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The City Smile, Bacolod CIty (2026)

21/08/2026

𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗥𝗬 | Of the Sea and the Evening

In the beginning, there were two blues, and God saw that the blues were beautiful. And God took the first blue and made of it the Sea, deep and restless beneath the face of the earth, and He took the second blue and made of it the Evening, which descended upon the world when the sun had finished its work. And God placed the Sea beneath the heavens and the Evening above the earth, and He separated them by a great distance, that neither should touch the other. And God saw that it was good.

And came to pass that the Sea looked upon the Evening, and the Evening looked upon the Sea. And though they had never met, each felt within itself the peculiar knowledge of having known the other from before the beginning. And the Sea asked God, “Why have You made me recognize what You have placed beyond my reach?” But God answered not. And the Evening asked, “Why have You given me eyes to behold what I cannot hold?” And God answered not. For God had already placed within them the knowledge of longing, and He knew that some questions are not answered by the One who made them.

And God planted a garden between the Sea and the Evening, and He called the garden Alone. And within the garden grew two trees. The first was the Tree of Wanting, whose fruit was red as the first hurt of the world, and the second was the Tree of Knowing, whose fruit was dark as the hour before dawn. And God commanded the Sea and the Evening, saying, “Of every tree in the garden you may eat, but of the Tree of Knowing you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall know what it is to desire what cannot remain.”

And the Sea and the Evening heard the commandment, and for a time they obeyed. They walked beneath the trees and spoke of things that had no names. The Sea spoke of the creatures that lived within its depths, and the Evening spoke of the stars that appeared when it came upon the world. They spoke until the darkness became familiar, and neither noticed when their conversations became longer than they needed to be. And God watched them from the heavens, and He knew that the Sea had begun to wait for the Evening, and the Evening had begun to arrive early for the Sea.

And the Serpent came unto them, and the Serpent was not wicked, for it had only the wisdom of creatures who have lived long enough to know that every command contains a question. And the Serpent said unto the Evening, “Why has God forbidden you the fruit of the Tree of Knowing?” And the Evening answered, “Because He has said that we shall know what it is to desire what cannot remain.” And the Serpent said, “But do you not already desire one another?” And the Evening was silent, because the Serpent had spoken the truth.

And the Sea looked upon the Evening, and the Sea wanted to come nearer. Not as the waves desire the shore, nor as the rain desires the earth, but with a terrible wanting that had no label. And the Sea remembered the words of God and wondered whether the desire had been placed within it by God Himself. And it asked, “If You made me capable of wanting, why did You make the thing I want so far away?” And again God answered not.

And the Evening came near to the Sea, and the distance between them became small. And the Evening said, “If we were alone, would you come closer?” And the Sea said, “Yes.” And the Evening said, “If there were no stars to witness us, would you touch me?” And the Sea said, “I would.” And then the Evening asked the question that the Sea had feared since the beginning, “If I let you kiss me, would you?”

And the Sea, which had been restless since the first day, became still.

And it answered, “Yes.”

And God saw them.

And God saw the Sea draw near to the Evening, and He saw the Evening remain. And neither had been commanded to do this, and neither had been commanded not to. And for a moment God said nothing. And the heavens waited, and the stars waited, and the Moon covered her face, for even the heavens knew that some moments are too delicate to be seen.

And the Matchstick, who had been lying beneath the Tree of Wanting, asked, “Who shall make the flame?” But there was no answer.

And the Sea kissed the Evening.

And In that moment the two blues became black, for blue and blue together were the absence of light. But the blackness was not empty, for within it was the warmth of everything they had been afraid to say. And the Matchstick struck itself against the stone, and a small flame appeared, and the flame was the first light that did not come from God. It was small, and shivering, and mortal, and it belonged only to them.

And God looked upon the flame, and He did not extinguish it.

And afterward, the Sea and the Evening knew that they had crossed a boundary that could not be uncrossed. They knew that the garden would never again be the same, and neither would they. The Sea remained the Sea, and the Evening remained the Evening, but each carried within itself the knowledge of the other. And the Sea said, “Will this remain?” And the Evening answered, “Only here.” And the Sea asked, “Will you remember?” And the Evening said, “Always.”

And the morning came, God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, and the light covered the garden and revealed all that the darkness had hidden. The Sea returned to the earth, and the Evening returned to the heavens, and the great distance between them was restored. And God looked upon His creation and saw that everything remained as He had made it.

But the Sea remembered. And the Evening remembered. And God knew that they remembered.

And God did not ask who had tempted whom, nor did He ask which of them had begun it, for He knew that wanting had existed in them before either had learned its name. And God looked upon the two blues, and He saw that they were no longer innocent, but neither were they empty. For they had learned that to love another is to desire the impossible, and that sometimes the heart chooses the forbidden thing simply because it wants, for once, to know what it feels like to be chosen.

And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.

And yet, when the evening came again, the Sea looked upward. And the Evening looked downward. And between them remained the darkness. And within the darkness remained the flame.

Literary Work and Illustration | Jeric Jereos Sampior
Layout and Design | Josephine Yrene Bawang

21/08/2026

𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 | The Young Man in a Hurry: The Legacy of Ninoy Aquino

Returning to the Philippines and arriving at Manila International Airport (MIA) on August 21, 1983, Benigno “Ninoy” Simeon Aquino Jr. carried with him a conviction that had become inseparable from his name: “The Filipino is worth dying for.”

He knew the danger that awaited for him. After years of imprisonment and exile, returning home meant confronting the very regime that had once imprisoned him.

Yet, aboard China Airlines Flight 811, Ninoy chose to come back, not to wage war, but to seek a peaceful way out of a country trapped under authoritarian rule.

He never made it beyond the airport tarmac that day.

As he descended from the aircraft, Ninoy was shot and killed. The government quickly identified Rolando Galman as the gunman, it alleged was responsible for the assassination.

Galman, who was also killed at the airport shortly afterward, was presented by the government as the lone gunman. But the official account was immediately met with doubt.

Later investigations challenged the government's version of events, and the Agrava Commission concluded that the assassination involved a conspiracy.

Years later, the Sandiganbayan convicted several military personnel in connection with the killing.

The circumstances surrounding Ninoy's assassination remain among the most contested chapters in Philippine political history.

Yet beyond the question of who pulled the trigger was a larger question: what had happened to a country where a prominent opposition leader could be killed in broad daylight?

Long before he became an enduring symbol of courage, Ninoy was known as “The Young Man in a Hurry.” The name reflected more than the speed of his political rise; it captured the urgency that seemed to drive him.

At 17, he worked as a war correspondent covering the Korean War. At 22, he became the youngest mayor of Concepcion, Tarlac. At 27, he became vice governor, and at 29, governor of Tarlac. In 1967, at 35, he became the youngest elected senator of his time.

His sharp intellect and powerful oratory made him one of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.'s most prominent critics.

In the Senate, Ninoy challenged government abuses and warned against the growing concentration of power. His influence grew alongside his opposition to Marcos, placing him increasingly at odds with the administration.

When Martial Law was declared in 1972, Ninoy was among those arrested. He spent years behind bars, facing charges that he maintained were politically motivated.

In 1980, after suffering a heart attack, he was allowed to travel to the United States for medical treatment. What began as a medical journey became years of exile.

But exile did not silence him.

Three years later, Ninoy decided to return. Friends and supporters warned him of the dangers. He understood them. Still, he believed that the Philippines needed a political solution and that he had to be home to help find one.

Instead, his return became a national wound.

His death transformed grief into outrage. Filipinos who had endured years of repression poured into the streets for his funeral. Yellow ribbons, photographs, and the name “Ninoy” became expressions of defiance. What had once been scattered resistance began to find a common symbol.

His assassination did not single-handedly create the 1986 People Power Revolution. Years of authoritarian rule, economic and political grievances, opposition organizing, and the disputed 1986 presidential election had already pushed the country toward a breaking point.

But Ninoy's death became a powerful catalyst, helping turn private discontent into a visible and collective demand for change.

By February 1986, millions of Filipinos gathered along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA). Workers, students, families, religious groups, activists, and ordinary citizens stood together in what became known as the EDSA People Power Revolution. For four days, Filipinos confronted a government whose grip on power was weakening.

On February 25, Ferdinand Marcos and his family left the country, while Corazon “Cory” Aquino, Ninoy's widow, was sworn in as president.

But Ninoy's legacy did not end when the crowds left EDSA.

In 1987, the place where he had arrived for the last time was given his name. Republic Act No. 6639 officially renamed the Manila International Airport (MIA) as the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA)

There is something haunting about that transformation.

In 1983, an airport witnessed the death of a man who returned home believing that democracy could still be restored peacefully.

Four years later, that same airport bore his name, a reminder that the man who never made it beyond its tarmac had left an impact far beyond it.

Today, every aircraft that lands there passes through a place woven into the nation's memory.

The gunfire has long since fallen silent, but Ninoy's story continues to ask what happens when courage refuses to remain in exile.

He was called “The Young Man in a Hurry” because he seemed unwilling to wait for change.

In the end, he did not live long enough to witness it.

But his return became the beginning of a movement that would outlive him.

One man's death awakened a nation, and when the nation finally rose, it carried his name with it.

Feature | Althea Peruelo
Layout & design | Josephine Yrene Bawang

18/08/2026

𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 | ExPotential Solutions: Innovation with the Environment in Mind
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‎Environmental issues have long been part of public discussion, but they risk becoming little more than background noise, the kind of noise people hear but eventually stop listening to.
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‎Awareness matters, but is awareness really enough?
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‎Some chose indifference. Some tried to investigate. Some tried to create.
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‎That is what the fourth-year Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship (BSE) students did.
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They created products that offer potential solutions because innovation does not begin when one merely hears a complaint; rather, it begins when an idea takes shape and a simple question is asked:
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‎“What can we create?”
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‎Instead of dwelling on the problem or shifting blame of who might be responsible, they took it upon themselves to create potential solutions to occurring problems.
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On August 17, 2026, the hallway between the College of Education (COED) and Business Education (BED) Buildings at Bacolod City College (BCC) was filled with ideas, ambition, entrepreneurial vision, and students carrying the weight of their hopes on their shoulders.

They carried hopes born from sleepless nights, countless experiments, and curious minds, all leading to this moment: the chance to present what they had been working on.
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For a single instant, their ideas were no longer confined to their notebooks, no longer abstract, but presented in front of an audience, giving them an opportunity to become something more.
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The Innovation Expo 2026 embodies the theme “Turning Entrepreneurial Vision into Reality,” which features a variety of products and business ideas.
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‎Some products focused on everyday needs, while others were developed with environmental concerns in mind.
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‎Among the many products displayed at the Expo were Carbon Clean, Bloom Shine, and Si' Luffia Kusko.
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‎Although they serve different purposes, all three were created with a concern that goes beyond simply selling a product: finding ways to respond to environmental problems.

𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆

‎For Sir Rodolfo Tamora, that problem is closely connected to climate change—an issue the Philippines has long been aware of.
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‎Not quite an enemy, not quite a friend.
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Just nature changing in response to what humans have built: new infrastructure replacing green spaces, black smoke rising from engines and factories, and trees being cut down, slowly fading from the landscape.
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In response, Tamora and his team developed Carbon Clean, a carbon filtration system designed to help address carbon emissions.
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With gleaming eyes, he explained that the system works by harnessing fossilized carbon and producing high-purity carbon that can be used for different purposes.
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‎Instead of treating carbon only as something that needs to be reduced, Carbon Clean explores the possibility of capturing carbon and putting it to practical use. Tamora mentioned possible applications of the resulting carbon in products and industries such as asphalt and batteries.
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‎But for him, the purpose of the product goes beyond its possible applications.
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‎The goal is to contribute to the possibility of addressing climate change while also developing the idea into a possible business.
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‎When asked how they moved from an idea to an actual product, Tamora gave a straightforward answer:
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‎“Taking the first step.”
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‎Maybe that's what we truly need: to take that first step toward innovation.
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‎Because nature doesn't need another person sitting down, hiding behind a sheet of paper, and writing environmental issues as if that alone could heal it.
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Tamora's perspective reflects a belief shared by many of the exhibitors: environmental concerns require not only awareness but also action and innovation.

‎For a product built around such a large environmental issue, its beginning was surprisingly simple, and maybe simple is where solutions bloom.

‎‎𝗔 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵
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‎Not all environmental ideas begin with a problem as large as climate change.
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‎For Joana Bariga and her team, innovation started with something much more familiar: leather polish.
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‎Their product, Bloom Shine, is a transparent leather polish made using gumamela. It is intended to restore the appearance of leather that has become faded or worn.
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‎The idea came from looking at the products already available on the market. Bariga explained that many leather polishes, such as Kiwi, are chemical-based. This led the group to look for natural materials that could be used as an alternative.
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‎Gumamela became their answer.
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‎Creating the product required research, mixing, and repeated attention to the formulation. The team wanted to make sure that the polish could do its job while remaining gentle on leather.
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‎For Bariga, seeing the finished product work made the process fulfilling.
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‎Bloom Shine is still a new venture, so its future is not certain. Still, the group hopes that people will eventually recognize the product, buy it, and allow it to grow into a known brand.

‎The flower may be ordinary, but the possibility behind it is not.

‎𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝘀𝗵, 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝘀
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‎For Via Pe Medalla and her team, the environmental concern they wanted to address was closer to something people encounter every day: plastic waste.
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‎Their product, Si' Luffia Kusko, is a multi-purpose brush that can be used for cleaning toilet bowls, washing clothes, scrubbing tiles, and even for skin scrubbing.
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‎The group developed the product as an alternative to synthetic plastic brushes. They pointed to the growing amount of single-use plastic and the waste it leaves behind as part of the problem they wanted to address.

According to them, one of Kusko's advantages is that it does not produce microplastics, making it a potentially more sustainable alternative to synthetic plastic brushes.
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‎Unlike products that are designed for only one purpose, Kusko was made to be useful in several ways while keeping sustainability at the center of the idea.
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‎The team is also hopeful about its future.
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‎With more people becoming aware of plastic pollution and looking for sustainable choices, they believe there could be a growing market for products like Kusko.
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‎It is a small product responding to a problem that is anything but small.
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‎𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀
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‎Carbon Clean, Bloom Shine, and Si' Luffia Kusko were only three of the many products presented at the Innovation Expo.
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‎Their ideas were different, but listening to the people behind them showed a similar starting point: they saw something that could be improved and tried to create something in response.
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‎One looked at carbon emissions.
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‎Another searched for a natural ingredient for leather care.
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‎Another looked at the everyday problem of plastic waste.
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‎The Expo therefore became more than a display of finished products.
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‎Behind every booth were students who had researched, experimented, adjusted their ideas, and tried to turn something they had imagined into something they could actually present.
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‎These products may not yet be the answers to something as big as climate change and plastic pollution.
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But they represent a starting point—ideas that can still be tested, improved, and refined.
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‎But perhaps that is the point.
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Addressing environmental challenges does not always start with a perfect answer. Sometimes it begins when someone refuses to stand aside and wait.

‎Sometimes, it begins when one asks a question:
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‎“What can be created?"

‎For these young entrepreneurs, the products on display may only be the beginning. But standing among the booths, one thing was clear: an environmental problem does not always have to end with a complaint.
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‎Sometimes, it can be where an idea begins.

Feature | Vanessa Rose Bacos & Sheryl Lapi
Layout & design | Yrene Bawang
Photos | Maria Carolina Sultan & Eden Dapar

18/08/2026

𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗦 | Obiena pumailanlang sa 5.91m, ginto sa Poland

Hindi lahat ng lumilipad ay ibon, at hindi lamang sa metro sinusukat ang tagumpay kundi sa tiyaga.

Ito ang muling pinatunayan ni EJ Obiena nang muling sumungkit ng gintong medalya matapos lumilipad sa taas na 5.91 metro, sa ginanap na Golden Sand 2026 Competition sa Międzyzdroje, Poland.

Lalong pinagtibay ng kanyang recorded height ang kanyang paghahari sa torneo matapos maitala ang season-best na 5.91 metro, na lumampas sa dati niyang naitalang 5.85 metro sa Meeting Madrid sa Spain at sa 5.83 metro na nagselyo ng ginto sa Germany noong nakaraang linggo.

Pigil-hiningang natunghayan ng mga manonood ang pagwawagi ni Obiena matapos niyang malampasan ang mga karibal na sina Cole Walsh at Hunter Garretson ng Estados Unidos, Robin Emig ng France, at ang kinatawan ng host country na sina Filip Kempski, Bartosz Marciniewicz, at Paweł Pośpiech ng Poland, upang muling iwagayway ang watawat ng Pilipinas.

Ito na ang ikawalong gintong medalya ni Obiena ngayong 2026 season, na patunay ng kanyang patuloy na pagdomina sa European athletics circuit.

Kasalukuyang nasa ika-13 sa world ranking si Obiena sa pole vault, ngunit hindi pa rito nagtatapos ang kanyang ambisyon. Hangad niyang muling makapasok sa world top 10 at patuloy na itaas ang antas ng kanyang laro.

Via | Alyza Cordova
Photo Courtesy | ernestobienapv (Instagram)

18/08/2026

𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗚𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 | BCC holds General Student Orientation

Bacolod City College (BCC) conducted its General Student Orientation for the College of Education (CoEd), Bachelor of Science in Information Systems (BSIS), and College of Business and Office Administration (CBOA) on August 17-18 at the BCC Activity Center.

The two-day event provided students with significant information regarding the services and programs offered by the college, as well as the policies implemented by the school administration.

College Administrator Dr. Ma. Johanna Ann R. Bayoneta encouraged students to remain diligent and responsible, emphasizing the importance of being accountable for their own actions.

Moreover, OSAS Director Sir Adnan N. Balisi reminded students that attending the orientation is a requirement, as it helps them become familiar with BCC's rules and regulations.

The orientation presentations featured the curriculum and learning outcomes of each program, along with important academic policies.

Representatives from various offices also introduced their respective services, including the School Clinic, Registrar's Office, Scholarship Office, Library, Gender and Development (GAD), Guidance and Welfare Services, Safety and Security, and Student Development.

Head Nurse Ms. Zoe Anne G. Zamora presented the services of the Medical-Dental Clinic, while Registrar I Mr. Miko O. Evangelio and College Registrar Pamela Joy Castellano explained the functions of the Registrar's Office, particularly matters concerning student records and enrollment.

Student Development Officer (SDO) Ms. Angelica T. Apawan introduced various types of scholarship opportunities, ensuring that students are informed about available programs that may support their education.

Chief Librarian Ms. Fritzel C. Tabaque and Ms. Analiza B. Licayan presented the library policies, while Ms. Christine Cometa shared insights on awareness campaigns.

Ms. Nikki Garcelan, Guidance Counselor, discussed the role of the Guidance Office in supporting students' academic and personal development.

Meanwhile, safety and security matters were presented by Safety and Security Officer Mr. Andrew Lachica.

BCC’s environmental policies and programs were likewise highlighted as part of the college's efforts to foster environmental awareness and responsibility among students, delivered by Dr. Junalyn C. Libiran.

Ms. Apawan and Sir Balisi, presented the Office of Student Affairs and Services (OSAS), along with its programs and services, emphasizing the office's role in addressing students' concerns and promoting student development.

The two-day orientation concluded, reinforcing the college's commitment to the welfare, development, and well-being of its students.

Via | Lynmae Evangelista
Photos by | Khen Luther Bunda, Philip Villanueva, Ma. Carolina Sultan

18/08/2026

𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗢𝗪 | Students, faculty, and staff of the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Marketing Management (BSBA-MM) and Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship (BSE) programs of the Bacolod City College (BCC) – College of Business and Office Administration (CBOA) gather today, August 18, for the morning session of the General Student Orientation at the Activity Center.

Via | Nicole Ferrer
Photos by | Ma. Carolina Sultan

17/08/2026

𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗢𝗪 | Students, faculty, and staff of the Bacolod City College (BCC) Bachelor of Science in Information Systems (BSIS) attend the afternoon session of the Institutional Orientation, August 17, at the College Activity Center.

Via | Shienel Acosta

17/08/2026

𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗢𝗪 | Students, faculty, and staff of the Bacolod City College (BCC) College of Education (CoEd) participate in the Institutional Orientation today, August 17, at the Activity Center.

15/08/2026

𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗥𝗬 | The Anatomy of Iron for Things Without Names

When the sun begins to stretch its lips into a smile, I start to open and welcome the new day, before the earthquake of the first bell echoes around my home. That is when I begin my duty, patiently standing, smiling, and carrying the name of the home I guard, a refuge for many.

For decades, long enough that it seems every bird knows me, I have watched my life unfold like a film, watching everyone grow beneath my shadow. I have seen children enter, swallowed by oversized uniforms. I tried to ask why, only to laugh when their mothers told me they might wear them until graduation. I have watched rainy Mondays sulk over my children and bright Tuesdays make them raise their eyebrows, seek help from one another, and carry pink umbrellas like shields.

I have watched everything, or so I thought.

I always knew what it meant to stand, stretching my arms wide like a mother welcoming her child. I was built to know who enters the house I guard. For years, my rusty skin has brushed against the hands and shoulders of my children.

But I realized that all I knew could never measure the things they carried such as the questions they brought with them and the ones I could never see.

A child can walk through me, and I may see a red notebook in his bag, but maybe that is not all he is carrying. He may seem to have brought only a notebook, but the truth is that he could be carrying a library of storms beneath it, a thousand pains scattered across its pages, or maybe an unsaid word that never escaped his mouth.

A bright, jolly laugh can enter through me, and so can stories I will never know. One of my beloved children may tell me a joke without leaving a mark, while an unkind word may remain in their heart for years.

No one asks a heart to empty what it is carrying before greeting me.

And perhaps that is my greatest weakness since I was built.

I may have five-star ratings for my excellence and outstanding performance, but I know I do not always notice what happens before they pass through me.

If I were given a second life, I might ask the heavens above to make me many, so I could have countless kind eyes and see what hides in the corners of their lives. Or perhaps I would become their best friend, so I could eat lunch with them and have ears that could hear even their simplest sigh. Or a guide, so I could have a mouth to speak kind words when they need them most.

Yes. Maybe it begins with noticing.

Perhaps it begins with listening and with creating a home where asking even the simplest question is neither an embarrassment nor a sin, but an ordinary human thing.

Tomorrow morning, I will open again.

The futures I have watched growing will come to me and touch my rusted skin as they always do.

Some will arrive early, carrying books they still need to study. Some will smile at me. Some will walk quietly. And some will carry stories no one else knows, not even me.

Maybe I was never meant to hold the weight of their stories. Maybe I was only meant to stand still enough for them to realize that the burden was theirs to carry all along.

I will still open, and I will still close, carrying the knowledge that a boundary can keep a body from entering, but kindness can make a person feel safe enough to stay.

So I will stand, not as a barrier, but as a witness. Not as iron, but as a place where iron finally learns to bend toward the weight it was never meant to carry alone.

Via | Madelle C. Peroramas
Layout and design | Marvy Tubongbanua

15/08/2026

𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗚𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 | BCC consults, hears sentiments on proposed haircut policy revision

Moving toward a more inclusive institution, Bacolod City College (BCC) held a public consultation on the proposed revision of its haircut policy for further review and deliberation at the BCC Activity Center, August 14.

College Administrator Dr. Ma. Johanna Ann R. Bayoneta addressed concerns regarding the existing policy, highlighting that some LGBTQIA+ students express their gender identity through longer hairstyles, which are currently prohibited under the student handbook.
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‎“We are here to listen, understand, evaluate and determine whether the existing policy should be maintained, modified, or otherwise recommended or amended,” Dr. Bayoneta emphasized.
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The College of Education (CoEd) representative supported institutional standards, emphasizing fairness, respect, professionalism, and proper communication.
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Meanwhile, ‎CSG President Alpha Grace Samillano presented a student survey that gathered 756 responses within seven hours, with 89.3% supporting a change in the haircut policy and 4.5% opposing it.

She further pointed out that the policy should apply across all genders, opened that some schools do not have haircut restrictions though maintain a healthy school environment.
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‎LGBTQIA+ students and other participants shared experiences involving identity, confidence, self-expression, and acceptance, stated that hair does not affect students' grades or learning.
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‎Moreover, other student participants spoke out regarding haircut standards that may affect some students' self-esteem and confidence, believing that greater freedom in hairstyle could help lessen anxiety and make students feel more accepted and respected.
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‎In contrary, other stakeholders emphasized the importance of discipline, proper grooming, respect, and preparation for future workplaces.

An alumni representative remarked that following institutional standards is “a matter of discipline” and adherence to BCC standards does not necessarily mean disrespecting individual's self- expression.
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‎A faculty member and mental health advocate, Ms. Christine Cometa, also articulated the importance of considering gender perspectives and maintaining a neutral approach, stating that the consultation provided an opportunity for different opinions in regard with the said policy.

‎City Councilor Al Victor Espino, Chairperson on Education, acknowledged the participants for expressing their opinions and emphasized the significance of the public discussion.

‎The consultation ended with the views and recommendations raised during the discussion set to undergo further institutional review before a final decision on the proposed haircut policy.

Via | Shienel Acosta
Photos by | Hersel Sumayang and Reychar Villanueva

The City Smile

21/08/2026

21/08/2026

18/08/2026

18/08/2026

18/08/2026

18/08/2026

17/08/2026

17/08/2026

15/08/2026

15/08/2026

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Listing takedown request

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm
Saturday	8am - 12pm