by Daneil Cerdeña & Clarissa Vicentillo || Photo Credit: Kiara Gaut

To reorient scholars about disaster preparedness, Philippine Science High School – Eastern Visayas Campus (PSHS-EVC) conducted an earthquake and fire drill orientation in collaboration with the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Palo, November 20, 2023.

Fire Officer I Romeo Canayong and Fire Officer I Jovelyn Montes talked about fire prevention and earthquake safety respectively at the PSHS-EVC Gymnasium.

Canayong started off the orientation by discussing the importance of acquiring basic knowledge on the nature and behavior of fire, familiarizing the proper response and procedures, raising awareness on fire safety, as well as the anatomy of a fire extinguisher and how to use it. 

“Sa lecture na ‘to, habang nabubuhay kayo magagamit niyo ito, pag i-internalize niyo po yung nilelecture namin. [This is an important lecture that you should internalize for you can use this as long as you live.]” Canayong said.

Following the talk on fire prevention, Ondez spoke about earthquake response as they enumerated what people should know before, during, and after an earthquake. 

“Narealize ko na it is really important na maglecture ha students, namati talaga kamo, naaware kamo. [I realized that it is really important to conduct lectures to students. They listened, hence became aware.]” Ondez said.

Next, live demonstrations of fire prevention were done by Fire Officer 1 Leigh Co and Fire Officer 3 Cyrus Maroto, showing the use of fire extinguishers and the blanketing method. 

Co said it is important to demonstrate what they have discussed as it exposes the students to “healthy fear” as a way to showcase what they have learned from their discussion. 

To conclude the event, an evaluation was held at the PSHS-EVC Gymnasium with the PSHS-EVC faculty, Student Alliance officers, and Red Cross Youth officers. The BFP Palo officers were also awarded their certificates of recognition.

During the evaluation, Maroto mentioned that public awareness is one of the vital keys to the fire and earthquake procedures as it enables the person to be aware of their surroundings, as well as what they should do in times of these events. He also mentioned that, with the takeaways from the orientation, we would be capable of helping other people.

by: Kyle Andrew Abello || Photo Credit: Kiara Gaut

Aine Latoja and Chamuel Petilla, students of the Philippine Science High School – Eastern Visayas Campus (PSHS-EVC) graduating class of 2024, both gave their insights on the Safe Space for All forum organized by the Student Services Division (SSD) on September 22 in the school auditorium.

During the forum, Latoja said that sexual harassment is a serious issue that needs to be addressed, especially since, as a woman, she has experienced first hand being catcalled in supposedly safe spaces.

“It’s good to be informed that there are legislations imposed that do not tolerate this kind of behavior,” she said, while also outlining the importance of policy makers’ role to use their power to address these issues.

“The safe spaces act is the first step to combating these problems; whether online, in public places, or in school, everyone has the right to safety and protection,” she added.

Petilla also articulated his thoughts on the Safe Spaces Act, mentioning that it was a watershed moment in the long fight against discrimination and a victory driven by people who refused to be silenced by the forces of unjust and prejudicial treatment.

“The [Safe Spaces Act] pushes safety and respect in our communities, and with it, we must take all precautions to make sure we can make a space as safe as possible,” he said.

Urging communities to fight gender inequality together, Petilla further stated, “In schools in particular, we need to do better in ensuring that all students feel safe and assure that they can freely report these incidents when faced with these predators and harassers.”

“Remember, their fight is our fight, and your fight is our fight,” he ended his speech with a reminder for students to speak up when faced with gender-based discrimination, proclaiming that the Safe Spaces Act is there to support their pursuit of justice.

Headed by Assistant City Prosecutor Atty. Marianne Hazel M. Badillo, the forum—aiming to educate school communities to cultivate proactive measures against gender-based sexual harassment—focused on the contents of the Republic Act 11313 Safe Spaces Act or Bawal Bastos Law.

by: Josh Aseo || Photo Credit: Jessa Turalba

To strengthen the support system for students’ well-being, the Student Services Division (SSD) and the Guidance Office of Philippine Science High School-Eastern Visayas Campus (PSHS-EVC), organized a Wellness Core Group training to 29 personnel at the C Pavillion Lounge at San Jose, Tacloban City, September 18 & 19. 

Ms. Kay Zabala, founder of the KKYZ Life Coaching Services, gave a lecture on how to connect better with students with regard to their mental well-being. Included in the lecture were issues on the mental health stigma, debunking myths about mental health, and how education should properly come into picture.

According to Ms. Alona P. Peleño, the school’s guidance counselor, the purpose of the core group is to live up to their mantra: “presence, support, and connection.” She also mentioned that the presence of the wellness group and the support that they can offer, can form a stronger connection between the faculty and students. 

“It’s so cliche but I think it still runs through that it’s okay to not be okay. Since there’s help available, you don’t have to just isolate yourself. These people are willing to help, the Wellness Core Group coaches are there for you,” she added. 

She also said that students often feel scared when they are associated with the Guidance Office. However, the Wellness Core Group aims to disarm that stigma, as they work on their advocacy to improve the well-being of the EVC community.

by: Gabriel Vinci Tamayo || Photo Credit: Rizh Mañago

Senator Risa Hontiveros and Atty. Chel Diokno virtually graced the Philippine Science High School-Eastern Visayas Campus’ (PSHS-EVC) Student Alliance General Elections (SAGE) Miting de Avance, September 8 at the school gymnasium. 

Hontiveros inspired the Pisay scholars through a video message, wherein she emphasized that standing up alone in a room full of people sitting down is an act worth commending.

“If you are guided by constant reflection and discernment, by deep empathy for the most marginalized in our society, if you know you are on the right side of history, you can never be alone,” she said.

On the other hand, Diokno, Dean of the De La Salle University College of Law, stressed the importance of picking the right school leaders.

“Napakahalaga ng proseso na ating isinasagawa kasi ito ay bahagi ng demokrasya [The process we are executing is very important as it is a part of democracy],” Diokno said.

“Magagamit natin ang kaalaman na ito bilang gabay sa pagpili ng mga susunod na leader sa ating paaralan [We will be able to use the knowledge that we will gain today as basis for choosing the next leaders of the school],” he added.

SA Adviser Vesifina Ron also highlighted the significance of making our collective voice heard and choosing leaders who will guide us toward excellence.

“The leaders that will be selected today will have the opportunity to drive positive change onto school initiatives and inspire kids to meet their fullest potential,” she said.

Candidates for the SA Elections this year included eight students from the Purveyors of Unity in Leading for Service and Opportunities (PULSO) Party and two independent candidates running for the positions of Public Information Officer and Vice President.

Voting for the next SA Officers took place on September 11, 2023 in the Computer Science Laboratories of the campus.

by: Samantha Macabit || Photo Credit: Jerry Serdeña

With the theme “Creating compelling promotions to spread science news on social media”, the PSHS System conducted PisayCom 2023, a system-wide event attended by selected scholars, held online last August 29-31.

The event formally kicked off with a welcome message from Dr. Renato U. Solidum, Jr., Department of Science and Technology (DOST) secretary, followed by an opening address by Ms. Lilia T. Habacon, executive director of the PSHS System.

In a keynote address, Mr. Howie Severino, former GMA Network’s Vice President for Multimedia Journalism, emphasized the amount of power the current generation holds when it comes to sharing information through social media.

“Today’s generation is empowered to share, create, collaborate, and mobilize like never before,” he said.

Aside from that, Mr. Alvin Hizon, multimedia specialist, discussed the importance of science communication through social media in terms of its content, graphics, and layout. Meanwhile, Mr. Jose del Rosario, multimedia artist, tackled how to create posts that capture the viewer’s attention.

On the second day, Mr. Ron Lopez, former correspondent of ABS-CBN News, gave a keynote speech on accurate e-news reporting. Furthermore, Mr. Adrian Paul Conoza, special features and content editor of BusinessWorld Publishing Corporation, talked about writing for e-publication and Mr. Louie Gerodiaz, frontend web developer, gave a live demonstration on how to consider the different elements in a website layout.

On the third day, Mr. Resty P. Balila, program manager of DOSTv, delivered a keynote address about making science interesting through audiovisuals. On the other hand, Dr. Ruby Cristobal, news anchor of DZRH’s Radio Henyo, handed out tips when it comes to educational vlogging and gave an activity to the attending scholars.

by: Frances Katharine Manalo || Photo Credit: Jerry Serdeña

To formally open the start of School Year 2023-2024, the Philippine Science High School – Eastern Visayas Campus welcomed its scholars in the Opening Program: Pasidungog 2023 held on August 23, 2023, at 9:00 in the morning through Zoom and Facebook Live.

The Campus Director, Ms. Yvonne Esperas, delivered the opening remarks for the event, extending her warmest congratulations to all the students for their efforts in the previous school year.

“You did an excellent job. But not only those director’s listers, but we also want to recognize those of you who made it to the next year. We know that it has not been too easy for you, but you did a good job as well. So, congratulations to all of you,” she expressed.

In her message, Ms. Esperas also encouraged the students to plan their academic objectives as the classes come to a start.

“Now, this is the start of the school year and it is always good to set a goal and plan what you want to do this school year. It is always better to know where you are heading, and what you expect from yourself in the entire school year,” the Campus Director noted.

In the recognition ceremony, Mrs. Leslie Cruto, the Curriculum and Instruction Division (CID) Chief, was joined by Mrs. Rosalinda Paciencia and Mr. Jesse Ronald Estoque, the Assistants to the CID for Student Affairs and Academic Affairs, respectively, in awarding the director’s listers and special awardees for SY 2022-2023.

The introduction of the faculty, staff, and school personnel ended the morning program.

In the afternoon, the annual orientations were held for the different departments, namely the CID, Students Services Division (SSD), Finance and Administrative Division (FAD), and other school services.

by: Frances Katharine Manalo || Photo Credit: Kiara Gaut

After two years of online learning amid the pandemic, the Philippine Science High School – Eastern Visayas Campus (PSHS-EVC) is back-on-track as it launched its face-to-face celebration of the annual Science, Math, and Technology (SMT) Fair 2023 on March 28-31, 2023, with the theme, “Sustainable, Renewable, Inclusive.” 

This year’s affair was organized by the SMT Unit. 

The three-day event commenced with a program that formally opened the community fair. The Plenary Talks then followed, graced by seven speakers, namely Hillary Diane Andales, Batch 2018 Alumna, Lord Byron Torrecarion, Office of Civil Defense Director, Sofronio Agustin, Balik Scientist, Jay-Ian Camposano, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) Weather Observer I, Franz Louis Cesista, Software Engineer, Leni Yap-Dejeto, University of the Philippines (UP) Tacloban College Biology Professor, and Jon Michael Mancao, Batch 2009 Alumnus. 

On the second day of the fair, scholars from Grades 10 and 11 gathered for the Research Congress, wherein Grade 12 students presented their research studies to panelists and willing audiences. Simultaneously, Grades 7 to 9 scholars participated in two conferences, the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) Talks and the Meet Your Scientist: Empowering Women and Girls for Science.

On its last day, the SMT fair festivities pushed through with the Science Olympics and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Quiz Bee, where PSHS-EVC scholars took part. Furthermore, the Regional SMT Quiz Bee was participated by elementary students from around the region (Eastern Visayas) and was also held on the campus. 

The event concluded in the evening with this year’s Blaze: Rekindling of the Scholarly Flame, which was hosted by the Society for the Advancement of Research in Science (SARS), the official STEM organization of PSHS-EVC. The scholars gathered in the school quadrangle to witness the tradition of lighting a bonfire and pledged to their duties as scholars of the Filipino people. 

The SMT Fair is an annual tradition in the PSHS-EVC community held to demonstrate the school’s commitment to the development of science and technology. It ignites the fire of the scholars in their passion for the field.

by: Aya Ecaldre || Photo Credit: Erdem Sahin/EPA-EFE

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake, followed by a series of aftershocks, devastated southeast Turkey and northwest Syria last February 6, 2023, at 4:17 A.M (GMT+3). More than 10,000 injuries have been recorded, and the death toll has surpassed 40,000. 

The earthquake’s epicenter was near Nurdağı and Gaziantep, home to approximately 3.5 million Syrian refugees, according to United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Several provinces with significant hubs for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) supporting Syrians have been heavily affected in Turkey. Syrian cities of Allepo, Latakia, Hama, and Idlib, which relied on humanitarian aid after the civil war, have also been affected. 

Rescuers have been aiding the victims, but the cold weather and shortage of fuel and vehicles are currently slowing down efforts. 

The aftermath has left hundreds of thousands of families homeless, facing a significant risk of hypothermia as they struggle to survive in sub-zero temperatures. Children are now at a heightened risk of catching diseases such as cholera and Hepatitis A due to shelter and water infrastructure damages. 

The authorities of Turkey have arrested at least nine contractors for violations of building codes that may have caused the collapse of several buildings leading to an increase in deaths. 

According to the United Nations (UN), Syrian President Bashar al-Assad agreed to open borders to allow and accelerate relief operations. In line with this, the UN announced the launch of USD 397 million humanitarian appeal for Syria and Turkey. Additionally, the organization has also released USD 50 million from its emergency funds for earthquake relief. 

At the same time many international rescue teams have left the vast quake zone, survivors were still being found from under a multitude of flattened homes and buildings.

Several humanitarian organizations working in Syria also called for an increase in international support and relief operations to grant aid for the earthquake victims.

by: Frances Katharine Manalo || Photo Credit: Kendra Osias

With the theme “Unity in the Spirit of Camaraderie,” the PSHS-EVC finally kicked off Sportsfest 2022: The Charitesia last January 30, 2023, in the school gymnasium. Hosted by Batch 2025, the week-long event will end on February 3.

On Monday morning, the opening program, hosted by Benj Salvatierra and Max Phipps, began with a prayer and the singing of the Philippine National Anthem. This was followed by an opening message delivered by the Campus Director, Ms. Yvonne Esperas, who then voiced the declaration of this year’s Sportsfest.

Upon the opening, the Lighting of the Torch was done by the Athletic Council Presidents of Batches 2023, 2024, and 2025, namely Alchris Ceballos, Charles Uy, and Maud Mejias, respectively. The program then proceeded with an opening salvo performance by PSHS-EVC’s official dance ALA/Club “Pisayaw” and an Oath of Amateurism led by the Athletic Council Vice President, Gabrielle Cordeta.

Various competitions also took place during the opening, where Houses Aglaea, Thalia, and Euthymia earned their first house points. Each house showed their uniqueness and unity through the lively cheers roaring through the whole gymnasium, the shining vocal solo performances, the energetic cheerdance stages, and the dramatic vocal duets.

The winners were immediately announced at the end of the morning program. For the cheer competition, House Aglaea was awarded first place, House Thalia second place, and House Euthymia third place. In the vocal solo performances, House Aglaea once again claimed the first spot, Thalia in second, and Euthymia in third. For the cheerdance competition, House Euthymia was awarded first place, House Thalia second place, and House Aglaea third place. Lastly, in the vocal duets, House Thalia came in first place, House Euthymia in second, and House Aglaea in third.

The Charitesia continued in the afternoon with the long-awaited and much-anticipated Sportsfest games and festivities, such as the booths conducted by Batches 2023, 2024, and 2025.

by: Gabriel Vinci Tamayo || Photo Credit: REUTERS/Aly Song

China scrambles to accommodate patients as the nation undergoes a new wave of COVID-19 cases right after the rollback of the most significant restrictions through its “zero-COVID” policy, forcing residents to stay inside their homes and subsequently resulting in the desertion of streets in major cities. By the end of 2023, the country’s COVID-19 death toll is expected to soar past 1 million.

Last December 7, China announced to lighten its current COVID-19 prevention and control protocols. This is due to the protests in cities across the country calling for an end to the stringent restrictions brought about by the “zero-COVID” policy. However, toning down the protocols has proven to have a more negative effect on the nation as the number of COVID-19 cases has reportedly increased. The rise in cases is currently unknown due to the discontinuation of mandatory testing in several areas. 

Worrying predictions made by researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) have also recently surfaced. It is estimated that the country’s COVID-19 death toll will breach 322,000 by April 2023. An analysis of this report performed by Reuters also found that China might see upward of 1 million COVID-19-caused deaths in the next year.

This swell in cases has led to overloaded hospitals, causing numerous cities across China to install more hospital beds and set up clinics for fever screening. It has also caused panic buying to surge, leading to the exponentially significant and sudden rise in demand for pain-relief medicine, flu drugs, vitamin C-rich products, electrolyzed water, and COVID-19 testing kits. Concerned authorities are already preparing health kits and medicinal products, following the nation’s call. The vulnerable groups, such as the elderly of Wuhan, China, are already receiving packs containing medicines, antigen tests, and throat syrups.

Alleged inconsistencies in the death toll are also being found, with the increased number of hearses entering crematoriums every day raising suspicion as China has not reported a single death from COVID-19 since December 4. One witness from Reuters revealed that they saw 40 hearses queuing to enter a crematorium in Beijing.

Along with these suspicions came a massive wave of misinformation on COVID-19. The views of several experts seemed to have drastically shifted, such as the opinion of the architect of the “zero-COVID” policy, Dr. Liang Wannian. He went from supporting the policy, stating that China “cannot tolerate” another massive wave of cases, to stating that “the virus is much milder now,” suggesting that he supports making the policy more lenient. 

Dr. Zhong Nanshan, a seasoned pulmonologist who helped combat the SARS outbreak, took it a step further by spreading information that is not only misleading but also outright wrong. Dr. Zhong stated that he has not seen COVID-19 do long-term damage to a patient’s organs and that 78% of patients infected with the Omicron variant will not be infected again for a long time. Nevertheless, such claims have already been proven wrong by studies and general observations. 

“It doesn’t matter whether [the sources] are reputable or not,” stated Huang Yanzhong, a senior for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, when asked about the rising amount of COVID-19-related fake news. 

“They find anything that they thought would be useful to them, they start to translate that into Chinese, and start to spread it, and it becomes viral,” Huang added.