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2012-2013 in Review

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March 17, 2013

The Year-End Review

School year 2012-2013 was an eventful year filled filled with twists and turns. The year was fraught with tension as the Reproductive Health Bill caused great divides. Success stories were also present in Ateneo’s achievements in the UAAP, leading to not just one, but two Bonfire celebrations. Even the day-to-day life of the average student was eventful as outages, policy changes, and political events came from outside the classroom. From controversial conflicts to narratives of hope, here’s our top events of the year.

(View our interactive timeline here.)

Ateneo holds relief operations for Habagat victims

(August 8 – 11, 2012)

Volunteers pass cases of bottled water in an assembly line despite the torrential rains. Photo by John Lorenzo Javier (Guidon)

In the wake of the torrential rains of Habagat, the Ateneo Disaster Response and Management (DReAM) Team hold relief operations in the covered courts.

The efforts produced at least 13,000 family packs composed of food, toiletries, clothes, and medicines.

Undisputed: Writing History with the Season 75 Ateneo Blue Eagles

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by Anthony Patrick Perez

There comes a time when destiny beckons dynasty.

Prior to the UAAP Season 75 Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Ateneo Blue Eagles had already amassed a stunning four-peat title romp. With their hardwood supremacy being the topic of preseason predictions, the Hail Mary quintet from Loyola Heights were well aware of their rivals’ plans to knock them off their lofty perch, once and for all.

“Before we entered Season 75, we knew all the other teams wanted to pull us down,” recalls sophomore point guard Nico Elorde. “And that’s what we really prepared for.”

The Blue Eagles were on pace for the hunt, lurking for more. The “Drive for Five” was set into motion.

“Winning never got boring for us. We were up and ready to compete every single game,” says Elorde. “Our coaches pushed us every day in practice. They didn’t allow us to let up. They kept stressing that ‘every day is a day to improve’, and that became our motivation.”

Boasting of an intact, battle-hardened roster, the Hail Mary Squad stormed the elimination round, finishing with a league-leading 12-2 card. Carrying a twice-to-beat advantage heading into their semi-final matchup with archival De La Salle, the Blue Eagles’ campaign took a sudden, abrupt twist.

Renowned alumni and sports patron Manuel V. Pangilinan withdrew his support after nearly a decade. Citing disagreements with the university’s stand on the issue of mining and the controversial RH Bill, the swift exit of the basketball team’s chief sponsor placed question marks on Ateneo’s title hopes.

Nevertheless, the Blue Eagles remained undeterred, steadfast in their bid for a fifth-consecutive seniors’ championship.

“Before MVP left, he actually took the time to personally speak to us and assured us that he would still finish the season with the team,” narrates Elorde. “With his encouragement and support, we knew he still had our backs, and that’s why we remained focused.”

The squad also survived the loss of serviceable back-up center JP Erram due to an ACL tear that rendered him out for the rest of the season. “He was such a big help to us, but we had to move on despite him going down,” says Elorde of Greg Slaughter’s primary reliever.

Two-time Finals MVP Nico Salva graduates a champion. Photo by KC Cruz (GMA).

“We had our end goal in sight. So no matter what happened from then on, we were going to fight. We had confidence in ourselves, and we knew that we were prepared to face anything in our path.”

After edging past the upstart Green Archers in the semis with a pulsating 66-63 win, the Blue Eagles marched on to the finals where the dangerous, second-seeded University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers waited. In a rematch of the 2006 edition of the men’s seniors’ finals, 2012 had the makings of a brewing rivalry where past grudges resurfaced.

In only his second full season as head coach back then, Norman Black stole Game 1 with a cleverly drawn-up play that led to a Doug Kramer last-second layup. Under the tutelage of fiery mentor Pido Jarencio, the Growling Tigers came roaring back in Games 2 and 3, stamping their paws on the coveted trophy.

Things were a whole lot different now.

Season 74 Finals MVP, Nico Salva, fired 30 big points as Ateneo drew first blood with an 83-78 decision over UST, at the brand-new Mall of Asia Arena.

The action picked up off the court as well, when a word war ensued between the two opposing coaches. Jarencio was reprimanded by league commissioner Ato Badolato for throwing fits at the referees in Game 1, over claims of unfair officiating that favored his rival American coach. Black responded by describing the UST mentor’s comments as harsh and inappropriate.

Norman Black steered Ateneo to 5 titles in 8 seasons at the helm. Photo by Mike Taboy (Abante-Tonite Online).

The drama shifted to the SMART Araneta Coliseum for Game 2, where the game was tightly contested from early on. Jeric Fortuna tried his best to keep UST afloat with a remarkable 20- point, 6 assist outing. But in the end, the Tigers had no answer for Kiefer Ravena’s 22-point explosion and clutch jumpshot with under a minute left.

Before a mammoth crowd of 20,186, Ateneo completed its series sweep with a 65-62 triumph. Nico Salva was again adjudged the Finals MVP for the second year in a row, ending his collegiate career with five titles in as many years with Ateneo. Norman Black became only the second coach, after the legendary Baby Dalupan, to win five-straight UAAP championships.

The year-long mission was finally accomplished. Forever enshrined in the annals of collegiate basketball is the Hail Mary Squad’s first-ever “5-Peat”.

As Season 76 looms ahead, the road only becomes tougher for the Katipunan-based dribblers. The graduation of vital cogs and Coach Black’s move to the professional ranks leave behind huge voids to fill.

Till then, the Blue Eagle still flies high as King of the UAAP.

Tags: basketball, blue eagles, sports, UAAP

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Two-Batch Troubles: A Question of System or Students?

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By Pam Musni

Earlier this school year, news of a alternative two-batch enlistment system for the Ateneo Integrated Student Information System (AISIS) caused a stir within the student body. Some had no qualms and reported little difficulty during enlistment. Others told a different story.

Students reported a server crash and de-enlistment from their slots during the process. Abigail Dimalanta, an Interdisciplinary Studies junior, recalls the surge of complaints from fellow students. “It crashed, and everybody was complaining about it,” she said. “[…] The crashing was not helping.”

Marian Albano, an Economics senior, relates her own struggles. “It took me another five minutes to enlist in one class,” she said. “Then after I enlisted in one class, after I clicked something, may error (there was an error). So I had to refresh, then log in again, enlist again.”

Multiple AISIS log-ins to blame for slowdown

In contrast, the Loyola Schools Office of Management Information Systems (LS-OMIS) Director Glenn Año said there was no server crash, but a slowdown. “No, I don’t think there was a server crash. There was a slowdown in the first 3 to 4 minutes for each batch, but there was no crash,” he said. “Maybe the first five minutes […] [since] all students were logging at the same time.”

This was unexpected. Moving from four to two batches would mean doubling the number of resources to accommodate the number of students. In the case of the LS-OMIS, registrar Joaquin Agtarap said “they [LS-OMIS] more than doubled [the resources],” which would’ve eased the process further. However, some students would access the AISIS on multiple tabs or mediums, which strained the server.

Registration Committee (RegCom) senior Carlo Mercado explained how. “He [Agtarap] and the [LS-OMIS] were monitoring as it happened, especially the 4^th Year, kasi nauna sila (because they went first),” he said. “Yung issue na pino-point out ni Sir Agtarap (the issue Sir Agtarap pointed out) was that if students open another AISIS tab in another browser, it counts as another student going in.”

“They [LS-OMIS] had not experienced this new practice of the students of opening this, opening this, opening this,” said Agtarap. “So in the end, they […] they had to make their resources accommodate 2000 [users]. So when they were able to make the adjustment, […] it went smoothly.”

Agtarap noted that the problems began during the seniors’ registration batch, but assured the server traffic lasted during the first 30 minutes of the registration. “So after the first 30 minutes—actually, within the first hour,” he said. “Everyone was able to access AISIS already.”

Año also states it was in those first 30 minutes that 90 percent of the users completed their enlistment.

Slot loss not a question

Before registration, AISIS collects all the Individual Program of Study (IPS) data and generates a summary. This details how many students will take a certain subject in the upcoming semester and is sent to all departments. The departments are then responsible for giving out enough slots to satisfy the demand.

With this, Agtarap said students who encountered slot loss in required subjects were “a significant minority.”

For de-enlistment issues, Vice President (VP) for the Loyola Schools John Paul Vergara said in an interview with The Guidon that “technically, [the students] weren’t” de-enlisted from their slots. “Somebody beat them to [it]. It’s like, go to Amazon—two stocks left—click on the button,” he said. “By the time you click on the button, the two stocks have already been bought. That’s how it is.”

As for required electives, Agtarap said the provision is the commitment of each department.

“In that case, variety is the word. If you’re not able to get your first choice of an elective […] the department is committed to give you a second choice and a third choice,” he said. “It might not be the same elective, but it is another elective that can qualify for a major elective or a free elective. So the commitment when it comes to an elective is not to have all of the same, but all of a variety.”

Manual reg stats still the same

About 20-25 percent of the student body undergo manual registration, with 75 percent able to complete it online. In spite of online enlistment troubles, the percentage of those who underwent manual registration remained the same.

For Mercado, with 3 years of RegCom experience, the number might be smaller.

“Kahit two batches ang online (although there are two batches online), manual reg is still 4 batches,” he said. “So what happened is na–skew yung distribution towards a lot of people coming in sa morning, kasi they were the ones who had problems dun sa first batches (So what happened is the distribution was skewed towards more people coming in during the morning, because they were the ones who had problems in the first batches). […] I think kumonti yung nag-mamanual reg, pero yung distribution, mas dumadami sa umaga, kasi nga, nag-reverse yung order (I think those who underwent manual reg dwindled because the order reversed).”

What’s in store for AISIS?

Summer registration will follow the old random batching, but it seems that the two-batch system is here to stay.

“[…] Despite the problems in second sem, are we still going to continue it? Yeah, we’re still gonna continue it,” said Agtarap. “Really, when you have two batches, whether you’re first or last—it doesn’t really matter anymore. […] There’s a lot of equality already, which wasn’t felt when you had 4 batches.”

Agtarap also mentioned the prospect of a one-batch system in the future.

When asked about the possibility of going back to the old batching system, Año said that “it all depends on the VP’s decision.” In fact, it was in the annual Magtanong sa VP at mga Dekano where problems with the previous system were addressed. “Whatever we do, we consult first with the students—Sanggunian primarily,” he said.

Año also said that they are looking to upgraded servers with more cor, or more processing power.

As for log-in problems, Año says that the best thing to do is to log into AISIS using the original URL, as it automatically looks for the available link. “So if you try everything, and the other links are not available […] then definitely that won’t work,” he said. “After logging in, it [the original URL] will choose the mirror link for you.”

Agtarap also has his own suggestions. “My suggestion to MIS is to do it as they do it [with] online banking,” he said. “When you do online banking, when you get into the system, you can’t get into the system again. […] When you log in […] you can’t log in [again] simultaneously.”

These remedies would aim to solve the slowdown. As for slot trouble, both Agtarap and Año advised students to look into other options.

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Hulog ng Langit: 2012 Habagat Relief Operations

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by Rucha Lim

The rain seemed endless. Katipunan Avenue was flooded and Esteban Abada Street had it worse with waters reaching up to the shins. It was difficult to get to school.

Classes were finally suspended in Ateneo. Students were still in the covered areas though, not for Physical Education, but to help in relief operations.

Just less than three years after Typhoon Ondoy hit, the Philippines is struck with another great disaster. Torrential rains hit many parts of Luzon, causing wide spread flooding from August 8 to 11 of 2012. People were forced to evacuate their homes, abandoning basic necessities such as food, water, toiletries, and medicines.

Ateneo was one of many institutions that served as a center for relief operations. Through the Disaster and Response Management (DReAM) team, hundreds of Ateneans went to the aid of the people most affected by the floods.

Dr. Norman Marquez served as Operations Manager for handling the activities in the covered courts.

In an interview, Marquez said the Ateneo community responded well. “What always strikes me is that people are generous is overwhelming,” he said. “In fact, we had an oversupply of volunteers.”

Among the many volunteers were students, particularly those from the university dormitories, and members of the Loyola Schools (LS) staff and maintenance.

Service with a Smile

A notable teacher who assisted in the operations was Ariel Diccion of the Filipino Department.

Known for his quirky antics as a teacher and an actor, he provided entertainment to the volunteers as an announcer of operations progress, making witty jokes all around to keep morale up.

Ariel Diccion tries on one of the donated dresses. Photo by Rucha Lim.

Also there to provide entertainment were several members of Ateneo Musician’s Pool (AMP) who gave live performances and even took song requests.

It was almost strange seeing the people at the covered courts so full of life despite the disaster. According to InterAksyon, the monsoon rains claimed 109 lives and affected over 4 million more.

As Vice President of the Office of Social Development, Atty. Jaime G. Hofileña served as the ex officio head of the DReAM Team Habagat. He said in an interview that as unfortunate the ordeal was, he was happy with how the Ateneo community responded. “People really went out of their way to do what they could to alleviate the suffering of people affected by the floods,” he said.

Donations were plentiful as well. Piles of food, toiletries, clothes, and even medicines abound the covered courts. According to an unofficial document shared by DReAM Team core member, Michaella Aldea, the relief operations in the covered courts produced at least 13,000 family packs composed of canned goods, biscuits, instant noodles, assorted toiletries, clothes, and medicine.

Aside from family packs, cases of bottled water arrived by the truckloads. With the pledges of many other organizations, the Ateneo Junior Marketing Association contributed a large supply of “Hope In a Bottle” drinking water.

These goods were brought in and out of the covered courts mostly by means of assembly lines wherein the volunteers would line up, even under the rain, and pass the heavy supplies to each other until the goods reach the vehicles that would transport them to areas in need of relief.

Volunteers passing cases of bottled water under the rain. Photo by Jose Lorenzo Javier (Guidon).

Marquez said the DReAM Team learned much from their experiences with handling operations for Typhoon Ondoy. They were better prepared as an operations manual was made so that all committees in the team could perform their specific functions more efficiently, he added.

Areas for Improvement

Hofileña and Marquez both said that there are some aspects that left a lot to be desired. They both said work to be done is to be better prepared for when disaster strikes again.

“The idea is to be more prepared is to come up with networks, structures, processes that will allow a faster response time and maximization of the resources available,” Marquez said.

He also mentioned the possibility of working with telecommunications companies for 24/7 uninterrupted communications.

Hofileña said problems in communication require better coordination with the university’s communications office. He said there’s also a need to devise some type of mechanism such as a certification or ticket system that would facilitate better distribution of relief goods.

Marquez also said there needs to be a database of where bottlenecks and problems will arise and where there will be more challenges, and which areas need to be prioritized over others.

Despite these, Hofileña said problems will always arise in such situations but what continues to strike him however is the selfless willingness to help displayed by people.

“You can see a real concern for trying to be of help to those unfortunate victims. The spirit of generosity, the spirit of magis, coming alive in such situations such as these,” he said.

Tags: Habagat, Relief operations

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Ateneo Honors Outstanding Student Athletes in 15th Athlete’s Night Awards

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by Pam Musni

Within the gates of Henry Lee Irwin Theater, student athletes and their coaches dine as the Bonfire II goes underway. (photo by Pam Musni)

There is more than one way to form a person. In the Ateneo de Manila University, one finds different offices for this purpose.

There is the Campus Ministry Office, catering to the spiritual needs of students and faculty alike. There is the Office of Social Concern and Involvement, spreading awareness about socio-economic woes happening outside campus. There is the Office of Student Activities (OSA), aiming at leadership development through their various programs.

Joining this roster is the College Athletics Office (CAO).

It is in this spirit of formation that the CAO holds the 15^th annual Athlete’s Night Awards (ANA), showcasing the efforts of some of the most outstanding student-athletes within the school year.

Although certain individuals would be awarded, this does not mean the others matter less. University President Fr. Jose Villarin SJ likens this to a patintero game.

“Everybody doesn’t have to cross the finish line, ‘di ba (right)? Only one person gets to hit ‘home’ […] and we rejoiced,” said Villarin, after explaining the game’s mechanics. In patintero, ‘home’ is the line the team must cross to win. “We may not have been the ones to have crossed ‘home,’ but he is one of us, she’s one of us, she’s in our team. And so we rejoice, and we’re happy. I think that is […] a spirit we need to cultivate in the country.”

It is in this sportsmanship, in mens sana in corpora sano, that this festivity is celebrated.

As the event coincided with Bonfire II, a celebration for the Football, Junior and Senior Baseball Teams’ championship wins, music was heard through the walls as the program went on. Outside, Grade School athletes waited beyond the gates to catch glimpses of their favorite athletes.

The turnout was lower than previous years, which John Aguilar, CAO Director, pins on it being scheduled before finals week. Ben Rances of OSA stated this might be due to the preemption of the Holy Week.

Lady Eagle Gretchen Ho and professor Ariel Diccion hosted the night and a lively performance by the Blue Babble Battalion prepped the audience at the beginning of the program, right before the first batch of awardees were called out.

Ellie Huang of the Women’s Badminton Team won Team Manager of the Year, while Bocc Bernardo of the Men’s Baseball Team got the Step-Up Athlete of the Year Award.

Kiefer Ravena of the Men’s Basketball Team and Matt Laurel of the Men’s Baseball Team both got the X-Factor Award. Ravena, however, was not present, so Ho accepted it on his behalf. The Men’s Football Team won Breakthrough Team of the Year.

Krispy Kreme and Bobble merchandise were raffled off during a break in the program, alongside Jamba Juiz gift certificates. Afterwards, the Rookie of the Year awards was presented through a slide montage.

Angelica Tiu of the Women’s Football Team won the Ambrosio Padilla Award. For the Guidon-Moro Lorenzo awards, Miguel Salud of the Men’s Baseball Team won the Sportsman awards, while Gelita Castilo of the Women’s Badminton Team won the Sportswoman award.

Kurt Damasco, the “brains and brawn” behind GetBlued, was then called to present the best-dressed athlete of the night for both the men and women’s category. Kevin Ramos of the Men’s Baseball Team was deemed the best-dressed Blue Eagle, while Ariel de Leon of the Judo Team wins best-dressed Lady Eagle.

From left to right: Gretchen Ho, Kevin Ramos, Ariel de Leon, Ariel Diccion, Kurt Damasco (Photo by Pam Musni)

A new award was introduced for the night, coinciding with the new construction of the Blue Eagle Gym study hall. This was the Study Hall Student Athlete of the Year, awarded to the athlete with the most number of hours spent in the study hall. Tommy Rivera wins this accolade. The Most Valuable Players of the year were then flashed on screen.

Gelita Castilo of the Women’s Badminton Team wins Lady Eagle of the Year, while Nick O’ Donnell of the Men’s Football Team and Miguel Salud of the Men’s Baseball team both receive the Blue Eagle of the Year.

At the end of the night, the athletes helped themselves to plates of Korean bulgogi, chopsuey, beef with oysters, and chicken with sesame. As they say, “a sound mind in a sound body.”

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Once In a Blue Moon

Latest Entries »

2012-2013 in Review

Undisputed: Writing History with the Season 75 Ateneo Blue Eagles

Two-Batch Troubles: A Question of System or Students?

Hulog ng Langit: 2012 Habagat Relief Operations

Ateneo Honors Outstanding Student Athletes in 15th Athlete’s Night Awards

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