The Augustinian Mirror 2021

mirror THE

AU G U S T I N I A N

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“Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

EDITOR’S NOTE Change can be brought about by individual people or by society as a whole that moves one’s perspective and destination into a whole reality. A shift in the mundane things caused by individual changes, whether good or bad, encapsulates the human spirit and kickstarts an endless quest for self-enlightenment for the benefit of both the individual and the world in which one lives.

We are in an era of change. We are changing the way we think, feel, and behave because of this generational shift influenced by numerous factors such as technology, political landscape, consciousness, and the current pandemic. Throughout this process, we ask ourselves: “Why and how do we need to adapt change?”.

Dear readers, in this issue of The Augustinian Mirror, we present to you stories that reflect on the past, give an honest look at the present, and offer a glimpse into the future.

With narratives ranging from the rise of non-binary pronouns to the culture of colorism, transition to online learning, how the climate crisis hinders the new generation from bearing children, and the glorious days of the Panay railways, explore how these shifts affect you, those around you as well as the entire sphere of your social, cultural, and physical environment.

In the many difficult times, you have endured and are yet to endure, may this publication be, at the very least, spark hope and initiative to you who read this.

Rather than being terrified of this shift, move with it. If not, you will be left behind.

se o r y m e

mirror reflections “The meaning of the river flowing is not that all things are changing so that we cannot encounter them twice but that some things stay the same only by changing,”

Emy Rose G. Gallego Editor-in-Chief Xena Hyacinth G. Estiñoso Managing Editor Jeff G. Tolentino Associate Editor Glaiza Rae D. Amable Associate Editor Maria Cristy E. Daguay Moderator ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY TEAM Geremy T. Gallenero (Art Director) Rotsen C. Agreda (Photography Director) Joshua Patrick C. Santillan Kendra Felizimarie P. Magsico Renz Joshua R. Arbis Dianne Nayeli B. Montero (CJIP) COMMUNITY AFFAIRS TEAM Marlyn Rose B. Marcelo (Community Editor) Hector O. Cofreros PROGRAM MANAGEMENT TEAM Honey Mabelle A. Villarba Shergen Q. Villanueva Hannah Jhanylle C. Po Mary Wen Anthony T. Rivera (CJIP)

- The Cosmic Fragments by Heraclitus

A pause in a story symbolizes not of an end but a continuance to a deeper and profound connection of the author to the narrative he creates. In as much as a period signals a conclusion, a comma conveys a pause and a continuing to the next pages of the story.

The Augustinian Mirror’s current issue delves into the following chapters of a story whose conclusion has yet to be completed, words whose meaning has yet to be deciphered, and letters yet to be written.

Thus, bridging the old narrative’s ability to become an epoch with a milieu of stories that piques curiosity in the human perspective that opted to continue rather than an end.

The ever-flowing narratives penned by human hands come together at the darkest hour of twilight to witness the dawn of new beginnings scribbled between pages of pauses and stops.

The USA Pub would like to extend its heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to the following individuals: Ma’am Maria Cristy Daguay, for guiding us and allowing us to learn as much as possible; Panorama Printing Inc. for their patience and support of the USA Pub; enlightening resource persons and sources who shared their knowledge and experiences regarding our articles; and the editorial board whose resilience and adaptability made this issue possible.

Creative writing team Sharaine Ghail T. Taaca Pauline Marie C. Arada

Contributors Jedro L. Cawaling Dylan Jacob K. Suarez

USA Publications

Responsive • Developmental • Research-based Address: 2/F Alumni Bldg., University of San Agustin, General Luna Street, Iloilo City, Philippines 5000 Phone Number: (033) 337 4842 local 189 Website: www.usapub.net Email: usapublications1@gmail.com

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USA Publications @USA_Pub

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@usapub USA Publications

THE AUGUSTINIAN MIRROR is the official student magazine of the University of San Agustin, Iloilo City, Philippines. It is published regularly by the USA Publications, which envisions itself as an Augustinian center of campus journalism, fostering the advocacy of the common good and acting as voice of the student body through responsive, developmental, and research-based campus journalism. Contributions, comments, and suggestions may be sent to the editors. No part of this publication can be reproduced by any means without permission and authority from the USA Publications.

Colophon: This magazine was produced using Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe Illustrator under Adobe Creative Suite 6. Source Sans Pro, Lemon Milk, Heavitas, and Bahnschrift were used for the text.

ABOUT THE COVER

A SIGNIFICANT PAUSE.

Most, if not all, people prefer to come across a semicolon than a period. The latter tells it all; even if they do not obtain all the meaning they desired, they have no choice but to end it at once. It is with a semicolon, however, that they get a pleasant feeling of courage to read on what they have started, knowing that all will get clearer in time.

OPINION

people & society

Upvotes of Political Feed

Colorblind Society

Partner in Health?

Coming Out from Closet(ed) Doors

Beyond the Wishful Thinking

Data Breach Detected Love en Match: Your Fate with Untammed Femmes

feature

The Rails Before Us

campus

food & lifestyle

Quarantine Startups

A Toast to Tablea

Teaching Through the Pandemic - A Vision for Thriving

Fashion Backward

environment

Weigh of Sachet No Salve for Burnt Corals

Inside the Mirror

Climate Crisis: An Era to not have Babies

arts & culture

Paubra, a Lost Art

science & technology

Into the World of Axies Ctrl + V and Ctrl + C in Real Life

reviews

Death by A Thousand Cuts Wide Horizons in Little Awekening Souls in Isolation A Star Map from you to Universe The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo When Love is in Control

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OPINION

Upvotes of Political Feed ZIRU

JEFF TOLENTINO, B.S. MLS ‘22

A few months left before the 2022 presidential elections and the country has yet to be relieved of the burden brought about by COVID-19. From the start of lockdown in January 2020, the Philippine government has cycled the implementation of strict community quarantine measures to more lenient restrictions. With the threat of the SARS-CoV-2 delta variant, the Filipinos confined within their homes have more than ever been relying on social media platforms for information and transactions.

With such an overwhelming online presence, these social media platforms will play a critical role in deciding who sits on top of the hierarchy of power for the next six years.

Artwork Geremy T. Gallenero

VOL. 87 // NO.1 // DECEMBER 1, 2021

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Upvotes of Political Feed

According to a survey conducted by Statista, in the third quarter of 2020, Filipinos spend an average of ten hours and six minutes surfing the internet in which Facebook makes up 93 percent of the country’s social media share. With the limited mobility of the masses due to the pandemic, social media platforms have done more than just connecting one Filipino to another but also shaped minds as to what is accepted and what should be cancelled.

With each of the presidential candidates amassing their resources to start their campaign, it is paramount that social media presence is involved as Filipinos are more inclined to join a bandwagon that garners the support of the voting population. Such campaign propagandas were able to sustain President Rodrigo Duterte during his campaign in the 2016 elections. Duterte, a fearsome force to be reckoned with in the southern Philippines tagged as “The Punisher” of Davao city, was able to establish an empire of social media supporters known as the Diehard Duterte Supporters (DDS) whose sole purpose is to support the current administration for its cause.

More than ever, social media platforms have now been weaponized to target those whose cause may be a threat to an authoritarian power.

A month before the 2016 elections, 64 percent of the Philippine election-related conversations in Facebook are all about Duterte’s legacy in Davao and the change he can offer to the country. With a massive online campaign force, Duterte’s propaganda on reform, corruption, employment, and a brutal war against drugs with promises of results within months of him being in power has led 38 percent of the voting Filipinos to believe that Duterte is the man needed to cleanse the Philippine government.

Not only was this able to successfully elect the current administration into power but social media platforms have also been utilized to manipulate facts to

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benefit one’s interest. The critics of the Duterte administration Rappler’s CEO Maria Angelita Ressa and former senator and human rights activist Leila de Lima who have been known to condemn the administration’s brutal war against drugs have been a target of online attacks. Ultimately Ressa was imprisoned due to charges of cyber libel and de Lima was convicted on drug charges through testimonies of drug lords who have been promised clemency under the Duterte administration.

More than ever, social media platforms have now been weaponized to target those whose cause may be a threat to an authoritarian power.

Over the last six years, opposing political parties, journalists, and human rights activists have been the center of patriotic trolling – a state propaganda that utilizes social media platforms to spread false information to turn the public’s trust against the targeted individuals.

A clash between DDS and the Dilawan, an online community that supports the Liberal party and condemns the Duterte administration have dominated Facebook and Twitter in expression of political stance. A divide among Filipino people between those who support the administration and the oust Duterte movement. And of those two choices, a political party is born in likes and shares.

In an effort to silence the opposing party, the likes of the next EDSA People Power Revolution is dawning in the online world.

The fact that the majority of the Filipino social media users are easily swayed and hooked into how much likes and shares a post gets makes one more vulnerable to be manipulated. The seat of power that will be passed and reigned upon for the next six years goes beyond and should not be determined by something that will only be viral for a limited time. Between the DDS and the Dilawan network empires on social media platforms, the decision of the masses will pave a way for a new power to reign.

In this digital age that Filipinos on the 7,641 islands of the Philippines are more than ever connected, one has a responsibility to secure a better government for the next generation.

OPINION

partner in health?

ALEXYTHIMIA

EMY ROSE G. GALLEGO, A.B PSCI 2022

Sa kasagsagan ng pagkalat ng nakahahawang Delta Variant na dumadagdag sa kaso ng COVID-19 sa Pilipinas hanggang umabot ito sa pinakamataas na antas mula noong lumaganap ang pandemya noong Marso 2020, nagbanta ang pinakamalaking pangkat ng ospital sa bansa ng na kumalas mula sa Philippine Health Insurance. Corp. (PhilHealth) bilang pagtugon sa nakabinbin na bilyun-bilyong utang ng ahensiya sa kanila.

Artwork Dianne Nayelo Montero

VOL. 87 // NO.1 // DECEMBER 1, 2021

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partner in health?

Ang Circular No. 2021-0013 na pinalabas ng Philhealth ang nagtulak sa mga hospital upang magbanta ng “disengagement”. Layunin ng naturang circular ang pansamantalang pagsuspendi sa pagbabayad ng ahensiya ng mga obligasyon nito habang nasa ilalim pa ng imbestigasyon bunsod ng pag-uugnay dito sa korapsyon.

Sa gitna ng pinakamatinding public health emergency sa kasaysayan ng bansa, seguridad at hindi dagdag na suliranin sa tumpoktumpok na pasanin ang kailangan ng mga Pilipino.

Sana nama’y mapanindigan ng Philhealth ang tagline nitong “Your partner in health.”

Sa pagdinig ng House Committee on Health, binunyag ng Philippine Hospital Association (PHA) na ang di-umano’y “arbitrary denial” ng Philhealth ng utang nito ay naglagay sa mga hospital sa walang katiyakang sitwasyong pampinansyal.

Giit pa ni Dr. Gerry Gonzales, miyembro ng lupon ng Pribadong Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAP), umabot na sila sa puntong siniyasat ang kanilang mga gastos upang malaman kung may kakayahan pa ba silang bayaran ang sweldo ng mga health workers.

Ayon kay PHA President Dr. Jaime Almora, umabot na sa P86.09 billion ang mga “Philhealth claims” mula January 2020 hanggang June 2021.

Ang perang ito ay mapapakinabangan pa sana ng mga ospital sa mga operasyon nito at sahod ng mga frontliner. Sa katunayan, maraming mga ospital ang kailangang kumuha ng mas maraming empleyado partikular na para sa specialized COVID critical care facilities. Subalit, ang kanilang problema sa pondo ang nagtutulak pa sa kanilang magbawas ng tauhan.

Maliban sa mga ospital, mismong mga pasyente na umaasa sa benepisyo ng Philhealth ang kawawa.

Sa “disengagement”, hindi na magrerenew ng kanilang akreditasyon sa Philhealth ang mga ospital sa katapusan ng taon. Ibig sabihin,

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manggagaling mismo sa sariling bulsa ng mga pasyente ang bayad sa mga ospital at manggagamot nito.

“…kung wala na pong PhilHealth accreditation ang private hospitals, pagpasok po nila (patients) dyan, sasabihin sa kanila, ‘hindi po madededuct kaagad ang inyong benefits. Ang mangyayari po, i-a-advance ang payment at yung mga benefits niyo sa PhilHealth, you will have to file that directly to PhilHealth, sabi ni Dr. Jose De Grano, presidente ng PHA sa isang panayam sa CNN Philippines.

Kung may kompetisyon lamang sa paramihan ng kontrobersiya, tiyak na nasa Philhealth na ang korona.Hindi na yata naubusan ng natatanggap na hinaing ang ahensiya. Naging laman rin ng balita ang utang nito sa Philippine Red Cross(PRC) na lomobo sa P800 milyon, kung saan nagbanta rin ang PRC na suspindihin ang mga testing services. Ngayon, ospital na naman ang kalaban nila.

Sa isang banda, katwiran ng tagapagsalita ng PhilHealth na si Shirley Domingo, ang naturang hakbang ay kinakailangan upang matiyak ang seguridad at pagpapanatili ng mga pondong ipinagkatiwala sa ahensiya. “Fraud control is a basic tenet in managing funds,” giit niya.

Para naman sa Philippine Medical Association, PHA, at PHAP ang circular ay maaring isa na namang pakana ng Philhealth upang tanggihan o maantala ang pagbabayad sa mga ospital.

Gayupaman, magkasalungat man ang pananaw ng dalawang panig hinggil sa dokumento, isa lang ang malinaw. Ang circular na ito ay simbolo ng bangayan, hindi pagkakaintindihan, at kawalan ng tiwala sa pagitan ng ospital at Philhealth na siyang dapat ay kasangga sa paglaban sa nakakamatay na sakit.

Tama ang babala ni Senador Risa Hontiveros: “In the midst of a public health crisis, Filipinos need safety nets in public health emergencies, as well as a financial cushion on the cost of hospitalization.”

Nararapat lamang na pumagitna ang Kongreso at imbestigahan ang isyung ito nang sa ganun ay hindi madiskaril ang pinaghirapan nitong Universal Health Care (UHC) Act na layuning bigyan ng daan ang mga Pilipino tungo sa serbisyong pangkalusugan nang walang pagkabahala sa pinansyal na aspeto.

Sa gitna ng pinakamatinding public health emergency sa kasaysayan ng bansa, seguridad at hindi dagdag na suliranin sa tumpok-tumpok na pasanin ang kailangan ng mga Pilipino. Sana nama’y mapanindigan ng Philhealth ang tagline nitong “Your partner in health.”

Artwork Geremy T. Gallenero

OPINION

beyond the wishful thinking PRINCESS OF HOPE

XENA HYACINTH ESTIÑOSO, B.S. BA ‘21

With a projected 61 million voters in the upcoming 2022 elections, forty million belong to the youth sector. If we let the numbers speak for itself, the youth vote is a force to be reckoned with. Political experts and organizations alike have expressed their faith on the power of the youth to shape the outcome of the upcoming election. “Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan” has never been more true in this light. But is there really a “youth vote” or is it all just wishful thinking at this point?

The youth vote has been in the spotlight for quite some time now during the election season. In the 2019 midterm elections, COMELEC statistics showed that the youth comprised a little over one-third of the total voter’s population. Similarly, in the 2016 Presidential Elections, 37% of the total voter’s population belongs to the youth sector. The numbers sparked a light of hope that the future of the country is finally within the hands of the competent, critical and socially aware young people. Afterall, the results of mock elections and survey polls in universities across the country displayed names of unfamiliar candidates, proving that the youth knows better.

However at this critical point in time,

Filipinos, especially the youth, should no longer be turning a blind eye to the fact that the results of the election prove how far the Filipino youth is from collectively bringing about social reform to the country. The university mock elections and survey polls in universities are not concrete and collective representations of the youth vote.

Several surveys, like one that was conducted by Pulse Asia before the onset of the 2019 midterm elections, exploring the voting preferences of the youth demographic reveal that the Filipino youth vote for the same candidates like everyone else.

The young still echoes the voting preferences of the many others. There is still nothing radical about the youth vote.

To believe in the power of the youth vote, means to recognize the gaps that exist within it.

It is necessary to point out why this is so. The gap among the youth vote is caused by long-standing issues and concerns that prevent

the young from knowing and developing their potential to bring about social change. The concerns are many, such as a gap in quality education, a sharp drop in the enrollment rate among the youth at the onset of the pandemic, unemployment, digital divide, and the neverending cycle of poverty.

Meanwhile, more than just a disheartening truth, it should also become our call to action. To believe in the power of the youth vote, means to recognize the gaps that exist within it. First, the results of mock elections in universities is indicative of the impact that education has on voting preferences. Quality education bears critical thinkers. Second, as the right of suffrage is a right for all, so should the access to voting and electoral information be.

The days when voters would laugh about solety voting for a candidate who they think looked dashing on primetime national TV should be long over.

It is about time that we do so much more than our “social media revolution”. We must educate, engage and encourage and equip the youth outside our eco chambers to be the social movers we hope and need them to be.

VOL. 87 // NO.1 // DECEMBER 1, 2021

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people & society

What’s it like to be living with an Ideology of Color-Impaired Vision Pauline Marie C. Arada T. Gallenero Infographics Joshua Patrick C. Santillan Photograph Rotsen C. Agreda By

Artwork Geremy

All children grow up being over the moon with colors. They use different kinds of colors—may it be red, blue, yellow, green, or violet but they seldom use black and white; simply because their minds become impulsive that those colors do not come in handy when coloring their canvass.

White Highlights Contrast

One assumption that several people have vocalized is that dark skin is a problem or an unfortunate condition that should be avoided when possible.

Some tend to associate skin color with status, intelligence, or potential. A veritable example would be darker-skinned people are constantly denied opportunities and seen as less educated or generally less because of the color of their skin.

“Kaitum sa imo, daw taga-uma ikaw.” (You’re dark, as if you look like someone who lives in a farm.)

“Itsura mo daw Ati sa bukid.” (You look like an Aeta, living in the mountains.)

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These were some of the lines peole would say when they spot someone who has dark colored skin. Akari Deamboy who was a passionate photojournalist, heard those words all her life. As a photographer who captures such wonderful pictures, those mere opinions will never fail to capture her attention.

“Colorism in the Philippines is very horrendous, to the point that the word for “black” people became literally a playground insult, and being called “white” becomes a compliment,” shared Deamboy with the Augustinian.

Deamboy even added that some of the major reasons why people are likely to find morena awful to look at is because they tend to perceive that having a dark complexion makes a person dirty and poor. She also discussed about how Filipinos use “Ita/Aeta” and “Negra/Negro” as an insult to call people of darker skin tones, particularly if one is considered poor and getting even darker, they tend to degrade that person further; in some places, being “white” means you don’t work under the sun.

“I’ve seen an advertisement before about GlutaMAX (a skin whitening

“The pervasiveness and gaslighting of advertisements where Filipinos tend to become obsessive of whitening products is no joke. It somehow equates to raising future generations to despise their own skin tone.”

supplement) saying, Maputi lang, hired na? Unfair ‘di ba?, Wag magalit, magGlutaMAX!. It basically tells that you shouldn’t get mad, but instead, you join them,” stated Deamboy.

The pervasiveness and gaslighting of advertisements where Filipinos tend to become obsessive of whitening products is no joke. It somehow equates to raising future generations to despise their own skin tone.

“It’s just sad because it somehow makes us insecure about our complexion and be pressured to whiten it. Also, it’s crazy how this toxic beauty standard implies that you have to change your skin color to be accepted and considered beautiful and that if you’re being bullied or receiving unfair treatment because you’re darker, you have to be whiter. We, Filipinos, shouldn’t normalize this kind of beauty standard,” opined Deamboy.

Over the Gray Area

“A problem such as colorism seems as common as blinking and equally unconscious—just entails how ubiquitous it is among black beauties,” claimed

Ruby Jean Vencer who was a registered guidance counselor in a comprehensive high school. She admitted she has always been churning to come up with a reply when asked about her opinion on colorism and discrimination.

“I grew up in the 90’s. 90’s kids would be out of their houses playing right after lunch until sunset. Whenever I met other people, a relative or a family friend would always notice my dark skin. Back then, they stereotyped darkskinned people as someone who works in the farm,” shared Vencer with the Augustinian.

Vencer then perceived, in her early days, some of the teleseryes would constantly portray the blatant insults on how dark and white skins show what kind of roles they would depict in the tv shows.

“In school, my classmates would say pa-puti-puti ta ah, then, they would laugh at us, dark-skinned. They would also tease us whenever our topic in Sibika at Kultura was about the early settlers in the Philippines. They would tease mga ninuno niyo, to us—not theirs since they are fair-skinned,” added Vencer.

Even during commercial breaks in tv shows, tons of whitening products VOL. 87 // NO.1 // DECEMBER 1, 2021

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would be shown—a little subtle of relegation towards Morena beauties for which if one has lighter skin, there would be a “glow” effect otherwise “grayish” for darker skins. It somehow came to Vencer’s mind that many Filipinos have always been in an ambivalent situation—a gray area perhaps.

“It occurred to me at an early age that the concept of beauty was distorted, and unfair since children like me cannot choose our skin color. I used to think that having a lighter skin tone would make life easier, gain more friends, and be free of harsh comments from peers and adults,” said Vencer.

Absence of Hues

In an artist’s gumption, black absorbs all colors equally and reflects none, thus this only proves that even in the viewpoint of a black crayon, all colors are important to the same degree and level. An absence of hues, equates to suppression of diversity upon colors.

“We need to stop stereotyping beauty. We should wage campaigns against the stigma because as long as being “beautiful” stays a norm that everyone aims to achieve, there will remain a hierarchy that distinguishes the “beautiful” from the “ugly,” and that will always be unfair, illogical, and absolutely pointless,” claimed Deamboy.

This colorism issue is still relevant since there are messages out there telling young people that lighter skin is more attractive. Such signs keep on reminding people that having a lighter skin tone is an ideal from cosmetics brands not producing tones for dark complexion, to more radical messages like

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skin bleach advertisements. It just becomes one of the many ridiculous beliefs that society promotes.

“As a counselor, a social media user, a family member, and a friend, I believe that shaping positive self-image is one of the things that we should advocate in our programs at school, in our online platforms, and in our day-today interactions with others,” asserted Vencer.

Beauty standards are just an imaginative level that the cruelty of society has created. Whether it’d be a snowflake, an ocean wave, or a fireworks display— they all look different, but all are more than the sum of its parts; they have a beauty that comes from within.

“I believe that we are our own beauty standard. We have to expand our viewpoint about beauty because it takes many various forms. We are beautiful in our own way. Do not let society put you under strain. Flaunt your beautiful skin. Remember that the most important thing is to be healthy and happy because that leads to inner beauty,” concluded Deamboy.

Nowadays, the online world has been constantly rallying against racial discrimination and colorism. Such industries are starting to answer. Will this be enough to put an end to the stigma? It will be a healing process, but it will not happen overnight.

To see colors, one needs to have light. It bounces off on someone’s eyes, and reflects. Albeit, for someone who has a color-impaired vision—there’s no such thing as white light strikes nor hues, just brightness and saturation.

Sometimes, being colorblind isn’t bad at all.

people & society

Coming Out from Closet(ed) Doors The Rise of Non-Binary Pronouns Pauline Marie C. Arada Geremy T. Gallenero Infographics Dylan Jacob K. Suarez By

Artwork

The wind howled and the tree branches scraped the window of a little boy’s room. Huddled under the covers, he wished for the storm to be over—a little hope to fall asleep. Eyes shut, as the thunder rumbled and the rain fell heavily on the roof.

A tall, hideous creature peeked through his closet door; eyes wide open—its hand crept out. The young one wanted to turn on the lights but he stayed still; the creature slowly grinned. Grasping the fabric of bedsheets, he buried his face in it. Its androgynous features scared him, but its iridescent crimson eyes made him want to believe otherwise.

And when he looked astonished, that’s when it came out of the closet.

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Artwork Joshua

Patrick C. Santilan

Androgynous Demeanor between Sex and Gender

History has it that gender construction starts with the assignment to a sex category; “Male” and “Female” terms automatically kicked in. As perhaps being decreed by many, the organization of society has to be assigned with a name; how a person dresses displays the category with which that person belongs to as to avoid gender confusions.

“Sex refers to the biological make-up of the individuals or their physical attributes while gender refers to the differences in the societal expectations of what is to be a male or to be a female. Sex is fixed, unless manipulated, while gender is not,” stated Dr. Edwin Samis, Academic Supervisor of Social Science Department with the Augustinian.

Gender is culturally defined. Sociologists are one in saying that culture is varied, therefore its definition differs from one society to another. It is also not innate; it is not genetically inherited, rather it is prescribed by societal norms.

“Sex refers to physical or physiological differences between males and females, including both primary sex characteristics (the reproductive system) while Gender Identity is a personal conception of oneself or how you see your true self. Gender is not just an individual experience, but also a social institution,” claimed Mr. Katchry Evan Galleto, USA Senior High School Faculty member with the Augustinian.

Normalizing pronouns and using correct pronouns leads to the acceptance and de-stigmatization of individuals who “deviate” from traditionally used pronouns or pronouns that do not align with their physical appearance or gender-based name. A person’s pronouns are directly correlated with their gender identity and when their preferred pronouns are respected, it immediately equates to validating their gender identity.

“For some, members of the LGBTQ+ are considered weird or unnatural, so it makes sense that the simple act of correctly referring to someone using their preferred pronouns is deemed a difficult task to accomplish,” said Rocel Angelah Songano, the reigning Miss USA, who believes it is hard to normalize asking pronouns because of the stigma that revolves around LGBTQ community.

Songano admitted that she was not exactly open with disclosing her chosen pronouns such as “she” and “they” because of the lack of normalcy around the spectrum of gender. The inclusion of preferred pronouns shows that it is not something to ignore, even if the gender matches the sex.

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Heteronormative History

“In the Philippines, I believe it’s because it’s deeply engraved into our culture, especially since the mass of our population is conservative and Christian. This, in turn, discourages anyone to partake in anything that relates to the LGBTQ+ community. I acknowledge that it’s going to take a long time for our society to accept and normalize the fact that not everyone resonates with the pronoun assigned to them,” explained Songano.

Diversity of gender is a product of both sex; identities are already innate and the influence of social factors greatly affect in self-discovery.

“This is where we’ll know that gender is fluid—that can also justify that fluidity is normal and fluidity exists which is why we only stick to a binary concept of gender, but since society is in a permanent state of flux, the liberal ideas, feminist movements, pride march and such events can contribute to accept the reality of gender fluidity and diversity,” explained Galleto.

Galleto claimed to have been living in a patriarchal society that has been enforced with male dominance and control over all facets has also become a huge issue; such as heterosexism which is still relevant up to this day.

The institutionalization of heterosexual norm or standard which establishes and perpetuates the notion of male-female sexuality and relationship has excluded the needs, concerns, identities, and life experiences of LGBTQ+ people.

“This heterosexism is very much damaging since women are supposed to be LGBTQ+ allies and who often experienced sexism—this too, has become a part of a larger denial of identity of the LGBTQ+ people,” pointed-out Galleto.

Some of the relevant issues also involve toxic masculinity. In its strongest term, the Journal of School of Psychology defines toxic masculinity as “the constellation of socially regressive [masculine] traits that serve to foster domination, the devaluation of women, homophobia, and wanton violence.”

“A person’s pronouns are directly correlated with their gender identity and when their preferred pronouns are respected, it immediately equates to validating their gender identity.”

As the popular saying goes, “boys will be boys.” Those who are ashamed to be labelled effeminate or “unmanly” should, therefore, manifest the characteristics of a “real man.”

“The hardcore advocates of toxic masculinity intensify the dividing line between a man and a woman. And in many cases, they would insist that the use of a “he” is more appropriate than a “she” when referring to the generic pronoun. The same is true with gender. Prominent biases in defining masculinity and femininity are always highlighted,” stated Dr. Samis.

Such issues like heterosexism and toxic masculinity should not be tolerated as this is destroying the whole aim of a humane society. Galleto even mentioned what Frederick Douglass, the escaped slave and abolitionist once opined, “No person can put a chain about the ankle of another without at last finding the other end fastened about his own neck.”

Hence, this sense of urgency has asserted that just a simple act of indirectly misgendering a person; to enforce for the binary gender norm whilst denying the gender diversity would not just disrespect or alienate the LGBTQ+ community, but it also corrupts the humanity of heterosexuals.

Let’s Get This Straight

Normalizing the use of a person’s preferred pronouns is a substantial way of minimizing harm for those who are transgender, genderqueer, and nonbinary. According to WomenforWomen.org, members of the LGBTQ+ community can be found among some of the most vulnerable people in our community as they can be subjected to gender-based violence, which is defined as “physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, and psychological abuse, threats, coercion, and economic or educational deprivation, whether occurring in public or private life.”

Therefore, respecting a person’s preferred pronouns is a way to reduce harm against the LGTBQ+ community.

“Consider me a vintage; a remnant of the past but I strongly believe that what we were born with except for intersex, should be nurtured and be

strengthened. It’s a gift of nature,” asserted Dr. Samis.

The way a person presents themselves physically does not always reveal their gender identity. One’s gender identity is the “personal sense of one’s own gender,” as perceived by Dr. Samis whether masculine, feminine, both or neither. With that, a person with a beard is not always a man and a person wearing a dress is not always a woman.

“It’s important because it uplifts respect—respect in terms of identity and respect in the sense of solidarity. Everyone has the right to be who they truly are and to love who they choose to love, and in a world full of hate, selfishness and greed, love is what we need now, more than ever,” inferred Songano.

Acts such as asking one’s pronouns or stating them in our social media bios can help create normalcy around the concept. It’s a substantial way of minimizing harm for those who are transgender, genderqueer and non-binary.

“It is a sign of respect for me, if we don’t start making simple steps like this, there will always be a person that will be misgendered and will be psychologically violated by denying their identity and existence whether intentional or not. Normalizing things like this is a stepping stone for an equal and colorful world,” shared Galleto.

From the stonewall and the birth of gay and lesbian liberation up to the modern era of pride march, LGBTQ+ people are no longer silent—they are bound with bravery and truism. The bravery that exposes them to risk, but also as a source of strength to themselves, their friends, and families.

“I want everyone to be brave enough, to fight for a fair world, to fight for their true identity, to fight against gender norms, discrimination, and bigotry. I want everyone to be respected regardless of anything,” concluded Galleto.

Now as the adrenaline pumps in the veins of the young one—what seemed to be hideous is just the bare truth of what it takes to embrace the warmth of acceptance and freedom. The young boy whose eyes brightened up with pride rather than agitated, didn’t turn the lights. Afterall what he just witnessed speaks volumes of solidarity.

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people & society

Tell tales of conquest, war, famine, and death – harbingers of the 21st century doom.

Hector O. Cofreros Kendra Felizimarie P. Magsico Infographics Joshua Patrick C. Santillan By

Artwork

Carol* endlessly glides her fingers back and forth across her social media feed. Interrupting her fun, an advertisement for an upcoming discount sale of a clothing brand pops in – occupying a small portion of her screen. At first, she didn’t pay attention to it but curiosity creeps on her. She clicked the ad and it opened a tab with details about it. For a bit, she scrolled through it though, worse-case happened. Numerous pop-up tabs appear and her phone’s security software starts to send crazy alerts.

For sure, at least once, we kind of had the same experience like Carol’s. Whether it was a simple ad or the one Carol had, our encounter with ads can escalate from simple annoyance to a frightening experience. However, what can be interesting is how we respond from the time we saw that ad.

The whole time it was a trick. We were manipulated. Our possible reactions were predicted. The advertisement, though how odd it seemed, was there on purpose – to target us. But, is that even possible?

FOOTPRINTS IN THE VIRTUAL COMMUNITY

Over the course of the COVID-19 Pandemic, almost everything and everyone practically shifted to the virtual space. Primary activities such as work, education, and commerce formally intruded the online realm. People spend more time on their devices than actual social interactions. Perhaps, in a study recently conducted by We Are Social and Hootsuite called Digital 2021, Filipinos topped among users worldwide in time spent in a day surfing the internet with 10 hours and 56 minutes on average. In contrast, it was higher compared to last year with an average of nine hours and 45 minutes.

People spending more time online mean creation of more digital footprints.

TechTerms defines digital footprint as data trails that users intentionally and unintentionally create while using the internet. These data ranges from ”cookies” that stores codes that identifies devices and activities of users when they visit sites to personal information users provided and consented to when signing up in a website.

For the least part, cookies were the ones responsible why ads follow users wherever they go in the internet. Cookies track their online activities.

They help users access sites by remembering their previous actions, however, they are also responsible in providing psychological reinforcements to affirm the user’s patterns of behavior online such as buying online and frequent visits to sites.

DATA HARVESTING INDUSTRY

The personal information shared by users online becomes a significant tool for various things. It uncovers a multibillion-dollar industry.

Every time users openly provide their personal information to websites when signing up, they make themselves more vulnerable to be targeted by specific ads based on the demographics they provided such as their age, race, sex, gender, and among others. In short, they become the target of advertisements made specifically for them. Thus, users need to review the terms and conditions

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of websites they access and sign up to and understand how their data be stored and used by these websites.

Moreover, most companies acknowledge the importance of data analytics in the growth and development of their businesses. According to ResearchandMarkets. com, by 2023 big data analytics industry will reach a global market worth of $40.6 billion.

The realization among enterprises of the importance of data analytics fuels growth for the technology to be in-demand in the market. The increasing growth of the industry in the global market shows no signs of slowing down in the near future.

AGREEING WITH THE ‘TERMS AND CONDITIONS’?

In a survey conducted by a multinational company, Deloitte, in the United States alone with 2,000 consumers as participants found that over 90 percent give consent to legal terms and services conditions without reading them. The statistics even peaked at 97 percent for younger people aging 18-34 that do not read before agreeing to the conditions. Similarly, a social experiment by Proprivacy.com found that only one percent have actually read the terms and conditions they have formulated for the experiment.

The rest of the participants have consented to ridiculous things that the researchers have purposefully inserted in the terms and conditions like the naming rights of their first-born child and browsing history access to their mothers.

The problem can be primarily traced to how the texts of terms and conditions are written. In 2019, a study published by two law professors in Boston College Law Review found that 99 percent of the 500 most popular U.S. websites had terms of service written as complex as academic journals, making them incomprehensible to most people. Whether the terms and conditions were purposefully designed to look unsuspicious yet deceiving, people should read what they are about to enter and agree with. Any malicious words and provisions inserted in the contractual terms and conditions can be used against those who agreed and accepted it.

DATA AS A (POLITICAL) TOOL

Let’s take a look closely at two big data companies and social media platforms – Facebook Inc. and Google Inc. These data companies were permitted by users to gather,

“The personal information shared by users online becomes a significant tool for various things. It uncovers a multibillion-dollar industry.” store, and exploit their data in exchange for use of their platform services. These data companies collect not only user demographics but also psychographic profiles of users which include their habits, hobbies, values, and also might include locations they frequently visit. These data are either sold to other advertising companies or used by Facebook and Google to run advertisements on their platforms. With the collected data, advertisements can easily run and reach specific target consumers.

However, in recent years, it was found out that similar schemes were employed by political campaigns in targeting voters. There had been debates and hearings on whether this sharing and selling of user data for political purposes were legal and ethical in the first place.

DATA BREACH SCANDAL

In 2018, Facebook was placed under public and legal scrutiny after a data breach scandal blew up with Cambridge Analytica, a British political consulting firm.

Initial estimates suggested that data from at least 50 million Facebook accounts were compromised but a later assessment increased the breach to up to 87 million accounts.

Facebook said that the leaked personal information of users was accessed and harvested

by Aleksandr Kogan, an outside researcher, who claimed that he has been collecting data sets for academic purposes. Kogan collected data through a personality quiz app that gains access to Facebook accounts of respondents which in turn they reward with.

The project was funded by Cambridge Analytica who brought the services of Kogan’s company.

What could have been found disturbing with the data leaks is that the breach of user information from the social media site has allowed the firm to exploit the private social media activity of almost a quarter of American voters and had helped develop techniques that were later used in President Donald Trump’s campaign in 2016.

DATA ANALYTICS IN PHILIPPINE POLITICS

Meanwhile, in the Philippines during an interview of Rappler in July 2020, Brittany Kaiser, a former Cambridge Analytica employee turned whistleblower said that Bongbong Marcos, son of the former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, requested for a ‘family rebranding’. However, Marcos’s camp denied that he had reached out to the data analytics firm. Moreover, Kaiser added that Alexander Nix, CEO of Cambridge Analytica visited the Philippines shortly before the 2016 National Elections to meet several candidates and to solidify a partnership with the top local consultancy firm in the country to make sure on the ground partners for a successful campaign to run.

Jamaica Molaga, a faculty member of the Political Science Department of the University of San Agustin sees these political activities as very alarming. She said,

“This kind of access and data collection without consent is not just a violation of one’s privacy but more like a threat to Philippine democracy, if we look at its political side.

The exploitation of private social media activities of their respondents and/or users can also be considered as an act of manipulation in order to pursue their own political agenda.”

Netizens’ Pulse

Voters and internet users were asked how they feel about the exploitation of their personal data for commercial and political purposes. For Renz Inquit , a third year Political Science student, data privacy is important. He said, “Political consultancy companies are collecting, analyzing and using data in order to powerfully influence populations who are generally unaware of how their data is being processed. As a voter, this puts me at a risk because politicians that possess my data will use them however, they want to influence my political opinions.” For Zwitterion*, this scheme is invasive and unethical. “Using my personal data in targeting me and influencing my political opinion and views for future elections, for me as someone who values my privacy and personal data is very invasive and violating even just for politics. In addition, this strategy is also unethical even for those who are planning to run for higher government office, showing politicians will just do anything just for the sake of winning. Acts like this should not be tolerated even for politicians especially those who have the means,” he remarked.

‘THE FUTURE IS OPEN’

As of the writing of this article, Cambridge Analytica has already ceased operation. Whether it was true or not that local politicians patronized data analytics technology for political purposes, there can be a possibility that it can happen in the future Philippine election. For sure, there exists or to be put up data analytics company, the same as Cambridge Analytica, that can offer maybe a more advanced technology and a more advanced data profiling of voters.

The data breach scandal, between Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, and a portion of Americans whose data were compromised, is barely a scratch on the surface of how data analytics technologies are being used and tested to manipulate the behavior of a general population or of a specific group of people. The possibility that technologies and social media could be weaponized in altering democratic processes poses a big threat on the future of democracies around the world.

The future of the data analytics industry and the privacy and security of internet users are still in haze. Personal data are already weapons against who owns them. The fact that advertisements and campaigns on the internet are generated through data-driven schemes, anyone can be easily targeted by marketing and political propaganda. No one knows exactly if data analytics technology has still something to evolve into in the future or that strong regulations will be put in place to provide ethical and legal boundaries in data harvesting schemes and in the access and use of one’s personal information for commercial and political purposes.

VOL. 87 // NO.1 // DECEMBER 1, 2021

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people & society

Love en Match: Your Fate with Algorithms It’s 2021, let Math decide your fate.

Xena Hyacinth E. Estinoso T. Agreda Infographics Geremy T. Gallenero By

Photograph Rotsen

On the eve of my 22nd birthday, while I was having a little party of my own in my bedroom, a two-year old jazz music playlist played in the background as I sipped on some cheap wine that I bought at the local grocery store earlier that day.

I took a leftover slice of my birthday cake, lit the candle, closed my eyes and made a wish once more. Love is not too much for a birthday wish, is it?

ALGORITHMS OVER FATE

Chinese legend tells the story that there is an invisible red string attached to two people’s ankles who are destined to be soulmates and it will be magical when they find each other. The Greeks speak of the humans with four legs and arms and two faces. The god Zeus feared their power so he split them in half and condemned them to spend their lives in search of each other.

Just as the internet has made everything convenient and easy in its time, so is in finding love. Looking for the other end of your invisible red string of fate or your other half is possibly only one swipe away on the internet through the fancy word we know as “algorithm”.

But you’ll be surprised to know that online dating has surfaced as early as the late 1950s and was first commercialized in 1965. Dubbed as “Operation Match”, this online matchmaking service was the brainchild of Harvard students Jeff Tar and Vaughan Morrill. From its humble beginning, Tarr and Morrill used questionnaires and IBM 401 to match students based on their similarities. Later, Operation Match was used by millions of daters who willingly paid $3 to find their match.

Over half a decade later, technology and the internet evolved making online matchmaking and dating more accessible, accurate and convenient. In the 2021 article “How Dating App Algorithms Work to Find The One For You” algorithms are explained as computer calculations which work whether the users of the app are

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compatible with one another. A computer understands human attraction through the data it collects. Similarly, in an article by the American Mathematical Society, cofounder of OkCupid Christian Rudder, explained that algorithms are used to link two people and examine their compatibility based on a series of questions. The more questions with similar answers two people have, the higher their compatibility.

The 2012 study “Online Dating: A Critical Analysis from the Perspective of Psychological Science” elaborated how online dating has fundamentally changed the dating landscape through the services it offers. Rather than conventionally meeting someone in person to get a snapshot of a person and to know them beyond their name, with online dating one learns facts about a potential partner before deciding to meet them in person.

Currently, one has several options at which dating apps to use. The most popular dating apps to date are Bumble, Tinder and OkCupid. One may opt to choose other applications such as Her, Hinge, Match, and Happn. Each of these have specific features to help you find potential matches.

SWIPE THE TABOO AWAY

In a fast-paced and modern society, breaking the taboo and slowly sneaking in as a norm. More and more mobile users are discovering the infinite possibilities that dating sites and apps can do to their romantic life.

A 2019 survey by Stanford University revealed that 39% of heterosexual couples have met online. Another study by Pew Research Center showed that 1 out of 5 people have found their romantic partners online and it is estimated that by 2040 about 70% of people will have met their partner through online dating.

“Online dating opens opportunities to those people who haven’t been very lucky with “traditional” dating. Personally, I didn’t have the energy or courage

“Looking for the other end of your invisible red string of fate or your other half is possibly only one swipe away on the internet through the fancy word we know as ‘algorithm’.” to look for potential partners before. I was always afraid and insecure. However, with online dating, it somehow lessened my worries because of the safe interaction as long as you are aware of your limits. I am more relaxed and I can express myself better,” Razel* recalled her memorable first online dating experience with The Augustinian.

Despite the popularity and services that online dating brings, surely it can’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Geremy*, a bisexual male who has been online dating platforms since the onset of the pandemic shared his online dating experience with The Augustinian.

“I still have not experienced meeting a person that clicks with my standards nor a person that I vibe with. I think I just had a “bad timing’’ meeting people on this kind of platform or I just don’t have the perfect match yet. And I think I am more compatible with handling a person-to-person slow burn romance,” he recounted his experience and admitted that these failed matches led him to frustratingly install-uninstall these dating apps.

ON THE LINE

On the other side of the coin, online dating has also been armed with pitfalls. A 2019 article by Psychology Professor Kelly Campbell emphasized the downsides of dating. According to Campbell, online dating sets up a disposable view of relationships because of the abundant prospective partners one can find on the platform. It is easier to move from one partner to another when

one shows too many flaws.

“The downside on the other hand, is not knowing whether you and your “match” will still vibe when you meet each other personally. There are a lot of factors that can affect and need to be considered. In my experience, I haven’t been very lucky because I became too afraid to take a risk. I just woke up one day and just a snap, the connection between us isn’t there anymore,” Razel further shared with The Augustinian.

The same article also highlighted the heightened risk of deception on these platforms. The likelihood of or misrepresentation is higher because a person can easily lie about their marital status, sexual orientation or physical make up online.

“With online dating, I realized that many people are ‘scams’,” Josephus*, who had been in the online dating scene since 2017, laughed as he recalled his experience. “But then, in this online dating platform you also find new friends and connections that are not really that bad,” he continued.

The cliche “The heart can be deceitful” is true. There can be malice disguised as what we know as love, and there is suffering, pain and doubt we are told to believe is love. Whether the risks are greater online or a little less offline, one thing is certain-finding companionship, being loved and loving is beautiful and we owe it to ourselves before we owe it to anybody else.

Love is not too much for a birthday wish, is it? I blew out my birthday candle, and just as I was opening my eyes my phone pinged and notified me, “You have a new match!” I was half-through my glass of wine, the jazz music continued to play and something beautiful just began.

Leading dating apps in the Philippines

tinder

tantan

grindr

okcupid

bumble

64%

21%

20%

19%

18%

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people & society

Heralds of 21st Century Fall Tell tales of conquest, war, famine, and death – harbingers of the 21st century doom.

Artwork Kendra

By Jeff G. Tolentino Felizimarie F. Magsipoc and Joshua Patrick C. Santilan

“I heard one of the four living creatures call out, as with a voice of thunder, ‘Come!’ I looked, and there was a white horse! Its rider had a bow; a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering and to conquer. “ With tears rolling down her face, hands on firm grip on the steel bars and the scores of people behind her she uttered, barely audible but clearly understood, out of the many deafening pleas, a phrase of words sent the clearest message.

“Help! Taliban coming.”

Conquest

Unsettled, the dust in the air echoed the chaos of the distant air traffic from the last leaving plane. Past the perils of the barbed wire, a father pleads for a hand to reach her daughter. Overhearing past the concrete fence, a volley of gunshots made her grasp her father’s hand even more. Her fingers, wrestling their grip off her father and finally the US military troops. Beyond the line of concrete, he can only hope of an unfamiliar hand to care for her daughter who in that time badly needs medical attention.

“The mothers were desperate; they were getting beaten by the Taliban.

They shouted, ‘save my baby’ and threw the babies at us. Some of the babies fell on the barbed wire. It was awful what happened,” shared a parachute regiment officer stationed at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport in an interview with the Independent.

In a video uploaded on Twitter by Omar Haidari which gained millions of views a few hours after it was published, amassed public concern worldwide. In his tweet Haidiri captioned “The chaos & fear of people is a testament to the international community’s role in AFG’s [Afghanistan] downfall & their subsequent abandonment of Afghan people. The future for AFG has decided for its people without its people’s vote & now they live at the mercy of a terrorist group,” Haidiri wrote.

As the two-decade western influence recedes power off the borders of Afghanistan, a long been opposing force seized control in no time. With its people opposing the current regime, many have fled to the neighboring countries in hopes of a better life. Unknowing of what is ahead, some, desperate for a way out, clung to the sides of C-17 planes. Leaving behind their hopes of coming back home, a foreign land offers a haven. With the new rise of power off south, a thousand more seek

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refuge away from their homeland and the masters it serves.

In an exclusive interview with Doha News, Suhail Shaheen, a spokesperson of the Taliban regime shared to the world a government for the people of Afghanistan.

“This government is the government of the people of Afghanistan. It is not a government imposed on our people as a result of occupation or an invasion.

It is for all countries to respect the aspirations and demands of the people of Afghanistan.”

War

“I heard the second living creature call out, ‘Come!’ And out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another; and he was given a great sword.”

Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., the 46th president of the United states of America, after twenty long years of western power and influence in the south has decided to end what he called as ‘the forever war.’ Set to fully withdraw its military force on the 31st of August 2021, allies of the western power deems receding their forces the best way in ending the US’ longest war as well as concluding decades of effort in remaking a foreign country with a military force.

“I was not going to extend this forever war and I was not extending a forever exit.” Biden stated his remarks on August 31, ending war with Afghanistan.

“This decision about Afghanistan is not just about Afghanistan. It’s about ending an era of major military operations to remake other countries,” he added.

Turning over the mindset of building a democratic rule in countries that never accepted them, the western power sees firm commitment on addressing global threats rather than continuing a war of which targets have been decimated a decade ago – Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda.

“This is a new world and the terror threat has metastasized across the world and well beyond Afghanistan,” Biden justified.

With the western forces’ deadline coming to its final hour, the Taliban regime officially starts in Afghanistan etching an epoch in their history where masters can now serve their own lands.

“We are proud of these moments, that we liberated our country from a

“Conquest,war, famine, and death, the harbingers of the 21st century fall do not march alone. Humanity over the years has allowed them to trample civilizations.”

invariability. The lack of political and economic capacity of a nation is the center of why populations are vulnerable to starvation. Often, those of an authoritarian regime, unstable state of democracy, or an ongoing war.

Whether brought about by climate change or a human induced famine, the silk road of foreign trade for resource and food is in an eminent threat of being severed. The rise of power that rivals those of the western superpowers will bring about its demise. And in an onslaught of a global conflict, these rich nations have more to lose than that of the people who have got nothing more than what’s little left in their belly.

great power,” Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman shared.

A sworn nemesis in the North, a lurking threat due east, and fragile treaty down south. The western superpower is in a tight spot. Whether the recall of force in Afghanistan is an end to a forever war, or a preparation to a one yet to come, one can only hope that ordinary men need not fight another rich man’s war.

Death

I heard the voice of the fourth living creature call out, ‘Come!’ I looked and there was a pale green horse! Its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed with him; they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and pestilence, and by the wild animals of the earth.”

“I see four horsemen in our midst, four looming threats that endangers 21st century progress and imperial 21st century possibilities. The first horseman comes in the form of the highest geo strategic tension we have witnessed in years. Second, we face an existential climate crisis. The third horseman is deepened growing global distrust. The fourth threat is the dark side of the digital world. New technologies are being abused to commit crimes, incite hate, fake information, oppress and exploit people and invade privacy,” shared António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations

As of April 2021, the Afghanistan war tallied 241, 000 people killed, civilian and military men alike. The shortage of food has brought about famine through the poorest countries of the world and has now been estimated to have caused the death of 3.1 million children. With a pandemic at hand, the Coronavirus disease 2019 has now reaped the lives of 4.52 million people around the world.

Conquest, war, famine, and death, the harbingers of the 21st century fall do not march alone. Humanity over the years has allowed them to trample civilizations. The endless wars for expanding territories and the heist of power has led to the extinction of once great empires. Should mankind continue to pave the path for the riders of doom, the fall of the great civilizations of the 21st century is likely to repeat like its predecessors of the past.

This is how humanity corrupts itself and corruption in its purest form is a subtle and deadly art.

Famine

“I heard the third living creature call out, ‘Come!’ I looked, and there was a black horse! Its rider held a pair of scales in his hand, and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a day’s pay, and three quarts of barley for a day’s pay, but do not damage the olive oil and the wine!”

Throughout centuries of mankind’s spoils in its great wars, the land has been terraformed to reflect humanity’s greed for resource and power.

Come the 21st century, an era of phenomenal modernization, humanity has less than a decade to its deadline in combating climate change and its impacts. Changing weather patterns, extreme weather events, and rising sea level among its many effects have risen dramatically in the last decade than it has in the last century.

“It is no exaggeration to say that what we do regarding emissions reductions between now and 2030 will determine the quality of human life on this planet for hundreds of years to come, if not more,” an excerpt from the book of Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac entitled The Future We Choose: The Stubborn Optimist’s Guide to the Climate Crisis.

With the world’s reserve of natural resources depleted, economic stability arises. Famine sweeps through third world countries and while differing in cause, a central link binds one crisis to another – political

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UNTAMED FEMMES

It’s a man’s world.

A term that was ridiculed a decade ago has now become a rallying cry for feminism.

This is how society sees it. Regardless of contrasts in degrees of domination, the standards continue as before, that is men are in control.

These observations reveal the obvious patterns society refers to as male predominance since mankind’s foundations. It is the norm, and breaking it is frowned upon.

In the different cultures of the world, patriarchy literally means the rule of the father or patriarch. Thus, it can be used to describe a certain type of “male-dominated family” in which the great house of the patriarch, women, young men, children, slaves, and domestic servants are all under the rule of that dominant man. Centuries ago, this was precisely identified, an attribute that continues to this day.

Glaiza Rae D. Amable Photograph Rotsen C. Agreda

THE PATRIARCHAL IDEA

The concept of patriarchy is defined by thinkers in different ways.

In 1971, feminist psychologist Juliet Mitchell uses the word patriarchy to refer

By

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“Going against the millennium-old pattern of male supremacy in society is difficult, but not impossible. As more women gain authority and empowerment, fewer are strangled and hidden from the gaze of a homogenized society.” the to kinship systems in which men exchange women, while Sylvia Walby’s journal entitled “Women and Nation” showed the concept of patriarchy as a system of social structures and practices in which men dominate, oppress and exploit women.

Aristotle referred to males as active and females as passive. In his works, a woman’s inherent inferiority renders her inferior in her capabilities, her capacity to understand, and hence her ability to make judgments. Because man is superior to woman, he is born to dominate, and she is born to be ruled.

However, these notions of male superiority have been debunked, and it has been demonstrated that there are biological differences between men and women, but these differences do not have to serve as the foundation of a sexual hierarchy in which males are dominating.

Meanwhile, Maria Mies in her paper, The Social Origins of the Sexual Division of Labour, put forward that maleness and femaleness are not biological givens, but rather the outcome of a protracted evolutionary process. They are defined differently in each historical period, with the definition dependent on the dominant method of production in those epochs. This means that biological distinctions between men and women are perceived and valued differently depending on the prevailing mode of appropriation of natural matter for the fulfilment of human wants.

IN BETWEEN ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

In an article published by Charlotte Higgins, part of the idea of “patriarchy” is that this oppression of women is complex. It works across inequalities at the law and state level, but also through the home and workplace.

It reproduces itself endlessly through the cultural norms and structures, which in turn are patriarchal in nature; and therefore, it seems natural or inevitable, or is obscured in a liberal context by partial advances in gender equality.

In the Philippines, the situation for women is described as fraught with marital abuse, economic difficulties, employment discrimination, exploitation as migrant workers and prostituted women, and relocation because of intermittent warfare in conflict-affected areas.

In fact, recent data from the Philippine National Police (PNP) showed that an average of eight people a day have fallen victim to sexual assault. However, women’s rights advocates lament that official rape case statistics are not true representation of the actual rape incidence since not all of which even go on to be tried in court.

The concept of patriarchy helps to reveal that such a trial is merely the pinnacle of a structure supported on myriad props. These props might include all kinds of things without obvious connection: a legal system historically designed by men; the lingering misrecognition of rape as simply an excess of male desire; a police force carrying a legacy of sexism; the cultural and religious shaming of sexually active women; the objectification of women’s bodies; pornography; the fact that women in general are discouraged from speaking out (and if they do, they may expect baleful consequences), as Mary Beard has shown in her book, Women and Power.

WOMEN AFTER ALL

However, as early as the Spanish times, historical literature revealed Filipino women had been on equal footing with men as a matter-of-course and were in the forefront of many struggles. Take for example, Gabriela Silang who took over the leadership and gave the Spanish military several bloody defeats and endless embarrassment. Her resistance in the cause of freedom, though eventually quelled by stronger forces of the colonialists, enshrined her in the hearts of the Filipino people. Further, towards the twilight of Spanish rule, one woman by the name Gregoria de la Cruz carried the momentum of the revolutionary movement after her husband, Andres Bonifacio, was treacherously killed by a rival. And so, the ascent of Corazon Aquino to the presidency, after the assassination of her

husband, has its models in the historical past. It really did not come as a total surprise.

In recent times, Filipino women may be considered among the most progressed in terms of academic, professional, political, and legal advancement when compared to women in other countries. As a matter of fact, women organizations proliferated as offshoots of national, social, and political movements. These are those which have chosen to address issues that specifically relate to women’s concern, such as the inequalities in our present laws, causing discrimination against women, such as the inequalities, labor imbalance, abortion, and the like. Today, GABRIELA (General Assembly Binding Women for Reforms, Integrity, Equality, Leadership and Action), a women’s coalition of about a hundred or more organizations, serves not only as a clearing house but a dynamic pulse on addressing social issues concerning women.

“We aspire to a sovereign society free of foreign dominance and intervention, with a self-sufficient economy geared toward people’s needs and giving equal value to the role of women in production; where land belongs to the tillers and recognizes women’s equal right to own land; and a democratic government where people’s rights – including women’s rights – are upheld, respected, and guaranteed an equal opportunity,” shared GABRIELA’s Founder Liza Maza.

Going against the millennium-old pattern of male supremacy in society is difficult, but not impossible. As more women gain authority and empowerment, fewer are strangled and hidden from the gaze of a homogenized society. When one learns to comprehend and see beyond the norms, a little portion of the fortress is shattered. After all, they are women, not just women.

WHORE SLUT CHEEKY TEASE BORE OLD-FASHIONED PRUDE

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feature

THE RAILS BEFORE US A homage to the prosperity brought about by iron horses By

Shergen Q. Villanueva

Before the short cusp at the eventide and amidst the incurable insomnia of the lustrous city, you cycled your way through the majestic sights of the long Muelle Loney Bridge, with the nippy breeze from the river satisfyingly fluttering your hair. As you wait for the change of colors to pass by the large intersection that overlooks the Iloilo Provincial Capitol, you thought of how much the city has changed for years amusingly and how distant we seemed from the past we used to live in.

When the lights turned green, you continued with your mini-journey. After crossing the second intersection, you noticed the newly-painted mural on one of the exterior walls of a shipping incorporation near Arsenal Street. You slowly pulled up at the pavements and stared at it for a while. You observed the smiling faces of the children that dominantly occupied the art along with the sugar canes at their backs. Your eyes travel through its details, and later on, you cross the streets to get a full view. You then realize that this is what they call the “smile train,” a tribute to the railway company that whistled through the towns of Iloilo.

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In bygone days, those were trains that subtlety shakes the ground and horns the stations it stops through, the ones that were almost in constant motion to allude a sense of comfort to the residents and the freights, and the far yesterday that can only be seen as alleyway cracks − these are the rails that came before us.

City to City Once, metal horses made the meets end. From the top of the island, all the way down to the mainland, the train interconnected cities through the tumultuous rains and the throes of the heat with its smoke curls that die away whenever it passes each station post.

More than a century ago, in 1907, being the first line outside of Luzon, the construction of the Panay Railways commenced. In 1912, five years after its completion, the inauguration was conducted, and after which the operations for the freights and the passengers also began.

The track is initially 117 kilometers long with 19 permanent stations, 10 flag stops, and 46 bridges. The train traversed from the main station and headquarter in Lapaz to Jaro, Pavia, Sta. Barbara, New Lucena, Dingle, Dueñas, then Passi, the end of Iloilo province. It extended to Dumarao, Capiz, which they call the “summit”, Dao, Panit-an, Cuartero and Loctugan in Capiz, and the last point is in Roxas City.

During the 1980s, the lines added 12 more kilometers, passing from Due ñas going to Calinog. The reason for this is to serve the Sugar Refinery of Iloilo with transportation. However, after more than 70 years, the railway ceased operations for passengers in 1985 and freights in 1989.

Since then, the talks for the revival of the railways have been on and about for years. Three main proposals surfaced during these discussions. The first plan was to continue the management back to its original roots. Consequently, the construction of a line near the Iloilo International Airport has also been suggested. The last one, in 2005, was to build the second phase of the tracks in Caticlan, Aklan, which would require the demolition of 44 bridges because of the other exceptions in regards to the historical value of these places. However, the government turned down these referrals because of the high demand in their estimated expenses.

What was then the principal mode of gliding through various towns with different purposes in mind was suspended and left unscratched in our history.

SOURCE PHOTO: https://www.flickr.com/photos/intervene/albums/72157617276771471

In a Wink of an Eye Charging along the meadows and the sights of painted stations, the railway is the carriage of ease for the passengers and the businessmen as they travel to other towns. Just like how the children’s poem goes, “Faster than fairies, faster than witches,” the trains catered to the needs of the people while slipping from site to site in a wink of an eye.

The Panay Railways was one of the primary means of transportation in the 1900s. Its superiority stemmed from the low cost and easy access of the tickets. This reason refined the standard of living of the farmers because of the favorable system of traversing. Moreover, the cheap rates made the demands of the products and the commodities to be affordable.

Even with the low price, still, the farmers could utilize and maximize the money for an extensive or various range of items.

“I experienced riding the train with my mother whenever we go to New Lucena. The tickets were really cheap and the train was fast so there was no main problem when we go from town to town. It was airconditioned and the seats were comfortable enough for us. It would be declared full if all the seats were occupied so no passengers were allowed to stand up, which was actually advantageous for us because it would not be crowded,” shared Socorro Jaro, one of the Panay Railways passengers.

Furthermore, through the trains, the vendors could even vary the choices of goods and services. These ideals benefited the populace of Iloilo in a nutritional diet because of a great deal of options on what to consume. The improved health of the residents helped the leaders as it reduced their time to formulate action plans for the welfare of the people.

In the view of services, the railway line opened employment opportunities because the public could mobilize and apply for jobs in other places. When it comes to punctuality, the train was on the side of the employees because of its incredible speeds. Additionally, a bunch of businesses, mainly the eateries, were established at the stations as well.

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They were able to appease the demands of the people who are waiting for the following rides.

The previous prosperity of our cities was deemed possible by the advent of the trailers that advanced surely and briskly through the residential areas of Iloilo.

Through Modern Grounds As we leap to another generation under the 21st century, the enhancement of vehicles paralleled our age growth. Besides Manila, other regions in the Philippines, like Iloilo, started adapting and depending on the tricycles and the Public Utility Vehicles (PUV), commonly known as jeep or jeepney.

“In today’s time with the COVID situation, maybe it would not be necessary to relive the trains anymore. However, at some point, it will benefit the people because of the cheap ticket. Also, there would be less accidents because it has a specific route by its rails,” added Jaro in an interview with The Augustinian Mirror.

A possibility to decongest the traffic situation in Iloilo City will emerge if the operation persisted until now. That will lead people to be less anxious about commuting to work and school with the reduced hassle. Besides, the affordable cost of the train would be of assistance to the farmers to market their harvest to the city where there are more customers because there is a transportation that will carry them to places with specific stops at the stations.

On the contrary, the maintenance of the trains is expensive, especially with the modernization of mechanical technology. The models would need renovations to match the grounds we are on. Left behind in a vintage memory of the past, the Panay Railways requires a myriad of modifications to

complement the era we are in right now.

Knowing Us After carefully examining the art, you left and cycled back to your house.

You slowly grasped that you are one of the people who did not have sufficient knowledge about the railways at all. But subsequently, in the sight of the “smile train”, you discerned the value of recognizing the past in order to live up to the conflicts in the present and cast a realistic vision of the future.

“There was a saying that goes like this: ‘Knowing the past we may be able to understand the present, knowing the present, we may be able to project the future’. We need to treasure the glorious past of the Panay Railways [because] that is the grandeur of the Iloilo at that time. We cannot deny that the students nowadays are more inclined in technology rather than knowing the past [so] it is pleasure in the part of the [history] teacher to inculcate on what was really happening during the [past] periods to the students. It’s time for us to know about our local past,” stated Evelyn Grey, a historian and full-pledged professor from West Visayas State University.

The more we dwell on our ways towards the future, the more we become distant from the past, from the 100-year-old stories that define our positions right now. This part of our history will remain untouched if we let it be. We need to instill the importance of this portion of our being, the tread that accompanied the sweats of our ancestors, the success known for more than eight decades – we seek wisdom through these anecdotes and by the knowledge of the rails that came before us, we then comprehend ourselves, the very reason of why we are here, and the once unfathomable ways of living in the present.

We know us by knowing what came before us.

The Panay Railway connected the towns of La Paz, Jaro, Pavia, Santa Barbara, New Lucena, Pototan, Dingle, Duenas, and Passi in Iloilo and Dumarao, Dao, Panitan, Cuartero, and Loctugan in Capiz. The original route was 117 kilometers (73 miles) long and contained 19 ten flag stations and 46 bridges in total.

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SOURCE PHOTO: http://vicilongo.weebly.com/iloilo-history-part-11.html

campus

Quarantine Startups Augustinians take-off during the pandemic Emy Rose G. Gallego Nayeli B. Montero Infographics Renz Joshua R. Arbis By

Artwork Dianne

In the early stages of the pandemic, she found herself scrolling through YouTube watching her favorite culinary show when she stumbled upon a 10-minute recipe that caught her eye. As someone whose hobby is baking, she knew she had to try it out for herself, buying her new set of tools off the internet.

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“Start now. Plan for a long-term business.

Just focus on the right people. And always remember that there are people who will not believe in you. You must always accept that truth.”

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CHANGING COURSE

What impact does COVID-19 have on college students?

For many, the pandemic has left them feeling that they have lost their purpose. After being sent home, the crisis has deprived students of access to academic resources, extracurricular activities, and social events that were formerly a significant part of their lives. While many students have spent their spare time lying in bed all day surfing through Netflix, others have begun to explore ways to utilize their skills to earn money.

In that spirit, Augustinians Jeanivieve Pimentel and Julien* share their journeys and tips for students who, just like them, want to make the most of their free time at home.

The 21-year-old Political Science major Jeanivieve, started a clothing business, selling all sorts of apparel for women. “I tried online selling because I’d like to see my money grow and also because of extra time,” she said. “Nothing would happen anyway if I would just keep my money. I should begin investing at a young age, thus, I started PG’s Trend Collections. I can’t miss the opportunity.”

With no prior experience in e-commerce, Jeanivieve found launching an online shop to be no easy feat.

During its first month, she would spend long and exhausting nights searching for credible suppliers, identifying target markets, and developing effective marketing strategies for her business.

“At first, the majority of my items are for adults, and they are available for pre-order. However, I soon realized that I am not good at marketing such items. To avoid being scammed, it took me a month of sleepless nights searching for suppliers (the most difficult part),” she expressed.

“As time passed and I moved through the business world, I was able to find my way. I decided to concentrate on women’s fashion trends. It is now easier for me to market my product, as compared to before when I was still confused with my target market.”

For Jeanivieve, PG’s Trend Collections is more than just a marketplace; it is a family thing. In fact, PG is named

after her cousin Paul Gabriel who shared capital with her to start the business. As described by Jeanivieve, Paul is their family’s “sunshine.”

“I named it after him because he is the sunshine of the family.

It might be simple in origin, but it means so much to me. I also added trend collections because I will make sure that everything I sell is new to the market.”

BUSINESS 101

Apart from handling finances, Jeanivieve equipped herself with the fundamentals behind running a business, including marketing and time management.

From a marketing perspective, social media has become her lifeline to customers. Her store’s Facebook page proved to be an excellent platform for engaging with existing and prospective customers. After creating her account, she had to test several photo styles and publish different wardrobe pieces to determine which of the contents generated the best responses.

”I almost do the posting every day,” she said. When I wasn’t posting my products, I would upload business quotations or videos so that my page would still have engagement.”

She added, “Actually I’m not a kind of seller who posts bogus/Joyjoy buyers. I’m not allowing myself to engage on those rules, because I believe that if she has no plans to take it, someone else will still purchase it. I don’t think that I will really give her the time and effort.

Dinededma ko ang ganyang eksena. Once she cannot keep her records clean then definitely no next transactions for her.”

ON THE RISE

With the spike of online retailers like Jeanivieve, it has also become challenging to gain customers. However, for Jeanivieve, “cosellers are not threat.” “You should see them as your friend or sisters.

Help each other grow because why will you pull each other down when you share the same purpose. Ang cheap cheap naman if crab mentality pa yung paiiralin nyo lalo na’t nasa pandemya tayo.”

Citing data from the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Business Name Registration System (BNRS), Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez during the Sulong Pilipinas 2021: Partners for Progress, A Pre-State of the Nation Address (SONA) Economic Development and Infrastructure Clusters Forum, reported that there were 86,726 business names registered for online businesses from April to December of 2020.

This was higher than the 1,848 business names registered for online businesses in March 2020 before the pandemic.

In an interview with The Augustinian, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Negosyo Center Business Counselor Jessa Marie Tibajares stated that entrepreneurs during the pandemic prefer online business because it is convenient and safe. “As face-to-face transaction becomes limited, many entrepreneurs engage in online business in order to continue their operations without compromising their safety.

Customers also adapted online buying of products as the new norm because it is more convenient and safe instead of buying in physical stores,” she explained.

FOLLOW YOUR PASSION “I’ve been cooking since I was young, it’s always been a hobby of mine,” Julien*, 21, said. “After being sent home to the province, I would frequently hunt for my favorite treats, but I couldn’t find any. Since I had a lot of free time, I thought, why not start making them?”

From the three-ingredient snack she makes to satisfy her “quarantine cravings”, she started creating a variety of cakes and pastries which she brings to family gatherings with no intentions of even running a business. However, as her friends and relatives continue to encourage her to venture into entrepreneurship, she began sharing her creations on social media. Receiving positive feedback from a virtual audience, Julien* then got the idea to turn her interest into a business. In April, Better Butter was founded.

Better Butter offers a variety of cookies including classics like chocolate chip and chocolate crinkles as well as brownies, bread, and cakes.

“At first, I have no plan of selling it,” Julien* said. “But then I realized that I had these equipment and recipes, and I have the chance to buy what I want without asking money from my parents, so why not?”

Julien* even admits that she doesn’t think she would have built this business if everything was normal in school. “I really don’t think I would have done this if quarantine never happened. I’m juggling my time between academics and as a member of an organization in the University.”

“Starting a food business wasn’t easy,” she said. It was a long process of research, experimenting with recipes, and creating unique packaging and digital content.

“The most difficult part is making a menu. This business also challenged my photography skills because I have to take photos of my products which will be posted in my social media pages. I must make sure that it appears nice and appealing.”

Navigating business ownership alongside a rigorous school schedule, Julien* has put her business on pause. However, she claimed that she learned a lot from running her business. “My business reminds me that I should never be afraid to try new things. Before, I was so hesitant to enter business because I am afraid of the losses. However, nothing worth having comes easy. If you exert effort, then you’ll be rewarded.”

REBOOT

With the internet and social media, there are a plethora of ways to learn new skills. Julien* and Jeanivieve advise aspiring entrepreneurs.

“You need to know how much your ingredients cost so you can make profits while also investing in new equipment,” Julien said.”

Your business might be small at first, but everyone starts somewhere.”

“Start now. Plan for a long-term business. Just focus on the right people. And always remember that there are people who will not believe in you. You must always accept that truth. Because the moment you accept that, you learn to prioritize and give importance to those who really matters…Focus on your goal. The important thing is that you don’t step on anyone,” Jeanivieve shared.

The DTI also offers programs that aim to assist existing and aspiring entrepreneurs operate effectively in the e-commerce space.

“In assisting new entrepreneurs, the DTI’s first role is to assist them in business name registration. It is also a pre-requisite in applying for Business permit in LGU. New entrepreneurs can also benefit the free seminars and trainings conducted by DTI through its Negosyo Centers,” elaborated Tibajares.

“How much might I earn if I sold this? Where would I find the ingredients?” she thought to herself. A few days after, she found a supplier and would soon start her food business.

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0 6 3 A

0

h g u o r h t k l a W Artw

herrera hall

The Herrera Hall, also known as the Admin Building, houses the majority of the University’s administrative offices, including the President’s Office, Accounting, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Budget and Finance, Administrative and General Services Office, Human Resources Department, as well as the friar’s residence. It is named after Fr. Diego de Herrera, O.S.A., one of the first Augustinian missionaries to arrive in the Philippines.

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allenero

my T. G ork Gere

Mentrida Hall Dubbed as the most important building in the campus, Mentrida Hall was named after Fr. Alonzo de Mentrida O.S.A., a linguist who wrote the first grammar and dictionary of the native language of Panay. The building houses the chapel, the main library and the Office of the Theology Department. Mentrida Hall is symbolic as it signifies the convergence of religion and linguistics.

aguirre Hall

The Aguirre Hall is located next to Gamboa Hall and houses the College of Business Administration and Accountancy (formerly College of Commerce). The structure was named after Andres de Aguirre, one of the country’s original five Augustinian friars.

dolce garcia Hall

Dolce Garcia Hall was named after Fr. Dolce A. Garcia, OSA, who opened the College of Education and facilitated the admission of female students for the first time in 1940. Located at the heart of the university, the edifice is the only building in the university constructed with bricks. The building, built in 1946, is in a u-shaped angle designed to withstand earthquakes.

urdaneta Hall

Erected in 1939, a year before the outbreak of the Second World War, this building is dedicated to Fr. Andres de Urdaneta, famous Augustinian cosmographer and navigator. Urdaneta Hall now houses the auditorium located on the second floor.

It also is the current home of the university museum and archives, the center for culture and arts, USA Little Theater, Kawilihan USA, and the Nursing Review Center.

mendel Hall

Named after the Augustinian scientist who discovered the laws of heredity, Fr. Gregor Johann Mendel, OSA, Mendel Hall houses the Department of Architecture, and the biology and chemistry laboratories and offices. The hall is also the home of the Center for Chemical Biology and Biotechnology (C2B2) and the Center for Natural Drug Discovery & Development (CND3).

dr. Henry o. chuseuy International Center

The Dr. Henry O. Chusuey International Center is benefactor, Dr. Henry O. Chusuey, a businessman, philanthropist, internationally-acclaimed hotelier.

named in honor of university alumnus,and

its an

rada hall

Dedicated to Fr. Martin de Rada, O.S.A., one of the first five Augustinians to arrive in the Philippines, Rada Hall houses the Graduate School, the College of Law, and the College of Liberal Arts, Sciences and Education.

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campus

TEACHING THROUGH THE PANDEMIC - A VISION FOR THRIVING Discover how COVID-19 has revealed vulnerabilities and surfaced the educators’ adaptability.

By

Glaiza Rae D. Amable C. Agreda

Photographs Rotsen

The corridor was bare. The classrooms were empty. No single soul in sight, only a sound of steady footsteps could be heard. While Irene was walking along the corridor, she silently blurted out, “It’s this time again.” It was all she managed to say before she stopped short, vexed into silence, perhaps by the sheer size of the challenge. In the pregnant pause that followed, undoubtedly, every teacher tracking the unspooling thread – about the dizzying, rapidly escalating viral crisis that continues to shut down schools across the country – recognized the chasm they were all facing again.

AVERT GENERATIONAL CATASTROPHE

Researchers Sara Kerr and Nate Schwartz explained in a new blog series Teaching and Learning During a Pandemic that teachers are facing the most complex

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challenges of their careers during this time, which include being asked to be social workers to families reeling from the effects of layoffs and illness, to be masters of distance learning and trauma-responsive educational practices, and to be experts to take on new responsibilities against a backdrop of rising COVID-19 cases and a hyper-polarized political debate over the return to school.

“It is a challenge that must be accepted upfront. Today’s teachers will have to embrace and master different roles including the ability to establish connection and interaction at a different level toward a rich learning environment.

New adopters will have to face their learning curves,” shared San Carlos Integrated School (SCIS) Principal 1 Eva Bajade with The Augustinian.

This led to the realization that educators need to be armed with the best available science, data, and evidence, not only about the operational challenges of

“I miss my students and the desire to see interactions with them faceto-face. More than that, there is a need to overcome communication barriers and to personally learn how to teach with the required technology fast enough to implement the lessons in their remote instruction so they could use it.” reopening that have dominated the news cycle but also about how to meet the increasingly complex social-emotional and academic needs of students and their families.

“In 2021, we must seize all opportunities to turn this situation around.

We must step up our efforts to training teachers, bridging the digital divide, and rethinking curricula to equip learners with the skills and knowledge to flourish in our rapidly changing world,” said Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres in an interview with UN Web TV. LEARNING RENEWED

Meanwhile, schools in the Philippines began the school year 20212022 on September 13, one of which was SCIS in Anilao that welcomed its students’ return to Balay Eskwelahan despite the challenging distance learning set-up as in-person classes remain banned due to the pandemic.

Public Schools District Supervisor Melanie Villalon even said that the opening was expected to run smoothly because it was not the first time that schools would be implementing distance learning.

“Education is free inclusive for all walks of life, despite the pandemic.

Last year was more of a trial-and-error, how the learning delivery will happen.

But this year, the teachers already anticipated and even improved in terms of preparations and innovations. In fact, we are expecting more enrollees by the end of September,” she said.

Moreover, Bajade acknowledged the challenges faced in 2019-2020 academic year in terms of learning resources and the ability of the teachers to have constant supervision of the students.

“I miss my students and the desire to see interactions with them faceto-face. More than that, there is a need to overcome communication barriers and to personally learn how to teach with the required technology fast enough to implement the lessons in their remote instruction so they could use it. To do so, we must meet the needs of those at risk of being left behind including children with disabilities and those living in conflict-affected areas,” shared Bajade.

BACK TO TRACK

In 2019, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched the Futures of Education: Learning to become initiative with the aim of rethinking education and reimagining how knowledge and learning can shape the future of humanity and the planet.

“With the realization that the future is now—and that how we respond to COVID-19 and its several levels of disruption will have substantial short- and long-term consequences—we feel our endeavor has taken on a new urgency and importance. The said initiative incorporates extensive public and expert engagement and aims to catalyze a global debate on how education needs to be rethought in a world of increasing complexity, uncertainty, and fragility,” said Chair of the International Commission on the

Futures of Education Sahle-Work Zewde.

Zewde also mentioned that there is a need to strengthen public education, fortify common goods and expand a global solidarity that emphasizes the collective responsibility for the education of everyone everywhere, stating, “the Commission calls for the mobilization and participation of all in shaping the futures of education. These responses to the pandemic will be different from one place to another, from one context to another but they must be based on a humanistic vision of education and development and human rights frameworks.”

REIMAGINE EDUCATION

As the abrupt shift away from the classroom becomes unavoidable the second time around, many teachers believe that the interruption to learning will provide an opportunity for teachers to redefine what can work well in pandemic education.

“This requires reimagining pandemic education through the lens of love. If we don’t use this moment to reimagine education, we are missing an incredible opportunity, which will leave our children wondering why we didn’t work harder to leverage the moment to make their lives and schools better,” continued Bajade.

SCIS Teacher 1 Alyssa Chelsi Deloso further attested to Bajade’s statement adding that as a new school year begins, now is the time to step up as educators.

“We need to maximize collaboration and international solidarity to place education and lifelong learning at the center of the recovery and the transformation towards more inclusive, safe, and sustainable societies. We need to embrace this new way of learning and uplift the experiences of our students,” shared Deloso.

It is truly the time to invest in better aligning education systems around the world to the reality of interconnectedness that the pandemic has forced upon these educators, and to use education to promote social justice, peace, diversity, human rights, and democratic principles.

As the sun lit a beaming light surrounding the dark spaces of the hollow milieu and brought a streak of illumination on Irene’s face, she realizes that what lies beyond the next days is yet to be unveiled, but she closes her eyes with boldness of thought and trust that this pandemic has shined a bright light on what steps forward educators need to take, chief among them addressing the education of the students.

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food & lifestyle

Fashion Backward Stepping backward into style is the new trend this season By

Sharaine Ghail P. Taaca C. Agreda and Jedro Cawaling

Photographs Rotsen

With the dawning of the new normal, a wave of fashion trends emerges, bringing back to life the smart and sophisticated designs from all over the world that have resurfaced at the forefront of the fashion industry. Now, the world of fashion is dominated by trendy smart jackets, shapely pastel-colored clothing, and fashionable face masks.

The Fashion That Was

As with the old music, films, and literature in the 21st century, we have witnessed several fashion trends resurfacing. When preferences and generations are inspired by prior decades, it’s no surprise that some of our current fashion innovations are a jumble of fashion trends.

Everything you liked (spaghetti straps and fanny packs) or despised (knee socks and bucket hats) in the 1990’s is officially back and better than ever.

Even though the decade ended 30 years ago, these famous designs continue to resurface, demonstrating how transformed the fashion world is.

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Another set of styles is resurfacing from one of the most influential fashion eras, the 1980s. Denim that was torn and acid washed, chunky heels, and off-the-shoulder shirts and skirts dominated the decade. The 1980s were a wonderful age of over-the-top shapes, teased perms, and saturated hues, and they were probably the most daring time in contemporary fashion history.

Moreover, not only is Star Wars making a comeback, but so are bohemian vibes, bombardier jackets, and sweeping patterned palazzo trousers from the 1970s. Although it may be exactly what your parents wore as adolescents, 1970s fashion is predicted to be larger than ever. The counterculture movement of the 1960s had a strong impact on the 1970s days, which were full of good feelings and psychedelic mashups. With its worldwide bohemian ideals, bright patterns, and wild materials, the clothes of the time represented this well.

The iconic gogo dancers inspired footwear—white knee-high boots— will transport you to the 1960s. It looks great with a patterned short dress or skirt, a rollneck, or a pair of quirky leggings. Keep it shiny and tight for an appealing

touch this season or go for a slouchy style for an effortless vibe.

From outstanding to fascinating fashion crazes taking over current fashion seasons, it’s all about perfection and beauty. We get to explore beyond the most opulent and exquisite options that are likely to draw people. Crop tops, denim jackets, flannel shirts wrapped around the waist, high-waisted jeans, overalls, chokers, and platform shoes are among the current trends. Although these styles were popular decades ago, they have been reintroduced with modifications to make them more appealing.

Fast Fashion on The Environment

In the way we convey our spirits, the joy we feel inside, and our ties to Mother Earth, fashion was created to make us feel as though we were a part of nature, linked and cradled.

The fashion industry has a large effect on the earth leaving a big and an observable growing consumer awareness of the impact of our expenditure decisions that accounts to some environmental threats.

According to the Young Champions of the Earth, presented by United Nations Environment, the fashion sector is the world’s second-largest water consumer, consuming enough water to fulfill the requirements of five million people every year, and it contributes to around ten percent and almost 20 percent of global carbon emissions.

Nevertheless, the benefits of the five Rs of fashion such as reduce, reuse, re-wear, repair, and resell bring numerous and discerning outcomes to this industry.

Even when we learn about the awful effect of consumerism on the planet, people and animals, decluttering has been a practice for many years although it is still a challenge for some.

“This is vital in reducing your fashion footprint, with thousands of tons of clothing ending up in landfills every day. Not only will you reap the benefits of the savings you will accrue and the space you will create, but a big bonus is the decision fatigue you will avoid along the way,” shared Marie Kondo, a well-known personality in the field of decluttering and minimalism.

The fashion industry has a catastrophic environmental effect. Just behind the oil sector, it is the second greatest polluter in the world. And with the sector growing, environmental impact is on the increase. But these concerns can be mitigated by underscoring the importance of raising awareness and making a change through our simple approaches and ways. Resurfacing fashion is one.

“There is no one-size-fits-all answer. People, on the other hand, need to be more mindful of the environmental impact of our garments. We may celebrate our individuality by sharing, reusing, redesigning and repairing clothing, recycling, selling, and donating it,” shared Omar Itani, founder of FabricAID—a business that works with vulnerable communities and refugees to collect, wash and sort clothing.

“In the way we convey our spirits, the joy we feel inside, and our ties to Mother Earth, fashion was created to make us feel as though we were a part of nature, linked and cradled.”

Dress Sustainably

You don’t have to toss something away just because it rips or a heel breaks.

It all comes down to changing your mentality and looking for a long-term solution that benefits you, the environment, and the community. Buying from thrift stores would be the simplest approach to escape the dangers of fast fashion. Creating a greener wardrobe is a simple but significant gesture in the battle against climate change, like carrying a reusable shopping tote or refusing a plastic straw.

Sustainable, vintage, and circular fashion has begun to take shape especially in the Philippines, mostly spearheaded by women. Kelsie Callanga of Pavia, Iloilo, founder of Hiraya, a preloved and thrift clothing store. Callanga said that as a seller and a fashionista, she wants to realize aspirations via fashion, but sustainably.

“Thrift and the use of used or preloved products may be viewed as part of our Sustainable Development Goal 12 of ensuring sustainable consumption and production practices. Thrifting helps to minimize our carbon footprint, chemical pollution, and water conservation. It’s a great way to reduce waste creation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse,” shared Callanga.

Realizing that “secondhand,” “quality,” and “affordable” can all be used in the same phrase is a game-changer - one manpower, but Hiraya’s major objective is to truly fulfill aspirations through sustainable fashion. Dream of dressing up in a sustainable and eco-friendly manner and less costly manner but with an expensive appearance encouraging them to thrift and save.

“I’d like to draw attention to the concept of thrifting and its positive impact on the environment. It’s also a shift toward eco-fashion and long-term fashion. Plus, it’s a lot less expensive than a fast fashion brand,” she said.

By supporting local and buying preloved and thrifted shops, we also help and support these small business owners just like Hiraya. We encourage and support people’s aspirations and passions, and it is a huge benefit to us. You are not only helping the environment, but you are also contributing to the realization of a dream.

Current fashion trends are frequently cyclical, drawing inspiration from previous decades and rearranging it to suit present tastes. Fashion will always be a constant reflection of current events in society, representing its people’s culture, ideas, and personalities.

VOL. 87 // NO.1 // DECEMBER 1, 2021

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food & lifestyle

PHOTO CREDITS: Balay Tablea Facebook Page

A homage to the prosperity brought about by iron horses By

Hannah Jhanylle C. Po and Honey Mabelle A. Villarba

The aroma that creeps into one’s soul, that she’s sure would last in her memory for a long time. The ambience, the taste, the familiarity, all lead to one thing, quality. Sunburst’s Balay Tablea’s flavorsome reputation once again serves up a unique twist on classic chocolate that she knew would take a place in her heart for always!

Indeed, Ferrero Roche, Toblerone, and Cadbury, Sunburst’s Balay Tablea has thrown its salakot onto the pile, and it is a mouth-watering taste of home.

Honestly, what is this oh-so-mysterious concoction that seems to delight not only local but foreign palates?

Crafted from locally-grown, roasted, and ground-up Theobroma cacao beans, tablea, also called tableya, is a ball or disc of pure cacao, typically brewed in hot water to prepare sikwate, a traditional Filipino chocolate beverage. With every sip emanates a distinctly rustic flavor, harkening back to the cacao fermentation process undergone by each plant.

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BALAY TABLEA STYLE

In a quest to enjoy the blend of rich flavor and history, one may have come across the name Sunburst’s Balay Tablea.

From its conception in 2014, the firm established itself as a platform for the preservation of tsokolate de metate (traditional stone-ground chocolate) and the empowerment of women through employment, and entrepreneurship. It also served as a response to Sangguniang Bayan No. 030-2012, which proclaimed tablea (named Tan Tono, after the town’s first gobernadorcillo) as Cabatuan’s alternative One Town, One Product (OTOP) good.

“The business is an accidental one spun from the LGU (local government unit) looking for a business venture for tablea,” shared its owner, Catherine Taleon, in an interview with Iloilo Today. “They asked me if I was willing to market tablea in the city, and I accepted.”

Sunburst’s Balay Tablea has since evolved into the authorized manufacturer and distributor of Tan Tono Tablea and continues to serve up smiles to its customers all over the country.

“I have tasted different cacao drinks before, but for me, the tablea here [at Sunburst’s Balay Tablea] takes the top spot with its rich, bold taste. They offer pure, sweet, and more experimental flavors such as chocolate with malunggay,” remarked Peter Paul Conception, a customer and former University of San Agustin Bachelor of Music student.

Paired with the chocolate drink is a cozy, welcoming atmosphere backdropped by simple vintage décor inspired by Spanish colonial interior decoration.

A BITTERSWEET HISTORY

Tablea is more than its taste and shape, despite how its name is literally a Spanish term for “tablet” (or derived from tablear, alluding to how the balls are molded).

Historically, it was not even a tablet but a drink and tool for imperialism, given its regal status among many natives, particularly those from Central America and northern South America, its places of origin.

Soledad Lacson Locsin’s translations of Chapter 11 of The Sovereigns: Divide and Rule reflected this practice, stating, “If he offers you chocolate, which I doubt he will, but if he finally offers, be on guard. If he calls the servant and tells him ‘Fulanito, make a jicara [drinking bowl] of chocolate eh,’ then you can stay and not worry. But if he says ‘Fulanito, make a cup of chocolate ah,’ then pick up your hat and exit running.”

SERVING UP A NEW-GEN BREW The colonizer’s drink has since been claimed by the people as a breakfast and merienda staple, either as a rich, coffee-like drink or a mixture of tablea, milk, and muscovado sugar. Some would even use condensed milk for an extra dose of sweetness.

In the modern era, it is all about personal preference and ordering aguado tsokolate does not devalue you as an individual. In fact, a number of Filipino pubs, restaurants, and chocolatiers have adopted Tsokolate Eh and Tsokolate Ah but no longer connote to social class and simply serve as naming conventions for the amount of chocolate concentration a customer wants.

Beyond this, a steaming cup or two would be enough to warm the heart after a stressful school or workday, but why stop there? Tablea, especially the bitter and lightly sweetened variations, is often partnered with traditional mild-flavored and sweet merienda favorites like fried ibos, a mixture of glutinous rice and coconut milk funneled into buri or palm leaves. The food and beverage combination leaves customers in amazement while wanting more of the taste of home.

MOVING FORWARD, ONE CUP AT A TIME

With its ever-growing list of orders, Taleon, in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), developed the “Product and Process Improvement of a Cocoa Bean Based Processing Facility for Sunbursts Balay Tablea” project, which has spurred innovations in the beloved blend.

“When I had a chance to visit DOST, they offered me the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP). It helped me in improving the quality, quantity, and manufacturing aspects of production,” said Taleon, in an interview with Iloilo Today.

Through these programs and projects, the business acquired facilities like an emulsifier, heavy-duty cocoa roaster, planetary mixer, foot sealer, weighing scale, stainless steel cabinet, and stockpot. It also improved in packaging and conducted roasting, grinding, and packaging training with the employees.

Despite these technology boosts, the heart of Sunbursts’ Balay Tablea remains rooted in the pursuit of sharing authentic local chocolate in the gastronomist circle.

Are you curious enough to add the flavor to your palette? Take a sip and make a toast to tablea.

VOL. 87 // NO.1 // DECEMBER 1, 2021

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environment

Weigh of Sachet

How long will we continue diving into the ocean of discarded packets of hope, and disentangling the ignorance of convenience?

Sharain Ghail T. Taaca Geremy T. Gallenero Infographics Renz Joshua R. Arbis By

Artwork

Water moved in swirls around his limbs, creating a sense of freedom and happiness. He makes his way through the waters he has known all his life. He surfaces and breaks the top to feel a cool breeze rather than the keen sting of his eyes while luring the waters.

It seems no more alive from above than a bucket of water, but underneath there is more life than the skies above or the land it kisses. For Rodney, the ocean is his brother, of watery depths and beauty. Upon the bluest of waves come a million flashing lights reflecting thin and transparent sheets. The ocean that was blue just yesterday, lapping the golden sands with the cold water of an early spring tide is filled with varieties of plastics.

Enabling The Deprived

Sachet, a form of small plastic packaging, has become popular in the Philippines. They’ve rendered things that would otherwise be out of reach for unfortunate Filipinos, and they’ve been a lifeline for many who can’t afford to purchase larger, and more expensive containers.

Used pouches have piled up in vacant fields, accumulated in sewers, and flowed into rivers and seas in places like Manila with spotty

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garbage collection, contributing to a surplus of plastic debris that Asian countries have come to consider as an environmental disaster.

These packets offer basic household necessities to some poorest citizens. It’s a way for the manufacturers who make them boost profits by focusing on consumers that can’t afford larger amounts.

“In terms of affordability, yes, it’s what’s within reach of lower classes of the society. But if you look at it in the long run, the effects, you know, do not outweigh what is being promoted by the manufacturers,” Abi Aguilar of Greenpeace Philippines said.

There is no doubt that sachets have improved the quality of goods available to deprived populations. The issue is that they’ve turned into a waste nightmare. Environmentalists contend that the producers have to innovate their delivery processes if they have the financial means to do so.

Environmental Menace

The world is currently in a condition of decline, and we are the only ones to blame. Global calamities and environmental concerns

“No one bothers to clean up discarded sachets that have been incorrectly deposited because there is little economic reason to do so.” are clear indicators of the planet’s decline. Humans are rash in their decisionmaking when it comes to dealing with these issues. The actual issue is a lack of understanding, recognition and acceptance of this terrifying situation.

“Throughout the years, our environment is suffering because of our irresponsible behavior as human beings. We let our ignorance and greed prevail which is slowly leading our environment from its proliferation to the brim of its immediate destruction,” Rodney Arnolf Opu-an, a STEM 12 student of the University of San Agustin and an environmental advocate shared.

According to a 2015 survey by the University of Georgia, the Philippines is ranked third in the world for struggling to cope with plastic waste.

The study found that 81 percent of the nation’s plastic waste was mismanaged.

The Philippines’ solid waste law is poorly imposed, and packaging production is not regulated.

The Asian Development Bank and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Philippines estimated that by 2020, the country will need 200 new landfills the size of the existing Manila landfill. Estimates differ, but in the metropolitan Manila region, a factor of 0.7kg per person is used, with a daily capacity of about 22,000 tons of municipal garbage projected to rise to 28,000 tons in 10 years.

“Corporations have greatly benefited from these products but they are not made accountable for the pollution that comes along with its production and disposal,” Miko Aliño, program manager at Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives the Asia Pacific said.

No one bothers to clean up discarded sachets that have been incorrectly deposited because there is little economic reason to do so. In comparison, a one-liter plastic bottle that has been collected and returned for its deposit could be worth anything.

These sachets clog drains and floods when dispersed randomly. All of the trash was washed up by the waves, endangering not just the birds who could mistake it for food, but also the fish and other marine life.

Closing The Loop through Ripple Effects

A lot is going on around the world to identify and address one of this generation’s most important environmental issues, and we should do our best to stay on top of it.

Turning the tide against the sachet dilemma will be a challenge to us humans but through our collective contributions and actions as individuals, we can influence and educate our fellows to start working on a free single-use plastics and sustainable community. By joining and supporting organizations to address this issue, we can turn the impossible into reality by painting a vision of the world we want to see and give to future generations.

“Attaining a certain goal requires an attitude of perseverance and utmost willingness and that is also the same in championing for the environment. By bidding adieu to our toxic perception and breaking the cycle of our harmful actions, we can achieve a world where everybody is generating simple yet meaningful actions for our environment,” Opu-an said with enthusiasm displayed as he expressed the environmentalism within him.

Set up a platform where we can involve each individual in fighting and demanding environmental accountability for if only we create mechanisms to engage every individual then they will be enlightened to respond to the call in preserving the environment. Take a pledge to reduce your single-use plastics.

Keep track of how much you use these products and swap them with recycled alternatives. It just takes a few days of taking your bags to the supermarket, silverware to the office, or a tumbler to make it a habit.

What was once a paradise to Rodney is now no longer to be restored.

The sand that has the gentlest gold shade, almost earthen and subdued, and is the scene’s modest star is now draped with plastics. He then realized that greed and inequality have wreaked such havoc on the atmosphere that Earth’s life-sustaining structures are now irreparably damaged. He pulls himself to standing yet as he extends her hand in the air, he nearly clear-fells.

The homes are clean, the parks pristine, the pollution kept outside the dome. He was told that the rest of the planet is a barren wasteland, home only to the pollutants they throw from their bubbles. His eyes listen to the light as it plays upon the seawater as she stands on the sunny sand, watching the rising gold then whispered, “I’m sorry. They are left with no options, they are poor and these are what they can only afford – sachets.”

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environment

No Salve for Burnt Corals Do you hear the corals burn?

Hannah Jhanylle C. Po Patrick C. Santilan Infographics Joshua Patrick C. Santilan By

Artwork Joshua

Hush! Why speak when few people listen?

It is a treacherous thought, one spoken in between phone clicks and hellos. Though Jessie’s replies held fire, a small part of him wished that he had focused more on celebrity break-ups and Netflix releases. Maybe then, his heart would not break for the corals in Taiwan, the Great Barrier Reef, Batangas, and other areas, white and brittle from constant heat waves.

But his eyes snapped to a remnant of yesteryear, to the red, yellow, and purple branches stark against the turquoise backdrop and the amateur Crayola sketches that could not quite capture its brilliance.

“Do you hear the corals burn,” he replied.

In Classrooms for Future Batch One, a weekly environmental leadership webinar series held from June 26 to July 30, 2020, I had been grouped with Jessie John Legaspi, 22, to devise a sustainable project for urban mobility. I was immediately captivated by his enthusiasm towards achieving his advocacy, child empowerment for environmental protection.

It endeavors for a world where all people, especially children, could voice their opinions on important societal issues, protect and promote their rights, and have their views genuinely considered when decisions are being made regarding their lives and future.

SUBMERGED TREASURES

“As a kid, I remember loving travels, especially to beaches like San Joaquin. I would imagine that, for a bit, I was a fish swimming amongst the big, beautiful corals and other sea creatures. Though I have never been to Taiwan, I believe the feeling is similar,” Jessie shared, in an interview with the Augustinian.

At first glance, Taiwan’s reefs are nothing exceptional, cumulatively a mere 0.1 percent of the world’s vast collection scale-wise, according to a 2020 article by Chang. Yet spread across the Kenting, Green Island, and Orchid Island coral reefs, beneath the small crevasses and crystal waters, are kingdoms teeming with life – diverse ecosystems of corals, fish, crabs, sponges, seahorses, snakes, and turtles, among other sea-dwellers.

Corals, in particular, are crucial pieces of the marine puzzle despite being sedentary creatures. Sometimes assumed to be flora, they are, in fact, animals built from thousands of minuscule, soft-bodied polyps anchored to rocks and calcareous remains of other polyps, where fish and other creatures hide, eat, and breed.

Though coral polyps are often transparent, the zooxanthellae (genus Symbiodinium) that live in their tissues dye them in cacophonous colors. More notably, corals and microscopic algae have a mutualistic relationship. In exchange for energy and raw materials needed for bodily processes, corals supply a haven and waste products algae use during photosynthesis.

“It is fascinating how something as small as a coral could form coral reefs capable of hosting an important ecosystem for life underwater, protecting coastal areas by reducing the power of waves hitting the coast, and providing crucial sources of income for millions of people,” Jessie added.

Moreover, coral reefs serve as gateways to treatments for arthritis, human bacterial infections, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, viruses, and even cancer. One example is an ongoing study on 38 “lead isolates” among 3,000 bacteria isolates extracted from the Iloilo province ocean floor by the University of San Agustin – Center for Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, headed by Dr. Doralyn Dalisay. These bacteria could

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potentially fare well against multi-drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

The research team also made 18 expeditions in 2017 and 2018 in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, including the Tubbataha Reef, finding microbes that sourced antibiotics.

“Banking on the legacy of erythromycin, our (C2B2) lab in the University of San Agustin is looking at new antibiotics from actinobacteria, dwelling in the marine sediments. So, this is a different species, a different organism. That means there could be new antibiotics,” Dalisay stated during her presentation at the National Research and Development Conference 2019, an event organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

TALES OF A SCORCHED EARTH

The thing about these relationships, though, is that it only takes some heat to become toxic.

Based on a January 2021 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report, the global land and ocean surface temperature averaged at “0.80 degrees Celsius above the 20th-century average of 12.0 degrees Celsius,” the seventh highest in 142 years. Such can be attributed to global warming, a natural and beneficial process meant to maintain enough solar energy to sustain life. That is until it got injected by unprecedented amounts of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide that trap too much heat in the atmosphere.

As a species quite sensitive to these fluctuations, it is unsurprising why corals all over the planet are quite literally raising a white flag, coral bleaching.

In a January 12, 2021 press conference, the Taiwan Coral Bleaching Observation Network (TCBON) announced that based on a survey of 62 locations around Taiwan, approximately 31 percent of the coral reef population had been decimated. Xiao Liuqiu (小琉球), the country’s largest coral island, reportedly lost about 55 percent of its coral population.

Kuo Chao-yang, a postdoctoral scholar at the Biodiversity Research Center at Academia Sinica, Taiwan’s leading research institute, attributed this to heat stress caused by a lack of summer typhoons in Taiwan the past year, which normally cool down coral reefs.

Optimal sea temperatures for coral growth sit at 23 to 28 degrees Celsius, lower than the 31 degrees experienced by Taiwan last summer. At higher temperatures, zooxanthellae start vacating, leaving pale and less nutrient-rich corals.

Ocean acidification, another effect of excess carbon dioxide, messes with the calcium carbonate absorption of corals. This weakens the coral’s skeleton, causing its version of hypocalcemia.

Similarly, albeit on smaller scales, coral bleaching also occurred in Calatagan, Batangas, northern Palawan, Mindoro and Negros Occidental, and Panay last June 2020, as shared by members of

“A coral reef without corals is just like a forest without trees and the reef associated creatures will have to leave because there is no shelter or food.” the Philippine Coral Bleaching Watch, an online citizen reporting Facebook page. The damage in Catalagan encompassed the 72-kilometer shoreline of the peninsula, or from Barangay Gulod to Barangay Tanagan.

“A coral reef without corals is just like a forest without trees and the reefassociated creatures will have to leave because there is no shelter or food,” Kuo remarked, in an interview with Inquirer World.

SOOTHING THE BURNS

But say you care for marine life only if it is only a plate, tapestry, or covered in resin. What about the coastal communities that rely on corals to bar them from the worst of tides or for certain cultural traditions, the fisherfolks that need fish to feed their starving families, the medicinal compounds one could get from it, or the future generations that may never see the beauty of a coral reef ecosystem?

Will you sacrifice all of it for the sake of temporary pleasure?

What we see today is the carnage of upwards of centuries worth of coral reefs building up a centimeter a year. Healing it would take a similar amount of time, but it is possible through discipline and shared effort.

Walking, biking, minimizing trash, voting, sharing essential facts on social media, reporting eco law violators, using green and sustainable energy, donating to or participating in advocacy groups and research, growing new corals in underwater nurseries, lobbying for environmental justice - whatever action you make has an impact.

Beyond the individual level, governments must also set more carbon reduction goals and strengthen the implementation of environmental policies.

“We can have the best environmental policies, but it wouldn’t matter if no one implements or follows them,” Jessie asserted. “If we still hope to see and experience corals in the future, we must think of ways to help rebuild our oceans instead of being greedy or just complaining.

We must act now.”

The bottom line is, choose to care.

Now, hush and listen.

Don’t you hear the corals burn?

VOL. 87 // NO.1 // DECEMBER 1, 2021

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environment

“For some, having babies amplifies the global consumption of resources and climate change. Yet, for others, children are seen as hope of the future who will serve as agents for redemption.”

SOURCE PHOTO: https://graphs.net/global-co2-emissions-by-country.htmlalbums/72157617276771471

CLIMATE CRISIS:

AN ERA TO NOT HAVE BABIES?

With nature being in peril and overpopulation as one of its main catalysts, is the next generation pressured to treat climate adversity as a reproductive crisis?

By

Honey Mabelle A. Villarba

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With nature being in peril and overpopulation as one of its main catalysts, is the next generation pressured to treat climate adversity as a reproductive crisis?

Her silhouette reflected in the glass door as her body faced the soothing view of nature and sea combined. “What a beauty”, she thought yet was instantly distracted by the waste scattered just near the shore of the beach. She then saw a couple with three children and her thoughts promptly lingered into the future. Her principle always reminded her of the consequence of childbirth: another carbon footprint added in a world already in distress. For her, having babies in the future is like pouring gasoline into the fire instead of admitting that the house is burning and grabbing a hose to put it out. As long as people do not seem to understand the gravity of overpopulation and how the situation of nature continue to deteriorate, she was convinced that being a parent is not an option.

“There is no denying that the climate crisis is contributory to the growing groups of people who choose to not have offspring. With the ecoanxiety brought about the impending doom of t d Juanillo concerning the effects of more babies in the future.

More than this, an article from Mother Jones (an American NGO published by the Foundation for National Progress) details the carbon footprint of a single baby. It states that one American child generates as much carbon dioxide (CO2) as 106 Haitian kids. Moreover, a typical baby goes through 3,800 disposable diapers in her first 2.5 years.

Consequently, researchers from Lund University in Sweden also found that having one fewer child per family can save “an average of 58.6 tons

of CO2-equivalent emissions per year.”

With such data, people with the same belief as April continue to stand their ground that bringing a child into this world is tantamount to more carbon footprint, hence contributory to global warming.

AT THE REAR OF HESITATION

Now, it’s not a novel fact that actions were made upon the realization that the disruption to global climate is dramatically escalating. For the longest of time, one of the largest threats to ecology is due to the buildup of humangenerated greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In line with this, it is no longer surprising that the polls find young adults more particularly concerned about global warming than the older generation – obviously because they are already experiencing the aftermath of destructive human activities in the past. It is therefore reasonable to think that the existing and even future generation grapple with the eco-anxiety of bringing more lives into this world.

“Apart from the climate crisis, the current economic and social climate of the world seems not viable enough to raise a child in, especially for the working class. And since the climate crisis – the single biggest crisis that will affect humanity in totality – will also largely affect our economy and societal footing, then indeed, the climate crisis is preventing this generation and the next ones from having babies,” Juanillo firmly added.

In fact, people around the world are beginning to address the problem by reducing their carbon footprint through less consumption and advanced technology. However, unsustainable human population growth can put those efforts into waste, leading the next generation to infer that they not only need

smaller footprints, but fewer feet.

A SUBJECTIVE DECISION

At the end of the day, people will have differing opinions regarding this matter. What is deemed as irresponsible by some could be other people’s joy in life. The “delight” in having a baby is strictly subjective. There are individuals who find joy in having an offspring and in raising them to be adults. There are also those who think that whatever “delight” there is in having a child cannot compare to the trouble present in raising one. For some, having babies amplifies the global consumption of resources and climate change. Yet, for others, children are seen as hope of the future who will serve as agents for redemption.

“Indeed, childbirth is a subjective decision. No on e should have a say on whether a person should give birth to a child or not except the person who is going to mother that child and raise them for the rest of their lives. More than this, it is important to note that bringing another life into this world, means foreseeing the quality of life they will have. At a time when we are on the brink of losing the battle against the climate crisis, would we really want to bring life into this world without the assurance that they will grow up to have clean breathable air, a potable source of water, green spaces – generally a livable planet?” Juanillo rhetorically asked.

Finally, it all boils down to the conscious decision-making of each and everyone in the planet. Only at this time, we are in a tight race of curbing the climate crisis hence our individual actions have various societal and environmental effects. Doubtless, in this fierce battle which involves humanity; we should all stand in the ground of individual responsibility and corporate accountability.

VOL. 87 // NO.1 // DECEMBER 1, 2021

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arts & culture

By

Jeff G. Tolentino Nayeli B. Montero

Artwork Dianne

Smoke from the kerosene lamp made its way through his arms. One gripping the rosary bead and the other making their way through her forehead. Her wrist, facing upward greeted the cold body of the ginger stripped of its skin. By the time the smoke has risen and dissipated into the cracks of the ceiling, his craft, a doll conjured from the mixture of water and flour has taken its rest on the finest china in the house. Awaiting its fate, the mystic art of Paubra that cures one’s illness by sealing them through vessels destined to be lost has now itself, nowhere to be found.

Locked up within figures shaped to resemble that of a human being, the curses they contain is a plague.

Bounded by incantations, these dolls of dough are isolated from human contact, for the ones who dare meddle with it shall suffer the fate of the ones before them.

Into the Unknown

Going on foot half a two-kilometer hike off the national road, the last cemented road splits downward to a single bootleg trail. Eager to meet the first and probably the last foot traffic of the day, the flora of abundant mountain bushes brushes dewdrops off a familiar foot.

Surrounded by mountainous terrains and steep ravines, the only means to reach what was once a burgeoning community is by foot. In an early summer night, more than just the deafening cicadas and the lurking predators of the livestock, people fear not of what they can see in the dark but that of the unseen. The elemental deities, spirits, and mythical creatures that in the wake of the night afflict curses to an unsuspecting passerby who bypasses their turf.

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“Some places are not to be wandered with because it is a home for the unseen. These are entities that have existed way before us and we must respect their territories. If you ever found yourself having a fever or noticing lumps growing into your skin after going somewhere you haven’t been before, may it be caves, forest, or swamps then there might be a possibility that you have angered a spirit. If that happens, you need to do the ritual of Paubra,” shared Brayna Tolentino, a resident born and raised in Sitio Capitoguan, in Guimaras.

Spoken in the native tongue, Paubra means “to make something” or “to have something done.” Like all other practices that are rooted into the works of faith healers or albularyos, the ritual takes power over its offerings and incantations. The one thing that makes it distinct from other practices of traditional healing is that for the ritual to work, the curses will have to be extracted from the victim and sealed into a vessel.

“Paubra involves several steps. The first of it would be for the albularyo to determine whether you really have been afflicted by a curse, and if so, how powerful is the spirit that has cursed you. Often a powerful curse would need an equally skilled albularyo for it to be cured. Then, sacrifices need to be made and these sacrifices depend on what the spirit demands. Often, offerings include the blood of a black chicken or alive black pig,” Tiyay Brayna detailed.

Vessels and Curses

Following the belief of the holy hour, the rituals and prayers are conducted at six in the afternoon. Presided by an albularyo a ceremony for the offerings to be accepted by the troubled spirit is done. Through incantations known only to the albularyo, the victim’s plea for forgiveness is made known, together with the offering is a human-like doll of dough crafted by the albularyo in which the illness is to be sealed. This craft, serving as a vessel is then displayed into some remote location deemed lost and hidden from the human world.

“I remember suffering from a debilitating illness once, my whole body was in pain, my head felt like it was being hammered into concrete. I have been going at it for almost a week and with medicines not working, I decided to consult an albularyo and he said I had angered a powerful deity while chopping firewood in the forest. The albularyo crafted a doll that resembled me, and it is where my illness is to be transferred and sealed. He first molded a ball of dough which became a head, he then took a pair of oyangya seeds (Abrus precatorius), with its red and black color, became the eyes of the doll,” she narrated.

Along with incantations and the vessel in which the curse is contained, for Tiyay Brayna is an experience she will never forget.

“After a few days, I slowly recovered. My appetite has improved, and my illness is gone. As for the doll of dough, it was hidden in a nearby grove to where the albularyo has said I have angered a deity. Since then I have never returned to that place. With a warning to never disturb its rest, my illness is lost,

PHOTO CREDITS: JESRY MORENO

sealed within a vessel that should never be found again.”

The Modern Times

The belief of having something greater and is unseen has long been entangled with the history and culture of the Filipino people. As an archipelago, the natural barriers of the country are often the reason why some places remain to be in an archaic practice despite the rise of modern medicine.

“Here in our place, the medical practice of dealing with diseases is rare. Aside from the terrain barriers that separates this place from the capital, medical expenses and professional fees of doctors are beyond what people can afford,” she shared.

To compensate for lack of resources in a community, specifically that of healthcare, traditional methods of healing became the only refuge of the people. As to the perspective of modern medicine, these traditional ways of healing need not necessarily be abandoned, it needs only to be supplemented by science proven methods.

“Traditional medicine is a health practice with strong historical and cultural roots. Since it has often evolved as part of a particular cultural heritage, the forms of traditional medicine vary widely across the Region. Some forms are highly developed and well documented. They are based on systematized knowledge, comprehensive methodology and historical experience. It is sometimes the only available and affordable option, especially in remote or under-served areas. Thus, it plays an important role in primary health care,” an article by the World Health Organization reads.

A Lost Art

Looking back a few decades back, Sitio Capituguan was the center of commerce. Merchants with their goods were on double to catch a three AM ferry across the Iloilo-Guimaras strait. Along its shoreline were barges carrying Phosphorus rich minerals from the fertilizer mine. A once bustling community of people, diverse in origin and sharing one culture and tradition is now a community of 20.

“The times have changed; the present generation barely knows of this practice. The people here have sought a comfortable life in the city; a place where almost everything is at hand. As years pass by, more of us will leave, may it be in a better place or into the next life. To those of us who remain, the practice might as well be a distant memory. This practice with its way of sealing curses has now itself been sealed,” she concluded.

The sun retiring to the mountains overlooking the strait has painted the sky. The same foot found themselves doubling up the mountain following a single bootleg trail. With a trail left behind, a culture has been told and a story made. Awaiting its next successor in the mystic art of Paubra.

A practice awaiting to be passed on to the next generation with no one to inherit.

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science & technology

Cryptocurrency is the future of real money By

Marlyn Rose B. Marcelo Jacob K. Suarez

Infographics Dylan

His eyes scream great triumph as he let out his final Axie’s combo ability.

Flashing the huge “Victory” logo, he was able to win the game again, for countless times. In his nine months of playing a Pokémon-like battle, he already mastered all the attacking formulas and mechanics in order to win more games in the Axie Infinity Arena.

TRADITIONAL VS TREND

When a small business owner had gone through financial struggles since the rise of the pandemic, his friend offered him an unusual financial lifeline – a currently in-demand video game that compensates players in cryptocurrency. After those sleepless nights playing the game, his earnings increased tenfold and he was able to build two houses and bought motor-cycles. He can’t even believe it at first since like a lot of beginners to this play-to-earn game, he hadn’t have any enthusiasm in the world of cryptocurrencies. Now, he is beyond grateful for this lucrative sideline that his friend offered him. “I started engaging in the world of Axies the moment my business faced bankruptcy,” he shared.

Gone are the days that people would tend to spend most of their time playing traditional video games. The digital economy created a new market that can turn a hobby of playing video games into a profitable occupation through games such as Axie Infinity. In a world of advancing technology, it is no surprise that video games that people used to play in their leisure time would evolve into a bail-out. In simple words, players of this game earn cryptocurrency tokens within the game itself, in which they can trade them on decentralized exchanges for hard money.

“We joined the axie community three months ago. Honestly, I am not fond of playing games, but I’m interested in the world of cryptocurrency.

I am not a gamer, but I treat Axie infinity as one of those income generating projects,” said Edren D. Buday, A.B. Political Science student in University of San Agustin, during an interview with The Augustinian.

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TO AXIE INFINITY AND BEYOND

Axie Infinity, originally built by the Ethereum blockchain, is one of the few cryptocurrencies to have seen a dramatic price growth in recent months of the year.

It is among the biggest and most popular games that allow players to accumulate tradable cryptocurrency coins. Currently, there are 250, 000 daily active players according to Axie Infinity official website. Under their CEO, Trung Thanh Nguyen, the game is being developed by a technology-focused game studio, Sky Mavis.

Unlike other video games, Axie Infinity incorporates non-fungible tokens or the so-called NFTs. These are tokens that people can use to represent ownership of distinct items. There should be one official owner at a time and they are secured by the Ethereum blockchain. Also, these things are not interchangeable for other items for they have their own unique properties. The monsters or the Axies in the game are one example of NFTs. This only means that an Axie that a player creates through the game’s breeding mechanics will be, by being minted as an NFT, an original digital object.

Axie Infinity’s Chief Operating Officer and co-founder Aleksander Leonard Larsen highlighted that despite the economic blast of their video game, they seriously monitor the in-game currencies and improve the market as needed. “We are ultimately the creators of this universe and are responsible for making sure that it lasts. We are always tracking the economy to make sure it stays at a healthy level,” explained Larsen in an interview with Bloomberg.

While Axie Infinity has been around since 2018, its massive hype in the Philippines only began in May 2021. In fact, a platform keeping track of crypto assets, Token Terminal, shows the growth in transaction volume at around May 2021 before making a great leap in late June and early July of the same year.

BEST AMONG THE REST

Axie Infinity was originally built to introduce the world to blockchain technology in an interesting and educational way. While in the process of producing this game, the creators envisioned a future where work and play merge. They started to visualize empowering their players and giving them both pleasure and economic

opportunities. Above all, they dreamed that battling and collecting adorable creatures such as Axies can be world changer.

“The main goal of axie infinity is to provide financial freedom to gamers. It is more profitable since it provides more opportunity to others having less labor work, and it can compete to the minimum wage of our country,” said Buday.

Bested other in-game markets such as Cryptoblades, Step Hero, and Faraland, Axie Infinity is unique in a sense that it purposely showcases itself as a “play-to-earn” game. The foreground for the players is to play well and wisely in order to earn and cash out tokens. Meanwhile, there are two types of token in the game which can be traded like other cryptocurrencies – Small Love Potion (SLP), players often earn and cash out, and Axie Infinity Shard (AXS).

Axie players can trade their SLP and AXS directly to a major crypto exchange in the digital market. Currently, the young adult people between the ages of 20-39 is the target market of such trades.

“In trials of comprehending and resolving the conflicts of life, we must first acknowledge that the world is not ours alone and that learning from what surrounds us is more essential than competing.”

Floren Molina, a cyber defense manager at the consultancy firm Accenture, said in El País, “By doing very little, you can earn around €500 [$560].

That amount is what players generate on average, and is a decent wage in the Philippines.”

GREATEST DOWNFALL

While Axies bring mainstream financial opportunities and logical implementation of blockchain technology, there are still inevitable risks for its players and investors along with the cryptocurrency world wherein massive drawdowns are prevalent. One is a crucial question whether Axie Infinity is a ponzi scheme, an investment fraud in which clients are secured a large profit with little to no risk at all.

“I was convinced that it is not a Ponzi scheme since there are no invites needed to sustain the whole game, and also, they have big partners around the globe like Samsung and Binance. Investing on Axie Infinity is not risky since it is under cryptocurrencies,” explained Buday.

On the other hand, BloomX founder and crypto expert Luis Buenaventura argued that in a worst-case scenario, the demand for new

monster NFTs or Axies will be gone as the price of the Axies and the token needed to breed new Axies drop resulting to loss of investments. Like Bitcoin, Axie Infinity’s value is subject to the demands of the market.

“When I started playing Axie Infinity, I already knew that I am risking my money because cryptocurrency is unstable, prices might go down. However, that doesn’t stop me from engaging in the game,” highlighted Paul Daniel Pranada, veteran of Axie Infinity, in an interview with the The Augustinian

On the other hand, there is a growing amount of price for monsters since there’s a surge of interest for the game. In an interview with Bloomberg, Vanessa Cao, founder of venture-capital firm BTX Capital argued, “Players need to spend hundreds of dollars upfront just to play. It’s a wrongful concept. You can’t ask people to pay before even having any idea what the game is about.”

FILLING THE VOID

As coronavirus pandemic strikes, the crypto gaming boom has created a huge impact in keeping the national economy afloat during the crisis despite of its prevailing risks. For some players, spending a few hours playing for plain entertainment is in bygone days. Others may think that the rise of e-sports has already changed the gaming industry, but what has been happening right now goes beyond that.

Video games such as Axie Infinity have indeed created a new digital market that has transformed entertainment into a career. This is not through selling millions of copies, but with the intervention of the blockchain technology making cryptocurrencies the prime focus of these cryptocurrency games.

Average Minimum Daily Wage in the Philippines Earnings in Playing Axie Infinity Daily Average Earnings per 4 hours in the Philippines Earnings per 4hours in Playing Axie Infinity day) Average Monthly Earnings (4hours/day) in the Philippines Earnings in Playing Axie Infinity Monthly (4hours/day)

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science & technology

In the name of reducing human complications By

Shergen Q. Villanueva T. Gallenero

Artwork Geremy

“So be wise, because the world needs more wisdom, and if you cannot be wise, pretend to be someone who is wise, and then just behave like they would.” – Neil Gaiman

From the rise of gold to the rage of silver, the race of the two majesties is stacking up with new seasons in every century. As the ticks glide at high speeds, we found ourselves longing for an appeasing weapon to breach the wars of life. With nothing in mind, we go for an escapade with failed detours from here and there. However, gradually, we began following the footsteps on pathways that were once pounded before we came and at some point, we were able siege the forays of our mortality.

From the 3.8-billion-year-old evolving natural world full of unleashed mysteries that lie beyond them, humanity is barely an overlay to the masterpiece. Conceived after the wise, our innovations are of fools as to the view of nature. As we succumb to the tolerance of those who perfected their wares before us, we consciously follow their shadows to live sustainably on Earth. Significantly, withdrawing from the standards we enforce, we must admit that somewhere in great depths and on unimaginable surfaces, an order of being exceeds our competence.

This dilemma somehow ended us up with the emulation of the faultless meshwork of the planet in attempt to bring down the guards of our complications through the rationality of biomimicry.

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Related Literature of Life

Popularized by Janine M. Benyus in 1997, biomimicry (from the Greek bios that is life and mimesis that is imitation) is the scientific study of nature as a model, mentor, and measure for the development of principles and designs to solve human problems. This imitation that strays away from the accustomed competition of the modern society to enhance and dominate nature is what Benyus refers to as a “respectful” approach.

Contingent on the erudite forces of life, this new science is aimed to have a paradigm shift from the primary regard to the humility and capacity of nature to stabilize the lifestyle of humanity. Moreover, this biotechnological dependence introduces the era of the Biomimicry Revolution which is directed to confer a valuable influence in our knowledge and synthesis rather than a production from the samples. This potential to perform modifications in medicine, architecture, mathematics, technology, and the natural selection itself is made plausible by echoing nature in honor of its wonders.

With human existence and necessities as the topics of lifetime research, a concrete academic basis is highly requisite. So, as the continuous study of our constant needs of thriving increases its intensity, the proposal is nearing the approval since we become tenants in a biomimetic world with the sentient imitation of nature as our review of related literature.

biomimicry bio·​mim·​ic·​ry | \ ¦bī-(ˌ)ō-¦mi-mi-krē \

: the imitation of natural biological designs or processes in engineering or invention : BIOMIMETICS Artwork Dianne Nayeli B. Montero

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SOURCE PHOTOS: https://livinspaces.net/ls-tv/watch-how-the-eastgate-center-in-zimbabwe-cools-itself-without-air-conditioning/

Becoming the Main Character

As backdrops and guinea pigs in years of methodological mechanisms, a distinction has now been endowed on nature in the name of recognizing its dauntless potential to sustain life without producing waste. Across the globe, the practice of this appreciation has been in a steady increase. In terms of the focal point of this new viewpoint, it is not singled out to what we can steal from nature as a satisfaction, but rather on what we can grasp from the variables that already accumulated success.

In Harare, Zimbabwe, the African termite mounds became the muses in the heating and cooling systems of the Eastgate Center Building. As innate architects, termites construct massive mounds, inside of which they produce their primary food – fungus. These farms must be kept at exactly 31 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, on the outside, the temperature ranges from 2 0C at night to 40 0C during the day. To maintain this undeniably remarkable system, these creatures dig new vents and replace the old ones every day in order to regulate the temperature. This reason for this is that the convection currents require air to be sucked in at the lower part of the mound, down into the muddy walls, and up to the summit.

In light of this knowledge, architect Mick Pearce, along with the Arup

engineers, designed a ventilation structure that works in a similar way. Through the building mass, the outside air that is drawn in is either cooled or warmed. This process depends on which is hotter, the air or the concrete. The former is then vented into the offices on the floors before exhausting through the chimney at the top.

With these creatures that are often belittled and ridden off, the Eastgate owners saved 3.5 million dollars because of the air-conditioning system that did not have to be implemented. Additionally, the center is now using 10% less energy than the surrounding conventional buildings of its size.

Another exceptional justification of the genius nature tracks us to the Shinkansen Bullet Train. Before the renovation, it violated the noise ordinances of Japan because whenever it drove through the tunnels, the air pressure is building up in waves, resulting in an immense noise pollution when it comes out that can be heard a quarter mile away. Gratefully, though, with the syllabus of the great mentor, an engineer recognized that a fish-eating owl, the kingfisher, hardly creates a sound when it dives into the water. This was when the nose of the train was remodeled to replicate the beak of the bird for which produced the outcomes of lessened noise, reduced power use, and faster speeds.

Furthermore, at the side of energy and flow, nature once again backed

The termite mound is covered in tiny holes that allow the air to pass through freely. Like a giant lung, the structure exhales and inhales as temperature rise and fall throughout the day.

The Eastgate Center building is made from concrete slabs and brick. Just like the soil inside the temite mound these materials have a high thermal mass which means they can absorb a lot of heat without changing temperature. By increasing the amount of surface area of the exterior, heat loss is improved at night while heat gain is reduced during the day.

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us up. In our haste to harness energy, solar cells are established through the inspiration of photosynthesis.

Green plants utilize chlorophyll to convert water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight into carbohydrates and oxygen.

A model for this system was designed based on the architecture of a single plant leaf. In the process, the solar cell uses water to be directly exposed to sunlight, much like leaves do. This is where it breaks the intact water into hydrogen and oxygen, and stores those gases in a fuel cell. Through this methodology, hydrogen fuel cells are made efficient, self-recharging, and less costly in terms of supplying energy for home and industrial establishments.

In trials of comprehending and resolving the conflicts of life, we must first acknowledge that the world is not ours alone and that learning from what surrounds us is more essential than competing.

The Road Now Taken

The complex human society proposes hurdles throughout the course of our existence and living in a setting where we are not the first swarm of species, our disorderliness probes to be higher as we grow in population. Through this predestined state of ours, the recommendation of the study would be to assimilate from the previous analects and be contrite like an apprentice.

Biomimicry offers us the coping mechanisms with the forces laid upon our predicaments. It is dependent to an adviser that represents a whole set of generations ahead of us for which speaks with a loud voice of, “We are already back from the top while you are still trekking to the summit.” This presupposes an intellectual conclusion of mediating a call to reconcile with nature.

A village is seen from miles away and all of humanity shouted in victory. Overlooking the four arrows of the compass, we are certain for one thing – there was not a war; it was ignorance that took us from the barracks and out to the open field of nothingness.

But at last, we have found the way, the road we never took because we thought it supersedes the tracks we created – and it actually does. We only took pride by the badges we own. Now with the desperation of survival, we linger to this path we once did not take and grow with the realization that it is an adventure well taken.

SOURCE PHOTO: https://www.oreilly.com/content/what-happens-when-youcombine-a-kingfisher-and-a-bullet-train-innovation/

The Engineers noticed how kingfisher birds are able to slice through the air and dive into the water to catch prey while barely making a splash. They then re-designed the front end of the train to mimic the shape of the kingfisher’s beak. Not only did this help to reduce noise and eliminate tunnel booms, it also allowed the train to travel 10% faster using 15% less electricity.

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reviews

“Perception is real, the truth is not.”

– Imelda Marcos

MOVIE 2019

simply imelda Genre: Documentary, Drama

Duratiom: 100 min By

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widow of Gen. Carlos Romulo and close friend of the Marcoses, Imelda became a different person after the Marcos-Beams affair. Ferdinand understood that he needs Imelda by her side. A self-proclaimed natural politician herself, Imelda, in the film, brags how she was close to world leaders such as Muammar Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein, and Mao Zedong.

Moreover, in the second half of the film, the euphoric extravagant life of Imelda and her family were counter-weighed by realities. Imelda, herself open up on Ninoy Aquino’s death where she claims she had nothing to do about it. Where Ninoy’s son, then-President Benigno Aquino III, described Imelda’s statement as absurd. The issue on ill-gotten wealth, human rights abuses in the Marcos regime did not escape from the storyline of the film.

The film also brought up the plan of the Marcos family to return to power especially, following the close margin lead, of Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., in the 2016 elections for vice president though defeated by the political newbie Leni Robredo. Bongbong hasn’t accepted defeat.

Greenfield balanced the narrative of Imelda by including the testimonies of Imelda’s friends, family, and political enemies.

In conclusion, there is nothing more to say about the film. It is compact and timely. It is a must for Filipinos to watch. Currently, The Kingmaker is being streamed by the streaming platform Showtime and locally, by ABS-CBN’s IWantTFC video-on-demand platform. Though, in the near-future, it is essential for the film to reach as many audiences to educate and remind people especially in the coming elections.

SOURCE PHOTO: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5105734/

“Perception is real, the truth is not.” – Imelda Marcos

As the old saying goes, behind every successful man there stands a woman. Perhaps, this is true for the power couple, Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, until they have been ousted from power after their more than two-decade reign.

The Kingmaker, written and directed by Laura Greenfield, trails the life of Imelda Marcos, former First Lady to late dictator, Ferdinand Marcos who served as President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986.

A natural subject described by Greenfield, Imelda tells her life as she reminisces her childhood, the moment she met her then soon-to-be husband, and the clout she enjoyed when she was still first lady. A part of the film, Imelda revealed that she had a nervous breakdown shortly after marrying Ferdinand after she was exposed to public life that she had little experience before.

Also, in the film, Imelda, known to have had an enormous collection of shoes and infrastructure projects, traces her extravagance and over-mothering, as she claims, to the deficiency she experienced after she was orphaned by her mother when she was eight years old. Revealed in the film, Imelda, in her spree of extravagance, even had people living in Calauit Island removed for her project of a mini paradise with animals shipped straight from Kenya.

In the film, a turning point of Imelda’s life that defined her as a kingmaker was when Ferdinand, his husband, had an affair with the American actress Dovie Beams. Beams had her and Mr. Marcos’s affair audio taped. Imelda obtained copies of the tapes and used them as a leverage for her husband to give in to whatever she wanted. Since then, as described by Beth Day Romulo,

Hector O. Cofreros

THE AUGUSTINIAN

“Imagine being stuck under with underwater water limited oxygen within a suit that might implode in any second, water pressure that can crush skulls, pitchblack darkness, and humongous humaneating aliens.” reviews

MOVIE 2020

Genre: Sci-fi, Horror

Duration: 95 min

Year: 2020

By

Kendra Felizimarie P. Magsico

SOURCE PHOTO: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5774060/

The surface of the ocean plays its whimsical veil of blues and greens, but what dark mystery is hidden miles below on the ocean-floor? Underwater is a sci-fi horror film directed by William Eubank whom dives us more than six miles below the ocean surface, to the deep unknown, as a group of underwater researchers test their strength for survival.

The movie quickly escalates with an abrupt eruption of water within the Kepler station, giving power to the early portions of the film, as Norah(Kristen Stewart) calls unto her crew members. With Rodrigo(Mamoudou) alongside her, they run a gamble for their lives.

The events bring rush and excitement through the utilization of camera angles making you feel like you were actually part of the scene.

Supplementing depth to the film are characters with various personalities. The Captain(Vincent Cassel) with his stable leadership, Paul(T.J. Miller) acquainting quirky humor that derails dull and awkward tension, Smith(John Gallagher Jr.) and his framework of techknowledge, and Emily(Jessica Henwick) showcasing personal dispositions. These personas aid in keeping

the film grounded and realistic, countering the film with its weak plot that offers nothing more than circumstances and outlying conflicts.

The movie firmly establishes Norah as the main protagonist and excellent heroine for her knowledge, reliability, and self-composition. The characters soon gather with no other thoughts but surviving, easier said than done. Survival can only be sufficed by walking on the ocean floor to the oppositestation pods. A task none has ever committed before, along with its potential risks. Imagine being stuck under water with limited oxygen within a suit that might implode in any second, water pressure that can crush skulls, pitch-black darkness, and humungous humaneating aliens.

Released last January 2020, the film received a $10 Million Box Office Gross putting shame to the $50 Million budget spent in it. Despite this fact, Underwater is a great watch considering its cinematography and relentless thrills aligned with modest background scores that will surely make anyone jump out of their chair.

2021 MOVIE

“A unique science ction movie within a box that builds suspense enough to keep The Last Breath of Tomorrow Genre: Psychological thriller, Sci-fi, Horror By

Minutes: 101

Marlyn Rose B. Marcelo

know only as much as Liz knows that’s satisfying.

Oxygen might be Alexandre Aja’s best movie to date with its high-concept script. Throughout its entire runtime, it strongly holds the attention of the viewer.

Even though it is a one-set location, the dialogues have perceptive elements to keep the film going. The direction from Alexandre Aja has no dull moments and he uses smart camera tricks maintaining nail-biting tension and suspense. He also explores a dizzying array of various angles and lighting cues to stop Liz’s predicament becoming visually monotonous. There’s always a sense of engagement with the ethereal music and the plot which showcases futuristic and sci-fi elements to add intrigue to the travails of the protagonist. Overall, Oxygen benefits from an innovative and well-written script, Aja’s excellent direction, and Mélanie Laurent’s stunning performance in which she only uses her face and voice, breathing the indomitable life into every frame.

Furthermore, the film, Oxygen, is totally different. A unique science fiction movie within a box that builds suspense, enough to keep an eye on. Without spoiling everything, it becomes a film that intertwines both grief and optimism, which defines the world right now in 2021, evaluating what we’ve lost while hoping for a brighter future.

SOURCE PHOTO: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6341832/

A French thriller film made from thin air, Oxygen, is a neat science fiction nightmare. It’s a one woman show, as Mélanie Laurent as Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Hansen delivers a performance worthy of praise. Basically, it is about isolation, loss, and uncertainty of the future. The film is directed by Alexandre Aja who successfully weaves together a tale that keeps everyone hooked, breathless, and electrified.

The lead character, Liz, also known as Omicron 267, is an excellent woman who wakes up enclosed in a cryogenic hi-tech pod. She races against time to rebuild her memory in order to survive. With the help of the AI console- MILO, she feels hopeful as she wanders the confined space where she’s in, being surrounded by screens and readouts, and hooked up to various life-support wires. Apart from the amnesia, Liz’s biggest problem is her oxygen that is slowly running out.

The main thrill kicks in as Liz begins to negotiate furiously with MILO. There are glimpses of disorienting flashbacks, ecstatic memories, and a spark of inspiration. The first half-hour of Oxygen slowly unfolds stories like a mystery.

Too many questions being flashed, but there’s uncertainty to when these concrete answers will be revealed. It might be neat to re-watch the entire film after the mystery have been revealed, but it’s that first view wherein the viewers

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reviews

MOVIE 2020

DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS Genre: Documentary

Duration: 110 min By

52

heard by the public, candidates in the film shared their own perspective of why they support or oppose the administration.

It is astonishing to see in the film the sensational support received by the administration from the public despite that the film also introduced the stories of the family and close friends of the victims of the extrajudicial killings.

Considered as a contemporary problem that threatens democracies around the world, the film illustrated how social media is weaponized for propaganda mostly through organized disinformation movements to manipulate and create false public perception.

A Thousand Cuts points out that the weaponization of the law, persecution of journalists, rise of populism and spread of disinformation is ‘a thousand cuts’ to the body politic leading to the metaphorical death of Philippine Democracy.

Ressa and her team is acknowledged around the world for the work they are doing but the challenge now for them and other journalists in the country is to deliver the news to the public who holds the power to change what is wrong in a democratic government, to push away the force that tries to shrink the right of the press to be free.

A Thousand Cuts is an eye opener to the unseen reality of politics and the digital space in contemporary times not just in the Philippines but around the world.

SOURCE PHOTO: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5105734/

“We will not duck, we will not hide, we will hold the line.” - Maria Ressa

How do democracies die? Well, A Thousand Cuts delves deep in the bleeding young contemporary Philippine Democracy through the lens of the fourth estate - the press.

The film, written, directed, co-edited and produced by the awardwinning Asian American filmmaker, Ramona Diaz is a work of art. Currently streaming free on YouTube, A Thousand Cuts is distributed by PBS Distribution and Frontline.

A Thousand Cuts features Maria Ressa the CEO of the online news site, Rappler, who, since the onset of the populist Duterte Administration, is overwhelmed with charges against her and her company following their meticulous coverage of the administration’s campaign-promised ‘war on drugs’.

As the film follows the personal and professional struggle of Ressa and other journalists in their quest to tell the truth and defend Philippine press freedom, it also details how Ressa and her team uncovered the surface and underground networked propaganda machinations used by the administration to win the 2019 midterm elections and solidify grip in the second half of their term.

The film also follows the quests of both the administration supported candidates and opposition candidates who rallied across the country to consolidate support for their political crusades. Also, never seen before seen and

Hector O. Cofreros

THE AUGUSTINIAN

“ ittle Oblivions is a L hauntingly beautiful portrait of Baker’s struggles and insecurities drawn with mournful, even angry strokes despite its wellcra ed pleasing melodies.”

SOURCE PHOTO: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/julien-baker-little-oblivions/

reviews

2021 POETRY

Wide Horizons in Little Oblivions Genre: Rock No. of Songs: 12 Duration of Album: 42 min 44 seconds

By

Hannah Jhanylle C. Po

Sticks and stones break the bones, but it is the inner battles that hurt the most.

Glimpses of droning medical equipment, protective equipment shortages, the stock market crash, and cries for justice - 2020 held many stories, with some still told today. The war outside is loud, but perhaps there is comfort in that, a way to drown out the piercing sound of inner cries.

Tennessee singer-songwriter and producer Julien Baker’s February 26, 2021 studiorelease, “Little Oblivions” offered no such luxuries, fully immersing in personal tragedies and the sinkhole of addiction, mental illness, self-loathing, and religion.

Unlike the vocals-keyboard-guitar trio of her 2015 debut, “Sprained Ankle” and the additional woodwinds and strings of 2017’s “Turn Out the Lights,” the “Little Oblivions’’ features a fuller sound reminiscent of Baker’s Forrister days with guitar, keyboards, bass, drums, mandolin, banjo, and multitracked backing vocals. Still, it mostly keeps the “one-man-band” nature of previous releases, with additional instrumentation by mix-engineer Calvin Lauber and a small Boygenius reunion in “Favor.”

“Hardline,” with its blaring organ chords transitioning to guitar and drum sounds, begins the confessional train with contemplative yet harsh lyrics glossing over the seemingly inescapable, cyclical nature of addiction.

Much of the album explores these

relapses and how they affect social interactions.

“Ringside,” for one, reflects the inner thoughts of an artist suffering from anxiety and obsessivecompulsive disorder, specifically regarding feelings of shame and mortification of having been a burden caught powerless against controlling habits and emotions brought on by mental illnesses.

Misplaced faith, another overarching theme, becomes particularly obvious in “Faith Healer.” Through a radio-rock curtain of hazy guitar strums, light drum brushes, and airy vocals, the track traverses over the human need for solace from friends and family who may not see the full picture, which vices “cure” until renewed sobriety unveils the truth. On this, Baker shared, “For a while, I only had the first verse, which is just a really candid confrontation of the cognitive dissonance a person who struggles with substance abuse can feel - the overwhelming evidence that this substance is harming you, and the counterintuitive but very real craving for the relief it provides.”

In this sense, substance abuse gives a temporary fix but eventually shatters the broken.

“Song in E” mirrors the fallout, the need to keep up a facade of bravery while wanting to have others to blame instead of one’s self. Despite being the least interesting song instrumentally, only having soft piano strokes, it still imparts a powerful point and the best sample of Baker’s vocals in the entire

album.

For its last few minutes, the album, despite its characteristic bleakness, emphasizes how much of what we see is an illusion and that people are more understanding than initially thought in “Highlight Reel.” Then, “Zip Tie” billows away with a question, “With all the cruelties of the modern world, was it worth it for Jesus to have died for the sins of humanity?”

“What makes people anxious is the unwillingness to accept uncertainty, but it’s just kind of a defense mechanism. At the end of the day, if I write as truthfully as possible, if I take a fearless moral inventory of myself and put it in a song, then nobody can tell me that I’m being dishonest,” Baker expressed, in an interview with The Washington Post.

All things considered, “Little Oblivions” is a hauntingly beautiful portrait of Baker’s struggles drawn with mournful, even angry strokes despite its well-crafted, pleasing melodies. It is a heavy listen, each lyric terrifyingly raw and honest. Through it, one may realize the importance of opening society’s mind to much-needed conversations about mental illness and concretizing the abstract experience, not continuously viewing it through a “happily-ever-after” lens.

Indeed, 2020 has seen many external changes and scars. Now, it is time to give the internal wounds a chance to heal.

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SOURCE PHOTO: https://open.spotify.com/album/78DGZs2xfMMWKTRTpOxh4n

A unique science ction movie ithin a box that uilds suspense nough to keep an ye on A unique science ction movie ithin a box that uilds suspense nough to keep an ye on reviews

ALBUM 2020

Awakening souls in isolation Genre: Rock No. of Songs: 9

Duration: 37 min 30 seconds By

Mary Wen Anthony T. Rivera

Even as the world revolves within the suppression of the ongoing pandemic, this 4-part band continues to outshine the blues, wearing away their despair and gloominess to resonate a ray of hope for the country’s anew in their fifth studio album, Waiting For The End To Start.

The Itchyworms is composed of Jazz Nicolas for vocal and drums, together with Jugs Jugueta for vocal and guitar, Kelvin Yu for bass, and Chino Singson for guitar. Released last August 17, 2020, the quartet combined their experiences and turned the 9-track into a quarantinethemed anthology.

Blast from the past of 2005, “Armageddon Blues” was said to be ahead of its time, so when Jugueta still had the demo, the band thought of releasing the song as it jives with the present end-of-the-world kind-of situation in this time of the pandemic.

Aren’t you afraid of what’s happening?/It really gives me the blues/If I could have someone near me now/It’s only you that I’d choose

In addition to “Armageddon Blues” under Sony Music Philippines is “The Silence” which was composed when Metro Manila was placed under the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ). It speaks about the deafening silence as it kills the physical and mental states of a person in a metaphoric sense.

There’s a creature roaming right outside our door/So be careful when you walk, don’t creak the floor/So if we stay inside, we’ll all be fine/Let’s wait for it to die, it’s just a matter of time

“Same Day” represents the usual days that is happening since the start of the pandemic. The song tries to vary one day from another, but still ending up with just the exact day. Matching its mood is a one-liner that goes on and on and on, “InstruMental.” One of the band members commented that it “gives off a conspiracy theory vibe” with what we’re all going through.

Another day is up that midnight/Tomorrow looks just like today/ I’m slowly questioning my eyesight/Did not do this yesterday/Can’t hardly tell what’s in between/While there’s a whole world left unseen

I think we know you know/I think we know you know

“Give Me A Love Song” is just simply asking for love through a

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songwriters’ composition. This song was also brought up from its guitar solo to rock ballad.

Every time I think of you/And all the things that we used to do/I can’t help but feel alone/Like I lost my home/And I’m on my own

The effect of the ongoing isolation in our homes comes “Mary Walter (In The Water).” It’s like when one has these thoughts for quite some time, and these thoughts are becoming real through the images that he/she is seeing or the voices that he/she is hearing. One is becoming delusional.

Another is “Burning The Bridges” as cutting down links between us and the people we’ve known. And “The Life I Know” is realizing that one’s former self is eventually transitioned into someone mature and different than before.

When my mind is in the air/When my heart is in despair/When my body is far away from me/When I’m drunk, I see…/Mary Walter in the water/ Mary Walter in the water

Would you blame me if I burned my bridges?/Would you blame me if I didn’t care?/I can’t believe you didn’t see it coming/Would you blame me if I burned my bridge?/Would you blame me if I burned my bridge?

To make it through tomorrow/You gotta step out of your past/In a world that’s always changing/Only a few things ever last/Without you I’ll never make it/My wound would never heal/Without your love I’ll never take it/I wouldn’t figure out what is real

“Waiting For The End To Start” is showing that the world is inevitably about to fall from the verge of the cliff.

I’m waiting for the end to start/Waiting for the end to start/Meet me on the other side/’Cause I’m waiting for the end to start.

Released digitally and launched virtually, The Itchyworms managed to come up with a decent album despite the technical difficulties across online meetings. Recently, the album has its vinyl version to be released courtesy of Sony Music and Backspacer Records. The album art on its vinyl jacket, illustrated by AidWWon Panlaqui, is already a potential nominee for the best album of the year. Even though the band continues to wait for the end, their future in the music industry would be filled with more splashing colors.

SOURCE PHOTO: https://www.amazon.com/all-you-poetry-Nico-Tortorella/dp/0525576533

reviews

2018 POETRY

A Star Map From You to Universe Genre: Poetry No. of pages: 251

By

Pauline Marie C. Arada

“You are galaxies infinite, gravitationally pulled, and I believe in every one of your planetary iterations.”

Body.

“LUNGS: it is when you stopped all together then all else fails” In forty-five days, Nico Tortorella created his debut poetry collection exploring “all of it”, from the smallest cells in our bodies to the outer limits of the universe. The book depicts a transformational journey of Tortorella, and how he analogized everything on this earth like an orb blasting through space at ridiculous speeds; trying so hard to decipher who we are as human beings. The six-pointed star in the front cover correlates the different parts of the world which carries a lot of weight. In his introduction in the book, Tortorella mentioned the universal shape is known as merkaba: mer stands for light, Ka stands for spirit, and Ba stands for body. It is widely known as the chariot and throne of god; combined with the iteration of Da Vinci’s Vitruvian man, Tortorella’s natal astrology chart, his left hand, the planet earth, and the cosmos—there’s enough power to turn the pages upsidedown.

Earth.

“WATER: there has never been any more of you, than what began”

Since the book has been conceived and mapped out in a span of forty-five days, there have been a lot of flaws in Tortorella’s criminally pretentious lines. There is unevenness in his wordings, lack of coherence in every paragraph that he wrote —a wordsoup to be precise. As much as Tortorella wanted to place himself in different parts in his very first creation, putting his own pictures in some pages is a little bit distracting while reading his lines. However, the organization of his musings is outstanding that each piece feels like a personal letter addressed to the topic. Tortorella’s chosen tone is like searching for something—humble, with the right amount of pensive emotion, and often irreverent wit.

Universe.

“Lover, you are the sun plus everything that orbits around it.” Even so, Tortorella’s debut poetry collection presents a singular with a greater integrity honed through his years as an actor, a podcaster, an LGBTQA advocate, and one colored with love and endless curiosity. Among the pages, the utmost payoff would be the sparkles that seem to speak sharply and directly to the reader. It is more than just words on pages—it is a sensuous journey. That’s the practical magic in it; delving into who we are and how we relate to the world around us, showing how we are connected that ushered us an understanding as to why we are here and our very own existence. “All of it is You” is everything—all of it within, all of it on earth, all of it in the stars, has always been You.

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“It is a heartbreakingly beautiful love story THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO combined with a touchof reality of how a person can sacri ce everything for one’s dream and the tragic truth of hiding “The boy never cried again, and he never forgot what he’d learned: that to love is to destroy and that to be loved is to be reviews

NOVEL 2017

Genre: Romance Novel, Historical fiction

No. of pages: 400

By

Honey Mabelle Villarba

“People think that intimacy is about sex. However, intimacy is about truth. When you realize you can tell someone your truth, when you can show yourself to them, when you stand in front of them bare and their response is ‘you’re safe with me’- that’s intimacy.”

The novel jumpstarts with the mystery of how the Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is ready to tell the world about her glamorous and hidden secrets in life only if reporter Monique Grant would do the job. Meanwhile, Monique is exactly on the rocks with everything in her life. Her marriage failed and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why she was selected to write Evelyn’s biography, Monique was determined to use this opportunity to set off her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, Evelyn likewise unspools a story of passionate aspirations, treasured friendships, and a great forbidden love. Monique then began to feel a somewhat special connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s tragedies in life.

It is a heartbreakingly beautiful love story combined with a touch of

reality of how a person can sacrifice everything for one’s dream and the tragic truth of hiding one’s true self. There is an element of anticipation in every chapter that the readers could eagerly look forward to an experience that alternates between excitement, happiness, sadness, and disappointment at the same time. The smooth sailing shifts from Monique to Evelyn’s perspective is satisfying. From the outset up to the end, Hugo’s narration of her life captures the soul of the book. She is only human and she can desire, her emotions show intimacy and familiarity that it evokes empathy to the readers. Evelyn was married seven times but the story behind these controversies is entangled with the progression of her career in Hollywood in taking the limelight. Overall, the novel delves into her compromises while battling social norms and hiding her real identity and one great love. The book will definitely take one into a rollercoaster of emotions while it likewise leads one to open his/her eyes to issues that hinder people to be their truest selves.

The highlight of the story is that it isn’t about Evelyn’s seven husbands at all. It is entirely about rampant social issues that started way back and is still thriving presently. It is about Evelyn struggling against both racism and misogyny in a time notorious for both while finding what really matters most – family and love.

SOURCE PHOTO:https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Seven-Husbands-of-Evelyn-Hugo/Taylor-Jenkins-Reid/9781501161933

2020 NOVEL

WHEN LOVE IS IN CONTROL Genre: Novel, Fantasy, Fiction, Adventure By

“The boy never cried again, and he never forgot what he’d learned: that to love is to destroy and that to be loved is to be the one destroyed.”

Certain things are hidden for a reason, and sometimes those certainties are the last pieces to fathom our purpose in this world. If those are unlocked, we either perceive our once lost will to live continuously or regret unearthing the key in the first place. However, what is genuinely the worst incident that could change the life of a fifteen-year-old girl in a heartbeat?

The City of Bones is the first book in Cassandra Clare’s bestselling young-adult fictional series, The Mortal Instruments. Set in modern-day fantasy, the story begins when Clary Fray hauls off to the Pandemonium Club in New York City with her long-time friend, Simon Lewis. Supposedly, the night was a getaway, so Clary hardly expects a murder to unfold, much less the one committed by three teenagers with peculiar markings and bizarre ablaze weapons. Strangely enough, other people carry on dancing, and she is the only one with the Sight. This circumstance traces Clary’s initial view of the Shadowhunters − warriors sworn to purge the earth of demons and keep the Downworlders in line. This event also made her meet Jace, one of the most respected half-angels in the Shadow World who will spiral Clary into a world of vengeance, uncertainty, love, jealousy, and sin.

In a parallel world of angel descendants, fairies, vampires, werewolves, and other hosts of creatures, the characters’ imperfect personalities balance out the development of the story. Clary, still stunned, remains impulsive yet enchanting and zealous. Although cunning and powerful, Jace alludes a conceited behavior and dreadful sarcasm, especially to Simon, a mundane (non-magic human). With the added harmony of an

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No. of pages: 485

Shergen Q. Villanueva

empowered Isabelle Lightwood and her older, out-of-this-world moody brother Alexander, the book is never limited to a single plot.

Although the conflict started with Clary, the in-between scenes prove that Jace’s perspective of everything carries the mood of the story. His insulting attitude hides a scar from his childhood definition of love. Furthered by a myriad of affectionate sets with Clary, the trauma continues to resurface within him. These emotional hurdles and ongoing trials make the book nonmonotonous and more engaging, significantly when nothing can ever be predicted.

Most of the author’s inspirations in this book are of Jewish customs and Biblical texts. These references make the book more intriguing especially to Christian readers and lovers of century-old poems like The Divine Comedy

by Dante Alighieri. Moreover, Cassandra is fond of staccato sentences that give an emphasis to the tone of a certain scene. The writer also makes use of words that can be easily comprehended even by non-native English speakers.

On character backgrounds, flashbacks, and laws within the plot, Cassandra utilizes Latin quotes such as “Lex mala, lex nulla” meaning A bad law is no law. Additionally, the unsure actions, decisions, and adventures in the story provoke a sense of responsibility in a reader’s view to correct them with a critical mind. Thus, critical thinkers will most likely find this book compelling.

Though the main characters are still teenagers, this book is also appropriate to millenials.

Ultimately, the City of Bones is a must-read book, especially for people who speak up for the captives of injustice. For the adventurous ones, this book also offers captivating sequences for they depict the concept of unraveling the road less traveled by. There are scenes when the characters get awfully candid with their resolutions, mainly when love is in the picture.

These deeds acted upon love are generally impulsive, but with the foresight of the outcome, this only depicts that we would not know the worthiness of something if we do not take the risk.

SOURCE PHOTO: https://www.amazon.com/City-Bones-Mortal-Instruments-Book-ebook/dp/B0013TXA5Y

“QOUTE”

- SAMPLE TEXT

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”

- Heraclitus