more writingoriented one, with the participants dividing themselves according to their field of expertise for an hour of concurrent classroom discussions and individual workshops – conducted by some organizers of CEGP-Cebu – on News Writing, Features Writing, Editorial Writing, Copy Reading, Graphics, Photojournalism, and Editorial Cartooning, hosted by speakers with considerable experience in their respective fields. At the end of the workshops, each speaker was awarded a certificate of recognition by the organizers. These were followed in the afternoon by another seminar which included a topic on the Cebu Student Situation. A speaker expounded about budget-cutting, which is reaching phenomenal proportions in state universities; as an example, the speaker brought up the case of Cebu Technological University. The state government, when it cuts or stops funding state-run colleges or universities, make educational institutions prefer to raise tuition fees, which in turn translates to a cost shift. He also revealed the undesirable aftermath of tuition fee increase to students in private educational institutions. After the seminar, additional classroom discussions and workshops on Literary Criticism, Short Film Making, Website Design, and Social Media Strategies followed. During every workshop, the delegates were classified according to their position in their respective publications. The workshops and seminars were also supplemented in on-the-spot individual competitions on News and Feature Writing, Photojournalism, Editorial Writing, Editorial Cartooning, and Poetry Writing. Each category was given a specific topic to focus on while each delegate competed in their respective field of interest for 45 minutes. Winners were not announced immediately after the competition; the organizers instead informed contestants that they would be informed through the Guild’s webpage. For the last activity, the delegates were asked to choose which classroom discussions they wanted to delve into, either on poetry or on short stories. The speaker on the poetry session stressed about the undying voice of poetry. Delegates were encouraged to continually appreciate poetry since it can inspire and make people think about what it means to be a member of the human race. To end the day, organizers awarded a certificate of participation to every representative from the different participating student publications. With the number of people it reached and how deeply it reached them, the organizers and participants alike reaped the benefit of a successful day, all in the name and service of being part of a greater press community. TC
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
OPINION
SONA 2016 : Walang Daang Matuwid Bryant Gonzales & Miko Mangubat Illustration by Zachary Borromeo
Ang Pangalawang Pangulo ng Republika ng Pilipinas; mga dating Pangulong Fidel Valdez Ramos at Joseph Estrada; kagalang-galang na Pangulo ng Senado; kagalang-galang na Speaker ng Mababang Kapulungan; kagalang-galang na Punong Hukom ng Korte Suprema; kagalang-galang na mga miyembro ng Kongreso ng Pilipinas; kagalang-galang na Gabinete; kagalang-galang na mga kawani mula sa ating unipormadong hanay; their excellencies of the diplomatic corps; at sa mga minamahal kong mga kababayan, magandang araw po sa inyong lahat. Nasa panahon na tayo ng ating kasaysayan na hindi na matitigilan ang pag-unlad at pagganda ng buhay ng bawat Pilipino. Lahat ng mga economic indicators at ahensya ay itinuturo ang Perlas ng Silanganan bilang isa sa mga impresibong ekonomiya sa buong mundo, pero ang katanungan, nararamdaman ba ito ng lahat? May pag-asa pa bang mangarap ang mga kapatid nating nasasadlak tungo sa pangakong lupa? Sa pagpili ninyo sa akin ay makakasiguro na kayo ang aking inspirasyon na walang sinuman ang maiiwanan sa umuunlad na ekonomiya.
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
OPINION
Sa pagpili ninyo sa akin ay walang hahadlang sa magandang buhay. Pero bago tayo tumingin sa malayo ay bumalik tayo sa naghuling administrasyon kung saan sila nagkulang.
Tanungin ninyo ang mga taga-Samar at Samal kung nararamdaman ba nila ang tuwid na daan at ang paglago ng ekonomiya. Kadalasan, ang mga kapartidong dilaw lang ang nabibigyan ng tamang budget para sa mga nasasakupan nila. Ako, si Pangulong Binay, ay walang papapanigan kahit UNA, Liberal o Nacionalista pa. Oo nga, lumago nga ang ating ekonomiya ng 6.2 na porsyento sa Para tumulong sa mga nais ko, itinatalaga ko si Rodrigo Duterte bilang DILG head nagdaang taon. Oo’t marami nang pinuno ng mga iba’t ibang bansa ang para rin mawala ang talamak na kurapsyon sa local government unit. Bilib ako sa nagsasabi na tayo ang liwanag sa dumidilim na kinabukasan ng mundo, sinabi nya: “Ang opisyal na takot, sa kaban ay hindi maghahakot.” pero ang katanungan, nakakain ba ‘yan? Gumanda ba ang kalagayan ng edukasyon sa mga anak ni Juan? Nabigyan ba ng oportunidad ang Alam naman natin ang problema sa West Philippine Sea. Ang mga isla doon mga hindi edukadong mamayan na makahanap ng trabahong pumasok sa ay pilit na pinag-aagawan ng mga bansang lumilibot dito. Isa na dito ang ating bansa? Hindi at hindi. Sa katunayan, hindi nasugpo ang kahirapan at China. Aminin na natin, hindi kailanman malalampasan ng administrasyon kawalan ng trabaho, at ang mahihirap ay ginagamit bilang alipin sa kanilang ko ang pwersang meron ang Tsina ngayon. Bakit hindi tayo mag-dayalogo? matitinding trabaho at maliliit na sweldo. Bakit hindi tayo magsimulang kumausap sa kanila? Sa panahong ngayon, hindi na uuso ang anumang dahas na pakikitungo. Tara, pairalin natin ang Ano ang silbi ng tuwid na daan kung ang mga tao ay nakapila sa istasyon ng demokrasya. Kaya pinapadala ko si DFA Undersecretary Rafael Seguis para tren at ang mga opisyal at mayayaman ay nakasakay sa taxi na sobrang tinted sa isang West Philippine Sea Summit sa Kuala Lumpur para mapag-usapan ang bintana para hindi makita ang karangyaan nila? Ang tuwid na daan ba na ng mga interesadong bansa sa mga islang nakapaloob sa nasabing ipinangako ay papunta sa kaunlaran o kapalpakan? karagatan. Maging susi tayo sa kaunlaran dahil ang tanging tunay na magpapalago sa Sa aking termino bilang inyong Pangulo, pinapangako ko sa inyo na ekonomiya ay ang pagbukas ng rehas na nagkulong sa ating mahihirap hinding hindi na mauulit ang trahedya sa Mamasapano at Zamboanga. patungo sa kasadlakan. Tayo dapat ang maging susi para mapalaya ang ating Wala nang pamilyang magdudusa sa kawalan at hinagpis tulad ng mga nagkukumahog na kapatid. Nawa ay tayo ang susi para makalaya sa seldang pamilya ng Fallen 44. Buhay nila ang nakalaan para ipagtanggol ang bansa. tumitigil sa kanila para makamtan ang karangyaan. Magandang trabaho, Nararapat lamang na bigyan sila ng tamang sahod at benepisyo mula sa reporma sa edukasyon, at peace and order ang magiging layunin sa unang B-inay. Libreng cake at sandamakmak na serbisyo kung sa kasawiang palad taon ng aking administrasyon. ay namatay ang kamag-anak na sundalo. Pinapangako ko ring uunahin ko Magsimula ulit tayo. ang pagbibigay parangal at pugay sa mga nasawi nating kapatid sa digmaan kaysa sa pag-attend ng inauguration ng isang pagawaan ng sasakyan. Sa kaalaman ng lahat, ako po ay naglingkod bilang alkalde ng Makati ng dalawampung taon. Mula sa isang simpleng bayan ay itinaguyod ko ito Oo, bumitiw ako sa aking pwesto bilang myembro ng gabinete at oo, meron bilang business hub na naging central business district ng Metro Manila. kayong sapat na dahilan para manghusga at mag-alinlangan sa mga ipinangako Ang Makati ay naging simbolo ng walang tigil na economic growth sa ko, pero masisisi nyo ba ako sa aking desisyon kung ako ang kinikilalang black bansa kahit na anong problema ang naramdaman ng ating bansa. sheep sa gabinete ng nakaraang administrasyon? Palaging taliwas at iba ang Sa lahat ng kalamidad, sakuna at kawalang-hiya ng mga nagdaang aking opinion sa mga hearing kung kaya’y dapat nyo akong pagkatiwalaan. Oo, administrasyon, naging matatag ang Makati dahil sa good governance kasalanan ko rin na hindi ko ipinagpilitan ang tama sa mga hearing sa nakalipas measures na sinimulan ko at ipinagpapatuloy ng aking butihin na anak, na limang taon pero ngayon, hayaan nyo akong itama ang kurakot na sistema ng si Mayor JB. bansang ito at pagsilbihan kayo mga minamahal kong kababayan. Ang plano ko, magtayo ng malilit na Makati sa buong Pilipinas para Noong nakaraang buwan, hindi ko inaakala na ang batang Payatas ay ngayo’y mas maging madali at maganda ang pagnenegosyo sa ating bayan. nakahiga na sa Malacañang. Never in my wildest dreams. Hindi ko inakala na ang Ang mga negosyante ay hindi na mapapanot sa problema dahil lahat ng pangungutsa, pang-aalipusta, at hirap sa buhay na mararanas ko ay panahon na para ang kulay itim naman ang mamuno sa halip na dilaw. hahantong dito. Papadilimin natin ang mga mata ng mga kurakot na opisyal na walang ginawa kundi magmotor ng walang helmet at kumain ng pansit habang Siguro, eto ang ginusto ng Poong Nazareno. may bus hostage-taking sa Luneta. Tama na. Let the good darkness kill the pretentious yellow light. Eto ang ginusto niya sa’kin para paglingkuran ang nakakararami at protektahan ang naaapi. Huwag po nating kakaligtaan ang ating mga butihing lolo at lola. Nagsikap sila noon para pag-aralin tayo at hubugin ang kayamanan ng ating bansa, Baka dahil sa akin ay marami pang mahihirap ang hindi titigil sa pangagarap. kaya nararapat na gawaran sila sa natitirang panahon nila kapiling sila. Dahil Kayo, mga iniwanan at hinuhusgaan ng lipunan, balang araw ay mararating nito, ilulunsad ko ang B-inay, o ang nationwide birthday cake distribution ninyo ito o kung ano mang kasaganaan sa buhay na hinahangad ninyo. sa bawat inay sa kaarawan ng mga butihing lola. Mas paiigtingin ang social services na nararapat na maibigay sa kanila. Libre na po sila sa lahat ng Siguro pagsisikap lang para gumanda ang buhay ang sasagot sa bugtong gastusin sa ospital at kasama na diyan ang gamot. May diskwento na din ang na hindi masagot-sagot. burial assistance nila. Ang para sa mga tatay na lolo ay bibigyan din ng parehong serbisyo pero hindi B-itay ang tawag sa kanila. B-inay na lang din para unified Noong nakaraang taon, pinipilit ako ng aking maybahay na talikuran term. na ang pulitika. “Jo, nakakasakit na ang binabato sa atin. Hindi ka ba napapagod?” Ano ang tuwid na daan kung may mga snatcher naman sa paligid? Bago mo marating ang kinaroroonan, ninakawan, tinaga at hinubaran ka na pala. Kaya Tugon ko, “Honey, ampon ako at nag-iisa sa mundo noong bata pa ikinagagalak kong i-prisenta sa inyo ang bagong PNP chief natin na si Lito Lapid. ako. Kung tumigil ako sa paghahanap sa tunay na kahulugan ng buhay, Sa kanyang kaalaman sa pagsugpo sa mga kawatan, asahan ninyo na si Leon malamang ay hinahayaan ko na ang huling halakhak na mapunta sa iba. Guerrero ay handang protektahan kayo araw-gabi 25/8. Malamang ay nag-loko ako at nalulong sa droga. Malamang ay basurero na lamang ako habam-buhay sa Payatas.” Noon, pumupunta pa ang Thailand at Vietnam sa Laguna para alamin ang mga bagong teknolohiya sa pagsasaka ng bigas. Ngayon, tayo na ang pumupunta sa “Honey, lahat nang pagsubok ay naranasan ko. Bakit pa ba ako titigil na kanila para lamnan ang NFA natin. Bakit ang mga maliliit na bansa, na dayuhan matanda na ako at nirarayuma?” pa, ang nagpapakain sa atin? Sayang naman ang lupain natin. Ibenta na lang sa China kung ganun. Lahat ng hirap ko ay para sa pamilya natin, honey, este, First Lady Binay. Lahat ng hirap ko ay para sa buong Pilipinas Kaya ngayong taon, ipapatupad ko na ang Oplan: B.I.N.A.Y. – Bagong Irigasyon Na sa ating Agrikultura Years. Mula 2016 hanggang sa susunod Dahil naniniwala ako na kung sama-sama nating tatahakin ang daan na taon, magiging progresibo na ang sakahan, at pagdating ng 2018, kaya patungo sa tunay na kaunlaran, gaganda ang buhay. na natin pakainin ang sariling bayan at may sobra pa para iangkat sa mga nangagailangang bansa. Dahil sa Oplan: B.I.N.A.Y. gaganda ang agrikultura. Siya nga pala, I declare Martial Law. TC
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
OPINION
ON FINDING FAITH Paolo Perez
Illustration by Shari Llamis
“Doubt is useful. It keeps faith a living thing.” –Yann Martel, Life of Pi
Like many of my fellow Filipinos, I grew up religious. I went to mass every Sunday, prayed the rosary with my family, and when Christmas rolled around, the house was just as ready for Jesus as it was for Santa. As I got older, though, I realized that despite knowing all my prayers and taking catechism classes at the local parish’s community center, my grasp on my own faith was loose, at best.
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
OPINION
Note that I said faith, not religion. We could sit here debating dogma for hours, but what good would that do? Religion is an inherently communal celebration of individual faiths; without acknowledging our own faiths, how can we understand our own religions? I was the kind of child who would have his parents read him Bible stories one night, and then a book about dinosaurs the next. Naturally, it led to a few conflicts of interest. “Don’t question your faith,” my mother would tell me whenever I inquired about dinosaurs and Noah in the same sentence, “or you’ll just end up lost.” This was not a “because I said so” type of response. My mom wasn’t trying to shut me up or get me to go to sleep early. She said it because she was not sure what else to say, especially not to a 6-year-old , and I did not know what to say either. That was her faith. As for mine? I still was not even really sure what the word meant. Thus I carried on like Schrödinger and his cat, existing in a state of uncertainty until I decided to take a good, hard look. The world was billions of years old and thousands of years old at the same time, and until someone invented a time machine, I would never have to open the box to see which one would prevail. I was curious, but just as afraid, and eventually, I had to convince myself that it simply did not matter. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Call it bravery, call it stupidity, call it logic, but eventually I did lift the lid. The Bill Nye vs. Ken Ham debate on the age and creation of the Earth in 2014 drew me in like a fly to honey, watching the Science Guy and the creationist spark off each other like flint as they tried to out-think the other. After everyone had said their piece, I decided that it was time to close the door on the doubt that had plagued me for years. The world was too big, too grand, and in many cases, too strange to have popped into existence over six days; I decided that fossils and depressions etched into rock told a better story than the ones I grew up with. My beliefs changed, and, different as they were, at least I was sure of them now. Funnily enough, at the same time I ended up telling myself once again that it did not matter.
Actually, that is not completely accurate. If anything, I grew to appreciate the world I lived in a little bit better than before. Making a universe in a week? Exciting, but it seems rushed, somehow; the kind of output one would expect from coloring outside the lines and using too much paste. Making one over the course of billions of years? Now, that is impressive. That tells me that any cosmic entity who puts that much time into something must want it to go right, and when I look at what is around me- the sunlight in my eyes, the wind whispering in my ear, or the smiles painted on the faces of the people I love most- I figure that the way things turned out, they must have exceeded expectations. After coming to that realization, reconciling my faith against my religion came to me without much additional effort. Maybe I did not know what I thought I knew, and maybe what I did know was wrong. Still, everyone needs something to believe in, and I call mine God. I have spent the last few years forging my faith like iron, hammering out its dents and folding out its impurities, shaping it this way and that until I liked the way it felt. I do not know if I am “good” at being a Catholic, whatever the criteria for that is, but I do know that I am at peace with my religion. I was born into it, granted, but the decision to stand by it is my own. I cannot know for certain if God is listening when I thank him for a good day before I climb into my bed, or ask him for another one when I get out of it in the morning. I do not know if he is the one putting the wind back in my sails when I am stuck in the doldrums. To be quite honest, I am not even sure about his perfection, but anyone who puts that much effort into what he makes is doing it right by me. A lot of people would tell me that God is not real, but I never really found myself able to subscribe to that. There is too much good in the world for it not to come from somewhere. Maybe I am wrong but I am happy, and, at least in this case, I shall take that over being right any day. “Don’t question your faith,” my mother used to say, “or you’ll just end up lost.” Sorry, Mom. I have to disagree. If it were not for the questions and the doubt, I do not think I would still have mine at all. In the end, I do not really care whether my beliefs are right. They are not hurting anyone. I do my best to be as sure of that as I can. Most importantly, they are mine. TC
Not only was it true this time, it was also one of the easiest things I have ever done.
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
LITERARY
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
LITERARY
THIS CITY IS
DEPRESSING Katrina Jaiun Roa
Illustration by Justine Patrice Bacareza
“The city is depressing,” it rings in my head. “The city is depressing,’ the sorrowful say. “The city is depressing,’ I write down every day. “The city is depressing,” a mantra to my daily routine. The city is depressing. The roads are jammed, just like every other day. I see fellow citizens with tired looks on their faces try their best to catch their way home in an overpopulated city, even I, and it’s okay. Tight spaces, no spaces. I lose breath as the vehicle’s filled with more passengers, probably struggling as I. T his has become a daily routine I’ve been trying to endeavor. It is not becoming any prettier, and it’s okay. The city is depressing. My fellow citizens are suffering. I look around and count the street lights as I hear the shouts of drunken men indulging into chaos. I pity that lady on the street, escaping the brutal abuse that man is trying to inflict her. I pity that teenager crying on the curb, hearing his folks kicked him out because he was caught committing crime. He did not know any better, I guess. That public transit driver is accused of stealing money from his neighbor, but in reality that money-hungry neighbor, he calls his friend, will soon serve time. The city has been an open theatre for daily woes, and the show just goes on, and it’s okay. The city is depressing. The noise is nowhere near compelling. Screams of the city folk are terrifying. The honks of vehicles are nerve-wracking. At the night where citizens are supposed to catch up on precious sleep, citizens are found drinking their sorrows away, getting into reckless fights or trying to find a reason to be alive at the dreaded nighttime. I cannot seem to find inner peace in this mess of a metropolis, and it’s okay.
The city is depressing. I pity those who have no shelter. For living in a suburban so civilized, I can’t pinpoint why there are thousands of citizens without any place to go home on dreadful nights, miracles cannot sweep away woes overnight, and it’s okay. This is what I replay every day, as I step off the jeep, I take a couple of minutes to indulge my city, observe my city, and hope that there will be good changes that can happily impact our lives. I am hoping, slowly hoping. The city is depressing, and it’s okay. “The city is depressing”, said a homeless woman behind my back as I was walking around some more. I stopped and I saw the gloom in her eyes as she tried to survive everything with nothing. I see a small boy, probably not reaching the age of 10, hiding behind this woman’s back. He runs away and hides back to his shelter made out of cloth. The rain starts to pour down, and I offer the mother and son my umbrella. I run to catch a ride when I lock eyes with the woman, and I could see a tad of her sorrow lift up. It’s back to the overcrowded rides, the noises of citizens at night, the crime I witness with my eyes. It’s a scene I have to replay, a chapter I have to continuously write, and it’s okay. No matter how drastic this city can become, even though it gets worse by the day, I still find a little hope in this city when I see that citizens who suffer more, still bring out that smile. The city can still hold hope, and it’s okay. Nonetheless, the city is still depressing, but that’s okay. TC
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
GUGMA Christabelle Escudero Ah, love, ever the talk of the town. It is what perks our attention up when the atmosphere gets boring, the frequentlyasked question in Truth-or-Dare and the drunken words we blurt over bottles of alcohol. People have a lot to say about it, but if there is one thing that usually resonates everywhere nowadays, it is the echoes of, “Di nako! Kapoyna! Kapoynaanggugma!” Indeed, love is exhausting. It is a bunch of things we get frustrated about for once or for a lot of times in our lives. Love is confusion. It is the petals that fall off the flower because we want to know if they love us or if they love us not. It is the short, disinterested replies of our significant others that leadus to sitting on our beds — elbows sitting on our knees and faces lying on our hands — while trying to figure out what went wrong. It is the dictionary we become as we try to decipher every word they say and every action they do just to see if they hold meaning. Love is expense. It is the empty wallets we have because we just shelled out most of our savings for our anniversaries. It is the bags under our eyes caused by the hours of sleep we gave up to talk to our partners just a little longer. It is the numbers on our grade slips marked red due to the countless classes we skipped because we just cannotresist not being with them. Love is stupidity. It is the word “Seen” below our short message in the chat box that leads us to wonder if we should have said more. It is the brash decision of setting our school work aside because an invitation to hang out suddenly arrives from the persons we mostly hope it would come from. It is the faults we refuse to see because they are so perfect, and we cannot ever imagine ourselves letting go of them and living without them. Love is treachery. It is the secret meetings we have in the middle of the night so our parents will not know. It is the sound of a huge slap on the face because we cannot handle the discovery that our partners cheated. It is the false hopes that make us believe that their “Take care” means “Take care because I care for you a lot and I love you”, even it plainly just means for us to take care. Love is acrimony. It is the ice cream and chips we binge on because the persons we like do not like us back. It is the fire
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
that consumes the pictures, tickets, letters and other memorabilia of a past relationship. It is the lyrics of love songs we wish we can directly sing as spitefully as we can to the world, but can only resort to pipe out so bitterly in karaoke rooms. In the big picture, love is the sack that we carry on our backs, wearing our bodies off. It is the torturing thoughts invading our minds until we are driven crazy. It is that burning sensation in our chests that speak of heartache. For dozens of times, we have asked any higher force if can we just please get rid of it. Now, let us welcome ourselves to the time of cynicism and impermanence, when hookups are the new cool, when body parts are the most common words heard in mainstream songs, when #WalangForever is rampant in social media, and when butterflies in the stomach are considered red flags and should therefore be eradicated. Let uspresent ourselves the generation of hustle and bustle, when more products oftechnology are there to distract us, more social issues are being opened for discussion, more forms of entertainment are made, and yes, more requirements in
FEATURE
is kapoy Illustration by Zachary Borromeo school are given for us to comply. So much in society is there to tell us that there is more to life than diving into the ocean of love, and we succumb to it. As long as we do not have to handle the burden it brings, we tell ourselves we have no energy and time to deal with it. Thus, we keep ourselves anchored onshore, staying away from the thing that will just make us drown, convincing ourselves that yes, we are better off without it. Are we really? Are we really grateful for this generation and how it has diverted our attention? Are we really being honest with ourselves when we wish the butterflies would just fly away? Are we really sincere in asking if we can be done with love? Why does it seem that we still crave it, then? Why do we still have it in the story lines of novels and movies? Why is it still considered an effective marketing strategy in the advertising industry? Why is it still the subject of long social media posts expressing one’s affection for another? Why does it remain to be the favorite talk of the town?
Love still holds power on us, whether we admit it or not. It is ever prevalent, and we are still left tied on its finger, captured on the embrace of its surrounding laces. Apologies, but we cannot ever get rid of it. Well, that is not really something to be sorry for. Love is still a list of other things, anyway. Love is possibility. It is the footsteps that pounded on the airport floor and that brought us to our departing loved ones just in time. It is the timer that counts the number of hours and minutes of our daily video calls. It is the fears we have surprisingly overcome while doing something outrageous to make them happy. Love is chance. It is the long embrace we exchange with someone after we forgive their mistakes. It is the sparkle in their eyes we see when they smile, even when their teeth are crooked. It is the white flag we wave while in awe of their side of the argument; they were right, anyway, so we are glad to surrender. Love is transformation. It is the vices we give up for them to be more comfortable around us. It is all the information we take from books, online articles and other media because we want to keep up with their vast knowledge. It is the glow on our faces that all notice except our own selves. Love is hope. It is the sunrise we wake up to just to greet the persons we adore a good morning. It is the consoling words we say when they are feeling down, even when we do not consider ourselves the encouraging type. It is the bucket list we made with our partners that we plan to tick off one by one in a span of years — because we know we are going to last for years. Despite all the sad stories it creates, love still encompasses joyful ones. We never know which between those things will tell ours in the end, but for sure, when we reach the end of the page, we will come out as lessons we have learned from it that have molded us into people who finally know better. Love is exhausting, yes. It is a bunch of frustrating things we get tired of, but with those come a multitude of beautiful things to look forward to. Here is to us exclaiming “Kapoyanggugma!” and following it with “Pero kaya gihapon!” afterward. Here is to us not giving up on it. TC
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
Will Cebu Ever Be Safe Again? Mikhailah Rañada
Photographs by Anthony Bernaldo & Angelo Nico Daroy Have you heard of the latest modus operandi of pickpockets? Have you already experienced having your valuables stolen from you? Do you have a friend who has fallen victim to crime, whether in or out of Metro Cebu?
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TODAY’S Today’s CAROLINIAN CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
FEATURE
Even without statistics, there is no doubt that the crime rate in Cebu has increased. It feels like criminals are no longer afraid to do what they do. People are now traumatized and afraid. Many things have been robbed from them: gadgets, wallets, jewelry and the most precious of them all — their sense of safety. Everyday brings about another story of how his backpack was unknowingly opened while someone talked to him to get him distracted, of how her phone was stolen as she unsuspectingly crouched down to help a man pick up his one-peso coin, of how her car was taken away while she went to check on the money that she “left” in the back of her car. What more can these people possibly come up with? We ourselves may have fallen victim to robbery more times than we care for. Being entirely objective about it, who can blame those robbers and burglars? They also have to live and provide for their families; and they probably grew up in an environment where crime is a way of life and educationand, both technical and moral, where crime is a luxury. We can only pity them. That they should resort to unlawful means in order to survive is risky and dangerous. Who should be blamed for all this mess, then? The police? CCPO? The local government? President Aquino? It feels like no one is doing anything about this increasing criminal activity. Authorities are claiming that things have been done for this issue, but it is not enough to say that there are measures being taken up to remedy the problem. There should be evident results.
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FEATURE
Many of burglars and robbers are just impoverished and unemployed people who have lost hope in ever finding a decent job. That is not to condemn these people; this is for the people who could do something about it, but don’t. There so many things that could be done. We may not be experts, but how hard is it to capture a group of people known to be serial crime-doers? How about providing livelihood to those who are unemployed, those who are most likely to resort to stealing? Why not give them an alternate, legal source of income? Or hit from the root cause of the problem and educate the youth? DepEd has the biggest share in the national budget. But why is education still a privilege? Stealing is not just against the law; it is also unfair. It is unfair because those people who work hard and even beg to make an honest living tend to receive less than those who steal to earn. Still, it is like we allow thieves to walk free and even allow them to “train” children to be like them. Is it too much to ask for a safer place to live in? The future of Cebu as a safe place to visit or reside in is questionable. Yes, we are developing in terms of economy and tourism, but what good is progress if we are not spared from crimes even in our own homes? How many more offenses against the law will be allowed to happen without active response? How much more distress do we have to witness and hear about to see the end of this criminal fest?
Will we ever find safety in Cebu again? TC
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FEATURE
The Continuation of
DAANG MATUWID Laura Posadas
Illustration by Xene Cabahug Jr.
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FEATURE
We have all witnessed or heard of Pres. Aquino’s final State of the Nation Address over the news or social media.The president’s platform on “daang matuwid” focuses on his fight against corruption and his firm belief that without it, there would be no such thing as poverty. He also stated that the Philippines has now been dubbed as Asia’s Rising Tiger, Asia’s Rising Star, and Asia’s Bright Spot, as the country was remarkably given an upgrade by the most prominent credit rating agencies. We as Filipinos would like to hold on to this, but how do we continue this so-called “straight and righteous path” after the president’s term? We have to face it: We are not naïve. We do not always see Pres. Aquino as the immaculate leader who never gets his hands dirty. Chances are, when he steps down from the throne, we might see him wearing a neck brace on a wheelchair and in hospital arrest because of criminal charges — in similar fashion to a previous president. However, when we erase this pessimism and change this to trust and confidence in his accomplishments, then we must also join the advocacy in fighting corruption and poverty. The question now is, how can the upcoming presidential elections become the extension of daang matuwid? This leaves us to think that Pres. Aquino’s bet for the next presidential race is the direct answer. However, it does not necessarily mean that way. As the youth of the Philippines, we must do our part. The first step to take towards this daang matuwid is to keep the optimism. Dwelling on the past elections and holding grudges against the government will not bring us any good. Elections are the start of change, as they say, but no change can happen when we, in the first place, are already neglecting the capabilities of our next president. According to Summitexpress.com, the latest survey from SWS stated that eight out of 10 Filipinos believe that the country will be included in the list of developed countries. Based on a Gallup
survey, the Philippines has the highest optimism in the Asia Pacific and second-highest in the world. This is living proof that there is still not just a hint, but a bucketful of optimism residing in us. Let us use this optimism as a means to open our hearts in the hope of achieving the straight and righteous path. Let us use this to see that the government does not always relate to the word corruption. If we truly are fighters of corruption and poverty, we must see things holistically. Though not everyone enjoys watching politics on the news or even hearing people talk about it, if we really are concerned about our country’s current state, then it is about time we raise our awareness on what really is going on. With today’s technology, it would take neither much time nor effort at all. We can read news with just a tap away. A scroll through a news article about the upcoming elections would not hurt. A click to share informative articles on current issues would not cost us anything. Social media can influence so greatly, so why not use this influence as a tool to help the masses discern who the best candidate is for the next presidential race? These are some of the many ways we can get to know our presidential candidates, assess their platforms and recognize the most ideal leader. The third and final step is to be a registered voter. To all who are qualified to vote, it is best that we participate. When the time comes that when we are not satisfied about the performance of our president, it is so easy for us to complain, rant and criticize. However, we fail to consider the fact that we did not do our part, and that part is to exercise suffrage. What a waste of opportunity it is. The uncertainty of who will next lead us to daang matuwid may never have certain answers. However, when we keep the optimism, raise awareness and exercise suffrage, then we, like toddlers taking their first steps, are well on our way to the straight and righteous path that awaits us. TC
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FEATURE
Who RUN THE WORLD? Gab Arcenas
Photograph by Angelo Nico Daroy
Since time in memorial, women around the world have struggled for their rights. In ancient times, women were not allowed to hunt or lead. However, in spite of the predominantly-male culture in ancient these times, a few notable women broke the barriers and showed that they had the capabilities to do what men could. Some of them, even went a step up compared to their male counterparts, such as Cleopatra, Dorothea von Velen, Harriet Tubman and , Joan of Arc. They, in turn, paved the way for our leading ladies today such as Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Queen Elizabeth II, Angela Merkel, Malala Yousafzai and many more.
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FEATURE
This movement is already making its way around the globe. Even in our own city, there have been many notable women of power. To narrow it down even more, in our own university, women empowerment is growing. Last academic year, most, if not all, notable positions in different student bodies were held by women. The University of San Carlos - Supreme Student Council President was Nicole Ponce; the USC Commission on Elections chairperson was Danica Fernandez; the Today’s Carolinian Editor-in-Chief was Kathleen Belleza; even the three political party chairs were women: Tingog Carolinian was led by Arianne Paralisan, STAND had Maria Gigante, and SPP was under Christine Perez. Each of them has something to say about women empowerment. All faced challenges in what was arguably one of the most active academic year in terms of student activities to date, and these women-leaders rose to them and delivered more than what was expected. In short, it was incredible to have women fill these coveted positions because of their competence and intellect, showing us of the strong willpower of women in this generation. When asked about how women of power can change the world, Paralisan mentioned a classic
jest that went, “If men were leaders, we’d see countries at war, but if women were leaders, the countries would, instead, just ignore each other.” She stated that whether the quote was true or not, the answer, she believes, is that it is all about balance, and that the success of the entire world depends on the interdependence of both women and men -– and that is what will bring about the changes humanity desires for this world. Regardless of gender or sexual orientation, as long as unity, equality, and understanding prevail, the world will, indeed, prosper to great heights never seen before. Fernandez also added that women can change the world if allowed the freedom and initiative to contribute to building nations. When asked about their role models, coincidentally, one woman stood out among the many mentioned — 18-year old Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani girl who was the target of an assassination by the Taliban and also the youngest Nobel Prize laureate. She spoke up for human rights and education for women, which stemmed from the Taliban banning girls in her native Swat Valley from attending school. Last July 12, her 18th birthday, Yousafzai opened an all-girls school in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon to offer education to young girls.
To wrap up, Belleza stated, “I believe that, today, it’s no more about the battle of the sexes, but it’s about the working process of people and how the work carries out to the community. Women do have this unexplainable way of being fundamentally passionate in what they do, and that’s what I saw among the strong women that I worked with last school year. These women were good collaborators and amazing motivators in the university, these women changed things, and these women had a strong vision of easing the burdens of collegiate life and going against something they knew was wrong, yet they were students nonetheless who willingly went out of their way to serve the student body. I often look back to that, and I can only make out the words courage, strength and drive — which, some days, I find myself running low on. See, we were students too. I don’t necessarily believe that one must hold huge accounts to be a woman of power. Anyone can be that. We should perhaps celebrate womanhood in general.” All these go to show that one question needs a new answer: Who run the word? Not girls, but women. TC
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FEATURE
TERROR TEACHERSMore Terror, Less Teacher Zarah Majam
Illustration by Geralden Morre
Terror Teacher (n.) – most talked about faculty member amongst the students; commonly associated with reaction phrases such as: “hassle sa muscle”, “struggle is real”, “fml x 1000”, “help @God”, “nganong ni enter”; enjoys the look of fear and stress plastered on the faces of his/her students; slogan: “I’m not afraid to fail students.” At one point in our lives, we have encountered at least one terror teacher. These are the teachers that have the power to silence even the noisiest class just by the sound of the doorknob opening, the teachers that have us frustratingly sighing at ourselves at 3:00 a.m. wondering how we’re ever going to pass their subject, and the teachers that emphasize discipline in order to bring out the “best in us”. In short, these are the teachers people warn us about. Initially, a student’s automatic response would be to loathe terror teachers for their ways. Why would anyone want to impose such suffering to their students who only really just want to pass the class? Why make life difficult, ma’am, sir? So to save ourselves from self-loathing, a student’s second response would be: “Maybe this terror teacher is for my own good.” There are two types of terror teachers: those that pressure us to become better, and those that accentuate fear without considering whether their form of teaching is effective. We respect teachers who give us a hard time in the most constructive way possible because these types of teachers have the capability of bringing out the best in us that we did not know existed. The latter on the other hand, only provides the clearest definition of ‘struggle’. Lectures are barely palpable and students are constantly frustrated about this class.
want teachers to fail them. We understand that there are some students that rely too much on their teachers to provide everything for them and that in the real world, this form of mentality will not get anyone anywhere, but we also believe there are different methods to effectively teach students without spoon-feeding them. Dr. James P. Comer, a successful pioneer and innovator in education, strongly believed that the use of power has a strong impact between the relationship of a student and a teacher. Oftentimes, we notice terror teachers use their power negatively and harshly that we feel less motivated to work. Inflicting fear upon students will not produce quality outcome; instead, it will produce self-doubt and the lack of passion. “When you use power in a negative way, the children very often rebel or resist, or they are angry or frustrated or withdrawn, so a child will say, ‘That old teacher doesn’t like me. I’m not going to do her work.’ Very often you will find a teacher who has been using power, control. That teacher will make that kid do things, rather than provide concern, empathy, understanding, along with high standards, high expectations, belief in that child, belief that he or she can do well, but it is a combination of high expectations and good relationships that motivates children to learn,” Comer emphasized in an interview.
We understand that there is no easy way out in life and that we must endure hardships in order to develop the kind of mentality and work ethic that will sustain us in the long run, but we can’t just abandon the quality of teaching simply for the sake of discipline.
Let us imagine the outcome if the students were actually excited to go to class. The results would be outstanding; the discussions would be active and students would be more comfortable to vocalize their opinions and what they have learned. Maintaining a good relationship between student and teacher, as stated by Comer, can equate to success.
The line between spoon-feeding and effective teaching is so blurred that teachers often mistake one for the other. Teachers don’t want to spoon-feed students, and students don’t
Teaching is not the easiest job out there; it is challenging, and it takes a lot of effort to get through to students who take education for granted. Terror teachers are usually
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misunderstood for their ways, and students refuse to empathize with their position because we tend to believe that there is an easier way to learn. In order for mutual productivity to occur within the classroom there must be consistent understanding existing between student and teacher, it cannot just all be one-sided. Students should respect their teachers and teachers should respect their students. Rita Pierson, a teacher widely known for her TED talk, Every kid needs a champion, emphasizes the value and importance of human connection. When teachers develop the mental state wherein they are only paid to teach and the students are obliged to learn without any form of connection existing between them, the outcome would most likely be students not having any structure of motivation to learn. “Teaching and learning should bring joy. How powerful would our world be if we had kids who were not afraid to take risks, who were not afraid to think, and who had a champion? Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be,” Pierson said. We are no longer children, and we are no longer in elementary school. We are in-between adults trying to make it through life. Quality teaching should still be as effective as it was during our formative years and it should not just stop the moment we step into college. We need educators who are passionate in order for us to develop passion for what we do, no matter how difficult and challenging our courses may be. By developing passion instead of fear, students will be motivated to push further and to achieve their fullest potential. All we ever really need is a teacher who can get through us and a teacher who believes in us. TC
FEATURE
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LITERARY
PEOPLE Kyn Noel Pestaño
Illustration by Xene Cabahug Jr.
The line was long – dreary people and sunken faces stuck in black suits and stoic dresses. Majority of them knew you only by name. And I guess that really was the only necessity in attending a 16-yearold’s funeral. I, however, knew you; for sixteen years and counting. As I stared at your face a few more moments before the ground swallowed you whole, I failed to see the friend I had for years. Probably because of the tears; they stung too much. But I think it was mostly because I pretended too hard that the figure staring back at me was only one of the paper people we used to play with. Not you, not ever. Reality goes according to no one’s will. So I had to let you go. But I will never understand why you had to go without me. A couple of moments after you were buried, tucked beneath a six-foot blanket of earth left forever to stay 16, I realized that you and I, we were reality’s paper people. We were subjects to everything a 5-year-old fate could think of. And it decided to cut and burn the both of us. But you — you burned too quickly and left me burning still. TC
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BOOK REVIEW
BAD BOOKS WE SUGGEST YOU DON’T READ Hopeless
Paprika
Colleen Hoover
Yasutaka Tsuitsui
This book was written so badly that one can confidently file this under the same category as the Twilight / Fifty Shades series. Written in the perspective of this “bad boy” with severe anger issues that the writer probably thought adhered to the likes of teenage girls, Hopeless basically focuses on how he falls in love with this mysterious seventeen-year-old girl named Hope whose past intertwines with his. This is highly not recommended because it depicts the message that a girl simply needs a guy to protect her. Ladies, it’s 2015; depending on boys is very overrated. – Zarah Majam
Yasutaka Tsuitsui’s 1993 novel Paprika delves into the supposed endless possibilities of dreams. However, this interesting premise fails to redeem the story’s faults, first of which is the eponymous character’s near-perfection, who manages to stay unrealistically composed and beautiful even under the pressure of attempted rape. Another is that the made-up science involved in the story eventually becomes fantasy, where the readers’ suspension of disbelief is outright abused. Another fault is that the novel’s only redeeming factor — its series of thrilling action sequences — end very anticlimactically. Lastly, the novel, from being a potential science fiction funfest, gets a clichéd ugly-man-gets-perfectwoman denouement. – Cesar Carlos Heyrosa
Lumayo Ka Nga sa Akin
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Bob Ong
Audrey Niffenegger
After shifting from semi auto-biography to fiction writing, Bob Ong’s ninth book failed to deliver. This book is divided into three genres: action, horror, and romance, while sarcastically attacking mainstream Filipino movies. The book was purely written in the style of long scripts, with flat the sarcastic jokes and the humor from Ong’s previous books clearly absent. This books just merely points out the flaws of our movies. Also, it is quite ironic for a film company to turn this book into a mainstream movie. – Bryant A. Gonzales
Lovers who aren’t only star-crossed, but timecrossed; a unique idea, and very well-executed, the book’s faults lie not in its subject matter, but how it approaches it. Niffenegger simply doesn’t spend enough time on her story’s main draw. The angles of free will, destiny and, of course, the mechanics surrounding the main character’s “chronoimpairment” are shunted to the background in favor of just another lowest-common-denominator love story that is sweet yet unremarkable compared to the circumstances surrounding it, particularly in the middle. Seeing such an interesting and wellthought-out concept be relegated to a plot device is largely disappointing. – Paolo Perez
Lock & Key
Stupid is Forever
Sarah Dessen
Miriam Defensor-Santiago
This is the typical teenage book starter pack with a girl who’s maybe just a little — or a lot, honestly — lost with a broken family and who never wants to accept the fact that she needs help, a popular guy who seems to have it all together, has a heart of gold and is later revealed to have a troubled life, lots of teenage angst, and a clichéd ending. Lock and Key — a novel whose plot is semi-okay and very common — is dragging. This is considering that some of the problems were stretched out too much, although they could have been solved right away. The characters are trying to be tragic, for some weird reason, and the whole thing fails to be realistic. – Sofia Isabel Tajos
The book was published out of the necessity to sensationalize Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s nerve against and disgust toward political issues of the Philippines through witty one-liners and jokes, along with corny pick-up lines. Though the illustrations by known artists and excerpts from Defensor-Santiago’s speeches were rather poetic, whimsical and patriotic, the meager attempt of the book to catch the readers’ humor and pitiable interest on the political issues makes it a waste of good paper, design and layout as a whole. Additionally, some of the puns and anecdotes that were trying to use colloquial Tagalog medium were poorly edited. Disclaimer: The book is stupid, not Defensor-Santiago. – Miko Paolo Mangubat
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TITANIC: HER UNTOLD STORY Julienne Termoso
Illustration by: Esther Daang
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LITERARY
“Even God can’t sink it.” I struggle waking up to unkempt uproar and inevitable liquid breathing as I find out that in the middle of this infinite ocean births lost hope and halted futures. Trying to swim away from the sinking god-of-a-ship only permits the searing cold water to slow me down and inflict so much pain — all more than how much my body could endure. Both of its ends part ways and I am certain that I will, by now, end here. The Titanic sinking must have only constituted less than a percent in the probability test, but here I am, so unfortunate to be part of that little possibility. Among the million objects from the ship appears a wooden drawer almost half of my body in size. Being the only thing within my reach, I desperately pulled it to my chest, and for the first time, I relax. My lower body is submerged in the water and I can only imagine my legs leaving the rest of me. When it started to, silence accompanies me. This is not what I asked of fate. I wanted to be remembered before I leave. But in this chasm lives only one soul — the rest, just mere empty temples and floating figures. And I know I will become just like the rest of them — pitied, forgotten, buried. Yards away, from a pile of floating frozen flesh, reverberates a sound of a troubled whistle. I wasn’t the only one
alive. I start to move and try to call out but my throat is too dry and nothing can come out of it. I hear the whistle again. “I’m here,” I dare say as the lifeboat comes closer. The only thing keeping me from letting go is… I don’t really know. Then I start to think. My young self would tell me to fight and let go of fear. But can I live with this memory if I do choose to live? There is not much to lose back home if I decide not to stay. Both parents have their separate families, my husband completely turned his back on me after we separated, and Addie, my one and only child, has left me with a crack addict she met on a highway. What’s there to fight for? I see men pull a woman up to the boat. She must be the one with the whistle. She wept and shivered and wept some more. I watch her force a smile and hear her thank her saviors. As they continued to look for survivors, they pass right in front of me. I know I can choose to be saved. I know I can join that woman’s celebration. Instead, I close my eyes. I close my eyes from what could have been my second life. I shut down my mind. I let go. And my story will never be heard of. TC
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FEATURE
A Dialogue on Random Harm and Expecting the Unexpecte d Esther Daang
Photographs by Anthony Bernaldo & Angelo Nico Daroy
Author (ED): The concept of random harm is a somewhat cynical one. It’s how all of human life and the world we live in, everything we value and hold dear, can be tossed around and blown away like we’re irrelevant, inconsequential as the thousands of mosquitoes killed by windshields every day.
Got a new phone soon after, and things seemed to return to normal, but I was permanently shaken out of my complacency. A relatively minor event like that in hindsight still leaves behind a kind of half-pressure paranoia every time I go out. It’s insecurity about the world and our safety in it.
It’s depressing common sense that Nature doesn’t take our emotions or intentions into account. The universe plays Russian roulette with the inhabitants of Earth, and no one knows who’s next. It’s inevitable, yet uncertain. This reality is closer to home than we might like. Random harm manifests in a very common type of crime here in the city, and that’s street crime. I asked to discuss this with you, yet another victim of life’s capriciousness. Care to tell us a little about that?
There have been other worse incidents. I was once jumped by three men in the early dark one morning two years ago. Of course it wasn’t pleasant, but I got out with my life. And I know people have seen worse. Many don’t get out alive. So to be all hung up over losing a phone is almost ridiculous in comparison.
Victim of random harm, a.k.a. everyone (PS): Oh, it’s a pretty standard story. My new iPhone was stolen, and at a time in my life when the majority of what I value was contained in that handheld device. You can guess it was a rude awakening for me, but it’s nothing new. At least three of my closest friends have had their phones lost or stolen in a short amount of time, two of them happened in a jeepney. My own experience happened in Colon, hailing a jeepney outside Jollibee. Getting home, I realized my phone wasn’t in my pocket. I checked through everything, retraced my steps, almost blind with panic. And that was relatively minor, considering what happens to other people. I didn’t know who to blame, because I wasn’t positive I was a victim of pickpocketing, or just my own clumsiness. I didn’t know whether I deserved that hit or not. There’s this moment where all of life seems cruel and indifferent, and that initial panic that I’ll never get used to, like gravity shifting in your gut. I recall feeling targeted, my mind racing, weighing what I lost. I’m ashamed to say it, but it literally felt like someone plucked out my heart. All this over a phone. I cut my losses and vowed to be more careful. I was held up as an example for caution to the younger kids.
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ED: There was a hit-and-run in Mandaue where a lawyer was killed in her BMW by armed men on motorbikes. It made the front page of Sun.Star. It illustrates the point fairly well, since no one expected it, much less the victim, her family and friends. It’s reported that likely the hit was intended specifically for this victim. But there is always the inflicted injury that’s indifferent to the victim, the kind that could happen to anyone regardless of merit or blame. This forces us to face both sides of the same cruel coin-toss: Misfortune does and will happen, and that it will happen to us. It’s not some everyday catastrophe that happens only to other people to give journalists something to write about. PS: You know the worst thing about it isn’t just the shock of the isolated incidents themselves. The worst thing is that we don’t see it coming. We are unprepared, caught with our guard down. Somehow I feel that makes it worse, like it becomes partially our fault. Perhaps that’s how most victims feel. Take for example these other people who made the papers: the countless jeepney pickpocket victims, the bag-snatcher victims. There was another recent report of a man who left his vehicle unlocked, in a place with security guards and cameras, yet he still lost his bag to some punk with sharp eyes who happened to pass by. Buying into surveillance technology is buying the feeling of safety than a guarantee of actual safety.
FEATURE
ED: Speaking of powerlessness, in the best-selling survivalist book Emergency: This Book May Save Your Life (Harper, 2009), Neil Strauss wrote about powerlessness in the face of calamity: “In that moment, it felt like there was no other being out there or up there or anywhere who cared about us. We’re just fragile machines programmed with a false sense of our own importance. And every now and then, the universe sends a reminder that we don’t really matter to it, hurtling us into confusion and a panic for answers that will allow us to resume our program again.” Strauss also pointed out that since death is inevitable, survivalism isn’t about staying alive; it’s about choosing how you die. “The unknown is a threat . . . and because the future is unknown, no matter how good or bad things are today, it will always be a threat.” I originally wanted to write something around the topic “What are your chances of surviving in the work world after graduation?” depending on your chosen field, but then dismissed that as largely unknowable. When people are uncertain, there’s a dual tendency to not only predict the outcome, but also assume the worst case scenario. This isn’t always a bad thing, and is in fact natural. Paranoia, even unjustified, is rooted in an innate desire for self-preservation. It’s a survival instinct. Strauss says: “Ultimately, the sole arbiter of what’s paranoia and what’s common sense is what happens tomorrow. You’re only paranoid if you’re wrong. If you’re right, you’re a prophet.” I find a lot of these “career forecasts” and lists of “dead-end degrees” paranoia. They don’t have much advice on what to do after the diagnosis, other than shift to something currently safer. This changes with the dynamics of the economy. These career pundits sell us their half certainty as full certainty. We take this seriously because to us it’s a matter of life and death. Well, being young, everything’s a matter of life and death. But I digress. PS: Remember that a lot can change in a minute, a second. That’s all it takes: a phone call, a diagnosis report, a news alert, a report card, a traffic accident, a policy change. People say to prepare for the worst, but that obvious caution is beside my point. My point is, no matter what kind of precaution you take, there are times you will find yourself a victim of exactly what you did not expect.
ED: Surprise can kill us. Charlie McNeese, a hand-weapon trainer/ range-master featured in Strauss’s book, said: “You don’t rise to the occasion; you default to your level of training. When the stress hits, you will only be half as good as your best day of recent training. Excitement won’t kill you, but surprise will.” PS: Always be prepared for what you cannot see. What’s most important is to live out the attitude of expecting the unexpected. It’s a hackneyed phrase but that doesn’t make it any less true. The quicker you accept this, the quicker you can bounce back and lessen your recovery time. They say what separates the survivors from the dead is the ability to act instead of spending one’s life paralyzed by fear. ED: Ryan Holiday says this better than I could. In his August 2014 blog article A Lesson From the World’s Worst Week, he wrote: “This is life. These things will happen. Or maybe they won’t. No, they definitely will — the variability lies only in the degree and the ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival). In your reaction to such inevitable events, you will undoubtedly ask yourself a million questions. Most of them will be pointless. One of them truly matters. Ask yourself: If it happens again, are you better prepared? I don’t mean what you think I mean. Not: did you buy a bigger safe? Or did you set up security cameras or run a practice drill for some calamity . . . Because by “again” I don’t mean the exact same event. I mean fate, misfortune, unpredictable and unpleasant circumstances.” PS: It may come across as fatalistic, cynical. I’d say it’s being realistic, but you know, that’s what cynics tend to say. ED: Cynical. Mr. Holiday did say, “I don’t think it’s a fight you can win on your own — it takes people on both sides, cynical and optimistic to keep you centered. Living in delusion is a short term strategy — simply unsustainable.” Self-pity is a useless emotion. We might as well face it. TC
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FEATURE
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FEATURE
Are We Ready to Die? Miriam Burlaos
Illustration by Paul Jamolod
It was the fifth of February, around six o’clock in the morning. I woke up to the pungent smell of disinfectant and the sight of my mother brushing her hands across my arms as she greeted me in a weary tone, “Happy birthday, Ate.” I already came to terms with everything in that room, from the hospital smell to the sound of visitors speaking words of hope and despair, the downcast eyes of the woman lying beside me and things in between. Diagnosed with stage four gastrointestinal cancer, my mother passed away two months after my 18th birthday. The death of my mother was a painful thing to watch. As I witnessed her breathed her last, I imagined myself being in the same circumstance, struggling for air and then finally sinking into nothingness, losing all the capacity to think or feel or decide for myself. I spent about ten minutes of my time contemplating about death until the truth eventually hit me — death is real. It will happen to me. It will happen to you. No one is an exemption.
Losing a friend or a family member is probably one of the hardest and most painful situations every person is likely to come across during his or her lifetime. It could take months or years before one can finally move on from the pain of losing a loved one. Apart from grief, however, there is another dreadful thing this experience can leave us with — the thought of our own passing. When someone we know dies, it reminds us that we will all die at some point in time. To quote Apple’s co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs, “Death is a destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it.” When it comes to our own demise, how do we really come to terms with it? Or do we even deal with it at all? How come nobody wants to talk about death the way people want to talk about food, politics or heartbreak? Nowadays we find ourselves setting out plans for the future. Even without absolute certainty, we still manage to envision that years from now, we will be doing the kind of things we have already planned out for ourselves and the people we care about. When confronted with the idea of death, most of us succumb to doing or thinking about something else to distract us from the thought of the inevitable. In one way or another, we may have come across the questions: What happens to me if I die? Will people ever remember me for the good I have done? What will happen to the people and things that will be left behind? Will it hurt? However, like a corpse that has no place in the world of the living, these thoughts are buried at the back of our heads as we try to make the most of our finite lives.
We know we are going to die at an uncertain point in the future, but we either accept or battle against the truth with things that make us feel significant. Religion, for instance, has been one of the major coping mechanisms of people when it comes to the idea of dying. By turning death into eternal life, religion has successfully given people the hope that they can be immortal. Pushing oneself to do better at work or school may just be another positive response to the possibility of dying or a way to keep the thought off of one’s head. We either accept that there is no escaping death so we grab every opportunity there is to make the most of our lives, or we fight and tell the world we cannot die so we hang on to things that figuratively immortalize us. Whatever way we see it, there is no denying that death unknowingly affects the way people live their lives. Death is terrifying and the fear of it may have been one of the things that keep people moving. But fear is not all there is to it. When we think about dying, we do not just think about our bodies decaying into bones or being burned into ashes. When we think about dying, we also think about our precious lives at hand. We think about how priceless our time on earth is and we become more aware of the presence of the people around us. Death reminds us that life is uncertain, and we realize that we have to treasure the limited amount of time we are given. It teaches us to live in the present moment, to pay attention to the little things, to be mindful of the way we treat others and to simply be thankful for being alive. Maybe, when we accept the thought of dying as a chance to see the difference between life and nonexistence, we can embrace and value our lives more fully and appreciate how wonderful it actually is to be able to live. TC
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
LITERARY
SPAC_S Kerstein Kylle Despi
Illustration by Esther Daang
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
LITERARY
Watching your memories slither under my feet, I cannot help but see the largeness — The distance that continues to grow between us. They say our body changes its chemistry And physical design, like the moon Waxing and waning; living and dying In an interlude of moonless twilights. And, as it does, we become different people. To this day, I marvel at your fleeting existence. Whilst picking the shards of what once were, No longer able to piece them back together, I wonder: Should this exact moment have been another canvas, Another clear white wall, another empty space, Would you have made this art? Would you have etched this angst? Would you have painted me? I doubt so. You were never one to see the darkness. On your death I have calcified your skin, Building exoskeleton out of your crumbling innocence. I never meant for this to be an apology, but Forgive me, I never knew how to reconcile The bones from the flesh I’ve ripped out Lives ago. The world ran down you to create me. I am a remnant of your choices and fears The art you never made, purposely. Even as I drove to forget our kinship, Barreling on cold hard walls, No concussion has drifted you toward oblivion, and No matter how stranger the light makes you to be, I would never be me without you. You remain as the little voice inside my head, Trembling at the sight of paintings Too scared of the colors and the brushstrokes Extending itself on this canvas’ monochrome. That’s why I never learned how to paint, so that When tomorrow becomes another empty space, It wouldn’t be the art I never made Purposely.
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
MOVIE REVIEW
THE WATCHLIST The Book of Life
The Graduate
Hal Hartley
Michael Nichols
This French art comedy about the second coming of Christ is chock of cleverly written underplays even when the world is going to end.
Dustin Hoffman’s pleasant performance drives this film into one of the best coming-of-age films of all time. - Jose Anthony Bernaldo
- Sheany Moynihan
Interstellar
American Psycho Mary Harron
Christopher Nolan
A novel about bloodlust turns into a movie about men’s vanity. This film presents dark subject matter in an entertaining way, but without going completely into the realm of satire. Subtle yet entertaining, this film is a must-watch.
Though perhaps only a specified audience can relate to this film because of the advanced scientific concepts discussed throughout, this still stands as a great movie with an excellent story to boot. - Francis Garcia
- Sheany Moynihan
21
Blue is the Warmest Color
Robert Luketic
Abdellatif Kechiche
21 is a 2008 American heist drama film inspired by the story of the MIT blackjack team. Though it is full of clichés, the film is excellently done, making it interesting to watch.
This is likely one of the most genuine and natural romantic dramas, with wrought with joy, misery, outrage, lust and trust. - Czarinna Gicale
- Sheany Moynihan
Memento
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Christopher Nolan
Wes Anderson
A clever, compelling and stunning American neo-noir psychological thriller film that follows a man suffering from a short-term memory loss struggling to put his life back together after discovering the murder of his wife.
Nothing short of marvelous. The film is like a dessert — specifically a giant, intricately decorated cake. And oh, how tasty it is. - Carmelle Gacasan
- Carmelle Gacasan
Grave of the Fireflies Isao Takahata
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The Iron Giant Brad Bird
Times are rough, a war is coming, death is approaching, and all he has is his sibling. What will happen next? This film won’t keep emotions intact.
Never has — and probably never will — a giant robot evoke the deepest human emotions as the iron giant has in this underappreciated feature.
- Katrina Jaiun Roa
- Cesar Carlos Heyrosa
Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
MOVIE REVIEW
Children of Men
Cloud Atlas
Alfonso Cuarón
Lana Wachowski and Andy Wachowski
In a subtly realistic dystopia where humanity has lost the ability to procreate, Cuarón masterfully portrays peace, hope and love in the midst of war, despair and hatred.
This is an emotional journey through six tales across different periods — with the ensemble cast, magnificent visuals, great score and thought-provoking themes being too much to handle for a one-time viewing.
- Cesar Carlos Heyrosa
- Frederick Shore-head
The Kids are All Right
The Princess Bride
Lisa Cholodenko
Rob Reiner
Depicting the struggles of a lesbian couple to keep their family intact, the well-acted film gives the true meaning of what it means to be a family through an unconventional one.
The set pieces and soundtrack may appear dated at first sight, but this only serves to accentuate how well the movie has aged— much like fine wine— thanks to memorable performances by its leads in this swashbuckling tale of star-crossed lovers.
- Cesar Carlos Heyrosa
- Paolo Perez
Airplane!
The Babadook Jennifer Kent
Jim Abrams, David and Jerry Zucker
This psychological horror film favors disturbing imagery over cheap jump scares without sacrificing a sensible plot; this is grief in its most frightening yet most symbolic portrayal.
An unashamed parody of the disaster genre, this movie’s charm comes in part from transplanting veterans of serious disaster flicks — like Leslie Nielsen and Robert Stack — and dropping them into a zany comedy, ready with a new joke, gag or pun every time the camera angle changes.
- Cesar Carlos Heyrosa
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut Trey Parker The cast from the famous not-for-kids TV series excellently — and rudely — satirizes the dangers of censorship, horrible parenting and Saddam Hussein in this definitely not-for-kids musical.
- Paolo Perez
The Wind Rises Hayao Miyazaki The story about the war and the aftermath will take its viewers to new heights. - Katrina Jaiun Roa
- Frederick Shore-head
2001: A Space Odyssey Stanley Kubrick A symbolic monolith, a sinister computer and a set of stunning imagery make this, as many critics agree, perhaps the greatest science fiction film of all time.
5 Centimeters Per Second Makoto Shinkai Given the chance to look back one last time, go for it. - Katrina Jaiun Roa
- Frederick Shore-head
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
PARTING PARTING SHOT SHOT
“But I am not absolutely sure of anything and there are many things I don’t know anything about, such as whether it means anything to ask why we’re here. I don’t have to know an answer. I don’t feel frightened not knowing things, by being lost in a mysterious universe without any purpose.” Richard Feynman
Photograph by Angelo Nico Daroy
Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
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LIQUIDATION
Today’s CAROLINIAN Statement of Cash Flows For the First Semester, 2015
Cash Balance, Beginning
P 271,036.51
Cash Receipts
Today’s Carolinian 1st Semester Budget Collection of Fines
P 523,837.00 P 2,190.00
Total Cash Available for Use P 797,063.51 Cash Disbursements September Magazine July Newsletters August Newsletters ID Lanyards Press Shirts CEGP Workshop Registration Fee LIWANAG Registration Fee Staff ID Transportation Expense Printing Expense: Screening Exams Questionnaires P 97.50 Workshop Certificates for TC members P110.00 Survey Questionnaires P803.50 Advertising Expense Videographers’ Expense-INTRAMS 2015 Monthly Meeting Expense Miscellaneous Expense: Workshop Speaker’s Lunch P 145.00 Workshop Speaker’s Token of Appreciation P250.00 Wi-Fi Load used for Social Network Updates -INTRAMS 2015 P 50.00 Office Supplies Less: Total Expenses Cash Balance, September 2015
P288,000.00 P23,920.00 P23,290.00 P4,800.00 P3,680.00 P2,400.00 P1,600.00 P1,260.00 P1,246.00
P1,011.00 P1,000.00 P1,000.00 P640.00
P445.00 P352.00
P 354,644.00 P 442,419.51
PREPARED BY GERALDEN B. MORRE Finance Officer Today’s Carolinian
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Today’s CAROLINIAN | SEPTEMBER 2015
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