is published once every semester by the Master of Arts in Literature Program, College of Arts and Sci-ences, University of Southeastern Philippines, Davao City

E-mail Address: thegreenleaves711@gmail.com

Emmanuel M. Cagayan Executive Editor

Joel “Aya” Carillo Dumale Associate Editor

Karl Dave D. Quiñones Shella L. Lariosa Managing Editors

Dr. Ma. Rita C. Tuban Prof. Teresita A. Sancho

Editorial Advisers

Efren F. Elbanbuena In cooperation with the Philippine Information

Agency, Region XI

THE GREEN LEAVES

News and Features Message from the President - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 From the Literature Department's Desk - - - - - - 4 Master of Arts in Literature Logo, Explained - - - 4 USEP offers M.A. in Literature - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 The Value of Literature - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7 Raindrops and Eyedrops - - - - - - - - - - - - 9 Exercise - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9 The Chambers of My Little Hut - - - - - - - - - - - - 10 Awakening - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12 Reminiscence - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12 Afternoon Delight - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13 Autumn Wind and Romance - - - - - - - - - - - - 14 Poetry Speculum - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 16 To Gaia - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 17 Daphne - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 18 Soliloquy - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 19 Mangroves - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 20 Water - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 21 Mananagat - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 22 Impyerno nga Hardin - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 23 An Exhilarating River Cruising - - - - - - - - - - - - 24 Essays Graduate Students Join River Cruising - - - - - - 26 A Journey to the River - - - - - - 27 It Wont’ Be Soon Before It’s Too Late - - - - - - 28

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The students of Master of Arts in

Literature, mainly classical in content,

have chosen the laurel leaves as an

emblem of their publication which they

call, The Green Leaves.

The laurel leaves are made into a

crown that is awarded to an Olympic

champion after winning a competition

as a reward in exchange for the

winner’s rigorous training and hard

work, the traits of a champion which

students of M.A. in Literature need to

acquire.

The laurel leaves bespeak of the

M.A. in Literature curriculum that is

classical as ancient as the story of Apollo

who fell in love with the mortal Daphne

transformed into a laurel tree in Greek

mythology.

Color green stands for hope and

promise as the 17 pioneering students

and their fresh expectations can develop

into multiple writings of whatever genre.

NEWS 2

Message from the President

I wish to congratu-

late the editorial board of

The Green Leaves, on its

maiden issue, for initiating

this endeavor through the

World-Wide Web.

I appreciate the pio-

neering students of the

Master of Arts in Literature

for contemplating and writ-

ing their masterpieces to be

contained in the journal.

It is a manifestation

of a faculty and students

endeavor from their learn-

ing of one semester. It is

expected that as they pro-

gress in the course they

will be writing more.

In doing so, they are

contributing to the evolution

of Filipino literature, par-

ticularly that of Mindanao

literature. For what is litera-

ture but a record of a

group of people’s experi-

ences, hopes and aspira-

tions and The Green

Leaves of the University of

Southeastern Philippines

shall be the medium most

appropriate to deliver and

spread goodwill to all the

corners of the world

through the writings from

this land of Mindanao.

The Green Leaves is

one of the means repre-

senting what is produced

in this university which for

three years now has posi-

tioned itself to be fifth

among the universities in

the Philippines and is

enlisted among Asia’s fin-

est academic institutions.

May the students

and faculty of the Master

of Arts in Literature per-

severe and sustain the

production of The Green

Leaves as a means to in-

teract with all citizens of

the world.

PERFECTO A. ALIBIN, Ph.D.

3 NEWS

Master of Arts in Literature Logo Explained

From the Department Chair’s Desk

I would like to con-gratulate the Master of Arts in Literature students, particu-larly, the editorial board of

The Green Leaves on its maiden issue. The journal will target a world-wide readers as lovers of literature. The

maiden issue of The Green Leaves an electronic-journal of the Master of Arts in Litera-ture highlights literary arti-cles by the students of Master of Arts in Literature and the faculty of the Graduate Pro-gram of the Department of

Literature. The Green Leaves is a semi-annual pub-lication of the MA Literature students. The articles have the following themes: Nature and Environment, River Cruising, Love and Court-ship, Celebration of Dr. Ma. Rita C. Tuban’s birthday, Mangrove Planting as a

course requirement of Dr. Patricia O. Elbanbuena, Lyric poem on time, and Speedboat riding with pic-ture taking.

The nativity of this electronic- journal is attrib-uted to the initiative of the students of the Master of Arts in Literature.

It is hoped that this journal, The Green Leaves will be sustained by the MA students for the coming gen-erations of AB Literature stu-dents.

During the course of the program, the students of the Master of Arts in Literature agreed to formulate and design a logo that will serve as a representation of the program. Incorporating several elements into one harmonious symbol, they have agreed on the final design that is now portrayed above. The logo is composed of a picture of a white dove, a white hind and a blue whale super-imposed over a

shield with a background of white, green and blue.

The shield represents the program’s aim to be the vanguard against the practice of too rigid, to strict ways of life. Art is an expression of emotion and it must roam free to enhance one’s creativity. The white dove, the white hind and the blue whale symbolize the three muses of poetry of which the poets of old had invoked for inspiration. The color white, symbolizes peace. The color green, symbolizes nature and life. The color blue, symbolizes nobility. It is surrounded by a wreath of laurel leaves bowing towards the tradition of old which is reminiscent of the Greek practice of bestowing the laurel upon people who have

achieved fame and brought honor and pride to their people. On the bottom part is the word “literature” written in the style of Greek alphabet. This is because, even though we live in the modern times, we catch a glimpse of the ancient roots of literature, honoring it for the achievements o f t o d a y . T h e e i g h t e e n battlements at the top of the shield represents the seventeen pioneers and their mentor, defending this new bastion of literature.

These symbols combine seamlessly into a design that aptly represents the program as well as its aspirations and its goals.

NEWS 4

The University of Southeastern Philippines has opened a Master of Arts in Literature program starting first semester of school year 2013-2014.

According to Dr. Rita C. Tuban, who is the department head of the program, the Master of Arts in Literature is a graduate program to cater to graduates of AB in Literature or those who have earned any bachelor’s degree who are interested to pursue a graduate study in literature.

Dr. Tuban said the University of Southeastern Philippines is the first tertiary school in Davao City or anywhere in Davao region to offer a graduate study in literature.

The demand for literature graduates is high because literature is a specific subject being taught in secondary schools s well as in colleges.

The enrollees during the first semester are Honey Jean Albarracin, Janette Butlig, Rezzie Mae Cabrela, Emmanuel Cagayan, Joel Dumale, Efren Elbanbuena, Atty. Khalil Elbanbuena, Shella Lariosa, Carla Mae Masculino, Michael Angelo Marquez, Karl Dave Quinones, Jenifer Reputana, Teresita Sancho, Febbie Sasarita and Farah Aimee Virador.

Additional students who enrolled second semester are Cytzy Suzanne Aronales, Armando Fenequito, Jr., Mark Joel Ortiz, Jeopril Jane Pableo and Dayenne Therese Sipaco.

The pool of professors are Dr. Rita C. Tuban, Dr. Patricia O. Elbanbuena, and Dr. Macario Tiu.

MA LITERATURE STUDENTS ELECT OFFICERS

Students of the Master of Arts in Literature elected their new set of officers in an electgion held recently.

The elected officers are the following: Emmanuel Cagayan, President; Rezzie Mae Cabrela, Vice president; Shella Lariosa, Secretary; Carla Mae Masculino, Assistant Secretary; Janette Butlig, Treasurer; Farah Aimee Virador, Auditor; Joel Dumale, Business Manager; Karl Dave Quiñones, Assistant Business Manager; and Michael Angelo Marquez, Press Relations Officer.

They were inducted by Dr. Perfecto Alibin, President of the University of Southeastern Philippines.

During the induction, Dr. Alibin commended the students for taking the lead in the MA in Literature despite the short notice of the opening of the program.

The board of regents of the USeP finally approved the news graduate program during their board meeting in the summer of 2012.

University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) offers Master of Arts in Literature

5 NEWS

featuresfeatures

The Value of Literature Ma. Rita C. Tuban, Ph.D.

Let me first begin with the idea of Horace and Milton that the purpose of literature is to in-struct and to delight. It is also said that the “pen is mightier than the sword.”

As lovers of literature, you will not only delight in the literary epic of John Milton, Para-dise Lost but also learn about God and His Arch-angels, St. Michael and St. Gabriel, Satan, Adam and Eve, the concept of good and evil and the concept of love and liberty. With the idea that the pen is mightier than the sword, our very own, Dr. Jose Rizal inflamed in the hearts and minds of many of his countrymen, the Filipinos, the love of country in his two novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, poems, and stories.

When we study folk literature, we are made to comprehend that it mirrors a nation’s customs, traditions, ideals, values aspirations, and world view. Moreover, a nation’s past glory, fears, struggles, strengths and weaknesses, and hopes are all shown in its literature. Of course, the works of the nation’s great writers and poets, who are considered as the nation’s good-will am-bassadors, are stamped with immortality. In them these ideals, life-values and aspirations are en-hanced or adorned with embellishments of unique artistry for the younger generations who are inevitably tasked to read and to appreciate the literary works. Take for example, the Philip-pine epics like Lam-ang, Labaw Dongon, Han-diong, Bantugan, and many others which are still reading materials in school, carry with them the Philippine customs, traditions, values, ideals and aspirations.

In our studies on literature, we come to a realization that all literatures of the world are

valuable and universally interesting. Stories, lyric poems, or folk literature of any nation are sub-stantial and interesting literature because they reveal the people’s thoughts, beliefs, customs, traditions and values of that nation. Works of po-ets like Chaucer, Milton, Shakespeare, Sidney, Gray, Burns, Blake, Wordsworth, or novelists like Jonathan Swift, James Joyce, Joseph Conrad, D.H. Lawrence, W.M. Thackeray, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, George Elliot, Oscar Wilde, R.L. Ste-venson, Rudyard Kipling, Virginia Woolf, E.M. Forster and many others have contributed largely to the enrichment of English literature. American literature also has many writers, novelists, poets and essayists who have written about their great nation the United States of America. Some of these writers deserved to be mentioned here like Mark Twain, Whittier, Wharton, Poe, Longfellow, Haw-thorne, Washington Irving, Ralph Waldo Emer-son, Thoreau, Salinger, Miller, Williams, Fitzger-ald, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Melville, Fennimore Cooper and many others. The history of the Brit-ish people or the American people will not be that interesting, if the works of these literary men have not existed. It is clear that without literary men, the history of a nation is reduced to mere historical chronicles, or documents or records of the holocaust of humanity, genocides, world wars, massacres, slaughters, poverty, immorality, victo-ries, defeats and socio-economic dislocations. Politics, governments, politicians, kings, queens, and conquerors would vanished into thin pink and blue air or be consigned to oblivion but the literature of the nation will live forever as long as men read and appreciate it. There are many ex-amples of literature whether this may be epic or lyrical poems that portray the great achievements

7 FEATURES

and admirable valor of illustrious men and women. Some of these are the following: Gen-ghis Khan, a Mongol ruler in the 13th century is featured in the poem of Baras-aghur; Kubla Khan, a grandson of Genghis Khan is the sub-ject of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem; Spartacus, a Thracian gladiator who led a slave uprising against the Roman Republic is the hero in the works of Plutarch and Raffaello Giovagnoli; Davy Crockett of the US who has become popular through the song Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier; Buodica, a warrior queen who led an uprising against the Roman Empire is a heroine in the poem of Wil-liam Cowper’s Boadicia and Edmund Spenser’s Bunduca; and , Rustam has become a famous hero in world lit-erature be-cause Fir-dausi, the great Persian poet, wrote his story in his Epic of Kings. The s t o r y o f Rustam is echoed in the poem “ Sorab and Rustum” by Matthew Arnold. Tales about Harun Arashid, a Persian caliph, are found in A Thousand and One Nights: Arabian Tales. And a tale of the legendary Charle-magne is featured in the “Song of Roland”.

Literature is the most appropriate ma-terial for educating the young students in schools and colleges. We form ideas about a country’s history and culture, if we study a country’s literature. Greek or Roman civiliza-tion is gone but their contribution to world lit-erature remains. The work of Aristotle, “Poetics” discusses the literary form of trag-edy like Sophocles’s “Oedipus Rex”; the tragic plays of Euripides like “Medea” and the

comedies of Aristophanes like “The Frog”; and the Greek and Roman mythologies are some examples of these literatures that are still read and enjoyed by lovers of literature. We read about their civilization from their lit-erature. From the history of the world we learn that nations and civilizations, like the Greek and Roman ( or Czarist Russia or Com-munist Russia) rose and fell. But we should al-ways remember that the immortality of the na-tion’s literature lingers.

It would not be amiss to mention here that closer to home, we too have famous writ-ers like Villa, Joaquin, Sionil Jose, Bulosan, Santos, Gonzales, and many others. They write

about the land and people of the Phil-ippines so other people may be ac-quainted with Phil-ippine culture and history.

In song and story, the people of a nation express their view of the world in which they live, their values and ideals, their joys and sorrows, their beliefs, cus-toms and tradi-

tional way of life. For the greatest value of the literature of a people, whether this be folk or sophisticated literature, is that it is a spiritual record of the people, executed with an artistry unique to them and a people’s literature, therefore, is significant not only for the enjoy-ment and wisdom one can derive from them but perhaps more important, for insights into the people’s personality that they yield. These insights can go a long way towards a better understanding, and consequently a greater appreciation of any group of people as a peo-ple.

FEATURES 8

9 FEATURES

Raindrops and Eye Drops Ma. Rita C. Tuban, Ph.D.

Raindrops

glide through

my cheek.

Raindrops,

drops

drops

drops,

Never stops.

Can you distinguish

The raindrops from the eye

drops?

Exercise Ma. Rita C. Tuban, Ph.D.

…You are the angel That disseminates

To be wise;

You are the angel

that inculcates

to exercise;

enough to make the bones,

joints, nerves and muscles

to be alive;

enough to sustain

health, strength

and to survive.

Your angelic voice reverberates

to all the beautiful vertebrates:

best to hold on to exercise

and refrain from doing

things unwise…

Quote RT and BC evermore,

And with a smile, they say

“forevermore”…

The Chambers of my Little Hut Ma. Rita C. Tuban, Ph.D.

Thank you for stepping and sitting in the veranda of my hut.

I showed you the many roses in full bloom in the garden of my hut.

But I forgot to tell you that there were snakes around

That hibernated underneath , deep in the roots, with hissing sound;

Mango trees, coconut trees, and lemon trees abound;

I didn’t tell you that even if the lemon trees were beautiful to see,

Their fruits were likely inedible, unlike the juice of the honey bee.

Ah, it was really nice to view the small pond near the garden;

Where small birds frolic with other chicks and mother hen.

I introduced you to some of my pets, a watch dog named Spot;

To the alley cats like Kitty Kitty, Bitsy, Katicha, Tin and Dot.

To my seven flying love birds with multi-colored feathers,

These pets really survived through many different weathers.

Rain or shine, dry or wet, they would stick together;

I wished and prayed that we were like them as ever.

When I invited you to peep through the chambers of my hut then,

Living room, library, bedroom and kitchen,

However, you hesitated because you said, “I’m taken.”

I was reminded of Jim in William’s play, The Glass Menagerie”;

The guest said that he was already taken. Was I in a reverie?

This gave me a chill and I was a little bit shaken,

For I knew then my love would be forsaken.

Anyway, we could have enjoyed the foods prepared;

Hot rice, grilled fish, fried chicken, curry seafood and beef to be shared.

The freshly baked pizza, lasagna and mojo from Shakey’s.

Banana, mango, and melon whose reddish content I really liked to kiss.

We could have tasted some chilled lady’s drinks, more.

Like Martini or Hennessy cognac or pink champagne or

Juice drinks like lemonade, pineapple or Sparkling or Chamdor.

You could have seen the wall of my hut’s living room painted,

FEATURES 10

Yellowish beige…. My bedroom, pink and blue but slightly tainted.

Again I was reminded by Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”,

But this time, no one in the yellow wall like an incarcerated Casper;

Only my heart throbbed to release the suppressed desire to be with you.

“You’re beautiful, you’re beautiful... But I will never be with you,”

goes the song of James Blunt. A best song, best song so blue.

Figurines of angels, fairies, paintings and pictures of flowers and tigers,

horses and fishes decorated my hut; I often touch them with my fingers.

We could have relaxed on a cozy sofa to listen to Schubert’s “Serenade”.

While sipping apple juice with honey or some exotic lemonade.

We could have danced the tango to the tune of “La Cumparsita”;

Or to the lively but sexy music of Kaoma’s “Lambada”.

Or to the recent songs and dances of J Lo ,Pitbull, Maroon 5, Rihanna,

Madonna, Pussycat Dolls, Florida, Nicki Minaj or Lady Gaga!

Oh yes, books were kept in the library. I remembered you read the novels

of Flaubert, Dumas, Austen, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Fitzgerald, Joyce, Wells,

Melville, Lawrence, Kafka, Han Su Yin, Wharton, Hosseini and many more…

Wow! I was about to share with you my collection! And so much more!

But you had them all. I knew that you had read them all.

The eastern and western books I kept within and without my wall.

Funny, these words, “I love you” failed to pass my lips, since you left abruptly,

to greet your beloved waiting outside the gate of my hut, so suddenly.

This lamentable and hurtful view, dearest, left my heart broken,

And the soft sweet words. “I love you,” went unspoken.

Oh my Lord! I was like Hamlet, a tragic hero who was indecisive;

I regretted it so much; I could have been outright expressive.

But I languished between two choices, to tell or not to tell, “I love you”.

As you waved your hands to say goodbye, I blurted adieu.

11 FEATURES

FEATURES 12

Awakening Teresita Aceron-Sancho

Sadness engulfs the landscape Tears roll down a naked face

Memories of long ago Echo like a deafening silence

Pain is a reprieve

For the soul to grieve Wrap in sacred solitude

Till it bleeds in magnitude

Alas, the dawn signals its horizon To awaken the soul in gloom

And welcome the eternal spring Of hope and bliss life may bring.

Reminiscence Teresita Aceron-Sancho

An enigmatic smile Pervades the face A furtive glance

Unmistakably haunts

His irresistible charm Disturbs the serenity of her coyness

Which lies dormant ostensibly To succumb inevitably

Beneath the façade

Lurks the apparent ardor Undeniably intense and intoxicating

So vivid and invigorating.

13 FEATURES

Afternoon Delight TeresitaAceron-Sancho

Tranquility dominates the space

As she walks stealthily in haste

A rush of enthusiasm pervades the cozy nook

Like a staccato of sound of a pristine brook

Her mind ruminates the past

On the memories shared that had passed

As her misty eyes have moistened

With a ray of hope has glistened

Surreptitiously a distinct sound is heard

A deafening noise in the recesses of her heart is bared

Of two lovers locked in delight

Sharing the afternoon heat’s daylight.

Autumn Wind and Romance Dayenne Therese Sipaco

I love the autumn wind! And here in Macau this is the month that the cool wind sets in. For me, this makes walking to and fro the office very pleasant. Especially now that Tap Saec is now reinvented as a huge plaza that I can cut across to reach my office a little quickly, I look forward to my daily trip to the language centre where I work. Last Monday as I was waiting by the roadside to cross the street, a frail-looking elderly man in his 80’s stood beside me. With a walking cane on his right hand, he too was wait-ing for the road to clear up so he could walk through the pedestrian lane. A few seconds later, an elderly woman was slowly walking towards him and stood between me and the old man. It was an ordinary sight. But something special caught my eye and brought a warm and fuzzy feeling de-spite the cool breeze. The old man tenderly clasped the hand of the old woman who, I assumed, is his wife. To me, that gesture, though done quickly and silently, spoke a lot of words. I could almost hear the husband whisper to his wife’s ears, “Don’t worry, you’ll be safe. I’m here with you, we'll cross the street together.” This simple action triggered a lot of considerations in my head as I was walking to my workplace. What a beautiful and romantic sight! And I found myself praying and hoping that all married couples would still keep the romance in their marriage even if the flame of passion seems to have fanned out. And to try to rekindle it if in case it al-ready died down. And I truly believe that it is not an impossible wish when there is true love... And speaking of true love, here’s an interesting excerpt I read from Beyond East and West, an autobiography of one of the best-known diplomats of modern China, John C. H. Wu: . THE PHILOSOPHY OF LOVE How wonderful is love! It is the creator of all things. It is the highest principle of the cosmos; it stands above Yin and Yang, for it brings them together. The commerce between Yin and Yang is holy, when inspired by Love (Wu refers to God as Love Him-self.) , it is mere lust, when unaccompanied by it. Lust is to Love what talent is to genius, what a politician is to a statesman, what fish’s eyes are to pearls. Lust is forgery and mimicry of Love; it is a mere husk with no living kernel inside; but like all hypocrisies, it pays homage to virtue by imitating its external incidents. Cultivate Love, and every-thing will be added to you. Joy is perfection, says Spinoza; I may add, joy and pleasure are as wide apart from each other as heaven and earth.

POETRY 14 FEATURES 14

P0ETRYP0ETRY

POETRY 16

Speculum Joel “Aya” C. Dumale

Cruising the midst of the serene river

astonished of what is in this kind of life.

reformed my views upon seeing this life

enchanted by the sight of the serene river.

frozen by a period of time

only to see the heaven's gifts.

reflecting the beauty of these rare gifts

Encountered in just a period of time.

nobody minds the importance of this temple

void in the eyes of others even if it's good.

in greed, look after their own good

rejecting firmly the importance of this temple.

orienting the soul of what is right

no helping hands that exploit 'till nothing is left.

mock the gluttons and nature's the only thing left

everyone must know how to hear what is right.

now is the right time. Mirrors reflect life. What happens

to the environment is the reflection of us.

POETRY 16

POETRY 17

To Gaia Emmanuel M. Cagayan

I stood and let the mind’s eye look far.

Breeze from the heavens know this feeling’s bizarre.

Flames of hope, this one filled to the brim.

Now I say a solemn vow, to heal this scar.

Softly, gently, I am eased to a dream,

River of life, always here, flowing downstream.

Gaia, I am here to love you, love fain.

I hope and care, your glory I shall redeem.

Grasping the light I start a chain,

Care for nature, brightly shining, never again will wane.

Animals now brought to life, once again roam free.

Numerous species you bring, finds a new domain.

I am one with you and I strongly agree,

Pristine environment, I know, is much better to see.

So I pray that forever it will always be.

Ah! The time to act is now and the genesis is ME.

17 POETRY

POETRY 18

Daphne Rezzie Mae D. Cabrera

Her footsteps make

Us all to take

Our time as Clocks’

hand are set

And Carpe diem is

the bet.

As the sun rays fall

The wind strings call

The red stripes show

Minds that want to know

The green trees aside

The peaceful water hide;

Creatures are on sight

as they go on flight.

A Shadow in the light

A creature gives delight;

The heaven banishes the night

As Daphne takes the first fight.

18 POETRY

Soliloquy Carla Mae Malingin-Masculino

In the midst of my soul I hear myself dreaming Ready to make it real

But a sudden apex appear

I feel blue I need this sadness to go

But how? When I know I have to stay.

I read a paper

Where writings are full of happiness An experience I am not there A day I lose because of own

My pals are going and I am left alone To have a red ride; I am lying down; They are smiling but I am frowning;

That’s they and this is me.

They are excited to plant, to see But for me, I am afraid

That I am not able to make it.

They have found mangroves, More species that inhibit

The natural land; But our mother earth

Is grieving over

They cruised the river With the burning fever

To experience life With the fullest strife.

They ate crabs like guests of a millionaire

Who happened to be with less hair. Then they tried to plant

Mangrove seedlings Like giving shelter to fingerlings.

One day these green trees

Will give hope to many people Who are wonderful to make this world

A place to beautiful!

19 POETRY

POETRY 20

Mangroves Patricia O. Elbanbuena

Mangroves are trees, like you, they breathe

With leaves and twigs, trunk, roots that eat

Life they give to you and me

They, the mangroves by the sea.

With photosynthesis they cleanse the air

Purify carbon dioxide, their food,

Ah, fair!

Abounding as a community

These, the mangroves by the sea.

Their leaves green as the woodland old

Crowns like the mountains of yore unfold

On boughs, in nests, the winged friends

Behold, the mangroves of the sea!

Under their sturdy boughs

Find their arching trunks of brown

Writhing like a prowling reptile towards a bat

Alas! the mangroves of the sea.

Far below, beneath the undulating waters

Their roots, make way, a home, a shelter

Crustaceans, mollusks-marine life, teeming

Around the mangroves of the sea.

Unlike humans with fluid secretion

Salt on leaves, fine waste their creation

Heralds of Ocean moving inland

Save the mangroves from man’s hand.

POETRY 20

POETRY 21

Water Patricia O. Elbanbuena

It’s seventy-percent of the earth’s holding Evaporating, condensing, falling as rain

Into trenches, creeks, rivers, seas

By sun’s energy, rising, never in vain

Falling and rising in a cycle, waters reign.

About two-thirds of the human form

Flowing in every cell, running in every tissue

Organ and system, bleb-bleb the heart murmurs

In arteries and veins, healing its norm

Food is the water elemental in you.

It perks into action every living creature

Growth in flora and fauna, David and Goliath

Life is gift, at nature’s pleasure, ensuing

Earthly functions working well for sure

Water is grace, from God, unending.

The hero of households and housekeeping

Feeding farms, water buffalo and ant

Lifeblood of the town and country

Energy to plant and factory

Water is a resource, incessantly abundant.

Yet, sometimes like every voice of nature

To fury and wrath unleashed

This friendly fluid like a sinister giant

Spews out deadly torrents

Inundating, swallowing, engulfing

One and all, this hazard that is water.

21 POETRY

POETRY 22

Mananagat Febbie F. Sasarita

Sa pagpaak sa adlaw, Sayo mubangon ug mamahaw

Baroto ko’y andamon Para sa maayong kaugmaon.

Sa pasol nga gitagak

Untaa nay mupaak Sa bobo nga gi-unlod Untaa nay makasulod.

Pasayan, alimango ug isda Unta ug daghang madala

Bahalag lawas magkagidlay Basta sa kaon haruhay.

Sa akong sakop nga gipaskwela Sa iyang utok unta dili mawala

Akong kahagu sa pagpanginabuhi Para sila mabuhi.

REGIONAL POETRY 22

POETRY 23

Impyerno nga Hardin Michael Angelo L. Marquez

Gipadako ako nga maanyag 'dunay nindot nga barog Nangalisbaw ang kahumot Prinsesa ang katakos. Diay ngpakaharing buyog ang misuway Nga kuhaon akong duga Supsupon og dulaan Ipasa pasa kay Reyna. Wala ako misugot sa iyang gusto Apan si Reyna gigunitan ako Wala na hinuon koy nabuhat Pagpanamas tamas kanako nahitabo. Wala pa gyod kadto maundang Og wala gyoy nakatabang kanako supsup, dula ngadto kay Reyna dayon ipasa kanako. Nagsigi ako og siyagit Basin kanako adunay musampit Apan bungol man ang palibot Giampo ko nalang kini. Usa kaadlaw giibot ako Sa altar gihalad Og dinhi sa kahadlok ako nahuwasan Kay sa mga sungayan, sa kataposan nakalingkawas nako.

23 REGIONAL POETRY

POETRY 24 POETRY 24

On October Six, Twenty Thirteen, for a comment,

Our class in Literature and Environment

Under the beauteous Dr. Patricia O. Elbanbuena,

And Director Efren Elbanbuena. We and the two Elbanbuenas,

Went to have a river cruising in Bingkogan, Tagum,

The areas are planted with coconuts and bananas.

We were instructed to plant mangrove seedling

as a requirement for the class;

Along the river’s banks.

It was actually our project for the class.

As we cruised along the river,

We saw herons as bangus diver,

They flew and caught bangus fish,

In and out of the nursery of bangus fish.

The fish was released there from fingerlings

To grow as big bangus fish.

Some birds looked small,

Some were huge that dived into the nursery’s wall.

The sides of the river were lined by mangrove trees,

But I had not seen bees,

Among the many trees.

We had a wonderful time

Until our stomach churned;

To tell us it was about time

That we had to eat at this time.

The river’s water was murky,

Naturally, it had to be murky.

For mud usually mixed with the water of the river;

I tried to bend over

So I could have a look at the muddy water.

The wind blew so coolly,

That I felt it brushed away my fears, really.

I could imagine

That the river could bring

As much excitement and joy to me.

The river was calm and greenish,

I knew there were underneath plenty of fish.

And also other creatures of the sea,

Like shrimps, crabs and clams, surely.

Because it was already lunch time,

We suddenly stopped at the hut.

It was built on a stilt.

We climbed the stairs up to the hut,

And started to sit down;

And wait to eat our sumptuous lunch.

The host was Mr. Maningo

Who was a millionaire or so.

Oh, I forgot to tell you

That we celebrated an advance birthday bash

For our other teacher, Dr. Tuban,

Who came from a faraway land.

I brought with me my little son, Win,

And my darling also joined in.

Really, the river cruising was rewarding.

Especially so when I was with my darling!

Not to mention the many fingerlings

Grown in the nursery wings.

I end this missive, friend,

With a wish that we could visit again

The mangrove orchards

Along the Bingkongan river’s ten thousand yards.

An Exhilarating River Cruising (Jenifer B. Reputana)

essaysessays

Graduate Students Join River Cruising Shella Lariosa

Students of the University of South-eastern Philippines (USeP) who are enrolled in the graduate program of Master of Arts in Literature joined in a river cruising organ-ized by the City Information Office of the city government of Tagum under the leader-ship of the newly-elected Tagum City Mayor Allan Rellon. The river cruising was held on October 6, 2013 in barangay Libuganon.

Prior to the river cruising, the group was given a briefing by Emiliano Daking-king Jr., the city agriculturist. He said the project started in 2006 wherein the visitors were treated to treated to a trip aboard a 40-horse powered motorized banca and a patrol boat of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). Ac-tually the official name of the body of water is Tang-kuan Creek stretching 8.7 kilometers con-nected to the Bucana of the Davao Gulf.

Dakingking said what is more inter-esting is that around 100,000 trees of Man-groves are planted in both sides along

Tangkuan Creek. The mangroves play host to various species of fish as their habitat and crabs that are now being grown by resi-dents along the creek, he added.

He explained that the mangrove crab also known as mud crab (scylla serrata) abound in the area. The demand in the mar-ket is very high that is why the residents have made crab fattening as their main oc-cupation.

While cruising the so-called Li-buganon river, Dr. Rita Tuban has observed that different kinds of birds are nesting in

mangrove trees. Some of the birds are flying overhead the group while some are resting in man-groves tak-ing the time and opportu-nity to catch the school of

fishes that are being fed by fisherfolks.

It was indeed an exhilarating experi-ence cruising along the Tangkuan Creek where century-old mangroves are protected to maintain bio-diversity.

FEATURES 26

A Journey to the River Honey Jean J. Albaraccin

It was a sunny Sunday morning last Oc-tober 6, 2013 when the students of Masters of Arts in Literature had an educational trip. It was an exhilarating tour to visit the mangrove plan-tation in the town of Libuganon, Tagum, Davao del Norte. While hitting the road towards the place, we talked about a lot of hilarious stories where all of laughed a lot to the experiences we have had so far, and there were also teas-ing moments throughout our way to the man-grove plantation. Upon our arri-val to the place, we went straight ahead to Punong Restaurant wherein the Repre-sentative of the Hon-orable Mayor Allan Rellon together with Mr. Cromwell Bong-hanoy, a City Informa-tion Officer of Tagum City, were waiting for us to instruct us with the do’s and don’ts before we start our river cruising. On the other hand, Mr. Emiliano Dakingking, Jr., a PDO III-CARGO Officer, shared and gave us some points on how to cul-tivate the shrimps, fishes and most especially the crabs. He shared to us the different ways of catching crabs safely by means of panggal, bobo and mason without exploiting and caus-ing damage to the aquatic area, about the aver-age production of crabs, and also how the Phil-ippines is the first to produce soft shell crabs and a specie of king crab which is known as the “scylla serata” which lives in 27-32% of salinity of water. He told us also about the two species of mangroves, the bakawan and the

bakhaw, the importance of mangroves in the lagoon, and on how to maintain the cleanliness of the area. Afterwards, we took the cruise using two vessels, for one is only capable of holding no more than 12 passengers, and there were about 21 of us. While cruising the Tangkoan Creek to Bucana with an 8.7km distance, we took a peek on the well-cultivated mangroves and on a community with an undersized dwell-ing place beside the river who were taking good care of the fishes inside the man-made

fish sanctuary. After an hour or two of river cruising, we paused at a certain point where we could have our lunch, unex-pectedly, courtesy of Mr. Astrolomie Man-ingo, who was actually the landowner of the said spot. They served us sumptuous and yummy dishes, such as

their fresh catch of shrimps and crabs from the pond that made us feel so jam-packed and con-tented after. Hence, we felt so calm and re-laxed at the picturesque view that surrounded us at that very moment, a great place where we were far from the poignant and filthy locale in the metropolis. Finally, as we took the road back to the city of origin, we’re so much blissful to have that kind of trip, a trip that everybody really enjoyed a lot. A journey to the greens of the other side of the city that was surely captivat-ing in our eyes and in our hearts, a fun-filled trip that we will truly treasure and never for-get.

27 FEATURES

FEATURES 28

Just about three decades from now, new studies have found that the earth will likely overtake the most extreme conditions it has ex-perienced during the past century and a half with the climate-warming greenhouse gases that are continually being emitted since the start of the years of industrialization.

The climate has been warming tremen-dously during the past one hundred years due to man-made pollution and natural variability. A study published in the journal Nature by re-searchers from University of Hawaii would show how for the first time,the climate is al-ready radically different from its average con-ditions during the past few decades.

Tropical areas, like the Philippines, that have the richest diversity of flora and fauna species will be among the first to see the cli-mate go beyond historical limits. Just as little as a decade from now, this would spell trouble for rainforest ecosystems and countries that don’t have that much capacity to adapt to climate change.

What is more, oceans, that have ab-sorbed forty to fifty percent of the man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions since the ris-ing of the industrial revolution more than two centuries ago, slip past their historical bound of acidity level back in 2008 and is now getting more and more acidic than ever before.

Sea creatures, especially corals and mollusks may then be harmed because the acid that forms in the water will consume the car-bonate that they use in producing their skele-tons and shells. And also this increased in acid-ity will surely alter the balance of the rest of carbon species.

It Won’t Be Soon Before It’s Too Late Farah Aimee S. Virador

Coral reefs - one of the temperature-sensitive tropical species - can be a more con-siderable factor in identifying how damaging climate change will be on the tropics. This is so because they can be the determinants of the speed at which climate change occurs.

And since a lot of tropical countries are major suppliers of food including fish and other sea creatures that depend on healthy coral reef ecosystems to global markets there may just be a rippling effect throughout the global econ-omy despite the longer interval time before the climate of the industrialized countries goes be-yond its historical limits.

With the continuing business-as-usual treatment of the environment amidst the alarm-ing condition faced not only by the marine eco-system but the decreasing human and animal population in both the tropics as well as the arc-tic, the possibility of the climate going beyond its historical limits can and will happen in the near future. The results shown in these studies may hopefully direct policy makers together with the involvement of every individual re-sponsible for the present environmental condi-tion to come up with a holistic solution on how they can help prevent, or even at least control, the continuing rise of global temperature.

The earth has been a witness to the dev-astation caused by the relentless exploitation of man with her natural resources. But there is still hope. If we were the reason why the earth has to suffer this way we still play a key role in helping it recover from the cancer it is experi-encing now. The same destroyer we have been, the same nurturer we should be for it would not be soon before it’s too late.

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES (CAS)

Programs Offered:

Master of Arts in Literature

Master of Science in Biology

Master of Science in Applied Mathematics

Master of English in Applied Linguistics

Bachelor of Arts in English Language

Bachelor of Arts in Literature

Bachelor of Science in Biology

Bachelor of Science in Mathematics

Bachelor of Science in Statistics

Areas of Expertise:

Biology

Chemistry

English Language

Literature

Mathematics

Statistics