Stories

Betsy Kiunisala Medalla is Growing National Open Water Swimming Team Of the Philippines From the Ground Up

October 3, 2022

By Jia H. Jung



An increasingly global contingent of “tankers” with Filipino roots populates the competitive pool swimming scene.

This past May, Chloe Isleta, Filipina swimmer and 2020 Arizona State University graduate, won gold in the 50-meter freestyle at the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi, Vietnam. Before starting her sophomore year at Notre Dame, Manila native Jessica Geriane collected medals in Hanoi, too, including silver for a national record breaking 50-meter backstroke.

Two-time Olympic medalist and Canadian record holder Kayla Sanchez received her release from Swimming Canada this past June. In July, the Singapore-born, Canada-raised Filipina announced that she would represent the Philippines going forward.

Sanchez isn’t the only swimmer from the Filipino diaspora who has trained with or swum for the Philippines. Virginia native Remedy Rule gained dual citizenship to swim under the Philippine flag at the Tokyo Games. Australian-based Luke Gebbie was another Philippine National Swimming Team member present, breaking his own national 100-meter free record.

In fall 2020, North Carolina native Desirae Mangaoang matriculated to Texas A&M after entering the FINA World Juniors under the aegis of the Philippine Swimming Federation and winning silver at the 2019 SEA Games. UC San Diego’s Division I team currently features three athletes of Filipino descent raised on the West Coast – Teagan Monroe, Luke Pusateri, and Miranda Renner. All three swimmers have swum with the Philippine national team.

Before a dedicated open water swimming program existed in the Philippines, the country diverted domestic pool talent to 5K and 10K races in events such as the Asian Open Water Swimming Championships. But as the 2019 SEA Games approached, Philippine Swimming Inc. (PSI), the sole governing body for the nation’s aquatics, became more deliberate about developing specialized open water athletes. The competitions were to be hosted in Subic, Philippines, and a 10K marathon swim (male only) was on the schedule for the first time.

PSI looked to Betsy Kiunisala Medalla. In just five years, the Filipino open water swimmer, race director, triathlete, environmental activist, and swimming coach had stoked open water mania throughout the Philippines.

The entity invited Medalla to prepare two male national swimmers – Joboy Gonzales and Ron Jarius Villamor – for the 2019 SEA Games. Neither pool athlete had trained for a 10K before. With Medalla’s help, both attained personal records in the 10K at the Games after a 50-day ramp-up.

Now the official coach of the new Philippines National Open Water Swimming Team, Medalla is taking a ground-up approach to ensuring the sport’s future in the country.

She has effectively ended the borrowing of athletes from other events and is building a team that can focus and develop unity. Second, she aims to find her talent at home. She is convinced that the dearth of internationally competitive open water swimmers in the Philippines is not due to lack of interest or ability. There have simply have not been enough domestic open water events to give swimmers the training and exposure needed for long distance races.

“In the Philippines, there’s only one 10K open water race, and it’s mine,” Medalla says, adding, “we all know we perform better if we have a goal race in mind; we can’t just keep training without a goal.”

And when there are open water swimming opportunities, athletes need time to take advantage of them. Medalla would ideally begin working with swimmers when they are 14 to 16 years old. She cites the example of William Yan Thorley of Hong Kong, who came in third at a regional competition at age 13. Five years later, the bronze boy was at the Tokyo Olympics.

Medalla knows firsthand what it takes to meet the demands of long-distance open water swimming. In February 2014, the five foot and nothing mother of two, then 44 years old, became the first Asian person to complete the more than 7-kilometer journey from the historic Robben Island to Bloubergstrand Bay in South Africa. She readied herself for the wintery swim by sitting in tubs of ice and spending two weeks in mountainous Baguio City with training partner Julian Valencia to do laps in 10°C/50°F conditions.

Medalla and Valencia prevailed in their challenge, undertaken to express gratitude from the Philippines to South Africa for providing foreign aid after Super Typhoon Yolanda devastated the island nation in November 2013. The swimmers also broke barriers for the Asia-Pacific region, which contains 60% of the world’s population and the majority of the world’s marine environments, yet accounts for 61% of the world’s annual drowning incidents and remains underrepresented in competitive aquatics.

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Medalla grew up in the capital city of Manila, where 50-meter public pools and swimmable natural waters were and still are limited. But Edward Kiunisala, Medalla’s father, was a natural born swimmer raised on the round Camiguin Island off the northern coast of Mindanao. He wanted his daughters to learn to swim, so as soon as the Kiunisalas could afford a home in the city, they bought a house with a 10-meter pool in the back.

Photo Courtesy: Betsy Kiunisala Medalla

All three Kiunisala sisters became competitive pool swimmers. Medalla was on the youth Philippine National Swimming team by age 12 and went on to captain the University of the Philippines swim team while majoring in Psychology. Upon graduation from college, she competed with the Philippine National Swimming Team before progressing into an international marketing career and having a family.

Gradually, Medalla’s commitments took her away from swimming. When she began cycling to reclaim her fitness, her friends suggested trying a triathlon and using her swimming aptitude as an edge. So it was that at age 38 in 2009, she entered her first triathlon at Subic. She jumped into the ocean for the 1,500-meter swimming leg but stopped short when the seabed dropped away and everything went black. She unfroze after a few people passed by and her competitive side kicked in. Her next thought was, I love this.

After coming in second in her age group at the triathlon, Medalla began helping Army/Navy South Triathlete club refine their strokes, posting videos with commentary on issues like low riding and bikers’ or runners’ kicks in the water. She began a blog called “Just Add Water” and voiced outrage when alums of the Philippine Science High School, her alma mater, secured government funds to build the country’s first indoor 50-meter pool in Quezon City and then left it fallow. (The pool eventually received repairs but never opened to the public as intended.)

Medalla’s activities gathered traction in the Philippines sports scene, garnering invitations to write for magazines and give swimming lectures. She transitioned out of corporate life and into full-time swim coaching, and went from being a former pool competitor to all-round open water athlete and event director.

What had borne Medalla through the hardest parts of her cold, sharky 2014 Robben Island swim were flashbacks to a family vacation in Caramoan, a peninsula with islets scattered like lush bon bons across a national park of limestone and coral reef lagoons.

By the time Medalla’s feet hit land, she was halfway there towards creating an open water challenge in her own country, an archipelago of 7,107 islands. And once back in the Philippines, Medalla partnered with the Camarines Sur province to host a swim race in Caramoan. Using components from FINA regulations and international triathlon standards, she authored an event protocol and assembled a robust safety staff.

After a successful inaugural event in October 2015, attendance for the Caramoan races grew exponentially, with a third of participants flying in from foreign countries. In June 2016, Medalla launched “VIP Challenge” of 2.5K and 5k races in Lobo, Batangas, held in the Verde Island Passage (VIP) known for shore-fish biodiversity, productivity, and mean currents. In April and May of 2017, Medalla added the El Nido 4K, 8K, and 12K races to the series that she named the Swimjunkie Challenge.

Before each event, the organizing team took to offering a dozen eggs and fruit baskets to the Real Santa Clara Monasterio de Manila in an appeal for good weather – the one element left to chance.

An open water swimming community formed around the swimming opportunities Medalla created, doubling as a force field of environmental stewardship raising awareness about issues like plastic waste and gold mining runoff. Race proceeds flowed to organizations like the SEA-VIP institution for Science, Education, and Advocacy in the Verde Island Passage and the Bantay Dagat civil organization of volunteer fishermen combating dynamite fishing and excess takes.

In 2020, the pandemic sent everything into a state of suspension but when the world started cracking open again, Medalla organized the Strong Shoulders series of 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5-kilometer swims to ease people back into the water.

A year later in 2021, she created the Philippine Openwater Swim Crossings Association (POSCA) to standardize and certify longer, tougher solo swims to be undertaken any time. A board of collaborators joined Medalla, including her sister Yvonne, a marketer knowledgeable about every aspect of swim event coordination.

Medalla tested a 3.5-kilometer crossing of the Maricaban Strait in February 2022 and launched the swim in March from the pebbly, tree-shaded beach at Planet Dive Resort, a cluster of old school villas with outdoor showers at the tip of the Anilao peninsula in Mabini, Batangas.

While the instantly popular crossings break for habagat – typhoon season – Medalla will be busy resuming the Swimjunkie Challenge with the Caramoan 5K and 10K swims this October 16th.

When not race directing or coaching, Medalla spends her time piloting uncharted courses at her own risk and often on her own dime. She envisions having a race in Camiguin to honor of her late father, her first swim teacher and respected investigative journalist. She wants to spark more events throughout the rest of the southern Mindanao region, too, once she figures out how to make travel costs and logistics more reasonable.

***

Photo Courtesy: Betsy Kiunisala Medalla

Medalla is applying the same grassroots efforts she has used to grow the Philippine open water swimming community to cultivate a new national team within it. She held the very first national open water swimming tryouts in June 2021. Twenty-seven candidates showed up, mostly from the southern provinces.

She recruited the first place male finisher, Joshua del Rio from Davao, and the first place female finisher, 17-year-old Hannah Sanchez, also an accomplished pool swimmer, from Manila. The third teammate to be cleared by the Philippine Sports Commission was Ron Jarius Villamor, 20, who competed in the inaugural 10K marathon swim at the 2019 SEA Games. Medalla needs two to three more swimmers for a well-rounded team.

The task that remains is to secure more corporate sponsorships. The kind of patrons necessary to pull off large scale events and an internationally competitive program long-term are committed to cycling, running, and triathlon events and athletes.

But even as Medalla vies and scrambles for sponsors, she is grateful to work with a leadership that supportive of her plans to develop a strong foundation for open water swimming in the Philippines so that the rest can follow. She is confident that the Philippines has the potential and the passion to become an open water swimming hub of the Asia-Pacific region and a generator of Olympic contenders in the sport.

Source: https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/betsy-kiunisala-medalla-is-growing-national-open-water-swimming-team-of-the-philippines-from-the-ground-up/

Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez is open, but who is the man behind the name?

September 28, 2022

Totel V. de Jesus

Ignacio Gimenez at the launch of the CCP new black box theater named after him. Photo by Kiko Cabuena

MANILA — With the opening of Tanghalang Pilipino’s “Anak Datu,” the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (TIG) or the new Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) black box theater has been officially baptized.

TIG had a ceremonial launch on September 8, just about more than a week before “Anak Datu” had its gala opening show on September 16 to rave reviews from critics and viewers alike.

But who is the man behind the name?

During TIG’s unboxing, current CCP president and acting artistic director Margie Moran-Floirendo described Ignacio B. Gimenez as “a white knight whose love for the arts remains strong.”

Fondly called Chony, Gimenez was a member of the University of the Philippines (UP) Dramatics Club and the UP Mobile Theater under National Artist for Theater Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero during his college years at UP Diliman.

In a recorded testimonial, Repertory Philippines stalwart Joy Virata said she and Gimenez didn’t cross paths at UP because she was ahead of him by many years but she thanked Gimenez for the new theater.

Virata’s golden words: “You need theater to grow, to have a kind of citizenry. Arts should not be a last priority. It should be up there, it’s a necessity for a civilized country. That’s where our roots are.”

Theater in the countryside

Bing Licuanan was a classmate and contemporary of Gimenez at the UP Dramatics Club and UP Mobile Theater.

“We performed in many places, all over the Philippines, from Laoag City to Mindanao. We’ve been to Zamboanga, Butuan, Malaybalay (Bukidnon),” Licuanan said in a recorded testimonial, adding that Guerrero got them because the director needed some stagehands.

“Later, we became actors,” he said, showing a souvenir program of a 1950s comedy play “My Three Angels” by Samuel and Bella Spewack, which was directed by Guerrero for UP Dramatic Club in the mid-1960s. In the souvenir program, Licuanan had an acting role while “Chony Gimenez” was part of the backstage crew.

“Aside from acting, we had extra money for tuition. We got allowance from Guerrero after a performance,” Licuanan said.

He remembered Gimenez was a prankster and he was a favorite target. In Guerrero’s “Wanted: A Chaperon,” Gimenez played Don Francisco and Licuanan was the young applicant also named Francisco.

“Imagine naka-coat-and-tie ako tapos before the play would start, lalagyan nya ng kamatis ang sapatos ko” Licuanan said. He knew it was only Gimenez who could do such thing. But they were good friends.

In 1965, they parted ways because Licuanan left for De La Salle University to finish his mechanical engineering degree.

“Chony finished his pre-med but he went to Asian Institute of Management instead to pursue graduate studies. He was among the first batch of students who took up masters in management,” he said.

“We didn’t see each other for a long time. When I was already working, I just met him in the lobby of Peninsula Hotel and when he saw me, he asked me to join him in his business. Ang dami nyang businesses eh. Lahat pinapasukan niya.”

Licuanan said despite his wealth, Gimenez was stingy. “Sobrang kuripot. Ang buhok niya puti. Siya ang nagkukulay ng buhok nya. Ganoon siya kakuripot. Eh, kung magpapakulay ka ano ba naman ‘yung P200 to P300.”

At some point, Licuanan said Gimenez wanted to revive the long-dormant UP Mobile Theater.

“Pero it didn’t push through. Saka malapit na rin ang buhay namin, di ba? What’s important is to give back what society gave to him. And what is rare is what he did today, on September 8. So thank you Chony for what you did today, for the new generation to come,” Licuanan said.

Chony the music lover

Emily Abrera was CCP chairman of the board when TIG had its groundbreaking in 2016. She knew Gimenez from way back.

She said only a few may know it but when she was in high school and living in a house on Marcelo H. Del Pilar Street in Malate, Manila, Gimenez and his family were her neighbors. She and Gimenez weren’t actually friends but “he knew what I looked like and I knew what he looked like.”

She remembered Gimenez was a music lover because she heard extensive collection of vinyl records being played most time of the day from Gimenez’s house.

In UP Diliman, they didn’t cross paths because when she was a freshman, Gimenez was graduating although they have the same circle of friends and watched the same plays. She said it probably was her late husband Caloy who may have acted with Gimenez in UP Dramatic Club and the UP Mobile Theater.

“It was the ‘60s, life happens for young people and it’s amazing that years later, I’d meet Chony again. For a while I wasn’t sure if the Ignacio Gimenez was the same Chony I knew from many years back and am glad they’re the same person.”

Honed in theater

In his response, Gimenez delightfully recounted how he started in theater.

“My romance in theater started when I was in first year high school. I was around 12 years old. It started with beautiful words from my English teacher. She started it like this: ‘Gimenez, stop talking, you go and join the theater club!’,” he said, breaking the ice and making everyone laugh.

“So, I did and that’s how I started as an actor. Wonderful words.”

His career in theater was further nurtured when he went to college in UP. With the UP Dramatic Club, they would have a formal play that would fill up the venue with audiences. “The costumes, backdrops were complete. We would do very well. Every year, we would have a new play.”

“In UP Mobile Theater, it’s totally different. Every summer and whenever the weather would permit, we would gather in UP every weekend to travel to a town or barrio or city and produce street plays. Most often, there would be no stage so any makeshift stage would do.

“We had no props, so we would borrow a sofa, an armchair, a small table, all very basic. For a back drop, we would have a blanket and hopefully not too colorful. All the other props, wherever we could be, we would bring ourselves. Each also brought his own costumes,” Gimenez said.

He said for a day, like a Saturday, they would stage three plays and then go to the next town on Sunday. “We would stage another three plays. If there’s a matinee, we would do six plays. Very taxing, very hard but if someone would ask me, I’d say I’d do it again.”

“Why? Because I saw the power of the theater. Here we are, all young students with no props, no costumes and yet we were able to move people, we could make them cry, laugh, experience several emotions.

“Each town has a little plaza and we would fill up the plaza, [lots of] people shoulder-to-shoulder standing on dirt ground. It was overpowering if you see people cry and laugh, experience several emotions. Only because we came and presented something to them,” Gimenez said.

“I had a wonderful experience when I was a student at UP. I learned. I toured the whole Philippines. I saw my country. It was a moving, learning experience.

“I was with wonderful people, theater people and we presented to [audiences] who I could see would fall in love with theater. So, this is why we have this now. We’re here at this Tanghalan because it’s give-back time,” he added, as everyone stood up, clapped and gave him a long standing ovation, about 20 minutes or more with photo-ops.

“I think I said the right words to make you clap more so let me repeat that, ‘it’s give-back time,” he said.

Source: https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/09/25/22/tanghalang-ignacio-gimenez-is-open-but-who-is-the-man-behind-the-name

Here’s the story behind the illustration featured on ‘Darna’ series closing credits

August 26, 2022

by John Legaspi

Mars Ravelo’s iconic characters come together in artist Jether Amar’s design

August is a pretty historic time for Philippine television as, after a decade, we witness Filipino superheroine Darna soar on our screens once again. After all the changes in casting and even the director leading the project, ABS-CBN’s “Darna” series is truly worth the wait based solely on the viewers’ and the netizens’ reactions toward the show. Apart from it being a good piece of entertainment, it champions local artistry and pop culture. And if you’ve been following it, we bet you’ve noticed the amazing illustration showcased during its end credits.



That artwork is made by Filipino illustrator and animator Jether Amar. Prior to it gracing our screens, it was first created in 2017 as a poster and shirt design in celebration of the 100th birth anniversary of Mars Ravelo, the comic book cartoonist and graphic novelist behind many iconic Filipino superheroes including Darna.

“I was commissioned by the Ravelo family to illustrate an event poster for Mars Ravelo’s 100-year celebration,” Jether tells Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. “The poster was made without me thinking that it would be used later as a closing billboard for the ‘Darna’ series. It was a rush work and we have to create the [closing break bumper] using existing material.”

It features existing illustrations by Ivan Reverence, Sam Gregorio, and Hannah Militar depicting notable Mars Ravelo characters such as Darna, Dyesebel, Captain Barbel, Lastikman, Valentina, and Varga, among others.

Still from ABS-CBN Entertainment/Youtube

“It took me quite some research to gather and study his well- and lesser-known characters,” Jether says. “I wanted the poster to be faithful to the characters’ original style.”

Filipino comics played a huge influence on Jether’s life as an artist. As a kid, he would rent comics and copy their pages. This passion led him to study fine arts at the University of the Philippines. Today, he works as the art director of Rocketsheep Studios, the homegrown production studio behind films like “Saving Sally” and “Hayop ka! The Nimfa Dimaano Story.”

“We are now on our third animated feature called ‘ZsaZsa Zaturnnah vs the Amazonistas of Planet X,’ which is based on the popular graphic novel of the same title,” he muses.

To see more of Jether’s works, visit @jether_amar on Instagram.

Source: https://mb.com.ph/2022/08/23/heres-the-story-behind-the-illustration-featured-on-darna-series-closing-credits/

Mom, former OFW snags summa cum laude from UP

August 4, 2022

By Kaithreen Cruz

UP Diliman Class of 2022 Chrisdie Mycel Ruzol graduates summa cum laude on Sunday, July 31, 2022. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

DESPITE challenges in completing her education for a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Psychology while raising two children amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Chrisdie Mycel Ruzol graduated summa cum laude as part of the University of the Philippines Diliman Class of 2022.

Ruzol described her experience being a student and a mother as “exhausting and also rewarding,” as she was able to practice her individuality through her schooling while fulfilling her responsibilities as a mom and a wife.

She shared that she had initially started taking a course at the University of Santo Tomas way back in 2010, but was not able to finish it due to a lack of financial resources.
poster


“I worked for two to three years here in the Philippines and then around the same amount of time abroad. When I went back home in 2017, that was when I decided to continue my studies but things didn’t go as planned — I got pregnant and started our family. After giving birth in 2018, that was when I was able to enroll,” Ruzol recalled.

She said she’s fortunate to have been able to communicate well with her husband and children in setting and maintaining boundaries despite her distance learning setup during the pandemic.

She emphasized having a strong sense of personal agency to be responsible for her own learning by maximizing available resources and learning opportunities was key to her finishing her degree.

Ruzol added that involving her family members in conversations to set their boundaries and priorities helped her find a balance in the two important roles in her life.

“I really had to adjust to my setup. I had to let go of my old study habits of writing and rewriting my notes and reviewing my lectures with no distraction — but no matter how hard I tried or cried to keep those old habits, I had to let go and move on as I have other responsibilities at home, with limited physical academic resources. Whenever I have deadlines, I will talk to my husband and my toddler so they can understand and allow me to work on them, and to balance that, I make sure that I get to spend time with them after my requirements and during weekends,” she added.

She advised people who were not able to complete their studies but are still hopeful to do so to “not let go of their dreams and work hard to make them happen.”

From her personal experience of having to pause her education to work here and abroad, Ruzol said that having a positive mindset, a clear purpose and a belief that God had placed them in that situation could inspire them to keep moving forward. Despite hurdles in life, she said that people should maximize their circumstances and learn from them so that they could look back on them once they are in a better position in life to fulfill their dreams.

“Graduating as summa cum laude has actually taught me humility in acknowledging that everything happens according to God’s plans — there are things that I cannot do on my own, but God would make a way to make it work,” she added.

After her graduation, Ruzol’s goal is to pass her psychometrician licensure exam and land jobs in this field to gain experience so she could eventually become a psychologist specializing in couple and family, and probably delve into industrial psychology as well.

Ruzol is one of the 150 students from the UP Diliman Class of 2022 who graduated summa cum laude, earning a weighted average grade of 1.20 or better.

The 111th General Commencement Exercises of UP Diliman was held last Sunday, July 31, at the University Amphitheater after two years of holding virtual graduations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Source: https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/08/04/campus-press/mom-former-ofw-snags-summa-cum-laude-from-up/1853265

Negrense graduates summa cum laude at UP Diliman

Teresa D. Ellera

Angeli Francesca Peña Lacson with proud parents, lawyer Alex and Pia Lacson. (Contributed Photo)

A NEGRENSE graduated summa cum laude at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman in Quezon City.

Angeli Francesca Peña Lacson graduated on Sunday, July 31, with a degree in comparative literature.

She garnered a general weighted average of 1.068, one of the highest among the summa cum laude graduates of the university.

While studying at UP, some of her literary works were published abroad.

Lacson was also active in community development work, supporting women and rural communities.

She is the daughter of lawyer Alex Lacson, a Negrense who grew up and studied elementary and high school education in Kabankalan City.

Alex and his wife, Pia, also studied at UP Diliman. They met while studying at the UP College of Law.

Their youngest son, John Mark, also finished junior high school at the Paref Northfield Academy in May this year as first honor.*

Source: https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1936631/bacolod/local-news/negrense-graduates-summa-cum-laude-at-up-diliman

Daughter of patriotic books author graduates with highest distinction in UP

August 2, 2022

By: Carla P. Gomez – Correspondent / @carlagomezINQ

MARCH 01, 2019
UP Oblation with new fountain in Diliman, Quezon City.
INQUIRER PHOTO/LYN RILLON

BACOLOD CITY — The daughter of a bestselling author of patriotic books graduated summa cum laude at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman in Quezon City on Sunday.

Angeli Francesca Peña Lacson completed her Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature course with a general average of 1.068, one of the highest among the summa cum laude graduates of the university.

While studying at UP, some of her literary works were published abroad. Angeli was also active in community development work, supporting women and rural communities.

Angeli is the daughter of lawyer Alex Lacson, a Negrense who grew up and studied elementary and high school education in Kabankalan City.

Alex and his wife Pia also studied at UP Diliman and met while studying at the university’s College of Law.

Their youngest son, John Mark, also finished junior high school in May at the Paref Northfield Academy with honors.

Source: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1638743/daughter-of-patriotic-books-author-graduates-with-highest-distinction-in-up

Jed Yabut: From architecture to furniture design

August 1, 2022
Jed Yabut Kapa Ceiling Lamp
Jed Yabut Hawla
Jed Yabut Ulap

AN architect turned to furniture design during the pandemic, and selected rattan as his medium.

BusinessWorld talked with architect and furniture designer Jed Yabut, one of the merchants on furniture e-commerce platform ITOOH, late last month. One of his pieces, a full-length mirror called Ulap (Cloud), with shelves that mimic the curvature of clouds, is still memorable after its debut on ITOOH’s website.

“I think I’m really good with design and all that, but I never had a chance to really design furniture before,” said Mr. Yabut, who graduated with a degree in Architecture from UP Diliman, but practiced in Singapore and Tokyo. The COVID-19 pandemic forced him to return to the Philippines. It was during the pandemic that he joined a workshop in Nueva Ecija where he learned furniture making, and decided on focusing on rattan.

The material has an interesting history. A species of climbing palm, it had been one of the most valuable products of colonial trade. These products — made of Southeast Asian plants and by Southeast Asian artisans — could be found then in the best rooms in Europe. Christian Dior used antique chairs of woven rattan (called cane in some circles) at his atelier in Paris, and the elaborate pattern of the weave could be found interpreted in their designs, such as the cannage (meaning cane craftwork in French) pattern on the famous Lady Dior line of bags.

“It was a deliberate choice,” said Mr. Yabut of rattan. “When you look at it (rattan), it’s very Filipino. We don’t necessarily carry rattan (exclusively), but to me, it spells very Filipino. The houses of our lolos and lolas (grandfathers and grandmothers) would have at least one rattan [piece] there… for us, it brings back nostalgia. At the same time, I could circumvent that to become something of a more modern look. That’s the intent.”

He also mentioned that despite the large number of furniture designers, few of them work with rattan. A large number of rattan furniture-makers however, consist of mom-and-pop operations in the provinces. “What I wanted to do was to create a brand that is more of a signature brand; a name brand.”

Asked how a Jed Yabut piece differs from one from these small manufacturers, he said, “It comes with good design, really. It comes with making sure that your design is not on Pinterest. I strive hard to make sure that when I design something, people can see that this is a Jed Yabut design.” In fact, he scrapped his own first line instead of putting it on the market, because it looked too similar to ones he had already seen. “There’s deliberate design conceptualization behind every piece.”

When he said that he planned to use rattan for his furniture, his friends in design said he was crazy. “It’s actually difficult to work with,” he said.

Direct sunlight can damage it, and so will too much water. “If it’s too cold, the rattan material becomes brittle,” he said. He added, “That’s why it thrives in humid climates like the Philippines.”

However, he loves to work with it anyway, despite its difficult nature. “It’s easy to mold. It’s very flexible. But because it’s so soft, the movements are always there,” he enthused. “Throughout the years, it probably could move, you know?”

Rattan under his hands then becomes a living thing, capable of mutability. “I’m the kind of designer who hates perfection. I think perfection is ugly. I love the rawness, the naturalness of the materials I work with. I want to highlight the imperfections of the materials I use,” he said.

“It’s constantly moving. It could never have the same shape forever,” he said. Rattan then becomes a symbol of temporality — and it sits as a reminder in your living room. “Everything can perish; everything can be replaceable.”

Mr. Yabut’s designs can be found on his website, https://jedyabut.com/, and on shopitooh.com/. — Joseph L. Garcia

Source: https://www.bworldonline.com/arts-and-leisure/2022/08/01/464938/jed-yabut-from-architecture-to-furniture-design/

Juan Paolo Santos: From UPCAT struggle to UP Cebu summa cum laude

Maverick Avila



The Parañaque City resident’s valedictory address shows how grit led a failed UPCAT taker to become UP Cebu’s first summa cum laude since it became a constituent university

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The University of the Philippines Cebu’s first summa cum laude graduate since it became a constituent university came to the Visayas Queen City all the way from Parañaque City, in Metro Manila.

Juan Paolo Constantino Santos, 22, a Mathematics major, scored a cumulative weighted average grade of 1.187 – the highest grade ever recorded in the university since it was elevated to a constituent university on 2016.

As the class valedictorian, Santos addressed the 83rd commencement exercises on Friday, July 29, on behalf of 391 graduates with bachelor’s degrees and 194 graduates with master’s degrees.

Among the graduates, 31 received magna cum laude and 135 received cum laude honors.

Santos, who ended his valedictory speech during commencement rites on Friday, July 29 singing an excerpt from “I Believe”, the debut single of American Idol 2004 winner Fantasia Barrino, focused on holding on to personal dreams.

“Dapat pangarap nyo, hindi pangarap ng parents nyo, hindi pangarap ng mga kaibigan nyo. Pangarap man yan para sa bayan, o para sa pamilya, dapat pangarap nyo,” he said. (It should be your dream, not your parents’ dream, not your friends’ dream. Whether it is a dream for nation or for your family, it should be your dream.)

Santos’ journey to UP Cebu is an example of grit and perseverance.

“A lot of you are probably wondering, bakit nga ba ako nasa Cebu? Bakit ako nag-aaral sa UP Cebu? My dream was to study BS Math in UP. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to pass any of my UPCAT courses and campus applications. When the UPCAT result was released, my name wasn’t there,” he said.

The UPCAT commute from his home to UP Diliman in Quezon city tired him.

“Around the Mathematics part of the exam, I fell asleep because I was so tired,” Santos shared with Rappler. He also found the reading comprehension and language portions very difficult.

Of four universities he applied to only UP did not accept him.

He enrolled in a Metro Manila school but applied for reconsideration in campuses offering BS Math: UP Diliman, UP Los Banos and UP Baguio and UP Cebu.

Only UP Cebu accepted the Parañaque resident.

Santos could not speak the Visayan language, he did not even understand it.

“Wala akong kapamilya, wala akong kamag-anak, wala akong kaibigan, wala akong kakilala, wala akong kahit ano. Ang meron lang ako ay isang pangarap.” (I did not have family here, no relatives, no friends, no acquaintances. I had nothing. The only thing I had was a dream.)

Holding on to dreams

YOUR DREAM. UP Cebu BS Math summa cum laude Juan Paolo Santos speaks during commencement rites on Friday, July 29. (Screencap from UP Cebu)

Santos’s family, while of modest means, supported his dream. While their finances allowed only for the basics of life, a scholarship from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) helped with other education expenses.

Santos did not expect to graduate summa cum laude. He was more focused on learning thoroughly than having it as the end goal.

It was a “clutch grade,” as he did not find out until the last few weeks of the semester.

In his speech, Santos reminded fellow graduates of the university’s motto.

“Honor and excellence, not excellence and honor, not excellence only,” he said. “Honor before excellence.”

“Of course, I am happy to graduate as a summa cum laude. Still, the happiness I feel for helping other people in Math, especially my classmates, is incomparable to having this kind of achievement,” Santos shared before graduation.

He attributes this success to his parents, who supported him throughout, and his significant other, Angelica Jane Reyes.

“She was there for me for as long as I can remember. It was very difficult since she is from NCR and I study in Cebu, but she was still there through my breakdowns and problems,” Santos told Rappler.

The math major channeled lessons in precision and accuracy.

He said, “0.00001% is not equal to 0,” urging peers to strive until all unmet goals are whittled down to zero.

“One plus one is not always two,” Santos said, adding, “Do not go for the obvious solutions; define your own operations, your ways and your actions.”

UP Cebu became an autonomous unit in 2010. It produced a summa cum laude named Michael Angelo S. Joaquin of BS Mathematics, with a cumulative weighted average of 1.166 in 2011.

UP Cebu became a constituent university in 2016 and Santos its first summa cum laude under that status.

Hundreds of graduates from batch 2020, 2021, and 2022 gather for the University of the Philippines Cebu’s first face-to-face graduation rites since the pandemic at the UP Cebu Grounds on Friday, July 29. Jacqueline Hernandez/Rappler

Pandemic, disaster

Santos’ stay in UP Cebu was not easy.

He only attended face-to-face classes for about a year and a half. He had a hard time joining organizations because of the online setup and language barriers.

“I believe we were the batch who faced the most challenges. From the first batch to take the K-12 curriculum to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in having the online classes. We also experienced Bagyong Odette, which caused physical and mental damage to us students,” he told Rappler.

During face-to-face classes, Santos slept for only around three to four hours daily because of the academic workload.

He learned the hard way to prioritize his health over academics.

“I realized that healthy living would also lead you to manage your time very well. That is the reason why I was able to manage my time during the online classes,” Santos shared.

He committed to sleeping before midnight and relied on habits and discipline. To him, motivation is just the starting engine of your productivity.

“Sa simula lang yun magiging maganda pero pag may habits ka na and discipline, madalas kahit wala kang motivation, mapipilitan ka pa rin gumawa dahil naging habit mo na siya kahit hindi pa deadline,” said Santos.

(It will help you at the start. But once you have gotten the habit and the discipline, even when motivation flags, you will find yourself doing tasks because of the habit of doing these before deadline.)

Love for math

Mathematics always fascinated Santos even as a child in elementary school. While he was not an academic achiever during that time, he was already set on a career related to mathematics.

He graduated high school valedictorian from the Manresa School – Hijas de Jesus, where he was awarded best in general mathematics, statistics and probability, pre-calculus, basic calculus, trigonometry, physics, and chemistry.

“I love the proving and theory world of mathematics more than the computations and applications,” he added.

This was where he took the inspiration for his thesis topic about the number system, called the p-adic numbers and p-adic integers, where he “…proved in detail some of its properties, such as being a profinite group, compact, and disconnected.”

Santos plans to apply to UP Diliman’s MS-Mathematics program. While hoping for another DOST scholarship, he is also willing to work while taking up higher education. – Rappler.com

Maverick Avila studies Communication specializing in Creatives and Journalism at the University of the Philippines Cebu. He was a Nation News intern for Rappler during the 2022 National Elections. Now, he’s working as a film producer for an independent feature film in Bohol while contributing stories to Rappler.

Source: https://www.rappler.com/nation/visayas/juan-paolo-santos-university-philippines-cebu-summa-cum-laude/

The House’s other ‘Velasco’: Who is Secretary General Reginald Velasco?

July 29, 2022

by Seth Cabanban

Reginald Sagun Velasco was elected by the House of Representatives to serve as Secretary General of the 19th Congress as it commenced its first regular session last Monday, July 25.

House Speaker Rep. Martin Romualdez administers the oath of newly-elected House Secretary General Reginald Velasco during the House’ first regular session on July 25 (Photo from House of Representatives website)

Velasco, as secretary general, will enforce the orders and decisions of the House of Representatives and will act as chief of the House personnel.

He is not related to Marinduque lone district Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, who served as speaker in the previous 18th Congress.

Secretary general Velasco took his oath of office Tuesday, July 26 before newly-installed House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

Prior to his election as secretary general, he tenured major roles for multiple government agencies: he was an economic researcher for the National and Economic Development Authority (NEDA); officer roles in the Philippine Embassy of the Philippines in Washington DC, United States (US); and directorship roles in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). He has even worked at the Office of the President and the Vice President.

Velasco has also served in vital roles for prominent political parties in the Philippines; he was a deputy secretary general for the Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD); an executive director for the National Unity Party (NUP); deputy secretary to the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (KMP); and assistant to the secretary general of the Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP).

In 1973, Velasco graduated from the University of the Philippines (UP) with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science; a year later, in 1974, he earned a Master’s degree in Political Science. At one point in 1981, he was a doctoral candidate for Philosophy in Political Science at UP.

UP awarded him a Graduate Scholarship Award in 1973. In 1974, he received the NEDA Development Economics Fellowship Grant.

Prior to entering the House of Representatives, he was a political science lecturer for universities such as UP Manila and the Lyceum of the Philippines.

As per the House of Representatives’ website, the secretary general “carries out and enforces orders and decisions of the House, keeps the journal of each session, notes all questions of order together with the decisions thereon, complete[s] the printing and distribution of the records of the House and submits to the speaker all contracts and agreements approval, and acts as the custodian of the property and records of the House and all other government property in its premises.”

“Subject to the supervision control of the speaker, the secretary general is the immediate chief of the personnel of the House and is responsible for the faithful and proper performance of their official duties,” the House website added.

Source: https://mb.com.ph/2022/07/27/the-houses-other-velasco-who-is-secretary-general-reginald-velasco/

‘I TOOK UPCAT BUT FAILED IT’



‘I TOOK UPCAT BUT FAILED IT’

This UP Diliman student graduating summa cum laude shared how her failures led her to success!

Gia Evangelista, 21, earned the highest academic award with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Social Work.

But unknown to many are the struggles she had been through before she reached the finish line.

During the University of the Philippines College Admission Test or UPCAT in 2018, Evangelista failed to secure a spot in the institution.

It was through the Iskolar ng Bayan Act of 2014, a scholarship program for top students from public high schools, that she was given the chance to be in her dream school.

“I was very insecure about it to the point that I deliberately hide it from my college peers, afraid that they will look at me differently,” Evangelista told The Philippine STAR.

She admitted that she was reluctant at first to share her truth, as she feared it will overshadow the achievements she had achieved.

“I do not want to be the ‘Summa Cum Laude that did not pass the UPCAT.’ I just wanted to be a Summa Cum Laude,” she said.

But now, Evangelista is ready to reclaim her story and inspire others to see the beauty in the unexpected redirections in life.

“This is for everyone that has failed. Do not let it define you, let it fuel you. Your time will come,” she said.

Evangelista dedicates her milestone to her family and her person, whom she considers as constant support systems.

“Whatever distinction I incur in this life is not mine alone, but theirs most of all,” said Evangelista. (Facebook/UP Diliman)

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Source: Philippine Star Facebook