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SIRMATA, #16 Quiling Sur, Batac (2025)

17/10/2025

𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬 | 𝗜𝗻𝗮𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗴𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮 𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻
𝘉𝘺 𝘋𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘭 𝘑𝘰𝘴𝘩𝘶𝘢 𝘈. 𝘔𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘭

𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘀𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝗮 𝘀𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘀𝗮.

Sa pagkagat ng liwanag, tinutupi nani Kiko ang kanyang asul na banig—”akala ko pa naman, sa 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 na'ko matutulog pagkatapos kong magtapos, mauuna pa yata akong matapos,” pabirong wika ng binatilyo habang inililigpit ang materyal. Si Kiko, isang 𝘯𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘸𝘦𝘺𝘵 mula sa Ilocos Norte, ay hindi ipinanganak na may kutsarang pilak sa bibig—tiyaga, tiyaga, at walang hanggang tiyaga ang ginagamit niyang sandata sa pakikipagsapalaran dahil sa kawalan ng salapi. Siya ang unang nagtapos sa kanilang pamilya—isang panalo na matagal na nilang inaasam-asam. Matalino si Kiko, masipag, ngunit wala siyang koneksyon o “𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳”, wala siyang padrino. Sa halip na magdiwang ng kanyang tagumpay, agad siyang itinulak ng nagmamadaling reyalidad at hinahabol gamit ang patalim na "kailangan mo na'ng kumita ng pera,” dahil ang kanyang ama’y may 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘴, nangangailangan ng 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 na gamot buwan-buwan, at ang dalawa niyang nakababatang kapatid ay parehong nasa high school, idagdag mo narin ang usurera'ng literal na hinahabol sila ng patalim dahil sa patong-patong na utang na ginamit upang makapagtapos.

Habang hawak niya ang bagong diploma, ramdam niya na ang laban ay hindi pa tapos, bagkus nagsisimula.

Parang tinapay ang bawat bagong gradweyt. Pinaghirapan, minasa, inihurno sa loob ng mga paaralan at pamantasan—mainit-init pa, sabik nang ipamahagi sa hapag ng lipunan. Sa Ilocos Norte, taun-taon ay libu-libong kabataan ang lumalabas mula sa mga unibersidad, dala ang bagong tapos na diploma at amoy ng pag-asa, wari bang bagong lutong pandesal na kay sarap namnamin. Ngunit gaya ng tinapay, hindi lahat ay nabibili. Hindi dahil sa lasa o anyo, kundi dahil may sariling pamantayan ang merkado. Si Kiko, na umaasang agad makapagtrabaho sa isang ospital, ay paulit-ulit na tinatanggihan—kesyo kulang daw sa karanasan, kesyo puno na rawang mga plantilla, kesyo ganito, kesyo ganyan, kesyo, kesyo, kesyo na langpalagi. Ngunit sa likod ng mga saradong pintuan, may ibang nakalulusot: mga aplikanteng may padrino o kaya’y anak ng opisyal. Ang diploma ni Kiko, na sana’y puhunan, ay nagiging palamuti lamang sa kanilang munting barong-barong na tahanan.

Ngunit hindi lamang nakakulong sa apat na sulok ng ospital ang kaso ni Kiko. Maraming g**o ang hindi natatanggap sa pampublikong paaralan dahil sa mas mataas na ranggo ng ibang aplikante—kahit may mga kuwestiyon sa kung paano nakuha ang puntos. Mga engineer at IT na gradweyt na napipilitang maging sales agent. At ang pinakamasaklap, may mga kabataang natutulak sa trabaho na hindi ligtas o wala man lang maayos na benepisyo. Ang problema ay hindi lamang kakulangan ng trabaho kundi ang sistemang pinapaboran ang may kapit at ang mga bulsa ng iilang makapangyarihan.

Dito pumapasok ang mas malaking sugat: ang katiwalian. Kapag ang pondo para sa pasilidad ng ospital ay nauuwi sa bulsa ng iilang opisyal, paano magkakaroon ng sapat na posisyon para sa mga nars? Kapag ang pondo para sa paaralan ay ninanakaw, paano magkakaroon ng bagong silid-aralan at g**o? Kapag ang proyektong pang-imprastruktura ay kinurakot, paano magkakaroon ng trabaho ang mga inhinyero? Ang tinapay na para sana sa masa ay unti-unting ninanakaw bago pa man umabot sa merkado. Hindi na nga umaagos ang ating mga imburnal dahil sa bulok na proyekto, hindi rin pala nakakaagos ang mga kabataan sa salitang "tambay". 𝗕𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗵𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗨𝗕𝗜𝗚 𝗮𝘁 𝗞𝗢𝗥𝗔𝗣𝗦𝗬𝗢𝗡.

Hindi kulang sa sipag ang mga kabataan. Sa loob ng apat o limang taon, minasa sila ng sistema ng edukasyon: binugbog ng pagsusulit, inihurno ng 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴, pinulbos ng 𝘖𝘑𝘛. Ngunit paglabas nila, ang naghihintay ay hindi patas na merkado kundi mesa ng negosasyon—kung sino ang may kakilalang politiko o may pang-areglo. Ang tinapay na ito, gaano man kabango, gaano man kainit, at gaano man kasabik maisawsaw sa kape ng hulmahan, ay hindi pinapansin kung walang koneksyon.

May ilan namang nagsusumikap lumikha ng sariling panaderya—𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳, 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳, o mga sumusugal sa sistema at nagtatayo ng maliliit na negosyo. Sila ang mga tinapay na kahit hindi tinanggap sa malalaking panaderya ng lipunan, ay natutong humanap ng sariling mamimili. Ngunit hindi lahat ay may kapital o pagkakataon; marami pa rin ang napipilitang umasa sa sistemang matagal nang umiikot sa pabor at pakilala.

Sa huli, mamanalagi ang masakit na tanong: gaano pa katagal mananatiling dekorasyon ang mga bagong luto nating tinapay? Kailan kaya sila tunay na matitikman ng lipunang nangangailangan ng sariwang sigla at ideya? Mangyayari kaya ang pagbabago bago sila maamag?

Dahil kung patuloy na mamimili lamang batay sa koneksyon, at kung patuloy na kukurakutin ang puhunan para sa kinabukasan, hindi kailanman malalasap ng bayan ang tunay na lasa ng mga tinapay na ito—ang lasa ng pag-asa ng kabataang Ilokano, na minasa para sa masa, ngunit nananatiling hindi maka-masa. Ang mga tinapay na sapilitang kinukubli sa mga salitang "𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗸𝗮 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻 (𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂)," ay unti-unti na'ng nililisan ang bansang kinalakihan. Ang mga tinapay ay lumuluwas na sa ibang bansa—dahil ang mga tinapay na kahel dito, ginto doon.

𝘼𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙜𝙖 𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙮 𝙣𝙖 𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙣, 𝙞𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙗𝙪𝙗𝙪𝙣𝙮𝙞 𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙜-𝙖𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙣 𝙙𝙤𝙤𝙣, 𝙖𝙮 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞-𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙜 𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙤.

𝗜𝗻𝗮𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗴𝗮 𝗧𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮 𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻.

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𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘺 𝘙𝘦𝘯𝘻 𝘑𝘦𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘫𝘢
𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘌𝘥𝘳𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘑𝘰𝘴𝘩 𝘋𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘺

17/10/2025

#𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗔𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁 | Two consecutive aftershocks were recorded in Ilocos Norte following the magnitude 5.2 quake that hit the province on Friday afternoon, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology Seismology (PHIVOLCS-DOST).

The first aftershock struck at 4:27 p.m., with a magnitude of 2.5 and a depth of 12 kilometers. The epicenter was located 6 kilometers north, 26° west of Pasuquin.

Just four minutes later, a stronger aftershock with a magnitude of 5.0 and a depth of 10 kilometers was recorded at 4:31 p.m. The tremor’s epicenter was located at13 kilometers north, 66° west of Pagudpud.

Instrumental intensities were reported as follows:

Intensity II – Bacarra, Ilocos Norte

Intensity I – Claveria, Cagayan; San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte; Sinait and City of Vigan, Ilocos Sur. | 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘈𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘢

17/10/2025

#𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗔𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁 | A magnitude 5.2 quake struck Ilocos Norte on Friday afternoon, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology Seismology (PHIVOLCS-DOST) reported.

The tremor occurred 11 kilometers northwest of Pagudpud town at 4:14 p.m. with a depth of 10 kilometers.

According to PHIVOLCS-DOST, several instrumental intensities were reported in nearby municipalities including Bacarra (Intensity III), and San Nicolas (Intensity II).

The quake was also felt at MMSU Batac Campus, which is located approximately 111 kilometers away from the epicenter. | 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘈𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘢

16/10/2025

𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗜𝗡 | The MMSU–College of Medicine (COM) achieved a 100% passing rate after all nine (9) of its examinees passed the October 2025 Physician Licensure Examination (PLE).

Of the MMSU-COM new physicians, eight (8) were first-time takers, while one (1) was a repeater. They are among the 4,570 out of 5,897 passers nationwide.

The PLE, administered by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), was held on October 4–5 and 10–11, 2025, across various testing centers in the country, including Metro Manila, Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legazpi, Lucena, Palawan, Pampanga, Rosales, Tacloban, Tuguegarao, and Zamboanga. | 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘙𝘺𝘢𝘯 𝘓𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘊𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘯

16/10/2025

#𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗽𝘂𝘀 | 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
𝘉𝘺 𝘈𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘈𝘮𝘪𝘢𝘯

Every morning, the country wakes up and prods people the same question:
“𝘖, 𝘢𝘯𝘰 𝘯𝘢 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘩𝘢𝘺?”

And maybe, like how Ricky Lee frames it with love, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲.
𝘚𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.
Old containers. Old notebooks. Old hopes.

𝗪𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝘄𝗼, 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲,
and 𝘸𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘬𝘢𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘶𝘣𝘰𝘴 𝘯𝘢.

And if there’s a quota that needs to be paid, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦?
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗲𝘁𝗿𝘆.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵, footsteps on cracked roads, 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘧-𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘴.

𝘈 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘚𝘯𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘳 150 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦.
The kid clutches his bag, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩,
𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳,
thinking and thinking,
and somewhere in that riddle,
the driver revs again,
𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲,
𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲.

And as the tricycle fades down the road,
𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦.
The angle 𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦-𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘥,

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘀.
He talks about deadlines.
She’s talking about her mother’s eyes.
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮,
𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰.

Just behind them, at the gate, a tricycle wheezes by.
The boys are sardined inside, 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆.

It’s the age of rebellion, 𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺,
the faith that says, “𝗕𝘂𝗵𝗮𝘆 𝗽𝗮 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗸𝗼 𝗸𝗮𝘆𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗻.”

The guard watches them go, and he knows a truth no syllabus will ever teach:
𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳,
𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗱𝗼,
𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘀.

Meanwhile, near the glass buildings, 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴
and 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘣 𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥,
tossing away their teenage selves 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘬-𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺-𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭.

They talk in confessions,
like maybe 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥,
𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘴.

Maybe one is talking about love,
or politics,
or their fathers who never finished college,
or 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸.
Maybe all of it.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴.
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵,
𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴,
𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗾𝘂𝗼𝘁𝗮𝘀.
They are 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵,
𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺,
𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦,
𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻-𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘀.
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴,
𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨,
𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗯𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴,
𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲,
𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝘆,
𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱.

And maybe that’s what this is–
𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺
𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴
or maybe just
a little
proverbial thing called life.
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗵𝗼𝘄,
𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.

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𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘑𝘉 𝘋𝘪𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴
𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘌𝘥𝘳𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘑𝘰𝘴𝘩 𝘋𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘺

16/10/2025

𝗗𝗘𝗩𝗖𝗢𝗠 | 𝗘𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗜𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲
𝘉𝘺 𝘈𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘉𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘨

The Philippines is situated in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region with a horseshoe shape that encircles the Pacific Ocean and is characterized by a high level of seismic and volcanic activity. Approximately 90 percent of all earthquakes take place along the Ring of Fire, and the ring is scattered with 75 percent of all active volcanoes on our planet.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) recorded an average of 20 earthquakes per day and almost 100–150 of them are felt each year. Apparently, the nation has large major faults including the Western Philippine Fault, the Eastern Philippine Fault, the South of Mindanao Fault, Central Philippine Fault, and the Marikina/Valley Fault, which make it seismically vulnerable. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁; 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁.

The West Valley Fault is one of these that the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) is paying close attention to since it is a crucial feature that has the capacity to cause large earthquakes that could affect areas with a high population density.

According to PHIVOLCS, the West Valley Fault has a recurrence interval of 400 to 600 years. The last major movement occurred around 1658, which means the fault is due for another significant shift anytime soon. When it happens, PHIVOLCS estimates the earthquake could reach a magnitude of 7.2, causing widespread structural damage, massive power and water outages, and leaving over 34,000 people dead and 114,000 others injured within the capital region alone. This projection, published in the Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study (MMEIRS) paints a grim but necessary picture. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿.

Over the past few months and weeks, it is apparent that the headlines are full of stories about seismic disturbances. Including the recent news of a magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit the province of Cebu as well as the 7.6 magnitude that struck the Mindanao region in the southern Philippines on October 10, 2025. Aside from bringing down buildings and killing a few bystanders, the aforementioned tremor has raised fresh interest in or anxiety about "The Big One.” These geological records indicate that earthquakes are a regular and ongoing occurrence.

Even within the university's walls, we are not immune to this phenomenon; 𝘄𝗲, 𝘁𝗼𝗼, 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀. In the name of safety and security for all students and staff, the University has identified particular places of evacuation around the campus, in coordination with the Department of Disaster Risk Reduction and Management. These areas are places of safety during an earthquake, being open spaces removed from possible danger zones.

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𝙍𝙚𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨:

𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘖𝘯𝘦? | 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘈𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 (𝘯.𝘥.). 𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘸𝘸𝘸.𝘱𝘯𝘢.𝘨𝘰𝘷.𝘱𝘩/𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯/𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴/1108-𝘢𝘳𝘦-𝘸𝘦-𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺-𝘧𝘰𝘳-𝘵𝘩𝘦-𝘣𝘪𝘨-𝘰𝘯𝘦

𝘎𝘔𝘈 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘴 (2025, 𝘖𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳 13). 𝘋𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘬𝘦 | 24 𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘴 [𝘝𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰]. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘛𝘶𝘣𝘦. 𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘸𝘸𝘸.𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘣𝘦.𝘤𝘰𝘮/𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩?𝘷=𝘒𝘒𝘛𝘔𝘧𝘍𝘍2𝘕𝘧𝘤
𝘋𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘰, 𝘒. (2025, 𝘖𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳 4). 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘤𝘴, 𝘑𝘐𝘊𝘈 𝘦𝘺𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘍𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘪𝘯 2026 | 𝘈𝘉𝘚-𝘊𝘉𝘕 𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘴. 𝘈𝘉𝘚-𝘊𝘉𝘕. 𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘸𝘸𝘸.𝘢𝘣𝘴-𝘤𝘣𝘯.𝘤𝘰𝘮/𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴/𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯/2025/10/4/𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘤𝘴-𝘫𝘪𝘤𝘢-𝘦𝘺𝘦-𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦-𝘵𝘰-𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘵-𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺-𝘧𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵-𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺-𝘪𝘯-2026-1317

𝘖𝘯𝘨, 𝘈. 𝘒. 𝘚., 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘺𝘰, 𝘠. 𝘛., 𝘓𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘢, 𝘍. 𝘊., 𝘙𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘴, 𝘙. 𝘕., 𝘚𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘢, 𝘒. 𝘔., 𝘝𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘴, 𝘑. 𝘈., 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨, 𝘔. 𝘕., 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘻, 𝘑. 𝘍. 𝘛., 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘢, 𝘚. 𝘍., & 𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘪, 𝘈. 𝘢. 𝘕. 𝘗. (2021). 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 “𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦” 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴: 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳. 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘙𝘪𝘴𝘬 𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 63, 102467. 𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘥𝘰𝘪.𝘰𝘳𝘨/10.1016/𝘫.𝘪𝘫𝘥𝘳𝘳.2021.102467

𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘝𝘰𝘭𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘦𝘪𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 (𝘗𝘏𝘐𝘝𝘖𝘓𝘊𝘚-𝘋𝘖𝘚𝘛) (2024, 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 15). 𝘈𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘭 𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘴 𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘸... [𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵]. 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘸𝘸𝘸.𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬.𝘤𝘰𝘮/100069419190342/𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴/𝘱𝘧𝘣𝘪𝘥035𝘣𝘯𝘶𝘴𝘫62𝘫𝘕𝘯2𝘯𝘕𝘶𝘢𝘺𝘟𝘒78𝘷𝘌87𝘧𝘎𝘦𝘈𝘡𝘴𝘦71𝘛𝘋𝘑𝘴𝘗𝘗𝘚𝘞𝘫𝘶𝘓𝘵𝘔𝘙𝘞𝘔3𝘝7𝘛𝘤𝘙𝘤𝘱4𝘘𝘰5𝘰𝘱𝘭/?𝘢𝘱𝘱=𝘧𝘣𝘭𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦 (𝘯.𝘥.). 𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤.𝘰𝘳𝘨/𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦/𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦-𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘴-𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦/

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘯𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘢𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢 (2025, 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 14). 𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦 | 𝘋𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘔𝘢𝘱, & 𝘍𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴. 𝘌𝘯𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢. 𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘸𝘸𝘸.𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢.𝘤𝘰𝘮/𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦/𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘰𝘧-𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦

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𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘛-𝘑𝘢𝘺 𝘓𝘶𝘬𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯

16/10/2025

𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 | 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗠𝗠𝗦𝗨 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗮𝘁𝗵, 𝘃𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆
𝘉𝘺 𝘈𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘔. 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘢

University Student Council (USC) Executive Chairperson Edriane Gerby Maloom assured to uphold transparency in his leadership as he officially took his oath of office as the new student regent and member of the MMSU Board of Regents (BOR).

Maloom was formally sworn into office by Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis during the 163rd Board of Regents meeting held at the Center for Flexible Learning (CFL) on October 15.

“I will ensure transparency by being honest to the students [and by] cascading [the] information they need to know about what’s happening in the university. After all, the students are among the main stakeholders who deserve to be informed about university matters,” he told SIRMATA in an interview.

As the representative of the student sector in the highest governing body of the university, Maloom bared that he will prioritize student welfare and strengthen the USC as a platform where students can comfortably raise concerns and propose projects and initiatives.

“Expect a leader that knows how to listen and will make you feel that you are part of the family. I and my [fellow] USC officers want to establish a close relationship with the students–one where they don’t see us as officers who are above them, but rather as friends they can easily approach in times of need,” Maloom pointed out.

“During my leadership, I want students to know that we will do our best to help them in every possible way,” he further added.

To recall, Maloom assumed the position of USC Executive Chairperson through the rule of succession following the resignation of then Chairperson Alona Daniela Balucio.

When asked if he would continue the plans and initiatives set by his predecessor, Maloom affirmed that he intends to pursue several of them, including the Day with the USC, which he described as an “avenue for the voices of students to be heard at the university level.”

“The initiatives started by the administration of Ms. Alona will also continue. After all, the plans for the MMSU studentry have already been established, as I’ve mentioned in past interviews. These initiatives were collaborative ideas among the officers before,” he asserted.

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𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘒𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘝𝘪𝘭𝘢

15/10/2025

#𝗦𝗜𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗔𝗔𝘀𝗸𝘀 | 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝘀?

The days after the midterms bring all kinds of emotions: 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙛, 𝙚𝙭𝙝𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚, 𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. Many students feel drained from all the studying and sleepless nights, while others finally get to breathe after weeks of stress. At the end of the day, whether you’re celebrating your scores or reflecting on what to improve, what really matters is how you pick yourself up.

Moreover, midterms aren’t just about grades; they also show how strong you are. They teach us that every mistake has a lesson behind it, and every small win deserves to be noticed. Despite the challenges, even when you’re tired or burned out, you still find ways to keep going, and that’s something to be proud of. After going through all that, what did the midterms make you realize?

𝘼𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚𝙨, 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚. You’ve made it through one of the toughest parts of the term, and that’s already a win. Looking ahead, 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙? | 𝘣𝘺 𝘑𝘰𝘺𝘤𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘢 𝘈𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘴𝘢 𝘗. 𝘗𝘢𝘫𝘰

15/10/2025

𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗜𝗡 | Eleven of the 14 examinees from Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) successfully hurdled the October 2025 Licensure Examination for Fisheries Professionals. This performance gives the university an institutional passing rate of 78.57%, surpassing the national average of 69.61%.

Based on the official results released by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) today, the 11 passers from MMSU College of Aquatic Sciences and Applied Technology (CASAT) are all first-time takers.

The new fisheries professionals of the university are among the 1,507 passers out of 2,165 examinees who took the examination last October 9 to 10.

According to the PRC, the said licensure examination was administered in the cities of Manila, Baguio, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Calapan Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Koronodal, Legazpi, Lucena, Luena, Pagadian, Palawan, Rosales, Tacloban, and Tuguegerao. | 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘈𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘢

15/10/2025

𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗢𝗪 | MMSU students who are scholars of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) under its Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) program receive their stipends today at the Student Center.

The TES is a grant-in-aid program of CHED that provides financial support to eligible students enrolled in CHED-recognized State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) to cover their educational expenses and promote equitable access to higher education. | 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘈𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘢

𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘢𝘩 𝘈𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘰

14/10/2025

𝗜𝗡 𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗢𝗦 | With the first semester now halfway through, student leaders from various colleges of the university convened for the Second General Assembly of the academic year, held at the Center for Flexible Learning (CFL) on October 13, 2025.

Spearheaded by the officers of the MMSU University Student Council (USC), the assembly tackled plans for major university events, including the University Games (UniGames), Day with the USC, the Environmental Project, and the Lantern Parade.

According to the USC, the assembly served as a platform for collaboration and strategic coordination among student councils across the university to ensure alignment and readiness for the upcoming university-wide activities. | 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘈𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘢

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𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘒𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘝𝘪𝘭𝘢

14/10/2025

𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 | 𝗠𝗠𝗦𝗨 𝗣𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗼 “𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗺𝗮” 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀
𝘉𝘺 𝘈𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘔. 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘢

In celebration of the World Mental Health Day, the MMSU Peer Facilitators will launch a series of activities aimed at breaking the stigma surrounding mental health support and promoting mental wellness among students.

With the support of the Guidance Counseling and Career Center (GCCC), the MMSU Peer Facilitators will hold activities such as the Sincerely, Me Podcast, Reach Out: College Freedom Wall, and Art Therapy Workshop—all designed with the goal of creating safe spaces where MMSU students can freely express their thoughts and emotions.

According to Andrew James Lacambra, Vice President of the MMSU Peer Facilitators, the activities were carefully crafted to provide students an avenue for their emotions and to encourage open conversations about mental health.

“Many students long to express their thoughts and emotions, but often lack a space and accessible outlet to do it. This point became our guiding focus in selecting activities that would give the students a space to be heard and understood,” Lacambra told SIRMATA in an interview.

Among the featured events is the Sincerely, Me Podcast, an initiative that highlights students’ voices and showcases the role of guidance counselors in supporting their mental well-being. In this activity, a series of stories and questions related to mental health will be gathered from the students and will be answered by licensed guidance counselors of the university.

Lacambra said the podcast, which is set to be aired on October 13, seeks to debunk the assumption that “you have a bad record when you go to the guidance office.”

“In line na naman ‘to sa isa pa naming goal: Break the Stigma. The guidance office is not just a space for students to be scolded, but a safe haven where they can release bottled-up thoughts and emotions. And we hope that through the Sincerely, Me Podcast, we will be able to help in breaking this stigma,” the vice president explained.

Complementing the podcast is another activity called the Speak Up, Reach Out: College Freedom Wall, which provides an accessible and direct space for students in every college to write their thoughts, feelings, frustrations, struggles, or even words of encouragement for their fellow students. This initiative is expected to be launched on October 14 and will be open until the end of the month.

Although the activity is yet to be opened officially, Lacambra said many students have already showed their participation with several walls quickly filled with their messages and words.

“Actually, our chief, Dr. Geraldeen Pascual, was the one who recommended this idea. And it works! Kahit sa Tuesday pa ang official opening, may mga students na nagsusulat sa mga freedom walls. Meron pa nga ang mga walls na puno na ng writings kaya need na kaagad palitan ng Peers,” he asserted.

To add more color and creativity, the organization will also initiate the Art Therapy Workshop on October 17 at the MMSU Student Center to complete its list of activities for the world mental health day.

With the goal of integrating creativity with mental health advocacy, the therapy workshop aims to provide students with opportunities to express emotions, reduce stress, and foster mindfulness through a series of hands-on art activities such as drawing, mosaic-making, and clay sculpting, crochet, among others.

According to Lacambra, the last activity was designed to encourage students to momentarily detach from academic pressures and rediscover the joy of creativity and connection with other people.

“Gusto namin sila dalhin sa isang mundo na wala munang quizzes, performance tasks, and deadlines. Para kahit papano, maalala rin nila ang saya ng pagiging isang estudyante. At kapag haharap na muli sila sa mga tambak na trabaho, may energy sila at may motivate silang tapusin ito,” he emphasized.

While the group initially planned to hold the first two activities in September in line with su***de prevention month, they were postponed due to typhoons. Lacambra, however, bared that postponing them shows that su***de prevention activities are not only restricted in September.

“Every month is an opportunity to look at this problem with open eyes and raise our advocacy. This problem is real. And every day that we keep on going, we get closer and closer in breaking the stigma,” Lacambra pointed out.

With only a few days now before the formal start of the lined-up activities, Lacambra encourages all MMSU students to join the initiatives, whether by turning in to the podcast, writing in the college freedom walls, or registering for the art therapy workshop.

“Studying is one of our duties as students. ‘Mag-aral ka para may kinabukasan ka,’ ‘yan ang madalas na sinasabi ng ating mga magulang. But again, we should not also forget that as students and as human beings, there are times that we are vulnerable,” Lacambra said.

“Ito na ang panahon na dapat rin tayong huminto, magpahinga, at magbawas ng stress. And through our activities, we’re creating space for students to express themselves—and gently reminding them that it’s okay to feel tired, and it’s more than okay to take a break,” he added.

Every October 10, the globe observes World Mental Health Day to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health.

SIRMATA

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