Kassandra Lianna

      I was too late.     I always used to sit with my cousins every holiday season, hiding sonder from the adults. I guess that wasn't the case this year.      Feeling the pressure of moving to another country and leaving the people I love behind is not for the weak; and being the center of attention for disliking the idea of moving just makes it worse. I've never felt so helpless, anxious, and miserable. Having a sister that doesn't like you doesn't make a huge help either, no? Being gossiped about in front of my own eyes by my own sister was a massive betrayal for me. I thought she understood me; understood how depressing it was for me to handle the pain of turning my back on the few people who actually cared for me when I knew the so-called "family" I lived under the same roof with couldn't help me learn how to love just to get on a plane. Maybe I was overreacting, or maybe the child buried in my soul simply wanted to stay with my cousins agai...

This quarter, we stepped into the world of coding, and honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect. At first, seeing lines of HTML felt overwhelming—almost like trying to understand a new language. But as we started learning, everything began to make sense, one step at a time. Working with HTML taught me how websites are built from the ground up. Simple tags like  <h1>  for headings and  <p> for paragraphs showed me how to organize content, while adding links and images made the pages come alive. It felt amazing to see how a few lines of code could turn a blank page into something interactive and creative. What really stood out for me, though, was how coding isn’t just about typing commands. It’s about thinking critically and solving problems. When something didn’t work, I had to figure out why—sometimes it was a tiny mistake, like a missing tag, but fixing it felt like solving a mystery. It taught me patience and the value of learning from my mistakes. This experi...

Violence Against Women (VAW) is not just a statistic—it’s a harsh reality for millions of women worldwide. In the Philippines, nearly 1 in 5 women has endured emotional, physical, or sexual abuse from someone they loved and trusted. These numbers, revealed in the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey, are more than just data; they represent real lives affected, families torn apart, and futures altered forever. Every year, the  18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women  reminds us of this ongoing struggle. Anchored on Republic Act (R.A.) No. 9262, the  Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004 , this campaign highlights the importance of laws designed to protect women and children from abuse. R.A. No. 9262 empowers women to seek justice through protection orders, legal support, and stronger penalties for abusers. It acknowledges that abuse is not just physical—it can also be emotional, sexual, or even economic. This recognition is crucial because...

Elpidio Quirino, born into a poor family in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, was a self-made man with a strong will and a burning passion. While attending Vigan High School, the young Elpidio taught in the neighboring town of Caoayan's Barrio Caparia. He earned enough to pay for his transfer to Manila High School, and he continued to work while studying law at the University of the Philippines. He received one of the highest marks in the 1915 Bar Examinations. He started his career as a law clerk for the Philippine Commission before catching the attention of rising politician Manuel L. Quezon, who became his mentor in life and politics. He served in a variety of posts, including congressman, senator, and cabinet secretary, until becoming President Manuel A. Roxas' Vice President in 1946. When Roxas died of a heart attack in 1948, Quirino took over and was elected to his own term the next year. Faced with the challenges of a war-torn and newly independent country, Quirino established the grou...

       The book Indigenous Peoples' Movements: Past and Present gave a historical account of the attempts to reestablish indigenous identity and autonomy over time. The indigenous are traditional populations that have lived on the territory since before the Spanish arrived in 1521. These communities include Mindanao's Moros, Lumads, Kalingas, Tagalogs, Ilocano, Igorot, Bikolon, Aetas, and Agtas.      Prior to being fisherman and farmers, their forefathers were hunters and agriculturalists. The indigenous cultural communities of the Philippines have long fought for their rights, ancestral properties, and sovereignty. Over the past century, Filipinos have responded to external oppression through a variety of movements and responses. This period saw the end of the Spanish "civilizing" missions, which sought to demolish or eliminate native cultures through forced conversion, absorption, and transformation. The locals' first reaction was defiance, and they ...

     https://fashionmagazine.com/style/overconsumption/      From "Let's purchase this top from Shein," to "We have to buy the new iPhone," we can't seem to stop supporting the overconsumption movement that slowly contributes in deteriorating our climate. Overconsumption is when humans consume more resources than we produce. Office siren, mob wife, sage girl —we make up the most outrageous micro trends that we spend every dime we have for in a span of 2-3 weeks. Trends keep going viral every second of every day, and we're too environmentally clueless to realize that all the purchases in our carts take up a percentage of the causes of climate change every time we press "Check out."  https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/fast-fashion-2021-sustainability-environment-b1981303.html     Over the past years, overproduction and overconsumption add to the brutally increasing levels of pollution and toxic gases that contribute to global...

       https://stock.adobe.com/ph/search?k=filipino+children      "Hindi 'yan abuso, disiplina nila yan," I hear people say when I voice out my opinions on child abuse. If it's perceived as discipline, well —at what cost? Through the passing years, we've seen more hits from hands, rather than warmth from hugs.       The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) estimates that three out of five Filipino children experience violent discipline. On a larger scale, of the 33.4 million children aged 1 to 14, approximately 20 million (59 percent) have experienced violent discipline in the past month. Despite various efforts to curb this menace, the prevalence of physical, emotional, and sexual violence against children in the Philippines continues to alarm child rights advocates and policymakers.      https://ncbaptist.org/article/5-ways-to-guard-against-child-abuse-in-your-church/      N...

       I've been a student leader for 4 consecutive years, and undoubtedly, environmentalism was one of my platforms every time. Maybe this is why I even considered majoring in environmental science in college. One thing I noticed is that people don't really realize and grasp the reality of how mind-complex climate impacts are gonna be. The earth is on its death bed—forests are on fire, and full cities will soon be underwater. Climate change is not a joke— and we have little to no time left until its effects become irreversible.      Living like a billionaire is actually expensive for the Earth. The unsustainable carbon footprint of private aircraft, yachts, and those obviously mandatory space missions significantly beyond that of the typical citizen. However, putting aside the enormous vanity projects, billionaires rank among the world's greatest pollutants due to their position as the beneficiaries of an unfair economic system. A 2022 Oxfam analysis ...

       From search engines to blogs, I learned multiple conceptual lessons in the first quarter of ICT class. However, I do think that learning about blogs truly ignited the writer in me. Unmotivated and uninspired—two words that I'd describe myself before I discovered the essence of blogs. Don't get me wrong— I am a writer, though it was undoubtedly upsetting that I couldn't practice this skill of mine during the break. Luckily, this first quarter of the school year helped me recover the art of expressing myself through words— idioms, metaphors, and similes. The best thing about being a writer is beginning to admire the little things. They've always been around me, but suddenly they can contain all the hidden beauties of the world. Casually eating a pomegranate and finding meaning in it is an art. I wouldn't have been able to express myself so efficiently without my discoveries of blogging. Everything will become art in blogging, and I will spend my whole life tryi...

            In today's society, our so-called "resilience" has been tested countless times—from the Corona virus pandemic—to the destructive Super-Typhoon "Carina." There is no doubt that Filipino resilience became a fool in these times of crisis. The definition of resilience is the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties. Sure—this may be right—but here's another perspective that seems like a pill that is hard to swallow for some people; resilience is not an excuse to keep fighting even if everything is overwhelming. Being resilient and refusing to take a break at the same time is hypocritical—it's turning a blind eye on the reality of this game called life. We must not use resilience to romanticize the superiority of courage and strength. It all doesn't end there. It's not that we Filipinos are just tough and chivalrous, but Filipino resilience does not turn a blind eye and remain silent about the real issues.    ...

  Kassandra Lianna A. Quelnan Brgy. IV, Vigan City, Ilocos Sur August 22, 2024 President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. Malacañang Palace J.P. Laurel St., San Miguel Manila, Philippines Dear President Marcos,      I'm writing this letter to you with utmost courage and concern for our country and countrymen. As a citizen, I wanted to reach out and share some thoughts on issues that are important to many of us, including the future holders of our homeland, the youth.      First, I want to commend your subtle efforts in acknowledging the challenges posed by some particular issues and working toward recovery. It is just right for you to create programs for our agriculture production. You lauded as you took your vow in the continuous elevation of the condition of farmers through mechanization and modernization towards food sufficiency during your second State of Nation Address on July 24, 2023, which was way back last year. However, I haven't seen much of ...

       There's one rhetorical question that lingers in my head all the time, alongside the many overwhelming thoughts that have taken up every portion of my brain. "How can something so messy, be so good" An unending, repetitive cycle of countless stories — stories that both wreck and build a sweet girl. That sweet girl isn't exactly the stereotypical "perfect, kind, straight A, innocent, pure, every good thing" type of teenage girl. Sometimes, she can be a monster, a horrible killer. And no, not the one who owns a collection of axes and whatnot. Wanna know what's worse than that kind of killer? A kind that kills oneself — killing oneself's soul to the point that emotions are no longer felt. Those kind of killers are complicated, but they can be kind, caring, pained empaths. Just like a pomegranate. In every bite, you let the juice stain your fingertips. Every pop of that juice-filled fruit presents every emotion a sweet girl exists with. It's ei...