117 other students from the College of Computer Studies and Engineering (CCSE) also make it to the said list, with a total of three full scholars, 20 half scholars and 96 dean’s listers. 75 of them are enrolled in BS CoE, 41 in BS Information Technolgy, and 6 in Computer Science. “I am very happy, even though maraming quizzes and exams I don’t study on Sundays. Kasi I always allot time for God. Pati si Kuya na nagtop din last year ganun din ang ginagawa. I am really blessed,” exclaims Tangalin. Tangalin, who ranked 29th last school year’s sec-ond semester, is a consistent dean’s lister since 2007, even when she was still enrolled as a BSN student. Carmelo has also never failed to leave the dean’s list, being a consistent scholar back in 2008 when he was still a freshman. With a total population of 732 students, CCSE is the second largest college department and has earned a number of awards and recognitions, including being the Center of Development in Information Technology in Re-gion 1. It has also reaped awards during the recent college intramurals, including Most Entertaining and Best Mascot in the Cheerdance competition, and winning majority of the sports events.

The old dormitory for hospital workers was renovated and three classrooms, including the mock hotel of the BS Hotel and Restaurant Management students were added. According to Engr. Hercules Cepriaso, Head of Buildings and Grounds, there is a need to address the rising number of students as new courses pile up the college. “The existing campus requires additional facilities so Lorma purchased the eastern portion of the land,” says Engr. Cepriaso. The total area of the purchased land is 5,000 square meters which the school bought from Rang-ay Bank. The said area will be the site for a more spacious parking lot and a two-storey building with eight classrooms beside the old dormitory. The initial plan

School adds classrooms, laboratory for Lormanians

was a big parking lot due to unavailability of the land. Engr. Cepriaso stresses, “You should know that that part was not a natural land. “It was a fish pond.Tinambakan lang ng lupa. Therefore, it is an engineering rule that we have to wait for the soil to settle for a year or two before putting a high-rise building.” “We are limited to a 2-storey building because medyo matigas and natural land ang isang part doon. Even the City Engineering Office won’t allow us to puta structure unless a year of settling down is finished,” headds. The construction of the 2-storey building has begun last October and after 90 days, the building is now almost ready for occupancy. While waiting for the soil to settle, a parking lot is

planned. That way, the parked vehicles will help compress the soil. However, there are a lot of parking lot issues. Therefore, a “riverside” way between the Sampaguita Building and the creek is added as a passageway going to the big parking lot for the car owners of the hospital and the college. “Hospital clients don’t have to enter the college to park their vehicles so they have through pass the riverside. However, employees and students of the college can pass through the college,” emphasizes Engr Cepriaso. An anonymous MLS faculty member comments, “Mabuti naman at lalakihan nila ang parking lot. Mahirap talagang maghanap lalo na ‘pag rush hour dahil wala ng space na mapag-paparkingan. “Suggestion ko lang, sana may covered walk sa

Perez who got an average score of 85.80% maintained the board streak of June 2012 topnotch-ers Evelyn Asuncion who

AFTER HAVING TWO SUCCESSFUL examinees in the top 10 during the June 5 & 6, 2012 licensure examination, the College of Radiologic Technology (CRT) has pro-duced another board topnotcher Michelle Perez, who ranked 9th in the recently con-cluded December RTLE held in the cities of Manila and Zamboanga on December 5 & 6, 2012.

TEPHANNY TANGALIN AND KIM Han Piell Carmelo, 5th year BS Computer Engineering (BSCoE) students, garnering averages of 94.71 and 94.54 respectively, top the scholars for this school year’s first semester.

ranked 4th with an average of 89.80%, and Lovely Ul-pindo who ranked 7th with an 89.00% average.

Asuncion is the firstever Rad Tech student who became a full scholar with an average of 94.92% during the second semester of School Year 2009-2010.

She incidentally ranked first, besting otherstudents from the different departments. She was also awarded Best Intern during her graduation.

Meanwhile, Ulpindo was a consistent academic scholar and was the former editor-in-chief of Lorma High-

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3 alumni top RTLE 2012

kahabaan ng riverside para kahit umuulan ay hindi kami mababasa papunta sa mga sasakyan namin.”

The maintenance building will be taken down and will go to the farther end of the

By Michaela Rubie Viloria

CCSE dominates dean's listBy Jasmine Sibayan

By Aaron Manzano, Jennilou Pigao

16LORMA HIGHLIGHTS

TM Volta is humorous speech champ By Tim Aaron Manzano

“IT COMES OUT NATURALLY JUST LIKE MY breath,” claims Mrs. Avelina “Volta” Visaya, the national champion for Humorous Speech category by the Toastmasters International during its 10th midyear conference last October 14 at Hotel Kimberly, Tagaytay City.

Ma’am Volta, as she is fondly called by her students, was also the very first Division GChampiononthesaidfield. Her speech entitled “Who Am I?” presented herself as a person, a lover and a star. She says that she did not even write her speech. It was rather constructed on the spot by combining the speeches ofthefirstsixcontendersandaddingher uniquely “electrifying” touch. The speech which earned Mrs Visaya the gold was deemed by the contest judges as “wonderfully unique.”

On all her competitions, she only wrote one speech entitled “Beep beep, beep beep”, which she delivered during a national competition in Baguio at Hotel Veniz. The speech recounts her experience finding her soul mate andnow her present husband. She pointed out thatherconfidence levelboostedalot because of her competitions. She added that these sharpened her communication and leadership skills. Aside from being a champion in humorous speech contests, she also became a judge of various speech competitions in and out of the campus.

With the increasing number of courses and enrollees, Lorma Colleges extended its existing structure with a new parking lot and a two-storey building at the eastern side of the campus, beside the creek.

At present she is the current president of the Toastmasters Club. “Always listen well and learn to incorporate it wisely,” she advises

Freshman wins first SOCA essay writingBy Casein Legato

PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT ANGELICA ESTACIO LANDS second in an essay writing contest during the live broadcast of City Mayor Pablo C. Ortega’s State of the City Address at Lion’s Park last January 15, 2013.

Participants from differ-ent educational institutions, both high school and college, in the City of San Fernando competed in the said event with the theme “Going Green at 15”.

This was in accordance to San Fernando’s goal of becoming an environmentally sensitive urban city.

The topic centered at the youth’s role in attaining the main goal for the year 2020—“CSF as the Prime Capital City of Ilocandia.”

Estacio was inspired by the mayor’s statement “We are all intercon-nected people in a single web”.

Consequently, she entitled her essay “Youth Empowerment: The Foundation of a Stronger Ilocano Web”.

Her winning piece revolved around on the process of how Lorma Colleges molds the youth to contribute more to the development of the city.

She pointed out the produc-tion of responsible citizens starting in

the student internships such as the Col-lege of Computer Studies and Engineering (CCSE) in their involvement on the ad-vancement on Information and Communi-cations Technology at the City Hall.

Additionally, paramedical vol-unteers were also given emphasis for their selflessandcaringserviceinthehealthsec-tor.

Estacio also addressed the envi-ronment and social issues in presenting the school’s concrete actions in line with the National Service and Training program.

Finally, she concluded the essay with a witty comparison of the the role of the youth and the weaving of a spider.

“Just like a spider fighting forsurvival, the youth interlinks these strands that will serve as a purpose for the future generation to work together as one com-munity in a single web.”

The Pscyhology freshie received three thousandpesos,certificateof recog-nition and a silver medal as her prize for the contest.

CON students advocate trash-free seaBy Angelica Estacio

Freshmen and sopho-mores attended the activity, which is a part of their community service. The main objective of the activity is geared towards health pro-motion and illness prevention. The coastal cleanup is one

way of preventing diseases such as den-gue, gastroenteritis and typhoid fever since mortality and morbidity rate are rising. Clinical instructors of Com-munity Health Nursing joined the stu-dents in picking up plastic items and digging a hole to bury collected dried

IN LINE WITH THE CELEBRATION OF NURS-ING WEEK, CON led a coastal cleanup along the shore-lines of Carlatan and Lingsat, San Fernando City last October 3, 2012.

seaweeds. Marife Amor Taqueban, BSN II said, “This is a great opportunity given to us to help mother Earth. As we can observe, mother Earth is now losing its beauty.” NestorCarpio,alocalfisher-man said that the movement helps in their livelihood and the students set a good example for the residents to prac-tice waste management. The event was spearheaded by Mrs. Araceli Surat, Chairman of Fac-ulty Development and Research Com-munity of the College of Nursing, clini-cal instructors Mr. Joeffrey Quitariano, Mr. Jeff Otero and Mrs. Estella Ortal-iza. It was spearheaded by Mrs. Glory

Mayo, Head of Level II in CON. The adapted barangay was cho-sen for its accessibility. “We can just walk from Lorma to Carlatan any time of the day,” says Mrs. Mayo. Moreover, “We conduct such activity yearly and aside from the coastal cleanup, the College of Nursing also con-ducts home visitations for health informa-tion dissemination and delivery of basic health care services,” she added. International Coastal Cleanup Month is annually celebrated in the month of September, wherein an average of eight million pounds of trash is collected world-wide when people conduct such activity.

aspiring young speakers. “Always keep your feet on the ground in every victory you receive and always accept setbacks that you face.”

FIVE-TIME WINNER. Ma’am Volta holds her latest trophies for winning the national humurous speech with her piece entitled Who Am I. She bested six other contenders from different schools in the country. PHOTO COURTESY OF MRS. AVELINA VISAYA

NEOPHYTE AMONG PROS. Despite being a probitionary writer, Angelica Estacio ABPsych grabbed the silver medal in the essay writing contest during the State of the City Address, beating several seasoned writers from other schools. PHOTO BY MIKA

SCHOOL EXPANSION. More spacious classrooms are built to accomodate new students for the next school year. What used to be an empty fishpond is now the site of the newest building in the campus. PHOTO BY DERIA MENESES

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ULPINDO PEREZ ASUNCION

Divided in three groups, the seniors of CCSE invited prominent presenters from different IT industry including Microsoft, Drupal, Cr8v, Google, UPITDC, PLDT and others.

The said conferences covered distinct topics which made the participants nod to the organizers.

TechTracks ’13

Prior to last year’s TechTracks 2012 seminar, this year’s Computer Engineering seniors brought the bigger TechTracks convention themed: “Initializing tech duty for global competitiveness” at La Mer Resort, City of San Fernando, La Union last December 7, 2012.

The said gathering featured contemporary topics mainly about computer engineering and electronics which were fiber to the home, shaper e c o g n i t i o n ( h a r d w a r e alternative), database management and security, anime arts made easy by photoshop, IP converged network of Telcos and VLAN routing, basic CISCO routing configuration, and DHCProutingconfigurationwhichwas participated by 313 delegates from four schools.

Experts from PLDT, Saint Louis University, and CISCO were among the guests of the said event.

i7 Storm

Organized by IT- IV Section 2, i7 storm

(Inter-collegiate Ignition of Ilocandia Instutions for Innovational Information Infusions) was joined by more than 300 participants across the region.

The seminar was held at Rose Bowl Restaurant, Bauang, La Union last December 14, 2012.

The said event, which was organized with the partnership of UPITDC and DRUPAL, had 9 interesting topics presented including Web Development and Mobile Applications.

M i c r o s o f t Philippines’ Open Source Specialist Edison Tan, Bryan Bibat and Alvin Chan of Developers Connect Philippines were the presenters of the convention. Other presenters include Roy Dela Cruz of UPITDC, Pal De Paula, senior developer of New Amsterdam Ideas, Antoinette Marcelo, the training director of PhilNITS, Gerald Villorente and GemDev of Drupal.

The topics discussed include mobile application development, importance of

feedback loop, the open cloud, thinking about the future with IT, storage and beyond, server infrastructure, Drupal ladder of success, web security and What it Takes to be a Web Developer.

“It was a very good seminar, I love the food and the speakers were excellent. I enjoyed the whole convention,” says Swedelyn Mencias, a BSIT-3 participant from Lorma Colleges.

iConverge ‘13

Inheriting last year’s very successful event, Ilocandia Convergence 2012, this year’s iConverge became even wider and bigger.

Held at Ariana Resort, Bauang, La Union, the biggest seminar of the year recorded more than 400 participants across Region I and Cordillera Administrative Region.

Mr. Matthew Roman, CEO of Cr8v Web Solutions discussed about what separates good IT professionals from great IT professionals. Meanwhile,

GRADUATING STUDENTS FROM THE COLLEGE OF COMPUTER Studies and Engineering (CCSE) successfully produced three conventions this semester, which were par-ticipated by undergraduates taking courses related to In-formation Technology across the region.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Community Health Education Emergency Rescue Services (CHEERS) decided to work in partnership in strengthening information dissemination about disaster preparedness to students across the Philippines.

The discussion was led by Von Ryan Rodrigo and Ryan Wilson Abedela, both registered nurses and trained rescuers.

Participants were given an overview about the destructive effects of nature, a recap of the typhoons that had left a number of Filipinos homeless with a considerable rise in death rates (Ondoy, Sendong and Ramil), and brief education on basic life support and preparedness.

The lecturers encouraged the use of Go Bag, a survival kit that contains flashlight, whistle,and radio.

The importance of emergency medicines, food, clothes and other life-saving materials and equipment

CHEERS conducts disaster seminarBy Angelica Estacio

was also emphasized.

The use of Automated External Defibrillator (AED), whichcan check the heart’s rhythm and send electric shock in victims having sudden “cardiac arrests” was also demonstrated.

A l t e r n a t i v e materials were also discussed, which includes the use of sanitary napkins as substitute for gauzes.

Lectures on firstaid were also conducted. Students were taught how to respond to various scenarious such as bleeding, poisoning, and burns.

“Active interaction with the students is actually not enough if they will not undergo proper and thorough training. Kumbaga, patikim lang ito sa mga gagawin sa GDPP,” says Abedela.

CHEERS is the only agency accredited by CHED to conduct such trainings and reach out to students from various provinces and municipalities.

2 LORMA HIGHLIGHTS 15LORMA HIGHLIGHTS

NATIONAL SERVICE TRAINING Program (NSTP) students took part on this year’s Global Disaster Preparedness Program (GDPP) Seminar on September 13 with the objective to prepare partici-pants to respond during calamities.

CCSE seniors produce 3 massive seminarsBy Freddie Nebrija

The newly crowned Escobar and Tagle were also awarded Best in National costume, while Tagle was also awarded as Ms Articulate.

Awarded as Mr and Ms Congeniality, Jimmy Jucar of the Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) and Rosalie Espiritu of the College of Nursing placed first runners-up.

Espiritu, together with Kevin Viloria of the College of Physical and Respiratory Therapy clinched The Darling of the crowd awards.

Meanwhile, Viloria and Christine Marie Joy Nisperos of MLS were 2nd runners-up. MLS candidates bagged The Mr. and Ms. Lorma Smile.

“Although it was my first time to join a pageant,I tried my best to have the confidencetograbthetitle.

“I thank all those who supported me and gave me courage especially the one in the front seat who supported

Lormanians celebrate English WeekBy Jasmine Sibayan

me all throughout the pageant,” says Tagle.

On the other hand Janica Paguirigan, freshman BS Computer Engineering was able to catch the attention of the judges and was declared the 1st placer in the poster making.

Fellow freshmen Monica Belen BSN Ladderized, Patrick Padilla BS Radiologic Technology, Temis Joshua Vargas BSN, Christine Nebalasca BS Information Technology, placed 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively.

“Sa tulong ng friends nacreate ko yung concept, naghalo-halo na. Unexpected itong pagkapanalo ko kasi pangalawa akong natapos,” says Janica Paguirigan.

Singing “Nu Duaduaempay,” Ericka Lyndell Quinsaat BMLS 2 was proclaimed the winner in the Ilocano singing contest.

Mitchel Acosta and Edgardo Flores, BSN 1 places 2nd, and Karen Casem, BSN 3 ended up on the 3rd spot.

“Masayang masaya ako kasi nanalo ako, yung kanta ko kagabi lang nakuha. Tapos partida kasi paos pa ako, kahapon lang ako nagpractice.

“Uminom nalang ako ng malasadong itlog para omokay yung lalamunan ko kahit papano. Over joyed ako ngayon,” says Quinsaat.

The Ilocos cuisine prepared by BSA-ResPT-MLS was awarded the champion during the cuisine contest, the tangy taste bursted from the appearance of the yummy dish while the Cebu Cuisine of BSN 3-1 and the Russian cuisine of BSN 3-2 gathered 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

Sophomore BS Physical Therapy students’ Mascara festival, which showcased heart thumping lifts and breath stopping stunts with a very colorful and artistic mascaras similar with the actual masks from Bacolod overpowered the Pahiyas and Russian festivals.

“Masaya kami, kasi unexpected din yung pagkapanalo namin. Less than 24 hours kami nagpractice,” says Samantha Estrada BSPT 2.

“The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” by Christopher Marlowe was given life by Renz Sta. Maria and Kizzy

REPRESENTING AFRICA, AN-JHANNEL Tagle and Clarence Esco-bar of the College of Computer Stud-ies and Engineering (CCSE) were crowned as Mr and Ms World 2012 during the two-day English Culminat-ing Activity held at the school gymna-sium last October 2, 2012.

CPRT organizes pulmo rehab seminarBy Jesther Rowen Bautista

170 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS and professionals gathered at the school AVR on September 28, 2012, during the lecture-seminar entitled “Pulmonary Rehabilitation with Spirometry” organized by the College of Physical and Respiratory Therapy.

President of the Association of Respiratory Care Practitioners of the Philippines Cesar Bugaoisan, Jr was the resource speaker of the event.

He presented lectures on the basics of spirometry, lung volume studies and various treatment modalities used for COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).

Statistics regarding the rising incidence of the disease and the most common and most cost-effective medical

interventions employed by leading tertiary hospitals in the National Capital Region were also presented.

Responsibi l i t ies of healthcare professionals, especially respiratory and physical therapists were emphasized.

Health teachings that can be implemented for individuals suffering from COPD and other patients who require pulmonary rehabilitation were also

discussed.

In addition, different breathing exercises as a part of health education including deep breathing, pursed-lip, diaphragmatic and paced breathing were demonstrated.

B u g a o i s a n identifiedtheharmfuleffectsof smoking and emphasized thebenefitsand importanceof smoking cessation to prevent the occurrence and to reduce the symptoms of COPD.

“If you do not want to undergo these expensive treatments, ‘tis best to quit smoking as early as now,” reminds Bugaoisan.

86 BS Physical Therapy students comprised

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What is/are your suggestion(s) for the improvement of Lorma Colleges?

Rhena Inocencio and Abraham Camba of Trend Micro talked about current threat landscape and advanced persistent threat.

Chris Salvatierra and Ryan Caro of UPITDC introduced e-UP project and new google features.

Also, former Lormanians Gredel Bandoy of Texas Instruments discussed open source 3D authoring and Reynante Martinez of Evocativi Philippines lectured the ways to have IT in you.

Headed by Roxy Pearl Bacolong, and organized by the 13 students from IT-IV Section 2, the said seminar received a salute from the CCSE Dean Ana Belen Noble.

“Sobrang gagaling nila (speakers of the seminar) and they were also approachable. Napaka inspiring,” exclaims Bacolong on facebook.

“Hindi magiging matagumpay ang event na ito kung wala sila. Madami ang nagsabing magaganda ang mga topics na nirender ng speakers.

“Nahanap na nila kung ano talaga yung specialization nila when it comes to IT and sana kami ring mga IT students

ngayon eh maging katulad din nila. Bilib ako sa kanila. KUDOS!“

Trainings and Seminars: a better way of learning

Students claimed that the topics presented on the said seminars cannot be learned inside the four corners of the classroom. The events became great investment for the participants in being IT equipped and globally competitive.

Being one of the presenters on iConverge13, the CEO of Cr8v Solutions cited, “Thank you for giving me the honor of speaking at your event. I never realized how many untapped brilliant young people are there in La Union. Keep up the good work and see you guys in the industry pretty soon! Remember to follow your bliss.”

“Overall it was a good event. Food was great, speakers were awesome and I learned a lot,” says freelance programmer Wern Ancheta who joined the i7 convention.

The organizers of the prestigious events were enrolled in the subject: “Field Trip and Seminars” which requires company visits and organization of seminars which they had done impressively.

THIS TIME FOR AFRICA. Anjhannel Tagle & Clarence Escobar of CCSE, who both represented Africa were crowned Mr and Miss World 2012 during the English Week. PHOTO BY LYNARD MISA

CONVERGENCE OF THE CYBER WORLD’S BESTS. Renowned experts from different IT industries were invited to be the presenters for this year’s blockbuster seminars organized by CCSE seniors. PHOTO COURTESY OF iCONVERGE ‘13 ORGANIZERS

ENJOYING THE SHOW. Bright smiles were shared by the participants of the seminar, showing that despite the information overload, they still learned a lot and enjoyed the conventions. PHOTO COURTESY OF TECHTRACKS ‘12 ORGANIZERS

The following statements were the results of an online survey conducted by the publication in its website and facebook account. They do not necessarily represent the opinion of the staff members of Lorma Highlights.

We need more opportunities for student exposure. Lormanians are innately talented. Bakit parang hanggang cheering na lang ata tayo?Areweconfinedtodancingna lang?--anonymous Lorma alumni

I suggest that there would be more rooms, and better canteen products and prices. Redentor Dictaan BSIT III

Improvements? Additional hang-outs for students! If Lorma is trying to be globally competitive and be at par with western universities/colleges, sana may mas maraming lounges. Dati may mga nipa huts, saan na nagpunta yung mga yun?--Like a Boss, BSN 2

The school needs more books and references. Yung mga major subjects namin umaasa pa rin sa mga lumang libro noong 1990’s. I thought Lorma is equipped for the 21st century?--Bookworm, RT3

Better distribution ng fees sa tuition fee para maimprove naman yung talagang nagagamit at mabawasan yung hindi nagagalaw naman talaga ng students para somehow bumaba din ang tuition fee. Ang dami kasi paepal binabayaran na di naman nagagamit. --JV, BSIT

IN OBSERVANCE OF THE BIBLE Week Celebration, the bible classes of Lorma Colleges took the center stage and showcased their pieces in the Literary Mu-sical Competition at the Lorma gymnasium on Jan 7.

Seven classes from different departments competedwiththeiroriginalcompositionsreflect-ing the event’s theme which is “May They Be One; Pagpapahayag ng Salita ng Diyos Tungo sa Pagba-bago, (Proclaiming God’s Word Towards National Transformation).”

The winning piece of BS Physical Ther-apy 1 entitled “The Prayer” bagged the 1st place with a cash prize of P1,500.

Freshies from the BS Pharmacy garnered 2nd place while BS Psychology and Bachelor of Secondary Education got 3rd place with a cash prize of P1000 and P500, respectively.

“Happy kami kasi may pinatunguhan yung pinaghirapan naming performance,” says Jomin Sibayan, BS PT 1 student.

“Isang magandang opurtunidad din samin to dahil nailalabas namin yung mga ba-gay na hindi namin naipapakita sa loob ng class-room,” he adds.

The winning group participated in the National Bible Week Celebration Awards Night in the San Fernando City Plaza.

“Naging successful naman ang bible week at sisiguraduhin namin na mauulit ito para na rin mailabas pa ang mga talent at kapabili-dad ng mga estudyante dito sa Lorma, “ says Mrs. Annie Orate, Bible Instructor.

The event aims to unite the talents and personalities of the students in spite of the differ-ences in religion.

“Kahit na magkakaiba tayo ng relihi-yon, sa huli ay iisa pa rin ang Diyos na ating si-nasamba at pinaniniwalaan,” emphasized Mrs. Orate.

Pastor Brennus Paragas, Lorma Chap-lain, together with the Bible instructors, headed the Bible Week activity with the cooperation of the Campus Life Ministry and Lorma Colleges.

Bible classes turn musicalBy Gener Gapuz

14 LORMA HIGHLIGHTS 3LORMA HIGHLIGHTS

CPRT to increase hospitals for internsBy Jesther Rowen Bautista

At present, the school isaffiliatedwiththreehospitalsfor the Respiratory Therapy (RT) program—Lorma Medical Center, Saint Louis University-Hospital of the Sacred Heart in Baguio City, and Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City.

“The addition of af-filiation centers is necessarybecause of the increase of stu-dents enrolled in the program, especially those in their third years who are about to become interns this May,” says Mr Ber-nard Tayaban, Dean of CPRT.

“Unlike other health-care degrees like Nursing and Radiologic Technology, the Respiratory Therapy program requires‘many’affiliationcent-ers because a single rotation lasts for three months per hos-pital,” he explains.

“With the sudden in-crease in the population of the interns, our base hospital can-not accommodate all,” he adds.

The candidates are students who have passed all internship-prerequisite sub-jects, including Fundamentals of Respiratory Therapy, Me-chanical Ventilation, Test of Pulmonary Function and Struc-ture, Cardiopulmonary Anato-my and Pathophysiology, and Pulmonary Physiology in the ICU, among others.

The college is seek-ing the approval of the Na-tional Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) and Philippine Heart Center (PHC) as addi-tional centers.

These institutions are

WITH 25 RESPIRATORY Therapy candidates for internship, the College of Physical and Respiratory Therapy (CPRT) gears up to add more affiliation centers to deploy its students for their one-year clinical rotation for the school year 2013-2014. The expected number of interns has at least tripled from last year’s only eight.

all tertiary and specialized hospitals and are located in Quezon City.

“Application for internship at PHC requires a student to have a weight-ed average of all third-year subjects of at least 82.00%,” says Mrs. Rona Esquivias, RT instructor.

“It’s not an as-surance but we are hope-ful na may makapagduty doon without breaching any contract. Dapat kasi may marorotate doon na interns within the whole school year,” she adds.

The hospitals were chosen because of the equipment, surgical and treatment modalities that are exclusive only in high-ly-specialized centers.

“For example, hemodynamic monitoring and cardiac catheterization are some of the procedures that are rarely seen in other hospitals beside PHC,” says Mrs. Esquivias.

In addition to these, the department is also hopeful for the in-clusion of Baguio Gen-eral Hospital and Medical Center and Notre Dame de ChartresHospital as affili-ated institutions. Both hos-pitals are located in the City of Pines.

“The increase of affiliation centers maycause an increase in the affiliation fee,” says DeanTayaban.

“The fee varies with each hospital, but stu-dents must expect a range of a thousand to one thou-sandandfivehundred.”

“We are keeping ourfingerscrossedthatthe25 students will become in-terns this next school year,” hopes Mrs. Geraldine Abaya, RT instructor.

She adds, “The department has produced 12RTsfromthefirstbatch,back in 2011.”

“This increasing number of enrollees must be a sign that the commu-nity is recognizing the im-portance of the RT as a part of the healthcare team.”

“I’m excited for the internship,” claims Va-nessa Molina, junior BS ResT.

“After 3 years sa loob ng classroom, I can finallyapplythethingsI’velearned in the real, clinical setting.”

Phema Modesto, also a junior remarks, “I’m a bit ambivalent. We have seen patients in the ICU who are hooked to mechan-ical ventilators.

“Nakakatakot yung mga tubo at mga lines na naka-attach sa mga patients. Neverthe-less, I am confident thatmy school has prepared me well for the heart-pumping action that lies ahead.”

ONLY THE BEST CENTERS. Clinical internship for RT students is held in highly specialized hospitals, including Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City, in order to maximize their learning experiences. PHOTO BY IVAN QUILATES

lights for the school years 2010-2011 and 2011-2012.

At the peak of her writ-ing prowess, she also became the College Editor’s Guild of the Phil-ippines (CEGP)-La Union Chap-ter Chairperson from 2009-2010. She also received the Campus Journalism Award.

Since 1992, the depart-ment has produced 19 board to-pnotchersinthefieldofradiolog-ic technology, including the three newly-licensed RRTs who topped in 2012.

Lorma CRT has con-sistently received accolades in its performance in the board exam, havingrankedasfirstamongra-diologic technology schools in 1995.

The department has earned a back to back recognition by ranking 2nd in June 2008 and 3rd in December 2008 for obtain-ing an 82% average performance according to the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

Nineoutoftwelvefirsttakers passed the December 2012 RTLE with a 75% performance and an overall performance of 61.11%.

This has decreased compared with December 2011 with the department garnering 86.67%ratingamongfirsttakersand 76.47% on its overall perfor-mance.

The new licensed Ra-

diologic Technologists for Decem-ber 2012 are Donica Anne Ariza-bal, Jhon Ray Bautista, Oliver Jay Bustarte, Jethro Dysico, Harvie Es-panto, Ivy Gay Gonzalbo, Precious Greece Maines, Joshua Matthew Padua, Randy Pasion and Rodel Tadeo.

“This year was okay for the board takers,” says Dr. Carol Grace Tadaoan, Dean of CRT.

“We give everything to students what we think they will be needing for the exam, like quiz-zes, homeworks, and even stretch-ingourhandsoverourofficehoursjust to teach and guide them in their classroom and duties in the hospital.”

“We’ve done a lot for them to the extent that they be-came mad and exhausted already and even showed dismay to us teachers, but at the end they were knocking on my front door and saying that they finally realizedthat the extreme training that we gave to them is really worth it in the end,” she adds.

Dean Tadaoan claims that the department has no ‘secret ingredient’ behind its back-to-back success in the licensure exam.

“We are just doing our job. We always do our best to stu-dents,”sheaffirms.

CRT is gearing up for the next board exam and is hoping to produce another topnotcher to add to the glory of the department and the school.

3 alumni from page 1

Held at Oasis Country Resort, the event was joined by more than 20 higher educational institutions in the Ilocos Region. Participating schools competed in various individual categories, including News writing, Copyreading and Headline writing, Editorial Cartooning and Poetry writing. Contests are held in both English and Filipino categories. Each school’s published issues, including broadsheets, tabloids, magazines, and newsletters competed in group categories. As the publication’s sole entry in the group categories, the second volume of the magazine ‘Medium’ was awarded 1st in Feature-Literary page, 2nd in Cover Design, 3rd in Layout and Developmental Communication page, 4th in Sports page and 5th in Editorial-Opinion page. Seven staff members—four of which are graphic artists, two writers and

7 LH staff qualify for LHEPC '13, Medium bags 5 awardsby Angelica Estacio

HAVING THE LARGEST number of student delegates, Lorma Higlights reaped medals and trophies in both individual and group categories during the 13th Regional Higher Education Press Conference on December 3-5, 2012 with the theme, “Responsible Campus Journalism in the New Media Technology.”

onephotojournalist,qualifiedtothe Luzonwide Higher Education Press Conference. In the Illustrative category, Rheimaru Joseph Boado (BSIT3) clinched the 2nd place for Literary Graphics-English. Palmer Gawaban (BSCS 4) grabbed 3rd place in the Comic Strip-English while BSIT junior Swedelyn Mencios ranked 4th place in Comic Strip-Filipino. With her entry entitled, ‘ISEM: Facet of the Ilocano Character’, senior photojournalist Ericka Alyanna Bobiles (BSN3) ranked 1st in the Photojournalism-English category , besting more than 10 other schools while Joanna Lanuza (BSCOE3) finished 4th in the Filipino division with her entry, ‘Mga Kabanata ng Buhay Ilokano’. Another 1st place was sealed by Jesther Rowen Bautista in Opinion Writing-English. Meanwhile, Christian Kelvin Gonzales (BSIT 4) placed 8th in Opinion Writing-Filipino and 4th in Sports Writing-English. Art John Sobrepeña

(BSCOE2) and Ma. Criselda Abrajano (BSN3) both managed to grab the 7th place in News Writing-Filipino and Copyreading and Headline Writing-Filipino categories respectively. Neophyte Psychology freshmanAngelicaEstaciofinished10th in the Sports Writing-Filipino category. Other contestants include Christian Manantan (BSRT3), Precious Claire Mamaril (BSN3), Nicole Bray(BMLS2), Jessica Guray (BSCOE2), Michaela Rubie Viloria (BMLS3) and Jennielou Pigao (BSEd 3). LH adviser Marisol Jane Jomaya, was elected new Board of Director for the province of La Union in the Association of Regional Campus Paper Advisers Region 1. A total of 197 participants together with 51 coaches participated in the conference. Top 5 qualifiers in eachcategory will represent the Ilocos region at the Luzonwide Higher EducationPress Conference at Legazpi City, Albay on February 10 to 12, 2013.

DEPRESSED KA BA. With the Medium as its sole entry, LH bagged 1st place in Feature and 2nd place in best cover during the RHEPC.

majority of the participants of the event: 29 of them were freshmen, 22 were sophomores, 18 juniors, 16 seniors and one intern.

Meanwhile, there were a total of 39 BS Respiratory Therapy students; 13 of which are sophomores, 20 are juniors and six are interns.

23 students from Pines City Colleges, Baguio City also joined the event. Registered and practicing professionals were also present, including seven

registered physical therapists, eight respiratory therapists and fiveregisterednurses.

The department has been holding lecture-seminars annually for two years.

RT instructor Rona Esquivias says, “We are planning to apply for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) units for next year’s seminar.

“Although this will become slightly more expensive, it will attract more participants.”

Go BMLS 2.

The crowd cheered and the stage was covered with thieir cheeziness which captured the heart of the judges and placed 1st.

Meanwhile Britannica Jacob and Henson Toquero BSIT 2, and Arvie Taloma and Roulyn Bangud AB Psych respectively placed 2nd and 3rd.

“No expectations, group unity ang naging dahilan ng success. To God be the glory,”

from English week page 2

says Go.

“We got the cooperation of the other faculty members as well as the participation of the students.

“We truly uplifted the Filipino spirit and festivals,” says Ms. Avelina Visaya, English Committee member.

“The culminating activity was a success,” she added.

from pulmo rehab page 2

EDITORIAL BOARD(AY 2012-2013)

Photojournalists: Deria Meneses, Lynard Misa, Angelique Bustillos, Jennifer Gequillo Loren Obillio, Andrea Asuncion Wilferd Sibayan, Dominic Macusi

Staff Writers:Gener Gapuz, Raniel Sandaga,Angel Estacio, Tim Aaron Manzano,Nyzy Cabreros, Jasmine Sibayan, Joy Venasquez,Freddie Nebrija

Editor-in-Chief: Michaela Rubie ViloriaAssociate Editor: Christian Kelvin GonzalesInternal Managing Editor: Precious MamarilExternal Managing Editor: Shuan ManantanSenior Section Editor: Jesther Rowen BautistaNews Editor: Ma. Criselda AbrajanoFeatures Editor: Nicole BrayColumns Editor: Jennielou PigaoLiterary Editor: Marc Jay LakaySci-tech and Devcom Editor: Jessica GurayCirculations Manager: Joanna Marie LanuzaSenior Layout Artists: Moooochi Anjhannel TagleSenior Graphics Artists: Palmer Gawaban Jr. Maynard AlviarneSenior Photojournalist: Erika Alyanna Bobiles

Graphic Artists: Angela Ganuelas, Swedelyn MenciasOreus Cruz, Darrel Magpali, Riqqa Garcia,Louise Huliganga, Rheimar Boado,Fervy Jumaday Pete Fontanilla

Adviser: Ms. Marisol Jane JomayaConsultant: Mrs. Melba AnoEnglish Critic: Ms. Girlie RicanorFilipino Critic: Mrs. Helen Alimpia

STAFF BOX SY 2012-2013

4 LORMA HIGHLIGHTS 13LORMA HIGHLIGHTS

EDITORIAL

parking lot due to noise issues during classes. Meanwhile, the student lounges are proposed to be replacements of the maintenance building. As Lorma Medical Center will expand, the gym is slatedfiveyears fromnowbeapart of the extended portion of the hospital and will occupy the whole parking lot on the eastern side. Engr. Cepriaso adds that two years from now, the Sampaguita Building will be

the hospital’s new Medical Records building. The Nursing Arts building has allotted an additionalfloorforlaboratoryroom for BS Pharmacy students. “CHED requires a Pharmacy Lab to be constructed at the top of the building or at an isolated area. “As they will be preparing medicines, the odors emitted by the chemicals may distract students during

classes. “It is advisable, therefore, for the laboratory to be at the top of the building,” says Engr. Cepriaso. After the expansion of Lorma, the eastern parking lot will be the new gymnasium. “There will be no space for parking lot. Hopefully, makukuha ang western portion for the initial idea which is dormitory for the students and employees,” adds Engr Cepriaso.

from School adds page 1

known the value of doing relaxation techniques during hard times. I had appreciated the presence of support groups like families, friends and the like. Our patients know the benefits of performingthe activities we had pre-pared for them. They value each day that we spend with them. Above all, they are hopeful of becoming well. Apart from all the adversities during the two weeks of clini-cal exposure to the mental institution, I felt privileged because of the learning I ac-quired from them. In the society today, people with mental disorders are being neglected. There are some who are pitifully seen in the streets, churches, fast food chains and other public areas of our locality. They don’t achieve their basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing. Young or elderly, they are also deprived of their own human rights like privacy, education and health. Now, as I stroll in the city seeing some persons with mental illness, I can-not keep myself away from thinking of my past clinical experience.

If there is the DSWD to cater the ju-veniles, why not mental health institutions be put up in provinces (or say re-gions) of our country to ac-commodate the mentally ill? If that happens, there would be a safer and a moreefficientwayofhelp-ing them attain wellness. They will be re-ceiving medications and proper nutrition. They will not any-more be exposed to differ-ent harmful factors in the environment they used to have. Finally, with the help of the healthcare team, various therapies and activ-ities can be done for them whichwillbesignificant totheir recovery. I am just looking forward to a country whose citizens know they cannot choose their problems in life but they know they are in control on how to react to these problems; whose healthcare providers know they cannot choose their patients but they know they are of importance in their healing; and whose govern-ment officials know theycannot choose their coun-trymen but they know that their service should be for the betterment of their peo-ple.

It took me almost three years to appreciate the mental aspect. I owe it to my recent clinical experience; it gave me the best sembreak. Before my affilia-tion at the National Center for Mental Health, I felt anxi-ety and hesitation. Considering safety, it would be very hard for an-yone’s first exposure to dealwith mentally ill patients. I was thinking that in some chances, they are capable of hurting me. In the area, I have encountered different cases such as schizophrenia, men-tal retardation, bipolarism, and substance abuse. There are patients who seem to be very normal and there are also those who are always in a ‘worst comes worst’ scenario. My clinical instruc-tors have explained that these events can be influ-enced by their intake of med-ications and the duration of their stay in the institution. But I think the most important factor mentioned was the frequency of the visits that they receive from their families and other loved ones. I have seen how small stressors or even tragic events affect one’s percep-tion. I have

RIP Freedom of Expression

What used to be a country admired for its relatively free internet use is now at the mercy of political tyranny. The Revised Penal Code and other laws such as RA 8792 contain provisions that regulate computer and internet activities. These laws however, do not specifically criminalizecrimes committed by computer users. Therefore, online crimes go unpunished. There had been cases of such crimes in the past. One of the most memorable is the ILOVEYOU computer worm, which is created by Onel de Guzman, a Filipino. Although it was an undeniable criminal act, de Guzman went punished since at the time of his arrest, there exists no legal basis for him to be charged. Similar and related incidents of computer hacking and trafficking pushed ourlawmakers to impose a law that will criminalize online crime. October of last year, the Aquino administration has signed RA 10175, or more famously known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. The said law imposes a harsher punishment to internet crimes, including fraud, internet hacking, child pornography and much to the dismay of the majority of Filipinos, online libel. Although this new law promises a safer online environment for allusers,thedefinitionitprovides for online libel is dangerously vague. For instance, a simple ‘liking’ of a defamatory status can send a facebook user in prison for 12 years--6

years longer than a person who actually commits libel. Retweeting the message will earn an equal punishment.If everything comes to the worst, who could say that internet activity will not go unmonitored? In a country where graft and corruption is associated with public service, citizens have perfectly developed their keen eyes and sharp tongues. Any hint of malicious act by any government official willearn a barrage of online innuendos, majority of whichwilldefinitelynotbe‘nice’. Social networking sites play a major role as a medium where Filipinos express their sentiments in every issue , including but not limited to showbusiness, politics and everything that lies in between. Imposing a law that prohibits netizens to express their personal view on social matters is a direct violation of the freedom of speech and expression. The publication staff remains in unison that the country is indeed in need of a cybercrime prevention law. The present form of the law, however, is something that we as campus journalists condemn. We believe that a person has the freedom to say what he believes to be right. We believe that this freedom must not be sacrificed only to deterthe incidence of online crimes. As long as the much dreaded provision on online libel exists, the government will never be at peace.

As a future healthcare provider, I was oriented with the different aspects of health.

CMA celebrates 2nd trade expositionBy Nyzy Cabreros

The event featured different contests prepared by CMA, where participants showcased their skills and talents in fields related tothe courses offered by the department. The contests were divided into two categories—high school and college. Contests for the high school students include the all colorful Cultural Presentation, Quiz Bee, and Fruit and Vegetable Carving. Skirting, Flower Arrangement, Themed Table Set-up, Napkin Folding and Super Sandwich Slam contests were also held. Meanwhile, college students comprised by CMA undergraduates competed in CMA Iron Chef, Cultural Presentation, Quiz Bee, Cocktail Mixing, Skirting, Flower Arrangement, Themed Table Set-up and Napkin Folding.

Battle of the Young Chefs 20 schools in La Union competed in Super Sandwich Slam and Fruit and Vegetable Carving. Among those schools, Acao National High School (ANHS) landed on the 1st place, followed by San Juan National High School and Saint Louis College for the 2nd and 3rd place correspondingly. Meanwhile, Luna National High School bested other schools in the Fruit

“IT’S MORE FUN AT LORMA” IS THE THEME for this year’s Trade Exposition Week by the College of Management and Accountancy, held at the college gymnasium on January 21 to 25, 2013.

NATIVE UPBEAT. A beaming high school student, dressed in lavish traditional costume shakes the dance floor during thecultural dance competition. PHOTO BY DERIA MENESES

and Vegetable Carving. Christ the King College (CKC) settled for 2nd place and San Nicolas Academy landed 3rd. F e r d i n a n d Aragon, Sherie Aguinaldo and Mharra Saliut were awarded champions for the CMA Iron Chef. Daphnie Tarinay, Mark Jerome Flores and Rachel Ann Jeano won second while Roan Menaza, Ayra Ordono and Michelle Arat landed on the 3rd place. In the Cock Tail Mixing, Florante Saludares was awarded champion and was followed by Oviedo Johnvier and Alec Joshua for the 1st and 2nd place respectively. The said competition was held on the second day of the event.

The Art in Table Setting The competition was held for both high school and college participants. Castor Z. Conception Memorial National High School (CZCMNHS) landed as champion in Skirting contest. Don Eulogio de Guzman Memorial National High School and CKC followed in 2nd and 3rd places respectively. Santo Tomas National High School

(STNHS)snatchedthefirstprize in the Themed Table Set-up. CKC and ANHS were awarded 1st and 2nd correspondingly. M e a n w h i l e , the Napkin Folding competition was won by Saint Anthony Montessori, followed closely by Santo Rosario National High School and San Gabriel Vocational High School (SGVHS) who settled for 2nd and 3rd places.

Clash of the Different Cultures C u l t u r a l presentations highlighted the 3rd day of the trade expo at the college gymnasium. Under the high school category, CZCMNHS won 1st with Osias Educational Foundation landing on the 2nd place and STNHS on the 3rd place. A special award was also given to SGVHS. In the College Category, students from Travel and Tours Management 1 were awarded as champions. Another group from Travel and Tours Management 1 landed as runner-up while Hotel and Restaurant Management 2 landed third.

War of the Blacksmith Wits

Similarly, the quiz bee was also divided into high school and college categories. Questions during the quiz bee are general information trivias. Same rules of the game are applied to both levels. Felkris Academy sealed their victory during the contest while BHC Educational Institution grabbed the second place. SLC placed third. 13 groups competed under the college category, each group comprised of 3 members. Jhunnilyn Ofiana,

Charmaine Estrada and Lovellie Domended ascended to the 1st place with a total schore of 69 points. Elvie Callejo, Ivan Cabatu and Olivia Filipina got the 2nd place with 67 points. Jorgie Tabas, Nyzy Cabreros, and Princess Mae Salazar landed on the 3rd place garnering 65 points in total. “It was successful. The students are mobilized and their creativity is shown. Moreover, part of the proceeds is given to school,” stated Mrs. Lailanie Soriano, CMA Faculty.

“But that’s four years from now. Sabi nga ni President, don’t plan for the next three years because we should see what will happen. Don’t plan for the next ten years because just like what we did last time. We have so many plans for the Nursing department because it’s booming until suddenly the enrolment dropped down so lahat ng plano, wala na,” Cepriaso concludes.

By Faye Rose Costales | Graphics by Tenjo Night

the Catholic Church, the bill could have long been implemented and the Philippines would be no longer one of the few countries that have no such law against heinous acts and capital offenses.

Those who oppose the bill argue that innocent lives will be endangered and that there is no assurance that the incidence of murder, rape, and other heinous crimes will be reduced.

If you are one of those people, then I would implore you to broaden your mind.

The death penalty cannot be imposed to just any criminal. Such a punishment can only be given to people who have

committed a heinous crime.

According to R.A. No. 7659, such a crime is “repugnant and outrageous to the common standards and norms of decency and morality in a just, civilized and ordered society” and includes parricide, kidnapping, murder and destructive arson, among others.

My debate coach once coaxed that to those who claim that condemned criminals are in fact “innocent” of the crime, just who declared that they are indeed “innocent”? Was it God?

I think it is not an act of blasphemy but rather a witty snap for people who are unaware of the existence of due process, and for those who lack utter trust in our judicial system.

The Supreme

Court is the only institution who can declare whether a person is guilty of committing a crime or not.

In fact, has there been a list of wrongly convicted criminals claiming to be innocent? I guess there is none.

It is very disheartening to hear of some Filipinos who are executed overseas, but at the end of the day, I praise those countries that stand firmon their fight against illegaldrugs and substance abuse.

Can we therefore blame those countries for being uptight?

A lot of people claim that there is no existing study to prove capital punishment will deter heinous crimes. However, no study that says otherwise exists either.

Imposing capital punishment poses a strong message that the government is serious in its fightagainstcrimeandevil.

For a country

where heinous acts seem to refuse to stop, a harsher punishment for perpetrators is a potential solution.

Moreover, for those who claim that a person has no right to take another person’s life and that the only one capable of doing that is the Divine creator, there goes there ancient adage, “Salus populi suprema lex est. (The welfare of the people is the supreme law.)”

Is it not wiser and more righteous to say that the lives of more people are more precious than the stained life of a single man?

Guilty or not, a life is a life, and it must be cherished. As a future healthcare professional, I do believe a life must be protected.

In the case of heinous criminals, however, I choose the lesser of two evils. I choose the greater good.

At the same time, I am also pursuing a degree in a healthcare profession that is primary responsible for reviving people who are one inch from death.

I do value life and I have vowed to give my best effort to save it. However, there is just one thing that even my oath, my faith and my moral conscience cannot govern—what about the life of a heinous criminal?

Truly, forgiveness sets the soul free. But for me, committing a heinous act is not an excuse.

For many years, capital punishment or death penalty has been proposed in the high court.

Had it not been for the interruption of

Makikita ang “closeness” na ito sa mga pamilya ng mga abogado, kriminal, sirkero, doktor at maging na rin sa mga politiko.

Nakikita naman natin ang mga patalastas nila sa TV kung saan tila pare-parehong apelyido na lamang ang ating nababasa.

Nakatala na sa ating kasaysayan ang ganitong sistema sa ating pulitika. Patuloy pa ring nabubuhay ang ganitong kultura magpahanggang ngayon.

Kitang-kita naman sa kasalukuyang pangulo natin. Di ba halata?

Kung titignan natin bakit nga ba siya ang nasa

upuan ngayon?

Maliban sa pagiging anak ng ama at ina ng demokrasya, wala naman siyang naipasa at naipatupad na batas noong nasa kongreso at senado pa lamang siya. At kung meron man, sigurado akong nabibilang lang ito sa kamay.

Pumunta naman tayo sa senado--sa team UNA o United Nationalist Alliance. Apat dito ang hindi na ‘una’ o bago sa ganitong larangan.

Si Jack Enrile, anak ng Senate President na si Juan Ponce Enrile, ay humaharap ngayon sa paratang ng pagwawaldas ng badyet ng senado.

Pumapangalawa rin sa listahan si JV Ejercito na anak din ng dating Pangulong ‘Erap’ na napatalsik sa pwesto dahil sa kasong plunder.

Samantala, ang anak ni Bise Presidente Jejomar Binay na si Nancy ay tatakbo na rin bilang senador.

Teka, senador agad?

Maliban lang naman kasi sa pagiging anak siya ng Bise Presidente eh hindi pa naman siya kilala bilang kongreswoman, konsehal, kapitana o kahit man lang sana tanod sa barangay.

At siyempre pa, hindi rin papahuli ang angkan ng mga panginoong-may-lupa, si Tingting Cojuanco na susubok ring pasukin ang senado. Maging sa iba pang

partido ay di rin mawawala ang ganitong sistema.

Saan nga ba nag-ugat itong tradisyong ito?

Kung mayroon mang dapat sisihin, ito na ang mga Amerikano. Noon pa mang rehimen nila sa Filipino assembly, tanging mga nasa ruling class lang ang maaring tumakbo at bumoto. Tanging mga edukado lamang at mga may kakayahang magbayad ng buwis ang maaring lumahok sa eleksyon.

Sa katunayan, noong 1907, sa 1.6 milyong populasyon ng bansa ay 1.6% lamang ang nakapaghalal ng nais nilang mamuno.

Sobrang talamak ang ganitong sistema sa ating bansa pero bakit patuloy pa rin itong nangyayari sa kabila ng pagbabawal dito?

Sabi nga sa batas, “The state shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties

as may be defined by law.” As may defined by law nga naman pala, eh bakit patuloy pa rin? Ang saya lang ‘di ba?

Maski sarili nating batas ay hindi kayang lunasan ang ganitong suliranin at hindi pa nga lang nasusubukang solusyunan ay may mga bago na namang paparating na usong dinastiya na pumapasok.

Maging ang pamilya nga ng mga nasa showbiz at sports, nakikisawsaw na rin sa maruming mundo ng pulitika at hindi na kailangang isa-isahin kung sino sila.

History repeats itself nga naman, at kahit bawal, garapalan pa rin itong lumalaganap sa ating kultura sa pulitika. Naalala ko tuloy yung nabasa kong poster, “Isa lang kada angkan. Hindi family business ang pwesto sa gobyerno.”

Matagal nang napatunayan ang close family ties sa ating bansa dahil sa pagiging malapit natin sa ating pamilya. Sa sobrang pagiging malapit, sama-sama na tayo kahit saan man tayo pumunta.

12 LORMA HIGHLIGHTS5

netizens found out that parts of his speech were actually copied almost verbatimly from a US-based blogger, Sarah Pope without any attribution. After hearing the news, Sarah confirmed that it was herFebruary 23, 2011 blog post entitled “How Pill can harm your future child’s health” that was copied. She did not like the fact that her work was used without her consent. On the other hand, Atty. Hector A. Villacorta who is the chief of staff of Tito Sotto admitted that Pope’s blog was used but only in quoting Dr. Natasha Campbell Mcbride’s book which happened to be the source of the blogger. The senator insisted in an interview with ABS-CBN, “Bakit ko iku-quote ‘yung blogger? Ang kinu-quote ko [ay] si Natasha McBride.” He denied consistently that Pope’s blog post was copied. In response, Pope said, “A thief is a thief. Denying it doesn’t get you off the hook; it just makes you a lying thief,” she adds. At least for Sarah, she did a verbatim on Mcbride’s book , hence her words were the ones copied, not McBride’s. Some of the unrevised and unmodified parts of thesenator’s speech includes the lines “Pathogenic, opportunistic florathat take hold in the gut when the pill is used constantly produce toxic

substances which are the by-products of

their metabolism. “ T h e s e

toxins leak into the woman’s

bloodstream and they have

the potential to cross the placenta.

Therefore, gut dysbiosis exposes the

fetus to toxin.” This very same line, among many others, were copied faithfully from the American blog. Villacorta admitted that Sarah’s blog post was used but claimed that no crime has been committed, since blogs, according to his chief of staff are “public domain” and is therefore not covered by a copyright. Meanwhile, the lying thief further claims that, “There is no crime of plagiarism in the Philippines. Kahit na hanapin niyo

sa Revised Penal Code, Intellectual Property Code o sa Special Penal Laws, wala kayong makikitang krimen na plagiarism. “Pinakamalapit na maaaring pag-isipan siguro ay copyright infringement na hindi naman tatayo, ayon sa mga abugado, dahil wala namang paglabag sa mga copyright o economic rights na nakasaad sa section 177 ng Intellectual Property Code.” The senator did not end there, however, because on September 5, he delivered his speech written and delivered in Filipino. This time, the copied lines are not from a blogger but instead from Senator Robert Kennedy’s speech, which he delivered at the University of Capetown, in South Africa on June 06, 1966. The original English words were, “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation.” Probably wanting to evade the scrutiny and mockery of the public eye, the senator has the Filipino counterpart “Iilan ang magiging dakila sa pagbali ng kasaysayan, subalit bawat isa sa atin ay maaaring kumilos, gaano man kaliit, para ibahin ang takbo ng mga pangyayari. “Kapag pinagsama-sama ang ating munting pagkilos, makalilikha tayo ng totalidad na magmamarka sa kabuuan ng kasaysayan ng henerasyong ito.” Tito Sotto has allegiedly plagiarized at least 6 people, 5 of whom are bloggers. According to Raissa Robles, a South China Morning Post journalist, their blogs were entitled “The Truth of Contraceptives,” by Christina Chu, “Feminist for Choice” by Janice Formichela, “Talking Sense” by Marlon Ramirez, “How can Pill Affect Your Future Child’s Health” by Sarah Pope and a New York University blog publishing work by Birth control activist, Margaret Sanger.

Revealing some more influential plagiarists Aside from the lying thief, two influential people were alsoinvolved in plagiarism cases both in 2010. Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo plagiarized the works of legal experts abroad in his speech regarding World War II comfort women, and big time business man

I am not a religious person, although I do recognize that I was baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity.

The Filipino Affliction of Ctrl X + VManny Pangilinan admitted that parts of his speech before the Ateneo De Manila University graduates were copied from different celebrity speeches. Consequently, the influential Time and CNN hostFared Zakaria confessed that he copied one passage from the work of Harvard Professor and New Yorker writer Jill Leopore. Thus, Zakaria was suspended for a month by both news organizations. At least for these people, they have learned from their mistake, and had the balls to admit their act to the public. Their Filipino counterpart however shrugs this issue and still happily hosts a noon time show.

Tito Sen is NOT Alone Remember how you forgot you have a research paper due the next day and you realized you have completely forgotten it during the weekends? There could be a 75% probability that you opted to surf the internet and used your mouse to drag, copy and paste random statements just to satisfy the minimum number of words. Now I am not giving you tips to get your copied work off the hook but neglecting to use a consistent font style, size and formatting will risk your assignment getting caught. Most assignments or research copied from the internet are victims of word salad—the ideas are so random, you can hardly identify the connection between the paragraphs. In this cyber world where every information can be accesed with so much ease, let us not just depend on what is found there all because we are lazy to seriously do our tasks. Let us not take advantage on the fact that plagiarism is not a crime so we can always do the habit of copy-pasting because it only costs a little knowledge. We will not be able to learn if we don’t do it the hard way and the best thing to accomplishing it is by “Getting out of the Box.” As an old adage says, “An original is always worth more than a copy,” so go out, be true and embark yourself and try not to become a LYING THIEF or a COPY CAT!

THERE ARE ABOUT 171,476 words in the dictionary—words which are too impossible to be memorized. If you are planning or have actually used to just pressing Ctrl C or X and Ctrl V on your computer keyboard for your research or presentation because you believe they will never be noticed, think again! The use of words may not be easily memorized but they are readily recognized. Perhaps you are hooked to an intellectual leprosy called “Plagiarism.” Beware, because just like cigarette smoking, it’s highly addictive! Plagiarism is a form of stealing another person’s idea and treating that idea as if originally owned. Some people call it cheating, copying, bootlegging, and pirating.

Bridging Digital Piracy Senator Vicente “Tito Sen” Sotto III has recently revived his career from a silent to a raging status as a senator, gaining praises from different netizens after bagging an all time “major-major” and grand slam Digital Piracy Award. His exemplifying delivery of his Turno en Contra speech against RH Bill paved the way for him to be the center of controversy. T i t o Sen was charged of plagiarism a f t e r delivering h i s privilege speech in the senate on August 15 when some “curious”

LORMA HIGHLIGHTS

Words By: Marc Jay Lakay || Photo by: Marie Lanuza

Alam naman natin na magulo ang sistema ng pulitika sa bansa at morbid pag-usapan dahil simple lang naman, hindi interesting ang topics, nakakaantok pag-usapan.

Ngunit okay lang naman pag-usapan minsan ang mga kaganapan sa ating gobyerno, nakakaaliw kayang subaybayan ang mga kilos ng mga binoto nating mga pulitiko. Ating pag-usapan ang pulitika sa bansa—sa mas magaan na paraan, gawin nating light.

Isa ako sa mga nagrehistro sa COMELEC nitong nakaraan para makaboto ngayong halalan 2013.

Para sa mga kagaya kong first time voters,siyempre, wala kaming ideya kung ano ba ang mga dapat isaalang-alang sa pagboto ng mga magiging bagong pinuno ng lipunan.

Sa Mayo na nga ang susunod na halalan at karamihan sa mga kagaya ko na ngayon pa lamang boboto ay blangko pa rin ang isipan kung sino ang iluluklok sa pweto at ano ang mga pamantayan sa pagpili ng lider ng bansa.

Welcome to the Philippnes, kung saan the best ang pulitka, mga senador nag-aawayan, mga kongresista ay nagsisiraan, mga mayor ay nagpapasaringan at ang kabataan hindi na magabayan na paglaban ang karapatan.

Sa ngayon, naglalagablab na ang senado dahil sa tahasang awayan ng mga senador na tinatawag nating “honorables.”

Parang teleseryeng inaabangan na pwede mong panuorin habang kumakain ng pop corn ang mga kaganapan sa senado.

Nagpapasikatan na sila dahil malapit na nga ang eleksiyon at gusto na nilang magpabango sa mga tao.

Sa mga botante, marami ang last minute na namimili ng iboboto lalo na iyong mga nasa mataas na posisyon dahil nga hindi nila nakilatis nang mabuti ang mga kumandidato.

Ang siste nito, ang mga kandidatong may mas maraming patalastas sa TV at radio ang maaalala nilang iboto. Ang mga bagong botante rin ang madalas mas medaling suhulan at bigyan ng lagay dahil nga hindi rin naman nila alam kung sino ang nararapat o undecided nga sila kaya kung sino ang magbigay edi iyon na ang iboboto nila.

Marami akong kaibigan na naging ganoon ang sitwasyon dahil mapurol ang pangkilatis sa mga

kandidato at kapwa mga kandidato sa mga posisyon ay namumudmod ng pera maluklok lang sa inaasam na pwesto.

Napakagulo ng sistemang pulitikal ng bansa. Sa amin nga, halos sunod-sunod ang pagpatay na naganap sa mga barangay captain sa hindi malamang dahilan.

Ang dating tahimik na bayan ay nabalot ng takot sa mga pagpatay na naganap sa mga punong barangay.

Sa ibang lugar naman, nakukwento ng aking mga kaibigan na tahasan din ang pandaraya tuwing eleksiyon, limandaan ang suksok sa bawat botante mabiboto lamang ang manok sa eleksiyon.

N a k a k a l u n g k o t isipin ngunit ito ang katotohanan. Sa mga pulitiko, nailahad na tatlong piso lamang ang limitasyon ng budget pangagnampanya sa bawat kandidato.

Aba’y kitang kita naman natin na hindi ito nasusunod! Ang mga politikong ito ay kumukuha ng mga tinatawag na sponsors o tagasuporta sa pangpinansiyal na kampanya na maaring ang kapalit ay ang pagiging magkakampi sa

korapsiyon kapag nasa pwesto na o hindi naman ay mga kasunduan gaya ng medaling pagpasok ng mga illegal na transaksiyon sa nasasakupan.

Madumi at masalimuot ang mga taktika ng mga kandidatong ito,ngunit sa paraang ganito na sila nasanay na atin namang iwinawaglit lamang.

Ngayon, kung miyembro ka ng isang political dynasty clan, 80% na ang advantage mo sa mga kalaban dahil sa dinadala mong pangalan.

N g u n i t sa pagkakataong nadawit ang pangalang pnakaiingat ingatan sa mga kontrobersiya, ang apelyidong maaring gamitin sa tagumpay ay magiging sagwil pa sa pagtupad ng pangpulitikal na pangarap.

Sabi ng mga miyembro ng political dynasty, it is political destiny daw. Ayos, Oo, tatay mo ang governor, kuya mo si congressman, tita mo ang mayor, nanay mo ang bokal, at ikaw ay barangay captain.

Tawagin mo mang political destiny yan, political dynasty pa rin ang mas makakapaglarawan sa sistemang yan.

Muli, magulo at masalimuot ang pulitika dito sa bansa. Ang karapatan ng mga mamamayan para pumili ay pilit na sinusuhulan ng

mga tumatakbo sa mga posisyong pangpulitikal.

Hindi naman sa nilalahat ko na madumi ang lahat ng pulitiko dahil marami rin naman ang tapat at handing magsilbi ng taos puso para sa bayan.

Ayon nga lang, mas madami ang tumatahak sa maduming landas. Landas na marami ang maaring mamatay na inosente para lang makamtan nila ang kapangyarihan at kasikatan.

Sa mga kapwa ko unang beses pa lamang boboto ngayong Mayo, isigaw mo ang iyong karapatan at huwag kayong magpasupil sa mga maduming hangarin ng mga gahaman sa kapangyarihan.

Ito lang naman ang katangi-tangi nating magagawa sa lipunan. Ilang minuto lang natin ilalapat ang wastong pangalan ng mga taong nararapat sa posiyon sa balota dahil kung taliwas ang nangyari at nagpasuhol tayo, ilang taon natin itong pagdurusahan.

At sa mga hindi nabago sa sistema ng pagboto, sana’y nadala na kayo sa pagpiling ginawa ninyo nitong nakaraan, na ang pantawid-gutom na na iniabot sa inyo ay mas mahaba ninyong pinagdusahan, na ang mga pangako sa inyo ay nalibing na’t nasa hukay,na ang pag-asang inasam ninyo sa mga taong iyon ay mas lalo pang kumitil sa pag-asa ninyong mabuhay.

Some of these clowns in line for their performances are Jack Enrile, Nancy Binay, Juan Edgardo Angara, Alan

Peter Cayetano, etc. Also, Bam Aquino, a cousin of the President Aquino, joins also the gang for including in the Senator slate of the

Administration. Even if petitions were made to prohibit members of political dynasties from running in the May elections, like from businessman Louis Biraogo's, they were turned down due to a non-self existing provision in the Constitution. And ironically, the Congress

Election season breezes again and a circus of well-entrenched political families are on the first line-ups. At the same time, showcasing their intentions to seek important posts with minimum qualifications and track record of public service or any record.

is composed also of political clans.

Elections can be a circus with the new and same performers all around doing the same tricks. They make us laugh for not having any clear background and worse, they are distractions to the building of a nation.

With their claws and magical tricks they get kickbacks from political and

public projects once they get on set. In short, they make money out of politics.

They are heirs to the living dynasty performing for their old and retiring members.

How funny are their efforts wih campaigning new and fresh ideas when in the long run, they will continue the living tradition of funny performances.

It’s as if the whole world have turned against you with the new teachers, new environment and the classmates you have to deal with. Add to that was the difficulty level ofmost subjects which was a departure from high school life. If your firstyear was the point of no return, this time around, being a sophomore could spell either trouble, triumph or limbo in your chosen course.

Toxicity Upgraded Being a sophomore, the effort you exerted when you were freshmen is no longer enough. You need to strive more. If you gave your 100% in studying last school year, well, you need to double it now. Major subjects for your chosen profession start to replace the general education subjects every semester, making your academic life more “toxic”. For example, the subjects for all medical related courses such as the Medical Laboratory Science (MLS), Physical Therapy, Radiologic Technology and Nursing are Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology and other major subjects on their respective curriculum. M e a n w h i l e , for the BS in Computer Engineering and BS Computer Science students, they have Calculus. On the other hand, students from business related course like Business Management and Accounting have Partnership and Corporation and Accounting. If general subjects before were

bearable, major subjects in second years means do or die. You don’t get second chances unless you cry a river of tears. Passing the subject requires a lot of effort, an indestructible memory and an infinite dosage of luck.Both major and minor subjects require a vast knowledge to cope up with the lessons, most especially when the professor is unfortunately a practicing professional and a medical practitioner. Because of the Herculean task of understanding these subjects, a single reference is not enough. Students must frequently visit the library and utilize internet resources wisely. For instance, instead of enjoying your Facebook newsfeeds, search for e-books and read them. Students from different departments identify basic subjects such as Anatomy and Physiology, and Chemistry subjects (especially Organic and Analytical Chemistry) as themostdifficultandmind-boggling. “Yung AnaPhy (Anatomy and Physiology)!”, says a second year PT student. Meanwhile, an MLS sophomore identifiedOrganic Chemistry as one of the most difficultsubjects, stating, “Anrami rami naman [ng concepts], tapos halo-halo na! ‘Di ko na maintintihan.” College education is very stressful. You must understand a whole new range of different concepts, theories and principles. And this new knowledge does not come in small quantities.

And so the “reaping” begins For the majority of the college departments, including CON and MLS,

the major examination is lethal. Sometimes, it will solely determine your fate in your chosen degree. Passing the exam furthers your studies; failing it will remove you from the department and force you to take up something else. The nursing department is perhaps the most selective of the colleges. Sections are determined based on academic performance of the students during the previous year. Those who are unable to earn an average of at least 82% are either advised to shift to another department or get kicked out of the school. N o n e t h e l e s s , being a sophomore is not that bad. Those listed above are only consequences that may come. What you only need to positively remember is this distinctive fact– YOU are now a SOPHOMORE! Remember how four years of high school education went by so quickly? Being in college is like entering a very different realm. It is a dimension where effective study habits are needed. T h e transition from secondary to tertiary level must be a very drastic change for those students who passed high school without doing anything. In high school, teachers were kind, approachable and friendly. They also used to teach everything and announce every quizzes. Unfortunately, college instructors are different. Some seem unapproachable and scary. Sometimes, they can conduct a quiz on the latter part of the subject without discussing anything. B e i n g resilient in college is the name of the game.

What Awaits Every Sophomore Meanwhile, being with your classmates for almost a year gives you a hint on who to go with and who to avoid. You know who your enemies are, the cheerful, the silent, the talented, the genius and the notorious. For a few more years, they will eventually become your family. They can give you comfort, happiness, sadness, sorrow and even the love that you are seeking for. The road to success is not very easy. Have you seen the movie “Journey to the Center of the Earth”? It is an excellent depiction of college life. In the movie, Trevor Anderson and the two kids (Sean and Hannah) came across lots of terrifying and breathtaking situations before reaching a beautiful and jaw dropping paradise with an amazing livingflorasand faunas, sothus college. A sophomore’s voyage is actually only the

LORMA HIGHLIGHTS 6

We’ve had our first day jitters during our freshmen years. During those first few months, the period for adjustment hacked a huge “whether you like it or else” adjustment period for many of us.

beginning. Freshman life is only the preparation for the crises that come ahead. Being a sophomore is your last chance to choose the right profession that you can live without any regrets. It’s the time to make a big decision. Being in college for a year makes you think you’ve learned almost everything. You are now fully aware of the school rules and regulations, how to make transactions in every office, the identity ofthe faculty and staff, usage of school facilities, and the location of classrooms and laboratories. But then again comes the end of the school year and the impending toxicities of the junior year. More complicated subjects, more demanding instructors, and tougher requirements await every sophomore. For these reasons, it is very important to start building a solid foundation in preparation for your professional subjects. A new challenge will soon arrive. When that time comes, will you crumble and fall? Or will you fight to the

end?

by Raniel Jhay Sandaga | Photo by Deria Fatima Meneses

LORMA HIGHLIGHTS11

Matapos ang matagumpay niyang mga album na Ako Si…, Diploma, G9, Matrikula, at Talumpati, isa na namang obra maestro ang tatakaw sa ating mga tainga at kukurot sa ating natutulog na damdamin.

Kasama ang Universal Records na muling nagbukas kay Gloc-9 ng panibagong pinto sa paggawa ng album, buong pagmamalaki niyang inihahandog ang “MKNM: Mga Kwento Ng Makata.”

N a g l a l a m a n ang MKNM ng labin-limang komposisyon na kinabibilangan ng mga awiting may kakaibang sipa at atake na siguradong magpapapitik ng ating mga daliri at paa.

I n i l a l a h a d sa bawat kanta ang sari-saring kwento ng mga tao sa iba’t-ibang larangan ng buhay. Tampok rin sa album ang mabibigat na kolaborasyong hindi natin inaakalang mangyayari sa industriya ng Original Pilipino Music (OPM). Ilan sa mga nakasama ni Gloc-9 ay sina Bamboo Mañalac, Ebe Dancel, Ian Tayao, Jay Durias at Chito Miranda.

M a s a s a b i ngang si Gloc-9 ang bagong mukha ni Franscisco Balagtas ng modernong panahon. Ang dugong makatang nananalaytay sa kanyang pagkatao ay nangingibabaw sa bawat titik at salita sa kanyang mga komposisyon.

Hitik sa kahulugan at damdamin ang mga linyang kanyang binibitawan na gumuguhit ng larawan sa isipan ng sino mang makakarinig dito. Maging ako ay naigapos ng bawat kantang pumasok sa aking tainga.

N a n g u n g u n a sa panlasang Pinoy ang carrier single ng album na “Sirena”. Kasama ni Gloc-9 sa awitin si Ebe Dancel, dating lead vocalist ng bandang Sugarfree. Ngunit bakit nga ba “Sirena” ang pamagat ng kantang ito?

Sa literal na kahulugan, ang Sirena ay isang nilalang na kalahating tao at kalahating isda na nananahan sa pusod ng karagatan. Kabilang dito ang mga sikat na karakter sa telebisyon at pelikula na sina Marina, Dyesebel, Aryana at Ariel (The Little Mermaid). Pero ganung nilalang nga ba ang tinutukoy sa kanta? Maniwala man kayo o hindi, walang kinalaman ang mga nabanggit dito. Ang Sirena na tampok sa awitin ay tumutukoy sa mga lalaking may pusong babae. Sa medaling salita, mga bakla. Homosekswalidad ang tema ng “Sirena” na sumisentro sa m a k a t o t o h a n a n g buhay ng isang bakla sa kamay ng ating lipunan. Sensitibo mang maituturing ang paksang ito, nailahad naman nang may respeto at dignidad ang kanta.

Naging maingat si Gloc-9 sa paglapat ng

liriko upang hindi makasakit ng damdamin at lumabas na katawa-tawa ang kanilang imahe sa masa. Di tulad ng mga nakaraang awiting tumatalakay sa mga bakla, nagawa ni Gloc-9 na gawing positibo ang pagtingin ng mga tao sa ikatlong lahi.

“Ako’y isang sirena, kahit anong sabihin nila ako ay ubod ng ganda. Ako’y isang sirena, kahit anong gawin nila bandera ko’y di tutumba…”

Sino ba naman ang hindi nakakaalam ng mga lirikong ito lalo’t laman ito ng iba’t-ibang istasyon ng radio at telebisyon. Sirena ka man o hindi, siguradong na LSS ka na at napa-indak sa saliw ng awiting ito. Patuloy na namamayagpag ang Sirena sa iba’tibang music countdown at charts sa Pilipinas, gaya ng Myx Daily Top 10.

Umiikot ang awitin sa kwento ng isang lalaking may pag-aalinlangan sa kanyang tunay na kasarian. Hindi naging madali ang kanyang pagpapakatotoo dahil sa pagtingin ng mga tao sa kanyang paligid. Isa sa matinding kalbaryo ng kanyang kasarian ay ang pagtutol ng kanyang sariling ama. Pagmamalupit at pag-uuyam ang palaging humahagupit sa murang edad ng karakter sa kamay ng kanyang sariling ama. Dumating ang panahon ng kanyang pagbibinata at doon na niya nakumpirma ang tunay na nilalaman ng kanyang pagkatao. Malaya niyang naihayag ang kanyang kasarian ngunit katumbas nito ay ang pambubugbog ng ama.

“Drum na may tubig ang sinisisid. Naglalakihang mga braso, sa’kin dumidikdik. Drum na may tubig ang

Mas mabagsik pa sa Habagat ang muling pag-arangkada ng isa sa mga henyo ng Filipino Hip-Hop na si Aristotle Pollisco o mas kilala sa pangalang Gloc-9 sa kanyang muling pagbabalik sa entablado ng musi-ka. Isang matinding sandata at panangga ang kanyang dala upang muling sakupin ang mundo ng radyo at MTV.

sinisisid. Sa patagalan ng paghinga, sa’kin kayo ay bibilib…”

Ganito parusahan ang isang binatang ang nais lang naman ay tanggapin siya ng buong-puso. Inilulublub siya sa drum ng tubig hanggang siya ay maubusan ng hininga. Tulad ng isang sirena, sinisisid niya ang kailaliman ng katubigan upang mapabatid sa kanyang sarili ang tunay na kahalagahan sa kanyang pagkatao.

Sa panahon na siya na lamang at ang kanyang ama ang natira sa buhay dahil sa naki pag-asawa na ang kanyang mga kapatid, dinapuan ng sakit na kanser ang kanyang ama. Isang mapag-arugang anak ang ipinamalas niya sa kabila ng madilim na samahan nila sa isa’t-isa.

Ngunit sa isang pambihirang pagkakataon, humarap sa kanya ang kanyang ama na may pagsusumamo sa mata. Ang dating kamay na sumusuntok sa kanyang mga bisig, ngayon ay nakagapos sa kanyang katawan at may paglambing na humihimas sa kanyang kabuuan.

Tampok sa music video ng “Sirena” ang sikat na TV Host na si Boy Abunda at ilang mga LGBT (Lesbiyan, Bakla, Biseksuwal, at mga Transgender) na sina Momoi Supe (professional interior designer), Tuxqs Rutaquito (stage director/actor/set designer), Carlo Vergara (ZsazsaZaturnnah creator), Wanggo Gallaga (writer and HIV advocate), at Ricky F r a n c i s c o

(independent conservator and curator).

Kasama rin ang ilang myembro ng Ladlad Partylist na sina Danton Remoto, Bemz Benedito at Raymond Alikpala.

Naglalaman din ang MKNM ng iba pang mga komposisyon na may sari-saring istorya at timpla ng musika. Kabilang dito ang Balak ni Syke, Apatnapungbara (featuring Ian Tayao), Silup(featuring Denise Barbacena), at Thankful (featuring Maychelle Baay ng Moonstar88 at Bambu).

Hindi naman nagpahuli ang dalawang bonus tracks na Hari ng Tondo (featuring Denise Barbacena) at Kung Tama Siya (featuring Jaq Dionisio ng Kissjane).

Umangat nga ang MKNM sa iba pang mga OPM album na nailabas sa nakaraang taon. Malakas ang hatak nito sa mga tagapakinig na naghahanap ng naiibang mga komposisyong magdadala sa kanila sa katotohanang mayroon sa ating lipunan.

Isa itong senyales na unti-unti nang nahuhugot sa kumunoy ang naghihingalong industriya ng OPM sa bansa. At naniniwala ako na isa ang MKNM sa mga kamay na humihila paangat dito.

Panahon na nga para ilabas ang nagkukubling makata sa ating mga sarili. Isang makata na magdadala ng pagbabago sa ating bayan. Isang makata na maghahayag ng kanyang damdamin sa bawat kabuktutan na nangyayari sa lipunan. At isang makatang gaya ni Gloc-9 na tinatamasa ang kalayaan gamit ang sariling musika.

10 LORMA HIGHLIGHTS 7LORMA HIGHLIGHTS

Sa likod ng kantang Young, Wild and Free ay ang aking pagsalungat sa bagong lagdang Republic Act 10351 o ang Sin Tax Reform 2012. Ang bill na ito ay ang pagbibigay ng mas mataas na buwis sa alak at sigarilyo. Ngunit sa kabila ng pagtaas nito ay ang pagsustento sa universal health care program na naglalayong magpatayo ng mga makabagong klinika at ospital at pati na rin sa pagpapabuti sa trabaho ng mga magsasaka. Karamihan sa mga estudyanteng nasa kolehiyo ay umiinom ng alak at naninigarilyo. Sila ay letra por letrang namumuhay ng “young, wild and free.” Isa akong 3rd year nursing student at hindi ako payag sa pagpapatupad ng bill na

“So what we get drunk? So what we smoke weed? We’re just having fun. We don’t care who sees.”

ito kahit pa sinasabi ng gobyernong mas liliit ang bilang ng mga may bisyo dahil nga sa pagtaas ng presyo ng mga ito. Ayon sa Law of Economics, kung mas mataas ang presyo, mas mababa ang pangangailangan. Batay dito, kung mas mataas ang halaga ng alak at sigarilyo, mas mababa ang bilang ng mga bibili. Tama, maaari ngang mabawasan ang may mga problema sa kalusugan at magkaroon ng pagsuporta sa universal health care program sa bansa at dapat akong sumang-ayon ngunit naniniwala akong ito ay isang SIN TAX ERROR. Oo, siguro nga ay hindi na kayang bumili ni Juan pero mahirap pigilin kapag naadik na

sa alak at sigarilyo. Gagawa at gagawa pa rin ng paraan, legal man o hindi. Kung hindi na siya makatitiis pa ay maaari siyang gumawa ng hakbang, kahit pa labag sa batas, para lang masustentuhan ang mga bisyo nito gaya na lamang ng pagnanakaw. Dahil dito, tataas ang crime rate dito sa Pilipinas tulad ng pagtaas ng bilang ng mga estudyanteng nagreklamo dahil sa kawalan ng food booths noong Foundation Day. Ano ang dapat sisihin? Sin Tax Bill. Alam kong hindi lang ako ang nakapansin sa mabilis na pag-usad ng batas na ito. Hindi ba’t kung ikukumpara natin ang pagsulong ng Maguindanao Massacre at NBN/ZTE scandal ay mas makupad pa sa pagong ang paghatol sa mga ito? Marami pang kasong kailangang litisin. Marami pang krimeng dapat resolbahin.

Marami pang proyektong dapat ipatupad. Ngunit, tila yata mas pinadadali ang mga ganitong klaseng batas. ‘Yong bang may kaakibat na pera. Ano ang dapat sisihin? Sin Tax Bill. Pera ng bayan ang nakasalalay dito. Hindi natin alam kung ano ang pwedeng mangyari. Hindi na bago sa pandinig natin ang pangungurakot ng mga opisyal ng gobyerno. Mahirap na ang magTIWALA sa mga TIWALI na maihahalintulad kapag niloko ka ng jowa mo. Mahirap nang ibalik ang nasirang tiwala. Ano ang dapat sisihin? Sin Tax Bill. Isipin natin na sa biglaang pagtaas ng halaga nitong mga ‘sin products’ ay maghahanap ang mga may bisyo ng alternatibong pamamaraan. Pwedeng ibaling ang pansin sa mga ipinagbabawal na gamot tulad ng marijuana at shabu na tiyak na mas mura. Para bang imbis na Havaianas ang binili mo ay mas pinili mo pa rin ang Havanaisass na gawa sa China.

Ano ang dapat sisihin? Sin Tax Bill. Paano na lang ang mga magsasaka na mawawalan ng trabaho at umaasa lamang sa kanilang hanapbuhay? Magtatanim sila ng iba gaya ng marijuana. Pahirapan ang paghahanap ng trabaho gaya ng mga nagtapos ng kursong nursing na magpahanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin pinapalad. Ano ang dapat sisihin? Sin Tax Bill. Masyado ko na yatang sinisisi ang Sin Tax Bill na ‘yan pero hindi naman talaga ito ang dapat paratangan kung hindi ang taong nasa likod nito. Kung gaano kalapad ang noo ni Abnoy ay siyang liit ng utak niya. Kung gaano kakintab ang ulo niya ay siyang dilim ng utak niya. Suma total, ang buod ng lahat ng ito ay nakapaloob sa ekwasyong nasa ibaba: Alak (10) + Sigarilyo (10) = SIN TAX ERROR

Oo, totoo nga naman. Isa ako sa sumasang-ayon at nakikisimpatya sa mga ganitong pagpapahayag ng ilang mag-aaral. Sabi ng nakararami, isang malaking tinik sa lalamunan para sa ating mga estudyante ang minor subjects na ating kinukuha sa kolehiyo. Isang palaisipan nga sa bawat isa kung bakit pa nga ba kailangang pag-aralan ang mga ito lalo na’t wala namang koneksyon sa ating kursong kinukuha. Pamatay-oras lamang ba ang mga ito o isang mahalagang sandata sa ating tatahaking karera? Naging negatibo ang pagtingin natin sa mga minor subject at nagkaroon ng pag-aalinlangan sa tunay na kabuluhan nito. Ang iba ay nagsasabing pinapataas lamang nito ang ating mga

tuition fee at inaaksaya ang ating mga oras na dapat sana ay inilalaan natin sa espesyalisasyong ating kinukuha. Halos isumpa nga ng karamihan ang mga ito dahil sa mga requirement na kalakip nito na kung minsan ay mas mahirap at mas demanding pa sa ating mga major. Kaya nga hindi na rin nakapagtataka na bansagan ng ilan itong “minors na pakamajor”. Bilang isang PT student, nabahiran din ng pagtataka ang aking isipan tungkol sa isyung ito. Akalain mong History of the Phillipines , Parts of Speech, Rizal at iba pa ang bumungad sa akin sa pagpasok ko sa kolehiyo?! Kaya nga siguro maraming tanong ang nagsanga-sanga na mahirap hanapan ng kasagutan. Aanhin

ko nga ba ang Filipino, Psychology, Physical Education (PE), Philippine History, at National Service Training Program (NSTP) sa paramedical course na kinuha ko? Hindi naman lalabas ang mga ito sa board exam namin, lalong-lalo na hindi naman namin ito magagamit sa pagpapagaling ng aming mga pasyente. Hindi ba? Kung gayon, para saan pa nga ba ang mga minor subject? Kasama ang General Education Curriculum (GEC) subjects o mas kilala bilang minor subjects sa kurikulum ng lahat ng kolehiyo sa bansa na ipinapatupad ng Commission on Higher Education (CHED). Ito ay may layuning bigyan ang bawat Pilipino ng kumpleto at malawak na edukasyon na makakatulong sa pagpapalago ng lipunan sa pamamagitan ng epektibong pamamahala at responsableng pagkamamamayan. Ang Philippine Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) ay

may tatlong rason kung bakit kailangan ng isang estudyante sa kolehiyo na pag-aralan ang mga GEC subject. Una, hindi pa maituturing na sapat ang nakuhang basic education ng mga mag-aaral sa high school. Dahil dito, kinakailangang balikan at pag-aralan ulit ang mga ito. Pangalawa, ito ay ipinanukala ng Kongreso para sa mga paksa at asignaturang dapat malaman ng isang Pilipino. Ito ang mga tinatawag na “mandated subjects”. Pangatlo, ang HEIs ay naniniwalang ang bawat propesyonal ay dapat na may malawak na kaalaman at karanasan maliban sa kanilang tinapos na kurso. Kalaunan ay tatahakin natin ang ating napiling daan. U p a n g mapamahalaan natin ang ating bansa, kompanya, at ating sarili, kinakailangan na malaman ang lahat ng sangay ng kaalaman tulad ng science, humanities, at social science. Di tulad ng ibang mga bansa, ang Pilipinas ay naglaan ng dalawan taon sa kolehiyo para makumpleto ang General Education (GE). Sa Estados Unidos, isang taon lamang ang nakalann para sa GE. Samantalang sa Europa ay wala pang isang taon sa GE. Kahit hindi

konektado ang mga minor sa teknikal na asignaturang tumatalakay sa ating kurso, mayroon itong sariling layunin sa ibang aspeto ng kaalaman. Anu-ano ang mga ito? Marami sa atin ay magiging eksperto sa ating napiling propesyon sa hinaharap. Bilang isang dalubhasa, nararapat lamang na magkaroon ng malawak na kaalaman. Isa pang layon ng minors ay sa paglinang ng ating moral, etikal, at ispiritwal na aspeto ng buhay. Lahat naman ng bagay ay may halaga. Bawat butil ng kaalamang nakapaloob dito ay may gintong makatutulong sa tagumpay sa ating napiling larangan. May mga pagkakataon lang na nababahiran ng pag-aalinlangan ang ating mga isipan. Hindi madali ang mag-aral. Bilang estudyante, ang pagiging mapanuri sa mga bagay na pinagtutuunan natin ng panahon at pera ay mahalaga. K a i l a n g a n lang nating habaan ang ating pisi sa mga bagay na makakatulong sa kinabukasan nating mga propesyonal.

Parang dikyang nakadikit sa balat kung ituring ng mga mag-aaral ang mga asignaturang ito. Kamakailan nga ay may nabasa akong facebook status na nagsasabing “Yung mga minors na nagpapakamajors,” na naging isang malaking patama sa mga ito.

Words by: Gener GapuzIllustration: MJet16 Graphics Source: Deviant Art

akonayata Isang taon at tatlong buwan tayong nagsama, pero isang rebulusyon na ng mundo sa araw buhat ng tayo’y maghiwalay Ngayon kakamustahin mo ako? Heto, mabuti naman, wasak ang puso, sabog ang utak noong nawala ka, parang sumama sa’yo ang paghinga ko. Malimit gumuhit sa hangin ang lungkot, pero huhugot na lamang ako ng malalim na buntong-hininga at huhuli ng talinhaga pagkatapos noo’y lilipas at matutunaw ang kalungkutan sa mismong hanging pinagmulan nito. Maski sarilin kong kaluluwa mas mahal ka na ata kaysa sakin. Kumabog-dili, paimpit ang tibok, pati puso ko hindi na yata sakin. Hindi ko na kilala sarili ko. Naging masaya naman tayo. Siguro talagang makulay lang ang buhay—hindi dapat lagging Masaya, dapat may lungkot din. Minsan dapat ipagdiwang ang buhay, minsan naman dumarating na dapat ipagluksa ito. Okey ka lang ba? OO NAMAN, ako pa. Lumalangoy ako sa Blue Frog sa Fridays, sumisisid sa tang!%^&*$ sa Empire at nalulunod sa alak sa Insomnia. Natutunan ko nang maglasing. Napalitan na rin ng alak ang tintang dumadaloy sa ugat ko. Pag nagsusulat ako lumilipad sa hangin lahat. Natutunaw ang pangungusap. Natutuyo sa kawalan ang bawat nais kong sabihin. Mag-isa kong sumasayaw sa dancefloor sa tugtog na “ F i r s t Time” ni D j I n d i

Balanza. Kumakampay sa hangin, pumapadyak sa saliw ng musika. Nagkukunwaring masaya. Masayang nagkukunwari. Para akong TANGA. Umiiwas ako sa radyo—isa pang “Unwell” o “Don’t say goodbye” ikamamatay ko na. Pero ang hitad na Nina, ayaw akong tantanan sa “Love Will Lead you Back”. Inilibing ko na sa limot ang mga musikang nagpapaalala sa yo sakin. Nagmistulang bingi ang pakiramdam ko sa kirot ng kurot ng mga alaala mo. Naalala mo ba ko? HINDI NAMAN masyado. Paminsan minsan lang. Pero gusto kitang palayain sa gunita ko kahit na nagsusumiksik ka pa sa liblib ng aking alaala. Kapag napupunit ang bukang liwayway, hanggang sumilip na ang araw, hanggang tumirik ito sa tanghaling tapat at mapagod at magtago sa mga ulap sa dapithapon, hanggang umusbong ang mga kutitap sa gabi, naiisip kita. Nagalit ka ba sa akin? Walang katotohanang galit ako sa ‘yo. Hindi totoong iniisip kong dukutin yang mga mata mo at ipalaman sa Hotshots sandwich with extra wasabi, wisikan ng hot sauce ni Mama Sita at ipakain sa ‘yo. Ni hindi sumagi sa isip kong tadtarin ang mga lamang loob mo at budburan ng siling bikol, saka palanguyin sa sukang Iloko, haluan ng

isang dakot na

pamintang durog at ihain sa dining table. Hindi kita pinapana ng matatalim na tingin o di kaya’y binabato ng maanghang na salita. No way, di ako galit sayo. Hindi talaga, Promise! Hindi nga sumisingkit mata ko, namumula ang tenga at umuusok ang kokote kapag naaalala kita. Sinong nagsabing marinig ko lang pangalan mo ay umaasim na muka ko? Di ko rin gusting basagin ang bagang ko sa ngitngit. Hindi ko nilulunok ang mga syet at tang’na kpag nababanggit ka nila. Believe me , di ako galit. Napatawad mo na ba ako? KINALIMUTAN KO NA YUN. Tulad mo, marami akong pagkukulang. Marami akong pagmamalabis. Siguro dapat ko ngang maintindihan na kahit iisa ang pintig, dalawang magkahiway na puso paren ang nagbibiklod sa atin. Siguro nga mali ang mahalin mo ko sa paraang alam ko. Dapat siguro nabasa ko ang ibig sabihin ng iyong katahimikan. Dapat sana’y pang-unawa at hindi galit ang iginanti ko sa mga pagkakataong hindi kita maintindihan. Dapat siguro inunawa ko na iba ang takbo ng isp mo. Dapat sana tinapos natin ‘to noong kaya ko pang mawala ka. Puro nalang “dapat sana.”

Kamusta ka?By: shuan.manantan

(Gener)

Kandilang itim ang tanglaw sa dilim,Buwan at bituin ay nagkubling

palihim,Kislap ng butil ng tubig sa paningin,

Hikbi ng pasakit na nais dinggin.

Mula sa ligayang dating nilalasap,Kirot ng tusok ang kaakibat,

Bahid ng dugo ay walang danak,Ngunit puso ay durog at wasak.

Kabuuan ko ay manikang pinaglalaruan,

Isinumpa ng sinumang may bitukang halang,

Pag-ibig mo naman ay sinuklian,Bakit ipiniit sa sumpa noong ika’y

aking masugatan.

Ilagak mo na lang ako sa ningas ng baga,

Sa aking kaluluwa ika’y maawa,Tama na ang mga gabing balot ng

lagim,Sa iyong manika’t karayom nawa’y

makalaya nang taimtim.

Bitwen-enGot

Naglimmeng ni apo init diay linged ti asul nga taawKimmuyem man diay tanga-tangen

Simmukat ni bulan nga nangraniag iti kasipngetanKabayatan iti panangpal-paliiw

Naguni dagiti andidit ken naduma duma nga insekto iti bantayPinasangbayan pay iti uni ti billit nga immapon sadiay sanga iti kay-kayo

Anian nga sam-it iti panagkankanta da

Timmalna iti arubayanzNaglimmeng amin nga kaarruba sadiay pagtaengan da

Naraniag latta diay tanga-tangPinaduyakyakan iti sileng dagiti babassit nga ar-aritos ken singsing

Mangsilsillag kadagiti babassit nga ar-arapaapKas kuma dagidiay bitwen,

babassit ngem maamirat na iti mangsalaknib ti kired ken patinakemIsuda amin iti nangtabas iti kasipngetan

Nu pay kasta nga babassit da,Agsirsirbi da latta nga bileg ken linteg

nga agturong ti kapnekan iti pagayatanIsuda nga magsilsilaw dagiti maiyaw awan

ken gayyem dagiti lumlumdaang

Rabiin, dumteng man iti nabara nga kabigatanenNgem agsublin to latta dagiti babassit nga ar-arapaap

Ta adda da nga kanayon tunggal kasipngetanHaan da nga maaw-awan

RabiinMaturugen

Underneath the sky, we saunter uphill,Two souls making the most of it.On heaven’s gate, moon’s watching over us,Sky‘s darker than cavernous ocean.Two hearts that beat as one, And with every beat is a glimpse of memory. Cozy evening, hush of mother’s sceneSo calm and serene, canopies as witnesses of Lovers in bliss.

Deep within us, feeling of crashing,Afraid to live life that we used to be.I don’t want to let you out of my sight,I don’t want you to leave my side,For far from you is too hard,And I am used to be with you.

Each step we take, I’d take it as an endless time,And as wind wraps us, I will take it as a cloth to Wipe my eye.

Silence conquered,Zipped mouths of insane,But hearts wept for a sorrow farewell.

Just keep on walking, though it’s hard to take a breath,Seems that time gulps us in fury.Wishing a million times in a second‘Coz time draws us near end.Euphoria, sung in a serenade without Hymn.

In a moment I’ll lock you in my arms,Grasp your back like no tomorrows made for us.I’ll) take this as a picture of love (meant) to be,Of two souls yearning for eternity.

As I embrace you, feel the warmth of my love,And when I hold your hands, pocket the tightnessDeep into your heart.Take these as reasons for you to come back.

My heart pounds of what time brings,

It draws us near end,Lessertosufficehearts’feelings.

Let me hold you for the last time,Stare straight in your eyes.Let me kiss your cheek for a “welcome”,A kiss on the nose for a “Thank you”,A kiss on your chin for “woes”A kiss on your forehead for “I’ll be missing you”,And one last sweet goodbye kiss on your lips as my“I love you always.”

It’s a cry to see you walking back,And I will be missing you a lot.But we have to face the reality of our situationThat we have to be apart for so many reasons.I know someday and somehow, we’ll see eachother again,

And when I look straight in your eyes,I could read onto them “I’m home”

Spring Farewellby:xhuancells

Kulam

8 9LORMA HIGHLIGHTS LORMA HIGHLIGHTS