With the theme “SaRegada, Ika’y Mapapa-Ahhh!”,the Kulay at Tubig annual city artcompetition done during theweek-long celebration of theRegada Water Festival, June 19.

The Sebastinian flame canbe felt with the victory JustineCagulada who bagged the 1st prizefor the secondary division andKrizia Ann Odvina who made itto the top 10. Competed with themwere Sebastinians Eliel MaeGalgo, Charles Ayran and JeffAgulana. The other contenderswere students from CaviteNational High School, JimelAcademy, St. Joseph College,Sovereign Christian GraceAcademy and Sangley PointNational High School.

Cash prizes and companyproducts were awarded to thewinners. (Irish Sua & KatrinaMarie Alverde)

Caguladatops Kulay

at TubigTo provide better

learning, the SSC-Radministration opened newfacilities for the Cañacao campuspopulation, S.Y. 2007-2008.

A 45-seater audio-visualroom was constructed on the 63sq. m. former dark room on theright wing of the fourth floor tosolve the AVR reservationproblems in the campus.

This facility is equippedwith a multimedia projector, twolarge-screen televisions, a soundsystem and other audio materials.It is made available for both the

grade school and high schoolstudents.

Another new facility was a40-seater speech laboratoryconstructed on another former darkroom on the right wing third floor.This is equipped with audio toolsthat will aid the students in thedevelopment of their speechcapabilities.

It is expected that thisfacility will help the Sebastinianspractice the correct grammar usesand pronunciations of words in bothEnglish and Filipinocontext.(Maricor Lumantas/Irish Sua)

Brand new. The facilities built for the Cañacao Campus population.

To provide stability in the highschool department, Principal Rev.Fr. Cristopher C. Maspara, OARdesigned a new organizationalstructure that will take effect thisschool year 2007-2008. The saidstructure was laid down during thefaculty meeting held at theCañacao Campus Audio-VisualRoom, June 4.

One of the significantchanges was the inclusion of twonew positions where theappointments of Mrs. Eleanor B.Perez as Academics Coordinatorand Mr. Ferdinand L. Manguera asStudents Affairs Coordinator tookplace. The said posts will be

Principal launchesnew org structureNew AVR, Speech Lab

to facilitate learning

As prescribed by the Department of Education(DepEd), the high school depar tment isimplementing the 2002 Basic Educat ionCurriculum (BEC) this school year.

It aimsto makeevery Filipino learner to be capableof self-development throughoutone’s life, to be patriotic, kind,ecologically aware and God-fearing. The said curriculum will onlytake effect for the first and second

year levels to allow smoothtransition from the old curriculum.The old curriculum still applies tothe third and fourth years.

With the new structurethere is a new focus onMathematics and an emphasis onthe interactive learning

approaches. Values formation isalso integrated in all subject areas.

Five learning areas make upthe said design; four of which are thetool subjects that include Filipino,English, Science and Mathematics.The last is a cluster of subject areascalled MAKABAYAN that is theexperiential area of the “laboratoryof life”. This subject includes SocialStudies, MAPEH (Music, Arts,Physical Education and Health),TLE (Technology and LivelihoodEducation) with Computers, andValues Education.

BEC promotes mutualinteraction between students andteachers, other students,instructional materials, andmultimedia sources. Also, the useof information technology andgreater emphasis on computerliteracy in all the learning areas isintegrated in every school whereequipment is available. It envisionsthe ideal Filipino learner in ourrapidly changing world towards

becoming a well-developed humanbeing.(Nellene Rull)

directly under the Office of thePrincipal. The AcademicsCoordinator will plan out andcoordinate all the academicactivities. Under Mrs. Perez’ssupervision are the four subjectarea chairpersons.

Meanwhile, the StudentsAffairs Coordinator will be incharge of all student activities aswell as discipline. Under him arethe club advisers and the twonewly appointed prefects ofdisciplines, Mr. Ruel P. del Rosarioand Mrs. Maribel D. Ordoñez. Thetwo prefects shall be in charge forthe males and females,respectively. (ECHO)

Mrs. Eleonor B. Perez, the newAcademics Coordinator

Mr. Ferdinand L. Manguera, thenew Students Affairs Coordinator

2 OPINION

“I’m a reporter!” said a commercial model in aTV ad endorsing a shampoo. Duh! How could theypossibly explain that by just using that particularshampoo they publicize will make one a reporter? Orworse, how could they elucidate their slogan “Breakingfree from dandruff will cause you NO limits”? Isn’t it sounjust to declare that only people without dandruff willbe able to attain a good satisfying life without fearsand worries?

The globalization of the world today does notonly affect the way the mass media produce their TVadvertisements, but influences the audience who viewit as well, majority of which are the Filipino youth.What’s new-driven life causes them to forget what isnecessary and choose what they want instead. Ourculture is the one at stake in our present situation. Wetolerate these companies whose concern is primarilyto earn profit and do not care what happens after us.And what do we do in response to these? None.

According to one commercial, taking theproduct being advertised will make them the bestparents in the world. Really? Will that daily supplementtransform my mom and dad to the most loving, mostcaring, most responsible and most progressive parentsin the world? What if people a lot younger than me willtake it seriously? Could they possibly reject theirparents, or simply become ashamed of them for justnot taking those?

Facile they are, and unreasonable forever willthey be. They are infecting the minds of the innocentyouths, manipulating the perspectives and activitiesof the Filipinos and enthralling them to care only aboutwhat they want; shrouding the nationalism andpatriotism of the people in an immensely dark canopy,dismantling the foundation of a righteous andprogressive country.

Presently, a powdered milk declares that it willmake your child grow intelligent and productive, beingon the top of its own self-proclaimed pyramid ofsuccess, a food supplement affirms that taking it willmake you complete and a brand of soft drink assertshaving one bottle of it during your family dinner willintensify and strengthen a family… We always believedthat God is the only one deserving to be on top of ourpyramid of success; that only our family and friendscan make us complete; that only selfless love is theanswer towards the unity of a family. Iniquitous theyare, and noxious forever will they be; leading the peopleinto a dreary panorama, encaging them into a life fullof deceiving illusions ending them in despair.

Choose these capricious culprits of the nationover the sake of our country? Think again. You canbuy them, but never sell your life to them. Somewhatover-reacting? It’s just the truth.

SuperficialEditorial

“We must bear in mind thatall our actions have their ownconsequences.”

Book Haters, Hook Baiters “They would rather pack in

herds rather than being alone,particularly with a book.”

The abrupt changes inthe society, especially with issuesconcerning the Filipino youth,are infallibly highly noticeable,and one of those matters isreading a book. Reading a book?Well, the subject may quite soundstress-free and does not need anemergent attention. But oursituation nowadays can beconsidered critical.

Being money-wise, onewould just prefer watching theHarry Potter series on the moviescreens instead of buying thebooks. “Why must one readbooks if there are movies?” is asimple expression of a typicalFilipino student of today; youthwho wants everything to be fastand easy, who would never read

a book unless necessary, andyouth who would chooseentertainment over knowledge.

When you read, you caninternalize the words andthoughts deeply, absorb theimplications chapter by chapter,and feel the happiness, sadnessor the anger of the characters asif you were also there. Yourimagination travels you tofantastic destinations as youunravel the mysteries of the bookyou read. But in contrast, I think

Filipinos do not love readingbooks. I understand that Filipinosare naturally known to be loversof gaiety and pleasure. Theywould prefer to pack in herdsrather than being alone,particularly with a book. I alsounderstand that it is a fear ofFilipinos to be clashed withendless arguments, idiomaticexpressions and confusingthoughts because Filipinos never

Discipline

Javier, page 7

In our school today, as weall know, we are all taught to bedisciplined. We need to maintainsilence, to fall in line and topray. We always think that thoseteachers who discipline us arestrict, but still, we should all knowthat it is their job to discipline usand if we follow them, all will gowell.

But have we applieddiscipline to ourselves? Perhaps,readers will not be motivated toread this editorial, as of now. First,what does the word “discipline”mean in our lives? Is discipline just

standing straight and keepingquiet? To be true, that is just a smallpart of discipline. As high schoolstudents of a prestigious Catholicschool, we are obliged to practiceself discipline; after all, we mustbegin with ourselves. We mustknow the time to talk and the timeto keep quiet. A little of thatcouldn’t kill us at all, just keepingquiet for five minutes couldn’t hurtus, and yet we choose to chat andto chat and to suffer beingscolded. And after school, at homeand in all places, we must learn torespect our elders, our

surroundings, and all. Just by theselittle tips, we learn to be betterpersons. Discipline does not onlymean being punished by beingwrong, we are punished becausewe go beyond the limit, and wedeserve it. We must bear in mindthat all of our actions have theirown consequences.

In all of what we do, wemust remember to behave. Ourparents work hard to be able toenroll us in this school, and wemust not disappoint them byshowing off unwanted behavior.Sacrifices are a part of life, just likethe little sacrifice of not talking forless or even greater than fiveminutes. I would like to thank ourmentors, who tirelessly disciplineus, for their brave nature anddetermination. To be greatlyrespected someday, we must beginas students practicingself discipline starting now.

OPINION 3

Social Awareness Towards a Futuristic NationQuestion: “Do you think it is necessary for our classrooms to have air-conditioning units?”

Responses:

“I think it is not necessary since it will only cause a higher tuition fee increase.”- Jowee Ann La Corte, IV- SA

“I would be a yes since the season is reaching a very high temperature andwe need it so we will not feel exhausted inside the classroom.”- Ma. Crisel Joyce Mariano, IV - SA

“Placing an air-conditioner inside our room will only cause us headaches,especially now that the outside weather is warm.”- Jerick Papa, III - SFA

“I consider the weather today to be just fine and I think it is not necessaryanymore because we can still survive the upcoming hot weather.”- Angelyn Cruz, III - SEM

“No, because it will just affect the performance of the students inside theroom, like making them feel sleepy during discussions.- Algen Genova, IV – SS

“Yes, because the weather today is very hot, and a COCC (cadet) like mewould very much appreciate a refreshing classroom after facing the heat ofthe sun during salutation time.”- Gaudy Franz Collado, III – SEM

“Yes, because the students will be more motivated to study and to go toschool.”- Ma. Wilma R. Turalde, II - SNT

“Placing a unit inside our room will only cause the odor of some of myclassmates to be trapped inside the room.”- Ma. Celine Jannina Ramos, II – SNT

Servicio... Por Pavor?

An Unsoiled City:Could We Achieve it?

Sarile, page 7

“Cleanliness is next toGodliness”. This old adageimplies that being clean not onlyin our actions but also inthoughts is a way of showingrespect for ourselves and forGod. Cleanliness is also awindow to one’s soul. The samegoes for a city. The cleanlinessand sanitation in a city show thediscipline and gentleness of itscitizens.

Proper sanitation hasbeen one of the major problemsnot only of Cavite City but ofthe whole country as well. As

one walks down the city streets,one could not help but feeldistressed about the city’scurrent situation. Plastic bagsflying about, candy wrapperslying on every corner, everystep would be like a step in aworld of chaos, a world ofdisorder. Lack of discipline, asit seems, is one of the culpritsthat cause this problem. For usto reach the road to cleanliness,we must first be able to open thedoors of self-discipline.Instilling this value wouldgreatly improve us not only as

a person but also as a citizen, aCaviteño.

Cleanliness is a big steptowards progress. Thus, it playsa major role in providing us witha good future. As students andcitizens of this city, it is ourobligation to act as paragons ofcleanliness and do our best inpreserving the beauty and orderof our city. It would be nice thatsomeday that as one treadsalong the streets of the city, onewould be able to see andappreciate the cleanliness of theenvironment.

Dear Editor,

Hello Editor-in-Chief! How does it feel to be one? I heardthat being an EIC is a very heavy responsibility. What do you doand how powerful are you in the Sebastinian Echo? Anyway, takecare always and God bless.

Best regards,Janelle G. Palicpic, IV – SA

Dear Janelle,

Well, all things are going fine. Sometimes, well yeah, Ifeel a lot of stress and pressure since I have so many articlesto edit. I am also the one who writes the main editorial. Thoughit’s a lot of work, but I am thankful that some of the staffers,the other editors, submit their job on time. Time managementis what counts most here. That’s all. Thanks for your concern!

Take care,Editor-in-Chief

Dear Editor,

I am a fourth year student and it is sad to say that ourschool building has a problem. I would like to complain aboutthe leaking ceiling in the fourth floor when it rains. It somehowcauses a disruption in the corridors of the fourth floor and itcreates big puddles of water on the floor unless a bucket isplaced under the leaking part. I hope that through this letter,certain authorities will be informed and provide an immediateaction on the current situation

Thanks,Anonymous

Dear who-ever-you-are,

I am not promising that it will be given a very immediateaction but we will try our best to coordinate with the schooladministrators and facilitators to repair the ceiling. We willalso try to cooperate with the Student Council. Just be carefulthough, puddles can be nasty too!

Sincerely yours,Editor-in-Chief

The youth nowadaysseem to lack interest on socialissues, focusing more on theadvances in technology –computers, cellular phones,televisions, radios, etc. As far aseveryone is concerned, thesesocial issues we used to disregardare the basic ingredients towardsa succeeding or failing nation, avery important matter thateveryone must bear in mind incase they care for a stablecountry.

But what really is socialawareness? I define socialawareness as beingknowledgeable, interested andresponsive to social issues like

poverty, education, politicaldecadence, the youth and othercitizens, etc.

In response to becomingsocially aware, I will be takinginto consideration both the youthand human dignity.

“Social investment inthe youth is worth a lifetime ofprosperity, stability andprogressive condition for ournation”. Contrary to thisstatement, neglect of these youthwill bring us closer to instabilityand political turmoil. To solvethis, education must beprioritized but support among thecitizens must be givenvoluntarily, for “the children are

the hope of the nation” and thatif we believe in ourselves, wewould surely be giving off thebest of what everyone may leastexpect.

Children who must becontributing to pushing thesociety up are now very muchengaged to computer games, drugaddiction, and child labor. Inschool, students are taught ofmathematics, sciences, history,etc. but only few teach us theapplication of these facts, whichI think discourages some toattend classes. Some childrengraduate with honors but not

“If you’ll vote for me, Iwill…” This is one of the mostpopular lines we always hearwhenever the campaign periodstarts. Their words are so pleasantto hear and their friendly gesturesare so convincing, these peopleaffirm that they are your friends allof a sudden and promises that theywill always be by your sidewhenever you need them. But isn’tit that they sound like an old recordthat hypnotizes the voters? If andif ever they will be elected, whenwill they do their promises? Howsure are we that they are worthyof our trust? Will their promiseshave their fulfillment or will theyremain promises forever? Anyway,

promises as they say… are made tobe broken.

An election, whether aschool organization election or anational election, is one of the mostimportant practices that we must notset aside. This is where the fate ofour future and our government lies.They will be the ones who willrepresent us, the ones who will helpus gain better life and most of all theones who will lead us to progress andtogether with them we should be ableto wave our flag proudly up high.But have we imagined the things thatmight happen if we will give theprestigious authority to a person whojust wants riches and popularity?Who among us does not want a

position in the government anyway?If it can give us an instant job, aninstant office and an instant celebritytreatment, for sure, it is notimpossible to have an instant power?Can you just turn your back to whatit has to offer you? But beyond this,did they ever realize that theirpurpose is to serve and not to beserved? How about us? Are we justgoing to set aside our right to voteand the right to choose the rightcandidate for our government? Arewe going to risk it all?

Fear to God and letour conscience dictate our hearts andmind for in doing so, I don’t thinkwe can still go wrong for as they sayVox Populi, Vox Dei!

LITERARY/4Twins in Baste:

Twice the charm

Have you ever wished you had a twin? We’ve askedour brothers and sisters who happen to be twins in our schoolof how it feels like to have a twin.

First in the list are Dustin and Daryl R. Solis from I-OLC. They are identical twins. They were born on July 23,1994 and Dustin is older by one minute. Although Dustin isolder, Daryl is noticeably taller than him. The two do not onlyshare the same looks but they also share the same likes anddislikes. They both like playing sports, particularly basketball,playing computer games and eating. Dustin loves playing hisguitar but Daryl is not really into music. But they say they arenot really that different. In fact, they are both outgoing andnice. They are both grateful that they are a twin because eachhas a person who he has so many things in common to be incompany with.

We have other look-alikes from the second year and theyare Zanita Darlin and Zanita Kaye S. Felicilda. Darlin is fromII-SLR and Kaye is from II-STCJ. They were born on May 18,1994 and Darlin is older by one minute. If you look at themclosely Kaye has this mole on the upper left of her lip andapparently, she is taller. Like Dustin and Daryl, Darlin and Kayeare identical twins. They both like playing basketball andcomputer games. Both of them likes music but Darlin is theone who is really into it. Both of the have almost the sameattitudes; only that Kaye is a shy one while Darlin is actuallynot. They think it is cool to have a twin but they do not like thefact that they are being compared to one another.

The last from the list are from IV-SA. We can see twotall guys who look exactly alike and they are Ian John andIvan Kevin C. Satentes. They were born on March 12, 1992and Ian is older by three minutes. Ivan is taller and has a scaron the left eyebrow while Ian has longer sideburns. They sharethe same interests. The two of them loves sport, especially theirfavorite, the basketball. Aside from that, they also love watchingTV, playing PS2 and computer games and sleeping. Theysay Ian is smarter than Ivan, but the former is also the shyone while the latter is not shy at all. The two of them saythat it really feels good to have a twin brother because bothof them are very fond of teamwork, not only in sports, butalso as simple friends. Since kindergarten until now, theywere classmates, but they are sure that they are not going tobe classmates in college since one is interested in aeronauticswhile the other one in engineering.(Azalea Cruz)

Times two, times two and times two. Shown above are the three pairs of twinsin the high school department. (From left to right) Dustin and Daryl Solis,Darlin and Zanita Kaye Felicida and Ian John and Ivan Kevin Satentes.

(Photos courtesy of ECHO)

By Jan Elaine Soriano

One school day, in the library, during lunch break, twoclose friends were discussing about school and othermatters concerning studies.Jenny: Were you able to get our assigned readingmaterials for our English class? I was so busy doing myreport in Science class that’s why I didn’t hear Maam.Gigi: Yes I did, but I left my notebook in my locker.Maybe you can wait for awhile until I finish myassignments.Jenny: Why are you so GC (grade conscious)?! You stillhave a lot of time later when you go home while watchingthe television or surfing the net.Gigi: I don’t have time to do these school works at homebecause I have to take care of my younger brothers andsisters. And I also have to help my mother in doing somehousehold chores.Jenny: I can’t imagine where you get your energy and

patience. Imagine, aside from taking care of your siblings, you are a class president, a top honorstudent,; and yet you can still manage to join extra-curricular activities and be the president of anorganization. Can you still find some time to rest?!Gigi: Of course. While I’m in the library doing my assignments and research works, I can findsome spare time to read some of our lessons.Jenny: You call that rest?! What about finding some leisure time like chatting with your friendsand going to the internet laboratory to surf the net?Gigi: I’m not used to those things. I’m more focused on my studies than finding leisure time.Jenny: You know what? I’m so proud to be one of your friends. Because you are one of the mostdedicated people I’ve ever met. How I wish I can do what you’re doing. Just like now, I still haveto finish my report considering that it was given to me 3 weeks ago.Gigi: You can also do it if you’ll try harder.Jenny: Okay my friend, I’ll try harder. Thanks for setting a good example to me.

Poetry:

Grade ConsciousDialogue:

Twins c

5

Being in a family with a dreadful history ofcancer binds me to a world of worries and anxieties. Isee my family as a herd of cows infected by choleraliving ordinarily while the disease strike their number.My grandmother died of cancer of the ovaries. Mygrandfather suffered greatly due to his prostate cancer.My uncle died just last year because of lung cancer. Mymom and her sister are survivors of breast and ovariancancer. But how about me? It is a question so terrifyingto answer. Lord give me strength!

As I was reading My First Book of Saints,scanning and skimming through the selections,something caught my attention; something so bright asif a brilliant light that suddenly gleamed – the life ofSt.Ezekiel Moreno, Patron Saint of Cancer Patients. AsI absorbed and internalize all I can from his life story, Irealized that I was wrong. I cared more of the diseasethat can cripple and destroy my flesh in this materialworld rather than the one that can corrupt and defile mysoul and bring it to damnation forever. I cared more ofsatisfying my worries and anxieties rather than thehunger of my soul for prayers and good deeds.

St. Ezekiel Moreno, a man with a life of prayerand devotion, sacrificed a life of wealth and prosperityto serve the Lord, our God. He chose to serve ratherthan be served. Supposedly, he should not fell hunger,loss of money, bad health and experience a detrimentalenvironment. But because of his intense fervor to spreadthe Good News and evangelize the people of God, hehad undergone all of those. He may not shared his wealth:

gold coins, prestigious artifacts, and more, but he had sharedthe most precious wonderful thing: the kingdom of God. Hewas a missionary back then, who traveled from Spain to thePhilippines to evangelize the locals. Nevertheless, he had notfailed to bring these people to salvation. He lived with them,cared for them and attended to their spiritual needs. But then akilling disease, a palate cancer, had struck him. In spite ofbeing terribly ill, he continued his missions and charity works;he never cared how he could preserve his life but rather savethe soul’s of the many. It continued healing the souls of thepeople, for he knew that his body is nothing but a sheer dummy;he knew that his spirit will live on forever beside the throne ofGod in heaven. He died a righteous man who left a giantmark in this world. His missions are still continued upto now. He continues to inspire more people.

His life is a great inspiration for me. At first, Ihave cared only for myself, of getting away from cancer.But now, the inspiration he gives me serve as the ever-bright light I use to see clearly from the shadows of theworld. I have been able to overcome my fears andworries. I was able to look into things in a differentperspective. I learned to smile, to laugh and to be happyin spite of difficulties in life for I know that God is besideand forever will He help me. The great tragedies in hisl ife bide me to good to others without expectingsomething in return; to serve and not to be served. For Iknow I am not preparing a mighty palace decorated withgold and silver but rather a seat in the Kingdom of God.I have cancer. So what? For now I believe that I have asoul uncorrupted and undefiled of the clutches of evil.

How does the life of St. Ezekiel Moreno inspire me?(This article won first place in the essay writing contest held during the Feast of St. Ezekiel Moreno 2007 celebration)

co

Essay:

Meet John and Amy. The two top students of section 4-A. In short, theyare the smartest of the smartest. Plus, they both have the good looks to boot. Butthere’s one problem. They never talk to each other. They have developed intosteady rivals…But then again, destiny stepped in.

“…And for the last pair, John and Amy. You will be presenting a reporton human behavior,” the teacher declared. What is this, a death sentence? Amyprotested silently. Of all the people…Why her?! John thought likewise. “Um,okay… just to make things clear, I want you to know that being stuck with youis not exactly what I had in mind,” Amy said to John as they started their researchin the library. “Good, as long as we keep that similarity, we will have no problemsat all. I’m just putting up with this for the grade,” John replied coolly. Hmp! Whata GC! Amy thought.

This cycle went on for weeks. They would enter the library, get abook, and take down notes from the desired material. After they finished,they passed the project to the teacher, and did the report the following day.Inevitably, they had the highest grades in class. But although the projectwas done, Amy still found herself going back to the library for no apparentreason. So did John. So they would see each other. They sat across eachother, books in front of them, and never said anything to each other. Untilone day, during PE class, Amy suddenly fainted. “Oh my goodness!!!Somebody get the nurse!” the teacher cried out. John watched from thesidelines. He was so worried. It was then that he realized that somewherealong those long hours he spent with her in the library, he fell in love.

Long after the incident, another project that was to be accomplishedby pairs was given, and wouldn’t you know it, John and Amy were partnersfor the second time. “You know what? I think somebody really wants us tobe together,” Amy said. “It could be our teacher, it could be destiny, if suchthing existed, or it could be…” “Me?” John supplied. “What?” Amy wasconfused. “That’s right. I wanted to be your partner again, if this is the onlyway that I’d be with you once more. That’s right, I fell for you this way, andI’m hoping that you will fall for me the same way I did,” John confessed,looking blankly at the open book in front of him. “Don’t worry. I alreadydid,” Amy said with a smile on her face. “Teachers really have their ownway of bridging gaps between students, huh?” John remarked. “Yes, theydo,” Amy answered back. “They really do.”

/FEATURE

copy.jpg

6 NEWSTo be able to provide the Caviteños a trouble-free, comfy,

and inexpensive access to Metro Manila, the Cavite City officialshave resolved to reopen the Metro Star Ferry which has closed afew years ago.

Aside from this, this project is also aimed at boosting thecity tourism as it will attract not only tourists but students fromManila to conduct tours and studies about Cavite City’s historicpast.

The ferry service will begin operating on the first weekof August. Since the SM Mall of Asia has been a favorite andmost recently visited location of Caviteños and since it is also theturning point for vehicles, both public and private, pursuing EDSAand Taft, the bureaucrats have decided that it would be moreconvenient for everyone to make the ferry service route there.

Since this project endeavors to provide us a moreeconomical means of reaching Metro Manila, a ticket would onlycost 70 pesos for each person and 50 pesos for students.MORE

Besides the reopening of the ferry service, a newlyconstructed waiting area for transporters is also provided. It isequipped with a comfortable atrium, a kiosk, and is located nearthe boarding area so that one could feel the breeze of CañacaoBay and enjoy the view and skyline of Metro Manila.

The ferry will not only provide service to the denizens ofCavite City but also residents of neighboring towns such asNoveleta, Rosario, Kawit, and Tanza. This venture will surely boostour tourism and open an economic tie-up between Cavite Cityand Metro Manila.

Designed and built in thelate 1950’s, the Cavite City Hallbuilding, sad to say, has run out ofspace to provide rooms for newoffices and personnel. It is with thisreason that an extension of theCavite City Hall is beingconstructed. The construction ofthe extension began on March 27,2007. Enough funds were allottedfor this said project, the first phase

President GloriaMacapagal-Arroyo officiallyannounced the conversion anddevelopment of Sangley Point intoa Container Port, March 8.

This project will serve asa birthday present to Sen. RamonRevilla Sr. who had been pursuingfor the conversion since 1998 upto 2001. Malacañang has issuedExecutive Order No. 629 on June21, 2007 converting Cavite City’sSangley Point, home of thePhilippine Navy, into a fullyoperational commercial port andordering the PhilippineReclamation Authority to convertit into an international logistics hubwith modern seaport and airport

Cavite City - Mall of Asia

Metro Star Ferry reopens

of the construction for instancecosts 2, 546, 131.08 pesos, whichwill be reaching completion onJuly 16, 2007.

The need for an additionalroom in the city hall has alsogreatly increased since theimplementation of the project ofthe city mayor, the “One StopBusiness Shop”, which is aimed toprovide ease, comfort, and

City Hall Extension, soon to rise

PGMA approves Sangley Pt. Conversion

PHILADELPHIA (UPI) — Teensexposed to secondhand smoke athome are at increased risk offailing tests in school, a U.S. andBritish study suggests.

Lead author BradleyCollins of Temple University inPhiladelphia, and colleagues atOxford University andUniversity of Bristol in England,found that exposure tosecondhand smoke at homedecreased the odds of passingstandardized achievement testsby 30 percent in high schoolstudents 16- and 18-year-olds.

However, the study alsofound that when examining theeffects of prenatal tobaccoexposure and secondhand smoketogether — prenatal exposure didnot influence test performance,the Journal of Adolescent Healthreported.

The researchers analyzeddata from 6,380 pregnant womenand children from the 1958British National ChildDevelopment Study, and saidthey found it interesting thatsecondhand smoke exposuretrumped prenatal exposure.

The researchers note thatU.S. and British smoking

statistics are similar —approximately one-third ofwomen in their childbearingyears are smokers; 10 percent to15 percent of women reportsmoking during pregnancy; andup to 60 percent of children maybe exposed to secondhand smokeat home.

The study did not revealwhy secondhand smokeinfluenced failure on school tests.

Secondhand smokecan affect teens’ tests

Science Daily— In an 18-year-s tudy on a t ten t ion-def ic i thyperac t iv i ty d i sorder(ADHD), Mayo Cl in ic

Passive Smoking.Researches haveshown that secondhand smoking ismore dangerous than active smokingespecially in young children.

researchers found tha ttreatment with prescript ionstimulants is associated withimproved long-term academicsuccess of ch i ldren wi thADHD.

The Mayo Cl in icresults are the first population-based data to show stimulantdrug therapy helps improvelong-term school outcomes.

A related Mayo Clinicstudy reveals that compared tochi ldren wi thout AD/HD,children with ADHD are atr isk for poor long-termschool outcomes such as lowachievement in read ing ,absentee ism, repea t ing agrade, and dropping out ofschool. Both studies appearin the current edition of the

Medication for ADHD may help studentssucceed at school

Journal of Development andBehavioral Pediatrics.

Near ly 2 mi l l ionchildren, or approximately 3percent to 5 percent of youngchildren in the United States,have ADHD. This d isorderaffec ts a ch i ld’s ab i l i ty tofocus, concentrate and controlimpuls ive behavior. Thisdisorder is so common thatmost school classrooms have atleast one child with clinically-diagnosed ADHD.

“In this study, treatmentwi th s t imulant medica t iondur ing ch i ldhood wasassociated with more favorablelong-term school outcomes,”explains William Barbaresi,M.D., Mayo Clinic pediatricianand lead author of the reports.

Children with ADHD are found tobe more restless and inattentive inschool.

efficient service to the taxpayersespecially during the peak seasonof business permit and licenserenewal.

With the creation of newbranches of government offices forpublic service, the need to expandthe old building is inevitable. Thisproject will surely benefit not onlythose working inside the city hallbut also us Caviteños as well.

through an enabling reclamationcomponent. The president alsocreated an executive committee tooversee the planning andimplementation of the project,composed of the PRA,representative of the Office of theMayor of Cavite City and variousgovernment agencies.

Through the conversion ofSangley Point into a ContainerPoint, Cavite City would bedeveloped into an economic zoneand would be made center ofbusinesses that would increase itsincome and would also become anopen ground for internationalsocio-economic relationships. Thisproject is also aimed at developing

the City’s economy, improvinginfrastructure provision andcreating globally competitiveemployment.

Trade and IndustrySecretary Peter Favila said that thechief executive of Cosco hadcommitted to invest between $4billion and $5 billion to developSangley Point into a commercialport. The development involvesthe reclamation of some 4,000hectares around Sangley Point formixed-use development. It featuresa modern naval and air base,regional hub seaport capable ofservicing giant super panamaxcontainer ships, an international

Conversion. Entrance to Naval Base Cavite (formerly Sangley Point Naval and Airbase). It is expectedthat container trucks and workers will be thriving in this soon to be economic center in the city of Caviteby 2010.

see p.7

FERRY LAUNCHING.Senator Mar Roxas takes a look at one of theMetrostar Ferry that will reduce the travel time from Pasay City to Cavite Cityfrom one hour and a half to 40 minutes. (Photo courtesy of www.senate.gov.ph)

7NEWS

To turn the offices ofthe Paren ts -TeachersAssociation (PTA) over fromthe four-term administration ofDr. Rodolfo Garcia Jr., who isalso the president of the SSC-R Alumni Federation, to newpost holders, the election ofnew set of PTA officers washe ld a t the High Schoolauditorium, July 21, 2007.

The program, that wasa t tended by the paren ts ,teachers and outgoing PTAoff icers , s ta r ted wi th theforeword of the outgoingoff icers regard ing the i raccomplishments and financialrepor t , whi le the e lec t ionproper was held afterwards.

The e lec t ion resu l t sdeclared LCDR Emmanuel C.Bello PN as president. He is anofficer of the Philippine Navyand a father of a high schoolfreshman from sect ion OurLady of Consolation.

The complete list of thenew set of PTA officers is as

follows: LCDR Emmanuel C.Bello, president; Dra. Grace F.Dosol, VP for Internal Affairs;Lt. Jose E. de Jesus, VP forExternal Affairs; Ms. Erika V.Alix, secretary; Mrs. Nancy C.Lingad, treasurer; Mrs. Ma.Resur recc ion M. Alvarez ,audi tor ; Mrs . E l izabe th T.Santos, directress-at-large. Other Off icers a re Mrs .Rochelle G. Macario, 1st yearparent-representative; LCDRAugusto M. Villamor, 2nd

year parent- representa t ive;Mrs. Zenaida M. Ilao, 3rd

year parent- representa t ive;SSGT Reynaldo Y. Melano,4th year parent-representative;On the part of the teachers, Ms.Jamel ie E. Norr is , 1 st yeart e a c h e r - r e p r e s e n t a t i v e ;Mr. Ruel P. de l Rosar io ,2nd year teacher-representative;Mr. Ronald Allan B. Balderosa,3rd year teacher-representative;and Mrs. Judi th D. Tolosa,4 th year t eacher-representative.(Angelyn Cruz)

PTA renders salute tonew president

Newly elected PTA officers as they recite their oath on the inductionof officers. (Photo by Eliel Mae Galgo)

To let the voices of thesecondary Sebastinians be heard,the High School departmentStudent Council (SC) held itselection, Friday, July 20, 2007.

Voting begansynchronously at three o’clock inthe afternoon at the students’respective classrooms. Mr.Edwin Expectacion, SC Adviser,facilitated the electroniccounting held at the High SchoolAudio-Visual Room.

The votes declared thefollowing to assume the posts:Jochegen Caraos, president;Christian Wilson Turalde, vicepresident; Renz Marion Javier,secretary; Jose Rebecco Adao,treasurer; Caesar Joshua TaccadV, public relations officer;Ramoncito Tadepa, auditor;Rodolfo Prudente and AzaleaCruz, peace officers; KarenCecilia Arigo, 3rd year levelrepresentative; Patrick dela Cruz,2nd year level representative; andLemuel Rei Maigue, 1st yearlevel representative.

Prior to the election, thenominations for the StudentCouncil, which was opened toall 4th year High SchoolStudents, took place at the HighSchool Auditorium, Friday, July6, 2007. The other nomineeswere Patrick James Repollo forPresident; Nicolette Shane Josefor Vice President; KennethLombres for Secretary; RaphaelAlvarez for Treasurer; CzerinaVillarde for P.R.O.; MichaelIlagan for Auditor; Glem EmwilDino and Hazzel Anne Ramosfor Peace Officers; Kirstie AllenAfable for 3rd yearrepresentative; Francis JessManalansan for 2nd yearrepresentative; and Minela JeanMontoya for 1st yearrepresentative. The campaignperiod took place from Tuesday,July 10, up to Thursday, July 12,acted upon continuously by thetwo parties: SAYAD (Student’sAlliance for Youth andDevelopment) and SHOEMART( Student’s Helpers OrganizationEncouraging Mutual andReciprocal Teamwork).

The objectives andplatforms of both parties are nowbeing pushed upon by the newofficers and are to be expected tobe implemented until the end ofthe school year.(Tricia AngelaSarile)

Caraos holds SC’s top post

wanted to be secluded in solitude.Hence, Filipinos must really hatebooks. But this is not what weshould be dreaded of. What couldpossibly happen to thePhilippines when these Filipinoswould be sworn in thegovernment? Of course, thecountry will suffer greatly andthe future generations will suffermore. Reading books is greatlyessential; for through it can youbroaden your horizons andexpand your limits of the world.The obscure environment will beilluminated and you will come toknow the reality better.

After all, quite a numberof Filipino students do lovereading books. But they onlycover a very small percentage ofthe country. I never want to raisemy family in a community ruledby people who never laid afinger on a page of a book in thenear future, and I am sure no onewants to be the same. Do not bebook haters, for being so, itwould be just parallel to baitingthe country into the hook,leading us to an ever fadingtomorrow.

knowing of what is happening inthe world, what they only knoware the contents of those medicalbooks, formulas, terms and so on.Hence, application is still the bestcourse of learning.

Rallies and boycotts arethe first things that come in mindwhen we talk about humandignity. People fight for whatthey think is right, but have wethought that doing this is an actof selfishness? Has anyonethought that having satisfactionwill cause others to suffer just toget what they want? Peoplenowadays are so responsive thatthey react with everything that ishappening. Some just causetraffic jams, unpleasant noises,and waste of time.

Poverty is just one rootcause of political instability.Everyone longs to be givenattention, to have money in justa blink of an eye, to live in a verybig house and to have all thelatest gadgets in the world. Thisis the problem we must solve; ourlack of patience, hope and trustin ourselves pulls us towards aself-centered human being.

“Poverty of whatever typehampers education and, with lackof education and wisdom thatresults from acquiringknowledge, our poor fellowFilipinos are easily takenadvantage of”. They aredeceived that the cause of thesehardships in their lives are theleaders of our society,generalizing all as “corrupt” andnever taking into considerationthose who dedicate their wholebeing for the good of everyone.One must remove this kind ofperspective and instead, buildtrust among our leader whom wefavored of during elections.

In building a stable nation,one must take the lead for othersto do so. As one commercial adsays, “Why follow when you cantake the lead?” We citizens, mayhe be a child or an adult, must workhand in hand in creating a changein our world, which is the main aimof social awareness. Now, we canalready define social awareness as“creating a goal of peace andstability towards a progressive andwell-developed country, afuturistic nation.”

Sarile... (con’t from page 3) Javier... (con’t from page 2)

To promote devotion toOur Lady of Mount Carmel, thetitle of the Blessed Virgin Marythat was made known by theRecollect fr iars s ince theirarrival here in the Philippinesin 1606, the Campus Ministryoffice organized a seminar onthe brown scapular and on OurLady, July 10, 2007.

Mr. Grac iano de laPeña, OCDS, a member of thesecular order of the Carmelites,was the speaker. His plentifulknowledge of their own orderpaved the way to be t te runderstanding of the studentsabout the topic. He discussedthe importance and the purposeof the brown scapular in whichhe is devoted to. He pointed outthat the vesting of the scapularrequires responsibility to betaken care of, worn at all timesand kept by the owner.

At the end of theseminar, each student wereassigned a prayer partner whomthey wi l l inc lude in the i rprayers.(Tricia Angela Sarile)

CM holdsseminar on thebrown scapular Although San Sebastian promotes the use of the English language

among its students, it has never forgotten the Filipino language asseven high school students dominated the different competitions heldin celebration of the Buwan ng Wika conducted by the DivisionOffice, Aug. 22, 24.

Renz Marion Javier, IV- St. Augustine, copped the first placein the Tagis-Talino and Extemporaneous competitions held at theDivision Office, Aug. 22.

Lemuel Rei Maigue and Cheska Arianne Alonday both fromI- Our Lady of Mt. Carmel also bagged the first place for theDalawahang Pag-Arte Contest while Justin Carina Hallare of III- St.Francis of Assisi made her way to the top in the Talumpatian. On theother hand, Alessandra Mine, II – St. Nicholas of Tolentine placedsecond in the Pagpapakahulugan ng Sayaw Competitions. Thesecompetitions were held at the Julian Felipe Elementary School,Aug.24.

Sebastinians dominateBuwan ng Wika tilts

Eleven high school students clinched their way in theDivision Math and Science Quiz Bee held at the Cavite NationalHigh School, Sept. 11.

Mathematicians Patricia Anne Tanael (I-OLC) andGaudy Franz Collado (III-SEM) went home with second placefor the First and Third Year levels. While siblings Maria WilmaTuralde (II-SNT) and Christian Wilson Turalde (IV-SA) madea clean finish at third place for the second and fourth year levels.

On the other hand, for the Science category, MiguelCarlos Umali (I-OLC) and Estelle Joyce Malinis (III-SEM)grabbed the second place in General Science and Chemistryrespectively. While, Krizia Ann Odvina (IV-SA) placed thirdin Physics.

SSC-R bags places inMath, Science Quiz

The brown scapular of Our Lady ofMt. Carmel (Internet photo).

airport, housing and livelihood facilities, commercial andindustrial areas, schools, hospitals and other institutionalfacilities, parks, playgrounds and other amenities and roadsand rail system.

Though the project is mainly aimed at improving thecity and the country as well, certain issues could not beprevented to arise. Such is the problem concerning therelocation of the settlers in Sangley Point. Waste management,drainage facilities, land reclamation, and port developmentare also dilemmas that the government is encountering. Theseaspects, though, are being given careful study for the welfareof the Caviteños in conformity to existing laws.

Sangley Point....from page 6

Sportsmanship in AcademicsThe concept of sportsmanship is significant in dealing

with academics. It teaches a person how to deal with failuresand defeats in a good manner without being frustrated andaggravated. In our venture in academics, we encounter somany trials, burdens, responsibilities, troubles, competitionsand failures. In sportsmanship, we learn how to considerthose defeats as building blocks of our strength and potency.It also highlights the concept of fairness andevenhandedness.

As students, we are obliged to study our lessons forthe exams, do our assignments everyday, submit severalrequirements to our teachers and compete with the otherstudents. I consider those things as trials. I believe that Godreally permits us to meet trials because He wants us tobecome stronger so that we are prepared for more challengesthat we will encounter in the future. We should learn how tocarry our own burdens. “No pain, no gain.”

There are some people who cannot accumulate theconcept of sportsmanship. Those people are the ones whowant to surpass trials with ease. In academics they are thelazy students who always copy the answers of their seatmateduring examinations. In short they are the cheaters. I believethat they are the lowest type of students in the school society.Their ruthless acts become their habits and their habitsbecome their attitude. In sports, cheating is the greatest sin.Cheaters should learn how to value others’ efforts and learnhow to establish their own.

The value of sportsmanship should be also appliedin academics. We should remember that encounteringdefeats simply means becoming stronger. The stronger webecome the more prepared we are for the upcoming trialsand obstacles. Many are blinded by the darkness of cheating.Remember that in sports, cheating is the greatest sin andfairness is the greatest value. Life is just a simple thing thatcan be summed up into three words: “It goes on.”

Sports Feature:

Garcia hits the ball intellectuallyTable tennis, an indoor

game p layed wi th a ba l l ,rackets (paddles), a net, and atable platform similar to thecour t o f loan tennis , a l soknown as “ping pong”, is anideal sport for Michelle D.Garcia.

Michelle , one of thevarsity players of table tennis,is also an intelligent student ofSan Sebas t ian . She s tar tedplaying table tennis when shewas just an elementary student.When she entered high schoolin SSC-R de Cavite, she stillcontinued playing. When she

was a f reshman, she wasrecommended to jo in thevarsity team by a fourth yearstudent, and because she likesit too, she did until she becamea full pledged varsity player.Dur ing the i r t ra in ing , shemastered different styles orstrokes dealing with the game.

Thei r t ra in ings a reconducted by Mr. Alex delaCruz, every 5:00 – 6:00 in theaf te rnoon every Monday,Wednesday and Friday. Thereare only five varsity players fortable tennis and she is the onlygirl. This situation did not lead

her to quit but to pursue it as achallenge.

Miche l le s ta r tedplaying table tennis only as ahobby but as time passed by,she became fond of it and lovedit until she became a varsityp layer. She i s no t on ly anathlete of table tennis but alsoa good player of badminton andbasketball.

Imagine how she is able tomanage her schedules involvingsports and academics consideringthe fact that she belongs to the firstsection with consistently highgrades.(Kimberly Santos)

Basketball—one of themost famous sports worldwide.In fact, almost all of us knowhow the game works, its rulesand even how to play. In orderto qualify the team, one mustpossess the right strength, goodbody figure, perfect timing anda healthy lifestyle. That’s whatthe High School Varsity teamhas now.

Our p layers a repersevering and sacrif icingreally a lot. Just imagine. Theyare still at the 4th CentennialGymnasium for their 2-hourtraining from 5 P.M. to 7 in theevening, six days a week. Theydo th i s because of the i rde te rmina t ion to be goodathletes and also to achievetheir goal… to win every singlefight they got for the schooland, of course for themselves

as well. But it doesn’t meanthat they will just focus on theirsport. They make sure that theiracademic subjec ts wi l l bealways their priority.

These Baycats, as theywere called on-court, are reallydisciplined and their sacrificesreally paid off. As a matter offac t , accord ing to SamPlameras (a 3rd year varsityplayer), they made it to thesemi-finals at the NAASCUlast year, which was head atSan Beda College- Alabang.But because of some mattersconcerning their uniform, theywere disqualified. “Pero hindiibig sabihin nito na susuko nakami . Mas la lo pa naminggagalingan sa mga susunod namga laban!” Sam said. “Satotoo lang todo training kamingayon kasi may laban kami sa

University of Manila. Homecourt pa nga ang laban. Perohindi ibig sabihin na papatalokami sa kanila. Gagalingannamin.” He continued.

These s imple ye ttalented teenagers decided topursue their varsity career forthey want some experience,improve their skills, learn newtechniques, as a stepping stonefor college, to gain friends, andof course to have some fun.

As of today, we alreadyhave 12 varsity players fromdifferent year levels. 5 bothfrom the 2nd and 3rd year and 2from the Seniors, and an under-trainee. The Basketball VarsityTeam is still open for aspiringstudents who wants to be aMichae l Jordan or a KobeBryant someday. (Kimber lySantos)

Junior Baycats aims high forexcellence

Do you know that...

· ...the Philippine Basketball Association has already named theAll-Time Mythical Five of Philippine Basketball? They are thefollowing: Carlos Loyzaga, 1950s; Narciso Bernardo, 1960s;Robert Jaworski, 1970s; Hector Calma, 1980s and AlvinPatrimonio, 1990s.

· ...according to the Guinness Book of World Records thePhilippines holds the Largest Golf Event that is being held everyyear in Baguio City? It is hailed as Fil-Am Golf Championshipsince 1949. The tournament draws 1,000 (approximately)amateur golfers all over the archipelago.

· ...the first Asian Chess Champion is a Filipino? Rodolfo TanCardoso, born in Pangasinan, ranks 5th in the world junior chesstournament held in Toronto, Canada in 1957. He acquired thetitle First Asian Chess Champion at the age of 25.

· ...the greatest Asian Athlete is a Filipino? Simion Toribio, aFilipino high jumper, was awarded the Helms World Trophy forbeing Asia’s greatest athlete. “Filipino Field Athlete of the HalfCentury” was also his title.

· ...the first basketball league in Asia is the Philippine BasketballAssociation (PBA) that was established in 1975?

· ...the first football players in Asia were Filipinos? In 1907,Philippine Football Federation (originally the Philippines AmateurAthletic Federation) was founded. The first football match inAsia was held in 1913 Manila Far Eastern Games.

(Christian Wilson Turalde)

Sports Trivia:

Ins and OutsTABLE TENNIS. This

sport acquires speed, goodeyesight and well-conditionedreflexes. Even if this sport is justa minor event, still this willenhance the students to developtheir discipline and also theirhidden talent in this sport.Actually, we have students whopossess all the characteristics ofa good table tennis player.

These students are justlike you and me. They areattending school but thedifference is that, instead of goingstraight home and rest after a veryexhausting day from school orhang out with their friends like wedo, they are preparing themselvesfor their daily trainings at SanSebastian College main campusjust like the other varsity players

of the major sports event likeVolleyball and Basketball. Withthe help of theirattending couch, Mr.Alex dela Cruz,these students learnnew styles in tabletennis and enhancetheir skills in thesaid sport. In fact,they already broughthome some awardsfor they arecompeting to otherschools.

Accordingto the varsityplayers, through this sport, theydevelop their skills more and theygain confidence and discipline.This sport also gained them newfriends.

The table tennis team isencouraging the high school

students who wants to improvetheir skills and gain someexperience and even friendsthrough this challengingsport.(Kimberly Santos)

A table for two?