The Outspoken

                                                             “Being an Editor-In-Chief is to stand for what is being deemed to be right and beneficial to students.”      -Chester John Depallo Pasco, Editor-In-Chief – Oro Collegian Student Publication, Cagayan de Oro College-Phinma Education Network-

            Student publication is primarily run by students who air out and express their sentiments, especially on about the school, through pen and paper.  Being one of the staff is such a great privilege for the reason that you are not just having the freedom to express your thoughts and feelings for the school but also, you act as the voice of the students and your skills in writing is developed.  The Oro Collegian student publication of Cagayan de Oro College – Phinma is one of those publications, in which it is headed by Chester John D. Pasco, the at hand editor-in-chief.

All about Him

             Chester John Depallo Pasco is a nineteen-year-old guy who is taking up Bachelor in Secondary Education Major in English.  He is in the junior level right now which he describes as the “climax” of college life.  He is one of the Presidential Scholars and one of the dean’s lists for five consecutive semesters.  He is known to be a friendly guy and an outspoken person.  And through his being outspoken or so expressive, many people tend to misunderstand him and there are bad issues crafted about him.  Meanwhile, despite those misunderstandings and built up unpleasant issues, Chester is standing still and taking those things as a challenge to let him do the best.

 Passion with Love

            Writing has always been the passion of Chester.  He loves it because for him, he finds joy in it and he is able to express his deep feelings and thoughts toward a certain person, event or experience.  However, there are also times that he hates it because of being upset.  He cannot give focus and he is having a hard time to play with words to construct sentences and paragraphs.

The Other Side

             Chester is not just a mere writer.  Aside from writing, he is also into public speaking.  He does hosting in pageants, weddings, parties and other events.  He is also giving free training to those girls who aspire to become beauty queens.

Struggling for Struggles

            Chester, as an editor-in-chief, faces a lot of dilemmas.  Being in his position has never been easy.  It takes a lot of efforts, self-discipline and of course, the wit and skill to write.  He also struggles in managing one’s time because he is a scholar who really needs to prioritize the academic stuff before the other stuff.  Moreover, those public criticisms which are always there that make him out of control of his temper and then lead to his weakness – enrage.  However, even though these problems are pulling him down, his inspiration to write which is the continuous trust of the people around him, always give him the courage to never set aside writing.

Clear Visions in Life

            Chester has also plans for himself.  He planned that after finishing his degree in the Bachelor in Secondary Education, he will enroll in communication program like Mass Communication or Development Communication to improve his writings even more.  He is also dreaming to be a student publication adviser of a certain school someday.  He wants to help and motivate those aspiring writers that to be in his position, there must have the presence of the skill, trust in one’s self as one of the most potent purveyors of information, and to stand for what is being deemed to be right and beneficial to students.

On Top, Big Accountability

            Having a great power comes with a great responsibility.  Through the big responsibilities that he has, it molded him to be matured, matured in the sense that, he is now able to deal with problems in a positive way.  Instead of taking the works as burdens, he takes it as a challenge and an aid to develop one’s self.  He accepts responsibilities not to boast that he knows everything, but to help in finding who really he is.

All in all, Chester has what it takes to be an editor-in-chief of Oro Collegian Student Publication.  Despite those ghastly comments that he received, he is still determined to show to people that he is not the sheer Chester who they think.  He is the kind of person who is showcasing his real role, protecting the rights of the students. Just like in life, even if there are many barricades in letting us to do our passion, we are really looking a time for it because there is no other more wonderful than doing what we love.#

Schooled But Not Educated

     It is often heard that certain people are "schooled" but not "educated".  This cliche simply refers to the fact that much of the processes in education nowadays are aimed at developing the cognitive aspects of development and very little or no time is spent on the development of the affective domain.  As a result many students right now are turned into bastards and have not disciplined themselves.

     What do we consider to be a good student?  Of course, he or she must not just be in lined with academics.  So, what he or she should be then?  Many people have visualized what a good student is, and for me,  a good student is well-rounded.  I mean, he or she must be a good example to his or her fellowmen.  He or she could be a person who do exemplary works in academics and who could respond to what he or she have learned, he knows how to value it, to organize it and maybe even to characterize it.  He or she is also the one who fears the Lord.

     Nowadays, there are a lot of students who are really that smart, who performs well inside the classroom and they do get high grades in their subjects.  However, if we try to dig in deeper to their characters, they are really those bane to the society.  Many of them are those who cheat, when shared with personal issue, they talked about it to other people and who do loitering anywhere.  They don't even pay respect to their teachers and to their fellow students, and who look down other students who are not so good inside the class.   There are a lot of them!  They are the people who are not properly disciplined at school and even at home.  That is why, when they succeed, there are still lacking from them, and instead of helping to minimize the problems in the society, they became additives.

     Thus, what can we do now?  Or shall I say, what can you do now?  I hope you are not one of those people who do not possess the qualification of being a good student.  Be a person who commits honesty, reliability and confidentiality to everyone.  But above all, a person who fears the Lord with all his heart.Now, try to conquer yourself first before anything else.  Be one of the people who are not just schooled but also educated.#

Am I Ready to Die?

Fernan Lopez

     What is the essence of life? How can we fully say that we have lived our lives well? How can we live amidst the inevitable circumstances? After the devastation of typhoon Sendong, both victims and non-victims are able to ponder on these simple yet often neglected thoughts. Seeing the dead bodies piled-up on the streets the day after the devastation made the people question themselves. Am i ready to die?

     The Sendong devastation made everyone in Cagayan de Oro contemplate on the views of death and safety. Looking back to where it all began, when the supposedly typhoon-free Cagayan de Oro suffered from the destruction of Sendong. On December 16,2011, a strong rain poured all over the city. The people who were tired of drinking sprees, parties and whole day's work tucked on their beds and slept soundly. Midnight came and the rain still poured heavily. It turned out to be an unforgettable nightmare when water from  the mountains gushed down towards the city and in a matter of seconds, flooded the barangays near the river banks. the chilly wind blew while people were screaming on the top of their lungs either asking for help or crying for their loss. They were filled with regrets on the things that they have done towards their fellowmen. They tried to save their belongings instead of saving others. They almost forgot that the essence of life cannot be found on worldly things. 

     We may say that we are not among those people who value things rather than people. We may defend ourselves but we should always remember in a one way or another that we are among those people who will thrive for worldly honor rather than helping a friend out. With the limited time we have on this world we should make sure that we will not regret anything. Living right does not only mean as to live by the norms of society but also to treasure, to express and to value people. Who knows another typhoon might destruct our city again? Death is just around the corner. Value everything you have that you might not ask the same question - Am I ready to die?