by Kezia Grace Jungco and Nicolle Andrea Payuyo

Sanguniang Kabataan (SK) and 14K Lakas ng Kabataan held yesterday the first ever Youth’s Night at the Municipal Covered Court. It showcased the different talents of youth from the 14 barangays of Los Baños, Laguna.

According to Councilor Julius Moliñawe, president of the 14K Lakas ng Kabataan, Youth’s Night was organized for the youth to be able to have a venue for expressing themselves through their talents. Also, according to Adelbert Hornilla, Chapter Master of Brgy. Timugan, the event was an effort for the youth to avoid illegal drug use.

The event was participated by the 14K  Lakas ng Kabataan all over  Los Baños. Established in June 5, 2012, 14K has now grown to almost a thousand members. Mayor Ton Genuino, the Chairman Emeritus of the organization, made the event possible.

The event showcased different performances by the members of 14K Lakas ng Kabataan. It was then followed by parlor games, party, and awarding ceremony.

“Youth’s Night is more than talent shows and bonding, it is a celebration of the unity of the14 barangays”, said Dona Alborida, SK Chairman and coordinator of the event.

Youth’s Night is part of the Paskuhan in Los Baños, a month-long celebration which started in December 8 and will end on December 22.

by Kamille Anne Anarna, Aizel Dolom, and Gretzel Lantican

(Updated as of 10:39am) The Lopez Children’s Choir and the Christian School International Choir (Glee Club) won the young and adult category of last night’s Himig Pasko 2012. The event started at 7pm in the Municipal Covered Court.

Organized by Ms. Jenette Palisoc from the Civil Registry Office, Himig Pasko is a choir competition involving schools and organizations. It is part of the month-long celebration of the Paskuhan sa Bagong Los Baños.

This is the fourth year that the Himig Pasko was held. Pattricia Legaspi, Los Banos’ SK Chairman and host of the event, said  “mas tinangkilik yung Himig Pasko ngayong taon. Yun nga lang mas okay kung mas maraming contestants.”

The participating groups were divided into two categories. The first group was composed of young competitors aged 8 to 14 years old from Los Baños Central School Children’s Choir, CSI Elem Choir, Brigada San Antonio Children’s Choir, and Lopez Children’s Choir.

On the other hand, the second group was composed of adult competitors aged 15 years old and above from Los Baños Community National High School, Los Baños Seventh Day Adventist Singing Group, and CSI Choir (Glee Club).

The first, second, and third placers received their prizes amounting to P10,000, P7,000, and P5,000, respectively.

By: Kathleen Mae Idnani, Gretzel Lantican, Easter Paz Issa D. Paulmanal

The Sinag Katipunan Drum and Lyre Corps (DLC) from Pasig City, Metro Manila, and the ACES Drum and Bugle Corps from Tagaytay City were the champions in the recently concluded Musikohan Brass Band Competition 2012 for the Drum and Lyre Category and Brass Band Category, respectively.

The said competition was held yesterday morning at Paciano Rizal Park, Barangay Timugan. The participating bands marched along the streets near the park and at 10 AM, they proceeded to the contest proper.

The prizes for the first, second and third placers were P70,000, P50,000, and P40,000, respectively.

“Maganda ang performances kasi maraming participants mula sa iba’t ibang bayan.,” George Bryan De Lara, an employee at the municipal hall, commented.

A total of 14 bands from different towns including Daet, Camarines Norte and Pangasinan competed; nine for the Drum and Lyre Competition and five for the Brass Band Competition.

The Musikohan 2012, now on its third year, is part of the Paskuhan sa Bagong Los Baῆos.

by Ma. Khrisma Soliven and Levi Joshua Verora Jr. with reports from Gumamela Celes Bejarin and Kezia Grace Jungco

Los Baños, Laguna- The family and friends of the two students found dead at Flatrocks, Mt. Makiling showed their disbelief regarding the autopsy result.

The bodies, correctly identified by their respective families as Mark Lorenz Valdez and Kevin Lagadon, both students of UP Los Baños, were autopsied Friday (December 7) morning by SOCO led by Superintendent Roy Camarillo. After the autopsy, they declared the cause of death as asphyxia due to drowning. It was also estimated that they were dead for about four to five days.  Los Baños Police Chief Inspector Conrado Masongsong also ruled the case as ‘closed.’

Meanwhile, the two students’ respective families and friends had other things to say over the ruling that the Flatrocks tragedy was an accident.

Retired Muntinlupa police Vergilio Sagum, Mark Lorenz’s uncle, was unsatisfied when it comes to the investigation of the PNP and UPLB-University Police Force. Mr. Sagum said that there should have been a sense of urgency or a mandatory search from the police when they found out that two people were not able to log out from the Makiling Trail log book during Sunday.

“Kahit pa weekend yan e, basta nasa loob ka ng campus dapat responsable ang pulis sayo (When you are inside the campus, whether during weekends, the police should be responsible for you),” says Mr. Sagum. He is also puzzled why the bodies were only discovered last Thursday. “Tingnan mo, kung Thursday lang sila nakita, at Sunday sila namatay, ibig bang sabihin Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, walang nagpunta ng Flatrocks? (They died Sunday and were recovered Thursday, would it mean that there were no visitors who came to Flatrocks from Monday to Wednesday?)” added Mr. Sagum.

He would also want to see the log book that contains the attendance of visitors entering the Makiling Trail. He also noted that nobody realized that Kevin and Mark Lorenz were missing until the news of two bodies discovered at the Makiling Trail came out. He would also like to find some information regarding the rumored seven more people who trekked minutes after Kevin and Mark Lorenz logged-in.

Mr. Marlou Valdez, the father of Mark Lorenz also disagrees with the results. He told The LB Times that there were some marks at the back of Mark Lorenz. His hand bag and mobile phone were also missing when they vacated Mark Enzo’s room. He seeks for further information and at the same time, justice for the two students.

The College of Human Ecology (CHE) Student Council likewise believes that there could have been foul play involved. Chairperson Ayesha Sarapuddin noted the negligence of the authority saying that they could have searched along the Trail when they found out that two visitors were not able to log out.

Likewise, students who have already been to the Flatrocks before said that the water level there is too shallow for someone to be drowned.

The Los Baños Times went to the PNP at Brgy. Baybayin for the log book. According to the police, the results of the investigation and the log book were already in the provincial office.

As of this writing, the two students’ remains are at their respective hometowns. The Los Baños Times is still gathering more information regarding the incident.

by: Ladylove May Baurile and Easter Paz Issa Paulmanal

with reports from: Julianne Marie Leybag

As of 4:00 pm today, the UPLB community participated in Move to MOB at the Carabao Park. It is part of the international campaign of Ms. Eve Ensler of the Vagina Monologues production, actor-director Ms. Monique Wilson and the Center for Women’s Resources (CWR) to end violence against women.

Move to MOB includes series of fora and photo exhibits about cybercrime. Earlier, performances from different organizations and students, photo exhibits of violence against women and testimonials from organizers were showcased.

According to Maria Helen Dayo, director of UPLB Gender Center, the event was conducted to “harness light-minded people to really rise up against women violence”.

“Pumunta ako siyempre para suportahan yung advocacy nila… dahil alam naman natin na sa kasalukuyan, babae at saka bata ang inaabuso…,” said student Don Castillo.

Included also in the event was the testimonial letter from the parents of Given Grace Cebanico, a UPLB student killed last year. “Hindi lang wakasan , kung hindi bigyan ng hustisya,” said GABRIELA Vice Chairperson Gertudes Libangon  in her speech.

The highlight of the event was the Flash Mob, done for the first time in the UPLB campus. “I think that dancing is a stronger expression of feelings of support compared to just bursting out,” shared UPLB student Lauren Raquel.

The event is a preparation for “One Billion Rising” global campaign on February 14, 2013.

[PRESS RELEASE] The two dead bodies of males found in Flatrocks, Mt. Makiling at 2:45 pm on December 6, 2012 by residents of Los Baños, Laguna had been confirmed by their relatives to be that of UPLB students Mark Lorenz Valdez and Kevin Lagadon. Valdez was a BS Nutrition student, while Lagadon took up BS Computer Science. Autopsy result on the bodies of the two students established the cause of their death to be asphyxiation by drowning.

The two were reported to have logged in at the monitoring station of the Makiling Center for Mountain Ecosystems (MCME) of the UPLB College of Forestry and Natural Resources on December 2, 2012. The MCME monitoring station keeps records of people who go to Flatrocks and two other favorite ecotourism sites, Mudspring and Peak 2. Flatrocks is a 5-minute climb from the monitoring station.

Upon discovery of the two bodies, UPLB, which has jurisdiction over the Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve, alerted the Los Baños Police that immediately dispatched a SOCO team. The SOCO team came up with the initial findings that the dead bodies had no external wounds. Subsequent autopsy on their bodies at the Funeraria Regina in Los Baños today established that asphyxiation by drowning caused their death.

The UPLB administration is assuring the public that it is closely monitoring security and undertaking steps to ensure peace and order as well as safety of students in the campus (Office of Public Relations, UPLB).