haraya (albay arts magazine) 4th issue

8/7/2019 Haraya (Albay Arts Magazine) 4th Issue

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Tapik sa balikat mula sa patnugot

Hindi namin alam kung hanggang kailan ang buhay ng Haraya. Naka-salalay ang buhay nito sa inyo; kayong mga nagsusulat dito at mgatagapagtangkilik.

May mga nagsasabi na mahal ang Php 25 kada kopya, kaya ginawanaming 12 pahina ang dating 8, at ngayon ngay 14 na. Isang patunayna lantay ang alay naming serbisyo.

Kung iisipin at aanalisahin, production cost lang ang presyo ng Harayakahit tumaas na ang presyo ng kuryente. At dahil wala pa rin kamingprinter, sa Legazpi pa kami nagpapalimbag. Hindi naman maaaringphotocopy lang ang Haraya dahil una: Halos mas mahal pa nga ang

clear copy kesa sa computer printing sa pinaglilimbagan namin, pan-galawa: Malabo at mas maitim ang papel at sabog ang mga litratomapa-laser man o powder ang photocopy. Mahina ang kalidad ng mgaphotocopier dito sa Albay, kumpara sa Manila na kung saan photocop-

ied lang ang ibang mga zine at indie comics duon.

Sa mga kaibigan na baka nagiisip na negosyo ang Haraya. Kungiisipin po ay hindi. Kung wala man po kayong nakikitang pagmamahalmula sa amin, inyong analisahin kung ano kayang mga maaaring dahi-

lan para magpursige pa kami na ipagpatuloy ang Haraya gayong bu-kod sa kakarampot na kita, pagod lang ng katawan at isipan at naba-

bawasan pa ang oras namin para sa aming mga pamilya.

Nais naming ilabas lahat ng mga akda ng mga nagpasang manunulat,ngunit nasa patnugot pa rin kung ilalathala ang mga ito. Kung may

mabago man sa inyong akda tulad ng titulo o pangungusap, maaarinyo namang kausapin ang publikasyon o ang patnugot sa maayos na

paraan tungkol sa mga pagbabagong naganap sa inyong mga akda.Makikita po ninyo ang e-mail at yahoo messenger address ng Harayasa back page.

At kung sakaling may kita man ang Haraya, tinitiyak namin sa inyo naitoy gurami lang. Kung sa Tabaco kayo mag-print, 3 piso nga angkada pahina. At kung makapal ang nagamit na tintang itim, itoy aabotng php 5.

Kung kikita man ang Haraya, nais naming itong ipambili ng printer,scanner o camera para mas makatipid at mas komportable ang amingtrabaho, at itoy para na rin mas mapaganda namin ang kalidad ng

Haraya.

At nangangarap din po kami na sa publishing house o sa printing pressna lang ilathala ang Haraya para ma-mass produce, ng sa gayon mas

mura at mapadala namin ang publikasyon sa ibang probinsya at rehi-yon. Naiintindihan namin na mas maganda kung Php 5 lang angHaraya, ngunit mahirap ito kung nais nating pagandahin ang kalidad atdamihan ang pahina ng publiskayon.

May mga tao pa rin kasi na tumitingin sa panlabas na kaanyuhan ngpublikasyon, at kailangan nating ibigay sa kanila ito. Ito ay ibangangulo ng grassroots na pagdulog upang ipaabot natin sa kanila ang

ating mga tinig at saloobin.

Sanay magtulungan tayong lahat, tayong mga nag-iisip ng isang masmaganda at mapayapang daigidig. Magandang medium ang publikas-yon upang maabot natin ang isipan ng mga tao na may ibat ibang

estado.

Paumanhin kung may namamahalan sa Haraya at paumanhin kungmay mga na-offend. Minsan natural na nagkakaruon ng diskurso, ng

argumento, ngunit sana sa laot ng puso natin ay ang pag-asam ngisang synthesis na makatutulong sa ating lahat.

Sa mga taong ginagamit ang sining o anumang abilidad upang tumu-

long sa ating mga kapatid. Sumasainyo aking mataas na respeto...

OPINION2


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Original Composition Discrimination

I dont know what really happened or why it had happened. All I knowas well as the other bands (Play as One and Krear Bathala) is that theprogram was not followed. Last April 23, 2008 was the Tabaco City Dayat Magayon Festival 2008 that was held at Pearanda park, Albay. The

program that I am talking about was the variety show program duringthe Tabaco City Day. Based on what I knew, the variety show will startwith an Invocation, to be followed by the Philippine National Anthem

wherein Maam Krisel Lagman Luistro, Tabaco Citys Mayor asked meand Jimple Borlagdan if we can sing it live. We automatically said,

Kaya Right then, we had 3-5 rounds of rehearsal even with the riot-ous sound of the Mutya ng Magayon and Sponsors advertisement beingplayed in the large and poorly mixed ESL sound systems. But, we had itready for play. I will sing; Jimple will play the guitar. Until the hosts

said, Please all rise for the Philippine National Anthem. Everyonerose. I almost reached the halfway of the stage when the instrumentalPhilippine National Anthem was played.

After college, every time our National Anthem is being sung I reallymake it sure that I sing it with pride and patriotism. During that night, Icant hear the music and lyrics from the hundreds of people singing theNational Anthem even other performers on the back stage near me sing-

ing it. All I can hear is the Dipungal, daing coordination pano! linethat I keep on repeating until our National Anthem ends. Jameson Dol-lar, the main man of Play as One asked me, Bad triponon ka na,Kuya?, I just smiled at him. I was in a bad trip mood but I dont want to

ruin my night because the creative and beautiful Mother Mayor of Ta-baco is very good to our cultural group, ABKAT by giving us the chanceto display our promotional materials and original literary works duringthe Tabaco City Day, and giving us the chance to perform during the

variety show. Only to find out, that the hosts had already called theOpening Production Number. Our production number should be 3rd inthe sequence guide of the variety show based on the photocopied pro-gram that I had. After the National Anthem should be the Acoustic Per-

formance of three Tabaqueo bands showcasing their own music, to befollowed by the MTV (Ini an Tabak Ko), then the Opening ProductionNumber until the Finale (If We Hold on Together).

So, we had waited until the 10th part of the program to have our acousticperformances. But its not an easy process. One artist had texted,Poverty of Arts, then the other one replied, P---, pang pira na ansarayaw?. Some have experienced mood swings, and wanted to gohome already while others are cool because its not a wonder in a pro-

duction especially in Tabaco, when it comes to local bands who are com-posing their own songs. Well, patience is still a virtue among the dis-criminatory eyes of those who are brain washed (I hope you understandwhat Im trying to say here.) by the two giant T.V. stations of our coun-

try.

The discrimination continued. Play as One had prepared three songs.

Our group, Rash, had prepared six songs and Krear Bathala had preparedfive.. All are original compositions. The discrimination continued.

There was an advised to make it only three songs because theyre run-ning out of time for singers who will share their talents in covering songs

and dancers (males, females and gays) who will energetically show theirlaboriously rehearsed piece for the people of Tabaco and other Albaya-nos to be entertained only or maybe because they treat bands who are notcovering songs as cancer to the society (exaggerated). So, Play as One

had delivered two songs. Rash belted 4 songs and Krear Bathala onlytwo. The discrimination continued, maybe or maybe not.

I am not saying that covering songs is wrong or inappropriate. In fact,

we should really be proud of them because those singers are Bicolanos.They are Tabaqueos. We must be proud of them. All I am saying is thatyou give the respect to the musicians who are creating original music thesame way you give respect to bands or musicians covering songs. Do not

discriminate us because you dont know the lyrics of the songs or youcant jam with the tune.

If you do not understand what I am saying here maybe because you

dont want to even try to understand it and maybe because you are al-ready brainwashed by our two giant T.V. stations. You treat them (T.V.stations) as god. You receive everything they are giving you. Thats whyyou tend to show it in your events or productions and the people easily

accept it without any choices. The people are used with this form ofentertainment. The people during the show feel happy and entertained.After the show, they are still these over dependent residents to our very

industrious but sometimes taking-advantage-of-the-situation politicians.Our people could be forever dependent, shallow or passive citizens.

A colleague friend of mine texted me three hours after the variety show Pinako sa krus su arte ngonian mantang an Barabas kan kahibabawan

an sinalbar kan banwaan! (Art now is crucified on the cross while the

Barabas of being shallow is accepted by the people). I replied to him,Bae sana, sa ikatulong aldaw baga masakat man an Arte sa langit.

(Dont worry, on the third day, Art will ascend to heaven).

I have a hypothesis why things did not go as plan last April 23, 2008 onthe variety show of the Tabaco City Day in Magayon Festival 2008.There were many directors who wants to run the show with their ownprogram guide to entertain the audience as well as to please the God-

desses of the city of Tabaco and the province of Albay. Or there were

directors there who really do not like or better do not understand what artis or an artist is supposed to be. There were directors there who discrimi-

nate us because we do not cover Christian Bautista or Sarah Geronimosongs that were covered by other local musicians.

All of these are maybe or maybe not. Im not really sure of what I hadsaid here. But I am so sure that we need respect and acceptance as an

artist who create songs based on our imagination and experience withpassion.

OPINION 3


4/14

LATHALAIN

Jaime Jesus U. Borlagdan

I guess this is to warn our dear LCC shoppersthe whole month of May is feared to be excitingand meaningful. No longer will the LCC Activity Center, be tormented by its slot machines tonedeaf rambling and the equally nerve-racking renditions in the VideoOke by our enthusiastic city-

mates. Instead, the loud and brave convulsions of Tabaco original music will fill this commercialvoid.

All this is new found substance, is brought to us, without a shred of shame (and loving it), by the

musical cult-supported event by the infamous name ofUrag-urag (grievance). Urag-urag is thebrainchild of the arts and culture group ABKAT; it is also its more familiar project among a teemingof others still unnoticed. It was started several years ago, attracting bands with varied musical genresunited only by the fact that they are to play nothing but original songs. Not only the event was a

smashing success, but it shattered the age-old tradition of non-creativity and cheap coverage of radioor MTV-established numbers. Some bands, though, despite the good example, still remain to bestubborn slackers of cover-playing for easy recognition. And of course, they are supported to thepoint of fandom by the audience who can only appreciateguesscover-playing.

But if ever there is a real cultural revolution in this City, this is it. For with the conception of theUrag-urag, Tabaco has made its first baby step, and joined other communities in a conscious pursuit

of having a real musical culture.

The last massacre of indifference to the musical culture revolution in Tabaco, just happened last Sunday.People were awed and had their mouths in a wide O, saliva streaming down their cheeks in some, for thetwo solid hours of unheard of renditions, straight from the underground. Some were shocked, pissed, and

wanted to spit in the bands faces, given the chance, but I am sure among the audience present there in thathistoric event, someone had said: I want to have worthIm tired of playing someone elses song. Andthat my friends is the beginning of fulfillment. Most of the bands in this number aren'tt paid, yet theykeep onwhat fuels their drive to play for free? That my friends is the secret happiness shared only bythose who had the balls to play their own songs in front of a hundred people or so. Lets cut this showband

attitude of playing for food, enough with the cheap boy-band antics, and chick magnetry. Its time to askones self, when. When will I ever make something that is me?

I am not saying that all the bands in the Urag-urag bandwagon are all good, the world is not as perfect as

that. And Tabaco Original Sound is still a fleeting ideal. Well give our detractors that, but we believe that the path is already set toward that direc-

tion, and it is only a matter of time before its eventual attainment.

So this is also a sort of call to my fellow bands, and bands still out there lurking in the limbo of im-personality. Dont just play for kicks, or because youlove playingyouve already done that. Try playing

for something else. Something that will benefit notonly you or your band mates, but also those that

know what good music is, and what music is, period.Something that endures even when your band disin-tegrates into bits of warring points, something be-yond you or time itself. Something like an original

sound, a sound that is us alone. A sound that washanded to us by tradition or sung to us when we wereyoung. Something that we know with all our hearts.Lets try to touch that area. It is not enough that we

are composing originals. Its always having an origi-nal sound that counts, at least for me.

Ok, I may have cried a bit in that portion. Any way

here are the bands who performed in the last Urag-urag at LCC: Play As One, YParusa, Krear Bathala,Flat Earth Society, Kalbaryo, Amadeus, Rash, TimeRosary, and Green Diary. Yay to us all.

Yay also to our kick-ass, host Richard Madrilejos.Yay to Julius Bariso for the pictures.Yay to Jun Lim for the Engineering.

And yay to Kuya Erwin,for just being gay and ignoring us.

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GRAPHICS 5


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PANITIKAN

Sulat ka naman

Sa Haraya

Illustrated by...

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7/14

PANITIKAN

I will wait

for you...

Djoanna Tanji

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PANITIKAN8


9/14

OPINION

Last May 12, 2008, an earthquake hits China and the number ofcasualties could amount to 20,000 people. Disasters like this hurt be-

cause Chinese people like Hindus and Muslims are our brothers.

And fear also strikes because it could happen to us. But a day in an air

-conditioned mall or watching an entertaining movie with our familyhelp us forget that anytime a tempest or a tsunami might hit our house-

hold. But we couldnt escape the reality that anytime, death will catch

us or our love ones in an instant.

This article is not about disasters, it is a plea to the people whom I

knew who could alleviate the suffering that we always forget.

This is a calling to all artists, who are also thinkers. We dont have the

luxury of time to engage in the warfare of who takes the credit in anidea or the label of who is the greatest artist.

Yes, you could write poetry or music for your personal satisfaction or

the consumption of your friends, I respect you for that. But if you are

an artist who sees that many Muslims and Christians are hating and

killing one another and you are using your skills by creating projectsor artworks to be a factor in the realization that we are all brothers inspite of skin tone, then you are creating real beauty.

Our scholars have stated that aesthetics is subjective, and the academeis teaching it at universities. But all races and cultures experience the

same problem: Birth, diseases, old age and death. We all also experi-

ence tooth and backaches besides broken relationships. If we all ex-perience the same problem, shouldn't we think that there is also only

one truth or beauty?

There is no void that we could evade influencing others. The desire to

speak is so intense in each one of us. We have notions and solutions in

our problems from home to national issues, but what if our hypothesis

is wrong? Then our conclusion is wrong. We could destroy a life fromtelling people that they came from monkeys or telling people to write

what pops up first in their imperfect mind. Our senses are imperfect.

Our eyes are made up of earth and water, so I could not see air norcould I see my hands in pitch black. I might hear the person besides

me but I might not hear the conversations or the noises in the room

nearby. The mind is the king of the senses, for everything that pass thesenses is recorded by the mind. If my mind is imperfect, then how

could I be able to comprehend the truth.

Sex is the highest pleasure in the physical realm, it overlaps eating,

defending (e.g., sports), and sleeping. A certain artist could write his

or her personal sex escapades that only nourish other peoples sexual

inhibitions. Thus enhancing the animalistic society we already have.

The mind is very dangerous if a person could not control it. The desire

to be famous is also innate in us because we want to be loved. Butlearning how to love begins from contemplating what

do we really need or what do we really need to say or to create to ourfellow human beings.

There are many school of thoughts and movements in arts. In mystatements, you could feel that I am asking you to share your arts with

others but with the intention of trying to help people to understand the

reality that everything in the material plane is just like bubbles.The art movements like art mediums or genres are only a tool for an

artist to express his thoughts or sentiments to other people. What is

significant is the message that the artist tries to express. Content is

always much essential than form.

Honestly, I am happy about the culture and arts scene in Tabaco City.

An Banwa, Kultura buda Artes kan Tabaco, Inc. (ABKAT, Inc.) istrying its best to help Albayanos be more creative. That is good.

Lets not just forget that monoculture or being purist is non-existent

anymore in the world of culture and arts. In the era of postmodernism

and globalization, we are all influence by many philosophies and

school of thoughts. Synthesis in the world of art happens swiftly. This

is heightened by accessibility of internet even in far flung or formercommunist areas.

Being confined in one culture and arts could help perhaps. Butones real identity could not be found in the culture and arts of your

hometown. When a person think of himself as a Filipino or a Ta-

baqueo, then that person could be a victim of party spirit, it is man-kinds greatest enemy. Because if I view myself as a Tabaqueo, a

Filipino or a Muslim, I might see that other races or people whose

religion are different than mine are not brothers.

There is one absolute culture that mirrors us all, and that could be

trace from what we experienced; old age, diseases and the predestined

death. We are running out of time; an earthquake, a tempest, a stray

bullet or a heart attack could hit our parents or household anytime.

I am asking all people who are into culture and arts to study the situa-tion and to devote valuable energy into the pursuit of the truth, and

this article is also a push to myself to also actualize that realization.

Everything begins with the first step, sincerity. And sincerity is also

the last step.

tabak at

rosas...

Old Tabaco Supermarket 1967 Inauguration

Historical Photos

Frederick Maurice S. Lim

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11/14

Giovhanii Buen

I guess the importance of being

earnest is that no one will call

you dick even if its your name,

other than that, with a skill and

finesse to foist the stench that

really belonged to you no one

will bother to tell you that you

really stink. Armed with poise, half-baked eloquence and a well-pressed dressyou can easily

solicit from others your most sought for respect. If your audience doesnt know you well andyour audience needs spectacle from whom theyre cheering for; you are the man

Recently I am literally having fun with some fiasco of dignity and pageants of mendacity. Talk about ethics and all, manners and

conducthypocrisy goes with that. As if the world owes them something. As if the world applauds them. They have successfully posted

themselves where public opinion is easily mold and shaped according to their device. It can be called power. Theres this metaphorical lau-

rel leaves which I really think will be good in adobo, but not on their puny little head. They might need a lot of laurels and it will be un-

sightly. Imagine Brutus with laurels and taken the place of an august.

I am disappointed in some way because I only play chess to those who will teach me unusual moves, not to be taken off-guard by

some pawn-grabbing technique. Unfortunately, not everyone who calls themselves brilliant sees the board in more than one way. If youre

not intelligent enough to see my point; pilferage in the publication fund is still called corruption even if you successfully got away with it.

Go on, walk as the most prudent man on earth but truth will catch up on you someday and youll know that youre a sucker all along.

~ * ~

There are some levels in communication and some techniques to equivocate while hitting where it hurts most, but none is more

potent than silence when opinion is badly needed by the other party to draw their strength from and their point upon. I am talking about

opinion. When a person is not ready to take criticism, it is better for him not to risk whatever extension of himself to the public. And beforehe can present himself as an artist to the world, he may have to deal first with his immediate audience, fan and critic; his friends.

As a person who is also into arts, I find sincerity and authenticity to be a very important virtue. If you found me cut and dry in my

comments regarding your art work, I am simply judging it as an artist who judges an art work. If a little knowledge in aesthetics and phi-

losophy is dangerous, youll have to forgive me for that, I am just trying to be truthful. But if you want me to judge your art work, I as your

friend, it will cost you a bottle of beer.

COVER YOUR PAPERS Rowena Laguilles

I first learned of the word 'plagiarism' / 'literary piracy' when I was

already in college.

First, I learned that it was bad.

Our professors from college stressed the importance of citingsources. For several times, I heard the legend of the UP professor

who was stripped of his Ph.D. because his former teacher found one

of his undergrad papers to have but nothing but a remake of a pub-

lished newspaper article the teacher was reading for her own re-

search paper.

But then I learned that it was good...

I fell in love with the book, "In the Time of the Butterflies." But I

couldn't find a copy of it anywhere, anywhere being the nearest

Book Sale and National Book Store. Plus, I couldn't afford it then.

So I borrowed a copy from the library and had the whole book cop-

ied and bound. There. My own copy.

...coz it was a tool against the capitalists.

On the cover page of Bertrand Russell's "Why I am Not a Chris-

tian," he encourages his readers to make copies of his article as it is

free from the restrictions of copyright.

But then capitalists still find a way to make money out of it.

When I was three years younger and looked for work in busy

Makati, the owner of one company told me during the final interview

that as a web writer, I should not plagiarize other writings posted on

the web. That is, I should not copy from my sources word for word,

but that I should only rephrase the ideas they contain. Nobody owns

knowledge, anyway, he convinces me.

Years later, I learned it was a sign of the times, a fashionable

gesture.

My sister had a friend who, she told me, would pick out lines by

famous and not-so famous people alike, and use them as her own in

her essays, inserting them as naturally as she can in her poems, or in

dialogues between the characters in her story, or in her online jour-

nal. She says nobody would notice anyway.

But truth is, I realized it was cheating oneself.

Back when I was teaching, I required my students to submit pa-

pers. I felt stupid having taught them how to use MLA and APA

citation styles when all they submitted to me were copied and pasted

Web articles. Pathetic. I returned to them their drafts and asked for

originality, revising my questions so they'd actually have to write it

and not just copy off other's ideas.

I resolve it is about paying respect for great minds and new

ideas...

My current professor in philosophy shared to us how appalled he

was that the article he wrote and posted on his website had just beenplagiarized. It was written in protected format, he tells us, so the

plagiarist must have really copied the article word for word in order

to transfer it to his website. Such effort, such waste.

...and admitting one is not as great.

Once, I came across a most beautiful poem about revenge on a

webpage, which I assumed was written by the owner of the webpage

since there was no byline that indicated otherwise. Later, when I

wished to retrieve the same poem by googling it, I found several

other websites containing it, with the real author properly cited. So

much for young talent.

Weng is a research writer and the rhythm guitarist of The Doldrums

OPINION

[email protected]

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12/14

Most of us (if not all) grew up with parents

dreaming to send us to college, to watch us inour toga and to have our diploma framed andhung in the living room. We grew up with theidea that a diploma means so much. I grew up

with the idea that a diploma means so much.That a person is incomplete without it, that aperson will be deprived of a good career with-

out it. I hold on to that idea until I started work-ing.

I am working with people who are college un-dergraduates but I am no better than them. I am

working with people who have excelled aca-demically but they are no better than those whoonly spent a semester in the university. I amworking with people who had been professors,some were engineers and I.T professionals but

they are no better than my undergraduate col-leagues. Some just took a 2-year college coursebut they are working as good as those peoplewho finished a 4-year course and at times more

efficient than those with masters degree.

I am working in a call center and if there is

anything I would laud about my job it is theequality in it.

A call center environment is not a very happyenvironment. Unlike what many think, the com-

pensation is not at all times just. Call centeragents undergo salary disputes and there is thisnever ending skirmish with stress. But in a callcenter, age is not an issue as long as you are not

underage, educational attainment is not theprimary consideration as long as you havea brain retentive enough to cope with informa-tion overload . And it doesn't matter if you go

to office with crutches or wheelchair as long asyou can speak and type.

But I am not writing this article to promote call

centers. I am just jovial that the industry whereI belong is one place where undergraduates andgraduates can merge minus the discrimination.Of course there are other industries who wel-

come undergraduates, but I cannot speak wellabout them. The confidence given by call cen-ters and those other companies to the under-graduates have curved the notion that only de-

gree-holders can work in an airconditioned

office and sit in swivel chairs. And breakingthat notion is a milestone. I am honestly un-

aware of the current employment index. I don'tknow how many Filipinos are working and Ihave no idea on how many Filipinos are idlewhether by choice or chance. All I know is that

a person who wants to work should be givenwork, they should be given a chance to be pro-ductive.

I am not saying that it's okay to not finish col-lege. I am not saying that there is always anequal opportunity for both graduates and under-graduates. What I am saying is that there are

people who did not finish their studies not be-cause they chose not to. There are people whomissed school for reasons that we should bethankful because they never have to be our

reason. There is this high school classmate ofyours who graduated as the class valedicto-rian whom you saw at the free-taste booth in adepartment store. She wasn't able to go to col-

lege because her father died and she have totake his post as the breadwinner. Free-tastebooths pay but they don't pay much. This class-

mate of yours wanted to go to college and be ateacher. But now she has five mouths to feedand five bodies to clothe with the paltry remu-neration she is getting from the free-taste booth.Given this situation, you wouldn't think that she

can still become a teacher. But if there is a bet-ter opportunity than working at a free-tastebooth, there will be a good chance that she willbecome a teacher. Or if she choose not to be-come a teacher anymore and just be a full-time

breadwinner, then there will be a good chancefor her to be a better benefactor.

I don't mind those who are undergraduates be-

cause they had their book reviews on Ma-

ligamgam Bar and whose periodical examswere spent in Prontera leveling up their mage

character to become wizards. I was never sym-pathetic to people who fall because of irrespon-sible fun. I am congenial to people with

dreams but are deprived of means and resourcesto make their dreams an actuality. A job at a

free-taste booth is not a lowly job. I uphold thedignity in labor. But I also uphold the right ofeach person to do the job he is happy doing, theright of each person to not be underestimated

just because he doesn't have a diploma.

If the hiring fad of call centers and those othercompanies who hire undergraduates will be

emulated, many of the Filipinos will be con-verted from futile to assets. That will be a nota-ble advancement in the Philippine employmentmilieu. That would convalesce the lives of

those who were long living in economic barren-ness. I am even thinking that it will eventuallysolve the brain drain that our country is suffer-ing from. Many have left the country to look for

the proverbial greener pasture. I have nothingagainst working abroad. I cannot blame thefathers and mothers who left their children toearn dollars. They have more-than-justifiable

causes. But if our country can be turned intothat green pasture, then many will not choose to

leave and our country will be the one benefitingfrom the minds of our people - our people,

graduate or undergraduate. I have so muchfaith in the Pinoy acumen, in the Pinoy re-sourcefulness and eagerness, madiskartekasi ang mga Pinoy.

I have so much faith in my race , I have somuch faith in the Pinoy workers that I feel itchurning that many overseas Filipino workers

are being abused. If they were here, they maynever have to suffer such abuses. Good employ-ment may not make everyone stay but a lot willdecide to stay and that "a lot" will mean a lot to

our work force.

Hiring undergraduates doesn't mean having tosacrifice the standard. Many of my officemates,

including me have no comprehensive back-ground in information technology or computereducation, not to mention the undergraduates,but we are all working competently. We even

made a happy client who decided to extendtheir contract with our company. The key?Training. Training is a good investment for

companies. It is a benevolent actthat companies can do for job-hunters. Goodtraining creates a skilled employee.

We do have a lot of wasted brains because these

brains don't carry a diploma. Diploma maymean something, but it is definitely not a meas-ure of everything. A diploma means that youhave accomplished all academic requirementsbut it is never an assurance that the bearer is a

capability-sufficient person. Again, there are alot of brains concealed among the population ofundergraduates. They only need a fair chance.They should not be made to loaf in waiting

sheds. They may not have a diploma but they

have the head and the skills.

Also, and again I never said that it is okay tonot finish school. It may be that undergraduatescan get a good job, but still, nothing beats a

good education. I am not saying that we need tofinish school for the diploma. We need to finish

school to fully learn the things that we need tolearn, and we want to learn. We were taughtarithmetic because we need math. Then we goto college and enrol in a nursing course because

we want to learn how to become a nurse. Wewant to learn how to become a nurse becausewe want to become a nurse. Finishing schoolmay be all about getting our diplomas. But

more than that, it sets the neat path to where wewant to go and what we want to become.

Congratulations to those who have finished

school with flying colors, to those who havetoiled hard to get their diplomas. To those whoare undergraduates by chance, keep hoping andnever stop working for your dreams. There will

always be a cushioned seat reserved for you. Tothose who are undergraduate because of care-less choice, it's time to straighten up. Don't waituntil it's too late. And to all of us. education is a

continuous process. Don't stop learning.

COLUMN

[email protected]

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Haraya: Hi 3tx, how are you?3tx: I'm doing well, thank you. :D

Haraya:What does a photo manipulator do?3tx: A photo manipulator is a person who manipulates or edits photo-graphs to create a new image not unlike creating montages frommagazine cut out. But photo manipulation is more than enhancing or aretouch, It is construction of an artwork.

Haraya: Do artist have responsibilities? What are they?3tx: I think artist are constant evolutions, theyre creations are bent withthe same passing as their experiences. Being that I think they have theresponsibility to reflect life, to engage people, touch them and inspirethem. And even evoke a change in them.

Haraya: You are a son of a renowned writer, visual artist and a re-nowned media personality, how does that feel?

3tx: Okay I guess, he's been my father since birth, lol, I mean I don't feelany pressure him being my father. I'm not trying to be him or equal whathe has achieved. Honestly I never thought about this before, I just try todo make my own art and challenge myself. I think it is about you chal-lenging yourself, if I look too much at the work of others my own artwould suffer.

Haraya: What is your academic background?3tx: I graduated with Bachelor of Arts in English from BU College ofArts and Letters last April, 2007. Yep, a little too far from digital artbut I also did write some poems and essays those times.

Haraya: What do you do now?

3tx:I am a freelance graphic artist and push pixels to make art. I mainlydo photo manipulation, graphic design and vector illustration. And alsotrying to improve my art and hit a stride.

Haraya: What are your mediums in art?3tx:Right now I use the computer for most of my work but the pencil isstill quite very useful.

Haraya: What softwares do you use?3tx:My main tool is photoshop but I also indesign for layouts andXara and illustrator for vector illustrations.

Haraya: How long are you doing digital art?3tx:I met Photoshop in 2003 but I was not really into digital art or just

art back then. But ultimately I was drawn into it, Photoshop was theonly graphic application I knew back then, having a little exposure fromdigital art until I got hooked with the internet, I used to just create"filtered" works which would not really amount as a digital art. It was in2006 that I began to appreciate how powerful Photoshop can be, andawed (and still awed) by the amazing artworks over the internet I gotinspired to create better digital art. I'm still just a noob getting inspired.

Haraya: How do you see digital art in the future?3tx: I don't really know, its moving so fast right now, younger artists arecreating newer art, older artists discovering new uses for the digitalmedia. Up the tempo, up the tempo!

Haraya: What is the current digital art in Albay?3tx:Honestly I think it is virtually invisible, we have seen traditional artexhibits but digital artists have yet to find a place to showcase theirart. I think that there is a very little support or interest for art here inAlbay.

There are some awesome Albayano digital artists over the internet but

most of them are based outside of Bicol, mostly in Manila or abroad.

Haraya: Any current plans or future projects?3tx: Some friends and I are planning to build a freelance team. And justcontinue what I am enjoying right now.

Haraya: Any advice for the newbies in digital artworld?3tx: Pick it up and bash it all around. And be patient.

Haraya: Why 3tx?3tx: It is an alphanumeric which doesnt really mean anything, I like itbecause it is short and shiny its also the nick I use in Counter Strike.

Haraya: Who/what inspires you?3tx: Just anything music, a wall, rust but I am heavily influenced by popsurrealism, surrealism, bio mecha and 3d abstract designs.

Haraya: Thank you, 3tx for sharing your time with Haraya.3tx: No problemo. Thank you too.

As technology progresses, digital art softwares and trends will flourish.To learn freehand and painting is an X factor. There are many skilledartists on our times, but the ones who are using their skills to make abetter change has the better right to be called artist, and most of themmight never wanted the label.

As for 3tx, he will continue to grow and might be a strong force in therealm of international digital artssomeday.

Arts is not evolving, it is only the me-dium of expression that is continuously

changing. Beauty is permanent. Peoplein all walks of life search for love buttheir methods are different, it is just likethe different and evolving methods of

expression that artists use in their arts.

Lets just use the beauty and the ability of technology to incorporate inour arts.

Here is an interview of a renowned photo manipulator and digital artistin DA or deviant art. He is a son of an artist, media personality, and aca-demic prowess. Raffy Banzuela III or famously known as 3TX share us

himselfand his views on digital art.

Frederick Maurice S. Lim

ART FARTS

CLICK AND EXPLOSION

COOL LAB

EXPERIMENT 01

NOTHING TO SAYWE WANNA DD

3tx

Collaboration with Ray Pierda

Collaboration with Ray Pierda

LATHALAIN

3tx.deviantart.com

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haraya (albay arts magazine) 4th issue

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