Pacesetter Vol XLI No. 1 Broadsheet Issue
By John Carlo Tamayo, Jemaima Pacheco and Arphie Gabriel
It is at this moment that one could wish to read another topic rather other than this so worn and spoiled subject about the never-ending traumatic memories brought by the undisputable and highly annoying—drum roll please—enrollment season in Bulacan State University (BulSU).
Yes, it’s reminiscing time for enrollment memories. Again.
Yet, it turns out that there are still a lot more untold stories waiting to be unveiled and become the next big thing on BulSUans’ daily chit chat. From drama to suspense thriller, every episodic moment is surely exciting, or should we say, exhausting. Here come the grand nominees for the title of becoming the most outrageous ‘Falling In Line Experience’ of all time.
‘This is No Hogwarts University’
Can you imagine what it would be like if we all have supernatural powers that can help us get our tasks done within the shortest period of time? Like the Laguna Blade of Slayer or Echo Slam of Earth shaker, both from the famous computer game Defense of the Ancients, more popularly known as DotA. Will it make any difference with the traumatic enrollment in BulSU?
This is what Christine Mae Juan, Journalism 4-A, a.k.a. Crystal Maiden, discovered while waiting to be assessed at Valencia Hall, settling her on-the-job training expenses.
Christine had in her hands the costume of Crystal Maiden, a character in DotA, which she used in a cosplay event she attended. Awkward as it was to be in the line carrying this outfit, she had no choice but to bring it with her to finish enrolling before returning the costume to its owner.
“Hindi ko naman po suot ‘yon [costume], so ayon salita lang ako nang salita para mapatay lang ang oras ng mahabang paghihintay. ‘Yong ibang nakapila ay naaawa na sa akin, ‘yong iba naman ay dedma lang at walang pakialam, may ilang naiinis pero marami ang tumatawa at natutuwa,” shared Juan.
As boredom and intense humidity strikes, Christine can’t stop herself from getting annoyed with her situation. Adding to her frustration is the immature attitude of the undisciplined BulSUans who were continuously cutting in the line formation. Thus, making her do the most unbelievable thing a normal person might never thought of doing, which will be revealed later on for suspense purposes.
Olympus Came Out
Aside from superpowers, another tactic to get rid of the annoying enrollment line is the use of charms. And when we say charm here, it’ll be the most irresistible charisma no one will ever dare to question. For Patrick, a 2nd year BulSUan, falling in line to pay for his entrance examination in BulSU was a horrifying experience he will never forget. As usual, it will never be the same without the principle “fall in line and wait for your damn turn”.
After waiting for almost whole day in the line, without enough sleep for Patrick has an hour travel time coming from Sta. Maria, he and his friends soon found out that the cashier would only accept payees until 5PM. Yet, he still stayed and hoped that maybe, there will be considerations later on for those who stayed.
Everyone was calm and they were peacefully waiting when one of his friends suddenly started shouting—a wail which marked the beginning of a heated commotion.
“May sumisingit doon sa may pinakaunahan, may kasama kasing nanay, ang sinasabi nila umalis lang daw sila sa pila tapos bumalik lang. Tandang tanda n’ong kasama ko sila ‘yong umalis na talaga kanina sa paghihintay tapos no’ng malapit na saka bumalik, kaya nagagalit ‘yong iba, pati kami. Nagkakasigawan na sa harap ng Chess Institute, maingay talaga,” said Patrick.
Back then, numbers were only given inside the cashier, so the guards were not aware if someone was already cutting in the line. Patrick and his friends wouldn’t give way for such attitude. Though they couldn’t complain, as the guards are not in sight to see what has really been going on, they also can’t bear to just watch them cheat everyone who was doing things in a righteous way. Yet before we go on with Patrick’s story, let’s introduce first the last but definitely not the least contestant for the most scorned ‘Mr.Pogi’ of the century.
Temper Bender
To complete our set of undying hopefuls for a successful finish on BulSU’s traumatic enrollment, Ariel Miguel Perez of Secondary Education 4-I, shared how he has proven that things, unfortunately, don’t always turn out the way we expect it to be.
Due to his eagerness to enroll without the hassles, he decided to get up early to be among the first people in the line. However, disappointment is already waiting for him in the university.
“Actually, first time ko lang nag-enroll para sa isang summer class at ‘di ko inakala na gano’n katagal ang prosesong dapat pagdaanan. ‘Yong [tipong] naghihintay na buksan ‘yong gate ng school by 4am tsaka pa lang papapasukin ang mga estudyante at maghihintay ka na naman na magbukas ‘yong cashier ng 8am,”summer enrollee Perez shared.
The unannounced separate procedure for the reservation fee of the summer enrollees welcomed the great suffering Perez had to endure. In fear of prolonging his distressing condition, he disregarded the possible danger of commuting from Hagonoy to Malolos at two in the morning and the health risk of not eating on time.
Then the rest of the story is history.
Reaching the Climax
Going back to our DotA heroine, Christine relayed what happened when she finally lost her temper over their frustrating state.
“Hindi ko napigilan ang bibig sa kapapatama sa mga sumisingit na ‘yan kaya nag-transform tuloy ako sa pagiging si Crystal Maiden ang paborito kong character sa DotA kaya ko na nabigkas ang katagang, ‘I am Crystal Maiden ipi-first blood ko kayong lahat’,” she explained.
With that, our featured cosplayer drew the attention of the other persons on the line, which makes her the source of entertainment as everyone made fun of that scene.
“Wala na akong pakialam sa iniisip ng ibang BulSUans, ang mahalaga ay naipararating ko ang gusto kong sabihin sa lahat; mabuti nga ‘yon para matamaan ‘yong mga manhid at makakapal ang mukha. Natutuwa akong tumatawa ‘yong mga nakakita sa ‘kin, ang mga kaibigan ko naman ay nakikisimpatya rin sa ‘kin,” she argued.
Meanwhile, as for the emotionally expressive Patrick, “Sumisigaw na lang ako sa sobrang inis ko na ‘yong sumisingit hindi makakapasa!’ Saka natahimik ‘yong lahat at nagtawanan. Hindi naman [sila pumatol] kasi aminado silang talagang sumingit sila e, tsaka alam na nila sa sarili nila wala na sila sa pila tapos bumabalik-balik pa sila e syempre hindi na kami papayag na magpasingit pa kahit may kasama silang nanay,” he narrated.
Patrick and his fellow protesters stopped shouting when they saw the ‘highness’ approaching. And upon seeing them having a commotion like that, the parents, as well as the students including Patrick, were all castigated by none other than, BulSU President, Dr. Mariano de Jesus himself.
“After n’on, saka dumating si pres pasakay ng sasakyan, sinita kami parang tanda ko sa pagkakasabi n’ya, hindi pa man din daw kami estudyante dito e ganoon na mga ugali namin tapos sumakay na [sa sasakyan niya]. Hindi naman namin alam na ‘yon pala ‘yong presidente. Sinabi ng lalaking kasama niya sa ‘min non, hindi n’yo ba kilala ‘yon? ‘Yon yong presidente ng unibersidad na papasukan n’yo,” he added.
Leaving Patrick with a state of shock with what he learned back then, Aries for the meantime disclosed his raging sentiments over his situation which is just common to all BulSUans living in the far, far away kingdoms.
“Nakakadismaya, nakakapikon, nakakainis, lahat na ng mga negatibong adjectives ay pwedeng isalpak para maging konkreto ang paglalarawan sa enrollment na naranasan ko. Biruin mo para lamang sa isang subject na kailangan kong i-enroll ay halos makipagpatayan ako at itaya ang aking buhay sa kapwa ko estudyante… gan’on ang pakiramdam tapos butas pa bulsa mo dahil sa reservation fee na ‘di mo akalain,” he explained.
So What’s the Point?
That scene, which Christine made, earned different reactions. Some of the students decided to ignore it while others made fun of what happened. Although she successfully enrolled on that day, her actions did not result to the betterment of the situation. The line remained unorganized. Even magic did not seem to work, “Amazing”.
On the other hand, Patrick, after finding out that the person who scolded them was the university’s president, shared the embarrassment he felt on that particular moment, “Natakot na [ako]. Nararamdaman mo ‘yong parang nakakahiya kasi ganoon ‘yong naging asta mo. Ang naging dating parang naging mababa ang level namin e may pinag-aralan naman kami, isa pa galing kami sa star section noon [high school],” explained Patrick.
After the incident, everyone felt ashamed at the presence of the university president who just scolded them before he left the premises. Unfortunately, the commotion and the ‘cutters’ in the line just remained.
“Walang nagawa ‘yong lahat kundi tumahimik na lang, wala na rin kaming nagawa kasi nakasingit na ‘yong mga sumingit. Wala na kaming nagawa kundi maupo na lang,” said Patrick. In the end, the shocking enrollment line remains immune from magic and as well as charms. “Perfect”.
Aries, in trying to drive a conclusion and a solution here explained his resentment about the improved situation of the normal enrollees, compared to the last 3 years, leaving behind the rotten system of those with special cases, such as those with summer classes, tutorials and internships.
“Sa kasalukuyang sitwasyon [ng BulSU], ay napakalaki ng improvement ng sistema [ng enrollment], sana gan’on din sa summer [enrollment] para ‘di na rin kailangan pang magkarera para lang mauna, kasi ‘yong regular enrollment, talagang malaki ‘yong pinagbago. Pero, sa summer, nganga,” Perez ended.
From the ‘Top’
However, the Administration explained that they are doing their best to secure satisfaction to every BulSUan during enrollment. They are cooperating with other offices just like the Student Government (SG) to reach the standards and priorities that they are aiming. But then, the students should also do their part in this university.
“Disiplina na ‘yong problema sa ganitong pagkakataon. ‘Yong mga estudyante kasi imbes na magproseso ang enrollment sa intinakdang pagkakataon at panahon ay mas pinipili pang kung kailan dagsa at bugso ang mga estudyante at do’n pa trip na trip na mag-enroll,” exclaimed BulSU President Mariano De Jesus.
SG President Jackie Gan also admitted that cases like these really happen during the enrollment. She personally thought that whenever the students encounter line-cutting situations, they should immediately report it to any SG officer. Moreover, the students should be responsible with their actions.
“We do certain steps para mabawasan ‘yon [line-cutting], kung alam mo dapat ikaw rin sa sarili mo, you must be alert. Kapag may sumingit sa ’yo ‘wag mo siyang hayaan sumingit sa ’yo. I-confront mo ‘yong mismong marshal, i-report mo siya sa head [marshals] kasi hindi rin naman namin kayang bantayan lahat,” Gan advised.
Although Christine, Patrick and Aries succeeded in BulSU enrollment along with the thousands of students who dealt with the same old scene every semester, the problem will still remain unless the remedies imposed by the Admin and SG are being implemented. On top of it all, cooperation from both the university leaders and the students is the key to resolving this long-endured conflict. And really, it all boils down to one word: discipline.
It is at this moment that one could wish to read another topic rather other than this so worn and spoiled subject about the never-ending traumatic memories brought by the undisputable and highly annoying—drum roll please—enrollment season in Bulacan State University (BulSU).
Yes, it’s reminiscing time for enrollment memories. Again.
Yet, it turns out that there are still a lot more untold stories waiting to be unveiled and become the next big thing on BulSUans’ daily chit chat. From drama to suspense thriller, every episodic moment is surely exciting, or should we say, exhausting. Here come the grand nominees for the title of becoming the most outrageous ‘Falling In Line Experience’ of all time.
‘This is No Hogwarts University’
Can you imagine what it would be like if we all have supernatural powers that can help us get our tasks done within the shortest period of time? Like the Laguna Blade of Slayer or Echo Slam of Earth shaker, both from the famous computer game Defense of the Ancients, more popularly known as DotA. Will it make any difference with the traumatic enrollment in BulSU?
This is what Christine Mae Juan, Journalism 4-A, a.k.a. Crystal Maiden, discovered while waiting to be assessed at Valencia Hall, settling her on-the-job training expenses.
Christine had in her hands the costume of Crystal Maiden, a character in DotA, which she used in a cosplay event she attended. Awkward as it was to be in the line carrying this outfit, she had no choice but to bring it with her to finish enrolling before returning the costume to its owner.
“Hindi ko naman po suot ‘yon [costume], so ayon salita lang ako nang salita para mapatay lang ang oras ng mahabang paghihintay. ‘Yong ibang nakapila ay naaawa na sa akin, ‘yong iba naman ay dedma lang at walang pakialam, may ilang naiinis pero marami ang tumatawa at natutuwa,” shared Juan.
As boredom and intense humidity strikes, Christine can’t stop herself from getting annoyed with her situation. Adding to her frustration is the immature attitude of the undisciplined BulSUans who were continuously cutting in the line formation. Thus, making her do the most unbelievable thing a normal person might never thought of doing, which will be revealed later on for suspense purposes.
Olympus Came Out
Aside from superpowers, another tactic to get rid of the annoying enrollment line is the use of charms. And when we say charm here, it’ll be the most irresistible charisma no one will ever dare to question. For Patrick, a 2nd year BulSUan, falling in line to pay for his entrance examination in BulSU was a horrifying experience he will never forget. As usual, it will never be the same without the principle “fall in line and wait for your damn turn”.
After waiting for almost whole day in the line, without enough sleep for Patrick has an hour travel time coming from Sta. Maria, he and his friends soon found out that the cashier would only accept payees until 5PM. Yet, he still stayed and hoped that maybe, there will be considerations later on for those who stayed.
Everyone was calm and they were peacefully waiting when one of his friends suddenly started shouting—a wail which marked the beginning of a heated commotion.
“May sumisingit doon sa may pinakaunahan, may kasama kasing nanay, ang sinasabi nila umalis lang daw sila sa pila tapos bumalik lang. Tandang tanda n’ong kasama ko sila ‘yong umalis na talaga kanina sa paghihintay tapos no’ng malapit na saka bumalik, kaya nagagalit ‘yong iba, pati kami. Nagkakasigawan na sa harap ng Chess Institute, maingay talaga,” said Patrick.
Back then, numbers were only given inside the cashier, so the guards were not aware if someone was already cutting in the line. Patrick and his friends wouldn’t give way for such attitude. Though they couldn’t complain, as the guards are not in sight to see what has really been going on, they also can’t bear to just watch them cheat everyone who was doing things in a righteous way. Yet before we go on with Patrick’s story, let’s introduce first the last but definitely not the least contestant for the most scorned ‘Mr.Pogi’ of the century.
Temper Bender
To complete our set of undying hopefuls for a successful finish on BulSU’s traumatic enrollment, Ariel Miguel Perez of Secondary Education 4-I, shared how he has proven that things, unfortunately, don’t always turn out the way we expect it to be.
Due to his eagerness to enroll without the hassles, he decided to get up early to be among the first people in the line. However, disappointment is already waiting for him in the university.
“Actually, first time ko lang nag-enroll para sa isang summer class at ‘di ko inakala na gano’n katagal ang prosesong dapat pagdaanan. ‘Yong [tipong] naghihintay na buksan ‘yong gate ng school by 4am tsaka pa lang papapasukin ang mga estudyante at maghihintay ka na naman na magbukas ‘yong cashier ng 8am,”summer enrollee Perez shared.
The unannounced separate procedure for the reservation fee of the summer enrollees welcomed the great suffering Perez had to endure. In fear of prolonging his distressing condition, he disregarded the possible danger of commuting from Hagonoy to Malolos at two in the morning and the health risk of not eating on time.
Then the rest of the story is history.
Reaching the Climax
Going back to our DotA heroine, Christine relayed what happened when she finally lost her temper over their frustrating state.
“Hindi ko napigilan ang bibig sa kapapatama sa mga sumisingit na ‘yan kaya nag-transform tuloy ako sa pagiging si Crystal Maiden ang paborito kong character sa DotA kaya ko na nabigkas ang katagang, ‘I am Crystal Maiden ipi-first blood ko kayong lahat’,” she explained.
With that, our featured cosplayer drew the attention of the other persons on the line, which makes her the source of entertainment as everyone made fun of that scene.
“Wala na akong pakialam sa iniisip ng ibang BulSUans, ang mahalaga ay naipararating ko ang gusto kong sabihin sa lahat; mabuti nga ‘yon para matamaan ‘yong mga manhid at makakapal ang mukha. Natutuwa akong tumatawa ‘yong mga nakakita sa ‘kin, ang mga kaibigan ko naman ay nakikisimpatya rin sa ‘kin,” she argued.
Meanwhile, as for the emotionally expressive Patrick, “Sumisigaw na lang ako sa sobrang inis ko na ‘yong sumisingit hindi makakapasa!’ Saka natahimik ‘yong lahat at nagtawanan. Hindi naman [sila pumatol] kasi aminado silang talagang sumingit sila e, tsaka alam na nila sa sarili nila wala na sila sa pila tapos bumabalik-balik pa sila e syempre hindi na kami papayag na magpasingit pa kahit may kasama silang nanay,” he narrated.
Patrick and his fellow protesters stopped shouting when they saw the ‘highness’ approaching. And upon seeing them having a commotion like that, the parents, as well as the students including Patrick, were all castigated by none other than, BulSU President, Dr. Mariano de Jesus himself.
“After n’on, saka dumating si pres pasakay ng sasakyan, sinita kami parang tanda ko sa pagkakasabi n’ya, hindi pa man din daw kami estudyante dito e ganoon na mga ugali namin tapos sumakay na [sa sasakyan niya]. Hindi naman namin alam na ‘yon pala ‘yong presidente. Sinabi ng lalaking kasama niya sa ‘min non, hindi n’yo ba kilala ‘yon? ‘Yon yong presidente ng unibersidad na papasukan n’yo,” he added.
Leaving Patrick with a state of shock with what he learned back then, Aries for the meantime disclosed his raging sentiments over his situation which is just common to all BulSUans living in the far, far away kingdoms.
“Nakakadismaya, nakakapikon, nakakainis, lahat na ng mga negatibong adjectives ay pwedeng isalpak para maging konkreto ang paglalarawan sa enrollment na naranasan ko. Biruin mo para lamang sa isang subject na kailangan kong i-enroll ay halos makipagpatayan ako at itaya ang aking buhay sa kapwa ko estudyante… gan’on ang pakiramdam tapos butas pa bulsa mo dahil sa reservation fee na ‘di mo akalain,” he explained.
So What’s the Point?
That scene, which Christine made, earned different reactions. Some of the students decided to ignore it while others made fun of what happened. Although she successfully enrolled on that day, her actions did not result to the betterment of the situation. The line remained unorganized. Even magic did not seem to work, “Amazing”.
On the other hand, Patrick, after finding out that the person who scolded them was the university’s president, shared the embarrassment he felt on that particular moment, “Natakot na [ako]. Nararamdaman mo ‘yong parang nakakahiya kasi ganoon ‘yong naging asta mo. Ang naging dating parang naging mababa ang level namin e may pinag-aralan naman kami, isa pa galing kami sa star section noon [high school],” explained Patrick.
After the incident, everyone felt ashamed at the presence of the university president who just scolded them before he left the premises. Unfortunately, the commotion and the ‘cutters’ in the line just remained.
“Walang nagawa ‘yong lahat kundi tumahimik na lang, wala na rin kaming nagawa kasi nakasingit na ‘yong mga sumingit. Wala na kaming nagawa kundi maupo na lang,” said Patrick. In the end, the shocking enrollment line remains immune from magic and as well as charms. “Perfect”.
Aries, in trying to drive a conclusion and a solution here explained his resentment about the improved situation of the normal enrollees, compared to the last 3 years, leaving behind the rotten system of those with special cases, such as those with summer classes, tutorials and internships.
“Sa kasalukuyang sitwasyon [ng BulSU], ay napakalaki ng improvement ng sistema [ng enrollment], sana gan’on din sa summer [enrollment] para ‘di na rin kailangan pang magkarera para lang mauna, kasi ‘yong regular enrollment, talagang malaki ‘yong pinagbago. Pero, sa summer, nganga,” Perez ended.
From the ‘Top’
However, the Administration explained that they are doing their best to secure satisfaction to every BulSUan during enrollment. They are cooperating with other offices just like the Student Government (SG) to reach the standards and priorities that they are aiming. But then, the students should also do their part in this university.
“Disiplina na ‘yong problema sa ganitong pagkakataon. ‘Yong mga estudyante kasi imbes na magproseso ang enrollment sa intinakdang pagkakataon at panahon ay mas pinipili pang kung kailan dagsa at bugso ang mga estudyante at do’n pa trip na trip na mag-enroll,” exclaimed BulSU President Mariano De Jesus.
SG President Jackie Gan also admitted that cases like these really happen during the enrollment. She personally thought that whenever the students encounter line-cutting situations, they should immediately report it to any SG officer. Moreover, the students should be responsible with their actions.
“We do certain steps para mabawasan ‘yon [line-cutting], kung alam mo dapat ikaw rin sa sarili mo, you must be alert. Kapag may sumingit sa ’yo ‘wag mo siyang hayaan sumingit sa ’yo. I-confront mo ‘yong mismong marshal, i-report mo siya sa head [marshals] kasi hindi rin naman namin kayang bantayan lahat,” Gan advised.
Although Christine, Patrick and Aries succeeded in BulSU enrollment along with the thousands of students who dealt with the same old scene every semester, the problem will still remain unless the remedies imposed by the Admin and SG are being implemented. On top of it all, cooperation from both the university leaders and the students is the key to resolving this long-endured conflict. And really, it all boils down to one word: discipline.