Lumière

I was on my usual outfit, white shirt, black pants and white sneakers with the usual energetic Papong. As I was walking through the pink walls of the pink school, I can see new faces but I can also recognize familiar faces. I couldn’t hide my excitement to see the new set of people that will be a part of my life. That day, my only thinking was to finish the two years of senior high and then leave the pink school without any strings attached. Days, weeks, months have passed and I am slowly loving the atmosphere in the third floor of the building. I loved how being part of the  humanities and social sciences strand helped me grow in a biopsychposociospiritual perspective. It was an eye opener on the reality in the society and it taught me to help others and to stand for others. Senior high school is like a volleyball game, it may look easy on the actual game but you have to endure the pain in order to succeed. Senior High School gave me a tough game that made me resilient. Dealing with thousand of words everyday is part of being a HUMSS student, it was hard but I am privileged and I am honored to experience those kinds of hardships. Also, I owe everything to my hard working teachers who never gave up in teaching and sharing their skills and knowledge to every student. I experienced to rant on things, but I learned to trust the process. My journey taught me to be patient with your blessings and eventually the right time will come that the Lord will give you the things you prayed for. In senior high I was able to step up and achieve things that I didn’t expected to reach, like being the volleyball mvp and being part of a film that won a best film award.

I am truly blessed to meet my classmates, friends and teachers. They are those people who will always support me anytime of the day and I want to treasure them. People who pushed me to the best version of Papong, taught me life lessons, and helped me survive my struggles. Meeting these people made me realize that even a successful person, a famous person, a teacher, a beauty queen, the happiest person or anyone that may seem living a perfect life also encounters and go through hard situations. Just like other people, they are just humans too who are vulnerable.

The truth is, I don’t want to graduate yet. I am happy and grateful that finally I am able to finish one stepping stone and proceed to another stone. But the thought of leaving the place that became my home is killing me. I will always adore the pink walls that has a calming ambience. It is difficult to leave the place that I called home, it is tough for me to leave home where I met the people that became my family. I wanted to stay but I shouldn’t and I need to accept that change is the only constant thing. I will always be proud, grateful and blessed that I am a product of the pink school where a school becomes a home. The lessons, memories, experiences will stay in my heart forever, until we meet again pink school!

I was 15 years old when my cousin invited me to join Youth for Christ in Manila, me and my other cousins had a youth camp for two days and one night. We didn’t knew that YFC will bring us to our first ever airplane experience. I was so nervous and I already assumed that my parents will not let me go to Bohol when I asked permission from them if I can join the annual International Conference (also called ICon) of the YFC, it is where all the members of YFC in the Philippines will gather in one place to praise and worship the Lord. To my surprise, they allowed me to come and they said they will shoulder all my expenses.

It was a sunny day and I can feel the hotness of my face as the sun rays touched my skin. We were already outside of the airport while waiting for the others. I was a bit afraid as I bid goodbye to my mother, that was the first time that I will travel alone so “what ifs” thoughts are running on my mind. I, together with my cousins can’t hide the excitement, nervousness and happiness as we slowly entered to the airport. We talked about what we were imagining will happen to the flight, in Bohol, and we can’t wait to meet new friends. After a couple of minutes it’s time to leave. We were astonished by the plane, it’s not that big but how that thing can bring people faster into different places amazes me, and also I find the comfort rooms in the plane cool. I wasn’t aware of having pain in the ear when riding an airplane, no one told me that it happens. When the plane is about take off, I felt pain but when we were about to land the pain that I felt is too much. It felt like my ears will explode like a bomb and all I can do is pray, wishing that the pain will end soon.

We landed at Tagbilaran, the capital of Bohol. We went to our lodging house where we will stay for the next five days. The room is quite small but it’s cozy and it can accommodate the six of us. Besides we do not need a big room because we will only stay there for the night since we are out the whole day to join the activities. We just put down our bags there and then we went straight to the venue of ICon. We spent our three days in Bohol under the heat of the sun in the huge oval with thousands of people praising the Lord. It was really exhausting, the activities for a day will end late at night and then it will start early in the morning so we can only sleep for three to four hours. But it was all worth it. Seeing thousand of youth gathered in one place to worship the Lord makes me shiver. It was really fulfilling to attend an event like that.

After our three day activity, our remaining two days will be for a trip around Bohol. We spent the fourth day in the beach. Even though there are numerous beaches in my hometown, I can say that my best beach experience is in Bohol. We do an island hopping. There was this one island that we went to, it was low tide there and it feels like we are on the half part of the ocean but the water is not getting any deeper. We also ate different seafoods that were really delicious and will satisfy your hunger. My favorite part is when we went for snorkeling in Panglao Isaland. The view under the sea was like what I see when I watch national geographic, it was like an underwater paradise. The feeling underwater is very calming and relaxing nothing matters but the amazing marine creatures that swims gracefully. There are different kinds of colorful fishes and a school of fish that swims in a synchronized movement. But what I’m really happy about is when I saw a cave (I assumed it as a cave because it was too big for a rock) and saw a turtle that swims towards the cave. Maybe because it is rare to see a turtle when I go to the beach that’s why it made me feel blissful.

We spent our last day roaming in the malls of Bohol to buy some souvenirs and pasalubong. The items in Bohol is very cheap compared to Manila and Bataan. After buying pasalubong we went back to our lodging house and started to pack our things, we made sure that we won’t leave any stuff. Before we leave the room, I hurriedly grabbed my bath towel in the hanger inside the closet and the next thing I knew the hanger was broken. It was funny but I also felt a guilt because I didn’t pay for that broken hanger I just left the lodging house without telling them that I broke one of their blue hangers.

The airplane just landed safely in Manila and my mother is waiting for me outside the airport. It was a fun trip and we really had a good time. We learned many lessons in the conference as well as our experiences in the whole trip. Bohol made me feel something that I never felt before it also taught me great things in life that made me a whole person today and because of that Bohol will always have a special place in my heart. I hope that someday I can go back to the place where it all started.

For many years that passed, and until today there are countless workers who spend their everyday life working hard for their family. It doesn’t matter to them even if they have numerous kind of job and they do not care if their body is tired. Because what’s important to them is their family to have a sufficient meal for the day. The song “manggagawa” by Gary Granada is a good way to inform everyone about the situation of the hard working workers that most of the people fail to see. It also gives awareness to everyone the “unfairness” of the world that you cannot go to the top if you do not have that power.

Gary Granada’s “manggagawa” describes the condition of workers who go home late at night, who sleeps in the bus because they are dead tired and yet their income is still not enough. These hard working workers hopes that someday they will be able to flee from the poverty that’s why they are giving great efforts in their works. But the sad reality is that, most of them stay in that difficult situation because they are not receiving the right wages and sometimes they are not treated in a right way. The message of the song makes me sad, I feel sad for those workers who strive harder everyday but the society is not giving the right and equal treatment that the workers deserve.

In the last part of the song, it was mentioned there that there are wealthy people who celebrates with lots of food on their table while there are people out there who are starving. People work hard but they cannot eat at least three times a day and then there are people who eats four times a day or even more. The government should have a solution for this because it is their responsibility to take care the well being of the people. And they should distribute the wealth equally so that it will be fair to the workers.

“Kulang ang maghapon upang makaipon

At makaahon ang isang dukha

Kulang din ang pawis kahit labis-labis

Kung ang nagnanais ay maralita”

I can say that this line is the reality. It is true that it is difficult for those people who are in the poor sector of the society to recover from their situation. These workers fight for their lives everyday but I don’t know why people can’t see them, or maybe people only pretend that they don’t see anything. That’s why the song “manggagawa” serves as an eye-opener to everyone that we should see and don’t act like we don’t see these real warriors of the society. And we all should give them the right treatment that they truly deserve.

Everyone is gathered inside the covered court and every student could not wait for the result of the Intramurals 2018. Teachers, who serves as the coach of every team are also excited to know the result of their great effort that they gave in every games that they participated. The crowd goes wild as Maam Mhe, the head of the MAPEH department climb up to stage and start speaking to everyone. She started to announce the winners of each ball game event and the crowd continues to cheer rooting for their team and favorite players.

My friends are ready to tweak my hair and tug my uniform as Ma’am Mhe starts to announce the champion and the individual awards of the women’s volleyball team. Somehow they knew and they believe that I am going to be the Most Valuable Player, but as the saying goes “don’t count your chickens before they hatch” so I’m not expecting anything. When Ma’am Mhe mentioned my name as the MVP I literally don’t know what to feel. Even if my friends tweak my hair, tug my uniform, and spank me all over my body I can’t feel any pain. I can hear my friends cheering “boss Papong! boss Papong!” showing their endless support as I walk in the middle of students to go up to the stage. My hands are sweating and I am shaking when Ma’am Armie, the principal put the medal around my neck and greets me “congrats anak” with a smile. I don’t know why I can feel some nervousness while I smile to the camera and walks back to our spot with my friends. Maybe it is because of the unexplainable happiness that I am feeling.

After getting the MVP award I suddenly felt the fulfillment of my heart. The difficult and challenging days flashbacks into my mind and all I can say is it was all worth it. After three years of losing and failing to get the championship this time I finally made it. Although I was happy and satisfied without the medals and trophies, somehow it has a different impact when you are named as a “champion” it is like you are being paid for your hard work and efforts. It is extra special because it happened in my final year at Bataan Christian School, where I started to dream and learned how to work for my dream.

Friday is the most awaited day of every student because that means the week in school is over. But for us HUMSS student at Bataan Christian School, it is the most awaited day because we have a class in what we consider our “special” subject. Every Friday is like we our sharpening our critical thinking skills, the way we see things and situations, and understanding different aspects. It is all because of our one-of-a-kind teacher that we have.

When we first met our teacher, we are very excited and nervous at the same time. Both nervous and excited because she’s from the University of the Philippines. In the first part of our meetings, every time that she will going to ask some questions we are scared and tensed to answer it thinking that it will be wrong. But she taught us that there is no wrong in trying to answer, she accepts your answer and then she will correct it by discussing it in the class so that everyone will learn. I remember when she asked me a question and I could not get the right answer, she let me figure out the answer by myself while she asks questions that will lead me to the correct answer.

We encountered our first experience in reading numerous reading materials and writing multiple essays containing one thousand words in her subject. We only meet once a week that’s why our teacher gives us every week an essay to write. I and my classmates had sleepless nights just to finish those essays. It is very difficult but we never complain and somehow we always find the good in it.

This teacher taught us lessons that is not just written in a textbook. She taught us how to understand, serve, care, and love every person that we encounter in our everyday life. We learned that we always need to dig deeper in every situation. Being a HUMSS student is somehow depressing because others say that we do not have a future with it and it has a very small income. But when the world doesn’t believe in us, she was there lifting us up. I can say that she’s a big part why I am a better person today, and I am grateful and honored to be one of her students because she is one of those persons who has a genuine and pure heart.

The most important and special lesson that I have learned from her is that, not everything is about numbers and figures. Nothing can compare to the happiness and fulfillment of the heart that is achieved when serving other people.

Ever since I was little I am one of those outdoor kid. I always want to play outside and have fun under the sun and I think that made me strong physically and became a sporty person. And I always have that dream to have my own jersey and to be able to wear it in games.

When I was in elementary my classmates taught me how to play badminton and my parents were very supportive about it. They even bought a racket for me. Everyday after class, me and my classmates used to play badminton on our school. At that moment I thought that badminton will be my one and only sports that I will play for my entire life.

On my 7th grade, I stopped playing badminton because I transferred to another school. I do nothing in school except study, but not until my friend asked me if I want to join her table tennis training during summer on my 8th grade. At first I was afraid and nervous about it because I doubt that I am fit for that but after some sessions, I eventually liked it. Just like badminton I also thought that maybe table tennis is the sport for me. But then again, I was wrong.

On my 9th grade I was looking forward to try out for table tennis girls division in our school and I was preparing for it for a long time. Suddenly my friend who asked me to join table tennis training invited me to try out in volleyball. The only reason why I will try out that time is for her, she said she needs someone there because she’s nervous. The next thing I knew, I can’t live without volleyball. That unexpected try out turned out to be a life changing event in my life.

Being a student athlete is very challenging. It tested my patience, time management, decision making, and how I prioritize things. When I was on 11th grade it is more difficult to deal with the situation compared to grades 9 and 10. Because I entered the senior highschool life which is really hard and then it is also my last playing year as a Christian Knight and I was assigned to be the captain of the team. It’s like I have more responsibilities that time than the other years that I went through.

11th grade is difficult but grade 12 is a lot difficult. I’m not playing for the school anymore because of age limit requirements but I was given a chance to play for our town. When they first offered me to play for Bagac, I rejected them many times because I think my schedule will not permit it. But after weighing things I decided that I can give it a try. Everyday I arrive at 5:30 PM on our house and then I will go to training at 6:00 PM and I will go back home at 11 PM. After eating dinner and taking a bath I will start to do multiple school works and then I will have to wake up again at 5:30 AM to prepare to go to school. The demands of the subjects made it harder for me to survive my everyday life. There was many moments that my body and mind wanted to give up because I can’t do it anymore but I thank God that He helped me in different ways to survive.

There are many times that I thought I can’t make it. It’s challenging and tiring but whenever I play volleyball I always feel relieved and happy that’s why I didn’t give up. And I also believe that surviving those sleepless nights, and other difficult challenges made me a better person physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Lately, there’s an issue about the spreading of fake news in the internet. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) released a list of fake news sites while the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) and the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) launched last year the “fakeblok” or a google chrome plug-in that will detect if the article is from the site that is listed in the blacklist. Fake news are stories that are false or untrue and fabricated with no credible sources. The purpose of others why they do this is to manipulate the public using fake informations while others do this for political purposes. According to the freedom house, the Duterte Administration uses a “keyboard army” so that the President Duterte will still have a good image in war on drugs issue, I think this is one of the strategies of the Administration. People do this to divert the attention of the public instead on focusing the real issue, they try to confuse the public with the fake news so that the truth will not come out.

According to the report of freedom house, the Philippines is one of the leading countries that uses facebook, google and twitter to manipulate the public by using wrong information. The sites who are spreading fake news increased this year, there are 13 fake news sites last June 2016 but this October 2017 it increases the number of fake news sites to 48. But it will be easily to determine if the site is fake you will know if the site is fake if the headline of the news and the body has a wrong gammar and if the ‘contact us’ part of the site is empty or there are no names that is indicated there. It just means that there will be no people who will be responsible for the news and informations that is being posted from that site. But if the spreading of fake news will continue to happen, people will reach the point that they don’t know what they will believe because of too many fake news. You even don’t know what’s real and not.

Nowadays, internet is very helpful to the people, one of the reason why is people can easily be updated about what’s happening, people can easily read the news and share it with one another. People can also access easily the informations on social medias like ‘facebook’ that’s why fake news also spread fast. Social users should criticize the informations that they are reading in social medias, they need to be aware that not all news contains truth and facts. Social users should be responsible with the informations that they share because it might be a fake one. And also, social users must have enough knowledge and understanding to decide whether the information is useful or fake. The best way to avoid fake news is to use our critical thinking, and analyze the information carefully and verify the details, in this way we can avoid to be a victim of fake news and not to be misled.