FEATURE

Too Angry To Think

03 | 31 | 24 – The Cagayana Ripples

Screenshot from TikTok

You’re innocently scrolling through your cellphone in your favorite spot to pass time, TikTok, as you’re drained and exhausted from a long day of work and you seek to gain rest and relief from the lighthearted and witty short videos in the app. As your right index finger swipes up and down every 10 seconds, little chuckles and laughs are released from your mouth with every TikTok that you find funny.

When all of a sudden, a screaming voice and an angered expression is now heard and viewed from your phone, unlike those clips that brush off positive vibes that you were watching just earlier. This TikTok live now displayed on your screen, is just radiating negative energy that can make a person look older and more haggard in just a few seconds. Because of the degrading words heard from it – “Ugaling squatter,” or “Inggrato!”

You didn’t swipe at first to see the next video since the teacher doing her sermon has piqued your interest. “Grabe, ang tapang naman ng teacher na ‘to para mag-live pa online, for sure, magba-viral ‘to,” you say in your head. As seconds pass, more and more people are watching the live, and more and more comments are now bashing her.

A TikTok live of a high school teacher scolding her students with words like “Wala kayong mararating sa buhay,” or “Ang kakapal ng inyong mukha!” inside a classroom quickly went viral on social media, since, of course, it served once again as piping hot tea for Filipino netizens to taste. But for Claveria, Cagayan-based high school teacher Angie Gapas, “Nakakadisappoint lang both sa teacher and sa students,” is what she has to say.

When Angie was in high school, their class was often called as the “worst section” or considered “mga tanga” when they got to their teacher’s nerve, as a form of discipline. But no matter how destructive the volcano that erupted in their classroom may be, they still moved on from it because they were taught to respect their elders. “Nasa kabataan na rin naman po ‘yong problema kasi may maaarte talaga sa kanila kahit na nabigyan lang ng mababang grade,” she said.

Not only that, but the TikTok live stained every teacher’s image dirty, including Angie. “Kung maliit na po ‘yong tingin sa’min ng public dati, ay mas lumiit pa ito,” as she has felt more laser-like eyes to be pointing at her since the video went viral. Even the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) also spoke up that they don’t tolerate what the high school teacher from Metro Manila did.

The issue can be traced back from the Department of Education’s Child Protection Policy, that any statements of a teacher that degrade the dignity of their students is already a form of child abuse. While for Angie, even if her patience is getting tested by her students, she tries her best to hold back the raging dragon inside her so she won’t hurt them – “Alam ko naman po ‘yong consequences if may magagawa man akong mali, lalo na’t inaalagaan ko rin ang image ko as a teacher.”

Because of that, Department of Education (DepEd) Assistant Secretary Francis Bringas revealed that the viral teacher will either be put behind bars or set free, once their fact-finding investigation is done. Also, the Coalition advised teachers to avoid going live when inside the classroom. In which, Angie wholeheartedly agrees to thinking before clicking when using social media.

On the other hand, TDC pointed out that DepEd’s Child Protection Policy is now outdated and some parts of it should be revised, especially since it’s also teachers’ job to discipline children. Wherein Angie voices her opinion that, “Sana mauunawaan din siya ng DepEd kasi hindi naman natin alam kung ano ang ginawa ng mga students para magalit siya nang gano’ng matindi.”

The viral teacher has become a famous influential icon in Philippine social media, who has received either bashes or praises. As DepEd continues to review her case, other Filipino teachers have their fingers-crossed for adjustments in the future, including Angie – “Baka time na po talaga na magkaroon ng changes sa policy ng DepEd, kaya sana gagaan na rin ‘yong mga pressure at paratang sa’min balang araw.”

Several minutes have passed and it seems like that teacher’s hothead has now cooled off for a little bit, and the TikTok live has finally come to an end. Just when you are about to take a rest and get out of the app, a question lit up in your mind – “Is it justifiable that the teacher said those words because students nowadays are too extreme, or does she just have severe anger issues to cope with?”

LIFESTYLE

LaSOMEwhere Safe and Sound

Always attached to people’s arms is their cellphone at hand, a piece of compact technology that introduces users to a whole new world with just a click of a finger. However, be always on the lookout with what to click because there are features that possess danger and can lead societies to their timely downfall.

Currently attracting attention in the Philippine landscape is the People’s Initiative (PI), but the question is, if it is even done by the people? The Senate has explained their side that this initiative is just a false act, but what do the people who get to be the ones to watch the news and other sources of information, got to say about this hot topic?

Exemplifying their renowned knowledge and understanding even at just a simple age are three Grade-10 students of the Claveria School of Arts and Trades, as they constantly have their eyes peeled on current events to formulating their own educational opinions about these phenomena. They prove that age is never a hurdle when it comes to thinking maturely like adults.

Fake Identity

Nadine Caschupea Balanay, 15-years old, doesn’t agree to this want for change. “Hindi naman po kasi ang mga mamamayan ang may tunay na pakana, so bakit ba nilang tinawagan itong People’s Initiative?” the student states. She also believes that whoever may be behind this plan is up to something no good and won’t even bring any advantages to the country.

Because for her, if this was done by people who work in politics, it is possible that they’re only doing it to extend their term in power. Especially that the Senate has stated that there is a presence of “signature buying,” in which politicians are paying registered voters to sign a form that they would submit that could possibly start a PI.

Fake Process

Along with Nadine is 15 year-old Zydhie Ianna Caleja who shares the same view as her that is against to this PI. “Minor and small adjustments lang naman po kasi ang kayang gawin ng People’s Initiative, kaya hindi po kapanipaniwala na gusto nilang baguhin ang Senate,” the teenager expresses. The current initiative actually dreams to unite the Senate and the House of Representatives so that they would hold the same authority.

With that, they support the Senate in hoping to exterminate this issue because its trails are indeed suspicious and are not viable enough. That’s why she also has informed other family members, friends, and peers regarding the scope of the issue, since it serves as the way for her to help out and vanish ignorance with the current situation of the nation.

Fake Objective

Meanwhile, Coleen Gay Pascua, 15 years-old, sticks to the beliefs and values of her friends too and also holds her own perspective. “Considering po yung misteryo na bumabalot sa PI, parang naging Cha Cha na po ang dating nito,” she shares. In which Cha Cha is another term for Charter Change, which is an initiative implemented by the Congress, and no longer by the people.

No matter the information that Coleen comes across about PI whenever she browses the internet, she would always consider fact-checking or verifying the authenticity of that data. Because she knows that everything that may be classified as news still have a possibility to be fake, that’s why it’s an obligation for readers like her to confirm the truth and not get swayed easily.

Armed with techniques that are sufficient when it comes to these times of misinformation and disinformation, these three friends are insightful and would know what to do. They just hope that other students like them would be able to learn how to discern facts from lies, and to only side with what is true and righteous.

For fake information leads to the downfall of nations.

EDUCATION

This or That?: Choosing the 'You' of Tomorrow

The world is filled with various types of people. There are those who you can predict their every move who acts like an open book – if you’re playing a game of chess with them, you’ll probably even become bored of winning by the amount of matches that you both have played. “Checkmate,” you say as you place a trap to their king, but instead of becoming beat up, they still have the optimism to ask “Rematch?”

There are also those who are content with just completely slacking off and just basically lives everyday as a couch potato. Even if the sun is fresh and glowing outside, this isn’t enough to motivate them to move even an inch from their laid position. Though you offer them nicely to take a walk at athe nearby park, you’ll always be responded with an “Uh, no, thank you.”

Lastly, there are those who strive to always set a standard, they’re the early birds, the alphas of the pack, or the knights in shining armor. These people are the kind that always ace their exams, graduate as valedictorians, and become successful professionals. With these three types, where do you think do you belong in?

The current Local Chief Executive of Lasam working on his second term in the office is Dante Dexter A. Agatep who was shaped efficiently by his own hometown before taking over as their head leader. Growing up from being an innocent kid to becoming the productive leader that he is, the man is a testament of paying back to your roots – and the Congressional Journalism Eliminations only proved to be the best event to showcase the town’s own charm to the rest of the district.

One day, he was approached by Public Schools District Supervisor of Lasam Francisco Conag, and he informed the mayor that the town will be hosting this school year’s edition of the Congressional Journalism Eliminations. He was also well-aware of the fact that their neighboring municipality of Allcapan also hosted the recently concluded Cagayan Provincial Athletic Association (CPAA) Meet, so he thought that “Kung kaya nila, kaya rin namin.”

Back to the present, the municipal recently was appointed as the host of the Congressional Journal Eliminations of the 2^nd Congressional District of Cagayan, which spans from Santa Praxedes to Piat. In which, the event will accommodate 12 municipalities, and it was duly time for Lasam to impress their fellow Cagayanos and prove that they live in

Armed with the right skills and capabilities in planning, for Mayor Dante Dexter graduated in 1989 in the University of Tugegarao under the course of Science in Civil Engineering, he was determined to make the event a memorable one just like the number of public works that he has finished.

In his programs and projects, he makes it a priority that they would set a standard, in which they have been successful with this goal through the journalistic meet. Because of this, various praises and compliments showered Lasam, and the Mayor now wants to impart a message to the young journalist, “Kung gusto niyong tahakin ang journalism, gawin yung tama at toto.”

Amidst the positive feedback that the host municipality has received for their efforts and sacrifices to implementing the event, it’s no surprise that there were only few negative criticisms or even no bad comments at all from the delegates.

That’s why this occasion has truly set a standard in the Schools Division of Cagayan, serving as a right example to follow. Thus, campus journalists will continue to imprint their memories of this event to their minds as a worthwhile experience, and probably would even compare Lasam to future hosts of Schools Press Conferences that they will participate in. Most importantly, their appreciation is immense towards Mayor Dante Dexter for welcoming them with sincerity.

Choosing a path for your tomorrow comes hand-in-hand with the type of person that you are. It has been a normal occurrence to hear about sloth not leading you anywhere, and hard work going a long way. This may already have become overrated or over-used, but in a way, it does make sense. So will you settle for nothing or do the greatest that you can do?