Author / The Science Net

by The Science Net

Use available resources to reach goals — Villegas 

By Vinci Tamayo || Photo by Dani Anos

Paris Olympics 2024 Bronze Medalist Aira Villegas on August 23 shared words of inspiration for young athletes during an interview by The Science Net, the official English student publication of Philippine Science High School – Eastern Visayas Campus.

Upon being asked about her advice for aspiring athletes, Villegas shared that they should manage with the resources they were given in order to achieve their goals.

“Sa lahat ng kabataan din talaga, parang hindi mo naman kailangan ng mga bagay na kung ano-ano, parang be grateful for what you have. And then kung anong meron resources ka, ‘yun ang gamitin para makuha ang gusto mo,” the boxer said. 

[To all the youths, you do not really need lots of things. Be grateful for what you have, and then use the resources you have now to achieve what you want.]

She further emphasized that lack of completeness and dissatisfaction are necessary in an athlete’s journey, highlighting its importance in keeping one’s motivation in sports.  

“Sometimes kasi, once you are an athlete and you are able to have everything, mawawala kasi ‘yung drive mo eh. Kasi meron ako nito, meron ako nito, meron akong ganyan. So parang mawawala yung drive mo kasi everything nandiyan eh. So mas okay din talaga minsan may kulang, para sa kulang na ‘yun, ikaw ‘yung pupuna,” Villegas said. 

[Sometimes, once you are an athlete and you are able to have everything, your drive will also be lost because you have everything. So it is like you will lose your motivation since everything you want is right there. So, sometimes it is really okay to lack something, so you can fill whatever it is you are lacking.]

The olympian then urged young athletes to avoid thinking of the income in sports, but rather treat it as a bonus that comes with their achievements.

“For me kasi, hindi ko iniisip ‘yung pera. Iniisip ko kasi, ‘yung sports, para makapag aral ako. And then yung iba po kasi ‘yung isip nila, ‘Yayaman ako sa sports.’ Hindi, once kasi na inisip mo ‘yung money agad, hindi ka tatagal sa sports. Because the truth is, money is evil. Bonus lang ‘yan pag dumating, like me now,” Villegas said. 

[For me, I do not think of the money. My mindset is ‘sports is so I can study.’ However, others have a different mindset like ‘sports will make me rich.’ Once you think of the money right away, you will not last long. Because the truth is, money is evil. It is just a bonus when it comes as a reward, just like me now.] 

Villegas also expressed her wishes for the government to pay more attention to sports as a whole, citing the media’s current focus on the “elite athletes” rather than the aspiring athletes. 

“Now kasi parang nakatutok sa elite athletes. So, I hope tingnan nila (the government) ‘yung mga aspiring athlete kasi diyan naman ako nanggaling eh,” Villegas said. 

[Right now, the attention seems to be focused on the elite athletes only. So, I hope the government looks at the aspiring athletes too since I also started from there.]

Motivations

In the same interview, Villegas talked about her past and how she was inspired to start boxing despite her circumstances.

“I had nothing eh, so nung nagstart ako ng boxing, dati ‘yung uniform, lahat hiram ko lang. But the good thing is ginamit ko siyang motivation,” she said. 

[I had nothing. So when I started boxing, my uniform, everything was borrowed. But the good thing is I used it as motivation.]

When asked about the specific people who encouraged her to pursue boxing, she highlighted the role her family, mainly her brother, played in inspiring her and keeping her motivation. 

“Pinakauna po talaga, my family. Lalo na my brother kasi siya po talaga ‘yung nagturo sakin ng boxing. Kung nakikita ko siya, nasa boxing siya. Kaya niyang mag aral na hindi humihingi ng pera sa magulang ko through boxing. And then may scholarship siya through boxing,” Villegas said. 

[Foremost is my family. Especially my brother because he taught me how to play boxing. Whenever I would see him, he would be boxing. He could go to school without asking for money from our parents through boxing. He also has a scholarship through boxing.]

She also expressed her goal to further her career by winning a gold medal in future competitions. 

“As an olympian, plano ko pa rin talaga makuha ‘yung gold. So this bronze, hindi ko naman sinasabing nakasettle lang ako sa bronze, but my goal talaga in the Olympics is to get that gold,” she said. 

[As an olympian, I still plan to get a gold medal. So this bronze, I am not saying that I’ve settled with it, but my goal in the Olympcs is really to get that gold.] 

Villegas then talked about how fame has not changed her attitude towards life, and that she is grateful for everything she has achieved so far.

“The good thing about me is that I’m still me. Wala paring nagbago, ganon. The fame and everything is alam ko na pansamantala lang. Ako kasi, I always stay low grounded and I look back at where I came from so ganon po ako, parang grateful lang ako for everything,” the olympian said.

[The good thing about me is that I’m still me. Nothing has changed. I know that fame and everything along with it is temporary. I always stay grounded and I look back to where I came from so I am just grateful for everything.]

Despite losing 5-0 to Turkish opponent Buse Naz Cakiroglu in the semifinals, Villegas managed to snatch a bronze victory— a historic first for the country in the sport.

by The Science Net

Romualdez temporarily suspends LPTRP, re-allows Tacloban-Campetic route

By Clarence Jude Tabinas || Photo by Poimen Deb Agnila

“I will suspend first the ordinance and coordinate closely with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and other agencies.”

This was said by Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez on September 6 in an interview with K5 News FM Tacloban Digital where he verbally suspended City Ordinance No. 2024-15-19 or the “Ordinance Adopting the Local Public Transport Route Plan (LPTRP)” temporarily.

According to him, the ordinance was suspended to help commuters, especially students, who are having a hard time commuting.

“At the moment now, I’m suspending first the not allowing them until we straighten out with LTFRB para naman ‘di mahirapan ang mga students, para di mahirapan ang mga bumibiyahe,” he said. 

In the interview, he also explained that the Tacloban-Campetic route was removed from the city’s new route plan to maintain fairness among transport cooperatives from other municipalities. 

“Kung papayagan kasi natin lahat ng sasakyan na pumunta sa downtown, kailangan payagan din natin ‘yong mga taga Alangalang, taga Tolosa, taga iba’t ibang munisipyo na pumunta rin ng downtown. We can’t just exclusively say na isa [Palo] lang ang puwede. Kaya ang ginawa ng LTFRB, ang recommendation nila, eh, sa terminal na lahat ng taga labas ng Tacloban,” he said.

Students’ struggles

Prior to the suspension, commuters in Tacloban City and Palo experienced more difficulty in commuting on Thursday, September 5, as multicabs from Palo were no longer allowed to enter downtown.

According to Gabrielle Cordeta of Grade 12-A who lives in Brgy. 74 Nula-Tula, Tacloban City, he was surprised when the multicab he usually rides made the passengers get off at a different location far from the original one.

“Last night, I rode the multicab thinking na it would just be a normal day going home riding from Pisay to downtown, but when we reached GSIS, the driver told us to get off because apparently, they’re only allowed up to that point,” he said.

He also said that the commute was more hassle and expensive as he had to ride two multicabs instead of just one.

Meanwhile, Alyzzandra Mendoza of Grade 12-A and Joshua Sudario of Grade 12-B also expressed the same concerns, saying that the sudden removal of the Tacloban-Campetic route shocked them and cost them more than usual.

“I was shocked about the sudden change of their [Tacloban-Campetic multicabs] route because for me, I have a budget of 20 pesos per day for transportation, but on Thursday, I had to ride two multicabs home, which cost me 26 pesos,” Sudario said.

Driver’s opinions

In an interview with the Science Net, drivers from Campetic and Tacloban Drivers and Operators Transport Cooperative (CATADOTCO) expressed their thoughts on the new city ordinance.

One driver said that they knew about the removal of their route but didn’t know exactly when it would be implemented.

“We actually already knew about it but we didn’t know when it would be implemented because they [Tacloban City LGU] didn’t give us any document stating when they’ll actually stop us from entering downtown,” he said.

“The problem with the implementation is that they didn’t give the public enough information so people, especially students, could prepare,” he added.

On the other hand, another driver said how the LPTRP could severely affect their livelihood, causing them to lose almost half of their daily income.

“We usually earn P1,000 a day but with this new ordinance, we might not even be able to pay for our boundary which is P700,” he said. 

Meanwhile, both drivers expressed their gratitude towards Romualdez for temporarily suspending the city ordinance and allowing them to go to downtown again but also hoped for the mayor to reconsider and not remove their route permanently.

City Ordinance No. 2024-15-19 or “Ordinance Adopting the LPTRP” of Tacloban City is an ordinance approved on August 6 which aims to improve road safety and public transport travel time and quality, but left commuters and multicab drivers confused due to the absence of the Tacloban-Campetic route.

by The Science Net

Pisay-EVC celebrates Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa

By Josh Aseo || Photo by Ashley Royo

To celebrate the annual Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa, Philippine Science High School – Eastern Visayas Campus (PSHS-EVC), through the Filipino Unit, held a culminating activity in the campus gymnasium on the afternoon of August 30, 2024, where students and faculty members dressed in traditional Filipino attires.

The event kicked off with an opening prayer and the singing of the national anthem which was followed by an opening message by the Curriculum Instruction Division Chief Leslie C. Cruto.

Afterwards, the competitions for each grade category were held – Tinig Pisay for Grade 7 and 8, Pagawa ng Salaysay for Grade 9, Masining na Pagbasa for Grade 10, and Panulaang Pisay for Grades 11 and 12. 

Tinig Pisay, a vocal solo singing contest, showcased the talents of Grades 7 and 8 representatives. Febby Cadalso from Grade 7 – Ruby took third place with her version of “Lipad ng Pangarap” by Angeline Quinto and Regine Velasquez, Kaela Yuse from Grade 7 – Diamond won second place with the song “Kahit Ayaw mo na” by This Band, while Cleofe Zoe Lorein Go from Grade 8 – Camia took first place with her rendition of “AMAKABOGERA” by Maymay Entrata.

In line with this year’s theme of “Filipino: Wikang Mapagpalaya,” selected Grade 11 and 12 students shared their original poems during Panulaang Pisay. Casei Claire Advincula from Grade 12 – B won third place, John Andelle Molabola from Grade 11 – B clinched the second spot, while Lourdyz Yzabelle Renomeron of Grade 11 –  C won first place with her poem that described the unity and connection among Filipinos that were made possible by the national language. 

“Winning was a bonus, but performing meant a lot to me. It was my first time to be on stage speaking, and I was able to overcome my stage fright. It definitely boosted my confidence a little bit,” Renomeron said.

In the Paggawa ng Sanaysay competition, representatives from each Grade 9 section showcased their talent in writing. Jaryn Avelino from Grade 9 – Potassium won third place, Vianna Alexei Llevado of Grade 9 – Sodium won second place, while Anthony Jazz Obrique from Grade 9 – Rubidium won first place.

The last round of presentations was from the Grade 10 students who competed with each other in Masining na Pagbasa, a speech choir competition. The class of Grade 10 – Electron won first place, with Grade 10 – Neutron and Grade 10 – Proton winning second and third, respectively

“The competition not only gave us, students, a chance to showcase our creative talents, but it also gave me and my classmates a chance to form a closer bond with each other, a chance to deepen our friendship and promote camaraderie,” Danielle Anos from 10 – Electron said.

Filipino Unit Head Vesifina M. Ron then closed the program with a speech commemorating the national language and the purpose that it serves. 

“Ang wika natin ang naging daluyan ng ating mga damdamin, adhikain at mga pangarap, isang wikang tunay mapagpalaya [Our language served as the medium for our feelings, aspirations, and dreams, a language that is truly liberating], ” Mrs. Ron said.

The Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa, simply known as the Buwan ng Wika, is a month-long celebration every August to appreciate and promote the Filipino language.

by The Science Net

All in the Past

by Jazie Rangga || Illustration by Kyle Nase

Here’s a question for President Marcos: Why does one “move” a historical event that has sparked one of the greatest revolutions of world history? 

On August 21, 1983, Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., one of the most vocal critics of the Marcos dictatorship, was assassinated right after he emerged from his plane following a flight back to the Philippines. Aquino had just spent three years in the United States to get medically treated for his heart attack, only to have fallen on the same fate he was escaping from. 

His death was the final straw, the turning point that drove Filipinos from different walks of life to unite for one cause: flood the streets of EDSA and reclaim their country from Martial Law and authoritarian rule.

41 years later, in 2024, the holiday that marked the commemoration of this event was pushed back to August 23, a Friday, to make it a continuous four-day non-working holiday, with Monday being National Heroes’ Day, a decision in line with the Marcos administration’s “Holiday Economics” policy.

This is not to say that this four-day break is completely ruinous. In a country where, according to Microsoft Philippines, 63% of Filipinos feel overworked while another 31% feel exhausted, four days of no work seems like complete bliss. This long weekend allows hard-working Filipinos to relax, unwind, and spend time with their family. 

But it still begs the question: Are four days of relaxation worth it when done at the expense of trivializing one of the most significant events of our country’s history?

To move around the date of a holiday that has, for years, been commemorated by the people, all in the name of convenience, is as tone-deaf as it is entirely straightforward. For the non-disruptor Marcos, moving this holiday around marks another step towards ultimately erasing the narrative that tied Aquino’s death back to the Marcos family and the legion of atrocities committed in their name. Through publicly changing its date as if it were everyday scheduling, it is as if Marcos is reducing the significance of the late senator’s death to a mere speck, all while hiding this agenda under the sly guise of needed rest and pragmatic economics.

This is not even the first time that President Marcos switched up a holiday that coincidentally commemorates the events which led to his family’s ousting. Last October 11, he signed Proclamation No. 368, which made the anniversary which celebrated the EDSA Revolution no longer a special non-working holiday; it was simply another regular working holiday. 

However, legally, an administration cannot suddenly declare a non-working holiday as a working one, unless it falls on days like Sunday and Wednesday; and only then can it be moved to the next week’s Monday to avoid an inconvenient ‘sandwich day’. If so, it has to be announced 6 months in advance, which was not abided by when Ninoy Aquino Day was moved. 

So not only was it highly disrespectful to the memory of Aquino’s martyrdom, it was also a blatant violation of the law, another lousy attempt at slowly extinguishing the flame his sacrifice lit in the hearts of the masses.

Although the reason Marcos moves these holidays can be simply attributed to the implementation of “Holiday Economics,” one can argue that it is also an underhanded attempt at revising history to feed a narrative that slowly forgets the horror of the Marcos regime and its ruthless past with the Aquinos and Filipinos.

Through these seemingly innocuous yet highly numerous plays, Marcos wielded a weapon greater than blame or power—he expertly employed the use of indifference to the cause, and nothing erases history faster than blatant callousness towards the past. 

If Marcos cannot bring himself to respect our fallen brethren in our nation’s never-ending fight for democracy, it is then up to us to uphold the honor and memory of these pivotal events and the heroes behind them to uphold the freedoms which they had died for and which we must live by. 

Just as Ninoy Aquino himself said, “We must not only preserve yesterday’s heritage, fight for today’s ephemeral interests, but die if need be, for tomorrow’s hopes.” 

May his words remind us to continue the good fight for the liberties and new way-of-life breathed not only into our people, but into the nation as a whole, through his death, lest the next generation suffer a similar fate to that of our forefathers.

by The Science Net

Finding Yourself Amid College Chaos

by Aine Latoja || Photo by Ashkinaz Canonoy

Everything, everywhere, all at once.

Picture this: you’ve finally reached the last year of high school, and everything seems much easier now. Class schedules are freer, memories of junior years reminisced, and there’s an air of ease and confidence that wasn’t there when high school first began. You think to yourself, ‘Finally, I’ve reached the end!’

Until college application season begins.

Everything: Entrance test schedules are announced, essays are suddenly due left and right, and recommendation letters are requested from teachers. All these things are happening, all at once. You knew it was coming, but in hindsight, the pandemic doesn’t really prepare you for the coming war that is college application season. The mere fact that the world was in turmoil added an extra layer of stress and uncertainty to an already daunting process. Despite all this, you have to push through.

While some already knew their path in life, most are still undecided— and that’s okay. How can big life decisions be made so early in life? (as if signing the Pisay contract at barely 12 years old was enough) Deadlines are suddenly placed on these major decisions and it’s up to you to find out what you really want. Ready or not, the world continues to go on with or without you.

Everywhere: And then it hits you. Imposter syndrome comes much like bumping into a wall of bricks. It suddenly strikes at 4 AM on a Sunday night as you’re finishing an application essay, once again when friends and family ask about your plans for college, and again when you’re staring at the ceiling pondering on what it is you really want. It’s a never ending cycle of not feeling enough and existential dread.

The waiting game begins once you click the submission button on your application. From suddenly being bombarded with endless requirements to doing almost nothing but sit there and wait. This is the time, you realize, to focus on senior year and live in the moment without thinking of the future for once.

All at once: The weight of the decisions you’re making hits you like a ton of bricks. Questions flood your mind: Who am I? What do I want? Can I live up to everyone’s expectations? It’s like standing on the edge of a cliff, staring into the vast unknown of the future, and realizing that you have to take a leap of faith.

At some point, the smoke clears. Is our identity formed as we grow? Or is it already within us, waiting to be discovered, like peeling the layers of an onion? Perhaps it’s a bit of both. College application season forces us to confront these questions head-on, forcing us to delve deep into our aspirations, fears, and desires. It’s a journey of self-discovery, a process of unraveling the complexities of our own identities and figuring out who we truly are and what we want out of life.

As the dust settles and the acceptance letters start rolling in, we begin to piece together the puzzle of our identities. Taking the next step forward into the unknown territory of college life, we must carry with us the lessons learned, the self-discoveries made, and the identities formed during this transformative journey.

by The Science Net

Words Apart

by Poimen Agnila || Cartoon by Zenas Agnila

The Filipinos deserve more than a government that is unwilling to use its voice for the sake of those who cannot speak for themselves. 

Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte’s “no comment” remark on China’s relentless aggression towards the country over the West Philippine Sea has drawn flak in various social media circles, and not without good cause. Recent cases of hostility, such as a Chinese Coast Guard vessel’s blasting of water cannons at the Philippine resupply boat Unaizah May 4 on March 23, have shed an important light on China’s seemingly never-ending obsession with bullying smaller countries into submission. This bullying, coupled with the VP’s lack of conviction on the matter, is a recipe that spells disaster for our years-long fight against Chinese claims over the West Philippine Sea and unjust international territorial control in general.

While this administration has had some great lapses in judgment in their public statements over the years, somehow, what makes me more disappointed than tone-deaf official statements addressing a current issue is silence. 

As a writer, one of the first things instilled in us by the world is that our words carry power. We are told that the change we will see in society is directly proportional to the volume by which we are willing to advocate for it. Silence, when wielded for the benefit of the status quo, is harmful. 

The Philippines would not have gained independence from the Spanish had Dr. Jose Rizal chosen to take a neutral stance on their abuses. The colonizers would not have been driven out if it weren’t for the revolutionaries who fought to make their voices heard. We are not where we are as a democratic country today because our ancestors had “no comment”. Words, especially critical ones, are the reason why history is referred to in writing metaphors. 

When all we get from a government official as influential as the Vice President on a topic as important as the West Philippine Sea is silence, we may have to seriously start rethinking the parameters by which we vote for national leaders. It is easy to speak up for a greeting on China’s 73rd National Day (although props for doing it in Mandarin), after all, you have nothing to lose. What’s difficult but ultimately more leader-like is condemning abuses by a powerful country that has repeatedly belittled the Filipinos. Our countrymen, especially those rendered vulnerable by their line of work, deserve more than to be treated as something too risky or insignificant to talk about.

In a time where our silence is the enemy’s weapon, freedom and oppression are only words apart. The difference between a truly liberated country and one that remains tyrannized is leaders who can speak up and stand with their countrymen when it matters the most. 

by The Science Net

Houses prep for Sports Fest 2024

Fionna Canales || Photo Credit: Ashley Royo

The seasons are finally changing.

With two weeks left until Sports Fest 2024, Philippine Science High School – Eastern Visayas Campus (PSHS-EVC) houses begin their preparations for the awaited event set to take place from January 22 to January 26, 2024.

Following the theme “The Horae: Dance of the Seasons”, the student body has been divided into three houses—Carpho, the goddess of autumn, Auxo, the goddess of summer, and Thalette, the goddess of spring.

The sports showcased in this event can be subdivided into major, minor, junior, and e-games. The major games are basketball and volleyball while the minor games include badminton, table tennis, frisbee, ultimate ball, and sepak takraw. Additionally, the event holds junior games, specifically board games, and e-games.

Aside from sports, SF features an array of special events such as cheer, cheer dance, vocal, and mural painting competitions. Furthermore, there will be new additions to this year’s special events, which are Dancesport and Ms. Sportsfest.

“My enthusiasm for SF 2024 is over-the-roof and my sole motivation is to win as champion in my sport,” Danielle Anos, a 9th grader, mentioned in an interview. 

She added that she is looking forward to this year’s SF since last year was fun, especially since she expects that Batch 2026 has a lot in store for the scholars.

On the other hand, Samantha Macabit, the Athletic Council president said “Preparing for this year’s Sports Fest has honestly been hectic yet fun. The moment classes end, I have to balance practicing cheer dance, helping out with cheer, and roaming around school to fulfill my duties.”

Further, she said that everything is slowly coming to pieces, as Batch 2026 is ready to give the scholars the best experience ever.

Sports Fest is an annual event where students from different houses exhibit their athletic prowess as they compete in separate categories – Category A for grades 7 and 8, Category B for grades 9 and 10, and Category C for grades 11 and 12. This event is spearheaded by the Athletic Council, and manned by current Grade 10 students.

by The Science Net

Welcoming The Unknown

by Flaer de Leon || Photo Credit: BusinessWorld Online

Another year, another adventure. 

Here we are again, at the precipice of a new year. There is comfort in the familiarity of the chaos. Fireworks light up the sky, laughter fills each home and street, children puff into their party horns, and the music is so loud it vibrates the ground. The end of this year feels all so nostalgic and yet it couldn’t be much more different than the last. After all, nothing is immune to change. In a world where everything is temporary, change seems to be the only thing constant in our lives.

Over the course of the last year, we have cried and laughed, with friends and family and sometimes even alone. We’ve been put in situations where our cores were left shaken and where we questioned our reason for being yet again. We have gained new experiences,  heartbreak, and insights on reality. I doubt any of us are the same as we were last December and now we’re getting ready yet again for a new year. Another year of expecting the unexpected, riding the waves of life, and adapting to the ever-changing. 

I admit, the future is daunting. The uncertainty that comes along with it causes anxiety and overthinking. Especially as Pisay scholars who undergo increasing expectations with different subjects and non-academic requirements almost every year, the added stress of the incoming year is debilitating. As a Grade 11 student, I don’t even know which college I’ll get into or if I’ll still even be a scholar by next year. There are multiple possibilities that come with the new year and a hundred things could go wrong. 

But then again, a hundred things could also go right. There are multiple amazing possibilities and some of those are that I might get into a college abroad or if I work hard enough I might become a Director’s Lister. The uncertainty of the future is what makes it daunting but it is the very thing that makes it exciting. Anything is possible, the future is not limited by the past. 

We may not know what the future might bring but we face it nonetheless. We didn’t come this far to only get this far. In the currents of change, we ride the crest and troughs. And so we continue, as Pisay scholars we continue to fight for what is right and continue to pursue excellence.

With courage as our armor, perseverance as our shield, and kindness as our weapon, we get ready for another adventure. 

Are you ready for your quest, explorer?

by The Science Net

On Thin Ice

by Mark Christian Mendoza || Photo Credit: Shutterstock

It’s a wonderful thing, the winter holidays, is it not? Gathering your family around the table to feast together. Dashing through the snow while singing Christmas carols. Watching wrapping paper get torn to shreds by rabid children. Oh, and of course who can forget, trashing all the uneaten food, plastic packaging, unwanted gifts, and whatever other vaguely unnecessary items you can find to add to the undying plague of environmental destruction! Ah… Christmas.


What? Don’t remember that last part? That’s not too surprising, very few people do. When you’re lost in the holiday cheer, it is not difficult to look past the piles of gift wrappers and cardboard packaging without even a single thought. Christmas carols carry quite convincing carefree climates, don’t they? And yet, as easy as it is to bury our heads in the snow, if we want to preserve the Christmas trees we love so dearly, pretending like the problem doesn’t exist won’t do anyone any favor.


They say that understanding the problem is half of the solution, so the first step of our foray into Father Christmas’ crimes is seeing just how much the cotton-clad man must answer for. Let’s start with the North Pole’s most prized product, presents.


According to the GWP Group, in the United Kingdom alone, 227,000 miles of wrapping paper are used every year. An astronomical length of wasted gift wrappers which is enough to wrap a line around the Earth more than 9 times over! As for the plastic packaging used for the actual presents, it’s estimated that around 125,000 tons of those are sent straight to landfills without even being recycled!


When you are opening your grandparents’ holiday cards, pretending to appreciate the heartfelt message instead of the gift inside, you should know that according to Envirotech, just sending those cards to you has released around 140 grams of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Across the UK’s entire holiday gift card industry, that’s a total of over 231,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Despite being the coldest season, it seems winter truly has some of the warmest gifts. Literally. Even if you wanted to lighten the environmental load by dropping the cards in a recycling bin, the shiny, pretty glitter that many of them contain is also pretty good at polluting paper like a plague, contaminating whole swaths of it and getting all of it thrown out! All of that environmental damage, and that is just from presents in the United Kingdom alone.


When real Christmas trees seem just a bit too pricey, those artificial trees have to kick up a stink of around 40 kilograms of carbon gas each, ten times more than natural trees, to save your wallet. Didn’t like your Christmas gift? Toss it out the window! 1 out of 5 of what were supposed to be pleasant presents end up as putrid plastic eating away at the Earth in landfills. From so hungry you could eat a horse to so full you can’t eat another bite, all those classic Christmas culinary casseroles you couldn’t stomach contribute to a total of 7.7 million tons of wasted food per year in the UK alone according to Grundig.


So, is that it then? Does that mean for the sake of the Earth, Christmas is canceled? Should Mr. Claus and his little guys in green pack up and put their gift-giving on indefinite hold? The answer is yes, but also no.


Sure, the Christmas season does produce more mountains of waste and greenhouse gases than you can shake a stick at, but perhaps it’s not Christmas that’s the problem. While it’s true that these hills of junk do appear during the winter, to get a better answer we need to dig down beneath the snow and straight to the root of the problem, and that problem is us.


The truth is that it’s our bad habits, careless spending, and reckless treatment of waste products that create all these problems in the first place. The only thing that Christmas does is dial our cheer and energy to an eleven. We buy more food than we can eat, spend money on gifts on a whim because of some flashy finagling, and toss all the plastic and other packaging in whatever container’s convenient enough when we’re done.


So, to cut down on all this pollution, what are we to do? Well, any tips that apply to year-round waste reduction apply here as well. You should try to spend money less carelessly, reuse whatever containers you find, and recycle any materials into something new and useful. However, for the end-of-year holidays in particular, here are some tips to save Christmas yourself.


Got a gift you don’t want? Don’t just throw it away. Try to sell it or pass it on to someone else! When in shops of any kind, control your spending. Many stores are designed to catch your attention with shiny posters and new products to make you leave carrying more than you planned. So before you buy anything, take a step back and think about your possible purchase. If you can afford it, try to get a real tree instead of a fake one. Its carbon footprint is 10 times smaller than that of an artificial tree. But, if you do get an artificial tree, reuse it as much as possible to make the most out of its cost to the planet. While shiny wrapping paper looks nice, you could try to put a fancy spin on your gifts by wrapping them in fabric, a much more biodegradable material.


Despite being the jolliest season of the year, Christmas hides a dark underbelly of piles of waste and heaps of greenhouse gases being released out into the Earth every time the holidays come around. Over time, these heaping helpings of trash will affect the environment and eat away at the beautiful nature of our world. To prevent this, do your part to reduce the negative effects of Christmas. Remember, as fine as the world may seem now, we are on thin ice when it comes to our future. It’s only together that we can ensure that Christmas will stay the merriest season for decades to come.

by The Science Net

Christmas Down Under

by Zandra Mendoza || Photo by Philstar Global

It’s the 24th of December. The scent of Noche Buena dinner permeating the air, the sound of wrinkling gift wrap being stripped apart by children underneath embellished trees singing around the living room, and the soft glow of series lighting wrapped around a tree are what fill the house of a family living inside a gated community. Their subdivision is raised upon hilltops conveniently tall enough to not catch a glimpse of the people who live just below their feet. 

The people who have never felt leche flan melting on their tongue on Noche Buena. Children who’ve never been under the shade of a plastic pine tree, with holes in their socks and no milk and cookies left for themselves, much less for Santa. People whose dinner tables are not chock-full of hearty, warm meals on the eve before the biggest holiday of the season.

People whose Christmas is not a holiday, but merely another day spent working for the knife. 

Christmas for them is walking the streets with aching feet as the buildings they pass by blast Mariah Carey, blissfully unaware. Christmas is worrying about whether or not a thirteenth month pay is coming, if they’re lucky enough to even work minimum wage. Christmas is squeezing through aisles in divisorias to find toys cheap enough to keep at least some sort of Christmas spirit alive for their children who’ve yet to realize the reality of what Christmas is and will be like for them. Christmas is no day to celebrate at all. It’s a day where the line between them and those that live comfortably above is even more apparent. 

It’s the 24th of December, still. The scent of a newly opened can of sardines and soy sauce permeates the air. The sound of children singing off-tune and mismatched lyrics to holiday songs in front of large mahogany doorsteps, some even simply begging for a morsel of food or a dime, chimes through. The flickering glow of a lightbulb seconds away from going out is the only light left shining on them. These are what fill not only one house, but dozens of streets where dilapidated houses line up in rows.

This isn’t merely Christmas for one, or two, or a few people. This is Christmas for all that live below privileged feet, no matter how deep under. This is Christmas for most in a country where staying warm on the eve before the 25th is a luxury in itself. 

This is a Paskong Pinoy, in a country where even the Christmas Spirit has a price.