not for sale
vol. 42, issue 1
dagupan city, pangasinan
August 2020
L-NU gears up for the ‘new normal’ | JOHN KENNETH VIADO
| ROS PAULINE PEREZ | MELVIN CAYABYAB
D
ue to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lyceum-Northwestern University (L-NU) is taking action through online transactions and by informing students through social media to conduct this year’s enrolment. Lyceum-Northwestern University’s official Facebook page posted an advisory last May 17, regarding the online enrollment for summer classes and next semester of A.Y. 2020-2021. Schedules for every department was released in the page for an organized setting and for the minimization of people gathering to abide
WHAT’S INSIDE Perseverance Flights for Mars 2020 Explotion
First Things First Choosing the Right Ones Mayor Lim Constituents: No perfect solutions. Better minimize Mistakes
Polyvalent Campus Press Stands-up for Press Freedom
L-NU suspends Intramurals amidst COVID-19 Crisis
with the General Community Quarantine Guidelines. Another update was posted by the page last May 30, notifying the students about the process of online enrollment transactions. “Ako ay nakapag enroll sa online site o link ng Lyceum Northwestern University. Magandang balita iyon para sakin dahil malaki ang panganib na dulot ng pandemya ngayon sa atin at sa mga nakapaligid satin. Ang masasabi ko lang ay mabilis ito at direkta. Pero isa sa aking hiling ang mas mabilis na pagbibigay muli ng update kung na receive ba ng paaralan ang enrollment form, at kung may ipapa habol pang ipapa fill-out para
minsanan na namin gawin dahil hindi po lahat ay mayroong wifi connection,” said Mr. Ian Hilario Salvador, an incoming 2nd year student from the College of Nursing. Online enrollment for A.Y. 2020-2021 is ongoing while enrollment for summer classes is until June 6. The palace released a statement that classes will resume on August 24. Presidential spokeperson Harry Roque said on a press briefing last Tuesday, May 19, that even though they announced a date for school opening, we are still flexible in case of other possible circumstances. Mr. Usi, Governor of L-NU BS Marine Transportation Department also
said that he will feel bad and disappointed if this kind of method of teaching will be implemented—he thinks that it will not be a success. “First, not all students enrolled in LNU can afford to use internet. Second, the competency of the students will be neglected at this moment. Lastly, we’re not ready to adapt to this kind of “New Learning Method,” he said. However, it is still unclear to the university, especially to the students, if online classes will push through for the next school year. Students and parents must have to wait for further announcements from the university through L-NU’s official Facebook page.
CHED releases additional TES Stipends to over 292,000 students despite pandemic | MELVIN CAYABYAB
ABOUT 292,000 college students are among the lucky beneficiaries of the newly released list of Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) for the Academic Year 2019-2020 amid the threats of the current pandemic the world faces. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) released additional (TES) stipends to the grantees in state universities and colleges (SUCs), local universities & colleges (LUCs), and private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs).
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In CHED’s statement According to CHED, last July 27, a total of 292,438 the new group of grantees student-grantees will benefit comes after the Department from the TES stipends in both of Budget and Management public and private higher ed- (DBM) recently downloaded ucation institutions that have P6 billion to the commission complied with the needed and the grant includes the requirements of CHED and 3,529 beneficiaries of ExpandUniFAST Secretariat. ed Students’ Grants-in-Aid “The qualified bene- Program for Poverty Allevificiaries that will receive TES ation (ESGP-PA) for the first stipends are from the state and semester; 44,224 new grantees local universities and colleges from public Higher Education and private HEIs that have Institutions for the 1st semescomplied with the necessary ter; 97,173 continuing private requirements by CHED and HEIs grantees for the first sethe Unified Student Financial mester and part of second seAssistance System for Tertiary mester, and 147,512 continuEducation (UniFAST) Secre- ing Tulong Dunong Program tariat.”, CHED and UniFAST beneficiaries for the first and Chairman J. Prospero E. De second semester. Vera III said. CHED... PAGE 2
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Campus press stands up for press freedom | NOEL JESTONI EBUENGA
THE College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) celebrated its 89th founding anniversary via webinar, highlighting campus journalism in battling for press freedom and freedom of speech. CEGP is the oldest, broadest, and only existing alliance of tertiary student publication in the Asia-Pacific region. In celebration of their anniversary, the guild invited notable journalists as speakers such as Mr. Alfonso Tomas “Atom” Araullo from GMA Network, Mrs. Pia Ranada Robles from Rappler, Mr. Nonoy Espina from the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, and Mr. Daryl Baybado, National President of College Editors Guild of the Philippines. The webinar was held last July 25 2020, at 1:00 PM on the Zoom app and Facebook, live this year’s theme was, “Webinar: Campus Press in times of Pandemic.” The speakers discussed about the importance of journalism and its part, especially in this time of pandemic. “Sa tingin ko wala naman pinag iba o dapat wala. Walang pinag iba ang papel ng Campus Press sa panahong meron man o walang pandemiya o terror law.”, Mr. Nonoy Espina said. He also said that journalists, whether one is a student or not, should constantly deliver the truth, as well as timely and accurate information to the audience. The controversial Anti-Terror Law was signed by PresCampus press... PAGE 6 ULNOS
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news
August 2020
Perseverance Flights for Mars 2020 Exploration
| PHOTO COURTESY: GOOGLE
| ROS PAULINE PEREZ
B
ound for its Mars exploration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) “Perseverance” rover took off from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral to conduct research and expedition last July 30, 2020. Perseverance, nicknamed ‘Percy’, is getting ready to settle in for its seven-month interplanetary exploration that targets to set foot on Jerezo crater, the site of an ancient crater lake and erstwhile river delta that provides good collection of evidence for the astrobiology mission and for the rover to scour for signs of possible past Martian life. Project scientist from the Perseverance Mission, Mr. Ken Farley explained that it is a wonderful place for microorganisms to live and to preserve. “The major goal of Perseverance Mission is to investigate on Mars and particularly to address the question of whether life ever existed on Mars or not,” he said. NASA will be having an access about the activity of
the rover on the planet after installing two major microphones on the rover, and also has the ability to self-drive and create a map image of its path during the process as soon as it lands the Jerezo soil. After landing, Percy will deploy a small and light helicopter named Ingenuity to help find out if powered flight in Mars’ thin air is within human capability to survive. Perseverance was named after the idea of a 13year old boy from Northern Virginia, Alexander Mather, a 7th grade student who won NASA’s Rover Name Writing Competition. Curiosity, Insight, Spirit and Opportunity are the past rovers Earth had sent to Mars. He stated that if humans will think about it, these are the qualities humans possess. “But if rovers are to be the qualities of us as a race, we missed the important thing— perseverance. We are species of explorers, and we will meet many setbacks on the way to Mars. However, we can persevere. We, not as a nation but as humans, will not give up.
The human race will always persevere in the future,” he explained. Mars 2020 mission has four main goals: to determine whether life ever existed on Mars; to characterize the climate of the planet; to further study its geological composition; and to prepare for human exploration. “We were almost on the path to Mars, if you will. The launched vehicle has been done great so far. Our partners at ULA (United Launch Alliance) are fantastic and we are very happy to be working with them and for them to give us this boost so far,” addressed by Mr. Bobby Braun, JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) Director of Planetary Science. Mars is the closest planet and area to Earth for robotic exploration; thus, scientists believed that it offers them a good chance in finding ancient lives on the planet. Countless studies have been made to satisfy the human minds and as humanity is evolving, development and progress continues.
CHED releases additional TES Stipends FROM PAGE 1
Last March, CHED initially released the TES assistance to the 23,319 continuing grantees in 51 state universities and colleges (SUCs), local universities and colleges (LUCs) that already complied the liquidation requirements for the first semester of the Academic Year 2019-2020. It was followed by the disbursement of TES stipends last May 15 to the 404 private HEIs nationwide that benefited the 120,798 grantees and to another batch of TES stipends that was also granted to 62,671 students from 105 public HEIs. According to the government accounting and auditing rules, any further releasing of funds to the said HEIs will be delayed if they are unable to comply with all the necessary requirements needed. Furthermore, if all liquidation reports have
been submitted and the said higher education institutions have strictly followed to the rules and regulations on proper liquidation, their student-grantees will be able to receive their educational subsidy. “The Commission is releasing the additional TES stipends as soon as the money is downloaded to us by DBM because we know that the students need this badly during the pandemic,” De Vera said. He also added that he instructed all public and private higher education institutions to fast track the distribution of the TES to their student-grantees so that they can pay their existing school fees as well as attend classes for the incoming academic year 2020-2021, which will shift through flexible learning schemes.
Mayor Lim to Constituents: No Perfect Solution, Better Minimize Mistakes | BREANA RINGOR
“We have to realize that no local chief executive is perfect... there is really no perfect solution because there are so many factors to consider. We just have to try to minimize our mistakes.”—these are the few words uttered by Mayor Brian Lim to the Dagupan City’s constituents as he was reminding them to strictly adhere to the protocols of ECQ during the webinar organized by the UP Center for Local and Regional Governance, last July 28. The webinar is in partnership with the League of Vice Governors of the Philippines where several Local Government Officials
including the city mayor of Dagupan, Mr. Lim, who has been in service for only less than thirteen (13) months, were invited. Dagupan City is the center of health and wellness in the province of Pangasinan and by the month of April, it was the first Local Government Unit (LGU) to acquire rapid test kits. The Region 1 Medical Center or R1MC is located within the city; hence, also providing services to the other provinces in the region, namely La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte. The city also has eleven (11) private hospitals, twelve (12) universities and colleges, and twenty-four (24) vocational technical
schools. Mayor Lim decided to ask help and take partnership with the Red Cross through Senator Richard Gordon, signing a memorandum agreement wherein the resources of the city will be used as an investment for a faster and better service in handling COVID-19 cases. It was the time when the positive cases were rising in the city and test results were taking slow. To be able to operate efficiently in this crisis, his target was to discover infection as early as possible to the front liners other than those who work in the hospitals, but also in the other sectors that could possibly shutdown a
particular department. They tested 1,428 city front liners and a few select from private front liners—14 tested positive and asymptomatic. As of the month of April and May, the LGU has conducted three (3) rounds of food distribution in the 31 Barangays of Dagupan, which is more or less 50,000 households, during the time of Enhanced Community Quarantine or ECQ. Mayor Lim also mandated the City Nutrition Office to provide satellite markets or roving markets for the people to minimize them from going to the downtown area. He aimed to encourage private market owners to reach the secluded area of the
city and help the other constituents. “Epidemiological testing keeps the economy open,” he said. He suggested to the other LGUs to provide secondary tests for the OFWs and LSI or Locally Stranded Individuals. They recorded 4 new positive cases through this secondary test. He is now pursuing the test for more city front liners including the PUV sector, the market and supermarkets, banks, restaurants and other NGOs or Non-Government Organization. By the end of June, the bed occupants in the R1MC reached only 30%.
EDITORIAL
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O
FIRST THINGS FIRST
| BREANNA RINGOR
n January 30, 2020, the Department of Health (DOH) reported the first case of COVID-19 in the Philippines. On March 7, the first local transmission of the said disease was confirmed. And just like that, we are now dubbed as the COVID-19 hotspot in Southeast Asia, reported to have the highest mortality rate in the region, and said to have the longest lockdown in the world. After months of trying but failing to flatten the curve, we are now on our 136,638th confirmed case recorded as of August 10. Undeniably, this pandemic presents us with a new giant: everyone and everything is affected, and the response has to be at full throttle. According to the World Bank, developing countries with a larger populace at risk, fewer resources, and less capacity, will have far greater pressure to think of possible solutions, test them quickly, and deliver them at scale. Seems like a difficult challenge for our country but as the saying goes, “Your priority shows your capability.” Now let’s ask the Philippine government: What is your priority? LET’S TALK NUMBERS When dealing with problems, we always talk or think about the capability of the one facing the problem. And so, we come to the most dreaded question: is DOH, or the Philippine government in general, prepared for this?
This pandemic forced all of us to stay at home, as the virus is easily transmitted from one person to another. Let’s just say that the virus, as small as it is, is the spark and we’re in the middle of a wildfire. Along with the health issue came economic effects. According to the Social Weather System survey last July, 5.2 million families are now experiencing involuntary hunger most probably the result of the increased rate of unemployment which affected 7.3 million Filipinos according to the records of the Philippine Statistics Authority. For so many times we’ve read or heard about Philippines being a third world country as an excuse for the seemingly poor management of this pandemic. But here’s the truth: “First” and “Third” world competence has always been a myth. Economic giants such as some European countries and the United States recorded the greatest number of cases and deaths in the whole world. Them, being first world nations, did not make them immune to the troublesome effects of the virus. It all goes down to priorities they had the money but they didn’t use it to prevent the outbreak and they’re now paying the price. As mentioned in the journal “Science”, responding to a pandemic is 500 times more expensive than preventing one. We have to know that the budget, if ever it is not enough, is not the real problem. The problem is on the manner of how we spend it and where we spend it. Do we spend it on things that matter most?
R.A 11649, better known as the Bayanihan To Heal as One Act, was enacted last March to grant the administration additional authority to combat the pandemic. This enabled them to discontinue some projects and reallocate appropriations of some budget stems to respond to the crisis. And yes, there we have it the practice of innovation! When we talk about money, we have to know that the government gave budget allocations to respond to the main issues our country is now facing. To help alleviate hunger and give assistance to the displaced workers, 201 billion pesos were given to the Department of Social Welfare and Development for their emergency subsidy program, 11 billion pesos were given to the Department of Agriculture for their ALPAS-COVID (Ahon Lahat, Pagkaing Sapat Kontra COVID) program, 7.57 billion pesos were given to the Department of Labor and Employment for their assistance to the affected workers, and lastly, 51 billion pesos were given to the Social Security System for their subsidy to the small businesses affected by the pandemic. To respond to the needs of the health sector, 1.8 billion pesos were allotted for the procurement of RT-PCR testing kits, which, unfortunately, are now said to be not helpful at all as they are not a hundred percent accurate, 53 million pesos were given to the Department of Science and Technology to produce FIRST THINGS FIRST... PAGE 7
opinion
August 2020
MERELL PARAMIO
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POLYVALENT
Cooperation or Cheating: What Are the Distinctions?
At school, where children’s minds are shaped, even more, cheating is in the form of cheating. Cheating is copying your classmate’s homework; this is how you create the code you keep for the next test. It is the release of infor-
JANINE VELASQUEZ
It is human’s nature to cheat. In times of crisis, it often becomes lean. In such cases, doing the wrong thing seems to be right. There are many different forms of cheating and it does not matter what age, gender, or state.
UNFILTERED
Laila de vera
The Art Of Solitude
ELYSIAN Finding Hope Are you someone who’s had it all under control? Have you always known what it is that you’ve wanted in life? Or are you like the few of us who are just absolutely clueless? I remember questioning my existence when I was a kid, at a very young age too. I didn’t know why I did it, but I do remember very clearly asking my father, “Dad, why do we exist? I mean, we’re just doing
the same thing over and over again. Waking up, going to school, going to sleep, repeat— that’s it. Why should I continue living?”—imagine thinking that way at a very young age. I was in the third grade to be exact. My father probably thought, how could someone so young think this way? Maybe he even got scared. You see, feeling this lost makes it almost impossible
mation that others should not know. Cheating is widespread among students today. If you ask them one by one, it may take you a hundred years to listen and you might get dizzy because of the various versions of stories. There is a so-called Teamwork strategy by which in a group is a student focused on one lesson while the other’s fixated on a different one. This approach works when a test is sequential. It is often the case when those who make it come together to be heard—it is like working together to minimize each other’s work load. Another strategy is an eye for an eye: in order to get the information, you need, you must first provide
the same value of information or item you are requesting. In this way, the information seems like a transaction and the only ones who can harm are those who know and those who can offer. For those who do not use the formerly mentioned methods, their technique is called Give Me Mercy, Merci, where the needy beg. Weak people will not lose to the requests of others, so they are the target of people who use this tactic. After asking for help, these people quickly thank and pretend to be dead malicious about what has happened. In a student’s life, this work will not be lost but even if the world is reversed, it will be wrong, and cheating will never be right. In fraud, there are violators
and masterminds. At any angle of any situation, it is still better to do the right thing so that when the sun goes down and the moon rises, you know to yourself that you did your best without violating anything, you are right and clean and so is your conscience.
Solitude is not loneliness. It’s a paradise for people who crave it for the time being, or even forever—a heavenly feeling, like laying serenely on a meadow with the golden sun basking on your skin. Having time by yourself where you can synchronize your thoughts or do something you love. A cure for the wounded souls who need to get away from everything and everyone. Solitude is an essential part of our life, a healthy coping mechanism to help us overcome battles. Unfortunately, it is still seen negatively by others. Clouded by ignorance and poor judgment, thinking that having someone or being
crowded by people is always the best idea- which is not. Solitude allows you to get to know yourself better than anyone ever could; to be more in tune with your feelings instead of worrying about others, and to trust yourself more than usual when making important decisions without others’ influences. It teaches us to be independent and expect less from people. Being alone also helps improve our relationship with our significant others, making us cherish them more. Seclusion also increases our empathy and understanding of people who may seem like a misfit to a certain group. As time goes by, solitude will take
off your fake meat suit and you’ll start feeling comfortable in your own skin. Because screw validation when it comes to ourselves; we should be able to exhibit our authenticity. But of course, solitude is quite addictive. It can be a pitfall due to your self-critical thoughts. Our number one enemy is ourselves; our inner voice can be nasty as hell when we’re not pleased. The longer we are confined, the more our contentment decreases and soon lead to loneliness, even depression. Despite the possibility of solitude coming from a bad root, it will be your decision if you’ll let yourself sink or rise from the dead as your true self.
for us to put our feelings into perspective. You can’t even describe what you’re feeling. You just feel empty, almost as if you’re a mere crumble fizzling through the galaxy—existing, not knowing where you are or where you’re headed. If you’re feeling this way, or have ever felt this way, know that it’s okay. There’s a reason you’re going through such incomprehensibility. Sometimes, the most valuable things need to get lost in order to be found. Don’t be too hard on yourself for feeling lost or unsure. I must say, that is exactly how I’m feeling right now. Sometimes, you don’t even know what it is that you want in life—what you want to do or want to be. Maybe you’re actually good at something, maybe a lot of things even. The sad reality is that you’re just knowledgeable about everything, but not actually good at something; hence why you’re feeling unsure as to what would actually work for you in the real world. If you’ve lost yourself,
don’t be afraid to start over. Think of it this way: you’ll be starting from experience, not from scratch. Your story isn’t over. It will be over if you decide not to do anything about it. If you’re not where you want to be right now, that’s okay. You’ll get there, eventually. Life’s not a race. If you ever get tired, take a break. Breathe. When you’re feeling better, get back to work. Take it easy—baby steps. No matter how fast or slow, progress is progress. You see, you might feel lost and not know whether you’ll be okay tomorrow or not. Every chance we get to wake up another day is an opportunity for us to become better, happier. Not every day of your journey will be easy. Some days you’ll feel blue, some days will be just fine, others will be exciting. Some days you’ll just feel worn-out. We all have our good and bad days. If things get a bit too much for you to handle, know that it’s okay to take a break. Know that it’s fine to let it out
when there’s too much going on in your mind. Trust me, even clouds rain when they get too heavy. So, dear one, rest for the day; pick up your feet, and start fresh tomorrow; you may never know when it’ll be your last. A very wise friend once told me that the feeling of being lost is our mind’s way of telling us we must refocus on our purpose. “If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough.”—a few meaningful words by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf that should help you realize that whatever you’re feeling is totally okay. Remember why you chose what you chose. If you still want the same things, then get back on track, after you’ve rested enough of course. If you’re no longer happy or passionate about something, then ask yourself what it is you really want. If you can’t find the answer to that question, remind yourself who you are, what you love doing, and what you’re capable of.
Call for Literary Folio Submissions: Theme: PAALAM Deadline of submission on January 24, 2021 Please submit to: ulnos.lnu@gmail.com
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| JOHN KENNETH VIADO
People Embracing the New Normal
Choosing The Right Ones
P
hilippines is amidst battling COVID-19. There is steady increment in new positive ctases with moderate mortality and low recovery rate. Many individuals are not getting sufficient nutrition on their plates, and many can’t get to their workplaces due to the adjustments caused by the epidemic.
Philippines placed third on South fairly East Asia, having a vastly significant number of COVID-19 cases. The WHO and DOH—for all intents and purposes—have communicated, seriously concerned about the hasty pace of COVID-19 spreading among varieties of human-services employees in the PH. Currently, they represent 20% of specifically affirmed cases, which is 6 to 10 times higher than the territorial kind, mostly normal of 2-3%, equally contrary to popular belief. Specialists point to two fundamental factors behind this stressing pattern: first, testing the PH, though significantly better, is still moderately low weighed with the district. Since HCW, mostly typically organized in testing, might generally be slanting the
| MERELL PARAMIO
dissemination bend, which is quite substantial. Increasingly important is the deficiency of PPEs, particularly towards the start of the emergency in a subtle way. As particularly indicated by the exploration from the University of the Philippines entitled “COVID-19 Forecast in the Philippines: Insights for policy making”, the sort of principal case in the nation was accounted for justly last January 30, 2020. Midway, the administration actualized the lockdown and, for all goals and purposes, isolated measures to those influenced territories of the nation, especially the island of Luzon. The lockdown may have decreased the particularly potential cases in the nation, yet the consequences of this to the economy is factually a major emergency for residents. The lockdown has enlivened network as it should for this pandemic to create the essential kind of needs as of that indicated by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. In the graph, the most important needs of an individual mainly compose of food, water and shelter—
all of which are the essential keys of survival. In order to achieve these various necessities, one should have the fundamental needs to bear with. Be that as it may, how will individuals who can’t work during this epidemic last? So much solidarity has been released on the grounds than we are normally wired to relate to, which is perceived by some as a direct result of how government officials outline difficulty. In just a matter of weeks we have had well over a million people active in the community, availing people, with all kinds of challenges. We have daily reports of acts of generosity, benevolence and valiancy. What has changed? This notion of deserving and undeserving seems primitive since everyone is in dire need of help. After all, politicians should carefully think of how their thoughts about poverty led to the opposite of empathy and solidarity. President Duterte had ordered soldiers, as well as the police, to shoot anyone who would defy lockdown orders. The somewhat dynamic arrangement of ex-
ecution wasn’t simply founded on how they perceived the nation, but it ensures its kin, however, on how individuals mainly reacted and acted upon the emergency. It is true that no one should be exempted during the pandemic, but other areas in the Philippines are being denied the assistance needed. Moreover, citizens are being arrested for no reason other than seeking help from authorities. It’s quite upsetting to think that people are fighting beyond braver, putting their lives on the line knowing that mass killings could occur anytime at this rate. Similarly, instead of arguing on social media, why don’t people take adequate precautions along with following doctors’ instructions? In that way, people are then cooperating with the government in fighting the pandemic. In challenging times like these, make a note of encouragement, support, and thanks to the nurses and healthcare workers who are working extra hard for everybody. My mother herself is a front liner, working as a nurse in Doha, Qatar.
Like any other daughter, I’m proud of her. I salute all nurses who are passionate about their work, risking their lives every day just to help people. Remember that while everyone else is at home with their mothers, mine is out there battling a silent war. Let us be grateful to all the front liners risking their wellbeing to help those infected by COVID-19— the least we could do is stay home to help them. Surely, the number of COVID positive patients in the Philippines will rise in the coming days. How about we anticipate it, opposing popular belief? Observe the realities, be organized and, for the most part, help stop the spread. Cooperate and predict transmission by carefully following isolation procedures, especially for those with history of movement to zones with affirmed cases. Keep away from swarmed places and physical contact. Wash hands regularly. Indeed, not all heroes wear capes—they wear Personal Protective Equipment. #We’reInThisTogether
OV ID KC
FU C COLLAGE BY: KIM SHANE FERNANDEZ
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Learning to Cope with The New Normal
E
| SHAIMA RASHED GAD
testing kits, and 48.13 billion pesos were given to the Department of Health. Let’s not fail to mention the 37 billion pesos budget given to the local Government Units, 5 billion pesos given to Overseas Workers Welfare Administration for their repatriation program, and 14 billion pesos given to other agencies to fund their respective programs.
ers, employers and the public are skeptical about the quality and value of online education, which they view as inferior to face-to-face education. Students in online education, particularly underprepared and disadvantaged students, might underperform and, on average, result to poor outcomes. Online education has failed to improve affordability, frequently costs more than in-person alternatives and does not produce a positive return on investment. Regular and substantive student-instructor interactivity is a key determinant of quality in online education, leading to improved student satisfaction, learning and outcomes. On the other hand, some, like those who are juggling jobs with their education, might find this new set up as a less hassle learning experience. Others also say that maybe this is the change that the educational system has been needing for the past decades—a reboot in the system, if you will. These are just some of the various problems and thoughts that our country’s facing today, in line with this new normal educational process. It’s something that the government is still addressing, and we can only hope that we get the solution everyone will be comfortable with.
s the saying goes, “Change does not change tradition. It strengthens it.” With the theme, “Quality Education Amidst the Challenges of the New Normal”, Lyceum-Northwestern University conducted its 51st Founders’ Day Commemoration last September 24-25, 2020, promoting the continuous quality education, broadcasted live via Facebook. The first day kickedoff with a Thanksgiving Mass followed by the Wreath-Laying Ceremony honoring the founders of the university, Dr. Francisco Q. Duque and Mrs. Florencia T. Duque. Through her speech, University President, Dr. Luz T. Duque-Hammershaimb talked about the challenges the school had faced as the pan-
demic changed the way things worked before. Moreover, she mentioned the measures the school took to cope up so that students will still have access to quality education. “I enjoin you to embrace this new normal as a great opportunity to reimagine and reinvent ourselves and our university,” she said, ending her speech with encouragement to all attendants and viewers. Dr. Rogelio T. Galera Jr., Officer-in-Charge, Commission on Higher Education – Region 1, served as the guest speaker and introduced the Education 4.0, a new experience-based education system that uses digital technologies to respond to the needs of the new world. He said that schools should now be a place of creation and innovation in order to prepare students to thrive
ducation is not a privilege—it’s a human right. Do you agree?
With schools in the Philippines due to reopen through face-to-face classes only when a vaccine for COVID-19 has been found, educational authorities are racing to devise a distance learning regime for 27 million children by August, when the summer holidays end. That poses a huge challenge in an archipelagic nation of 107 million, where many households have no access to the internet or a computer, and teachers fear they will not be ready to roll out remote learning in two months. With this sudden shift away from classrooms in many parts of the globe, some are wondering whether the implementation of online learning will continue to persist post-pandemic, and how such a change would impact the worldwide education market. Faculty and academic leadFIRST THINGS FIRST.. PAGE 3
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| JOHN KENNETH VIADO
Wearing face masks in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Campus press stands up for press freedom FROM PAGE 1
dent Duterte on the 3rd of July. As asked by the audience, Mrs. Robles told student journalists to take precautions in writing sensitive articles about politics and mostly the government. According to her, it is better to consult a lawyer. There are a lot of human rights lawyers and law firms that provide free services. “You know naman the government, they can be paranoid about these things… But definitely don’t let the law stifle your right to write about things for public interest. Siguro the lawyer is just for added protection,” she said. In this current situation that the country is facing, campus press plays a prominent role as the mainstream media, which is constantly under attack by the government, considerably by this administration. Mr. Espina
even compared Duterte’s administration way back in the time of Martial Law under the presidency of Mr. Ferdinand Marcos; he said that the Anti-Terror Law is worse. The webinar also talked about the issue on the ABS-CBN Corporation shutdown—a company very popular in the field of Filipino media, entertainment and broadcasting. Many are interrogating the administration for its bizarre action of facing the pandemic. Instead of focusing on the crisis, the suppression of people’s opinions is being mandated by the government, making a chilling effect. Mr. Atom Araullo said that being impartial, neutral or balance is not a core principle of journalism. “There is only one objective: truth and the truth are nev-
er neutral… Every opinion, no matter how outlandish, is treated as equally valid,” he said. He also said that citizen journalism is arising and an average person now already works like a journalist by using social media as a platform. People now live in a “post-truth world”, wherein objective facts and scientific agreement are less influential in shaping public opinion. Disinformation is having an impact in the political lives of the Filipinos and he pointed out that people should be responsible member of digital community. Mr. Espina asked for a favor to the Campus Press that they should be biased. “Be biased for the truth and for your audience. For the good of your audience, the studentry, your schools, your families, your communities,
L-NU Holds Its First-Ever Virtual Founders’ Day Celebration | BREANNA RINGOR
in this ever-changing world. “One thing that should remain constant amidst these global challenges is our pursuit to quality education,” he added. Furthermore, as a response to the request of our university president to hear insights, counsel and advice from him as they, the school administrators, face the challenges of ensuring quality education in the new normal, he said that they should ACT-be Aware of the global trends and frameworks that continually shape education, Collaborate with partners, and Take the initiative to mobilize their school for transformation. He capped off his speech with an encouragement to our educators and school administrators by saying, “In this time of uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity,
we remain unshaken. We remain true to our mission as shapers of the hope of tomorrow. Let our goal of quality education light the way.” Afterwards, the Honors Program & Outstanding Alumni Awarding Ceremony, the last agenda for the day, was held wherein achievers from the previous year were acknowledged for their hard work. On the second and last day, the LNU International Cook Fest was conducted as facilitated by the College of Hospitality Management (HM), and Vocational-Technical Department where several HM students showcased their skills in cooking different cuisines from all over the world. An International Dance Festival hosted by the Foreign Student Unit was also
conducted, giving the opportunity for foreign students to represent their respective countries of origin, presenting their music and introducing their various creative talents. The last event was the International Arts & Crafts Festival, which aimed to showcase the beauty of the world, hosted by the Office of International Linkages where the participants presented notable artworks from their origin country. The ultimate measure of man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy. The two-day event was full of learnings despite the boundaries imposed by the pandemic.
L-NU suspends Intramurals amidst COVID-19 Crisis | NOEL JESTONI EBUENGA
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ue to arising number of COVID-19 positive cases, classes in all levels both public and private schools in Pangasinan are suspended including Lyceum-Northwestern University that is scheduled to held its Intramurals 2020 on March 16-20.
The university originally scheduled the event on February 19-26 this year but was rescheduled on March 1620 after the country broadcasted the first three COVID-19 positive cases; which the
school limits mass gathering inside the campus and regulates the temperature check-up among the students and employees through thermal scanning process. Classes, intramurals and University Week are suspended on the afternoon of March 13 after the Executive Order (EO) No. 0013-2029 issued by Governor Amado Espino III and supported by Dagupan City Mayor Brian Lim;
furthermore, said suspension is extended until prior notice from the Presidential Office. Meanwhile, the rescheduling of the sports fest competition is not being discussed yet in order for the school to priority and fix some academic issues and troubles caused by the pandemic, affecting particularly the students on their school requirements and responsibilities.
COVID-19: Ang naging epekto ng pandemiko sa mundo ng isports SPORTS FEATURE
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| DAVY TAMONDONG
alaking dagok ang iniwan ng Covid-19 Pandemic nitong nakalipas na mga buwan ng 2020. Nariyang naapektuhan ang buhay ng mga tao , edukasyon at ekonomiya ng bawat bansa. Naapektuhan din nito ang mundo ng isports na kinagigiliwan nating lahat. Dahil sa bilis na pagkalat ng Covid-19 sa iba’tibang bahagi mundo, nauwi sa pagkakansela ang buong bahagi ng mga ibat ibang palakasan sa mundo, mapa-maliit man o malaking paligsahan. Isa sa halimbawa nito ay ang sikat na Professional Basketball League sa Amerika, ang NBA o National Basketball Association na mahilig subaybayan ng mga taga-hanga sa buong mundo. Matatandaang natigil ang nasabing liga sa kalagitnaan ng season dahil
sa posibilidad na kumalat ang nakakahawang sakit, ikinansela ng mga kawani ng liga ang kompetisyon matapos magpositibo ang isa sa kanilang manlalaro. Kinansela rin ang ilang sikat na isports sa Amerika gaya ng National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) , National Football League (NFL), at Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Nakansela rin ang Premiere League at ibang sikat na palakasan sa Europa dahil sa patuloy na pagkalat ng pandemiko. Natanggal din ang pagkakataon na ituloy ang mga sikat na isports sa Pilipinas na kung saan dumating sa puntong kumunot ang noo ng ilan sa ating kapwang Pilipino nang malamang na apektado din ng pagkakansela ang mga paliga
sa kani-kanilang mga Barangay. Naapektuhan din ng Covid-19 ang operasyon ng media na siyang nasa likod ng pagpapalabas ng mga laro, nakansela ang nakabinbin na komersyal at ilang endorsement at natigil ang bentahan ng mga tiket ng mga laro na siyang pangunahing pinagkikitaan ng mga ibat ibang liga sa mundo. Kaya nagdulot ito ng pagkakatapyas ng mga kita ng mga team owners na siya ring magiging dahilan upang mabawasan ang kikitain ng bawat atleta. Ang isports ay naging bahagi na ng ating buhay, atleta ka man o isang tagahanga lamang ay tiyak na maapektuhan sa pagpapatigil ng mga palakasang naging libangan nating lahat.
Sa Pagsibol ng E-ISports
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| JOHN JOSHUA MAGAT
indi maipagkakailang ang pag-usbong ng online games sa mundo ay napakabilis. Ito ay produkto ng ebolusyon ng simpleng video games na kilala bilang libangant lamang ng mga bata noon ngunit sa paglipas ng panahon, ito ay hindi na lamang simpleng laro. Ang online games ay tuluyan na ngang naging isang opisyal na larong pangtornamento kung saan ay tinawag itong electronic sports o mas kilala bilang esports. Karamihan ng tao sa mundo ay pamilyar sa esports lalo na’t ayon sa pag-aaral, mahigit 59% ng tao sa mundo ang gumagamit ng internet. Mahigit kalahati sa buong populasyon ng tao ay may sariling computer o kahit ano pang mobile at electronic devices. Ibig sabihin lamang nito ay milyong tao ang may kakayahang gumamit ng online games. Isa ang kakayahan na kumonekta sa sinumang manlalaro sa iba’t-ibang parte ng mundo ang dahilan kung bakit lalong sumikat ang online gaming. Ang mga pinakapopular na laro na gaya ng League of Legends, Fortnite, Dota 2, Call of Duty, Free fire, PUBG, CS:GO, Mobile Legends: Bang bang, Arena of Valor at marami pang iba ay kamangha-mangha nakakalap ng milyong-milyong manunuod sa sarili nitong tornamentong ginanap. Talas ng isipan at bilis ng kamay; isa lamang ito sa mga kakayahan upang ang isang indibidwal ay maaaring umangat sa larangan ng esports. Maraming manlalaro ang nakikilala sa larangang ito. Walang pinipiling lahi, edad, o kasarian basta ikaw ay may angking galing ay ayos na. Kasabay ng pag-usbong
ng larong ito ang pagsikat ng salitang streaming. Ang sinumang manlalaro ay maaaring mapanuod ng mga taga-suporta nito o ng kahit sino mang may koneksyon sa kinabibilangan laro nito. Ang streaming ay lalong nakatulong sa lalong pagsikat ng esports. Ayon sa isang datos mula sa Yahoo Finance, tinatayang nasa 139 bilyong dolyar ang naitalang revenue sa video games noong nakaraang taon na inaasahang umabot pa sa 200 bilyong dolyar pagdating ng 2022. Napakalaking potensyal ang ipinapakita ng paglago ng esports o industriya ng video games. Hindi na maipagkakaila kung ang pinakamalalaking kompanya sa mundo ay maisipang mag-invest sa mga ito dahil kung ating titignan, sa ngayon ay malabong malaos ang industriyang ito dahil kahit pa ito’y lubusan na ngang sikat, ito ay tila ba’y nagsisimula pa lamang. Ang pisikal na mga isports ay libo-libong taong nang namamayagpag sa mundo ngunit sa pag-usbong ng modernong teknolohiya sa mundo ay walang kaduda-dudang ang paglalaro ng video games ang isa sa pinakatrending na gawain sa mga panahong ito. Ang buong mundo ay nasa kalagitnaan ng kirisis ngayon kung saan karamihan sa atin ay nasa tahanan lamang. Malay mo, ikaw pala ay may natatanging taglay upang sumabak at magtagumpay sa esports. Kung ako sa iyo, tuklasin mo na ang natatago mong talento sa paglalaro ng mga ito, maaari ka din naming mag-ensayo dahil hindi natin alam, isang araw ay tatawagin ka ng legendary sa larangan ng esports.