IBM buys Lasallian's softwareBY CRISCEL LAMSIN

IBM BUYS, SEE PAGE 2

De La Salle University-Manila scores yet another milestone in its flourishing history as a breeding ground of future leaders.

Winston Damarillo, a Lasallian alumnus and a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Mechanical Engineering, is the brain behind Gluecode Software—a

DLSU to overhaul sports program

REUBEN EZRA TERRADO

Alumni divided over UAAP scandalEver since the controversy surrounding the eligibility of two Green Archers erupted, a deluge of mixed reactions coming from alumni has swept the Lasallian community like an uninhibited tsunami.

Negative reactionsFollowing the disclosure of De La Salle University (DLSU) about

the faked Philippine Education Placement Test of basketball players Timoteo Gatchalian III and Mark Lester Benitez, a number of alumni of DLSU have expressed their sentiments with re-gard to the issue at hand. Some were sympathetic to the action undertaken by the university, while others were not.

La Salle alumnus and Philippine Star (Philstar) columnist Tommy Man-otoc is one of the more outspoken La Sallites, criticizing the University for its involvement in this quandary. In his article, La Sallites join us, the golf enthusiast accused the University of “allowing the exploitation of the young less fortunate players/students to be used by the institution for the sake of win-ning a championship.”

Another alumnus, Servillano dela Cruz, called the University officials as “the greatest hypocrite La Salle has ever produced” in the press conference of DLSU last Sept 30 at Hyatt. He cast doubts

on the admission examination of DLSU, asking why one would fail a government exam and yet would pass DLSU’s.

This Nov. 12, Sports Hall of Famers Tommy Manotoc, Kurt Bachmann, Bert Garcia and other alumni will gather at Ninoy Aquino Stadium. Manotoc said the gathering is in "remembrance of La Salle we all once knew and played for, and in celebration of the timeless-ness values under which we were educated.”

However, Executive Vice President (EVP), Dr. Carmelita Quebengco, belied the allegation of the University’s critics in a statement addressed to the Lasallian community. “Contrary to what our detractors may say, the University has said time and again that it was not involved in any attempt to hide the truth or delay its discovery and our will-ingness to cooperate with duly authorized investi-gating authorities should be seen in this light,” the EVP stressed.

One of the alumnus who gave a positive response was Sonny Alvarez (BSBA '68) . "I beleive that La Salle will never hide anything." Alvarez was also proud with Br. Armin's statement that "he will fight the issue till the Supreme Court," if the decision of the UAAP Board is based on the premise that it hide some details on the ineligibilty issue. He also

The road not takenWhen the University uncovered two ineligible Green Archers who used spurious documents for admission, school administrators had two roads to choose: hide the truth or disclose the information to the public. As a venerable university, it preferred to disclose the truthful controversy – a road not usually taken by other institutions.

Although one might never know the consequences had DLSU instead hidden the ineligibility issue, this action placed its integrity in serious national scrutiny.

Indeed, the disclosure doesn’t promise that the public will hail De La Salle as a truthful institution ready to trade honor and dignity over the prestigious UAAP trophy. Over the past weeks, columnists and radio commentators have been continuously throwing smiting comments at school administrators and the University itself. Calls for resignations surfaced on the grounds of delicadeza.

DLSU’s own alumnus Tommy Manotoc even accused the Administration of resorting to underhanded trickery to win at all cost. “It frightens me that a school known to educate the country’s future leaders has developed an attitude such as this which is passed down to its players, students and all who watch the UAAP games,” Manotoc said in his October 12 column.

However, by simply admitting their mistake, DLSU has forgone “winning at all cost.” Concerned parties hold on to the argument that DLSU was forced to reveal the issue as a preemptive measure before external personalities expose the rot. It must be better for DLSU to admit rather than others floating sensationalized yet untrue statements.

Give the University credit for exposing the truth. But the recent revelations proved that its sports program hides skeletons in its closet. The issue will gain further momentum, and before long, people will start investigating on rumored inducements and privileges given to athletes. The issue in its present state is but a precursor of a worse

In the light of the controversy that surrounds not only the sports teams but the Lasallian community as a whole, the DLSU administration has taken initial steps, leading to a major overhaul in its sports development program, under the jurisdiction of the Office of Sports Development (OSD).This, after a controversial finding that two players of its men’s basketball team, named by the school as

Mark Lester Benitez and Timoteo Gatchalian III, were ineligible for admission to University, and therefore, unqualified to play for the Green Archers in the UAAP. The findings were brought to the media last Oct. 26 at the Hyatt Hotel in Pasay City.

School officials have found that Benitez and Gatchalian submitted spurious documents, particularly their Philippine Educational Placement Test Certificate of Rating (PEPTCR). The PEPTCR is a substitute for a high school diploma should a student fail to have such document.

The ad hoc fact finding committee formed to investigate the matter also found out that Raul Lacson, a contractual statistician of the team, was identified as having given the players the spurious PEPTCR records. Assistant team manager Manny Salgado was also identified as possibly the other person with prior knowledge. Both Lacson and Salgado however denied any wrongdoing.

The issue has put the University in a bad light, despite its self-admission and its intentions to enforce a change in the sports development program.

Preliminary stepsIn a statement addressed to the academic community, Dr. Carmelita Quebengco, Executive

Vice-President of DLSU-Manila, said that the administration is taking initial steps on the resolution of the issue. These include instituting significant changes in admission poli-

cies, particularly the authentication of handcarried documents. More significantly, the Administration already formed a committee to recommend changes in

the University’s sports policy and personnel including the coaching staff.

“While we have not wavered in our search for the truth, we are also of the opinion that the trials and tribulations that have and will come our way are parts of a process of our community needs to undergo and uphold the good name of the University,” the statement stressed.

Dr. Quebengco said that the major overhaul will see a review on the policies, procedures, and even personnel involved in the athletic program so as to prevent any abuse to the system. More importantly, the admission and retention of the athletes would

EDITORIAL

PHOTOS BY LEXIE YUDela Cruz Br. Armin

CONTROVERSY SPURS, SEE PAGE 11

ALUMNI DIVIDED , SEE PAGE 11 EDITORIAL , SEE PAGE 4

ARTWORK BY JAN JAUDIAN

Controversy spurs cleansing

ROBERT ROYCE ZUÑIGA

LaSallianTheVOL. XLVI NO. 6• THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY • 9 NOVEMBER 2005

MARK ANTHONY BARIT

Campus theft rate accelerated

SC presses for religious freedomA resolution calling for the addition of a new provision on reli-gious freedom in the Students’ Charter is still being deliberated by the Legislative Assembly, initiated by Mark Edward Nanquil, Executive Vice President (EVP) of Academic Policy Research Engagement and Lobbying (APREL) under the Office of the VP-Academics of the Student Council (SC).

If approved, the resolution will be lobbied by the Student Council (SC) president as part of the proposed amendments in the Students’ Charter in the Student Handbook Revisions Committee, which would guarantee each Lasallian’s right to religious freedom.

Religious FreedomReligious freedom will be granted to all students if the

amendment lobbied is approved and if it passes the Aspiring Organizations Accreditation Committee (AOAC), permitting students to form non-Catholic religious organizations that are officially recognized by the University.

The Implementing Guidelines authored by Nanquil include the permit for religious organizations to organize activities and to allow them to use the facilities of the University free of charge.

All religious organizations will also have one umbrella or-ganization to be accredited by the AOAC under the Council of Student Organization (CSO) and will have the right to raise funds, recruit members, and organize activities as long as it is consistent with the accomplishment of the goals of the

University and policy on student activities.The proselytizing issue is also addressed in The Implement-

ing Guidelines by stating that organizations will adhere to the provisions of the Student Handbook, which prohibits proselyt-izing within the campus.

Proselytizing is an attempt to convert another to one’s faith by attacking or denigrating other person’s practices and beliefs or by offering special inducements (De La Salle University Student Handbook 2003–2006, subparagraph 13.3.2.8) and anyone found guilty of this will be given a minor offense.

However, it will only be valid upon a received complaint by the Discipline Office from the one being alleged to be proselytized.

Thumbs upChristopher Ngo, BnE 2005 Legislative Assembly (LA)

representative who heads a signature campaign to advocate to the students what religious freedom is, has obtained more than 1000 signatures so far.

His discussion with the Theology department also resulted in a positive response and they agree that that this move will promote a more mature community in the University.

“Like what Brother Armin said, we want to create a melt-ing pot of cultures and religious freedom will be a big step in acknowledging that there are a lot of students in the university, who are not Catholic,” Ngo stated.

The latest result of the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Licensure Examination surprised the Accountancy Depart-ment and the examinees alike, as DLSU seemed to reap un-expected—and to some extent—"unsatisfactory" results.

Reasoning outThe Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) re-

leased the results of the licensure examination last October. PRC announced that 1,675 out of 6,651 passed the CPA licensure examination for a 25.18 percent national passing rate. Forty-eight out of eighty-two Lasallian examinees passed the exam for a 59 percent clip; no graduate from La Salle made it to the top 20.

Although it was certain that the results were far below expectations, nobody can pinpoint the exact reason for this. The Accountancy Department itself, according to Chair Dr. Corazon Subido is still in the process of studying, or looking into the reasons behind the occurrence. However, she also said that the application of the new international accounting standards could be put into consideration. “We are in a period of transition as far as accounting students are concerned,” she shared

Another possible factor that could be considered is that some of the graduates who took the exam did not come from the recent graduates of DLSU. They, according to Dr. Subido, “often pull down the rating.”

Furthermore, one examinee wrote that most of the graduates that took the test were irregular. Still, she added that just because an examinee is irregular, it does not follow that they are less capable.

There was no mention from the Accountancy Depart-ment of any changes that were applied to the particular batch that took the test.

While perceptions of the exam may vary from one ex-aminee to the next, among the factors that some of them brought up were the review school they attended, the physical and cognitive conditions of those who took the exam, and the teaching style of the school.

Viewing and comparing in retrospectDLSU has brought in diverse CPA passing results in

the past. The batch that took the CPA Licensure exam last May did relatively well with a passing rate of 72.14 percent or 104 out of 140 examinees. The recent turn of events is somewhat parallel to what has happened two years ago.

Similarly, in 2003, the batch that took the exam on October reaped disappointing results with a passing rate of 51 percent (said to be an all-time low for the university); while the batch prior to it did very well with a passing rate of 80 percent.

CPA performance dwindled

Last Oct. 24-28, the Children’s Week, a weeklong festivity honoring Filipino children everywhere, was held.

As part of the participation of the school, several activities were prepared by the Center for Social Concern and Action, in cooperation with a number of student organizations. These activities are geared towards the increase in awareness among the student population as regards the current state of children in our country.

These included a photo-essay exhibit, forums, film showings, a mini-concert, and the installation of a mini-library at the Silong Tanglaw Office. Street children were treated to story telling, drawing, and seminar work-

shops that aim to give them a few moments of respite from the harshness of reality that they face everyday.

Bright Child is the name of the holistic program directed at children not more than 17 years old and is also the adopted theme for the celebration. In accordance with this program, advocacies for the upholding of children’s rights are being pushed and supported by the school.

The celebration also tried to make the students aware that so many of today’s chil-dren are deprived of their rights. In one of the activities, a scorecard showing the percentage of children who are granted their basic needs is filled with failing marks, showing a clear de-

ficiency on the part of government to provide basic services to Filipino children.

The main thrust of the Children’s Week is to make the Lasallian community exposed to the current plight of Filipino children. The organizers believe that this is the first step towards the advancement of the welfare of students.

The activity further aims to encourage members of the Lasallian community to work for a better society, where all children are granted their basic rights.

In sum, the organizers of the celebration call for active participation, which they believe is the key in creating a better society for Filipino children and the Filipino nation as a whole.

COSCA sponsored activities for children's rights protectionRAYMUND CUESICO

AILEEN KRISTEL CHAM

IBM BUYS, FROM PAGE 1

program that he cultivated to profitability before getting hold of subsidies and eventually selling it to Information Technology giant, International Business Machine (IBM).

Illustrious Career

Damarillo began his illustrious career in 1992 with Apex Technologies, a prime mover in electronic medical claims processing solutions. He already has 10 years of experience in the technology industry. Winston’s experience ranges from managing multimillion-dollar technology portfolios to forming business development strategies and software engineering. He produced large enterprise database applications, built an outsourcing service bureau, and created customized software applications. As a Product Development Manager for Telwest Communications, he designed integrated computer platforms.

Before selling his brainchild to IBM, he had a brief stint with Intel Corporation. In his short stint, he was able to highlight his leadership com-petence in strategic software relationships, channel development, product engineering, and business development. He then left Intel Capital, the Venture Capital Division of Intel Corporation, after having built a strong investment portfolio of top e-service companies.

He also co-established Exist Engineering in 2001, which he steered into an all-time high of one hundred percent annual profit growth.

A Source of PrideTo date, he is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), managing partner, and

co-founder of Simula Labs, a software application infrastructure company based in Southern California.

Established just this year, Simula aims to identify, develop, and launch potentially growing open source software companies. He is among Simula Labs’ team of seasoned and respected company executives.

Image taken from computerworld.com

In memoriam. Candles are lighted in memory of departed loved ones.

The College of Computer Science (CCS) is encouraging La-sallians to produce theses or projects about e-governance to contribute to the welfare of the nation.

E-governanceE-governance is the “use of Information and Communi-

cation Technologies (ICT) to enhance access to and delivery of government services to benefit its constituents.” It is the transformation of processes, operations, and transactions that primarily aims to enhance delivery of vital services to its con-stituents and strengthen the drive towards effective governance and increased transparency in managing a nation’s resources.

Sherwin Ona, a CCS professor, shared that with e-govern-ance, corruption and excessive beureaucratic procedures in the country can be reduced. It furthermore advocates accountability and active participation with the government, since governance is shared by the state, private sector, and civil society.

Government ProjectsCCS students majoring in Information Technology have

the option to make a thesis about e-governance. There have been many notable projects made by DLSU

students for the government, though these projects have yet to be implemented.

One such thesis is the Intranet-based Management System for the Office of A-5 in the Philippine Air Force (PAF) by Eric Anacay, Valerie Camat, John Garcia, and Maria Jorellie Lopez. This project is an intranet-based system shared among other users in A-5 that manages documents, templates, and forms

used in everyday transaction in the PAF, specifically in the Office of A-5.

Another thesis that is yet to be finished is the PNP-Eastern Police District’s District Operations System (EPD-DOS) by Joyce Saez, Tuesday Santiago, Carlo Valenzuela, and Jennie Virtusio. It aims to benefit key players in the EPD’s jurisdiction with a system composed of Incident Reporting and Handling Module, Administrative Module, Operations Module, and Command Module.

The group believes that police personnel can focus on areas that need attention and faster response through a map-ping module that can pinpoint critical areas that need to be monitored. “This will provide the PNP-EPD leadership with critical information that has never been provided by the manual system,” the group stressed.

One more promising thesis proposed is a portal for Small-Medium Scale Enterprises in the Philippines (E-SME). This will include the functionality of trade goods online. A first in the country, it aims to connect several key players in the SME industry such as the buyers, suppliers, and the government. The portal will handle business, legal, and administrative concerns. “Hopefully this project will help all the SMEs to expand their horizons, and give them better access to markets,” shared Sanam Mirpuri, a junior IT student.

Ona stressed that efforts to further explore the possibilities offered by e-governance is a small contribution to help the government in delivering its services to the public more ef-ficiently and students in turn should know the vital role they must play in this endeavor.

AILEEN KRISTEL CHAM

CCS renders service to government

Students victimized by cyber theft

No one is spared from robbing schemes employed in Cyber Space.

Two DLSU students fell victim to a cyber thief who used Yahoo! Messenger (YM), a program that enables internet surf-ers to send instant messages to each other in Cyber Space, to steal money from them. The cyberthief hacked the Yahoo! account of their friend, who belongs to the same organization in school as the two.

The modus operandiNancy* and John* were victimized

while they were surfing the internet in their homes. Her acquaintance Claire* sent a message to Nancy through YM during a weekend last September.

According to Claire, her aunt was in the hospital due to a heart attack and she needed some cell phone load to contact her aunt’s relatives and friends to inform them of her aunt’s condition. She promised that she would pay them (Nancy and John) back as soon as possible.

In an attempt to help Claire, Nancy asked help from her friends, borrowing some prepaid cards from them. She was able to give around 40 pieces of prepaid cards worth 300 pesos each to Claire.

John was also approached by Claire in the same way. Since part of his business was selling cell phone cards, he shelled out almost 6 thousand pesos worth of cell phone load to help Claire. Both of them were assured by Claire that she will pay them back.

Nancy and John then sent her the PIN numbers of the prepaid cards through their cell phones and YMs.

However, when they came to school after the weekend, Claire said that she has nothing to do with the incident. She told

them that her account was hacked and they realized that they were communicating with an impostor all along.

This was not the first time someone hacked Claire’s account.

Reporting the incidentIn an effort to remedy the situation,

Nancy and John went to the Discipline Office (DO) to help them trace where the load was sent, as they still had the cards. They visited SMART Telecommunication Company to ask for some help as well. The officials from SMART said that it might be possible to trace it, but they need to have a higher court order or a directive from the National Telecommunications Office first.

Nancy also tried to apprehend the culprit by staging an entrapment. She sent a text message to the hacker, saying that she will give some money in order to help the thief’s aunt. But the suspect did not respond to her message.

The DO then helped Nancy and John report the case to the police in order to get the details of the case and protect the two students. Nancy and John believe that they may be in danger, since they have their pictures posted in YM. They said that the hacker might try to wait for them outside the school and cause more harm. The victims also believe that the suspect may be part of a bigger syndicate, which is behind the modus operandi.

Both Nancy and John warned students to be wary of persons in the internet. As much as possible, they should have more lines of communication with everyone, not just by phone or by internet. They advised others to be cautious at all times.

MARK ANTHONY BARIT AND JOYCE ALFONSO

SPECIAL REPORT W ith Christmas just around the corner, the Safety and Security Office (SSO) warned Lasallians of criminals who might take

advantage of the season. Several cases of theft and hold-up were reported to their office for this school year. Dionisio Escarez of the SSO estimated around eight reported cases from May to October. There was also an incident of theft inside the university, and a serious case of Internet scam which involved students (see related article).

Outside the wallsLast Oct. 18, Melissa Reyes (not her real name)

fell victim to a hold-upper while walking along Ma-ligaya St. towards Dagonoy. According to a report from the SSO, she was walking at around 10:45 am when she noticed someone behind her. The male walked faster and overtook her. When he was ahead of Melissa, he walked back and pointed a small screw-driver towards her. They continued walking while the suspect commanded her to keep quiet and asked her to give him her cell phone.

When the male left her, she immediately re-ported the incident to the guard con-trolling traffic near the North gate. The guard went after the suspect while alert-ing other security personnels through the radio. The cul-prit was later appre-hended by Erwin Anonuevo and Rob-erto Tapil, both from the SSO, at about 10:50 am along Taft Ave. fronting DLSU North gate. The sus-pect was later iden-tified as Alexander Madrigal, 28 years old and a resident of Pasay City. Accord-ing to police reports, he was an ex-convict and a member of Batang City Jail.

The Collegian Internet Cafe in front of DLSU was also robbed by armed men last Oct. 27. Two Lasallians were among the victims who fell pray to the unknown suspects. It was reported that an equivalent to Php 80,000 of items were stolen. However, the students did not report the incident to the Western Police District (WPD) as to disclose the information to their parents.

Theft inside the universityThere was also a report that a laptop was stolen

inside the university. According from police reports at WPD Station 9, the incident happened last October 14 in the Physics Department Faculty room at around 12:10-12:30 in the afternoon. The victim was identi-fied as Eduardo Lansing Jr., a Physics professor.

According to police investigation, they are sus-pecting that this was an inside job. Police from the Crime Laboratory used carbon to determine the fin-gerprints of the persons who used the cabinet where the laptop was placed. Investigation is still underway to find the culprit.

More modus operandiEscarez also shared to The Lasallian the latest

modus operandis used by the malefactors on their supposed victims. According to reports, two suspects in tandem on board a blue motorcycle will bump their supposed victim. After this, they will divest him/her with any valuable things and then fled. This was re-ported to happen in Castro and Taft Avenue.

The SSO also warned students of hold-upper on “padyak”. The padyak driver would pick up his passenger and then take the route where his accom-

plice hold-uppers were waiting. His padyak is reportedly colored white and is operating out of line. This happens at Leon Guinto and A. Francisco St.

Preventive measuresThe SSO is tak-

ing more precau-tionary steps to stop these unwanted in-cidents. In order to diminish theft and swindling cases that happen outside the school, they placed “spotters” in civil-ian clothes outside the school perimeter. When they see sus-picious characters, they immediately report it to security personnels who will observe and watch these persons. They also coordinate with local police authori-ties to help them in monitoring the safety of the uni-

versity.Escarez also warned

students about certain hot spots. He advised students to try and avoid walking alone, especially during the night, along the streets of Dagonoy, Castro, Leon Guinto, Estrada, and Kapitan Tikong. He said that these were the places where most cases of snatching and pickpocket happen. He also expected that theft and similar crimes will rise as Christmas nears.

ANGELINE ARCENAS

SPS offices to undergo reorganization P lans for the reorganization of several functions of Student

Personnel Services (SPS) offices are currently being drawn up by Dr. Carmelita P. Pabiton, dean of Student Affairs, and the

other SPS administrators. In line with the austerity trend, the proposal has to satisfy the

following parameters: no additional expenses are to be incurred, no additional personnel employed, and no additional space utilized.

PerestroikaAs was the case with the Discipline Office, DLSU’s Student Person-

nel Services has also served as the pattern for other universities. However, according to Dr. Carmelita Quebengco, Executive

Vice-President (EVP) of DLSU-M, results of an organizational audit performed on the SPS offices show that reorganization is in order to better address its priorities, goals, and objectives.

The Student Publications Office (SPO), Cultural Arts Office (CAO), Center for Counseling and Development (CCD), Office of Career Services (OCS), Office of Student Activities (OSAc), and the Student Development Office (SDO) are expected to be involved in the restructuring.

In an interview via e-mail, the EVP expressed that the offices concerned seem open to the idea of a possible reorganization.

According to Student Council (SC) Secretary Kate Lim, in a meeting with Dr. Pabiton, they have evaluated the services being offered by the different offices in SPS. Also, they discussed what pos-sible offices could be merged in order to improve its services to the student body.

In the WorksThe assessment, which was performed by the Internal Audit

Office, produced basic recommendations regarding organizational changes. These are then integrated to the plans and programs of the SPS, prepared by the various directors. All discussed proposals are then forwarded by Dr. Pabiton to the EVP for further screening, revisions, and if required, provision of resources. Subsequently, the Dean of Student Affairs formally presents the proposal to the Council of Deans for approval.

The reformation of the offices is still in its embryonic stages. As of this printing, discussions are ongoing and no definite system has been employed for the reorganization yet.

For the meantime, Dr. Quebengco has confirmed that the Dean of Student Affairs will continue to supervise all the concerned offices. Regular meetings between the Lasallian Formation Team within the SPS (LSPO, Student Development, and COSCA) and the EVP will continue to be conducted regularly to ensure the efficient implemen-tation of the new Lasallian Philosophy of Education, a framework for Lasallian Social Action, and a general model for Lasallian formation. In an e-mail to The LaSallian, Dr. Quebengco bared, “I would like these to be integrated not only in the SPS offices but in all the relevant programs at DLSU-Manila.”

Although lay-offs are not to play a factor in the austerity measures, transfers to other department will be carried out to allow a more ef-ficient use of resources to eliminate functional overlaps within the offices.

Sentiments But an unimpeachable source told The LaSallian the sentiments of

other SPS employees with regard to merging. The source questioned the manner the Student Affairs handled the reassessment. “How come that no formal meeting was held to elaborate the concerns on SPS merging? Some of the SPS directors were even passive with the idea, though they just accepted.”

The source contested that merging will just belittle the highly specialized programs of SPS. The source doubts if there was also drastic loss in the budget of SPS.

with reports from Paul Garilao

FRANCESCA STA. ANA

Captured. Another criminal is off the streets, thanks to the quick decisions and actions of police officers.

PHOTO BY ERIC SIY

PHOTO BY CHRIS KISON

9 November 2005 2 9 November 2005 3U NIVERSITY The LaSallianU NIVERSITY The LaSallian

Paul Darwynn Garilao Donelle Gan Luis Emmanuel De Vera Royce Robert Zuñiga Juan Carlos Chavez Earlene Clarissa Ching Jan Michael Jaudian Eric Siy Alejandro Almendras IV Kristel Kaye Chua

EDITOR IN CHIEF ASSOCIATE EDITOR

MANAGING EDITOR UNIVERSITY EDITOR MENAGERIE EDITOR

SPORTS EDITOR ART & GRAPHICS EDITOR

PHOTO EDITOR

CIRCULATION MANAGER

OFFICE MANAGER

9 NOVEMBER 2005

The LaSallian has its editorial office at 502 Bro. Gabriel Connon Hall, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, Manila 1004. TLS can be contacted through telephone number 5244611 loc. 701, or through its e-mail address, the_lasallian@yahoo.com. All contributions are subject to editing for clarity or space. None of the contents of this publication may be reprinted without the express written permission of the Editorial Board.

UNIVERSITY Joyce Anne Alfonso, Angeline Aica Arcenas, Aileen Kristel Cham, Ross Vergel Delantar, Kristel Gayle Guzman, Arvin Alcanar Jo, Michelline Kuon, Paulo Jose Mutuc, Fransesca Sta. Ana

MENAGERIE Nancy Chua, Franz Francisco Chan, Rosanna Guintivano, Angeline Martha Manuel, Anne Lorraine Ng, Mariane Lourdes Perez, Anjeli Pessumal, Karess Rubrico, Dianne Margareth Tang, Nicole Tangco

SPORTS John de los Santos, Ivan Geoffrey Gayares, Jhoanna Kay Leal, Camille Bianca Pinto, Don Eric Sta. Rosa, Reuben Ezra Terrado, Candace Daphne Ting, Nikki Ann Mariel Tungol, Jewelynn Gay Zareno

PHOTO Christopher Kison, Aithne Jaen Lao, Dan Joseph Nable, Diane Lou Reyes, Ofelia Sta. Maria, Amanda Valenzuela

ART & GRAPHICS Carvin Choa, Richard Rustum Gutierrez, Frank Herrera, Kimberly Kha, Gene Carlo Magtoto, Christine Marie Mendoza, John Ian Roman, Gerard Philip So Chan, Charmaine Ventura

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LaSallianThe

The bastion of issue-oriented critical thinking.

UAAP controversy. EVAT law. Handbook revisions. Ambiguous campus policies. Rampant theft cases. Share your views at the_lasallian@yahoo.com

DLSU and chess Stereotyping

It is unfair to brand our generation as not “so principled” as compared to our forefathers.

Some disgruntled alumni

Light the candle

This is a reprieve from the ineligibility controversy. If my rusty chess knowledge serves

me right, zugzwang is a term denoting a situation in a chess endgame. There are normally very few pieces left, hence the Kings are free to roam the board and assert their presence. Zugzwang is when Kings face off in such a manner that the moment one King moves, he gives up territory and momentum and control of the board to the opposing King. Given this situation, the one who has the move is at a disadvantage.

What I perceive to be a huge spate between the Administration and the Employees spanning many years and hundreds of pages of court documents I believe is near-zugzwang.

It may be known that the Student Council is working on the University Grievance Board (UGB), a multi-sectoral board seeking to resolve differences among sectors of the University. One need behind the conception of the UGB was the constant legal skirmishes of the Administration and the Employees’ Association (EA). Sapping the University of two million pesos every year, some of the cases could have been solved within University walls, EA President Baylon Bañez said.

Recapitulating my previous column, it remains a question then why many disputes have been elevated to national courts, ultimately culminating in the Supreme Court. The UGB seeks to be an answer to that question. It is to be a non-legalistic alternative solution to heavily legalistic problems.

A Student Council officer working on the UGB emailed Dr. Carmelita Quebengco about the proposal. One particular part of her response, which I perused, surprised me. “Never allow yourself to be used – that is part of student rights!” stated the EVP. Dr. Quebengco is indirectly pointing to employees, painting them as having capability to use the students. It reveals

something, and there’s more.Particularly disconcerting is the

fact that the Employees and the Administration seem to tell their conflict story rather differently. Continuing her response, it was mentioned that “in a lot of cases, it is the students who are aggrieved.” Mang Bay never mentioned those to The LaSallian. (To the Admin’s credit, he may not divulge anything that will weaken his position) In fact, he provided us a copy of recent cases and it seems to me that students are not directly aggrieved in these. Furthermore, he said that unfair treatment is the reason for the cases.

Now judging from the tone of the reply, the Administration is not going to accept the UGB proposal. “Would you be lax on erring adults/employees simply for the sake of peace…“ is the operative idea. The Administration may not make its move for a more cordial resolution of conflict. It is operating on the fear of zugzwang: one move it makes will weaken it, so it doesn’t. But the question begs to be asked: Is the present “trip-to-supreme-court” procedure the optimal process for DLSU to follow? It’s synonymous to “should matters of this magnitude best be left for adults to solve?”

“Never allow yourself to be used…” shows me the animosity between the EA President and the Administration. Talking with Mang Bay makes that clearer. The relationship may well be

mutual, and it may be the reason why disputes are such. That is why I think there may be a way to improve the process. The UGB may not be the best way, but it sure is a good start, and it should be explored.

There are more chess analogies. With the recent maelstrom on

Benitez and Gatchalian, DLSU had already embarked on what I would call in chess the Danish Gambit. A risky opening with relatively open perspectives for the user – though outdated.

With the recent past in Gloriagate, DLSU – since the Brothers naturally carry its name – had imbibed the Center Counter Defense, directly contesting the Center occupation of President GMA. GMA pulled back, and is now applying the hypermodern (a method that places indirect pressure on the center of the chessboard) strategy of attack on her political opponents. The political middlegame is now in high gear, and GMA made significant advances with her EOs and CPR in a desperate attempt to quell the pawnstorm of the people who see the need for her step-down.

In hiding issues from students, DLSU is bringing to life the Stonewall variation of the Dutch Defense.

The sad thing in chess is that no name exists for giving in to the needs of the other party. The closest thing to a compromise is a closed game, pawns locked up with Bishops of opposite colors. But even then, a closed game could explode with a move of Anderssen-sacrifice-like proportions.

I might learn a new chess system from the way La Salle tackles the EA. What name do you suggest?

* * *I wish to understand the teaching

philosophy of my INTROSO professor. I wish he could explain it to his superiors and students. Non-showbiz persona simply couldn’t comprehend his teaching style.

The UGB may not be the best way, but it sure is a good start, and it should be explored.

problem. This accumulation will prove to be the deadlier dagger stabbing DLSU’s heart. In its search for truth therefore, heads should roll.

Indeed, the falling out has started. As of this writing, Terry Capistrano already resigned as the team manager of Green Archers. Other important icons were also believed to leave the Green Archers such as Coach Franz Pumaren. The wisdom history will reveal is whether the actions taken were too little, too late.

The fault of the Administration is not closely verifying the underground procedures in recruiting athletes being conducted by the Office of Sports Development (OSD). Full trust should not be credited to documents, especially Philippine Educational Placement certification. If the same amount of inherent doubt was given to these documents as the Discipline Office places on students, the controversy should have been silenced before it took root.

An internal reform is direly needed, even without controversy spurring. Consider the challenge of alumnus Quinito Henson: School officials should explain how athletes are recruited and enticed to enroll. The explanation is supported with continuously evaluating the policies, procedures, and personnel involved in our sports programs. Based on this evaluation, the sports officials should adopt an efficient system of recruiting and managing athletes as to avoid unethical standards during the process.

A facet that needs reform is the recruitment of “homegrown” talent. DLSU should recruit a Lasallian to become an athlete, rather than entice an athlete to become a Lasallian. Another weak spot that the OSD should look into is the academic status of most athletes. A tutorial program to help academically faltering athletes should be put in place for a truly holistic education.

All these programs should uphold the values formation among athletes and sports managers. After all, values are the strong weapon that would counter any indecision and fraud acts.

The last lines of Robert Frost’s The road not taken read:

Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

But DLSU can only make a difference if the Administration will genuinely initiate overhaul on the recruitment process of athletes even when the storm has subsided; if some alumni will stop bickering and casting stones, for it will not help – it only adds insult to the injury we already suffer; if Lasallians of all age should instead join forces in calling for DLSU to continuously cleanse the system and rebuild the good image it has established through the years; and if the Lasallian community will vigilantly serve as DLSU’s check and balance.

EDITORIAL , SEE PAGE 1

The Sports page is supposed to relieve the public from the

ensuing politics and controversies that other parts of newspapers convey. But in reality, the sports realm is not spared from tumultuous happenings.

E v e n b e f o r e , s e r i e s o f unfortunate events has taken place in the realms of our very own sports program. A long ago, PBA star Jun Limpot and company were questioned by UAAP board, since they were playing for Green Archers though they were enrolled in St. Benilde. The Admin, however, justified that DLSU-Manila and St. Benilde are integrated schools.

Sell out of players during games, involvement of sports fanatics in sports gambling, as well as trash talking. More and more ugly issues could be excavated from the sports program.

As far as sports controversy is concerned, the ineligibility conundrum is the most disreputable incident that has rocked not only the University but also the nation. The intensified support shown by Lasallians to the Green Archers is the same as how the public negatively points fingers at DLSU vis-à-vis ineligibility issue.

There lies an immense difficulty in uncovering the truth. Uprooting this truth is like finding a snowflake in the desert, since the society has mixed facts and gossips on the issue. And since the gravity of the issue has reached the national level, most of our columnists also shared different perspectives on the controversy.

***In the past weeks, DLSU has caught the prying eyes of public “intellectuals”.

The reactions mostly coming from broadsheet columnists and radio commentators seemed to over generalize and sensationalize the incident.

This is not just a sports related issue but is also an alumni dilemma. Observing the bigger picture, the issue has created cracks on the relationships of the past and present generation of alumni. Mixed reactions surfaced that seem to divide the Lasallians’ sentiments on the issue.

During the press conference held at Hyatt, an old Servillano dela Cruz called the university officials “as the biggest hypocrite La Salle has ever produced.” The reason of the old man is puzzling: “How could they fail the government exam and pass the La Salle exam?” dela Cruz even stressed that this never happened during his time (roughly 50 years ago).

In fact, the Sports Hall of Famers and the rest of unsatisfied parties will gather on Nov 12 in “celebration of the timeless values under which we were educated before.” In his column “La Sallites join us,” alumnus Tommy Manotoc expressed, “La Salle of old no longer exists.” He shared “Br. Benedict, who was involved in our sporting events, tried so hard to uphold the values of integrity and honesty through sports among the athletes and the entire school.”

Since these alumni use “during our days” receipt as their point of comparison, we can only judge them through history as to how they behave as “La Sallites” from time immemorial.

It is common knowledge that La Sallites before were branded as elitists of the society. In a The LaSallian 1978, an article featured that La Sallites’ reputation as “burgis or being elitist dared not inspire envy from students of other universities. Even an offer of tuition was met with hesitation and big no-nos.”

More than anything else, these grains of history somehow reflect the reactionary approach of La Sallites on the issue. How egocentric it is to think that the glory days of DLSU only leveled up and existed during their time. It is unfair to brand our generation as not “so principled” as compared to our forefathers. In the first place, their generation has a greater contribution as to why the society still typecasts the present DLSU as a by-product of “elite” individuals.

Out of the numerous perspectives presented by dailies on the issue, the negative columns present their arguments through ranting and raving. The cliché “everyone is entitled to their own opinion” should not be limited to casting stones at the system, especially if they were once part of it. But the delivery of criticism seems to reflect pride and vested interests among these reactors.

If the intention of these alumni and the rest of critics are to support DLSU, then why bash or stage rally to merely condemn the acts of the Administration in particular the present University in general? True enough, the University has major lapses on its sports recruitment program and admissions procedures. And there is nothing wrong with criticizing these loopholes as long as one recommends noble ideas to improve the system. Call it journalism with care.

This is what alumnus Quinito Henson has achieved when he wrote his column La Salle in firing line. The 15 suggestions on how to resolve would help the Administration to fix the controversy (ranging from command responsibility to sports recruitment program). For instance, he suggests, “school officials should explain how athletes are recruited and enticed to enroll.”

***Much is expected from DLSU that is reputed as a Philippine “Ivy League”

school, since the society highly regards the institution as producers of leaders of the land. But it is stereotypical for the society to consider the top universities as perfect and free from controversies. One false move would drastically tarnish the reputation of the school.

For one, the Brother’s call to restore faith in democracy somehow makes the staunch government supporters to also point their fingers at DLSU.

In his column Higher Ground, William Esposo wrote “And having come not very long after La Salle President Bro. Armin Luistro joined the ranks of militant Filipinos asking for the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the scandal gives a discrediting effect on the righteous and leaves a bad taste in the mouth.”

But this sweeping generalization gives us an impression that only the perfect institutions could express grievances on the system, particularly to call for GMA to step down.

In reality, DLSU has gained much credibility to call for changes in the government. This is because we exhibited an act of cleansing our own territories that only few institutions could do. Our act of honesty should set as a good example for the government.

But DLSU should not be entirely influenced with the unruly and sarcastic judgments coming from outside sources. In the first place, they are just the outspoken minority, who are just trying to capitalize on the media frenzy.

As long as we do not hide anything and our intention is to uphold sportsmanship and righteousness, there is nothing to worry about.

De La Salle University, a supposedly Catholic institution, seemingly es-

pousing Christian values, has sunken so low in the muck that even Hercules would have developed a severe scoliosis if he stooped down to its level.

With its long-concealed sham (ineli-gibility scandal) now in broad daylight, DLSU should have even an iota of delicadeza to realize that it should stop posturing itself as a morally righteous institution, asking Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo to make the “supreme sacrifice” by giving up her post as president.

How could an institution, expressly allowing or implicitly condoning, dis-graceful acts within its own backyard, even have the gall to spearhead a cam-paign for unity, truth, and justice? Shouldn’t it clean its own messy backyard first? Wouldn’t it just be prudent for Hitler to get his act together first before he can even start asking Stalin to stop his indiscriminate killing spree? If this does not smack of downright hypocrisy, I don’t know what does. Reality check, “Chris-tian achievers for God and country!”

In an attempt to project a semblance of fairness, the school conducted a cock-eyed investigation to look into the raging controversy, which it started in the first place. Now, how would an institution in cahoots with shady people, commit-ting dubious acts, ever come up with a believable or acceptable investigation? It’s like Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo asking the House of Representatives, which is dominated by her lapdogs, to investigate her illegal acts. So, it did not come as a big surprise when the DLSU’s bogus investigation yielded nothing but bull feces.

Until now, the Lasallian community is divided in this issue. How would a divided institution, which is hiding the truth and curtailing justice, get the favor of the Fates and realize its goal of national unity, unearthing the truth, and serving justice?

I can only hope that their fairy tales would come true.

Columns such as the one I have just written, which is more or less a synthesis of the spate of articles that

have come out recently, come aplenty in the national media. Give or take a couple or more figures of speech that I have employed, you’ll have a feel of the fad nowadays—demonizing an esteemed institution such as ours.

“Detractors” (as Dr. Quebengco dubs them) of DLSU seem to be hav-ing a field day nitpicking and further sensationalizing the issue with regard to our fellow Lasallians (Timoteo Gatchalian III and Mark Lester Be-nitez), who are unfortunate victims in this case.

Following the revelation made by DLSU that 2 members of Green Archers have spurious Philippine Edu-cational Placement Test, the “detrac-tors” immediately smelled blood and went on the offensive like sharks sud-denly smelling the blood of a wounded salmon in its midst.

Whatever the administration does to address the situation, their actions seem to be tantamount to a lump of double dead cow not palatable for the school’s critics.

Now, isn’t the revelation made by DLSU administration about their ineligible players enough for critics to give the school the benefit of the doubt that it is acting in good faith? Doesn’t it deserve at least a modicum of appre-ciation, if not praise? After all, DLSU did not apologize for nothing. It ac-knowledged the fact that the culprits could perhaps be part of the institution. It was even decisive in its action—it ordered the return of the trophies it won this season and the last.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that DLSU, assuming the al-legation (which seems to be baseless at this time, especially considering the unsubstantiated claims made by some columnists—they only offered innuen-dos and more of the same) that it has a hand in the violations committed is true, should not be held accountable for its wrongdoings. School officials who will be found guilty should not go unpunished and the University should make sure that necessary sanc-tions should be put in place and justice should be served.

What I’m only saying is, wouldn’t it be better if DLSU’s “detractors” give the school a breathing space to finish its investigation, come up with its findings, present their findings, and resolutely act on the matter?

In this turbulent time, where the rift in our country is growing like the number of legal cases inside DLSU, wouldn’t it be more beneficial for all Lasallians or Lasallites to unite and work together in resolving the issue? Aren’t we, as members of the Lasallian community, the ones being gravely affected by the seemingly unending tirade against our alma mater? I agree that there should first be justice and closure for genuine unity to take place. But while the administration is conducting its investigation, we should all contribute to the resolution of the issue in our own little way. Quinito Henson, in his article, La Salle in fir-ing line, outlined key issues that DLSU should resolve and he proposed some measures to remedy the situation. My only appeal to those who still find it beneficial and worthwhile to dabble into the issue that DLSU is trying to put an end to is to try to be as sedate, deliberate, and objective as possible. They should at least learn from what Henson did. He may have criticized DLSU but he did it with solutions to suggest.

After all, as Bro. Ceci Jorilla, FSC, constantly reminds us, “it is better to light just one little candle than to curse the dark.”

When the ineligibility issue blew up almost two weeks ago, I first

thought if it wasn’t basketball-related, it would be different. I thought that if this is just an “unpopular” UAAP sport, then the people and the media would not make a big issue about it. But when I think more about it, it is more than just an ineligibility issue.

***It seems that some people are not

yet satisfied with the results of the Admin’s investigation. It seems that they want a bigger fish. Who’s the bigger fish anyway?

Leadership guru John Maxwell has said, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” So, I guess, it is just natural for people to initially blame the DLSU leaders namely the Admin as represented by Dr. Carmelita Quebengco and Br. Armin Luistro, FSC, and Coach Franz Pumaren. However, it seems that most critics never realized that the Admin, who initially conducted the investigation, have no police powers and thus they can only do so much. Green-blooded sports analyst Joaquin Henson who also observed the limited investigating powers of the Admin suggested that they should seek help from police authorities to further track down the culprit behind this mess.

As for Pumaren, I also think that the head coach is only limited to his coaching responsibilities. Although Pumaren may have a say on which player he likes to be in the team for the coming season, the acceptance of that player in the University still falls within the power of the University Registrar.

Yet, if there’s a need for critics to implicate anyone especially the Admin and the head coach, it’s only fair that the detractors present substantial evidence.

***I am appalled by Tommy Monotoc’s

column titled “La Sallites join us”. In

his column, he calls all La Sallites “regardless of age and location who share the same sentiments” to gather in “remembrance of the La Salle we all once knew and played for, and in celebration of the timeless values under which we were educated.” Although the gathering also aims to help the affected basketball athletes, I think Manotoc, as well as other Sports Hall of Famers, is creating more discord within the Lasallian community. His and other La Sallites' disgust will only lead to more conflict within the community.

Servillano dela Cruz stole the limelight when he called Br. Armin “the biggest hypocrite La Salle has ever produced.” I was surprised when I heard the news from my coeditor. I think the offense “unbecoming of a Christian gentleman” fits the man. I couldn’t believe that Tommy Manotoc who claims to be educated with “timeless values” in his column commended the disgraceful act of dela Cruz and even invited the guy to the upcoming gathering.

I am also dismayed at Ronnie Nathanielsz’ columns about the ineligibility issue. It’s not about his attacks; it’s about the way he attacks. I believe that if you are to criticize, you must also suggest ways to improve things. Problems can’t be solved if you present them without suggesting any solutions.

If there’s one guy who I think approached the ineligibility issue objectively despite being green blooded, that would be Joaquin Henson. So far, his columns on the ineligibility issue are the best that I’ve read. In one of his columns, “La Salle in firing line,” he presented 15 issues “to sort things out and to get to the root of the problem.” Henson indeed “coldheartedly” and objectively broke down the case just for everyone to have a clear insight on what was going on. He presented the problems and he also presented facts and suggestions.

***When I first heard of the disgruntled

alumni, I first thought that they are not being fair to their alma mater, which had the guts to initiate an investigation and publicly apologize for what happened. However, I later realized that maybe most of the disgruntled alumni are stakeholders of La Salle sports especially basketball. It’s like after two years, they realized that their money went to the wrong investments. Too bad for them. But I’m still amazed by the undying support of the alumni, which I hope will continue despite the issue and the brewing internal conflict within the Lasallian community.

***Okay, enough of the ineligibility

issue. Let’s talk something else I like.More than a month ago, I was

able to read (at last!) Arnold Arre’s “Mythology Class”. I think the five years was worth the wait. (I wasn’t able to get a copy when it first came out.) I really thank the heavens for giving Arnold Arre the idea to release an enhanced version of an already awesome graphic novel. I highly recommend this graphic novel to anyone who asks if there is anything cooler than a samurai in this country.

I hope the heavens will give Arre the idea of re-issuing “Trip to Tagaytay” (which unfortunately I haven’t read yet!).

It's like they realized tha t the i r money went to the wrong investments.

There should first be justice and closure for genuine unity to take place.

9 November 2005 4 9 November 2005 5O P I N I O N The LaSallian O P I N I O N The LaSallian

Self actualizing materialism Lessons from the Console

Stale Professors and Students' Image

Just l ike in video games, every endeavor we pursue comes with a variety of strategies to choose from.

When the Admin makes a public booboo the students also suffer.

Teaching is a science. Teachers are like psychologists who specialize

in learning. The job of a teacher is very similar to the job of a doctor. The teacher is trained to diagnose certain leaning disabilities or strengthen learning capabilities to protect the student from difficulties that the student may encounter in the academic realm.

Then, the teacher chooses the best way possible to help the student/s based on his/her diagnosis via certain teaching strategies and theories. Finally, the teacher receives feedback by giving quizzes and alternative forms of learning assessment to see if the strategy worked.

Teaching is an art. Students hate it when the teacher uses the same strategy over and over again. After a while, they become unmotivated to learn and indifferent towards the subject. The job of the teacher is to be creative in presenting lessons and assessing learning. George Polya says that teaching is very similar to theatrical acting. A boring performance will bore your audience. An exciting lesson presentation will excite students.

Professors talk about income statements and integrals but they don’t teach them. I can’t see why there are professors that are stereotyped as the one who “fails half of the class”. Yes, grades are for the students to know how well they’re doing in a certain class but another function of exams is to tell the teacher if the students are learning. Poor teaching styles lead to a multitude of student failures. A 0.0 doesn’t really mean the student didn’t learning anything it means that the teacher failed to cater to the learning needs of the student.

Some professors a l so l imit themselves to using pen-and-paper quizzes as the only form of assessment. Every single output of the student should be a part of the grade no matter

how small it is i.e. boardwork. Creative assessment is also needed.

So, dear professors, don’t chalk-and-talk your way through the term. Throw in a little color. No. I don’t mean start using colored chalk.

***I look at the present player, involved

in ineligibility issue, as a student who tells his/her teacher that s/he wasn't able to finish the assigned homework in order to lessen the punishment or receive additional points. Mind you, the teacher doesn't always grant incentives for truth. I know. I have experienced it before.

It’s amazing how the public and media view us now. We’ve transformed from elite socialites to walking contradictions. What troubles me is how certain people in the media point to the whole institution, but we all know that all of the students were as surprised as the rest of the Philippines, when the Admin admitted the infamous ineligible player issue. The same thing happened when the Lasallian Brothers came out with a stand asking GMA to step down.

Since the Lasallian Brothers practically run the school, their stand became the students’ stand as well. I never thought that the decisions of certain administrators could indirectly become decisions of the students under them.

One of Manila Standard’s Ronnie Nathanielsz’s recent columns ends

with “Come on folks. Many of us may not have had the privilege of studying at La Salle but please don’t insult our intelligence.” It hit a nerve when I read it. It seems that this columnist is addressing the whole La Salle community including the students who neither participated in the admission of the ineligible players nor insulted his intelligence.

I also read William Esposo’s article on the internet. He says, ”The batok incident and the falsified credentials issue are simply not acceptable conduct of behavior for La Sallians” Yes. We actually formed a line after the 1st UAAP finals game and everyone got to hit Arwind Santos on the head. Then, Santos went to DLSU to get more punches from the people that weren’t able to attend the game. We shouldn’t have done that since it is not acceptable conduct for Lasallians. Silly us. We also shouldn’t have let the ineligible players in.

I hope the Admin realizes that whenever they make a public booboo, the students, who are innocent bystanders, also suffer harsh criticisms. My friend bought a Vito Cruz ticket on the LRT. The cashier made fun of her after asking her “Taga La Salle ka?” Good thing she kept her cool or else all hell would break loose.

For now, the students should prove their assumptions wrong. And anyway, the UAAP doesn't define who we are as a students nor do the Lasallites.

***I eavesdropped on Hans Smit's

interview for an article found in this issue. Like me, he has been the butt of DLSU inelegibility jokes. He said that he didn't agree with the Admin's decision to take a leave of absence for the 2nd half of the UAAP and next year. I totally agree with him. Why should all the sports suffer when only the basketball team is a fault? The Admin is offering way to much.

And so the story goes. Keen on tempering civic unrest amid the ongoing legitimacy crisis, the Arroyo presidency has come up with Executive Order (EO) 464 and “Calibrated

Preemptive Response” (CPR) in attempts to contain street protests by militant groups and the political opposition.

While the government has justified these directives out of the “rights of the majority” and the need for public order, both EO 464 and CPR have gone under fire from several sectors ow-ing to the “undeclared martial law” that both orders imply. Recent reports of violent rally dispersals in Mendiola, where the likes of ex-Vice President Teofisto Guingona and Senator Jamby Madrigal figured prominently, have also advanced such speculations.

Further fueling suspicions of a national state of emergency, according to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journal-ism, has been news of another Executive Order - one that al-legedly reiterates the President’s authority over the police and armed forces. This state of affairs, in turn, begs the question: is the nation on the verge of another martial rule?

Ordering Disorder? Executive Order 464 is essentially an edict prohibiting

senior executive officials as well as high-ranking military and police officials from appearing before Congress without presi-dential permission. Issued last September 28, EO 464 came as investigations regarding the “Hello Garci” tapes and the Venable contract were being conducted by the Senate.

In support of EO 464, stipulated Malacañang, are the principles of separation of powers among branches of government, executive privilege, and the rights of public officials. Merriam-Webster defines executive privilege as “a privilege exempting the executive branch of government from disclosing communications if such disclosure would adversely affect the functions and decision-making process of that branch.” United States v. Nixon is perhaps the best-known case involving executive privilege - where the American Supreme Court ruled that the claim would not hold without the need of protecting vital national secrets.

Calibrated Preemptive Response, on the other hand, is a rule in lieu of maximum tolerance during mass actions. Simply put, it is a more stringent application of the “no permit, no rally” policy of Batas Pambansa 880. Under CPR, unauthorized demonstra-tions are to be dispersed immediately using means proportionate to protesters’ actions.

Counter responsesIt is not surprising then, that EO 464 and CPR has been met

with legal resistance. The Counsels for the Defense of Liberties (CODAL), a group of lawyers, has branded the two as “attacks against civil liberties and the Constitution”. CODAL has denounced both for their violation of citizens’ rights to free expression and information. EO 464, furthermore, is said to be in violation of

the legislative powers to inquiry as provided in the 1987 Consti-tution.

Parallels to Corazon Aquino’s Memorandum Order (MO) 112 have been drawn up to rationalize EO 464. The latter however, as The Malaya asserted in an editorial, is more restrictive as it explicitly forbids the disclosure of “classified and confidential i n - formation.” This is in contrast to

MO 112, which provided national concerns ex-

plicitly written by the pres-

i d e n t as the only exceptions to legislative inquiries in accordance with Article VI, Section 26 of the Constitution.

With regard to CPR, there are reasonable concerns that it is being used as justification for the excessive use of force in dealing with mass assemblies. Then again, the President, being the Commander-in-Chief, is with enough emergency powers to vali-date such actions as legally mandated by the same Constitution.

Lasallians have been doing their part amidst all these, said Student Council President Army Padilla. The SC has decried EO 464 and the CPR, via Legislative Assembly Resolutions 23 and 24. “[T]he [S]tudent [C]ouncil has been facilitating group discussion among students so as to enhance critical thinking and to keep issue awareness and advocacy,” added Padilla. The Christian Brothers affirm, “Protests continue because the objectives of truth, justice and accountability have not been achieved....Recognizing that we live in a period of moral crisis, the most important thing is to make a personal commitment to live the values of truth and justice, not because it’s popular but because it’s right.”

A Word of CautionSo are we indeed on the brink of another authoritarian rule? The

government has consistently downplayed any martial law insinu-ations, so perhaps not. Nevertheless, EO 464 and CPR, both of which tread the thin line between good intentions and bad govern-ance, are sufficient reasons for Filipinos to be even more vigilant in safeguarding democracy these days. As has been shown, there are enough tenable clauses to legally allow more autocratic government arrangements. Without heightened awareness, we may very well be fooled into accepting a repressive status quo deceptively masked as the “rule of law” someday soon.

Wherever actions the likes of EO 464 and CPR lead the country in the foreseeable future, the following adage is worth keep-

ing in mind: “Those who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither

liberty or security.”

Damage Control: Behind EO 464 and CPRIn an attempt to relieve myself from post-midterm frenzy, during the

long weekend, I decided to reunite myself with my dusty old Playstation.

Now, I never really considered myself as a serious gamer. Prior to that, I haven’t touched my PS1 for almost two years. I never succumbed to Counter Strike and Ragnarok. Heck, I don’t even know what “DOTA” stands for. And, I’m not really planning to know, thank you very much.

And coming from somebody who once invested countless Saturday mornings in crowded Greenhills arcades, that would certainly come out as a complete shock. Maybe even blasphemy.

But never theless, I am not discounting the fact that video games were a significant part of my childhood. I once scraped by knee while trying to imitate Johnny Cage’s Shadow Kick. I also had a knack arranging my pencils between my fingers to form the likeness of Wolverine’s claws, only to be caught off-guard by my Grade Two math teacher. Indeed, when I was young, I did not just play video games. I lived them!

So, taking the nostalgic mood a notch higher, I popped in Street Fighter II Collections. Now, this game takes me way back to my early elementary years.

When I was eight, I would spend weekday afternoons with my cousins playing Pretend Street Fighter. And being the most horizontally challenged of the lot, I always ended up playing E. Honda. They never allowed me to play Ryu.

Street Fighter II was my first favorite video game. Though I was never really good at it, I was always amused by how funny the characters sounded yelling their Hadoukens and their Sonic Booms. Or how ridiculous they looked while doing their

mandatory winning poses. And where else will you find all the stereotypes associated with Japan, Brazil, China, or even the Soviet Union jam-packed in one frame? Though the characters now look less intimidating and the animation now looks very blocky by today’s standards, I will always remember SF2 as the game that brought me to the world of video-gaming. But just like Marvel Comics and Hanna Barbera cartoons, this is a world I eventually grew out of.

By the time I entered DLSU, I already completely dismissed video games as a mere remnant of my youthful yesteryears. I moved on to other interests.

But there was one thing I remembered while I was trying to re-master all the special moves amidst the vintage graphics and the repetitive background music. I remembered how I used to attempt to go through fighting games by relying on a single special move. Often times, I would set the difficulty level at its utmost minimum. I never cared about the scores I got or how many combos I used. I never really sought expertise; finishing the game was enough.

When I was introduced to cheats and walkthroughs, I was completely delighted. I just wanted to get the

games over with. My sole motivation was to see the boss squirm and die, and that’s about it. I cruised through Syphon Filter and Fear Effect using Invincibility Mode and I completed several Mortal Kombat games using only Scorpion’s spear and Sub-Zero’s ice blast. But though I finished all those games with a breeze; although I’ve seen every single ending I wanted to see, and unlocked every hidden character I wanted to unlock. I felt no sense of fulfillment. True, I finished those games, but I did so without giving myself the opportunity to grow.

During my brief reunion with my Playstation console, I realized that just like in video games, every endeavor we pursue comes with a variety of strategies to choose from. We may choose to take keep things safe and take traditional paths. We may choose to take rough roads and leave the rest to Lady Luck. We may even choose to rely on cheats or to be spoon-fed with walkthroughs, but how we will cope with more daunting future challenges depends completely on us.

We may choose to glide past our journeys relying merely on a simple “fireball”. But understand that in the course of the battle, there are stages that we have to go through all over again. We also have the option to stick firm to our weapons of choice or change them completely by the time we face the “Final Boss”.

Video games are often equated to unproductive recreational activities. Yet, in many aspects, they do parallel the ventures or career paths we may choose to follow.

How we go about every level, every opponent, and every “boss” is actually indicative of how we face life’s challenges. It’s interesting how many important life lessons we can obtain with the tap of a control pad.

Francis Bacon, Renaissance author, courtier, and father of deductive

reasoning, once said, “Of great riches there is no real use, except it be in distribution; the rest is but conceit.” From as far back as I could remember, Madonna had immortalized materialism in her famous song, “Material Girl” during the 80s. And for those who could recall the “minimalist” fashion that gave way to excessive materialism in the 90s, then I’m sure you could sense materialism in your current day. You don’t have to look far. You are actually surrounded by it every day in De La Salle, famed for housing fashion-forward learners. This does not specifically apply to all, but it does reflect the general perception of the public. Nor does it mean that there is anything wrong with being fashion-conscious. The catch is that being fashionable does require an amount of materialism in you, and the familiar feelings of three capital vices – greed, envy, and pride – would begin to take familiar root.

I’m sure only a handful are strangers to these uncomfortable feelings. After all, it is a natural course you have to go through in life. With billboards, fashion magazines and movie stars proselytizing what people should wear, do, and be, it is a given that feelings of shortage in material wealth would creep into your daily life. If you were entwined in this unfortunate setup, then like it or not, you constantly find yourself in a Catch-22. The feeling of guilt borne from seeing images of begging children outside your car on your way to the mall while paying for your X thousand peso ++ jeans would be familiar to you, considering you are not yet so consumed with being dressed to the d of gild. You would contemplate on the great differences present in this world as the cashier swipes your plastic card, and wonder how unfair the world is. Quite ironic, considering you are an indirect perpetrator of the so-called “differences.” Once you are in the safe confines of your home, you would forget you ever carried that thought in your head.

There is not so much fault in feeling a want for things that appeal. But to want with caution and to yearn without restraint would clash to form dissimilar consequences. As a child I worried about American excesses every time I turn on the cable, like ubiquitous food fights on movies. I wondered whether there were large bins on the floor, carefully positioned by the director so they would not be seen, which catch the fallen food. As I grew older, I would tell myself that I need not worry about these things, and over the years, I have found myself to be guilty on being excessive to an extent. Today, I would surf the cable to an international news channel. Calamities, deaths, wars, poverty. Watching these feeds, I have concluded one thing: Many bathe in fortune without even knowing it. And many can never, ever be thankful enough of riches, corporal and spiritual, until they are taken away. The extremities of surplus and shortage would go on the same until eternity. If you were to try to mitigate, wisely, your sense of material shortcomings, then maybe, you can see, live in, and sense this world as a realist.

The proud riches of this earth offer a sense of security, but it is never permanent. Never take material things too seriously. Nobody gets out of death to enjoy them once more anyway.

-Kristel Kaye

University Commentary

There are always two sides of the coin, as the famous adage would reveal, thus making one side the point of comparison. But so does the different people I’ve met, I’ve looked at them from both sides now.

There are those naturally competitive and those of the average ordinary, the so-called popular ones and the lowly unpopular, and then there are the extremely famous and the oddly infamous. All have at least come passed by me. They come in groups, sometimes diverse, sometimes identical. Yet, ironically at one point I have seen all of them coming across each other’s lives until all of a sudden they find all the differences in them. Not that it matters at the beginning, but in the end it really does.

There is one though that I see differently. Someone I recently and unex-pectedly encountered who doesn’t belong to either of those groups mentioned. But rather someone who clearly knows who he is, what he is, what he likes and what he doesn’t like, what is bad and good for him, where he is going, and what his mission is. We look around us and we see turmoil, destruction, and cruelty. We are to believe that man is doomed to destroy himself. But for this man who presses himself toward good values, toward serenity, courage, honesty, and goodness, he has managed to stay calm, peaceful, and happy. Not perfect but full of certainties nonetheless. He has proved that what a man can be, he must be. It showed me that man is naturally good, not evil.

I’d consider this person self-actualizing. As the pinnacle in Maslow’s hier-archy of needs, self-actualization refers to man’s desire for fulfillment, namely the tendency for him to become actually what he is potentially: to become everything that one is capable of becoming. Self-actualization also implies the attainment of basic physiological, security, belongingness, and self-esteem needs. When these basic needs are satisfied, self-actualization need arises. Man’s drive to become the best person he can be is innate and natural. But there is a broken nature within us that hinders human beings to attain this. There is a struggle in seeking for belongingness, because there is so much to fear, to be different and to defy ourselves despite the odds. It exists only because we fear ridicule, failure, and rejection. We find so much joy in the company of others because we feel a great sense of security. But later on we become too dependent on the external environment, we submit ourselves. We lose the opportunities to explore greater horizons. Later on, we find ourselves trapped in the little worlds of ours because we have chosen to revolve on it alone.

Self actualizing persons find comfort with reality and that extends to all areas of life. They are unthreatened by the unknown and unfrightened by the unexpected. They accept themselves, others and the natural world just the way as it should be. I uncovered a great lesson in meeting this person and greater challenges to self actualize: to appreciate the basic good in life, to have a fresh rather than stereotyped appreciation of people and things, to have a mission in life and make that the reason for my existence, to be painfully aware of my own imperfections but joyfully aware of my own growth process, to make the most tedious task into something actually enjoyable, to find delight in being alone but not lonely, to bring out my inborn uniqueness that carries into everything I do, to become independent even from that of love and respect, and to remain dignified amid confusion and misfortunes.

We are what we think and we are also what we think we are, therefore we can be what we know we are. It’s hard to convince another, but it is always worth the effort to convince ourselves that the world isn’t as bad as we see it to be, that life is positive and hopeful to the extent that we make it so.

-LJ

PAULO JOSE MUTUC

"EO 464 and CPR, both of which tread

the thin line between good intentions and bad governance, are sufficient reasons for Filipinos to be even more vigilant in safeguarding democracy these days."

ARTWORK BY GENE MAGTOTO

9 November 2005 6 O P I N I O N The LaSallian U NIVERSITY The LaSallian

NIGHTLIFE Charm Ventura

APPROVE SA OLRYT Abby Go

AHHH! WALA LANG Char Valdez

Ian RomanMISCELLANEOUS

PAMBIHIRA Allen Silva

Luis De VeraID#102

9 November 2005 9P OPTOWN The LaSallian

The DLSU Student Council (SC) has already collated relevant information that will be in-cluded in the general proposal for the Univer-sity Grievance Board (UGB). Vice President for Academics Oliver To said that a team has already gathered different views, opinions, and recommendations from the different University sectors.

However, To pointed out that Executive Vice President Dr. Carmelita Quebengco has yet to be consulted to hear the stand of the Administration regarding the UGB. Likewise, DLSU Employees’ Association President Bay-lon Bañez was quick to say that he has not met with any member from the SC to talk about the proposed Board.

The UGB was envisioned by the SC as a venue for discussing the grievances in each sector of the University: administration, fac-ulty, employees, students, and parents. It will be a multi-sectoral board with representatives from the five sectors and the University Legal Counsel.

Major overhaul?“The UGB will only be convened if and only

if there is a grievance that is filed by a sector,” To explained. Thus, the current grievance set-up will be retained.

Faculty Association President Ramon En-riquez shares a similar view about the function of the UGB. According to him, the UGB can be convened to handle problem situations, which are not covered by the present grievance system and will therefore be on a case-to-case basis. “The FA does not see a need for it to be permanently formed,” he stressed.

Furthermore, he said that the UGB should only tackle issues that are not within the jurisdic-tion of the present grievance system. He justified that there has been no issue or case that was not resolved properly in the present set-up of the grievance, since the Committee on Decorum has handled most of the cases involving the grievances against faculty members.

Bañez is concerned that the issues to be tackled by the UGB will come in conflict with those of other committees or decision-making bodies. As a remedy, he suggests that it should only function as a recommendatory body. He

said that the UGB can prevent further dispute through its recommendations regarding future cases.

Full representationThe SC wants each sector of the University

to be fully represented because through this, the mere composition of the UGB could already promote harmony within the University.

Enriquez echoes the sentiment of the SC. In addition, he said that although the FA has not been provided with the mechanics of the proposed UGB, they (the faculty) would ap-preciate it if they are invited to provide at least one representative in the said board.

For employees’ representation, Banez said that they would follow the EA’s internal pro-cedure and choose a representative based on a Board of Directors’ resolution. “In all the com-mittees or groups, wherein the Union is being represented, it should pass through the Board first,” he explained.

Good things to come from the UGBWhen asked what will be the major advan-

tage of the UGB, the SC’s VP for Academics acknowledged that the board will project an objective stand and recommendation because it is composed of all presidents or heads of each Sector. “We do believe that mutual respect in the verdict will be seen in all sectors,” To said.

For their part, Human Resources Develop-ment Office (HRDO) Director Atty. Enrico Antonio Lusica said that a Grievance Machinery would tend to promote harmony as it is essen-tially a forum where the parties can deliberate on issues with the mutual desire to prevent litigation or a Strike or lockout.

Bañez stated that if the UGB will be for-malized and established, conflicts among the University sectors will be lessened because im-portant issues will be resolved. In addition, he said that the UGB can collectively recommend what would be the best for the University and it can possibly settle minor cases to minimize costs in spending for court cases.

“There are still a lot of advantages of the UGB that will be included in the general proposals; however, it is not yet finalized,” To said.

University sectors give views on UGB

They used to dominate but now, they have lost their spark. Their fire is gone. Their reign is over. Reality speaking, they are once again back on earth.

CHESSAnyone couldn’t possibly question the dominance of the Green

Woodpushers in the UAAP chess for the past six years. Back to the team led by the honed skills of Oliver Dimakiling in 2000 up to the squad secured by the winning points of John Paul Gomez, it was impossible not to overrate the winning ways of the Woodpushers. Even luck seemed to favor them as they escaped with a victory once again last year even with a sluggish start at the first round. But just when everyone seemed to be accustomed to the idea of them being on top, the Green Woodpushers finally took a step down from their usual first place finishes.

The team has undeniably the talent and the experience to back them up, but luck didn’t take their side this time. Just like last year, they had a slow start this season. However, just as they were getting back on their true potent form, UP was able to steal an important game from them in the second round. Although the team gave it a good shot, they do acknowledge their failure to capitalize against inconsequential competitors. Lack of consistency in taking advantage of a winning position played an important role in getting the one and a half point that separated the squad from the feat of seven straight championship titles.

If the Green Woodpushers took a notch down, the Lady Wood-pushers, on the other hand, took one notch up. They may not be as forceful and as consistent as the men’s team for the past years, but they were able to chip in several good finishes nonetheless. After finishing in sixth place back in 2000, they came back strong and started to linger at the top three places ever since. A surprising championship even transpired in 2002 with the entry of Jennifer Advincula and a crucial penalty against UST.

Coming back from a third place finish last season, they finished the season as runners up to defending champion UST. The girls started out strong and were able to finish the first round of com-petition tied with UST at first place with 15 points each. They eventually yielded to UST at the second round. Fortunately, they won against UP that placed them in the second position.

SWIMMING Whatever happened to the supremacy we once had in UAAP

swimming? It seemed that the Tankers are developing a declining trend with their finishes. It used to be that the Green Tankers dominated the field of men’s swimming. The squad took over the top spot during 2000 and didn’t let go of it for a long time. After fully asserting their swimming prowess and claiming their three-peat championship back in 2002, they started to fall one place lower each season as they lost their key players.

The fourth place finish of the Green Tankers is far from their usual domineering ways years back. The team was already lacking in numbers, as they don’t have enough players compared to the

other schools. The problem took a turn for the worst as two-time MVP Benjamin Uy and Mickey Quilala weren’t allowed to play due to the UAAP residency rulings ,thereby taking away more probable points for the team. Efforts from other players, especially from the rookies, were not enough as the team fell behind UP, UST and Ateneo this season.

The Lady Tankers, on the other hand, remains to be a perennial force in the top three. Still, it was a notch down from their stand-ing last year. The squad improved on their third-place finish back in 2000 to place as runners up the following season and eventually claimed the top spot during 2002. They completely outclassed all other competition the following year, defending their crown with

a huge 203 points margin over UST.The team unfortunately took on the trend of declining standing,

eventually settling for third place this year behind UST and UP. The Lady Tankers obviously missed the services of key player 2002 ROY and MVP Michelle Nisce and Ace Sapinoso. Fortunately, the team was able to garner points when its recruits delivered expected fine performances together with the improvement in other players.

TABLE TENNISWith the leadership and experience of playing coach Ernesto

Ebuen III and John Paul Dionisio supported by the powerful duo of Daniel Liwanag and MVP Philip Silos, the Green Paddlers was able to clinch the UAAP table tennis title in 2000. However, the green and white squad failed to sustain their winning ways in the following year as fatigue and injury took its toll on the team, resulting in fourth place finish. Coach-less in the 2002 season, nobody expected the Green Paddlers to make it far as they landed in the fifth spot. In 2003 and 2004, the Green Paddlers had better UAAP campaigns as they finished the two seasons at fourth and third places, respectively.

It looks as if Coach Ramil Sta. Ana’s troops really chanced upon a series of unfortunate events when the Green Paddlers failed to deliver as expected. The men’s team finished in fifth place – far from the first place finish that they very much attained to achieve. Losing Mark Eballa right before the competition began, because of technical ineligibility, proved to be too costly for the team. Also, the players’ inconsistency to produce at the end game, despite posting comfortable leads, brought several distressing losses for the team.

With the shortage of reliable veterans on the team back in 2000, the Lady Paddlers dwelled on the bottom of the standings with a fifth place finish. The following year, winning just seemed too arduous for the Lady Paddlers as they fell one place further than their previous finish. Coach-less like their male counterparts, the Lady Paddlers joined the Green Paddlers at the fifth spot in the 66th UAAP season. The drought for the Lady Paddlers seemed to continue as they once again fell one place short of the Final Four in the succeeding year. 2004 marked a surprising breakthrough year for the Lady Paddlers. With the entry of prized recruits Cristina Abas and Arlene Borja, the squad was able to sweep the eliminations and claim the championship for the very first time.

It was a heartbreaking finish for the Lady Paddlers as they failed to defend their crown this season, despite being heavily favored to do so. The team was indisputably in their best form but one crucial loss in the eliminations against UST appeared to be the turnaround point for the team, as it would have placed them in first place at the end of the eliminations. This loss left them in third place at the end of the eliminations. It seemed that luck wasn’t really in their side as they were swept by FEU, who carried a twice to beat advantage, in the semifinals. Aside from the unexplainable bad breaks they stumbled upon, the new format of the competition certainly didn’t help them in their bid for a repeat either.

KRIS LAURA CRUCERO

ARTWORK BY BC UY

A review of the woodpushers, tankers, and paddlers UAAP campaign in 6 years

Backon Earth

JEWELYNN GAY ZARENO

commented on dela Cruz's "impolite" remarks on the issue. "Regarding the gentleman who spoke up against La Salle...if you went to La Salle, you will never speak that way. You will not curse in public. We were brought up in a Christian way."

‘Supreme Sacrifice’ againJoaquin “Quinito” Henson, another alumnus

of DLSU and columnist of Philstar, outlined in his article, La Salle in firing line, key issues that must be addressed and proposed some measures in order to resolve the ongoing conundrum. Like the Brothers’ call for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the national arena, Henson believes that “certain visible figures in the school’s sports hierarchy should resign out of delicadeza” to spare La Salle from more humiliation. “It would be an act of supreme sacrifice particularly as this may involve innocent

people not directly responsible for the crime,” Henson added.

Some members of the coaching staff who already resigned such as Green Archers' Terry Capistrano.

Dated Nov.2, Capistrano wrote, “It is with great pain that I have to inform La Salle that I am resign-ing effective immediately. I am the acknowledged head of the basketball team, and for that reason alone, I assume and accept full responsibility for the situation we are in today.”

As a sentiment from the Lasallian community, Student Council President Army Padilla expressed, “I admire Br. Armin and Dr. Quebengco’s efforts to reveal the truth as early as possible. I support them in trying to uphold moral righteousness. However, I hope that we will try to finalize all true information soon and hold concerned people in the University accountable if need be.”

be the most concern.“In the other changes, it will be discussed

based on the outcomes of the current discussions. We will implement them as soon as it becomes feasible,” Dr. Quebengco noted. However, she admits that changes in the recruitment of athletes will take time.

OSD Director Br. Bobby Casingal said that his office is giving the Administration a free hand on the enforcement of the revamp in the sports program. He also bared that the OSD is expected to be evaluated by the Administration as soon as possible. as part of the function of a committee formed to recommend changes in the sports policy and personnel.

“As an institution, we will continually improve ourselves. Ok, nakahanap ng butas, but the ques-tion now is how do we change? And more than that, how do we improve,” Br. Bobby reiterated.Other changes

De La Salle has decided to return its men’s basketball championship trophy in 2004 imme-diately. But the statement also revealed that it is considering taking a leave of absence in UAAP starting the second half of this season to the next. This development has put in jeopardy this season’s campaign of the teams of football, baseball, softball, tennis, badminton, fencing, taekwondo, athletics, and judo.

The UAAP is expected to decide on the fate of De La Salle when the Board of Trustees convenes on the third week of November. Possibilities of sanctioning the University to at least a one-year suspension from the league loom.

On the other hand, the Administration also instructed Atty. Emmanuel Sales, University legal counsel, to seek assistance from the appropriate investigating authorities should appropriate charges be necessary.

Junior Philippine Institute of Accountants- DLSU Chapter in celebration of its 50th anniversary, wishes to invite you to…

“Accounting for Past’s Present Value”An accountancy alumni reunion

Where: William Shaw Little Theater, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Marilen Gaerlan North Conservatory (dinner), 7:00pm – 9:00 pmWhen: December 3, 2005

For more details please contact Roxanne Tadique at 0916-4631141 or through email at roxanne_anya@yahoo.com

CONTROVERSY SPURS, FROM PAGE 1

ALUMNI DIVIDED , FROM PAGE 1

9 November 2005 11U NIVERSITY/SPORTS The LaSallian

No pun intended

Basketbal l is just an added ingredient but the education program is the main dish itself.

Lady Paddlers conquer Interscholastic Cup tourney

CAMILLE BIANCA PINTO

A fter failing to defend their UAAP title this season, the De La Salle Lady Paddlers are once again back to their winning forms as they bagged the Interscholastic-Chancelor Cup last

Oct. 28-30 in the University of the Philippines Human Kinetics (UPCHK) gym.

The Lady Paddlers, who finished third in their UAAP campaign, proved that they really have what it takes to become champions once again. With former MVP Crisanta Abas and former ROY Ar-lene Borja leading the charge for the Lady Paddlers, the Taft-based squad slowly inched their way to the title as they defeated the Far Eastern Lady Tamaraws, 3-0; St. Benilde Lady Blazers, 3-2; and

the Ateneo Lady Eagles, 3-0, in the eliminations round.In the finals round, the Semicon-sponsored team went on to

win the championship after sweeping the UP Lady Maroons with a 3-0 score.

Other players who boosted the Lady Paddlers’ chances in this mini tournament were 68th UAAP season ROY awardee Ayra Mala-bayabas, Vanessa Ng, May Villalon, and Jenny Virtusio.

Head coach Ramil Sta. Ana believes that his girls were somehow able to redeem themselves from their third place finish in the UAAP. “Well deserving yung team natin. Team effort and pride yung nagdala sa amin [sa tournament na ito],” Sta. Ana remarked.

When people hear the current situation of De La Salle, most of them react in a negative way. “Grabe..cheaters pala kayo” or “nakakahiya naman yung ginawa nyo!”

I d o n ’ t b l a m e them but I don’t agree with them either. So maybe what the people ( involved) did was wrong but that doesn’t mean that one can generalize the entire LaSallian community in this controversy. Not everyone committed that mistake so it’s definitely unfair that everyone suffers the same consequences as those involved.

At least, De La Salle had the guts to admit their wrongdoings. How about the other UAAP schools? Are they really that “clean?” Ok, so maybe DLSU has lost its pride but at least it’s doing something to save its integrity. Unfortunately, too much were at stake for this admission.

* * *Remember the lines of a song, “In good times, in bad

times, knowing you can always count on me (for sure), that’s what friends are for?” Well, this is not really applicable to some members of the LaSallian community. When the Green Archers were winning, everyone was so proud of them, worshipping every step they walk on. But now that DLSU is placed in an ugly scenario, they have left DLSU in an instant and even have the nerve to criticize and condemn DLSU for this controversial situation.

Take one alumnus who has an influence in the media for example. Ok, I respect his opinion that he’s not in favor of what De La Salle did, sacrificing the name of the school just to win. Together with some other alumni, they have expressed disgust on how the university conducted its investigation and handled the entire situation as well.

Again, there’s nothing wrong with that. The only thing that I’m not in favor of is the fact that they plan to stage a rally on Nov.12 to express their sentiments on the ineligibility issue. DLSU is already bleeding right now and a rally would just rub salt on their wounds. To top it all off, it is the people who came from the university who push poor DLSU to the brink of death.

* * *Honestly, why are we in De La Salle? I thought we are all in

this university for its education. How come there are some people who act like their lives only revolve around basketball? Basketball is just an added ingredient but the education program is the main dish itself. And with the way things are going, outsiders are starting to think that DLSU is so basketball-centered, thus nothing is going inside their heads during their classes.

* * *I always wanted to become a sports journalist after college,

but now, I’ve completely changed my mind. The Philippine media is so dirty. Forgive me for the term but that’s the way I see things. One journalist from a well-known broadsheet came to our office and talked to my boss about the ineligibility issue. He then asked for my contact number because he wanted to get an opinion. Guess what? He did text me but he only wanted to get the numbers of JV Casio, Ryan Araña, and Mark Benitez. Talk about playing dirty. I told him to get the numbers from the Office of the Sports Development but I learned that he had no luck getting it since the OSD is not entertaining the inquiries of the media.

But it didn’t stop from there. He also wanted to know where these athletes were staying inside the school. I believe that’s beyond the line. Wanting to know where these athletes stay is like invading their privacy. That’s the current problem of the media. They don’t care about who are the people they stepped on. What matters to them is the fact that they get their news, by hook or by crook.

In addition, they sensationalize this eligibility issue too much. When I read the papers, the same thing is repeated almost every day, especially during the height of the controversy. They are just playing with the different angles of the press statements released by De La Salle.

* * *For me, Mark Benitez is the real victim here. Imagine losing

the things you’ve done for basketball and his education all at the same time. That’s definitely hard to accept.

Benitez definitely has talent but was it him who nailed that buzzer-beater three pointer that led us to the championship? No, it was JV Casio. I’m not in favor of returning the trophy last season. Basketball is a team sport and surrendering the title would mean throwing the efforts of the other Green Archers to waste.

I asked one of the FEU coaching staff if they would be willing to accept the trophy. His answer was a simple no. He said that it doesn’t matter anymore since they have won the title this year. It was clear that the Green Archers deserved the championship last year.

* * *According to one of DLSU’s higher officials, they are

considering to take a leave of absence for the rest of this season and next season as well. That’s certainly unfair. From the start, the Lasallian community only cared about the Green Archers. And now, DLSU is planning to sacrifice the other innocent teams as well. If you want to revamp the OSD, that is not the solution.

Pity the other teams who are not involved in basketball. They are already lacking in terms of funds and supporters, yet DLSU plans to stop them from playing in the sport that they really love.

DLSU Netters vie for JVC badminton crownJULIUS JOSEPH FABREAG

In preparation for their upcoming UAAP tournament, the De La Salle Netters want every tournament they join to matter.

One of those tourneys is the JVC Interscholastic Badminton Open which will take place on Nov.17-23 at the PowerSmash Bad-minton Center and Glorietta Activity Center. The Lady Netters will defend their title, while their male counterparts will try to snatch the crown from reigning champions UST.

Led by veterans Therine Chan, Paula Chan, Michelle Guerrero, and Paola Obañana, the Lady Netters will definitely be one tough nut to crack. Stephanie Sy and Jean Pearl Go are also expected to chip in precious points for De La Salle as well.

In the men’s division, UST’s back-to-back championship at-tempt will be regulated by a formidable DLSU lineup of Ricky Bar-tolome, Alfredo Mailon, Pierre Arden Pantig and Ryan Conde.

Other schools expected to challenge DLSU in this badminton tilt are Far Eastern University, Trinity College, Philippine Normal

University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Philippine Women’s University, Miriam College, Siena College, College of St. Benilde, Philippine Maritime Institute, Technological Institute of the Philippines, and Colegia San Agustin-Southwoods.

The JVC regional championship winners, Holy Angel Uni-versity of Pampanga, University of Visayas, University of San Jose Recoletos-Cebu, University of Mindanao, Ateneo de Davao and Iloilo Doctors College, will also join the quest.

Planet Sports, Bingo Bonanza, L Time studio, Rudy Project, Gillette, Bacchus Energy Drink, Alaska, Lactacyd, Sunbolt, Coffee House, Accel, Phil Star, Pinoy Exchange.Com, Solar Sports, Ayala Center, PowerSmash and Magic 89.9, support the yearlong sponsor-ship of the sport. They are offering a total of 300,000 pesos of cash prizes. In addition, the winners of the men and women’s division are also entitled to a cash prize of 50,000 pesos each.

Already assured of a finals ticket in the ongoing Metro Manila Girls’ Football Association (MMGFA) tournament, the Lady Booters are not yet tired of winning.

In addition, lady luck also appeared to be on their side.

After missing four goal attempts due to shots hitting the goal posts, the De La Salle Lady Booters still managed to score a 3-1 win over the Alumnae Club at the Ateneo Football field last Nov.6.

With both teams scoreless at halftime, head coach Hans Smit gathered his team and reminded to start improving the aim of their shots in order to win the game.

In the nine-minute mark of the second half, the Lady Booters got their first point of the ballgame as the Alumnae FC scored its own goal in the process of deflecting the Lady Booters’ goal attempt.

Two minutes later, a free kick by Stephanie Pheasant led to great passing between the Lady Booters and an eventual goal by Trina Martirez, who just came fresh from the bench.

However, a change in the defensive strategy of the Alum-nae players allowed them to score a goal against the Lady Booters. Nevertheless, the Lady Booters striked back after veteran Chesa Ibarra fielded in another goal at the 40-minute mark, thus sealing the win for the green and white squad.

According to Coach Smit, the key to the Lady Booters’ dominance is their knowledge and passion for the game. “I teach my girls that you cannot play with just all heart or all mind, you have to play football using a combination of both,” Smit concluded.

Lady Booters continue dominance in MMGFA

IVAN GEOFFREY GAYARES

Coach Orlando Plagata, former coach of the Green Booters, died inside his pension house room in Bacolod City last Oct. 24. Fondly known as “Coach Plaggy” to his former players, Plagata was attending the UNIGAMES as the head coach of the FEU men’s

football team when the unfortunate incident occurred.He was found dead around 3 p.m., with reports saying that Plagata, a diabetic, may have hit his head on the floor after having low

insulin in his body. Autopsy reports said that Plagata suffered from cerebral hemorrhage hours before he was discovered.Plagata was a former national team player and coach. He was also the mentor of current DLSU men’s football coach, Marlon Maro,

in the national team during the early 90’s. Moreover, he was the coach of the Green Booters from 2001-2003, and was known to be one of the best football players produced by this country.

Former football coach passes away at 72

After ending the 68th UAAP season as runners-up, the De La Salle Lady Woodpushers tried their luck in the MCC October non-masters edition that took place last Oct. 15-16 and 29-30 at the F. Divino Building in Anonas.

However, lady luck refused to be on their side.Lady Woodpushers Jennifer Advincula, Anna Paula Castillo, Angie Dimakiling, Eden Tumbos and Myril Garcia carried the Archers’

flag in this mixed chess tournament. Four hours were allotted per game; two hours per player. Jennifer Advincula and Eden Tunbos vied for fourth place, but ended up clinching the fifth and sixth place respectively. Advincula, who fought for the championship in her last match, fell prey to Ateneo’ Ronald Nonles.

Nonetheless, the Lady Woodpushers are not about to give up as they plan to join more mini chess tournaments in the weeks to come. After all, the Lady Woodpushers got nothing to lose as they had already proven themselves in this year’s UAAP.

Lady Woodpushers unlucky in MCC chess tiltJED AUREUS GONZALES

PHOTOS BY AMANDA VALENZUELA, KARLA PERALTA, SHANA BANIEL, ERIC SIY

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Desiree HernandezAfter finally fulfilling her dream of joining other renowned volleyball players in the RP team, two-time UAAP MVP Desiree Hernandez is overwhelmed as she now moves on to the international arena. Hardwork and her trademark fast plays had been the key that helped her get through the tryouts of the national team. Hernandez will once again showcase her versatility, as she will play the positions of center, open, and utility spiker.With her team going up against taller opponents like Thailand, Hernandez still believes that her country can play at par with the other participants of the SEAGAMES. In the individual aspect, she hopes to help her team earn points with her services and solid receptions.

Maureen Penetrante2004 marked the year of former DLSU Lady Spiker Maureen Penetrante. With MVP, Best Blocker, and Best Attacker awards tucked under her belt, it is no wonder that Penetrante received an invitation to play for the Philippine Team. She has then become an asset to the RP team with her solid blocks that hike up the team’s defense percentage. Although Penetrante suffered an injury two months ago in China, she still promises to give her 100% just in time for the SEAGAMES competition. With her humility and all-around game, Penetrante is certainly one prized catch for the Philippine Volleyball Team.

Shermain PeñanoWatching Shermain Peñano’s body language on the court would definitely inspire to never give up and continue pushing oneself to the limits. Since her freshman year, Best Libero has been well associated with her name. Her zealous love for volleyball paved the way for her inclusion in the national team. After gaining a lot of UAAP and international experience, Peñano is expected to lead the team i0n defense and reception. With Peñano manning the defense for the RP team, expect this tough libero to dive for loose balls at all causes.

Ralph Waldy SoguilonA lot of things have already been said about sprinter Ralph Waldy Soguilon. After all, he has been collecting medals in the UAAP and the Philippine National Open, even breaking national records along the way. With these exceptional feats, it was inevitable for him to earn a slot in the RP team. Now, he is up for another challenge as he will again be one of the country’s representatives in the men’s sprint events, particularly the 4x100m relay, in the SEAGAMES. Despite his achievements and experience in competing in international meets, he humbly knows that getting a medal this time is not an easy task. For several decades now, the Philippines has remained unfortunate in its bid for a medal in men’s sprint events. Hopefully, this will change and a Green Trackster might just be able to help in doing so.

Rick Jayson SenalesDespite making a crucial adjustment of shifting to the half heavyweight category from his usual half middle weight (minus 81 kg) division, Rick Jayson Senales is still one of the names to watch out for in the upcoming SEAGAMES. Senales’ fighting spirit, experience, and familiarity of opponents is considered to be his greatest advantage. This 3rd year Mechanical Engineering judoka was recruited to the RP Judo Team after winning the 2003 National Individuals Judo Championships. He has also garnered two golds in his two years of play in the UAAP. Fulfilled to represent the country, Senales vows to do his best and bring pride to the Filipinos.

Mickey QuilalaFirst spotted by the National Triathlon coach after his first swim-bike-run experience in March 2004, Quilala had since become a part of the Philippines’ delegates in various international triathlon com-petitions such as the Pan Pacific School Games in Australia and the regular Asia Cup races held every three months. Being a fast learner, Quilala brought home the runner-up trophy in the Asian Cup race held in Singapore last August 2004. As the SEAGAMES slowly approaches, Quilala anticipates tougher competition as he clashes with high-caliber representatives from various countries, including triathlon pros from Malaysia and Singapore. As a preparation, he is currently undergoing rigorous training with three different coaches. Quilala hopes that his experience as a swimmer may serve as his advantage and eventually bring him the gold medal in the triathlon competition.

Paola ObañanaWhen it comes to fighting spirit, Paola Obañana is certainly a winner as she has nothing in her mind except to bring home a gold for her motherland. With consistency and perseverance ruling her play, Obañana is one of the country’s top bets in badminton. In her three years in the UAAP,

Obañana had displayed superb performances, capturing the ROY and two MVP awards. Delighted to represent the Philippines in the SEAGAMES, she is all geared up to play in the women’s singles, the ladies’ doubles with Kennie Asuncion, and mixed doubles with Ian Piencenaves, which she will definitely take to the hilt.

Japoy LizardoAfter passing competitive tryouts and evaluations in sparring last October, John Paul Lizardo finally secured a slot in the RP Tae Kwon Do team. However, things didn’t turn out to be easy for him and his teammates as they went through rigorous training in Korea last summer along with an added military training. Weighing 54 kg, Lizardo will be participating in the finweight category. Though this is his first SEAGAMES appearance, Lizardo already had many international exposures in hand such as the Korean Open, US Open and ASEAN Taekwondo Games. As Lizardo is prepared to take his international experience to the SEAGAMES, hope is definitely strong for the RP team.

Clarissa LazaroA recruit of RP team mentor Marlon Maro, sophomore Clarissa Lazaro is simply an epitome of dominance. In her first year of play, Lazaro was already instrumental in the Lady Booters’ offense, resulting in a ROY title. Being one of the younger players in the RP team, Lazaro is currently train-ing for the three positions that corresponds to the 4-4-2 system: striker, midfielder, and left wing, which is also her position in the Lady Booters’ lineup. As she suits up for her first SEAGames, Lazaro is determined to give more than 100% in her games and apply all the things she learned from the eight months of rigorous training.

Joy LantingAs the RP team’s newest pitcher, Joy Lanting is definitely a risk worth taking by any coach. She doesn’t only lead De La Salle when it comes to batting but her pitching skills are certainly something that the national team can count on from this SEAGAMES rookie. She hopes to play the position of the first baseman and hopefully, her experience from previous domestic and international tournaments will turn out to be really beneficial. As the RP softball team defends their crown, a difficult task lies in front of them. Nonetheless, Lanting is optimistic about her team’s chances and hopes that their campaign would end on a high note.

Arlene BorjaPossessing sheer talent and love for the game, Arlene Borja continues to make a name for herself in the field of table tennis. Borja already had it made in the UAAP as she bagged the ROY and MVP honors in just a span of two years. As the SEAGAMES nears its opening, Borja will try her best to give the university and country something to be proud about as she plays in the singles and doubles events. Borja, who tried out for the RP team, hopes to get at least a bronze medal, or better yet, a gold. At present, Borja is having mixed emotions as she’s excited to play her game while feeling the pressure of the homecourt advantage at the same time.

Andrea YangAndrea Yang is not a novice when it comes to representing the Philippines. During her high school years, she first played for the country after making it to the National Under 19 team. Still yearning for more experience, Yang tried out for the National Team in her first year of college. She then showcased her defensive skills, along with the dedication and discipline that also awarded her the UAAP best defender honors back in 2002. In the upcoming SEAGAMES, Yang is hopeful that her team will be able to beat their opponents and bring home the gold in women’s football. As an inspiration, she cites her mom, Tess, who won the SEAGAMES gold years ago in volleyball.

Marielle BenitezDespite being young at 24, Marielle Benitez is already a veteran of the National team. She first became a member in 1999 after receiving an invitation from the head coach. Since then, Benitez has become a part of three SEAGAMES events but a broken leg in 2001 prevented her from participating in her first one. Playing midfield, Benitez, who carries degrees in Psychology and Marketing Manage-ment, has led the Lady Booters to four championships. In addition, she also has a ROY and three MVP titles under her belt. According to Benitez, the country’s main competitors would be regional powerhouses Vietnam and Myanmar; nevertheless, she believes that her team is better conditioned as compared to the last time they faced each other.

PHOTO BY ERIC SIY

WRITTEN BY MISH ANDREWS, JOHN DE LOS SANTOS, JULIUS FABREAG, CELINE HERNANDEZ, JK LEAL, CAMILLE BIANCA PINTO, CARLOS REBULLIDA III, CANDY TING, KIAN TUNGOL, AND GAY ZARENO

CARLOS REBULLIDA III

9 November 2005 12 9 November 2005 13S P O R T S The LaSallian S P O R T S The LaSallian

Lady Booters capture 7th UNIGAMES title

REUBEN EZRA TERRADO

IVAN GEOFFREY GAYARES

PHOTO BY ERIC SIY

Their trip to Bacolod was definitely worth it.Being the sole team to represent De La Salle in

the UNIGAMES, the DLSU Lady Booters made sure that they won’t go home emptyhanded as they bagged

their seventh straight UNIGAMES crown via a 7-1 victory over Foundation University (FU) in the finals round last Oct 29 at the University of St. La Salle Football Field.

The Lady Booters never gave their opponents an inch as their good passing and playmaking resulted in their dominance over the Dumaguete-based squad, ending the first half with a 5-0 score. However, the Foundation U players turned out to be very physical in the second half as their rough plays broke the concentration of the green and white squad.

FU scored a consolation goal in the process but the Lady Booters sealed the deal by striking two consecutive goals to finish the game with a six-goal cushion.

The Taft-based squad demolished all opponents in the eliminations as they started their campaign with a lopsided win against Ateneo de Davao by the score of 7-0. The scoring barrage ensued as the Lady Booters came out unchallenged, giving Central Philippine University - Iloilo and eventual final-ist Foundation University a 14-0 and 7-0 trashing, respectively, to end up as leaders in the Group B division.

The semifinals was a different story as Coach Hans Smit’s troops faced Group A leader UST. Because of the muddy field, no team could break the ice, thereby resulting to a 0-all count at the end of the first half.

In the second half, the Lady Booters started to unleash their true potential. Sam Bermudez scored a hat-trick while Justine Adriarte added a goal to arrange the titular showdown against FU, who earlier defeated Group A team Xavier Uni-versity in the other semifinals match.

“Okay yung performance sa UNIGAMES kasi maraming tao na nagstep-up like Sam Bermudez. She scored so many goals, so makikita mo na gusto talaga ng team na manalo”, said team captain and UAAP MVP Stephanie Pheasant. “The rookies also stepped up and showed that they wanted to play [for the team].” she added.

The DLSU women’s football team was the only team to be fielded by DLSU in the tournament which featured 39 colleges and universities in five disciplines that includes: basketball, football, volleyball, chess and tae kwon do. The UNIGAMES organizing committee cut down the number of disciplines this year to five from last year’s 11, because of the austerity measures.

With the victory, the green and white squad made history by marking the longest running championship streak in the 10-year history of the UNIGAMES.

With reports from Patrick Oliver Salomon

Lady Archers partake in Home and Away Invitational Two coaches air side on leaving UAAPTwo coaches from De La Salle sports teams have cried foul to the Administration considering taking a leave of absence not only for the remainder of this UAAP season but to the 69th season as well, and to rumors of an imminent one-year suspension from the league.

“That’s overkill,” said De La Salle women’s foot-ball coach Hans Smit, adding that it is not fair not only to the Lady Booters but to the other teams as well.

Dr. Carmelita Quebengco, Executive Vice-Presi-dent of DLSU-Manila said in a Nov 3 statement to the academic community that it is mulling over taking a leave of absence starting this season’s second half until the whole of the next season. This will affect the second half squads which include football, baseball, softball, lawn tennis, badminton, fencing, taekwondo, athletics, and judo.

“The Admin has to think that all the other teams, we have been training since May. We’ve been through blood, sweat, and tears since May and then they will let it go? I don’t see the logic,” Smit also said.

The fiery head coach, however, commended the measures the Administration undertook to address the issue. “But with due respect to the Admin, I don’t agree with it (taking a leave),” Smit reiterated.

The same sentiments were shared by an assistant coach, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Kami kasi, we do our job sa recruitment. Mahigpit kami sa eligibility at sa requirements sa mga players. For us, napaka-unfair kung hindi kami makalaro. Mawawala lang yung mga legacy at glory na nabigay namin sa school.”

The assistant coach also added that non-participa-tion in the UAAP will be a big loss to the coaches. “Our concern as coaches is what will happen if we will leave the UAAP? We coach not for the salary but for the love of school tapos mawawala. As a coach and as a player na rin, masakit yun. Big impact sa amin ito. Psychologically and emotional, down kami,” the assistant coach said.

“Let us pray nalang for the best option. I hope na kapag nagkaroon ng decision, magkaroon ng meeting sa mga coaches kung ano yung best offer na pwede ibigay sa mga coaches,” the assistant coach noted.

Both coaches also reacted to the talks of a possible UAAP suspension. ”It’s up to them (the UAAP Board) but ang akin lang, sa basketball yung issue. Kung ang decision nila ay one-year suspension, yun na talaga pero sana isipin din nila yung spirit na ang UAAP ay hindi lang basketball.”

“Why should we be subjected to this? It’s already enough that I and the other alumni members get ribbed when we go around,” noted Smit. “I don’t care if the basketball team is suspended or not. But just don’t pick on the other sports,” the coach ended.

Coming off a fifth place finish in the recently concluded UAAP tourna-ment, the Lady Archers are looking forward to make the upcoming Home and Away Invitational League (HAIL) a venue to redeem themselves.

After maintaining a secured slot in the UAAP Final Four for five years, the green and white squad suddenly went down a notch from qualifying this year. Inconsistencies in their performances turned out to be crucial as it cost them their Final Four ticket. Despite beating top seeds Ateneo and Adamson in the latter part of the second round, it wasn’t enough for the Lady Archers to make it to the next round. Hopefully, they wouldn’t suffer the same fate as they start their journey for the HAIL crown on Nov. 15.

The team will be facing again their same UAAP rivals in the upcom-ing HAIL, including powerhouses FEU and Ateneo, which stopped them from reaching the Final Four. They are aiming to maintain, if not improve their second place finish last HAIL tournament. However, the squad will have to try and accomplish this feat under a new coach.

Former assistant coach Regina Jose will have to take charge as Coach Mon Jose and Assistant Coach Dominic Uy won’t be around anymore to do so. Mon Jose is now working in the PBA as the assist-ant coach of the Coca-cola Tigers while Uy is busy with his hosting career.

The loss of dependable offensive player Khristine Prado due to the exhaustion of her playing years might pose a risk to the squad’s power in the low post area. They will now have to rely on the leadership of offensive players Angeli Gloriani, Kristine Alon-Alon, and Gay Mitra. To further cover the gap left by Prado, changes in the line-up and the game play were also made. Veterans Grace Cruz and Ivory Ojeda, who were not fielded last UAAP, will again be added to the team’s roster. In addition, a stricter offensive system will be implemented.

According to Regina Jose, the team has been practicing since Oct 13. Hopefully, the Lady Archers will be ready for their HAIL campaign and try to snatch the crown from defending HAIL champions, the Ateneo Lady Eagles. “Things will be tough but I expect the other players to step up to each and every challenge,” Jose finished.

Second shot. In order to redeem their UAAP failure, the Lady Archers will aim for a better standing in the upcoming HAIL.

PHOTO BY CHRIS KISON

NIKKI ANN TUNGOL AND JEWELYNN GAY ZARENO

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S P O R T SVOL. XLVI NO. 6 THE OFFICIAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY 9 NOVEMBER 2005

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