The Bicol Universitarian The Official Student Publication of Bicol University AY 2013-2014

1. WORKING HAND-IN-HAND. Police officers and volunteers repack the relief goods provided
by the provincial government of Albay in order to give support to the survivors of Super Typhoon
Yolanda (international name Haiyan) in the hardly-hit provinces of Visayas at the Albay Astrodome.
V olume x li Issu e 1 J u ne- O C T O B ER 2 0 1 3
DON MARI PHIL FRAYNA
ME MBE R: C ol l ege Edito rs Guild o f the Philippines, Bico l Asso ciatio n o f Student Campus Writers
SC scraps pork; BU scholars plea
by Joshua Caleb Pacleta and Dorie Mae Ornido
In a landmark decision that is bound to affect the
culture of political patronage in the country, the
Supreme Court (SC) declared unconstitutional
the Priority Development Assistance Fund
(PDAF) or the congressional pork barrel, Nov.
19.
The SC ruling was issued five months
after the Philippine Daily Inquirer exposed the story
that the P10 billion in allocations from the PDAF
was channeled into ghost projects through bogus
nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and had gone
to massive kickbacks over the past 10 years.
However, the decision has caused concern
among students whose scholarship programs are
financed under the congressional pork barrel funds.
The Commission on Higher Education
(CHED) officials assured that the commission will
search for possible sources of funding for thousands
of scholars reliant on the multibillion-peso fund.
“As early as October, after the Supreme
BU hosts Guiness
attempt
by Dorie Mae Ornido
With 3,200 participants out of the 13,892
in official count, Bicol University formed
part of the biggest delegation in the World’s
Largest Human No Smoking Sign advocated
by the Smoke-Free Albay Network (SFAN)
last June 28 to promote awareness on
cigarette smoking among Albayanos and
attempt to be one of the Guinness World
Record (GWR) title holders.
“Aside from being recognized by
the GWR, the main purpose of this event is to
promote people’s awareness on the effects of
cigarette smoking and encouragement of the
LGU’s to have their own ordinances,” Albay
Board Member Herbert Borja, SFAN chairman,
said.
The symbol filled with colors of red,
white and black had a total area of 5,033 sq.
m. or more than half of a hectare drawn at the
soccer field facing the commencement stage.
In the absence of a GWR representative, three
Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) served as
independent witnesses as a requirement of the
GWR.
Out of the 18 local government
BU hosts/page 2
Court released its decision for a temporary
restraining order on the release of the PDAF, CHED
issued an appeal to the 111 State Universities and
Colleges (SUCs) to allow PDAF beneficiaries who
were enrolled in the first semester of this school
year, to enroll in the second semester,” Chairperson
Patricia B. Licuanan said in a press statement last
Nov. 22, 2013.
“Once CHED has assessed the resources
needed by former PDAF grantees in public and
private higher education institutions (HEIs), CHED
will tap into its Higher Education Development
Fund, funds from the General Appropriations Act
and possibly from the President’s Social Fund,”
Licuanan added in the same document.
Licuanan said that CHED will extend
assistance to the students whose tuition and other
school fees were taken from the money from their
district, or the congressional pork barrel. She also
said that the budget under the new line item will go
directly to the SUCs and will not have to pass through
district representatives.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Association
of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) issued
Advisory No. 110 to all SUCs, asking them to
consider the House of Representatives’s prior request.
“In response to the PASUC advisory,
President Fay Lauraya made a memorandum that BU
will consider the request, given that the congressmen
will send an assurance letter that they will support
PASUC’s advisory and will still support the scholars
and pay for their scholarship no matter what happens
in the PDAF issue,” Office of Student Services (OSS)
Assistant Dean Dr. Baby Boy Benjamin Nebres said.
CONGRESSIONAL ‘PORK’
Under the abolished PDAF system, every
district and party-list representative gets a pork
allocation of P70 million per year, while each of
the 24 senators receives P200 million a year. House
Albay consumers vote for PSP scheme
members may spend a maximum of P30 million
on soft projects, which show direct impact on the
scholars, health and other social services projects.
The remaining P40 million may be spent on hard or
infrastructure projects.
The task of the lawmaker is only to identify
what projects he wants to be funded at the start, then
monitor and sign on to project completion in the
end. The budget will then be only released when the
lawmaker is able to identify the programs he is going
to implement, such as scholarship programs.
When asked about the effects of the
PDAF’s abolition, Cong. Fernando Gonzales of the
3rd district of Albay said that they are now trying
to get an alternative to PDAF and that they are still
studying how the national government can take over
its function.
“So we now have to have another
mechanism, probably through CHED, for them to
assume the scholars that were funded under the
SC scraps/page 3
in this issue
5
by Jessica Bechayda with reports from Mary Christelle de Vera
By way of a referendum supervised by the
Philippine Rural Electricity Cooperative
Association, the Albay Electric Cooperative
(Aleco) has been decided to a Private Sector
Participation scheme in order to bail out the
coop of its unpaid P4-billion debt, Sept. 14.
San Miguel Corporation Global Power
Holdings (SMC) represented the PSP scheme while
the Cooperative to Cooperative (C2C) Partnership
was represented by the Benguet Electric Cooperative
(BENECO).
PSP garnered 5,506 of the total votes over
C2C which only gained 3,941 votes.
The three districts of Albay voted as follows:
First District had PSP-94, C2C-155; Second District
voted with PSP-2,139; C2C-1,222; and Third District
had 2,426 for PSP and 715 for C2C.
However, according to Energy Sec. Jericho
Petilla, SMC will not own Aleco. SMC, he said, will
just run the cooperative for 25 years and shoulder the
debt and pay monthly concession fees.
With this outcome, SMC’s subsidiary SMC
Global Power Holdings Corp. will run the cooperative
as a private corporation guided by its technical bid
accepted by the Interim Board.
The SMC technical bid provides that a sole
and exclusive agent or concessionaire of Aleco will
act on matters such as application for increase in
tariff with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC)
provided that the concessionaire only collect such
tariffs that ERC approved.
On the fate of the existing operations and
maintenance personnel of the cooperative, Aleco
will indemnify, defend and hold the concessionaire,
its directors, officers and employees free by reason of
their separation from employment.
As required by the technical bid, all
equipment of Aleco for transmission and distribution
must be in good condition and considering that
the technical system loss the cooperative has been
suffering are due to equipment that are in need of
repair and Aleco must first restore them before SMC
takes over.
In a press release statement, Ramon S. Ang,
president of SMC, said that in its effect to improve the
cooperative operation and profitability, SMC Global
Power will make an investment of P1.2 billion. This
amount will be released over a three to four-year
period.
“The paying debt will be subject to the
positive performance of the business,” Ang said.
“None of the debt will be passed on to consumers
and over the next three years, SMC Global Power
will work out a series of programs that include the
upgrading and construction of new sub-stations,
the correction of metering, installations, and the
improvement of distribution lines.”
Albay comsumers/page 5
news page
P1.2 B road project to boost
Albay’s economy
page
6
features
Talks about her
belly
features
Pork:Telenovela in
thePhilippine
Politics
page
12
page
14
entertainment
Metamorpismo
ni Justine Jane Kutitob

2. 2
NEWS
FAIRNESS. ACCURACY. GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE.
BU joins Asia Summer
Program anew
by Jessica Bechayda with reports from Glenda Ante
In the interest of studying further the
diverse cultures of the neighbouring
Asian countries, Bicol University joined
for the second time the Asia Summer
Program (ASP) held last July 8 to 28 at
Dongseo University, Busan, South Korea.
The three-week summer program
aimed to promote and build linkages between
Asian countries by letting its participants
experience the international environment.
“We’ll soon realize that the world
is getting smaller, so we should not only
learn to compete with our co-fellowmen
but to be globally competitive thus valuing
communication skills will take into account,”
Iny Montallana, BU Student Council (USC)
business manager, said.
The ASP began through a shared
sense of responsibility led by leaders of
the five founding universities: Bangkok
University, Thailand; Dongseo University,
Korea; Josai University, Japan; Petra Christian
University, Indonesia; and University
Malaysia Perlis, Malaysia.
Last year, only five universities
attended the said summer program. This
year, 27 universities coming from 11 different
countries all over Asia participated.
Bicol University College Student
Council (CSC) presidents namely Maria
Jeanne Carla Briones from the College of
Arts and Letters (CAL), John Jervie Alcera
from the College of Science (CS), Dim
Monasterial from the Institute of Physical
Education, Sports and Recreation (IPESR),
Coleen Serrano from the College of Nursing
(CN), Arianne Bernardino from the College
of Education (CE), Jaggy Lanuza from
the College of Business, Economics and
Management (CBEM), Blesila Castelo from
the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
(CSSP), Carla Jane Desdir from the College
of Industrial Technology (CIT), Michael
Ferreras from the Gubat Campus (GC),
Christian Tino from the Polangui Campus
(PC) and Kim Jolean Ocbina from the College
of Agriculture and Forestry (CAF) were sent
to represent BU.
Also part of the delegates from BU
are College of Engineering (CENG) CSC
Vice-President Jan Rizz Maravillaz, Tabaco
Campus (TC) CSC Treasurer Dian Leron,
USC Chairperson Mark Harris Lim and Iny
Montallana.
CENG cadet Girl Scout
attends int’l camp
by Jervy Anne Romero
Filled with the determination to serve,
a cadet girl scout from Bicol University
represented the Philippines as one of the
16 Ambassadresses of Goodwill to the
Giggles 2013 International Camp at United
Kingdom.
Cadet Girl Scout Alegria Roser Naz
Nebres, a 4th year BS Civil Engineering student
from the College of Engineering (CENG)
participated in the eight-day camp held at
Husbands Barn, Stainforth, Near Settle, North
Yorkshire, and North East England, United
Kingdom last July 27 to Aug 3.
To cover up for her expenses, she
was given P50,000 as travel grant from the Girl
Scouts of the Philippines (GSP) along with BU’s
P20,000 financial assistance.
Nebres is the only delegate from
Southern Luzon along with the other 15
delegates from Iloilo, Isabela and Davao
Council.
She said that aside from meeting
new friends from the other countries, Nebres
was also able to enhance her public speaking
ability especially when she introduced the GSP
International Performance at the Global Village.
“This will serve as encouragement for
BU female students to join and register as cadet
girl scouts and enjoy the benefits of being a
member of the GSP,” said Dr. Alma M. Lozada,
Nebres’s troop leader and past GSP Albay
Council executive.
Before being awarded as the 2011
National Outstanding Girl Scout, Nebres was
also declared as the Chief Girl Scout Medalist
in 2010, personally awarded by then President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at the Malacañang
Palace.
“I can’t forget the experiences I gained
from the Giggles 2013 International Camp,”
Nebres said. “I will cherish this all my life
because it developed me more as a person.”
Caving at White Scar Cave,
International Performance at the Global Village,
having a trip to Blackpool Tower, Pleasure
Beach and Malhalm Treasure Reserve were just
some of the highlights of the activities in the
camp.
About 2000 scouts and girl guides
from England, Ghana, Philippines, Singapore,
Australia, Ireland, Scotland and Nigeria
participated in the said camp organized by
Girlguiding Northeast England.
CAL stude represents
PH in UN workshop
by Danica Villagarcia
Another student from Bicol University
made a splash in the international campus
scene, this time, in the recently held Model
United Nations (MUN) Workshop last
August 26 to 29 at UN Headquarters in New
York, USA.
“I feel very blessed and privileged to
be part of the one of the biggest event of UN,”
said Therese Isabelle S. Vega, a 3rd-year AB
Journalism student from the College of Arts and
Letters. “The Model UN is a 3-day workshop
which taught us lots of thing. We were taught
how to simulate the United Nation itself.”
The MUN-Workshop was joined by
95 representatives coming from 31 different
countries all over the world. Vega was the only
delegate from the Philippines.
Vega explained that it also provided
them, the ones who are actively involved
in organizing Model UN programs at the
university level around the world, with a deeper
understanding of how the General Assembly and
Security Council operates.
She added that they learned the basics
of the General Assembly’s Rules and Procedures,
and the discussion and action phases of the
General Assembly Committee meetings that they
need to know when drafting resolutions, duties
and responsibilities of the UN Secretariat and
General Assembly officials, and how they work
together.
Vega shared that it is not only a
blessing and a privilege for her, but also a big
responsibility for she has not only represented
BU but the whole country.
“I’m very proud of Vega, her
participation in the MUN workshop in New
York serves as an inspiration to the rest of the
CALibers. She has given pride and honor not
only to the college, but also to the university as
well,” Dr. Ma. Julieta B. Borres, CAL dean, said.
Borres also encouraged the rest of the
students to look for opportunities other than
what the university could give them just like
what Vega did.
The United Nations Department of
Public Information (UNDPI) in partnership
with the United Nations Information Service
(UNIS) in Vienna and the United Nations
Youth Associations Network (UNYANET) coorganized the said international event.
BREAKING THE HABIT. A sea of Albayanos stay in the middle of the BU commencement ground under the sun’s
intense heat in forming the largest human “no smoking” sign to communicate the message of a smoke-free Albay.
Don Mari Phil Frayna
BU HOSTS/page1
units (LGUs) in Albay, only Legazpi, Tabaco, Ligao,
Daraga and Guinobatan have their own smoke-free
ordinances. The targeted number of 13,000 people
represents the number of the 13 remaining LGUs that
still have no ordinance.
Each participant was given a long sleeveshirt and a barcode sticker attached on the shoulder to
be scanned before entering the formation. But because
of the delay, the barcodes were removed and left at the
entrance to speed up the formation of the logo. Only
three scanners were provided by AMA Legazpi.
“We’ve faced too much stress and challenges
that we have already overcome. We handled 13,000 and
we only have 20 people,” Jonathan Sadueste Ng, AMA
head, said.
During the course of the event, some
participants were sent to the medical team because of
dizziness and loss of consciousness, and three were
brought to the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching
Hospital (BRTTH) due to difficulty in breathing,
according to Dr. Eric N. Rabinon, head of the BRTTH
team.
The Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003, R.A.
9211, implements the ban on smoking in schools. It
prohibits smoking in centers of youth activity such as
playschools, preparatory schools, elementary schools,
high schools, colleges and universities, youth hostels
and recreational facilities for persons under 18 years
old. Smoking areas are not allowed within the premises
of schools and tobacco products must not be sold
within 100 meters from the school.
NO SMOKING IN BU
BU President Dr. Fay Lea Patria Lauraya
claimed that as an active member of SFAN and having
the expansive land area, BU was chosen to host the
attempt.
The BUeños who participated in the event
were a combination of the university’s staff and
students.
Lauraya stressed the prevailing policy in
the BU student handbook under Section VI, Rules
and Regulations on Student Conduct and Discipline,
page 42 of the revised 2012 edition that says, “[BU] is
a smoke-free campus. Smoking shall not be allowed in
the university premises.”
Lauraya urged all the Albayanos to join the
movement for the progress of Bicol.
The event was also attended by the BU Board
of Regents and high-ranking officials in the Bicol
Region headed by Albay Governor Joey Sarte Salceda.
Mining Eng’g pioneers
ace board exam
by Jervy Anne Romero
Obtaining a 93.33 percent passing rate from
the recently concluded Mining Engineering
Licensure Examination, the pioneer batch of
Bicol University College of Engineering (CEng)
BS in Mining Engineering (BSME) course
program aced the board exam as 28 out of 30
graduates passed with two of the examinees
making it to the top 10.
Dailyn A. Nivero and Sarah Mae B.
Ajon notched the 8th and 9th places, respectively.
Nivero and Ajon were both scholars of RapuRapu Polymetallic Project (RRPM). Out of the 30
examinees from BU, 17 were part of scholarship
programs: Twelve of the 17 were from RRPM and
five were scholars of Rock Energy International.
A total number of 117 examinees passed
out of the 141 examinees throughout the country.
DESPITE SHORTCOMINGS
Nivero and Ajon both shared that most
of the topics during the review for the board exam
were not taught in CEng.
However, Nivero said that she is not
depreciating the college but by the time they have
started the review much of the lectures were new
and unfamiliar to them.
“So parang di yun review kasi most
of the lecture bago sa amin. And I guess one
thing that [CEng] should address is wala kaming
masyadong learning materials,” Nivero added.
Nivero challenged the present CEng
administration, “Improve the things that should
be improved. Give what your students should
learn from you and train them well for them to
become more efficient and effective leaders of the
mining industry,” she said.
Frances Katreen S. Razon, BU Mining
Engineering Institute of the Philippines (EMIP)
president, stated, “Actually, nagkukulang talaga sa
learning materials lalo na sa mga professor.”
According to Laarni Manrique, budget
officer I of CEng, the mining engineering
department is one of the departments receiving
the least budget per academic year. This is because
the budget allocation is proportional to the
number of students per department.
However, Engr. Victor Florece, Mining
Engineering Department head, admitted that
they were overwhelmed by the result of the recent
board exam.
“We’re glad that despite the lack of
teachers, facilities and materials, the outcome was
still that good,” Florece added.
Florece further said that this
achievement serves as an inspiration and a
challenge to the students of the college.
“Because of the standard [the pioneer
batch] have set, the challenge for us now is to
maintain and even surpass this success,” Florece
added.
“Because of the standard
(the pioneer batch) have
set, the challenge
for us now is to maintain
and even surpass
this success”

3. 3
NEWS
FAIRNESS. ACCURACY. GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE.
NEWSBRIEFS
Int’l Jamboree pushes environment
advocacy
Gearing up the youth with the proper
knowledge to combat global warming,
the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP)
Mayon, Albay Council, in partnership with
the Provincial Government of Albay, City
Government of Ligao and Bicol University
(BU) held this year’s Scouts for Environment
International Jamboree at Kawa-Kawa Natural
Park, Tuburan, Ligao City last August 21 to
25.
Themed “Scouts: Help Save Mother
Earth,” the jamboree intended to help the
students in gaining adequate and thorough
understanding of the climate change
adaptation and mitigation practices, disaster
preparedness and risk reduction management
in order to create a better response among
participants towards issues concerning the
environment and health.
A total of 6,495 delegates
coming from the 13 regions of the country
participated while 35 foreign participants
from the countries of Belgium, Croatia,
France, Germany, Japan and United States of
America also joined.
Danica Navida
Hellobicol to lift tourism
Advocating the promotion of region-wide
tourism through online journalism, Bicol
Organization of Neo-Journalists (BONJour)
of Bicol University College of Arts and
Letters (CAL) launched hellobicol.com to the
worldwide web.
“As a journalism student, I am
advocating the promotion of youth’s
awareness for the appreciation of Bicol
cultural heritage,” said Zanie Jovellana, project
initiator and online content editor.
The said website will feature photos
and written features on the lifestyle, arts
and cuisine of Bicol Region and will open
awareness for the youth about Bicol culture.
Multi-media features specifically videos
dubbed as Hello Bicol Express will also be
included in the site.
Joan Marcia Navara, BONJour
president stated, “Hellobicol.com is open
for tourism-relevant stories of all students
whether they are journalism students or not.”
For the project maintenance,
BONJour is in pursuit to more partnerships
with the local government tourism units. The
Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office
(PTCAO) have already agreed to help the
project.
In the past, BONJour Insider had
also been published online tackling similar
concepts. However, due to insufficient
written outputs the site suddenly had to stop
circulating.
Now with Hellobicol experiencing
the same, Jovellana conveyed, “I planned to
close it temporarily, but then I decided not to
waste a single chance for anybody who might
happen to browse the page.”
He admitted that looking for
contributors and convincing students to write
was the real challenge. The site is undeniably
still lacking articles.
Jessamine Ll. Raynera
SC SCRaPS/page1
PDAF fund,” Gonzales added.
However, Albay 1st district Congressman
Edcel Lagman said that he will ensure the
continuous funding by the Department of Education
(DepEd) and CHED of his Lagman scholarship
program.
According to Albay 2nd district
Congressman Al Bichara’s Scholarship Coordinator
Aileen Nuyda, the allocated funds for the students
on the first semester came from their remaining
funds from CHED during the previous semesters.
ABOLITION’S IMPACT
During the first semester, OSS recorded
the partial number of grantees of the three
congressmen in Albay: Cong. Edcel Lagman of
1st district has 343 scholars who receive P5,000
per semester; Cong. Al Francis Bichara of the 2nd
district has 138 beneficiaries who receive P5,000;
DWBU FM gears up for ‘on-air’ broadcast
by Ariane Mae Cornejo with reports from Danica Villagarcia
DWBU FM 106.3 has officially reached
the airwaves after its launching that was
witnessed by various local media practitioners,
BU faculty personnel and students at the
Bicol University College of Arts and Letters
(BUCAL) Amphitheatre last Sept. 18.
“[DWBU FM 106.3] is a gift of the
university to the students,” CAL Dean Dr. Ma.
Julieta Borres said. “All the efforts are for the love of
the students and so by giving this laboratory, I hope
that the students will appreciate, take care and treat
the radio station as their own property.”
The radio station, aside from being a
laboratory of communications related courses, will
serve as an avenue for extension programs of the
college and of the university.
Borres said that Radyo Verde programs
aired during Fridays (10:00-11:00 am) at Radyo
Veritas will be pulled out and will be transferred to
DWBU FM next semester. On the other hand, the
We-Men’s Forum program aired during Saturdays
(4:00-5:30 pm) at the same station will remain at
Veritas. Both programs are utilized by students for
their laboratory.
Print and Broadcast Media (PBM)
Department Head Dr. Agnes Nepomuceno stated,
“The program of We-Men’s Forum will stay with the
station because they have the legal ownership of it.
It was actually my brainchild while working at the
station.”
She explained that the college and the
station have worked for a partnership during the
inexistence of the DWBU FM.
Borres said that DWBU FM is more likely
to adapt a magazine show format to cater both
young and adult listeners.
The dean reiterated that as a laboratory,
the radio’s programs will be different from the
mainstream as it will use the output of the students’s
learning as an application in the laboratory.
Nepomuceno stated that there are no clear
cut appointments yet, but she assured providing
support for the station.
“We should always be in line with the
advocacy of CAL and Bicol University,” she said.
Borres, moreover, said that in CAL’s
pursuit for excellence, the radio station will
eventually be expanded into television streaming to
upgrade its service to the students.
In the coming semester, Borres said, the
station is to hire a full-time expert on the technical
and clerical aspects of the station.
The station will also likely to air on a
broadcast time of 6:30a.m. until 6p.m.
BU President Fay Lea Patria Lauraya said
during the launching of the radio station that it is
one of the answered urgent dreams of the university
and that it will be a part of the experiential learning
of the BU students.
“[DWBU FM 106.3] is the humble
reservation of the university’s quality policy and
will cater services that will meet the highest level of
clientele service,” she said.
charge.
However, she cleared that the account is
now on the process and will be settled September
this year upon expiration of the covered month
(September 2013) of the bill. The payment will be
charged to students’s laboratory fees paid upon
enrollment.
Michelle Bonto, the account executive
of Radyo Veritas, was mum when asked regarding
the station’s reason for the delayed issuance of the
receipts.
“As a scholar kasi pahirapan naman talaga
yun paggamit sa scholarship namin sa enrolment.
We need to [prepare and present] requirements pa
before we can enroll. In my case, ngayong nagdaang
enrollment, hindi ko nagamit yun scholarship ko kasi
the Office of Cong. Bichara was not able to give the
OSS the lists of students that are deserving to avail
the scholarship. Saka ayaw magbigay ng Office of
Cong. Bichara ng letter of acknowledgment sa amin
for some reasons. Kaya sa huli nag-full payment na
lang ako,” she said.
Nuyda, on the other hand, said that with
the TRO issued last August, the entire process
became difficult.
“With the plan of abolishing PDAF,
scholars were totally affected especially those poor
students relying on their scholarships,” she said.
Nuyda explained that all of its 600 scholars
will still get the refund for the previous semester but
as of the second semester, only 253 BU scholars will
be covered by the scholarship grant.
Since the tranche of the 2013 PDAF
was frozen by the high court, the refund for this
school year will come from the remaining fund
from the previous semesters. Nuyda added that
the liquidation report from CHED will determine
how much fund is left for the utilization of the
scholarship grants.
“The scholarship will continue for this
second semester, while for private schools, there’s
no really source of fund, we’re having a hard
time looking for ways to pursue giving grants for
our scholars especially those studying in private
schools,” Nuyda disclosed.
STILL UNCLEAR
Since its launch, BUFM is often set off-air,
which usually disappoints students who tune in to
the station and hear nothing.
A freshman from the College of Education
DEBT TO PAY
who requested anonymity said that the station is
The launching of DWBU FM 106.3 ended
useless since it’s not airing.
the almost two-year waiting for the radio station’s
“Every time I listen to the radio and set
materialization. However, CAL still has an unpaid
the frequency to DWBU, all I can hear is a muffling
debt of P84,000 to Veritas, where the programs
sound,” the student said.
Radyo Berde and We-Men’s Forum were formerly
Sunshine Baron, a senior Journalism
aired.
student, added that since the station was launched,
The said amount charged on January
she only heard the station go on-air once,
2012 is still unpaid because no bill was issued until
“Maybe, I just don’t know the air times,”
September this year, Borres said.
Baron said.
“Pag magbabayad ka ng bill mo, parang
In contrast to the laments, Mariane
kapag magbabayad ng kuryente, kailangan may
Belen of CAL shared, “I am happy that finally, CAL
resibo. Wala naman silang naibigay na bill,” she
has launched the station. It only proves that the
stated.
university indeed is after for the students’ service.”
The billing invoice for January-June
Belen said that the reception in the first
2012 and July-December 2012 both amounting
district of Albay is good and she heard the station
to P24,000 each were dated September 6 while
on-air playing OPM music.
for January-September this year with P36, 000
Audio Visual Communication (AVC)
outstanding balance was only given last September
senior student John Carlo Abrigo supported Belen’s
13.
claim and said that the station, which is on its test
Nepomuceno, also a regular broadcaster
broadcast, is usually off-air because it is unlike the
of the said station, said that she told the station
usual community radios.
to follow-up for the payment in CAL through the
Borres explained that the station is only
college’s National Service Training Program (NSTP)
to test broadcast this year to comply with the
because Radyo Verde was anchored from it.
requirement of the National Telecommunications
“When I entered the scene, I was handling
Commission (NTC). The issuance of permit
the batch of fourth year Journalism students,”
according to her is after a year.
Nepomuceno said. “When Veritas told me that there
She said that the PBM department
are still unpaid accounts, I urged them to issue a
will take the lead in handling the station. The
receipt so I can give them to CAL.”
radio station, on the other hand, will also serve
Borres added that the issue was part of the
as a laboratory for most of the students with
obligation of the professors, being the faculties-incommunications related courses.
However, Nepomuceno said that
the department has a limited participation in
managing the radio as of now.
“It is not yet clear kung ano ang
magiging role ng department. Although it
belongs to [PBM], someone should be on top
of it. We always have to wait for the dean,”
she explained.
On a separate interview, Borres
said that there is no regular program yet
because there are still no format of programs
coming from the department and that there
are matters still to be considered.
“Right now, everything is not yet
fixed, there will be an administrative council
kung sino ang head, but next semester, it will
be fully operational for the hands-on of the
students,” Borres said.
As of press time, DWBU FM
is operated by the AVC students for the
technical aspects.
The DWBU FM was officially
launched during the university’s 44th
founding anniversary. The station ID was
composed by Professor Ramil Chavenia and
sung by Tintin Reñon.
SURFING THE AIRWAVES. BUFM hits the radio airwaves as it was formally launched at the BU Multi-Purpose Build
BUFM was proposed by Prof.
ing on September 18, 2013. The university’s contestants for the newscasting competition on different years, Sheena
Anacito Dimatera and Dr. Nepomuceno
Alicante (left) and Menlyn Bautista (right), sign on as student disc-jocks.
CHARMAINE ADUVISO
during the revision of the AB Broadcasting
curriculum last June 2010.
and 575 grantees are receiving P2,500 from Cong.
Fernando V. Gonzalez of the 3rd district.
Bichara’s grantees were ensured of the
scholarship grant amounting to P5,000 this school
year 2013-2014, Nuyda said.
She stated that 253 BU scholars will get
the grant, in contrary to what has happened to some
of its scholars.
Jovie Panuelo, a scholar of Bichara
and student from the College of Arts and Letters
(CAL), lamented that she was not able to avail her
P5,000 for the said scholarship program for the first
semester of the school year.
“Nangutang pa po ang mama ko para
makapag-enrol ngayong 2nd semester,” she said.
Diosun Fye Jadulos, a student from
College of Business, Economic and Management
(CBEM), shared the same sentiment during the
enrollment.
With reports from Alyssa Joselle Bañares, Ariane Mae Cornejo,
Jervy Anne Romero, Arthessa Ladoing, Alyssa Joana Aro and
Jessica Bechayda.

4. 4
NEWS
FAIRNESS. ACCURACY. GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE.
University torch now stands
by Ariane Mae Cornejo and Jo Michael Llamelo
Three years after the start of its construction,
the Bicol University Torch of Wisdom was
inaugurated last Sept. 17 during the week-long
celebration of the university’s 44th Founding
Anniversary.
Inter-racial Smiles. (from left) Thibault Jean-Marie Real, Miguel Rudolf Cibien, Lucille Marguerite Angelina Polizzi, Momo Adachi, and Simon Flathmann foster friendship as they enter the university.
EARL EPSON RECAMUNDA
BU admits foreign studes
by Arthessa Ladoing and Mary Christelle De Vera
As part of the American Field Service –
Intercultural Program Philippines (AFSIPP) and Bicol University’s goal to promote
globalization and lift the university’s
recognition in the international stage, five
foreign students from four different countries
enrolled at BU.
Last July 23, foreign students Miguel
Rudolf Cibien (French), Lucille Marguerite Angelina
Polizzi (French), Thibault Jean-Marie Real (Belgian),
Simon Flathmann (German), and Momo Adachi
(Japanese) were welcomed by the academe.
Each of the students was designated a
particular college corresponding with their study
interest. For 11 months the said foreign students will
stay at BU.
Professor Samuel Bobiles, director of BU
Global Linkages Office (GLO@BU), said that he is
proud that the students take part in the history of
internalization of the university.
He added that one of the aspects of being
an internationalized university is the presence of
foreign students enrolled within it.
“This one would be an avenue for us to
advertise the advent that we have, for one reason
that we already have foreign students in the campus,”
Bobiles said.
He also said that the foreign students are
already considered as family members of the BU
community.
“We could be a motivation for these
students as they gain knowledge and experience in
our campus,” Bobiles added.
However, this is not the first time that BU
admitted foreign undergraduate students to have
their bachelor’s degree in the university.
Last year, the academe welcomed
Byung Jun Min, a Korean national, who is now a
sophomore student taking up BS Chemistry in the
College of Science (CS).
Back in 2009, BU hosted the regional
chapter of the AFS Intercultural programs.
AFS-IPP is an independent partner
and member of AFS Global Network. AFS is
an international, non-profit, non-government,
non-religious volunteer-based organization that
facilitates international exchange programs and
scholarships for students, educators, community
service volunteers driven with passion peace,
leadership, intercultural learning/experiences and
global understanding.
CE pub introduces e-Mag
by Danica Villagarcia
Raising information dissemination to another
level and moving up a notch in campus online
journalism, The Mentor, the official student
publication of the College of Education (CE),
last August 1 launched the first Electronic
Magazine (e-Mag).
“[It] is basically the next step after the
printed magazine, to be more precise, a multimedia magazine that enables the student to read
their pub’s issues in their bare hands through
phones, tablets and/or laptop,” said Prof. Aries
Perez, The Mentor’s adviser.
The Mentor will produce their
tabloids in a two-way process—one is through
the conventional print issue and the other one
is through e-Mag, a digitalized magazine. To
be able to reach more students and bring the
publication print issues closer to them, students
will be receiving their copies of e-Mag through
their phones and laptops in a Portable Document
Format (PDF) file format.
When asked about the prime reason why
they have created e-Mag, Mabel Mingoy, editor-inchief of The Mentor, said that she frequently sees
newspapers torn and thrown off anywhere and she
does not want the same thing happening to their
campus paper.
Mingoy shared sentiments regarding the
efforts wasted because of the treatment of some
students of the newspaper. She explained that
the newspapers are vulnerable to water and that
there are also times when students crumple their
newspapers just to fit it inside their bags.
Students can choose one from the two
medium—either the conventional print issue or
e-Mag. As of press time, e-Mag is exclusive for CE
students.
“Newspapers and magazines have static
images, they don’t move, they don’t say a word and
they’re fixed,” Perez said. “They don’t really give
you the feeling of what is happening, they don’t
really show you things as they happen, not like in
e-Mag.”
E-Mag also showcases all the elements
that the printed issue has. Other features include
videos and audios.
“[It] is The Mentor’s revolutionary shift
from its flippable page to tappable screen, it gives
something new and something different that a pub
can offer,” said John Carlo Hikaru, the publication’s
associate editor.
“We have long been pursuing a
change. We thought that the idea of the e-Mag
is impossible and we are being ambitious but it
is now here and it’s amazing because it works,”
Mingoy said.
Space Science
Road Show held in CS
by Reaham Hanna Borja
Realizing the impact of astronomy and other
fundamental sciences to the society, the NC
Educational Resources and Interactive Events
Services Inc. (NCERIES) initiated the Bicol
launching of the Space Science Road Show
last Oct. 4 at the Bicol University College of
Science.
According to Airene C. Terry, chief
marketing officer of NCERIES, their main goal is to
educate the Filipinos of the beauty of the universe.
“The torch is envisioned to be an institutional landmark that would epitomize the mission
of the university and speak of the aspiration as
well as determination of the Bicolano youth to live
productive lives offered to God and country through
education,” stated BU President Dr. Fay Lea Patria
Lauraya, on a memorandum dated August 2011.
Lauraya expressed that the landmark is
not an ordinary construction project but an artistic
work that will immortalize the creative work of a
Bicolano artist.
Arch. Leo del Rosario, head of Planning
and Design Section of the Physical Development
Management Office (PDMO), said that the Torch
of Wisdom, along with the Four Pillar design, is a
frozen ideation of the BU Hymn translated into a
colossal torch serving as the iconic symbol of the
university.
Del Rosario discussed the unforeseen
events met affecting the completion of the main
façade.
“The procurement process of the torch
and fountain added to the difficulties, for most of
the special materials were imported from other
areas,” he said.
Del Rosario specifically pointed out the
problem encountered by the Bicolano artist that Dr.
Lauraya requested.
“Mr. Gil Bien, an artist of the Bicolano
Artists Guild, found it hard to work with the government because of his license. But he is the project
consultant of the ‘Torch of Wisdom’ offering his
professional fee for free,” del Rosario explained.
He also said that designing the torch
involves the heart and that’s why the artist should be
from Bicol.
Del Rosario pointed out also that there
were no budget issues involved in the completion of
the façade.
He further said that the BU Main Facade
will help the province’s tourism.
“Every landmark has a story. Our place
will be known and BU will become a public space
not just for its students but also for the community,”
Del Rosario said.
SEE RELATED PHOTO ON PAGE 13
Journ stude takes ABS-CBN
reg’l newscasting tilt
by Alyssa Joana Aro
Its payback time for Bicol University.
Besting 13 contenders from participating
universities and colleges coming from the four
provinces of the Bicol region, Sheena Joy Alicante,
a 2nd year AB Journalism student of the College
of Arts and Letters (CAL), was declared as the
champion in the 2nd ABS-CBN Inter-school
Newscasting Competition held last August 24 at The
Tent, Avenue Plaza Hotel, Naga City.
Alicante, who garnered an average score
of 88.11 percent, was followed by Queenie Hipolito
from Aquinas University (88 percent) and Joseph
Buetinezon from Partido State University (87.67
percent).
The judges of the said competition were
TV Patrol field reporters Ryan Chua and Jeff Canoy,
and TV host and actress Angel Aquino.
According to Canoy, what made Alicante
the winner of the newscasting competition is her
confidence and the way she delivers her news report.
“Favorite ko yung part na live report niya.
The way she told the story was very conversational.
She delivered the report not just for the sake of
reporting it,” Canoy said.
Likewise, Chua said he believed that
Alicante’s correct pronunciation and clarity of words
made her stood out in the contest.
“She spoke well, she communicated well to
me as a judge and of course I believe to the audience
as well,” Chua said. “I had the impression that it was
not just reading of the news that she was assigned to
read. She is actually telling the people and making
an effort to make people understand what she was
talking about.”
BU-WIDE COMPETITION
Last year, Alicante placed 2nd in the BUwide ABS-CBN news casting competition.
“I really felt pressured because it was
already my second time joining so it was either I
retain my position or I advance,” Alicante said. “I did
my best but I wasn’t getting my hopes up because I
know that expecting only brings frustration. I said
to myself that whatever happens, I will accept the
results wholeheartedly, and fortunately, I won.”
She also added that her experience in
The Space Science Road Show is an
interactive educational show that travels around all
schools in the country.
The centerpiece of the road show was
the first-ever Digital Mobile Planetarium that is a
simulated day and night sky projection showing off
the universe.
“So when students get inside, they learn
more about the universe, more than what you could
read from the books. It’s like a simulation, so parang
actual thing na siya.” Terry said.
Aside from the digital planetarium,
educational films and exhibits featuring meteorites,
telescopes, optical illusions and space photos were
shown. Astronomers served as educators as the
event went on through the day.
Terry shared that they have chosen BU to
radio broadcasting back in high school helped her
win the competition.
“There’s a big difference between radio
broadcasting and news casting. But my experience
in high school helped me a lot to know the basics
like voice projection, enunciation and juncture,”
Alicante explained.
She further said that she learned a lot in
the BU-wide competition and one of those is just
trust in yourself and never ever doubt your abilities.
“You shouldn’t be too confident and
don’t expect too much. Just do your best and let
the universe do its magic,” she advised future
contestants.
“[Alicante’s win] is a big pride for the
BU because this is the second time we joined this
regional competition. This year, we are very happy
and proud especially the Print and Broadcast Media
Department (PBM), that we are able to make it,” said
Dr. Agnes Nepomuceno, department head.
Furthermore, Alicante extended her
thanks to the students and faculty of BU who
supported her.
“I’m really thankful for their moral
assistance because when you are under pressure,
what you really need is a big dose of reassuring
words that will keep you motivated,” she said.
MORE PARTICIPANTS
Comparing this year’s newscasting
competition from the last year, Ms. Amy Villafuerte,
ABS-CBN Bicol area head, believed that the
competition reached its next level.
Last year, only 11 participating schools
attended the newscasting competition.
“Ang masasabi ko, it leveled up. Bukod dun
sa participants na mas dumami ngayon, mas marami
na rin ang nagkakainteres na sumali,” Villafuerte
said.
According to Villafuerte, it is not an
assurance for the winner to be part of the ABS-CBN.
However, she can be tapped as a school patroller
depending on her schedule.
The said competition was part of the 60th
anniversary of ABS-CBN.
be its host school because of its being the premiere
state university in Bicol.
“We want to tie up with BU because we
want to push a space science program in the university. We believe that it is what we need in the country. BU students have now the chance to experience
this so they can understand the universe better,” she
said.
Former Sen. Nikki M.L Coseteng, president/CEO of NCERIES stated, “This hopefully, will
bring about a re-emergence of what Bicol should
be doing, which is in the intellectual realm, in the
realm of the academe and the realm of tourism.”
Students from the College of Science,
Legazpi City High School and Albay Central School
participated in the said event.

5. COMMUNITY
The Bicol Universitarian
FAIRNESS. ACCURACY. GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE.
P1.2B road project to boost
Albay’s economy
by Joshua Caleb Pacleta with reports from Jessamine Raynera
As part of the Albay’s provincial administration
vision for a better economy and environment,
a road network development project dubbed
‘Guicadale’ will soon emerge.
Albay’s Guinobatan-Camalig-DaragaLegazpi (Guicadale) economic platform project
is located in a plateau towards Sorsogon
and embraces all relocation sites of the four
municipalities. It is also the site where the Bicol
International Airport, South Central station of the
south rail can be found. The project will provide
access to the proposed extension site of the
Regional Government Center.
Albay Governor and Regional
Development Council (RDC) Chairman Joey
Salceda said that the project was designed to
encourage economic activities safe from the
threats posed by Mayon Volcano eruptions, lahar
flows, flooding and tsunamis.
The Guicadale Road Network project’s
Road Zone of Influence (RZI) has a total estimate
of 62,884.74 hectares. This is approximately 66.93
percent of the total land area of 93,950.93 hectares
of the areas traversed by the project in five
municipalities and one city within Albay Province,
and the municipality of Donsol, Sorsogon.
The 193.30-kilometer sub-project is
composed of 16 major road sections and 12
arterial roads. The total project costs P1.262 billion
for the 28 road segments combined.
“It will benefit a total population of 187,
314 covering the municipalities of Guicadale,”
Salceda added.
The project aims to increase the
social acceptability of the International Airport,
resettlement areas and farm income through
reduced transport cost of agricultural products
and farm inputs.
INTEGRATION SCHEME
The project will utilize spatial integration
with the provinces of Sorsogon and Masbate, and
other regions in Visayas, link the agricultural areas
to major markets, improve the living conditions
of the local populace through the provision of
efficient access to health and welfare facilities
and open up areas for economic investments
opportunities.
The envisioned outcome of the
Guicadale platform doesn’t only include the road
network rehabilitation plan but the historical
heritage restoration and development as well.
“As of now, the renovation of the
Colonial Houses in Camalig and the Cagsawa
Ruins in Daraga are currently underway,” said
Architect Ronald Antiado of the Provincial
Planning Committee.
He explained that if these sites and
the other tourist attractions in Albay would be
embellished, local tourism potential would be
pulled up to a higher rate because investors now
could come easily to the locations, given that
there is greater ease in transportation via direct
international flights.
However, Antiado affirmed that the
project will not affect or even serve as a threat to
the nearby houses or residents.
“As much as possible, the committee will
do its best not to cause problems in the barangays
involved. Actually, as I see it, there is nothing
to be worried about by the residents,” Antiado
reassured. “Existing roads will be used, only that
some are yet to be widened and improved.”
LEGAZPI CITY AIRPORT PLANS
Meanwhile, Miladee Azur, statistician
of the City Planning Committee of Legazpi said
that Legazpi will not be greatly affected by the
transferring of the Airport to Bicol International
Airport(BIA) in Alobo, Daraga.
Azur also mentioned that the National
Economic Development Authority (NEDA)
created a multi-agency committee composed of
the regional offices in Legazpi that are interested
in the Legazpi Airport including the Civil Aviation
Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), which is the
owner of the airport.
“But as far as Legazpi is concerned, we
are proposing this to be a high-end, multiple-use
area,” Azur said.
She envisioned the project to be like
Ayala in Makati City wherein there are residential
areas, shopping centers, commercial spaces,
schools and churches.
“In other words, the people who reside
there do not have to go to Legazpi or Pacific Mall
to attend to their needs like education, going to
church, and shopping,” she added.
In his speech during the oath-taking of
the new city officials of Legazpi City, Mayor Noel
E. Rosal expressed his sadness to the Legazpeños
for the transferring of the airport. However, he
mentioned a proposed road that will connect
Legazpi City to BIA.
“We envisioned a new highway that will
connect Legazpi directly to Bicol International
Airport without the traffic congested in the
municipality going to Alobo, Daraga,” Rosal said.
Rosal did not mention the title of the
project but according to him, this highway will
surely be a new legacy that his administration will
leave to the next generation.
Hon. Geraldine Rosal also stressed
during her final message in the same event that
in the field of infrastructure “we continue to
build new road openings in order to facilitate the
transport of people from the barangays to the
metropolis.”
WEIGHING BOTH SIDES. Atty. Jose Fernandez (left) of PSP and Atty. Ritchie Regala of C2C face students while engaging on a debate on ALECO’s turn over to
SMC at the BU College of Nursing Amphitheater last Sept. 9.
ROMULO ESPALMADO JR.
ALBAY CONSUMERS/page 1
GOVERNOR’S SUPPORT
Albay Governor Joey Salceda has
commended the takeover of SMC.
“Albay would now have SMC as one of
its business trophies and send a strong signal to the
investment community of the province’s economic
potentials,” Salceda said.
He added that given SMC’s vaunted
management expertise and marketing clout, there
are huge synergies that can further propel Albay to
higher level of economic stature.
“We can now also play our role as a
gatekeeper or as part of regulatory infrastructure to
safeguard consumer welfare by monitoring ERC at a
setting and to promote investments by keeping the
costs of doing business low,” the governor disclosed.
Before casting of the votes, an estimated
number of 100,000 Aleco consumers were expected
to show up to 23 voting precincts. But only 8,997 or
just about nine percent of the voters showed up and
qualified for the referendum due to the failure to
produce a copy of an Aleco power bill to prove that
they are bonafide coop members.
Last August 3, Aleco’s debt reached
P3.7 billion: P2 billion to Power Sector Assets and
Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM);
P1.24 billion to Philippine Electricity Market Corp.
(PEMC); P56 million to National Grid Corporation
of the Philippines (NGCP); P204 million to National
Electrification Administration (NEA); P87 million
to Transco; P19.7 million to Local Government
Units (LGUs) of Tabaco, Legazpi and Ligao; and
P113 million to equipment suppliers. Aleco also
borrowed money from the Bank of Commerce
worth P7 million that was used to buy gadgets and
coop vehicles.
DEBATE FORUM
Prior to the referendum, a debate forum
5
New university
web links to aid
clienteles
by Hermalyn Zantua and Bryan del Castillo
During the opening day ceremony of
the 44th Founding Anniversary, Bicol
University launched three university
website links last Sept. 17. The event was
held at Bicol University College of Arts and
Letters Amphitheater.
University Librarian Neria E. Gomez
explained that the essence of these three
links are to support the clienteles of BU in
their various academic needs such as global
information and knowledge for them to sustain,
enhance, promote and utilize the researches
foundation of the university.
The links are namely the Learning
Management System (LMS), the University
Library Website, and the Research and
Development (R&D) e-Journal.
Dr. Noli Mascariñas, director of the
Research and Development Center, said that the
LMS is a multimode learning course where the
tools are internet-based.
The link is expected to reach out to
interested individuals for them to have an access
to education and learn the different subjects
though they are distant from the university and
have inabilities from attending regular classes.
Mascariñas added that the LMS
aims to reach out to more students and other
clientele without the need of building additional
facilities.
The R&D e-Journal, on the other
hand, is a link which contains published
researches and dissertations of the university’s
faculty. The said link will be the avenue for
disseminating research outputs online.
Mascariñas explained that the R&D
e-Journal will serve as a means for university
researchers to disseminate their product of
research or creative thought online and aims to
become one of the recognized journals by the
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and
other international institutions.
Gomez said that the university library
website will still be part of the BU website
however it will be managed and maintained
by the library staff in order to keep the site
updated.
“We have conceptualized it for three
or more years ago, but unfortunately it needed
a lot of manpower but today it has become a
reality,” she added.
Following the approval of the LMS
project last November 26, 2012 under the Bicol
University Research Resolution No. 051 Series
of 2012, the project received P650,000.00 from
Albay Governor Joey Salceda. The amount was
used in making the project possible resulting
to a digitalized collection of theses and
dissertations.
“The world is no longer round, it is
now flat. Whenever you have a flat screen, we
stay connected,” BU President Fay Lea Patria M.
Lauraya said.
themed “Harampangan: Aleco’s Best Option for
Rehabilitation” was held at the Bicol University
College of Nursing Amphitheater last Sept. 9.
The modified British parliamentary debate
was radio broadcast and televised. The forum
offered different perspectives in response to the
rehabilitation of Aleco if it will go with the PSP or
C2C option.
Atty. Jose Fernandez, acting chairman
of Aleco interim board of directors, spoke for the
PSP scheme while Atty. Richie Regala of the Albay
Multisectoral Stakeholders Organization (AMSSO)
was for the C2C.
The six panelists from the different sectors
were Mr. Marcial Tuanqui from the business sector;
Dr. Rebecca Rosario Bercassio from the academe;
Ms. Judessa Ardales from the Civil Society Unit;
Mr. Jaggy Lanuza from the youth sector; Mr. John
Bautista from the religious sector; and Mr. Noel
Rosal from the LGU.
The debate was co-organized by the
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy College
Student Council (CSSP-CSC), Political Science
Club and the Society of Philosophical Debaters and
Parliamentarians.

6. FEATURES
The Bicol Universitarian
6
FAIRNESS. ACCURACY. GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE.
The womb of a mother is
delicate, holy and thus, so with the
life that is inside it. Far from the
repulsive shouts and gossips throwned
at a youth-turned mother, no one
can ever demean her of such a fateful incident --- if only one could
just think that the child inside the
womb is the same child prophesized
by Dr. Jose P. Rizal to be the
only breath that will sustain the life
of tomorrow, that’d be great.
Being pregnant has never been a sin,
however, as it usually turns out, pregnant teens
become the subject of contempt and are alleged
as an unclean, defiled, and soiled women with
no more dignity to uphold for the community
and herself.
Have you ever encountered a student
suited in a uniform, neat, and hygienic, together
with her shoulder bag that rests before her swelling stomach and walking in discomfort?
Is she somewhere on the grounds or
classrooms of this aged University, along the
pathways or just sitting pretty near the centennial tree?
Wherever she might be, a story is about
to unfold. And you ought to listen.
Talks
Her Once Wordless Story
She has always been dying to tell her
fellow students that they are students alike. That
she wakes in time when the sun does; walks
for school; passes-by the ever nosy security
guards; experiences entering a classroom without enough chairs or CRs with filthy toilets and
sinks; and gets the chance to enjoy suspended
classes. But why then of this unfair treatment?
A lady wished to be called Dalene confessed about her journey as a teen and
the eventual fall of becoming a young
mother.
She stated, “Napakahirap ang
pagsabayin ang pag-aaral at
pagbubuntis, napapabayaan
ko ang katawan at isipan
ko.”
Dalene admitted, at
the start, that she regrets her pregnancy;
however, she asserted that she is now
prepared to face
whatever
consequence might
confront her.
“Kahit sino
namang babae na
maagang nabuntis ay magsisisi.
Pero wala akong
dapat pagsisihan
dahil ginusto ko ‘to,
at magkakaroon na
ako ng baby na kaya
kong ipagmalaki kahit
kanino,” she claimed.
“Wala silang pakialam sa nangyari sa akin,
buhay ko ‘to. Ang alam lang
naman nilang gawin ay pumuna
ng mali ng iba,” Dalene further said.
Dalene added,
“I know it was wrong, pero itatama ko nalang
ang pagkakamaling ‘yon sa pag papalaki ng mabuti sa baby ko.”
“It happened only once,”another pregnant lady
out of confidentiality professed. But regardless of the messy situation she’s into, her family
stayed to back her up.
“I don’t care kung anumang sabihin
nila, basta ako tanggap ako ng pamilya ko,” she
added.
about her
Belly
by Kurt Nylson Cortes† and Danica Villagarcia
Illustration by Joshua Caleb Pacleta
Bullying
Dalene along with the young lady who
yearned to be anonymous are Bicol University
students.
Statements like: “pinag-aaral ka ng
mga magulang mo tapos magpabuntis ka lang;
hindi ka nalang sana nag-aral sayang lang din,
hindi ka pa tapos buntis ka na; parang wala kang
pinag-aralan para kontrolin ang mga mangyayari, mapusok ka,” has rendered so much pain
among the two ladies and many more students
facing a similar situation.
“Pregnant students in BU are irresponsible,” a student named Mar said. He futher asserted that students must set their priorities,
that being in a relationship is just a single certain part of life, and that they should know their
limitations and responsible for their actions.
Another student who requested anonymity said, “I pity them, walang control sa
sarili. Mga hindi nag-iisip.”
“Their parents fed them and took care
of them from their education up to their eventual success in their early lives. And to repay them
with such insolence is embarrassing,” he argued.
Dan (not his real name) pointed out
that they (pregnant teens) could have controlled
or resisted the temptation if the foundation of
their relationship was unearthly. “They fell to
the allure of lust brought up by merely physical
attraction,” he continued.
Contrary to earlier statements, Jana, a
2nd year student from
the College of Science,
said that we should treat
them as equals because
they are also humans.
Pointing out
that it is not necessary
anymore to further criticize them, she added
that they have committed a mistake and suffered enough from that
mistake.
“I’m all against
what has happened, but
I highly respect those
who chose to keep the
baby,” said Joy Mee Gabitan, a 4th year student
of the College of Education.
Gabitan suggested that even they
happen to eavesdrop on
criticism, ignoring what
they heard is more reasonable than suffering.
Prof.
Ian
Relao, a sociology professor from the College
of Social Sciences and
Philosphy, said that
hearing side comments
and gossips from people
discussing the matter is
understandable because
owing to the fact that
the mother is still a student and has not been
married yet.
“They have to accept it, they have to
go on with it. And after that (pregnancy), they
should make their lives better even if it is hard,”
said BU Guidance Councilor Dr. Bebian M. Alparce.
“Be responsible to take care of the
child. Seek the assistance of the parents to continue their studies to give a bright future for
their child,” said Dr. Obdulia E. Rojas, former
Dean of College of Education.
Statistically Waterlogged
Some say that pre-marital sex is fornication having no moral decency. That though
everyone has been blessed with sexual drive and
a sexual being, it should still be backed with
moral stand.
Although, teenage pregnancy is not a
new case on the table. It has been around since
man first discovered reproduction. Nevertheless, it is an issue being look at with wrong em-
phasis.
In the documentary dubbed ‘Word of
the Lourd’ hosted by Lourd Ernest H. De Veyra,
particularly in the episode “Lumalanding kabataan”, De Veyra discussed the alarming teen
liberalism.
In the show, the Young Adult Fertility
Study of the University of the Philippines shows
that in 2002, 23 percent of the surveyed Filipino
from ages 15 to 24 agreed that it is just alright to
be involved in pre-marital sex.
Meanwhile, 40 percent of the inquired
male and 22 percent of female professed that sex
is acceptable. And that out of 400, 000 yearly
abortion cases in the country, 36 percent of such
cases belonged to teenagers.
According to Carmelita Ericta, National Statistics Office (NSO) administrator, there is
an increasing trend of maternal deaths among
teenagers.
Ericta said that the lack of knowledge
about pregnancy risks the lives of teenagers involve. The proportion of maternal deaths doubled from 5 percent to 10 percent from 2000 to
2010.
Meanwhile, according to Ugochi Daniels, an official of the United Nation Population
Fund Agency (UNFPA), teenage pregnancy in
the Philippines boosted by 70% over one decade
from 114,205 in 1999 to 195,662 in 2009, the
highest teenage pregnancy rate in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The UNFPA 2011 annual report
showed that there are 53 births
per 1, 000 women aged 15 and
19 in the Philippines. The data
shows that in 2000, one-fifth
of the country’s population
belongs to the 15 to 24-yearold age bracket ---- that means
16.5 million youngsters. By
2030 this number is projected
to reach 30 million.
The record is somewhat
alarming in the way that it
cites great figures as it exposes
the only catholic country in
Asia gaining rapid population
growth through teenage pregnancy.
Call for a Solution
The National Youth Commission (NYC) said that the incidence of teenage pregnancy is
reaching alarming proportions.
“This problem is growing
exponentially. It is becoming
commonplace in the youth’s
field of experience. Most young
people would usually have a
friend or know a peer who became pregnant at a young age,”
said NYC Commissioner Perci
Cendaña.
According to the NYC’s National Youth Assessment Study,
it was revealed that unplanned
pregnancy is one of the main
reasons why young people do
not finish their education.
“Teen pregnancy has many dimensions
and its strongest impact is on the young mother
whose future will be jeopardized because she
needs to take on the responsibilities of being a
mother at a very young age,” the study showed.
It claimed that the only way to stop this
debilitating trend is to reduce risky behavior of
the youth.
“Age-appropriate reproductive health
education is the key in influencing the lifestyle
of young people so that they can be made more
responsible of their actions. Kung walang edukasyon, patuloy na lalala ang problemang ito,”
Cendaña said.
“Sex is not only the expression of love,” Professor Gerard Protacio from the College of Education said. “No to pre-marital sex because it
causes moral decay, teenage pregnancy, and the
potent reason behind broken family.”
“Be responsible to
take care of the child.
Seek the assistance of
the parents to continue
their studies to give a
bright future for their
child.”

7. 7
FEATURES
Pambansang
FAIRNESS. ACCURACY. GENUINE STUDENT SERVICE.
Ikinatatakot ko
Kalituhan
liham at panambitan
lamang na kapag
napalitan ang
aking pangalan tuluyan na
ring mapalitan ang aking
pagkatao.
Ang makilala sa
pangalang nailimbag sa pagkatao at pagkakakilanlang pumuno sa
kasaysayan ng isang
buhay ay karangalan at gantimpala. Subalit kung ito ay nabaon sa
malaking diskurso at pinagsaluhan ng mga gutom na kalamnan ng
lipunan, karangalan at gantimpala pa
kayang maituturing?
Kamusta ka?! Nais ko sanang makipagkaibigan sa’yo. May problema kaso. Pa’no ba ‘yan
hindi ko alam ang tunay kong ngalan? Iba’t iba ang
tawag nila sa akin. Nakilala nila ako sa aking mga
palayaw. Kahit ako di ko alam itatawag sa sarili ko.
Mayroon akong tatlong pangalan. Ang
una ay siyang ibinasbas sa akin ng isang manlalakbay
at naging pangalan ko sa mahabang panahon. Hango
raw yun sa pangalan ng isang hari na kilala naman
sa pagiging makupad. Itinawag naman sa akin ang
ikalawa kong pangalan ng mga taong nag-ampon sa
akin, sosyal nga eh, ingles ang pagbigkas. Ang ikatlo
kong pangalan ay ibinasbas ng isang taong malapit
sa akin. Ayon sa kanya ito ang nararapat na itawag
sa akin dahil sa pangalang ito ako lubos nakilala ng
marami. Dekada ‘50 nang naging bukambibig ng
mga tao ang pangatlong pangalan ko.
Marahil nagulat at nagtaka ka. Sa isang tulad ko kailan pa naging isyu ang itatawag sa akin. Sa
tinagal-tagal ng inilagi ko sa mundong ito, ngayon
lang may pumansin sa pangalan ko. Ang masakit lamang ay imbis na purihin ito dahil sa naiiba ito sa
lahat, kinutya pa at naging dahilan ng maraming
away at bangayan. Biruin mo ‘yun pati sa facebook
at twitter pinag-aawayan ang pangalan ko.
Lahat na lang ng puntahan ko, ngalan ko
ni Hermalyn V. Zantua
Dibuho ni Nichole Baloloy
ang pinaguusapan. Minsan nga pumunta ako
ng aklatan, narinig kong nagpapalitan ng mga koro-koro ang
mga iskolar at sabi pa ng isa sa kanila, “Nararapat na
ang una niyang pangalan ang itawag sa akin dahil ito
ay orihinal at ang pangalan niya sa binyag”. Dagdag
pa ng isa, “Higit siyang maiintindihan at makikilala
ng lubusan kung ang iyon ang itatawag sa kanya”.
Napa-isip ako...
Minsan nama’y napadpad ako sa isang
mamahaling restaurant. Narinig ko na naman na nasambit ang ngalan ko. Akala ko tuloy namukhaan na
ako ng mga tao, naroon pa naman ng mga oras na
yun ang mga kaibigan ng umampon sa akin. Pinagtatawanan nila ang pangalawa kong pangalan. Buti
na lamang may nagtanggol sa akin at sabi pa niya na
huwag akong tawagin sa ngalang ibinigay ng mga
gumamit sa akin, hindi na ako ampon sapagkat matagal na akong nakalaya sa kanilang pagkakatali.
Sa isip ko, malaya nga ba talaga ako?
Isang araw, napadaan ako sa palengke. May
dalawang babaeng nag-aaway. Yung aleng tindera ng
gulay at yung manang na nagbebenta ng isda. Bigla
akong nadismaya ng malaman kong ako na naman
ang dahilan ng away nila.
Sa lakas ng kanilang mga boses tila nabingi
na ang aking pandinig, “Ang dapat itawag sa kanya ay
iyong nakasanayan na, bago nang bago wala namang
magandang nangyayari, napalitan lang ang pangalan” sabay palakpakan ng mga tambay sa kanto na
walang ginawa kundi maki-usyoso.
Ito ang mahirap sa buhay ko, wala na nga
akong mga magulang, ulila pa nang lubos. Kaya di ko
matukoy kung ano na nga ba talaga ang pangalan ko,
nakasulat man o hindi.
Nagkagulo na ang lahat...
Napagdesisyunan kong alamin ang katotohanan, sino nga ba talaga ako?
Sa ngayon, hindi ko alam ang kahihinatnan ng pagtuklas at pag-alam ko sa aking tunay na
pangalan. Maraming mga argumento na ang naglabasan. Ang panig ng mga taong sumasang-ayon at
ang panig ng mga kumukontra. May kanya-kanya
silang ipinaglalaban.
Napaupo ako sa isang tabi sa ilalim ng liwanag ng buwan at noon ko lamang napagtanto na
napakalaki ng aking problemang kinakaharap. Maaring sabihin ng iba na ang pangalan ay salita lamang
na binuo ng mga titik na pinagdugtong, ngunit para
sa akin ito ang pagkakakilanlan ko bilang ako; sarili
ko ang panagalan ko, ugat ng buhay ko. Di ko mawari
kung ako’y magsasalita pa ba o mananahimik na lamang.
Isinangguni ko ang ang aking suliranin sa
mga nakatataas upang ako’y maliwanagan. Ito ang
nalaman ko mula sa kanila...
Mula sa lupon na sang-ayon sa pagpapalit ng aking
pangalan, agarang pagbabago ang kailangan ng aking
pagkakakilanlan. Nais niyang gamitin ko na ang pangalang ibinasbas sa akin, sapagkat ito diumano ang
opisyal at modernong pangalan na naglalarawan ng
aking kasaysayan at pag-unlad.
Nasasaad mula sa isang kopya ng liham
noong taong 1992 na ipinabasa nila sa akin na ang
pagkakaroon ko ng tatlong pangalan ay nagdudulot
ng kaguluhan at pagkalito para sa marami. Dagdag
pa ng kanilang pinuno, matagal na niyang itinutulak
ang paggamit ng una kong pangalan, na ayon pa sa
kanya ay ang tunay na pangalang ibinigay sa akin
mula noon pa man hanggang ako’y lumalaki’t nagkakaisip.
Mula naman sa isang grupo na hinihikayat
akong huwag ng palitan ang aking pangalan, di na
kailangan palitan pa ang aking pangalan sapagkat
ito ay mistulang pagpapakita na di pa ako nakalalaya
mula sa nakaraan ng aking pagiging alipin ng mga
banyaga.
Nagkaroon ako ng bagong pangalan na siyang naging tanda ng aking pagbabagong buhay at
paglimot sa nakaraan. Ayon pa sa grupong ito na
binubuo ng mga lingwista mula sa iba’t ibang kolehiyo at pamantasan sa bansa, malilito lang ang mga
kabataan ngayon sa kung ano ba talaga ang itatawag
nila sa akin. Malinaw rin naman na hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin mabubura ang pangalang pamana sa
akin.
Di ko na alam ang aking gagawin. Nahahati sa dalawa ang aking desisyon. Ang isang parte
ay nagsasabing palitan ko na ang pangalan at gamitin
ang orihinal kong ngalan upang di na ako mahirapan pa sa aking pagpapakilala sa harap ng marami.
Masasabi ko na rin kung bakit ganito ang ipinangalan
sa akin at kung ano ba ang kuwento sa likod nito.
Sa kabilang banda, tama na rin naman
ang kasalukuyang pangalan ko. Ito na ang kinagisnan at nakasanayan kong gamitin pati na rin ninyo.
Hindi madali ang pagpapalit ng pangalan. Isa itong
matagalang proseso at ayon pa sa pagkakaalam ko
kailangan ng kaukulang salapi para sa pagpapalit ng
pangalan sa National Statistics Office kahit pa isang
titik lamang ito. Malaking pera ang kakailanganin.
Mabuti sana kung may pera pa ako sa bulsa, sa pagkakaalam ko naubos na ng ilang mangungupit.
Nakakatawa nga lamang na imbes na lalong mapatibay ang aking kasarinlan at ako’y kilalanin dahil sa pagkakaroon ko ng higit sa isang pangalan naging sanhi pa ito ng lalong pagbalewala at di
pagpansin sa akin. Kung babaguhin man ang aking
pangalan, hindi na ito dapat malimitahan sa pagpapalit sa isang letra lamang. Pero natutuwa’t nagpapasalamat ako sa mga taong tinanggap ako kahit higit
isa ang aking pangalan. HIndi na nagtatanong pa.
Hindi naman kakat’wa o kakaiba ang pagkakaroon ko ng tatlong pangalan. Gusto kong isiping
may malawak akong pang-unawa at pagtanggap sa
ganitong bagay.
Sa aking pagmumuni-muni may isang bagay lamang na bumagabag sa akin. Napansin at naramdaman ko na mayroon ng isang napakataas na bakod at dibersiyong nakapalibot sa akin. Ikinatatakot
ko lamang na kapag napalitan ang aking pangalan
tuluyan na ring mapalitan ang aking pagkatao. Dumating yung punto na hindi ko na maikukuwento’t
maibabahagi sa inyo ang mga karanasan kong punong-puno ng kulay na naging kaakibat din ng aking
iba pang pangalan. Balang araw hindi na ako makilala dahil tuluyan na akong nabago dahil sa isang titik
lamang.
Napunta na rin naman tayo sa usapang
pangalan. Ano nga bang meron dito? Ano nga bang
meron sa pangalan? Para sa akin ito ang tanda ng aking pagkatao. Hindi na isyu pa kung sino man ang
nagbigay nito o pano ito nakuha. Ang alam ko lang
kapag narinig iyon ng iba ako agad ang maiisip nila,
wala ng iba.
Ikaw ang bahala sa
pangalang isasabit mo sa akin.
Filipinas, Philippines, Pilipinas,
iyo ang desisyon.
Galak ako’t kilala kita’t kilala mo ako.
Ikaw, ano ang kuwento ng
pangalan mo?
inocenTREE
READ MORE:
www.unibeonline.com
COMICS
by Deano Christian Echague

8. Th
PIN
News Monitoring and Staff Meeting: Every Wednesday. 6PM onwards.
June - Oct
EDITORIAL
Damage Control
After the unprecedented onslaught of Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) on the hard-hit regions of
Eastern Visayas particularly on the provinces of Leyte and
Samar, joint salvage efforts by the local government units
and the international humanitarians for the storm survivors
is downright heartwarming. However, the system of distribution of aid delivery is still not fixed resulting to slowpaced relief operations and adding more burdens to the
storm-battered victims.
Criticisms on the slow progress of delivering assistance to the traumatized and hungry Filipinos down south has
already been brought up to the Malacañang Palace by the public
as well as the local and international media. But Palace officials,
for unknown reasons, have continually deflected this issue.
According to the Department of Interior and Local
Government, they are currently investigating on reports that
some local government officials including some mayors and officials of villages are allegedly involved in hoarding relief goods
meant for the typhoon victims. But this concern backfired at
the agency when DILG Secretary Mar Roxas, also a leader of the
ruling Liberal Party, has been accused of playing politics in the
early stages of relief work for victims of Yolanda in Tacloban, a
city ruled by Mayor Alfred Romualdez belonging to the rival
political party of LP, the Nacionalista Party.
Leyte’s fourth district representative Lucy TorresGomez said that politics and inefficiency have gotten in the way
in providing relief to as many people as possible. Gomez also
blamed poor logistics and insistence of some government officials to stick to bureaucratic processes despite the desperate
situation for the poor relief effort.
Apparently, no thanks to some local government officials, the typhoon victims are suffering even more that they
have expected. The typhoon has already taken so many lives
and to risk more lives fighting for survival in exchange for mere
selfish political interests is condemnable. These people should
be ashamed of themselves of bringing much horror to the already tragic scenario at hand.
Reports of sporadic incidents of riots and looting
have been also recorded, including the intrusion of a rice warehouse that left eight people dead and experts warn these could
escalate if the root causes – loss and helplessness – are not addressed. According to Annabelle de Veyra, chief administrator
of the Health Department for the region, they are worried that
there will be anarchy all over if this could not be resolved immediately.
As of November 30, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council have recorded 5,632 people
dead with 26,136 injured and almost two thousand people are
still missing. The total cost of damages was estimated at over
P30.6 billion which includes P15.6 billion from the infrastructure damages and over P14.9 billion from the agricultural damages. These statistics grimly shows that massive cost of damages
tends to overwhelm just as the number of casualties continue to
rise to a tragic ascent.
The typhoon affected over 10 million people in 57 cities and 44 provinces leaving to rust and rubbish their ravaged
houses into the evacuation centers and some, out of desperation, boarded the Philippine air force C-130 cargo planes to fly
out of the province to go to Manila in their exodus unsure of
what and how will they mend their lives in another dwelling
place.
There is no doubt that these staggering numbers, as
the days and weeks goes by, will further balloon into a more
cataclysmic reality of how the typhoon inflicted widespread
devastation to our fellow countrymen.
In spite of this, the strength of the survivors to have
look down the corpses of their love ones, to have almost
crawled and walk like zombies because of hunger, to have sleepless nights thinking no less than of a brighter tomorrow, and to
still battle their way to survival every waking day despite the
minimal help their getting is truly remarkable. But what are
they receiving in return? Are our government officials really
this cold-hearted to let this kind of torment pass by?
Still, the ever resilient Filipino spirit will never be
dampened and that with each rebuilding process, a renewed
and firmer citizen will emerge. Just like a phoenix, these provinces will rise from its ashes and as always, overcome its past
wounds and adversities.
Next verse
denelle dolleson
Clash of the Titans
The incessant word war between
Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and Sen. Miriam
Defensor-Santiago in the Senate floor I
think was outright unnecessary. After the
furious exchange of insulting epithets,
allegations, and denials stapled in their
privilege speeches, you would really have
to ask yourself: Did this argument legitimately reach anything except for character
assassination?
Enrile’s privilege speech last November 27 was supposedly meant to answer and defend himself from Santiago’s
hurl of allegations condemning the former
as the mastermind of the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam orchestrated
by the detained businesswoman Janet LimNapoles and that he was the financer of the
Zamboanga siege by the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front. But what Enrile did in
order to retaliate would haunt him until
his death bed. He repeatedly called Santiago as his bitter and obsessive hater. And
that every bit of allegation thrown at his
grill is a product of baseless fabrications
against him from a depraved mind.
When it was Santiago’s payback
time last December 4, the senator accused
Enrile of committing seven sins, including
his role as the chief conspirator of the deaths
and disappearances of the martial law of
some 4000 political dissenters of decades
ago and his inclination to chase women, calling him a sex addict. Considering the man
as contrary to logic and common sense, she
named Enrile as Mr. Dementia. And if that
wasn’t enough, the senadora further labeled
him as Tanda, “the icon of shameless lying”
and “poster boy for stem cell treatment.”
The 89-year old Enrile even dared
the lady senator to appear as a special prosecutor against him to demonstrate her knowledge of the facts of the alleged pork barrel
scandal and her legal skill as a trial lawyer,
daunting her that she will experience something she never experienced before. In response, Santiago reiterated that, in any event,
she would like to challenge Enrile to a public
televised debate in the University of the Philippines on any topic connected with the pork
barrel scandal.
Marveling at this kind of speech
squabble, we cannot really just let go of this
barbaric and childish oral fight between
these two because as far as I know, they are,
probably, two of the most decorated legislators of all time in Philippine politics if not for
their peculiar ways of expressing themselves
especially to arguments like this. However,
to see how they act and trash talk like hoodlums is unbearable.
Sen. Sergio Osmeña said that they
“don’t tolerate unparliamentary language”
and that the argument “has nothing to do
with the issue that is being debated.” But how
[
have a hard time cleaning their reputation if
limitations to such privilege speeches would
not be imposed. Rightfully so, other members of the Senate are now studying both
speeches to strike out the unparliamentary
words and personal attacks from the chamber’s records and journals.
However, this would not be
enough. Both senators should be sanctioned
under the rules of the Senate to not let this
unethical show of political practice progress
anymore.
If Santiago wants Enrile locked up
in bars along with Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Sen.
Ramon Revilla Jr. and two former House
members for their alleged involvement in
the P10-billion pork barrel scam, shouts of
ghastly nicknames and imputations would
do her no justice but enough and tangible pieces of evidence will. And if Enrile
wants to get his name in shipshape and
away from this stress of allegations, keeping the senadora infuriated would only
cause more damage to his already bludgeoned role in our country’s politics. If
wisdom really comes with age, both Enrile and Santiago are not proving that.
This tiff will not settle the score between the two but will only undermine the
kind of politics the country is nursing. Enrile and Santiago, both known for their own
unique style of political expertise, are being
looked up to by a lot of people especially aspiring students that wants to venture on to
the world of politics and to be able to witness
their petty show of misdemeanor is such a
disgrace. Senator Vicente Sotto III was right
when he said the problem was that the scholars of the future will be able to look at the
records and journals of the Senate and will
see these words.
Yes, they are forces to be reckoned
with. But a truce for both camps is deeply
considerable. It’s now time for them to
reevaluate themselves and at least try to bury
the hatchet for good in order for the Senate
to get back on track.
]
This tiff will not settle
the score between the
two but will only undermine the kind of politics
the country is nursing.
does that kind of scenario slipped away from
them? The integrity and dignity of the Senate is on the line here and to have these two
renowned senators continue their ways of
bashing each other would ultimately destroy
that.
As legislators they should be impeccably objective of whatever they are
pushing for in the Senate but this has gone
too far and too personal. And as much as we
like to see Santiago grind one senator to the
other until his ears could not bear the onslaught any longer, this won’t justify her any
better than those that are seated quietly and
stealthily looting the people’s money.
It is also quite bothering that the
senators were like mere frozen statues during
those privilege speeches where in fact they
should have intervened and stood to raise
a point of order. The 16th Congress would

9. The Bicol Universitarian
NION
tober 2013
For comments, suggestions and reactions: e-mail us at: unibe.online@gmail.com
Volume XLI Issue 1
SHOUTOUT
troubleshoot
DORIE MAE ORNIDO
alyssa joselle bañares
Stopping the hate
Filipino pride once again lifted the
hopes of Philippines’ countrymen when a Filipina, after besting 127 countries, won the coveted Miss World for the first time after 60 long
years. It is inspite of the on-going noise brought
by the P10 billion-peso Priority Development
Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam. The curse cast
by a candidate who was forced to withdraw the
pageant was finally broken. Every Juan rejoiced
and every Juan applauded on Megan Young’s
victory.
ogy, inventors and geniuses have been thinking for
people. The abundance of ideas has caused the common people to lack critical thinking and narrow their
thoughts leading to false assumptions, stereotypes
and discrimination.
Not even well known personalities can escape discrimination, what more the low profile people, who do not have money and power? Everyone
in everything in everyway has always something to
say. There is no escape from criticism no matter how
hard you try to look nice and presentable, and no
matter how many friends you have.
Those who are seated and given the power
But it was cut short when a racial slur
started by a woman from a country that once took continue to provide the people with equal rights but
advantage of the men and the riches of the Philip- still, the unequal treatment of the equals exist. There
are still people who
pine land went viral
believe that they can
on Facebook: “Miss
play God and act as if
Philippines is Miss
they are greater than
There are still people
World? What a
everybody else.
joke. I didn’t know
who believe that they
Mikhail
those maids have
Bakunin once asked,
can play God and act
anything else in
“What do we mean by
them. Hahaha.” Filas if they are greater
respect for humanity?
ipino netizens then,
than everybody else.
We mean the recogniquickly expressed
tion of human right
violent
reactions
and human dignity in
in defense through
every man, of whatFacebook
and
ever race or colour.”
even came up with an FB hate page, which gathered
There has been no scientific evidence to
11,068 likes in just a matter of hours.
Racial discrimination is not new to Fili- support such belief and theory that whites are supepinos. Even before, a dictionary defined Filipina rior to other races. The problem is that some people
as a domestic helper, which shows the evident ste- express their judgement or opinion without adequate
reotyping of the foreign bloods to Filipino women. knowledge, with bias and even hatred of other races,
It always seems that what comes natural to Filipinos which is evident on the racial slur that occured on
such as having chocolate colored skin and not hav- Facebook.
She did not know that Megan Young is
ing a pointed nose are deemed unacceptable to other
Filipino-American. All she knew was that she is a
races.
Racism is a specific kind of prejudice that Filipina representing the Philippines, stereotyped as
there are differences among the human races and that a country of maids. In her case, because of her insome are superior or inferior to the others. It is con- adequate knowledge and prejudice, she appeared to
sidered as the root of some of the greatest injustices have insulted herself in front of millions of people
against humanity. It has even led to slavery, wherein without her knowing how powerful the whole nation
one group of people falls under absolute domination can be when united.
Disputes will always be there because of
of another group.
repelling ideas and opinions. But if we will put back
Wayback the 1500s, the trade of human
slavery became a large-scale enterprise, where they this context on the view of the Bible, all men are crebuy and sell human beings, African slaves to be ex- ated equal and everyone is equal in the eyes of God.
act. They were enslaved in the Western Hemisphere But why is it that people tend to play God and act
and was forced to work on mines and plantations, superior to whom they think they are? Regardless
because the whites believed that blacks belong to in- of your features, your riches, your color and
ferior species and were therefore naturally subordi- other inferiorities, you still belong to the
human race. That makes you equal with
nate to whites in both character and intelligence.
Throughout the development of technol- everyone around you.
[
KWADRADONG KAHON
Nakababa na ang watawat, dapit-hapon na siguro.
Nakakabingi na naman ulit ang boses ng mga tao sa
loob ng kwadradong kahon na binubuhay ng kuryente habang nakatutok ang kumpol ng mga ulo. Panay pataasan ng boses ang labanan. Sa mahigit na
labing limang taon na panunuod ko sa kwadradong
kahon na ito, ang mga pang-araw-araw na eksena na
ipinapakita nito ay ang siyang naging realidad narin
ng mga taong nanunuod rito --- lalo na nung mga
bata na manghang-mangha sa papalit-palit nitong
kulay at boses.
Kapag may gustong sabihin, kalsada ang
takbuhan para ipagsigawan ang kanilang mensahe na
diumano’y kailangang malaman ng lahat sa pasigaw
na paraan ng pinagsama-samang boses . Isisigaw ang
lahat ng salita na meron ang diksyonaryo at sisisihin
kahit ang baboy sa pagiging baboy nito.
Ang mga mambabatas ay nag uumpugan
ng ulo at nagpapatayugan ng kani-kanilang guryon
--- mas matayog, mas kilala. Kapag mayroon naman
ng temang pagtutulungan, kailangan mo munang
nasa posisyon para makatulong; ito raw ang bakal na
batas ng politika.
Ang ibang eksena naman sa kwadradong
kahon ay pinagbibidahan ng mga batang magkahawak ang mga kamay, naglalampungan, at naghahalikan; mga minor de edad na magsing-irog.
Mga ibenebenetang produkto na animo’y
yun nalang ang kulang sa buhay ng tao, at sa oras na
bumili ka nun ay makukumpleto na ang buhay mo. Sa
eksena naman sa dako ng pagpapatawa ay umusbong
ang makabagong anyo ng komersyalismo. Ang biro ay
dapat humahamak ng pagkatao, itsura, at nanunuya.
visit our website: unibeonline.com
]
Kapag ganoon ang biro mo ay siguradong
nakakatawa ka at maaari ka pang magkaroon ng konsiyerto. Sabayan pa ‘yan ng mga
salitang ipinanganak kamakailan lang na pilit na
inilalapat sa musika para maging saliw ng OPM.
Wala nang hangganan kung anong impormasyon lamang ang maaaring malaman ng mga
kabataan ngayon. Ang mga impormasyong sensitibo,
nakakalito, at mabigat pa para sa kanilang mga edad
ay siya namang paboritong ituro ng mga nakakatanda.
Kung maghahanap siguro tayo ng modelo
para sa mga kabataan ngayon panigurado ang unang
iisipin ay yung modelo dapat maganda o gwapo, payat
o malaki ang katawan, magaling mag ingles, at mayaman. Basehan na ang itsura sa pag husga sa kung ano
ang mararating mo balang araw.
Sa mga sumisigaw sa kalsada, hindi niyo ba
alam na sa bawat malakas na boses na inyong pinapalipad sa hangin ang tunog sa mga bata ay isang
dambuhalang ingay ng reklamo? Sa mga plakard at
pag martsa ay ang mga aral na kailangang idaan sa
reklamo ang gustong sabihin. Nasaan na ang mga aral
ng pagiging kontento? Sa ginagawa niyo natututunan
din ng mga bata ang isisi na lamang sa iba kapag hindi
nila nagawa ang responsibilidad nila.
Paano kung itanong nila sa inyo ito: Kung
galit at ayaw ninyo sa pamahalaan, bakit sa tuwing
may trahedya at kalamidad na nangyayari karipas
agad kayo sa tulong na ibibigay ng gobyerno?
Sa bansang duguan ang politika kahit hindi
eleksyon, imbes maging inspirasyon ang mga mababatas at alagad ng gobyerno bakit tila sila pa ang
nagpapasimula ng ingay? Pa’no nalang ang mga bata
na gustong maging katulad nila, gagawin din ang ginagawa nila?
POWER TRIP
The way to be nothing is to do nothing.
But by the way how the driver treated them,
it was crystal clear that the Section 21 in the Chapter
We call them names only we can under- V, Social Justice and Human Rights that talks about
stand. They call us names only they can understand. Equal Protection and Non-Discrimination of ICCs/
And we need to bridge the gap because we are broth- IP was violated. It was stated in the said chapter and
section of the Philippine Constitution that the state
ers and sisters after all.
I will not forget the day when I met those shall extend to them the same employment rights,
people who belong in the same indigenous cultural opportunities, basic services, educational and other
community when they joined me in a public utility rights and privileges available to every member of the
vehicle. Their smell was awful, they were shouting society.
Just imagine if we are all like the jeepney
as they talk with their colleagues, their clothes were
driver who will incessantly push those people out
dirty and will not be even accepted for relief goods.
Hypocrisy aside, I was delighted when of the vehicle. Are they going to push their luck and
the driver told them to leave the jeep. I know that wait for good-hearted individuals who still believe in
time that he did it because of the terrible odor that the social responsibility? Or are they going to bow
even branded perfumes could never save. One their heads and do a several-kilometer walk under a
scorching heat just to
woman shouted at him and
reach their destinadesperately kept on saying,
tion?
“Mabayad kami! Mabayad
Their unwakami!” The children were
vering determination
also saying words that only
...because it is every condespite discriminathey can decipher. It came
cerned citizen’s job to
tion must make us
to me as their plea to allow
feel little. No matter
them to ride the jeepney.
protect the rights of those
how good our school
Their
words
is and no matter how
who are oppressed.
struck me as a sudden regreat our professors
alization that I should be
are, most of us still
ashamed about my thoughts.
don’t know how to be
I should not have judged
truly grateful for all
them because of how they
that we have because
smell, how they talk, how
they look like. Instead of sharing the driver’s senti- of our insecurities. The willpower in their struggle to
ments, I should have at least defended those people fully enjoy their human rights and freedom mandatbecause it is every concerned citizen’s job to protect ed by the constitution is far beyond our imagination.
Nevertheless, it is absolutely right for every Filipino
the rights of those who are oppressed.
It was undeniable that they are indigenous citizen to help the members of the indigenous culpeople who seemed to be long-forgotten by the so- tural community not to be left unaided. And it is our
ciety because of the different issues that bombard us government officials’ responsibility not to lay their
everyday. They are the ones who never wished for backs contentedly on their soft couches with the inunderstanding and acceptance. They’re only asking digenous people roaming in the streets, begging for
for respect—respect that seemed to elope from them something that may ease their hunger.
As long as there are people who belong to
because of their decision to preserve their cultural
heritage. They are the people who will continuously the marginalized sector who are still experiencing
fight for what is rightfully bestowed upon them by oppression, indignation and discrimination—womthe constitution. And mostly, they are the ones who en, children, senior citizens, LGBTs and indigenous
will never give up their culture and tradition just to people—our officials can never say that they are doing their jobs properly. They don’t have the right to sit
be like the people who kept on judging them.
With that thought in my mind, I won- back and enjoy the taxpayers’ donations that they call
dered if the Republic Act No. 8371 is being properly honorarium. They don’t have the right to flaunt their
implemented. The RA was supposed to recognize, names and faces in tarpaulins as if it is our moral obprotect and promote the rights of indigenous cul- ligation to thank them because of a project that we,
tural communities (ICCs) and indigenous people the people, financed. And they don’t have the right to
(IP). A National Commission of Indigenous People be called as leaders if they don’t know how to protect
was also created to be the primary government and promote the common good of their constituents
agency that will be responsible for the for- regardless of their age, religion, ethnicity, gender orimulation and implementation of policies, entation and preference.
plans and programs that will lead to the
Indeed, the way to be something is to do something.
success of the Republic Act.
[ ]
[ ]
Kung tuturuan natin
ng wasto ang mga kabataan ngayon pagdating ng mga anak nila
ay puro wasto nalang
ang maituturo nila.
devil’s
advocate
J. D. GUTIERREZ
Yun nga siguro ang sumpa ng salin-lahi.
Ang mga matatanda ngayon ay ang mga bata dati na
tinuruan din ng mga nakakatanda sa kanila, kaya
anong nangyari? Gusto rin nilang ituro sa mga bata
ngayon ang mga natutunan nila nung bata pa sila. Ito
ang tawag sa walang katapusang pamana ng lahi.
Natutunan rin ng mga kabataan ang makialam sa paksa ng pag-ibig kahit hindi pa nila ito
gaanong na iintindihan. Teenage pregnancy? Abortion? Youth delinquency? Sa araw-araw na impluwensiya ng kwadradong kahon sa buhay ng bata, inuukit
nito sa isipan niya na kailangan niyang gawin ang
ibang bagay maliban sa itinuturo ng kanyang magulang at guro.
Naguguluhan lang ang bata sa kung sino
ang paniniwalaan niya: Ang magulang niya na nagsasabi na hindi pa para sa kanya ang pagkakaroon ng
relasyon o ang kwadradong kahon na ipinapakita sa
kanya ang serye ng mga eksena na ang bida ay mga
batang magkarelasyon at tila ginagawa na rin ng lahat
ng bata. Sa anong ideya ba natin papalakihin ang mga
kabataan?
Ngayon gagawin na rin lahat makabenta o
makapagpatawa o masabi lang na sikat siya. Nawawala na ang ugaling Pilipino. At ang nakakalungkot lang
ay mga Pilipino mismo ang may ayaw sa ugali niya.
Gutom sa pagbabago, ngunit saan ba busog?
Kailangan na siguro nating mag lagay ngayon ng plakard sa mga kalsada o mga gusali, at ang ilalagay, “Gumawa ng tama, may mga batang nanunuod.”
Sa pamamagitan siguro nito ay hindi na natin ibabalewala ang epekto at bigat ng ating kilos at gawa para
hindi maisantabi ang kritikal na larawan na may mga
batang nanunuod. Ayon nga sa matandang kasabihan,
“Ang gawang mali ng matanda sa mata ng bata tama.”
Kung tuturuan natin ng wasto ang mga kabataan ngayon pagdating ng mga anak nila ay puro
wasto nalang ang maituturo nila. Kung paano gustong
lumaki ng bayan ang mga kabataan itanim dapat ito
ng mga mamamayan niya sa lugar kung saan unti-unti
nitong aabutin ang sinag ng araw at pataas ang tubo.
At gabayan natin sila kapag kaharap nila ang tindahan
ng mga ideya na nag kukondisyon sa isip na realidad
ang isang palabas, ang kwadradong kahon ng telebisyon.