Discrimination on LGBT Students in the Philippines
The Philippines is considered a gay-friendly country. However, it is reported that the Filipino lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual (LGBT) community have a distinctive history in our society and they suffer bullying and discrimination from their families, and communities. Students endure bullying, discrimination lack of access to LGBT related information, and in some cases, physical or sexual assault in school because of their sexual orientation and gender identity. These experiences can cause deep and lasting harm and curtail students’ right to education.
Most individuals are guilty, knowingly or unconsciously, of bigotry against the LGBT community. LGBT youth face day-to-day prejudice from society, peers, families and even school teachers and governments. Not only will the above figures reveal that LGBT students and youth need resources and encouragement, but they also reflect how much prejudice directly impacts these students in more ways than one. It is said in a study that most parents would prefer their kids to be heterosexual rather than gay, and most school officials prefer straight students than gay students as well. This attitude may indeed be a factor linked to discrimination against young LGBT people.
Some of the comments that LGBT youths are faced with are as follows: “I hate gays. They should be banned from this country;” “Get away from me. I can’t stand the sight of you.” Those are only a few of the biased statements that LBGT youths are faced with in society. Besides discrimination on the part of society and their peers, LGBT students often experience discrimination from home / families and particularly schools.
Some LGBT students are often neglected by their parents because of their sexual preference. In this case, they generally do not learn how to build a relationship with peers or families. As a result, it creates a state of loneliness and isolation for them.
LGBT experience violent verbal and physical attacks that may be traumatizing to them. Verbal and Physical violence is that LGBT students have gotten accustomed to. However, it is damaging to their mental health. Many of the LGBT students suffer signs of depression such as sleeplessness, excessive sleep, loss of appetite, and feeling of hopelessness. A student who suffers these might start to skip school or stay at home everyday and it would be mentally and physically stressful for school.
The two primary sources that have the power and ability to diminish discrimination against LGBT students are schools and parents. In my opinion, they are the ones who have the greatest influence on LGBT students and in return have the ability to reduce substance abuse, educational failure, and suicides. Parents and schools need to realize how much they can help diminish the effects of discrimination against LGBT youths if they work together and productively. Clearly, if they remain on the same page they can ease the agony for LGBT youths and help them live a normal and happy life.
Courtesy: Yander Bautista
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INTERVIEWEE: Mikhail Obnial
INTERVIEWER: Cassandra Aldovino
Date of Interview: September 26, 2019
Location of Interview: Quezon National High School
List of Acronyms: MK = Mikhail Obnial, IN = Interviewer
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IN : One word that describes you?
MK : Sweet
IN : The most important thing in the world?
MK : Family
IN : The thing that hurts you the most?
MK : Pain
IN : The thing that you love the most?
MK : Friends
IN : Definition of happiness?
MK : Spending time with my love ones
IN : What you want more than anything?
MK : Success
IN : The place where you feel the safest?
MK : Home
IN : If you were a color you would be…
MK : Red
IN : How do you show someone that you love them?
MK : Care
IN : If you were a force of nature you would be…
MK :Fire
The Impact of Social Media In Our Everyday Life
Social media is rapidly changing the communication setting of today’s social world. It is a platform and application that enables users to create and share content, and to participate in social networks. It also allows us to connect, and to obtain information.
There are many advantages when monitoring and controlling social media. Access to information in education, and socialization. Some of its educational benefits include teachers being able to easily interact and connect with each other. They can know what to do because they can keep in touch with each other.
Like everything else, if abused, social media has its advantages and disadvantages. The emergence of social media is significantly influencing the academic life of students.
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Social media allows people to communicate with friends, and this increased online communication enhances these relationships. We can chat and video call with farm lover. It is easier than messaging (SMS), phone, letters. It also provides business opportunities like online work, trade and other commerce.
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People also tend to post on social media, post on social media the things they are doing and what they are going to do and share their acts and emotions. Knowledge and personality are gradually becoming private. Occasionally, social media is used as a criminal tool such as fraud, pornography, illegal transactions.
It can also be used for discrimination and bullying, it is used to destroy people's images, threaten them and lower them. Social media can also be harmful due to erroneous information or false news that may cause panic or confusion. Finally, people tend to be late if you are absorbed in social media, so being addicted to socialization will waste valuable time.
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Even social media can be all beneficial or harmful. Its usefulness and danger depend on how people use it. Technology is designed to ease our lives. Therefore, we should benefit from using these tools and techniques.
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We can not deny the fact that the media has shaped our lives as young people. Young people in the Philippines tend to participate in various forms of media regardless of the possibility of an impact on their lives. The media makes young people more antisocial. Because they always stay on mobile phones, they affect their physical activity and reduce the time spent with their families. Media may have very many negative effects on young people in the Philippines, but it can also bring us multiple benefits. The correct use of media depends on our responsibility, awareness, and information.
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Mental Health of Students
Mental health is getting more and more recognition and the stigma around it is slowly disappearing. But what about the mental wellbeing of students?
People tend to think of mental disorders as something that happens to someone else - “It doesn’t affect me, I’m not an insane person”. There are multiple aspects of mental health - from serious disorders like Schizophrenia or Bipolar disorder to anxiety, mild depression, eating disorders or substance abuse. Young people often refuse to admit that they suffer from a disorder or look for help, partly due to insufficient knowledge, and partly because of fear of negative reactions from their peers.
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The truth is that, among students, anxiety, depression and eating disorders are extremely common. According to mental health research conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in four students has a diagnosable mental illness. Stress from exams, pressure from peers and family - pressure to do well at the university and to go out socialize and have fun. Going away on an exchange may for sure add to that - it is an additional challenge that can sometimes make you feel more stressed and on edge.
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The root of the problem is considering the symptoms to be normal. Irritability, feeling constantly tired or on edge, headaches mood swings or insomnia are common signs that something wrong is going on and cannot be ignored. It is very good to realize that many people among us might suffer from similar issues. Opening up to a friend, someone from your family, or even consulting an online forum might bring you huge relief.
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Many fail to remember to take proper care of their minds. We are constantly reminded to eat well, train, we pick out nice clothes we look good in - we care about our bodies, but we forget to take care of the soul. It is extremely important to take some time off every once in a while. To unwind, turn off all social media, slow down. Reading a book, taking a bath, being with the kind of people who make you feel comfortable are some of the best ways to let the mind take a little rest from the everyday hustle.
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If the above-mentioned solutions don’t work and you still can’t relax, feel anxious or unhappy, you should never feel ashamed to look for professional help. Even when your problem seems trivial, seeing a psychiatrist can be extremely beneficial and improve your overall quality of life. That is what they are here for - to help you deal with everyday problems and feel more at ease. Remember that mental issues can happen to anyone and are not a sign of weakness or something to make fun of. Keep your eye open for symptoms, either your own or from someone in your environment, and react before the problem escalates.
COURTESY: ABS-CBN NEWS
Extinction of Animals in the Philippine Wildlife
When you think of Philippine wildlife, which animals come to mind? Crocs, tamaraw, the Philippine eagle? Well, would you believe that elephants, rhinoceroses, and giant tortoises once lived in our country? The roar of wild tigers even reverberated over the mountains of Palawan!
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As humans rose to dominate life on Earth, many species fell by the wayside. Gone are the wild elephants, rhinoceroses, and tigers of the Philippines.
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Extinction is a natural phenomenon, the result of failing to evolve fast enough to keep up with the times, a cataclysm like an asteroid crash, or human intervention. Most plant and animal species last around 10 million years before disappearing. Some lucky ones last much longer. Coelacanths—ancient 6-foot long fish rediscovered in South Africa in 1938 and in Indonesia in 1997—have been in existence for over 360 million years. What’s worrying is the unnatural rate of extinction. Over 200 species are now disappearing daily.
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Fortunately, conservation has been proven to work. By protecting their last remaining habitats, even ranching them for commercial purposes, the last 500 plains bison recovered. Today, about 20,000 of them remain in the wild, with nearly 500,000 kept in ranches. It’s a far cry from the vast herds that thundered free across America, but at least they didn’t follow the path of the passenger pigeon.
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Our own country is a hotbed for biodiversity, with many species considered critically endangered—just a step above extinction. The tamaraw, Philippine eagle, and Philippine crocodile are all in this very precarious category. Rampant deforestation, land conversion, coastal degradation, pollution, climate change, disease, and the introduction of foreign species are some of the major causes of biodiversity decline.
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An estimated 10,000 tamaraw—an endemic buffalo found solely on Mindoro—thrived in the early 1900s. The species was decimated by widespread logging and hunting, plus an outbreak of rinderpest contracted from imported cattle. In 1969, tamaraw numbers dropped to less than 100 heads.
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Today, due to strong conservation, enforcement, and education efforts between the Far Eastern University, Tamaraw Conservation Programme, nonprofits, and local communities, the population has risen to 401—again, not the 10,000 from a century ago, but still better than being wiped out.
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So are we winning the war against extinction? Not yet, but we’re buying our endangered animals time. Someday soon, I hope humanity finds ways to progress without destroying our planet’s natural resource base.
How Does Climate Change Affect Us?
Climate change refers to the change in the environmental conditions of the earth. This happens due to many internal and external factors. The climatic change has become a global concern over the last few decades. Besides, these climatic changes affect life on the earth in various ways. These climatic changes are having various impacts on the ecosystem and ecology. Due to these changes, a number of species of plants and animals have gone extinct.
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The climate started changing a long time ago due to human activities but we came to know about it in the last century. During the last century, we started noticing the climatic change and its effect on human life. We started researching climate change and came to know that the earth's temperature is rising due to a phenomenon called the greenhouse effect. The warming up of the earth's surface causes many ozone depletion, affect our agriculture, water supply, transportation, and several other problems.
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Although there are hundreds of reasons for the climatic change we are only going to discuss the natural and manmade (human) reasons. Here are some of the reasons of climate change:
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These include volcanic eruption, solar radiation, tectonic plate movement, orbital variations. Due to these activities, the geographical condition of an area becomes quite harmful for life to survive. Also, these activities raise the temperature of the earth to a great extent causing an imbalance in nature.
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Man due to his need and greed has done many activities that not only harm the environment but himself too. Many plant and animal species go extinct due to human activity. Human activities that harm the climate include deforestation, using fossil fuel, industrial waste, a different type of pollution and many more. All these things damage the climate and ecosystem very badly. And many species of animals and birds got extinct or on a verge of extinction due to hunting.
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These climatic changes have a negative impact on the environment. The ocean level is rising, glaciers are melting, CO2 in the air is increasing, forest and wildlife are declining, and water life is also getting disturbed due to climatic changes. Apart from that, it is calculated that if this change keeps on going then many species of plants and animals will get extinct. And there will be a heavy loss to the environment.
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If we do not do anything and things continue to go on like right now then a day in future will come when humans will become extinct from the surface of the earth. But instead of neglecting these problems we start acting on then we can save the earth and our future.
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Although humans mistake has caused great damage to the climate and ecosystem. But, it is not late to start again and try to undo what we have done until now to damage the environment. And if every human starts contributing to the environment then we can be sure of our existence in the future.
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Me, Myself and I
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My name is Kristine Mae A. Coloma. And I am 16 years old. I was born on the 16th of April in the year of 2003 in Lucena City. My mother is Adel A. Coloma and my Father is Roel Josefino V. Coloma. My father died at the age of 49 due to Diabetes. And when I was in Grade 4 my mother had also the Diabetes that lead her to second life. Having this kind of illness is in our genes. F Fortunately, I do the best that I can to avoid the things that can lead me to have Diabetes.
I had a happy childhood days living with my mom and my sister. I used to play with my playmates that also my neighbors. We used to play badminton and that is my favorite kind of sport. Every morning every night especially in summer we usually just playing badminton with my friends. Until when I become a High school student everything change. I began to have less interest in playing games or badminton with my friends. I began to only surf on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I always put my life using social media. And I can almost spend my whole life watching Kdrama or surfing on social media. I have no interest in playing games outside anymore. I just want always to lay down, and to relax. Skincare is also one of my hobbies as of now. The more I become older, the more I have an interest in the things that I am not interested in before.
For now, the older that I get, the more I choose to be happy and leave all the negative thoughts on my mind. I always spend all my time with my friends that I can trust and cherish all the moment while It last. I also learned that being a positive thinker is the key to all of your problems.
SAY NO TO BULLYING!
Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior that includes a real or perceived power imbalance among school-aged children. The behavior is replicated over time or has the ability to be repeated. Both children being bullied and bullying others can have serious, lasting problems.
This infographic is all about stopping bullying especially to those students who are bully. It gives awareness to all the students to stop doing such a thing. We used law so that all of the people will know what is the law in doing the bullying. We also used some a tagline so that it gives an impact to the people who will see this. We used these ideas to support the main topic which is to stop bullying.
My Trip In Japan
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Japan is one of the most high-tech and visited countries in the world. It is a beautiful place wherein many people always wanted to visit. Also, Japanese people are one of the kindest people that you can encounter. Japan in Japanese means “Nihon” or “Nippon” which means “Land of the Rising Sun”.
I was in Grade 5 where I went to the place that they called “Land of the Rising Sun”. It has a cold weather that can freeze your body. I remembered we used to breathe out so that we can see some smoke due to the cold weather.
Also, I remembered we used to eat some delicious food but the only food that I can’t forget is their ramen. It is a noodle with different kind of toppings. And the odd one is the Oddon noodles that you can eat both hot or cold.
The Japanese people are kind and respectful. They know when they will enter in the elevator, they know how to follow the rules. They don’t break the rules they follow it.
The places in Japan is one of a kind. You can see many different kinds of beautiful places in Japan that you can go with your friends and family. And visiting to these places makes my childhood memorable and hard to forget,
Change Starts in You
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Believing in yourself is one of the most beautiful things to do. Many of us people don’t believe in ourselves when in fact we should. We always say ‘I can’t do that’, ‘I can’t make it’ but we can. Not believing in ourselves is one of the biggest mistakes of our life. Having doubts about our capabilities in doing such things is not a good thing to do.
So, I chose this quote because it always reminds me to just believe in myself. Because believing in ourselves is not just the key to success, but it is key to have a good and happy life. No doubts, no insecurities just you being yourself.
I just want to show the people that no matter how cruel the world is, there is one person that will always believe in you, and that is you. Cruelty is just a word but believing in yourself is the best way that you can do. Because changing not starts in the world, but in the people who believe in themselves and want to change the world.