The First English Congress at TUMCSI

After nine months of preparation, finally it came. The First English Congress was held.

Hosted by Justine Ivan P. Noveras and Alliah Bernice Dela Cruz of Grade 9-Leah, the event was participated by six groups of students from different sections of Fourth Year.

The first group consisted of Terrence Roice Ignacio of IV-Solomon and Yeddah Alondra Otero and Geolaw Ellevin Esguerra of IV-David.

The next group had Jeanelle Lois Salazar and Sean Dominguez, both are from IV-David.

The third group comprised Christine Joy Mendoza and Charizze San Buenaventura of IV-David.

Next was the combination of Irish Hyanie Cabilin and Nina Rayos del Sol, again from IV-David.

The fifth group was a partnership between Gabrielle dela Cruz of IV-Saul and Daniella Sanchez of IV-David.

The last to perform was a group out of one student from IV-David - Celine Lim and two from IV-Solomon - Jasper Domingo and Miguel Cortez.

The judges were alumnae from TUMCSI, Ms. April Hanah Tolentino and Ms. Monique Tiongco and a faculty member and a renowned coach in campus journalism Mr. Richard Bryan Tutor from Casimiro A. Ynares Mem. National High School.

Together, they asked baffling questions of the presenters and seemed to have brought the latter to a realization that going through defense is never a joke. After all of the presentations, three groups were announced the winners.

The Best Research Paper (in Oral Defense) award was given to "Language in Twitter, Language in Written Performance of Fourth Year Students" written by Nina and Irish.

The Best Research Paper (in terms of organization) was awarded to "English Speaking: Cause of Bullying at Taytay United Methodist Christian School, Inc." written by Terrence Roice Ignacio.

The Best Male Presenter was awarded to Terrence and the Best Female was given to Nina.

The activity posed a great challenge to the presenters; however, they seemed not to mind as they've learned something new and gained more confidence by having been declared winners.

The Perks of Trekking

February 16, an ocular for the TUMCSI Faculty was set. Baluti Island and Cauayan River in Quezon Province were the destinations. I expected a really challenging trek as I was told that we would be wading a river and climbing cliffs.

We took the never ending zigzags of Antipolo and almost three hours later reached Real, Quezon Province. The aftermath of zigzags was terrible that I barely ate lunch.

After lunch, we proceeded to the place of the activity – TREKKING. To explore Cauayan River and see the Seven Falls were the objectives.

Fresh air and the smell of plants freed me from exhaustion. The water was not crystal clear yet the sound it created blended well with the group’s laughter as we adventurously waded the strong currents.

Along the way these were seen.

Slimy stones in the river and the rocky trail failed to defy my vigor. So we reached the so-called tough climb. We had to get to the top of the falls by climbing  the slippery cliff. There was nothing to hold on to except for a thin makeshift rope. I said so, because it was an old electrical wire and seemed to have been snatched from someone else’s appliance. It appeared as if it couldn’t accommodate my weight. Nevertheless,  I bravely took the challenge and triumphantly reached the top of the falls.  Two more followed and joined me and the three tour guides for the picture taking atop the falls. It was really fun.

It was not the height of the falls that posed challenge but the slippery cliff and very narrow trail to its peak. One wrong move and the climber would certainly fall to the rocky ground below.

My company decided to stop there as we would still be going to another place – Baluti Island.

From the River we proceeded to the harbour and took a boat to the island.

We sailed for almost 20 minutes and docked on the resort’s bay. The place appeared to be unattended for some time as the cottages looked as if they have been shattered by storm.  

We surveyed the resort, nonetheless and took pictures there and because I just could not contain my curiosity I did not let the time pass without asking the guide why the place appeared that way. He replied that renovation typically takes place a month before summer, the season when people naturally get to the beach resort for outing. Further, he said that it was because there’s no reason for the owner to maintain the place while there were no customers coming in. This response made me think of the disadvantage of resort business.

 We took the pleasure of exploring the lagoon and the spot where mangroves  thrive.

The cool water was refreshing and we had fun chasing the elusive frogfish. One of us even climbed up a fully grown tree.

It was my first time to see a live sea urchin.  It disgorged a thick yellow substance as it seemed to be inhaling.

The best part of the trip was this:

The freshly-caught tanigue (Spanish Mackerel) which was cooked in three varied dishes –

Fried Tanigue

Kilawing Tanigue

and the Sinigang na Tanigue which I was not able to take a picture of.

These  were catered before us during dinner. That took place as we left the island and washed ourselves at the barangay chairman’s house. The fish was prepared and presented without garnishing. Despite that, the taste of each dish out of it was distinctive and truly savoury.  Each of us enjoyed the dinner that we found our tummies bloated afterwards.  

The barangay chairman’s incomparable hospitality provided us a really filling meal and a great time for bonding. 

The trek and the people – The Road Patriots – who made it possible truly deserve our thanks.

This has been another remarkable trek in my list and a very unforgettable dinner for all of us. Can’t wait for the continuation on April. Thanks to Robi and Mr. Jun Manzano for the documentation. Without the pics, I would have not given a vivid narrative of the event.