by Therese Genota & James Bantigue

For the Talent Variety Show (TVS), all contestants from San Sebastian College-Recoletos de Cavite’s Grade School Department won first runner-up.

For the competitions for entertainment, Jan Patrick Platon, S t epha nie Ma gt o t o, Ju l ia n Damian, Reinica Calmerin, Aliyah Xyris Peralta, and Caitlin Lu won 2nd runners-up in the Hip-Hop

A ccording to a fax message from the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (PAASCU), the Elementary

Department has passed the preliminary survey held last Sept. 19-20, 2013.

T he me ssag e , da ted November 25, 2013, said that the Elementary Department is eligible to apply for a formal survey visit, six months to one year after receipt o f t h e r e p o r t , i f t h e recommendations of the PAASCU team have been implemented. The PAASCU is a private, n o n - p r o f i t , g o v e r n m e n t -recognized, service organization and a member of the Federation of

Accrediting Agencies in the Philippines (FAAP) which accredits academic programs that meet the commonly accepted standards of education. Aside from the Elementary Department, the High School Department is granted initial accreditation for three years valid until November 2016, after passing the PAASCU formal visit survey held last September 5-6, 2013.

by Therese Genota

Dancing Competition, while Beatrice Arayon from Grade 4 t o p p ed t h e S o l o S i ng ing Competition.

For the competitions for excellence, Mariella Silvero, from Grade 6 – BMSN, won 2nd runner-up in Extemporaneous Speaking, Filipino. Joshua Buenaventura also won the Best in the Film Appreciation Workshop Award.

On the other hand, Jan Patrick Platon and Danielle Torres were crowned Mister and Miss CMLI Annual Convention 2013. A s i d e f r o m t h e aforementioned competitions, sem inar s in the form of commission discussions and workshops were also held throughout the convention.

S ELECTED grade school students won several awards this year at the Children’s Museum and Library, Inc. (CMLI) Graders’ Convention, with the theme: “It Starts with YOUth: The Filipino

Youth and Mass Media as Innovators of Social Awareness and Agents of Change” held in Teachers’ Camp, Baguio City, August 31 to Sept. 4, 2013.

NEWS and EVENTS 2

SSC-R ranks 2nd runner-up in DSPC 2013

G arnering 33 points, SSC-R’s Grade School Department ranked 2nd runner-up in the annual Division Schools

Press Conference, held at the 4th Centennial Gymnasium, SSC-R Canacao Campus, on Nov. 2-5, 2013.

by Therese Genota

For Photojournalism in Filipino, Julian Kristian Damian

won 3rd place, Jan Patrick Platon won 2nd place in the Sports

Writing Category in English, In Editorial Cartooning in English,

Christopher Daryl Cornejo won 1st place, Lauren Karley Ann

Domingo topped the Editorial Writing Category in English, Josh

Micole Virata won the Science and Health Writing Category in

English, 7th place, Alia Medina won 7th place in the Feature

Writing Category in Filipino, and Therese Genota and Stephanie

Magtoto won the Copyreading and Headline Writing Category in

English and Filipino, 1st place and 2nd place, respectively.

In the Radio Broadcasting Category for English,

Ahleia Cajilis, Curt Ocampo, Pauline Dela Rosa, Michael

Santos, Reinica Calmerin, Dayl Peña, Stefany Sambalilo,

members of the SEB News on the Go, won special awards

including the Best in Script award, Best in Technical award,

and the Best Infomercial award. Stefany Sambalilo also won

the Best Anchor award, 3rd place.

Participants from San Sebastian College-Recoletos de Cavite Grade School Department joins the opening parade of the 2013 Division Schools Press Conference. (Photo courtesy of Mr. Bryan Villareal)

DO launches training

for DSPC winners by Mariella Silvero

T he Department of Education Division

Office (DO) of Cavite City conducted a

division cliniquing for Division Schools Press

Conference (DSPC) winners which is held

every Friday from November 8, 2013, to

January 11, 2014.

According to the DO, there are two

schemes for the cliniquing – formal training at the

Manuel Roxas Elementary School every Friday

from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm and online training

every day using Facebook groups.

Included in this training are some of SSC-

R’s grade school journalists, as six of them

qualified to be part of the Regional Schools Press

Conference to be held at Dasmarinas City; they

are Julian Damian for Photojournalism in

Filipino, Jan Patrick Platon for Sports Writing in

English, Christopher Daryl Cornejo for Editorial

Cartooning in English, Lauren Karley Ann

Domingo for Editorial Writing in English, and

Therese Genota and Stephanie Magtoto for

Copyreading in English and Filipino respectively.

GS celebrates AP week by Reinica Calmerin

T he Grade School Department held

competitions for this year’s Araling

Panlipunan Week, October 23 to Oct. 26, 2013 at

the SSC-R Canacao Campus auditorium.

This year’s events included the Araling

Panlipunan Mind Quest, the Asian Cultural Dance

Competition, and the Mr. and Ms. United Nations,

which were all open to students from grades 1 to 6.

The highlight of the event was the Mr. and

Ms. United Nations, in which contestants from all

grade levels paraded around the school grounds

before proceeding to the auditorium for the contest

proper. For the grades 4 to 6, James Bantigue going

as Hawaii, and Francesca Allysa Duque, Indonesia,

were crowned as the Mr. and Ms. UN of this year.

Jan Patrick Platon, Uganda, and Stephanie Magtoto

as Mexico, won 1st runner up, and Rotin Chamdal,

India, and Stefany Sambalilo, USA, won 2nd

runners-up.

Grade 5 – BVSA topped the Asian Cultural

Dance Competition with their Chinese dance, Grade 6 –

BMSA won 2nd place with their Japanese Soran Bushi

dance, and Grade 4 won 3rd place with their Thai dance,

and also won the Best in Costume award.

T h e c e l e b r a t i o n i n c l u d e d ga m e s ,

competitions, and prizes for each grade level from

the Nursery level up to Grade 6.

Aside from the annual yell competition,

wherein each grade level prepared and showcased

their yells to the judges, this year’s Family Day

celebration also included a Showcase of Talent

competition for each grade level, and were required

to decorate their assigned “areas” in the gymnasium,

wherein the three grade levels with the best “areas”

were awarded a certificate of recognition.

In the Yell Competition, the winners were the

NEWS and EVENTS 3

Solid Baste takes majority in SC polls by Therese Genota

T he Solid Baste party took the majority against United Baste in the recent student elections this school year

2013-2014 held July 12 – 30, 2013, taking eight of the 11 positions in the Student Council.

During the campaign period on

July 18-29, the candidates of both

parties were allowed to put up

campaign posters in specified

places around the school. On July

29, the platform of all candidates

of both parties were presented to

the student body at the Miting de

Avance held at the SSC-R

Canacao Campus Auditorium. On

Election Day, July 30, students

from grades 4-6 were authorized

to vote for their chosen candidate.

The election results were also

announced on the same day.

Solid Baste presidential candidate

Therese Genota, beat Stephanie

Magtoto, United Baste candidate,

81-50.

For Vice President in Internal

Affairs, Jan Patrick Platon of the

United Baste party notched 80

vo te s , whi l e J oshua Mar i

Buenaventura of Solid Baste only

gained 51 votes. Solid Baste Vice

President in External Affairs

candidate, Josh Micole Virata,

scored 71 votes, defeating Reinica

Calmerin, 62 votes.

For Secretary, United Baste’s

candidate , Xavier Aloysius

Guerrero, won 72 votes, against

Allysa Francescsa Duque, who

scored 61 votes.

Mariella Silvero, Solid Baste

Treasurer candidate, scored 74

votes defeating Karley Domingo

who only gained 57 votes.

For Auditor, James Bantigue of

United Baste received 78 votes,

while Jose Miguel Abella of Solid

Baste received 55 votes.

Candidates for Public Relations

Officer, Curt Justine Ocampo,

Solid Baste, gained 74 votes

against Elisha Cabral, who scored

58 votes.

For Grade 5 and 6 Peace Officers,

Nica Bellaflor and Caitlin Lu of

Solid Baste scored 101 and 76

votes, beating Ahleia Cajilis and

Michael Santos, who scored 30

and 56 votes.

Danielle Nicole Torres and Julian

Damian, also from Solid Baste,

candidates for Level Representatives

in Grade 4 and 5, received 27 and 45

votes from their respective grade

levels, while Rakyla Nadine Samuel

and Aliyah Xyris Peralta received 10

and 4 votes.

Ms. Gerlen Herrera, current

adviser of the Student Council,

oversaw the election.

Nursery tops GS family day tilts

O rganized by the Parent-Teachers’ Association, the competitions for this year’s Family Celebration was topped

by the Nursery level, held at the 4th Centennial Gymnasium, Canacao Campus, on November 16, 2013.

by Therese Genota

Nursery level, the Grade 2 pupils, the Grade 4

pupils, and the Grade 6 pupils.

The Nursery level topped the Showcase of

Talent competition, while the Grade 6 pupils

came in 2nd place, and the Grade 4 pupils came in

3rd place.

After the judging of the “areas” of each

grade levels, the Nursery level’s “area” was

recognized as the best “area” in the Grade

School Department, the Grade 4 pupils took

home the 2nd place, while the Grade 6 pupils

came in 3rd place .

L ast November 2013, supertyphoon “Yolanda”

devastated most of the Visayas region. Donations

have been pouring in from international

organizations, other countries, individuals, and

fellow Filipinos, including our very own politicians and

local officials. But it seems that these officials use these

donations as an opportunity to campaign for themselves in

the upcoming 2016 elections, or even worse: to steal the

goods and money themselves.

There have been cases of local officials taking

goods from contributors and repacking them in their

names. TV Patrol news anchor Korina Sanchez, wife of

DILG Secretary Mar Roxas, was bashed by netizens for

printing her name on the slippers she donated. Netizens

also blasted Vice President Jejomar Binay, pointing to a

video on the Internet, showing Binay’s staff repacking

hundreds of relief goods for the Yolanda victims in Central

Visayas, claiming that he was using this video to advance

his political interests.

Although many are angry over these reports of

politicization and theft by government officials, it is not

unheard of. Back in 2009, $20.7M funds for rebuilding

towns destroyed by a storm were stolen by local officials

via bogus non-official government agencies. Incidents like

these have made some doubt where their donations and

money are going. Even the United Nations (UN) is

skeptical about giving calamity funds directly to the

government.

Easier said than done, but it’s high time that our

President eradicate corruption and bring back the faith of our

people and the world in our government. After proving to the

world that the Philippines is slowly rising from corruption,

and PNoy’s goal to completely eliminate corruption in the

government is now seemingly a reality, we fall back to the

bottom of the ladder again, even being dubbed as one of the

most corrupt countries in the world, all thanks to the

politicians taking advantage of the people.

Instead of letting the corrupt in the government

run scot-free, the President could have them investigated

and punished accordingly. Or better yet, take the funds

out of their reach, just like what UN did, encouraging

people to donate to private sectors such as the Red Cross

instead of donating directly to the government. As for the

officials who try to influence the people to support them,

it’s good to discourage those kind of people to run for office,

but it’s better to take out the problem from the root. The

best way is to educate the people about choosing their

leaders wisely. After all, it is partly our fault for electing

the corrupt and uneducated into office.

After everything the corrupt has done to the

country and its people, they have to be punished.

Although, educating the people about voting wisely is the

better way to uproot the weeds of corruption. Corruption is

mainly responsible for poverty, and it has spread long and

far enough. It’s time that PNoy introduce bigger and

better change to our corruption-riddled justice system.

Perfect Balance Stephanie Magtoto, Associate Editor

EDITORIAL 4

Editorial Uprooting the weeds

Most schools nowadays launch an “English-speaking Campaign” in order for the students to learn more about the English language and be aware of it. Because of that campaign, usually one’s English-speaking skills and grammar could improve. After a while, you could really get used to English and it’s not really that much of an effort to speak the language. But still, not everyone speaks English when conversing with classmates and teachers. The schools should administer this problem, because English is an important language, as it is considered as the most commonly spoken language in the world. On the other hand, we also need to deepen our skills in speaking and writing in our national language, Filipino. Aside from this, it would be great if Cavite City could bring Chabacano, a language used in the old days, into the schools’ curriculum. Strengthening our speaking and writing skills in the languages we know, like Filipino and English, and learning a new one, Chabacano, is not only fascinating but also a good way to expand our understanding of our history and culture. Now, I ask our school, possibly the first place where a child

really learns in a community, to balance and use these languages as a medium of instruction. English is a global language, many speak it, and it is often used in formal situations here and around the world, therefore we must never stop learning more about it. Same for the Filipino language. It may not be the language of the world, but it is the language of the Philippines, and we must never forget our roots. The Filipino people have many dialects, but it is essential that we are fluent in two languages: Filipino, our mother tongue, and English, considered as the most commonly spoken language around the world. Since the school is key to the learning and development of a child, they must not only encourage speaking and writing in English, but also in Filipino. These two languages must balance each other out in our curriculum. To some, learning and enhancing our knowledge of these two languages may seem like a daunting task, but after you get used to it, you’ll realize it’s not that hard. Learning more about English and Filipino will become a passion that teaches us more about understanding and connecting with others, our history, and ourselves.

I n our country, we have about more than 175 dialects. Ilocano, Ce-buano, and Tagalog are some of the many dialects we have here in

the Philippines. Our schools help us learn more about those languages through the Filipino and Araling Panlipunan subjects. But those are not

Dear Editor, Thank you for always informing the grade school department of current events and happenings. I would also like to congratulate you on your recent win at the Division Schools Conference 2013. I have an inquiry to make. This school year, SSC-R started to use tablets to replace the conventional books in the classroom. It was available to the students as an option to use the tablet for this school year. I’m here to report that in using the tablet provided by EdgeComm for months, we are always experiencing technical difficulties. It’s really annoying whenever it has a problem just before an exam, and you can’t review your lessons because your tablet is broken in some sort of way. On top of that, it also becomes an obstacle to learning, because many students download and play games on their tablet. It gets so bad that they even play games in class. What should we do about this problem, and how can we solve it?

-Blackberry

+++ Dear Blackberry, No fear. Times are changing. The school may look forward and take a big leap of faith, like the implementation of using the tablets to eventually replace books. But sometimes, that big leap doesn’t end up so well. If you want to prevent technical difficulties in your tablet, avoid bringing it to places where it can easily fall or be sat on. But even if you’re very careful with your tablet, and it still experiences problems, have it fixed, if you can’t do it yourself. The internet is always there to help. You can try researching and studying your lessons online instead. The web offers many options for learning many new things. As for the students and classmates who use their tablets to play games in class, try telling them off. If they still persist in playing games, tell your teacher or adviser. Remember, there are always other sources of information other than one’s textbook. For the meanwhile, please bear with the tablets you have right now for just a few more months. Hang in there!

-The Editor

OPINION 5

Harmonious Development Josh Micole Virata, Correspondent

These schools also develop and enhance arts and the Filipino culture through n u m e r ou s s o c i o -c u l t u r a l p rog rams . Sc hoo ls t ha t e n h a n c e n o t o n l y t h e academic abilities of students, but also social awareness, love for our culture, and physical capabilities, help in m a k i n g s t u d e n t s w e l l -developed. Students who are multi-faceted can cope with

life’s demanding aspect of inconsistencies. Schools play a major part in developing the mental, social, physical, and psychological aspects of students. The variety of programs that enable the students to grow and develop their talents and abilities will be of great help to them in growing individuals. Schools must therefore promote and b a l a n c e t h e d i f f e r e n t attributes to create quality students.

D ifferent schools have a variety of school activities for every school year. There are schools that promote

sportsmanship and athleticism through various sports fests and other programs.

Voice from the Outside Marco Sebastian Ybañez, Alumnus

D o t h e y n o t understand the effect of this c h a n g e ? M o v i n g t h e academic school year from June to March to August or September to June? The students will not be able to enjoy their summer break if you can still call it that. Having a vacation during the monsoon season sounds pretty dull. Many will be forced to stay home and not truly get a feel of the vacation. People won’t be able to go to the beach on a bright sunny day when the coastline is being battered by storm surges caused by recent typhoon. The only thing people can expect during this type of school break is a trip to another

country but not everyone can afford that now can they? They may or may not realize that our country is prone to storms during those months. A few are strong ones at that. Yes, the Philippines is a little behind in terms of proper education but isn’t the K-12 system, an educational system adopted in most parts of the world, enough? K-12 system has been used in many countries for a reason. It is effective! It has made many successful people from third world countries who use this system. By changing the academic school year, the Philippine government, saying that they do not trust the system and believe it is not enough?

T he proposal by the four of the top universities in Manila to change the academic school year and synchronize it

with other ASEAN countries and the United States is said to be an excellent idea. They also say that the Palace should not think twice about agreeing with this.

THE SEBASTINIAN BULLETIN | A.Y. 2013-2014

Editor-in-chief: Therese Genota Associate Editors: Stephanie Magtoto, Jan Patrick Platon

Section Editors: James Bantigue (News), Gabriel Lalisan (DevCom), Joshua Buenaventura (Feature), Xavier Guerrero (Sports), Jhustin delos Santos (Art)

Correspondents: Ahleia Cajilis, Alia Medina, Anfernee Del Rosario, Crisanto Guevarra, Giulene Ronquillo, Josh Virata, Julianne Dela Rosa, Lauren Domingo,

Liam Reyes, Mariella Silvero, Reinica Calmerin, Sean Bartolome

Photojournalists: Erin Garcia, Julian Damian, Lysander Base, Michael Santos, Mikkel Gallardo, Sir Charles Campo, Stefany Sambalilo, Allysa Duque

Cartoonist: Christopher Daryl Cornejo

Moderator: Mr. Jonald Justine Itugot

FEATURES 6

Almost all of the events were

held at the Mess Hall which was the

main meeting place. The everyday

schedule, and the delegates who passed

the elimination round for the

competitions were also posted there.

The first day was highlighted

with an orientation and acquaintance

socials, where you will be oriented for

what will you do and whom you’ll be

with the entire convention. At night, we

started the official opening ceremonies,

where almost everyone was in the

Philippine national costume.

Considered as the main events

of the convention, the two types of

competitions were called the

‘competitions for excellence’ and the

‘competitions for entertainment’. The

competitions for excellence focus on

the competition of the minds such as

news writing, extemporaneous

speaking, pop quizzes, and many

more; on the other hand, the

competitions for entertainment focus

on the talents and entertaining skills of

a delegate such as the pageant of the

convention, the Mr. and Ms. Graders’

Convention, the Talent Variety Show,

Solo Singing, Hip-hop dance, Radio

Drama, and Character Portrayal.

Aside from the competitions,

the commission discussions and the

workshops were the everyday activities

of the delegates in the convention.

Commission discussions inform the

delegates more about the topic of this

year’s theme, which was about the

youth and mass media’s participation as

innovators of change and social

awareness. Each commission discussion

group had one or two facilitators, who

explained how mass media influenced

the youth and how does it help us in our

everyday lives through fun games and

sharing of ideas.

As for the workshops, each

delegate was allowed to choose where

they wanted to join. These were Film

Appreciation, Hip-hop Dancing, News

Writing, Painting, and more. After the

workshop sessions, the delegates are

expected to have an output of what they

have learned from the workshops.

The most nerve-racking part of

the convention, the awarding ceremony,

was held on the last day. Wearing one’s

formal outfit, this ceremony is where the

winners of the competitions were

awarded, and where those who

performed exceptionally in the

workshops were awarded. This was also

the time to say goodbye to everyone

who had made the convention even

more memorable. After the ceremony,

each delegate dressed in the costume of

their favorite anime character for the

disco social, held to celebrate the final

night of the event.

In last year’s convention,

Graders’ Con 2013, some of our

schoolmates brought home awards from

the said convention. They were:

Mariella Silvero for Extemporaneous

Speaking Filipino, Stephanie Magtoto,

Jan Patrick Platon, Julian Damian,

Reinica Calmerin and Aliyah Peralta for

Hiphop Dancing; All delegates from

SSC-R for the Talent Variety Show;

Bea Arayon for Solo Singing; and Jan

Patrick Platon and Danielle Nicole

Torres, who were awarded as the Mr.

and Ms. CMLI. Joshua Buenaventura

was also awarded as the Best in the Film

Appreciation Workshop.

Everyone had fun this CMLI

Graders’ Con, where we learned from

workshops, commission discussions,

competitions, and made friends with

different kinds of people from all over

the country. It was an interesting

experience for all, and everyone surely

enjoyed the incredible convention.

by STEPHANIE MAGTOTO

F or the 34th time, the Children’s Museum and Library, Inc. (CMLI) hosted the annual Graders’ Convention at Teachers’ Camp, Baguio City, Aug. 31 to Sept. 4, 2013, with the theme “It starts

with YOUth: The Filipino Youth and Mass Media as Innovators of Social Awareness and Agents of Change”. Grade school students from all over the country joined the five-day event to meet new friends and learn new things. The convention, primarily for commission discussions, seminars, and workshops, also had competitions of different categories.

FEATURES 7

J enifer Lawrence once

again stole the spotlight

with Hunger Games winner

Katniss Everdeen in their

new movie ‘Catching Fire’.

After she and Peeta Mellark

(Josh Hutcherson) won the

74th Hunger Games,

leaving them scarred for

life, the star-crossed lovers

went on the annual victory

tour done by the winner of

the Hunger Games. After a

few exciting moments

including a one-on-one talk

with an angry President

Snow (Donald Sutherland),

a heartfelt speech for the

late Ru e (Am andla

Stenberg) at District 11, and

a few killings in the said

district, Katniss, overcome

by grief and anger, pushed

Peeta even farther away

from her.

In a sinister plot to kill

Katniss, who was beginning

to be a symbol of revolution

in the districts, the tributes for

the 3rd Quarter Quell, or the

75th Hunger Games, will be

chosen from past victors in

each district, leaving Katniss,

Peeta, and Haymitch

( W o o d y H a r r e l s o n )

devastated at the thought of

going back to the arena

again.

After a glamorous

party at President Snow’s

mansion, a training session

with the experienced

tributes, Katniss and Peeta

were back in the arena, but

this time, they were not

alone. Forming an alliance

with Finnick Odair (Sam

Clafin) from District 4,

Johanna Mason (Jena

Malone) from District 7, and

a few others including an

expert with electronics,

Beetee Latier (Jeffrey

Wr ight), and Wi ress

( Am a n d a P l u m m e r ) ,

together they figured out

that the arena was based

on a clock, and formed a

strategy to eliminate the

remaining victors in the

arena. Due to a foiled plan,

Katniss got separated from

her allies, and had to

sacrifice herself to destroy

the arena. But our favorite

girl on fire isn’t dead. Yet.

This movie grossed

$307.7 million in its global

opening weekend. That’s

45% better than how much

the first movie grossed in its

opening weekend. The cliff

hanger sent fans excited to

see the finale to this action-

p a c k e d t r i l o g y :

Mockingjay.

by THE SEBASTINIAN BULLETIN

SCIENCE 8

W e all know that laughing has a huge health benefit, as it reduces

tension, even the risk of heart attacks, but it also has its risks. “Laughter is not purely beneficial,” according to Robin Ferrer from Birmingham City Hospital and J.K. Aronson of the University of Birmingham. If you think that laughing has no dangers, think again! It is said in an article, “Laughter and MIRTH (Methodical Investigation of Risibility, Therapeutic and Harmful)” that laughter has risks like headaches, jaw dislocation, epilepsy, and asthma attacks. Like almost everything, laughter should be in a controlled and regular rate. It’s good and beneficial to laugh, but it has its own risks, as proven by Robin Ferrer and J.K. Aronson from Birmingham and “Laughter and MIRTH”. Keep in mind that laughter can relieve stress, but it has bad side effects!

by LAUREN KARLEY ANN DOMINGO

SCIENCE 9

A s the first planet that

we, humans have been

trying to reach, Mars, has

piqued the curiosity of

scientists since the 1960s.

We know that Mars had

water 3.7 billion years ago,

but disappeared because

Mars lost its air. But why did

the Red Planet’s atmosphere

change so suddenly?

About a month ago,

the National Aeronautics and

Space Admin i s t r a t ion

(NASA) launched the Mars

Atmosphere and Volatile

E v o l u t i o n ( M AV E N )

spacecraft to study the

remains of Mars’ air and find

out more about i t s

atmosphere.

The spacecraft is the

first of its kind to be made to

study Mars’ atmosphere. It

was launched last November

18 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Since it will take MAVEN

about 10 months to get to

Mars, it is scheduled to go into

orbit on September 2014.

MAVEN is equipped

with eight different tools to

help it measure and study the

atmosphere of the planet. It

will fly in orbit as fast as

5275 kilometers per hour, or

as slow as 149 kilometers

per hour, to collect

information.

Once it arrives at

Mars, MAVEN will not be

alone. Even now, the rover

Curiosity, landed August

2012, is still zipping around

studying the planets’ geology

and chemistry of Mars. Also,

India launched its first

unmanned mission early

November. NASA has

several orbiters capturing

uncommon angles and views

of Mars.

All these missions are

slow but steady steps to

uncovering the mystery of

the Red Planet. Even if the

end may be unclear to us for

quite some time, interesting

and exciting explorations lie

ahead.

by THERESE GENOTA

SCIENCE 10

E very year, about 10,000 to 100,000 animal species die off. They join the mil-

lions of species that have gone extinct over the course of Earth’s history.

But now, scientists have discovered a

new way to bring back extinct species from

being, well, extinct. Researchers need the

DNA, the chemical that has the structure of a

living thing, of extinct animals to be able to

‘revive’ them through cloning. Much to our

disappointment, scientists cannot resurrect

dinosaurs, because they’ve been gone far too

long to have any DNA left in their fossils.

Put dinosaurs aside, there’s a real

chance that we can revive species that have

recently gone extinct. This could even go as

far back as the Ice Age animals such as the

woolly mammoth and saber-toothed cats. In

2003, a group of Spanish and French

researchers re-created the Pyrenean ibex,

which had gone extinct three years earlier. It

didn’t last very long, but technological and

scientific advances could improve the

success rate. In January 2013, Australian

scientists announced that they were trying to

bring back the extinct gastric brooding frog.

Reviving species has its own benefits

and disadvantages. Some view this as an

opportunity to correct mistakes done by

humans in destroying nature. Others view

this as a course to stop the hard work of

conservation. Even if we can revive extinct

animals, and ultimately correct our mistakes,

we still do not know if the previously extinct

animals will fit in with the environment with

existing animals.

Business and environmentalist Steward

Brand recently said, “Humans have made a

huge hole in nature. We have the ability

now ... to repair some of that damage.”

Although there are many dangers and

disadvantages in reviving extinct species,

many find it our fault that these species are

extinct in the first place, and that we should

be the ones to correct it.

by THERESE GENOTA

SPORTS 11

D onnie “Ahas” Nietes defended his

WBO Light Flyweight crown with a

sensational third round knockout of the

Mexican pride Sammy Gutierrez at 2:58

round mark at the Smart-Araneta

Coliseum, December 1, Sunday night.

Nietes finished their match with three

solid right hands, two in the first round and

one in the third round. Gutierrez tried to get

up on wobbly legs but referee Celestino

Ruize wisely ended the match.

“Tingin ko first round pa lang, kaya

ko na siya.” Said Nietes who improved his

record to 32-1-4 with 18 knockouts.

Gutierrez, the former WBO Minimum

Weight Title holder fell to 33-10 with 23

KOs.

Nietes’ impressive win came after

Merlito Sabillo’s split draw decision against

Carlos Buitrago to retain his WBO title.

by JAN PATRICK PLATON

T yphoon-hit Central Visayas broke out in joy

after boxing hero Manny Pacquiao beat

Brandon Rios, winning the WBO welterweight

crown in Macau.

Filipinos in temporary shelters, including

displaced families, aid workers, and soldiers

jumped out from their seats and broke into

applause as Pacquiao beat his younger and taller

opponent.

Supertyphoon Yolanda struck on

November 8, leaving more than 5,200 people

dead, and destroying P12B worth of crops and

infrastructure.

Communications Secretary Hermino

Coloma congratulated Pacquiao, saying that

"victory will serve as a fountain spring of

strength and insipration for the country after the

typhoon devastation."

Pacquiao took the upper hand in all 12

rounds, leaving Rios' eyes swollen and bloodied.

Local authorities set up wide screens in

three areas in Tacloban City, including one at

the destroyed airport for foreign and local aid

workers, and for security forces helping clear

debris and colllect dead bodies.

Typhoon-hit areas cheer

for Pacquiao’s win

S an Sebastian College Recoletos

de Cavi te , Grade Schoo l

Department, bagged nine gold, seven

silver, and four bronze medals,

totaling to 20 medals in this year’s

city meet.

For swimming, Josef Adolfo

J. Ylagan wins 2nd place at 50-meter

f r e e s t y l e , b a c k s t r o k e , a n d

breaststroke.

In taekwondo, Jan Patrick N. Platon

captured a gold medal for sparring.

Aliyah Xyris C. Peralta again

received a total of four gold medals in

taekwondo, for Solo Baston Category

B, Team Double Baston, Mixed

Double Baston, and Combative

Category B.

In Gymnastics, all competing

in the city meet for the first time,

Stephanie Magtoto of Grade 6 –

BMSN won a total of three gold

medals for Freehand Routine,

Balance Beam Routine, Springboard

Routine and one silver medal for

Floor Exercises Routine and a overall

champion for individual. Romina

Protasio of Grade 4 also won a silver

medal for the Balance Beam Routine

and two bronze medals for Floor

Exercise Routine and Springboard

Routine, and won 3rd place for the

overall ranking for individual.

Mariella Silvero of Grade 6 – BMSN

won a silver medal for the Freehand

Routine, Rakyla Nadine Samuel of

Grade 4 won a silver for Hoop

Exercise and a bronze medal for

Freehand Routine, and Ian Damian of

Grade 5 –BVSA won 1st place for the

Floor Routine for boys.

The Sebastino Gymnastan

won as the overall champion for the

said event.

Pacquiao’s victory inspired the survivors of typhoon Yolanda to pick themselves up from the ruin and start anew. In Tacloban, a screen was even rigged up so that people, including aid workers and soldiers could take a break from their work to watch the fight. The victory had the crowd jumping out and screaming in triumph. Because of Pacquiao’s win, officials were also optimistic about the recovery of traumatized victims, who were given time to take their minds off the devastation wrought by the typhoon. The boxer did not knock Rios out, but instead won by unanimous decision. Pacquiao, coming from the first consecutive losses of his career in which he was world champion in eight weight divisions, dedicated the fight to his compatriots, and visited Tacloban and the outlying regions a

few weeks after his fight. Aside from Pacquiao’s dedication, there was also the PBA Stars Charity Game, that raised more than P100,000 for the victims of supertyphoon Yolanda. Actions like these give the devastated a time to smile and the belief that a better life will come to them. The year 2013 brought on one disaster after another: the worst-ever finish at the SEA Games, the pork barrel scam, the Zamboanga standoff, the terrible floods brought on by typhoon “Maring” and the southwest monsoon, the Bohol earthquake, and supertyphoon Yolanda’s deadly blow to the Philippines. These calamities dampened the spirits of many Filipinos, but Pacquiao’s victoy gave his countrymen the simplest message and reminder that set us on the road to recovery: hope.

N ormally, the victories of the eight-weight division champion Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao brings on cheers and

happiness from the Filipino people, here and abroad. But now, it seems that his wins also bring hope to those

who suffered the wrath of supertyphoon “Yolanda”. The boxing superstar’s recent victory in Macau gave the people

of the nation a chance to smile despite losing their loved ones and being in the midst of the country’s many crises.

by JOHN PATRICK PLATON