ABOUT THE TITLE

KALEIDOSCOPE

It's time to bring it together -- the representation of people's nature in a variety of

ways, the complementary faces to our characters, and a multitude of ways reaching
multitudes of people. Such words from different kinds of emotions are at times
comforting and other times unsettling so set our heart on fire by building bridges, not
walls, open ourselves not just for similarities. Embracing the differences and
incompatibilities, creating identities with a deeper meaning, and expanding our vision to
see the beauty of these united expressions will fulfil the purpose, as it is important to
see love in our distinguishing characteristics. All the attributes and pattern of words,
heart, and life reflect this artistry.

ABOUT THE COVER

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We the authors of this book from Grade 12 Redemption publish this book for the
subject Creative Non-Fiction which is a Specialized Subject for Humanities and Social
Sciences Students for the second semester. So we the authors of this book would like
to extend our warmest gratitude to the following:

To our Family who gave their financial, emotional, physical and undying support
as we accomplish this book.

To our School, Immaculate Conception College who help us to improve our

skills to be a better students.

To our friends who are their when there are tough times to make us feel better
by sharing what we have learned as we do this book.

To our Teacher, Ms. Mary Ann Cahayon for making us a great students and
giving us all the information and guiding us through our journey to finish this book.

And most especially to our Almighty God who we gave all the honor and
Greater Glory.
DISCLAMER STATEMENT
 Table of Contents
I. ABOUT THE TITLE AND COVER
II. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
III. DISCLAMER STATEMENT
IV. TABLE OF CONTENTS
V. Chapter 1: PENUMBRA
o Opaque
o Chin Up
o Across Divides
o Miracle in a Nightmare
o Born Standing Up
o La Mia Biografiya
o Dark Yesterday
o Stairs
o Survivor
o Mnemosyne
VI. Chapter 2: ILLUMINATION
o Unraveled
o Checkmate’s Calling
o Surpassing the Odds
o Life on Fist
o Life as A Walking Dreams
o Tu es Sacerdos in Aeternum
o Life Change
o Faith
o Decision
o Nostalgia
VII. Chapter 3: UTTERANCE
o Hebe
o Quit Hiding the Shine
o Heart, Swim!
o Reborn with Filled of Colors
o The Beauty of Being Different
o The Neglected Child Who Succeed
o Every Child is Special
o A Vivid Highlight
o Obstacle
o Oblivion
VIII. Chapter 4: FULL EXPRESSION
 o A Boy of Unusual Vision
o The Leadership of the Heart

IX. Chapter 5: FOCUS

X. END NOTE
XI. LIST OF MEMBERS
 CHAPTER 1
PENUMBRA

Trisha Mae S. Abiad

12- Redemption

Opaque
I was born on a warm sunny day in Balayan Batangas on January 30 2002. I live
in Brgy. Luyahan Lian Batangas since the day that I was born. I live with my brother,
grandmother and my grandfather. My parents was in Manila because of their work but
they go home occasionally. My mother was Charisma S. Abiad she is a cashier in
Rustans. While my Father was Tolentino S. Abiad he is a food server in St. Luke’s
Medical Center. Next is my brother he is Julius Den S. Abiad a student in Saint Claire
Academy where I studied also when I was in Junior High School. Lastly is me, I am
Trisha Mae s. Abiad, 17 years old and currently studying at Immaculate Conception
College.

In life my responsibilities as an older sister was helping my grandparents in our

store and in household chores. In school I was an honor student since elementary, I
study well because I don’t want to disappoint my parents. The hardships of my parents
are my inspiration because they are working hard for us to study in a beautiful school
where we learn a lot. My parents are in Manila but even though they are far from us
they still we feel their love and care for us. Since I was born my grandparents have
been raising me they are the people who taught us how to be a good person. In 17
years with my grandparents I learn how to be a responsible girl and how to respect
others. I am a simple person, I always started my day with a smile, as a cheerful girl it
was hard for me to show to others that sometimes I am sad. Thus, there are times that I
face problems and challenges in my life there’s always a friend and family that always
there for me. However, I am blessed because I am so happy in my life because I have a
complete family and I have many friends. I also have achievements in my life, first is
when I am elementary I won 1st place in techno quiz-bee and in high school I am a
member of SSG officer and also a contributor , in senior high school I won 2 nd runner
up and 1st runner up in Ms. Intramurals. I am currently an honor student and next year
we are graduating and I hope we pass all our exams and defenses.

My dream was to be a licensed radiologist someday. My hard works and

challenges that comes in my life can be used to be more determined in my dreams and
goals in life. I was planning to study in college in Trinity University of Asia and actually I
passed the entrance exam there last November 5. Hopefully, if I become a licensed
radiologist someday I want to start my work in St. Luke’s Medical Center.
Janella Camille M. Bautista

Grade 12- Redemption

Chin Up

In a cold dawn in year 2001, a vagitus of a new born baby girl was heard by a
couple Herminigildo and Myra Bautista. In the 26 th day of July a seven month-old baby
girl was born which is about as a size of a 1.5 litre bottle of a soft drink. The quiet room
in the hospital in Lemery, Batangas was filled with joy and laughter as the baby girl gave
her sweetest smile to her parents even though the baby was not completely born as a
nine month-old baby. The new born baby was so called as “puti” by her grandmother
due to the white birthmark on her chest. The couple decided to give the baby girl the
name “Janella” which means “God is gracious” and her second name “Camille” which
means “serving in the altar”.

As years goes by, Janella grew as a jolly little girl who loves to sing and dance.
She also grew as a girl who was Christ-centered and who loves to help others. Janella’s
parents made her and her three siblings as a child of Christ who knew how to respect
and love others without expecting others to give them something back. Janella was told
by her parents that giving or sharing others what you have will make a person even
better. So when the time came wherein Janella was to start her schooling this became
her guide in interacting with her classmates. She enjoy going to school due to that she
gain a lot of friends at school. She liked studying and doing home works that’s why she
became part of the top students since she was in Nursery up to Grade 6 in Calaca
Central School, Calaca, Batangas.

When Janella entered Junior High School in Dacanlao Gregorio Agoncillo

National High School in Dacanlao, Calaca, Batangas, she still have her life mottos that
guide her in her journey in high school and in her teenage life. She created more friends
and memories that she cherished and gave her motivation to go to school.

As she was growing as a person she only thought that her life was that easy and
great from having a loving family, a good life style, a good education and having a lot of
friends. She thought that her life was perfect but she was wrong. In year 2017, 11
o’clock in the evening, her father suffered from heart attack. Janella was peacefully
sleeping at that night when she heard her mother crying a loud at that very late night.
She was so shocked when she saw her eldest brother and sister carrying her father
which was about to be brought to the hospital. When she arrived at the hospital she
literally felt heartbroken, she saw her mother and her siblings crying holding her father’s
hand whose body was laying at the hospital bed. At that moment, she has nothing to do
she just want to disappear and be with her father.

Janella and her family overcome this challenge, they faced this even it gave their
family the most heart breaking memory for them. Years goes by, she and her family
lived their life meaningfully even though they felt that there are a missing piece in their
hearts. Janella’s mother find a job so that she can gave something for the family, her
older brother went to abroad to work, her sister worked as an assistant of a school
supervisor so that they can support Janella’s and their little brother’s studies. The family
worked together so that they can be still be productive even they have lost the family’s
strength. When Janella reached Grade 10 she faced it like nothing happened because
she only thought that God was with her no matter what. She completed Grade 10 as a
student with high honors and as one of the most responsible journalist on the year
2018.

Currently, Janella was now studying as a Grade 12 Senior High School student
at Immaculate Conception College. She still making everything possible with God
carrying all her life experiences. Also, she was show casing all the things her father and
her mother taught her by telling the people around her that anything is possible with
God. She also served as an inspiration for her friends due to that she was able to be
happy and contented in life even though she faced such problems. She surely proved
that problems are just problems and there are solutions to every problem as long as you
have God with you.

Donnabelle P. Bobadilla

Grade 12 Redemption

Across Divides

19th day of January year 2002, a mother gave birth to a cute and healthy baby.
They have decided to call that baby Donnabelle. And that's how her life started. Her
childhood days were fun. All she ever did was play outside, eat, and sleep. Probably the
reason why she was oblivious how alone she had been. When she entered school, she
realized that there was more of her world. Then, at such a young age, she already
reached the zenith of those realizations about life.

Her life hadn't been that easy. She existed in a one of a topsy-turvy dimension
and she'd believed that experiences made her firm and strong enough to be wavered
easily, or so that was what she thought.

She had two brothers, and two sisters as well, a mother and a father of course.
Yet, even when she was still a child, no one tended to her, the way her classmates'
families did. Well, she just thought that they're not the typical fortunate family, that was
why, her parents needed to earn for them to afford schooling so she had to understand.
She had to understand that no one showed up when there was a meeting at school and
release of grades and teachers asked for parent's presence. She had to understand that
when there was an event in school, no one would tie her hair for her to look pleasing at
stage. She had to understand that when they had a contest in another province, her
classmate's mother was the one who assisted her to wear her costume and to fix the
tousled part of her make-up. She just thought that she had to understand because the
most important thing was they gave her the primary needs a normal kid should have.

When time had its greatest voyage and she grew up, waves of challenges
crashed her being. The fact that her sisters graduated with pride left her in pressure.
She studied hard thinking that soon she would be able to make her parents proud, but
that was never easy. She was always out of home because of academic-concerned
activities, and when the darkness of night appeared, her sobs would resonate the room
and her tears would illuminate, put the shining stars into shame. She cried while trying
to familiarize every terminologies and formulas that would probably appear during
examinations, while complying for every requirements as deadline was coming ahead.
Fortunately, she'd survived those obstacles but not her mother's bellows of
disappointment. Her mom said she should not be ignorant over doing household
chores, doing maths and logical thinking didn't make her better than those who knew
how to help their mother in chores. So she volunteered to cook rice, cautious enough to
avoid simple mistakes. Insisted to wash plates after breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and to
do anything that she was capable of whenever she wasn't doing paper works. She
obeyed every orders of her sister. She thought it was enough.

As a failure was a mundane ideal that every human being experienced, her hard
works wouldn't be recognized the moment she did something wrong. Everything would
be wasted and would be forgotten. Once, she wanted to become a perfect daughter
every parents would want to have, that someday she would be the child her mother
asked for. But then, she realized that day would never happen. A single mistake meant
thousand painful words. Perhaps that was what being a black sheep of the family felt
like. To just breathe and be hated on. She wanted to that she was sad and how
shattered she felt. How tired she was for proving them her value that their words cut
deeper than valyrian steel. But a thought was a thought, she doubted that they would
understand, because they always didn't.

Until one day they told her, "Why not try to change? When will you ever?" Funny
how they wanted her to change but they didn't know who she really was. They didn't
know that she always cracked a joke and laughed about it. They didn't know that her
friend once told her that he liked her personality because she was pure and honest.
They didn't know that she was trying hard. They didn't know that she wasn't that strong,
that she felt pain, too. They didn't know that after everything she had been through, she
could afford to smile her biggest smile from her face, to her spine, to her soul and be
thankful for being alive.

The sunlight slowly crept through my window. The night was done, the tears
were dried up. I stood and picked up myself. This was a new day to be thankful for. I
glanced at the time, the inevitable enemy we face since the moment of our birth. The
thing that swayed our emotions and mentality. And this is the time I had to be myself
without restrictions. It was weird because vague scenes of my dream disturbed my
consciousness. In my dream I was telling a part of me, my story, to a Man and He
soothed me. He said I was and will never be alone, and there I found my safe haven,
and I smiled.
Cristine Joy Carlum

Grade 12 Redemption

Miracle in a Nightmare
The first princess of Mr. Mario Carlum and Mrs. Cristina Carlum was born on the
17th day of October year 2001.They named her as Cristine Joy, wherein "Cristine"
means "the follower of Christ" and "Joy" means their great pleasure and happiness in
life. I was born in a simple paradise at Paraiso, Calatagan, Batangas and I was raised at
Duhatan, Balayan, Batangas by the custody of my maternal grandmother together with
my two siblings. I currently studied at Immaculate Conception College and currently, a
Senior High School student and honor student also. My hobby is travelling and reading
wattpad stories, travelling because, I want to know things that gave me the
unforgettable experience and happiness.

My early childhood was not a magical one, but I dreamed that I had, a complete
family that bonds together because, my parents was separated in my early age of 5 but,
I keep my head up and keep fighting in a long nightmare. A quarrel that my alarm every
morning has been wakened me up from my sleep. That affects our daily lives and result
of eating vegetables around our house like beans, coconuts to escape our hunger in our
everyday lives and the imagination of dark coffee in to milk as our energizer every
morning. Way back when I was a child, I believe in the idioms of Filipinos that we are in
the state of "one scratch, one peck" because, of what I've seen in our past situation.
The attraction in my father's eyes towards other girls, also in my mother's nonstop
mouth, get us in this kind of situation with a broken family.

Despite of all the challenges in my life, I consider that is my journey for me to be

a strong person. And the failures of my parents doesn't mean that I need to be weak
and affected in that situation. On the other hand, the failures that they do, get me in a
brighter side of life. For my motivation to create the best future for myself, for my family
and worked very hard, and also for me not to compromise in that kind of situation of my
parents. Since, I have been inspired to what happened in my family and that is my
motivation to be on the honor roll every marking period since elementary up to now, a
Senior High School Student.

"A bitter life with a better experience makes me a better person”

Francheska Bernadette V. Manalo

12- Redemption

Born Standing Up

Life is not just a bed of roses, challenges and hardships are an integral element
of life. A seventeen years old girl who survive in all the challenges she experienced and
still doing her best time of her life.

A girl named Francheska Bernadette V. Manalo. I was born in Lemery Batangas,

February 01 2002. My mother’s name is Elma V. Manalo and my Father’s name is
Bernardino D. Manalo. I’m the oldest child and I have 1 younger sister and brother.
Being oldest is hard because I know and I am aware what is really happening in life.

I do not remember much of my early childhood, because of an incident happened

to me that changed my life. I was 3 years old back then, my body is so skinny and I feel
sick because I have this big tumor on my tummy but it was not cancerous at all and my
parents don’t know where it came from. They we’re worried about me because I need to
undergo an operation to remove the tumor and praying I will succeed and thanks to God
the operation went successfully, I am truly blessed that nothing happened to me
throughout the operation. And thanks to my family who did not give up on me until the
end of the operation I know it is hard for them to see me like that but here I am giving
my best shot for my family to give back all of their sacrifices for us. I am thankful
because they are my parents

I am Grade 12 student and currently studying at Immaculate Conception College,

taking Humanities and Social Science to develop my skills in communication and also to
be prepared for my dream profession. When I was growing up, I always dreamed of
becoming a teacher. There’s a person that influenced on what I want this is my Mom,
she is a DepEd employee a Principal at Calaca. I can say that she is the most
hardworking person that I know, I see all the hardship and dedication on the challenges
that she passed throughout her service being a principal that’s why I want to be like her.
I want to pursue my dream and help the students to be what they want to be and I feel
happy and contented if I see them in the future finished their studies successfully and
see them how grateful they are on what they have. I have no reason to give up this kind
of battle stand up, face your fears and fight for yourself fight for your dream and be what
your goals. At this point I am certain that my degree will become my ticket to a better
tomorrow.

I have come to believe that three main factors determine success. First of all is a
person’s own determination, support from your loving parents and will to succeed. Are
you ready to make sacrifices to achieve your goal? An old saying goes, “A life with a
goal is a life that is whole.” Be positive and show everyone that your life is whole.
Pier Giorgio Moral

Grade 12 Redemption

La Mia Biografiya

On the 7th day of December at the year of our Lord 2001 when it was twenty
minutes after four o’clock in the morning at Taal Polymedic Hospital and Medical
Center. A 6.2 lbs. boy was born and came out from the womb of his mother carrying
great joy, hope, love and success that manifest their never-ending gratitude to the Great
Creator for giving him the chance to live also with his masterpieces and that boy was
named Pier (Peter) Giorgio (George) Many are pleased by hearing the great news to
the people around him namely, relatives and friends.

I was the firstborn of the union of my father, Mr. Francisco Keith Tragora-Moral
who used to be a store owner and now an Overseas Filipino Worker at Thailand and
Mrs. Bernadette Lacorte-Baldovino, she graduated Bachelor of Science in Tourism
Management at Lyceum of the Philippines Manila but, she chose to take of me rather
than working, because she wants to watch and guide me in my daily life. Until, the
daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Moral came also after five years in the year 2006 named Michela
Ariana B. Moral. Since there are two of us now there was a lot of competition and sibling
rivalry. But, honestly, we love each other so much even most of the times we hate and
argue with each other. It’s quite funny but it’s the reality. Before, we lived independently
at Macabebe, Pampanga until there had been problems financially. As a result, our
grandmother decided that my family will stay here at Calaca, Batangas. After that, we
lived permanently with the loving bond of the family. I believe I adopted both my
parents’ brilliant brains, because I was always including at the honor roll of the class.
However, my abilities were limited to the classroom only because I’m not that good at
sports. But I am fond of joining extracurricular activities such as camping and attending
seminars and formations. All is well, until a great tragedy happened to our family, when
my dad had to work abroad to sustain the family’s increasing needs. It is very hard for
all of us to adjust without our hardworking father whom we loved. Nothing much
changed in our lives since my father left us. But, all his promises were like a bubble that
immediately popped and caused me serious sadness when I heard from my father that
he had a relationship with another woman and had another son there. This made my
mother cry and it broke my heart. So, I thought really hard of what is the reason of why
is it happening despite of being a good child to my parents. At that time, I am already
standing by my own as the head of the family with my mother and sibling. But, my father
then again promised that he will give his full-support financially and as of now, he fulfils
his duties as our father still. At first, I really don’t know what to do to him if I were to
forgive him in his wrong doings or not. Meanwhile, I am discovered at our local parish
church of being handy when using computers most especially in any Microsoft office.
Then, I started serving as the projector operator of the Holy Mass power point
presentation sometimes at weekdays when I have a time and full time every Sundays.
At that moment, I really become closer to the Lord and made me realized that I cannot
change the will of God because He has better plans for me so it happened in our lives.
That moment gave me the strength of showing humbleness of heart by forgiving my
father sincerely. After all of that, my life went peaceful and more religiously that made
me felt that someone from heaven is calling me to be his faithful servant while I was in
the ministry and as his son here on earth, I answered the call to the priesthood by
saying my big yes as a sign obedience and respect to him. I think I am ready to face this
challenge that God has entrusted to me.

God gave us different paths to walk in may it be in the straight or easy path,
average or the difficult way of life. Everyone will encounter the following paths in order
to measure the strength of our faith and love for God. God is always present to us, more
intimate to us than we are to ourselves, deeply and lovingly concerned about us down
to the very hairs on our head (Matthew 10:30). God is supporting us, urging us to the
best responses to reality of which we are capable and even beyond what we think we
are capable of, consoling us in suffering, sharing and affirming our joy, strengthening us
in conflict, teaching us to forgive and enabling us to learn and grow through everything
we experience no matter how tragic or overwhelming it may be. But this does not make
God the direct and immediate cause of each event that happens in the universe.
Pauline Macy M. Panganiban

Grade 12- Redemption

Dark Yesterday
A girl who believe in "Don’t expect too much because that too much will hurt you
so much. Better to wait than to expect" was born on 23th of July year 2001 in Barangay
Pooc, Balayan, Batangas. She is a loving daughter and kind. Her parents named are
Paulino Panganiban and Myrna Panganiban. She has 5 sisters and 1 brother. She is
very sweet in her family. She is 18 years of age now. Her named is Pauline Macy M.
Panganiban. And that girl is me. I live in Pooc, Balayan, Batangas before. But now I live
in Lucban, Balayan, Batangas. And I graduated elementary and secondary school at
Lucban National High School.

I know that I was born in Barangay Pooc but I live in Barangay Lucban. That's
how it was, we lived in Barangay Pooc but when my dad died, it was in Lucban that we
lived and there my father was buried when he died.

When I was in grade five I was saddened that I had not attended to our
recognition even though I had the honor, because I was caring for our youngest brother
because my mother was watching over my father in the hospital. But I was also happy
that day because my mother called us that she could bring my dad home. But my
happiness was swept away by the sadness when we found out that my father was
dead, he was gone. I was so sad because he promised me he would deliver me a
medal when I finished elementary school. I cried so much because I loved my dad so
much and I lost not only my dad but a friend. He was always with me every time my
siblings were fighting me. It is painful to admit that you do not have a father. I also thank
God for not torturing my father before he died.
 Gradually I found out that my father was gone because everything happens for a
reason. Sometimes people are taken or lost to teach us to value more our life together
with the lord. We become strong after the challenges that we encounter so giving up
should never be our option. We always remember that we have God who will always be
faithful in taking care of us. Allow God to lead and rest assured that everything will
follow.
Mary Lady Lynne Pareja
Grade 12 Redemption

Stairs

 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me"

                                           -Philippians 4:13

      Dug..Dug..Dug......The heartbeat of a new born baby are now starting to beat, It was
twelveth of June 2002  when she wake up to the world and get out to the womb of her
mother, she cry As a sign that she is alive. By the way the one I'm talking about is
myself, she is me. I am Mary Lady Lynne Castillo Pareja yet my name is far from my
gender identity, I felt so awkward when other people calling my true name, but first let
me tell you my personal information, I am now 17, recently studying as a grade 12
student in the field of Hummanities and Social Sciences, I love sports actually, I am a
table tennis player. My parents are Mr. and Mrs. Evangel L. Pareja and Angelina C.
Pareja, I have a three siblings and I am the youngest. 

    Many people say's that the saddest part of their life is having a broken family but for
me the hardest is waking up every morning with a complete family but aren’t normal
feeling. Let me tell you how the world affect my daily life. As I grew older, world made
me feel the reality of life. First, the world give me a kind of father that I don't think if he
regrets what all the cruelty that he done to my mother and to me with my siblings, he
hurted me with my mother physically and emotionally , He has also a favoritism inside
the house and this is my younger sister and then I have a caring mother but the hurtful
thing that she always done is she's always comparing me with other people, That they
made me feel that I am worthless person, every time I get a line of eight grade , she
gets angry at me and so many hurtful words telling at me, She always expecting so high
at me so that since Day Care to Senior high I maintain my grades to be high and
become honor student, to get what she likes me to do, but the saddest part is even
though I gave all the best that I can, they don't see my sacrifices and still looking at me
just a nothing in the family. Second, as I mentioned in the first paragraph, I am a
member of LGBTQ community, I am a lesbian but do you how it hurts when the person
you’ve been expecting of who will understand , what I mean is my family but I felt so
disappointed when they are the one who discriminate me , but I chose to show my real
gender identity than to hide it because it’s hard when you aren't able to show who is you
in the world, I get out of my closet to fight for who I am so that they don't have any
choice, They allowed me for being a lesbian but every time me with my family are
having misunderstanding, they telling at me that I should be thankful that they allowed
me for being this. Third, in the school this senior high I don't think why I don't have a
circle of friends inside the school nor in classroom even though I'm being good to them,
It’s hard to move in the classroom where they don't like to be with you so I let them and
I'm just all alone, where I don't have anyone person whom I can be count on. That's the
reason why a past few months I felt so disappointed at myself too and I'm just founding
myself crying all alone every night. Having always sleepless nights, thinking why the
world is too mad at me, losing appetite to eat, losing interest in studies, there are so
many times that I'm going to school that I don't able to understand the discussions and
everything that I have, a past few months I suffered in frustrations, It was a feeling that
I'm too tired and empty.
          But above them all, I don't forget to pray and hope that someday all the pains will
be gone and I can do and fulfil my goals in life because I have a God who is centered of
my life, Just always have hope and trust yourself and our God. That the world teach that
life is like a stair, you must be careful in every step that you made, but when you slip
and fell down in stairs, just stand again and face every trials that you may encounter,
juust be strong and matured enough.
Sherwin S. Valdez

Grade 12 Redemption

Survivor

26 letters of Alphabetical but she believed that letter “S” is the luckiest letter for
her. There was a mother who gave birth on the second floor of house at the month of
September day 10 at year 2002. And it is a baby girl named; Sherwin S Valdez, that
time everybody had loss their mind and Sense's because of her skin have a pale
colored and insensible baby she don't even cry not kike the new born baby. But through
the help of one people who gave her a CPR she cry out loud. And it is her second life.
And she started her life on San Jose Tuy Batangas where she was born. During her
childhood days, she created a lot of memories when it comes on the funniest things on
the surroundings only of her family related. Every time that the school year end her
always have a medal for being achiever on the class.

In this world, there have a lot of people that we encountered on the community
and schools what possible they will part on our life on the happiness event and sadness
and now, she is turning int9 the legal age, but there are many time that she missed the
hang outs of her friends because for being protective and strict of her parents due of
that reasons, sometimes she broke a rule given by her parents to do the things that
make her happy like going or hang out with friends. As the time pass by, as like what
happened that there have a destination on one place she need to lie on her parents to
go on the said place there are no secret s that stull remain as secrets for a lifetime, the
time goes by and the secrets will be end. After how many weeks and months her
parents found out her secret, that instead of doing her hobbies on the house, she will go
and make hang out on her friends. She confronted of her parents about on that thing
and her side was explained on her parents. And also the reason of her parents why they
act on that what was explained on her.

She understand the reasons of her parents for being protective and strict every
time. On the Scenario that happened on her life, it provides more help to realize that
“Our Parents do the things that make us safe and have a better future, they wanted on
us to grow on a safe surrounding that move out on danger and the most important
lesson that I learned on my experience is “Don’t lie on our parents for the things that we
wanted, it can provide more than on what we want and they give support on us of we
think that is better for us”.
Nhira Jane M. Viroya

Grade 12 – Redemption

Mnemosyne
A daughter of the pearl of the orient seas was born on the 3 rd day of January year
2002 at Nasugbu, Batangas. A gift from above that changes the life of Dorothy and
Zosimo Viroya. The day that I was born is day that I know that I will not just build my
own Identity in this world but I will make an empire of dreams that will inspire &
encourage people. I’m a daughter who’s also fortunate to see the beauty of life and
build my own empire of dreams in this world.

I grew up in a simple family that value time and hard work. To support my
education, my mother decided to work overseas without saying a word to us because
she hated the fact that she need to leave and that it will takes a year before she can
come back while my father is driver who always came home late at night but despite of
that he always managed to spend some time with us. My grandmother is the first person
who always educate me about principles, norms, morals and more. At that moment, I
realized that they are all sacrificing in order for us to have a good life and education and
my grandparents are giving their best so we wouldn’t envy other kids. As a child, I’m
very timid kid who loves reading books, I’m always afraid to ask what I wanted.

I finished every milestone in my education with honors, awards & position as I

offer it to my family since they sacrifice a lot just for me to build my own empire of
dreams and name in the field I wanted to be. It was a very nostalgic moment to see how
their eyes shine for me because they are proud but I know that it’s not enough. But as
the blissful moment goes by, I witnessed how my parents are shouting over the phone
and eventually they got separated. It was my downfall even though they tried to work
things out but I guess it is indeed that some things are better left broken. That kind of
moment is very tragic for me but I must reprimand myself to see my downfall as a
weakness but as a strength.

Throughout the years I experienced many obstacles and I know that I still have
some right now but the most important thing that I know right now is the reason why I
am born. This is the beauty of life, I must not always look on how I revolves around the
world nor on how the world revolves around me but I must look in between with equity.
It taught me that I shouldn’t be blinded with issues but use this as a privilege to be a
better version of myself in every circumstances. There is always a hopeful prospect in
our reflection. In times of sorrow and agony, I always show my gratitude to the life I
have right now because I know that it’s a progress into what’s waiting in the end. When I
have nothing to give, Courage and kindness is all it takes above fear.

CHAPTER 2
ILLUMINATION

Trisha Mae S. Abiad

12-Redemption

Unraveled
A simple man was born on March 29, 2000 in Lian Batangas. His name was
Antonio Miguel M. Delos Reyes he is 20 years old and currently studying at STI College
Balayan as a college student. He lived in Brgy. Luyahan Lian Batangas with his
grandparents. His mother was Ana Lucresia Yap Manligas but unfortunately she died 20
years ago. His father was Apolinario Macalindong Delos Reyes but now he’s an OFW in
Palau and currently working in a water station.

He was raised by her grandparents since he was born because his mother died
in giving birth to him. Since he lived with his grandparents her father was not beside him
until now. So that he was more attached and comfortable with his grandparents and not
to his father. From the day he was born his uncle stand to him as his father, he support
him in his study and also give his personal needs. When he was 10 years old he
temporarily lived in Pasig in his uncle’s house together with her grandmother. After 2
years he go back again here in Batangas and continue his study. As he was a solo
child, and incomplete family because of his mother you can see that he is a happy
person, always smiling and you cannot notice that he has a problem because he is a
jolly person. Though, he has a lot of friends it is not enough for him to make him feel the
love of a complete family and a love of a mother. His father was not that attached from
him but he also supports him on his financial. As he said there’s a lot of problems that
he faced, he experience to his father the trust issues because sometimes he didn’t
know what he was going to do to make his father believe even in simple things.
Sometimes they are fighting and he always cry at night because he don’t know what is
wrong with him to experience that life that full of problems. At school he was cheerful
but when he’s at home you can notice he is always quiet and busy with his phone.
Unfortunately, he almost suffer depression because sometimes there are problems that
comes at the same time, he always think how unfair the life is. However there are
people that always there for him to make him feel better.

Life was unfair to him because he thinks that he was alone and not worthy
enough. For him, the challenges and problems that he faced can be used to make him
strong and to be a better person in the future. His dreams and goals in life was his
inspiration to finish his studies because he want to give back all the sacrifices of her
grandparents and his father also. For him, everything happens for a reason having a
problem in life doesn’t mean you need to give up, it means you need to fight for it for
you to be stronger and braver.
Janella Camille M. Bautista

Grade 12- Redemption

Checkmate’s Calling

Serving and spreading the words of God are not hindrances for him to share his
starting knowledge in playing chess and teach the aspiring athletes who also want to
attain or surpass what he achieved in this field. He is the 48 year-old rated chess player,
Pastor Crispin V. Hernandez, Jr. He lived in Antipolo City but due to some personal
issues and obstacles in life he decided to transfer to Balayan, Batangas.

Playing chess is one of his hobbies. He learned playing it by just watching their
neighbourhood who loves chess. In a short span of time he learned it, so the doctor
trained him until he became good at it to the point that he could even beat his trainer.

He was in Grade 5 when he started to compete and represent his school,

because of his undeniable talent he bagged different awards in chess tournaments. He
was the 1982 Regional Champion (school Category), 1992 Balayan Chess Tournament
Champion, 1996 Batangas City Chess Tournament Champion, 2001 First Place in
Vilma Santos’ Chess Tournament and 2004 Batelec Chess Tournament Champion.

In spite of competing, he did not set aside his studies. In fact, he is a degree
holder, a graduate of AB Bachelor of Arts. He also attended General Clerical Course
and Occupational Therapist. After college, he became the Supervisor of Horizon Arts
International in Makati.

In 2000, he answered the call for him to serve God, and spread his words to
awaken the heart of the people. He chose to serve God than to be a Chess Master, but
he did not regret it because he knows that God has a better plans for him. In spite of
being a cleric, he did not quit playing chess. Instead, he pursued his passion and
continued to grab awards.

He is one of those people who are able to give and share what God has given
him. With his skills in playing chess and with his love for God he is able to surpass
everything in life and also he is able to share what are his capabilities. He served as a
great inspiration for those people who has the calling to help others. Currently, he is a
person sharing the words of God in different sectors and he is also a trainer of those
aspiring chess players.
Donnabelle P. Bobadilla

Grade 12 Redemption

Surpassing the Odds

Just as the morning dews kiss the dump earth, he starts to walk down the muddy
road leading to pavement one kilometer away from his house. He knows exactly where
he goes; he is in plight if he can't make it on time. But the chance to learn and
experience regular schooling keeps him going along the muddy road towards the
institution which he sees a promise if learning and acceptance.

Jervin Arcayos is an unfamiliar name for everyone at Dacanlao Gregorio

Agoncillo National High School. But once you hear the name "Tenong", everyone knows
where he can be found and what he can do. When he is in Grade 8, he is already at the
age of twenty five which is way too old for a regular student. But that does not hinder
him to continue and finish his studies, a dream he had since he was young.

Life was and still a tough one for him. In 2005, financial problem caused him to
stop schooling. Added to his dilemma is his vision impairment. For ten long years,
schooling had been a far distance for him. He felt like an inadequate person who always
hungers for knowledge, so that he really had to do something.

"Gusto ko kasi talagang mag-aral pero ang hirap gawin lalo na 'pag kinakapos
sa bahay." I really like to go on schooling, but it is hard to do especially when there is
scarcity of resourced at home.

Alternative Learning System (ALS) gave him the chance to take the examination.
Unluckily, he failed the exam giving a sorrowed heart. His chance was diminishing.
Then came TESDA and he passed the exam for Hotel and Restaurant Management
(HRM). But because he did not finish high school, he could not continue the training.
Again, he felt insufficient.
 "Akala ko nga makakapag-aral na ulit ako, dahil sa ALS at TESDA, pero nabigo
ako." I thought I could continue my schooling because of ALS and TESD, but I failed.

A door opens for him when one of his cousins told the news about the Open
High School Program of Dacanlao Gregorio Agoncillo National High School. The said
program gives opportunities for the out-of-school youths to experience schooling at
least once a week and on a modular approach.

At school, he builds bridges without any sword but he is never querulous

because he knows it is a chance that he does not want to lose. At the age of twenty five,
he experiences again the life of a regular student. But he is not free from the bullying of
some students since they know how old he is. For him, it is not a big deal as long as he
makes everyone happy. His solution is to ignore their intimidation and not to spitfire.

"Wala lang sila sa akin.'Di kailangang seryosohin ang mga 'yun." It is nothing. I
don't want to take them seriously.

His happy disposition and jolly attitude were noticed by Mr. Ronwaldo Endozo,
MAPEH teacher and SADAKANLAPI adviser. Mr. Endozo gave him the opportunities to
explore his talent in dancing.

"Ang saya-saya ko nung binigyan ako ni Sir Ronnie ng pagkakataon sa

pagsasayaw.'Pag nananalo kami, pakiramdam ko talaga estudyante ako kahit matanda
na ako." I am blessed when Sir Ronnie gave me the chance to dance. Whenever we
win, I felt like a real student although I am already old for high school.

But still, difficulty arises for the fact that his father's salary as a barangay official
and his mother's as a 4Ps member could not suffice the needs of the family. To support
his needs, he employed himself as a kubrador in a small-time lottery in their barangay.

"Yung kinita ko sa STL ginagamit ko para sa mga gastos sa eskwelahan. Tapos

magbabaon na lang ako ng kung anong pagkaing meron sa buhay para mas matipid."
What I earned from STL us what I used in my school expenses, I just bring whatever
available food from the house as 'baon'.
 For Tenong, to finish studies is his goal and dream that he wants to achieve.
Now that he has been given a chance to ignite the fire of his passion, he will not waste
his time. He will run the road to success, be it rocky or bumpy, muddy or sandy.
Cristine Joy Carlum

Grade 12 Redemption

Life on Fist
A world boxing champion of the Philippines named Emmanuel Dapidran
Pacquiao, was born on 17th day if December year 1978. He was born in Bukidnon
Province, Mindanao and also he raised in Kibawe, Bukidnon Province. He is the son of
Mr. Rosalio Pacquiao and Mrs. Dionesia Dapidran-Pacquiao. He has a lovable wife
named Jinkee Jamora-Pacquiao and also he has 5 children. At the meantime, he
graduated at Notre Dame of Dadiangas University of Makati with a degree in Bachelor
of Political Science major in Local Government Administration.

He began boxing professionally at age of 16, when his family was living in
extreme poverty and hunger. They became so desperate to the point that his father had
to kill his pet dog for their dinner. He couldn't forgive his father for what he did so he left
home, slept on cardboard boxers and sold bread on the street just to make a meager
living in an open air in General Santos. He often speaks of his debt to his maternal
uncle, Sardo Mejia, who introduced him to boxing after he dropped out of school. He
just start in watching a boxing in television with his uncle as an experience that change
his life. He used boxing and won matches for two cents each, as a means of escaping
poverty. He moved in Manila to seek out greater challenges and continued winning
several boxing matches, but given the increased standards of living, he wasn't making
enough to survive. He got job at local gym doing gardening, cleaning and construction
while boxing on the side.

Despite of his challenges and poverty in life, he is now a professional boxer,

media celebrity and politician that currently serving as a Senator of the Philippines and
also a world famous for winning boxing titles in more weight classes than any other
boxer in history. He rise from abject poverty to the pinnacle of his sport was made even
more remarkable by his life outside the ring. The charismatic man was an idol and a
unifying force in the Philippines where his unprecedented popularity led to commercial
endorsement movies, television shows and his image on a postage stamp. He is widely
considered as the greatest boxers of all time, also he is the first and only eight division
world champion, having won eleven major world five different weight classes.

"Success is sweet and sweeter if long delayed and gotten through many
struggles and defeats"

-Manny Pacquiao

Francheska Bernadette V. Manalo

12- Redemption

Life As A Walking Dream

Ailen reflects herself in this saying that “Life is beautiful but not always easy, it
has problems, too, and the challenge lies in facing them with courage, letting the beauty
of life act like a balm, which makes the pain bearable, during trying times, by providing
hope”

Ailen D. Abe, born March 12 2002 and grew up in Brgy Reparo Nasugbu
Batangas, she has 2 responsible siblings she is the oldest, then she has a younger
brother and the youngest is a girl she is now in 3rd Grade.

She was a typical kid who would want to stay outside and play with other kids.
She grew up with her grandparents because when she was a kid her mom was working
abroad and her dad was a seaman before, but when she was on her 3rd grade they
decided to just stay in the Philippines. She’s a Lola's girl before, but until now, for sure
when her lolo is still alive she will be the same kid asking him to buy her donuts.

She graduated Elementary in Pingkian Elementary School and High School in

Batangas State University she can say that when she was in high school that was one
of the best days of her life because she became a CAT officer and she learned a lot
from being one because they trained to be respectful and disciplined at all time. It was
hard but fun at the same time.

She took Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English as her course in

College. Education wasn't her choice but her family's. They wanted her to take up that
course because they said that it will give her a better opportunity in the future. She is
obedient to her parents since then, that's why she followed their choice even though she
wants nursing as her first choice. What she instills to her mind that time was "they really
want the best for me, because they love me" as she said. She is not smart but she is
studious in whatever she is doing. She started to love the Profession when she was in
her second year. She did her best in college she never had a failing grade. she
graduated with flying colors and that made her family proud. What made her so proud
with herself was she graduated with no boyfriend because she never had one. For her,
above all else that one of was her achievement that she will always be proud of herself.

"Life starts after college", that's true because you will experience everything after
college. You will build yourself for you to have a name.

After college she started to review for her board exam you will exert a lot of time
and effort to review so that she will be able to have a license to practice her profession.
It was a sacrifice for her and to her family that is why she did her best for the Licensure
Examination for Teachers that is the hardest 450 questions of her life. And with God's
grace she passed and now a Licensed Professional Teacher. She always reminded with
her parents and she thinks she will always apply it to her life that in whatever you do,
you have to give your best and put your heart so that at the end of the day you will
succeed and will not have any regrets.
Pier Giorgio Moral

Grade 12 Redemption

Tu Es Sacerdos In Aeternum

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you
apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” From the Book of Jeremiah 1:5.

The union of Mr. Alfredo D. Mendoza and Mrs. Lilia S. Padua bear fruit of 5
lovely children, one of them is Joseph Padua-Mendoza or “Jojo” for short. He was born
on the 3rd day of March of the year 1963 at Barangay Banaybanay, Lipa City, Batangas.
He was baptized at St. Vincent Ferrer Parish - Barangay Banaybanay, Lipa City,
Batangas on the 7th day of April 1963, Confirmed by Bishop Alejandro Olalia, D.D.
(former Archbishop of Lipa) on the 6th day of April 1969.

According to St. Thomas Aquinas, “Wonder is the desire for knowledge”. Jojo’s
studies started at San Jose Parochial Kindergarten, San Jose Batangas from 1969 to
1970. He studied at Padre Imo Luna Memorial Elementary School, San Jose, Batangas
from 1970-1976. From 1976-1980 he finished his High School at De La Salle - Lipa,
Lipa City. He decided to enter the St. Francis de Sales Seminary – Institute of
Formation for his Pre-College from 1980-1981 and eventually at St. Francis de Sales
Major Seminary – Marawoy, Lipa City for his College from 1981-1985. He then
continued at St. Alphonsus School of Theology at Isabang, Lucena City from 1985-
1990. After all his studies at the seminary, he was ordained deacon on February 24,
1990 by Most Rev. Ruben T. Profugo, D.D. at St. Alphonsus School of Theology at
Isabang, Lucena. After 6 months, he was ordained priest of the Archdiocese of Lipa by
Most Rev. Mariano G. Gaviola, D.D. of the 3 rd day of September 1990 at St. Vincent
Ferrer Parish - Barangay Banaybanay, Lipa City, Batangas.
 Being now Rev. Fr. Joseph P. Mendoza aside from presiding Holy Masses he
also spends half of his time giving formations, seminars, conferences and recollections
of some of the Archdiocesan Religious Organizations because he believes that through
spiritual formation of the people may help them in shaping of the inner life, the spirit, or
the spiritual side of the human being. The formation of the heart or will of the individual,
along with the emotions and intellect, is therefore the primary focus, regardless of what
overt practices may or may not be involved. Everyone receives spiritual formation, just
as everyone gets an education. The only question is whether it is a good one or a bad
one. Being a priest is very difficult as well as by other professions even if priesthood is
just a vocation it also carries great responsibilities and demands a lot of your
knowledge, being a kind, virtuous, wise public person and confidant. In the Gospel
according to Saint John, Jesus instructs us that we should “not work for food that
perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life” (Jn 6:27). In these words, we can
see the importance and purpose of the Priesthood for the world today. The priesthood
is an “irreplaceable” and “indispensable” vocation in the world because he exists to
proclaim the truth that it is in Christ and His Gospel that we come to eternal life. The
priest works for spiritual liberation and food that endures for eternal life, not the food that
perishes with the end of this earthly life but his mystical body at the Holy Eucharist.
According to his long-time sacristan for over 20 years Mr. Ricardo David, Fr. Jojo may
have the legacy of his good administering, an exemplar of being disciplined, having a
character of being friendly, generous and most especially humbleness within and he will
always be remembered of his signature smile, mannerism of gently back-slapping your
back and having a catechizing portion called “Kaunting Kaalaman ni Padre Jojo” inside
of every mass where he teaches facts about the Catholic Church were people really get
interested. Based on my researches and investigations, every parish that Fr. Jojo had
went on his journey as a priest have greatly influenced every single parishioner. The
reason why he had greatly influenced them it is because of his strong charisms, positive
thinking and a maka-mahirap person.

Some of his past parish assignments were being the Parochial Vicar at St.
Francis of Paola Parish – Mabini, Batangas on March 29, 1999. Installed as Rector of
St. Francis de Sales Major Seminary from May 1, 2000 until September 2005. He then
become the Parish Priest of his hometown at St. Vincent Ferrer Parish - Banaybanay,
Lipa City beginning at the 19 th day of September 2005 until 12 th of June 2012. He turned
out to be the Vicar Forane of Vicariate 5 (St. Sebastian) from March 1, 2006 and ended
up at January 17, 2008. Fr. Jojo had been the Parochial Vicar of Metropolitan Cathedral
and Parish of St. Sebastian, Lipa City dated January 2011 to April 15, 2012. Fr. Jojo
lasted only 3 years at the Minor Basilica of St. Martin of Tours from the 15 th day of April
until 12th of June 2015. After his assignment at Taal Basilica, he was transferred at St.
Michael the Archangel Parish – Lobo, Batangas from June 12, 2015 to August 31, 2019
and made him the Chief Exorcist of the Archdiocese of Lipa in the 5 th day of October by
Archbishop-Emeritus Ramon C. Arguelles, D.D., STL.

Presently, Rev. Fr. Joseph P. Mendoza is the Rector and Parish Priest of the
Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Raphael the Archangel – Calaca, Batangas,
while still retaining the Chief Exorcist of the Archdiocese of Lipa and recently appointed
as the Vicar Forane of Vicariate 2 (Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception) on
December 10, 2019 by now Archbishop Gilbert A. Garcera, D.D.
Pauline Macy M. Panganiban

Grade 12- Redemption

Life Change

In Bulbok, Tuy, Batangas, there is a boy named Armando Agquiz, just call him
Manding, He is 54 years of age. He was born on year 1965, And he is carring,kind and
loving son. He has a wife and three children.

When he is 31 years old, in year 1988, his parents were died. He saw his parents
being shot by gun. He was shocked and he even don't know what to do when he
witnessed his parent’s death. And that was also the day of his death too, not physically
but mentally. After that, he left his family because of his mental depression .He was just
come and go from place to place in the neighboring barangays of the municipality of
Balayan, Batangas. He is wondering around the barangays of Balayan, Batangas, with
no intensions nor directions. The people who met him across the place considered him
as a fool and gave him an animal like treatment. The poor man sometimes had no
meals to eat for a day and be slept in the street corner. Until one day, as he continued
his untiring journey to go to a place that even him he doesn’t know, he reached
Barangay Lucban of, Balayan, Batangas where he met a certain family that so well, they
gave him food and they help him. It had been determined that Manding and the family
who took care of him was his wife's distant relative. Manding always went to Barangay
Lucban, Baayan, Batangas, where he found his new family.

But one day, Manding came to Barangay Lucban, to seek refuge because he
was brutally punished by some men to the place where he came from. The family felt so
fitty to him and immediately gave him a medicament.

Few months later, Manding did not show up, not visited the in Barangay Lucban
anymore, the family was so amazed then. Until the family heard some news that
Manding was brought to a specialist by his siblings for a proper medical treatment to
make him back to sanity. And now he lives happy with his true family.
Mary Lady Lynne Pareja
Grade 12 Redemption

Faith

     At one thirty o'clock in the morning, the girl was born namely Daniela T. Danieles. It
was ninth of the March 2001at the Metro Manila Philippines, still existing in the world at
18 years of age, living her life with her mother whose name is Daisy Danieles and her
three siblings.
     Twenty one years of having a complete family, enjoying their company as a family,
living as a happy family, eating three times a day together, they attending mass during
Sunday, having conversation and laughing like there's no tomorrow and most of all
loving every member of their family. But one day all of their happiness was turned into
sadness, the love that they have in their family was not enough to stay the happy family
from their past. Back at the year 2012, her mother and father get separated ,this is the
most heart breaking part of her life, when their family that they build together got broken
because every time her father get drunk ,her parents are having argue ,his father
crashing all the things that they have because he is out of control. At the same time her
parent have always been fight because of jealousy because her father have a text
mates even though he have a family that's why her mother get tired to understand his
father so that her mother decided to leave his father in their house in Manila then they
went in their auntie's house in Mindoro. Her mother temporarily leave them because her
mother needs to work in Calaca, Batangas to be able for them to live in their everyday
life without the help of their father,then at the year 2014 , they transfer here in Calaca,
Batangas to be with her mother. And now she is working, pursuing her planned in life
and helping her family out of poverty.
        But then she realized that she must be strong to overcome all of the challenges
because she believe that God is always at her side to guide and healed her pains ,God
is the reason why she remaining strong though she have a wounded heart.
Sherwin S. Valdez

Grade 12 Redemption

Decision

Everyone, was dreaming a decent life there are a set of goals and we find a way
how to achieve it, if you only focus to pursuing your dream and you become un aware
on the surroundings and even on the feelings of others what possible kind of life that
you have. It is being contented on success of yourself without your own family or it’s
either being contented on your success but you are not totally happy because you wish
that there have someone to take care of you or your own family consisting of husband
and children.

Ms. Melly Panalogan known as “nanny ellie” her nickname. She is the youngest
that to her twin and for 3 siblings. She currently live at Bolbok Tuy Batangas. She is the
owner of one of the biggest house on their barangay but she loner on a house like on
her life, she have nothing a partner through her ups and down to happiness from joyful
and opposite.

The others thought about on life of Ms. Melly Panaligan yhat she have a perfect
life because of several money and antique things that she can buy everything that she
wanted anytime. Actually there are a lot of peoples that feel insecurities on her status in
life, some of people was aid red on her and desired on her lifestyle.

Way back on her teenagers life she have a lot of suitors and one of that suitors
become her boyfriend at 4 years. She experienced a joy and what is the feeling how to
be loved but we are on the reality of life that everyone believe on this statement “After
the happiness, it is followed by sadness”. The destiny give a trial on their relationship.
Her boyfriend went to the 9ther province just to continue his study or dream. But after a
few months ag9 she received a message from her boyfriend contains of “Huwag mo
akong aalalahanin dito, ingatan mo ang sarili mo, baka ito na ang una at huling pag
sulat ko sa iyo tandaan mo na mahal na mahal kita tapusin na natin ang relasyon natin”.
She became a broken hearted that time, she did not know the true reason why her
boyfriend wrote that kind of letter but instead of she become neglectful on her study
because on what s3h felt that time she study harder to have a dehree and bevome
proud on herself when she achieve the success on her career.

After she graduated and starting on her work she received a message from
the one of family member of her boyfriend. On that letter said that “Melly, mawala sana
ang galit mo sa kaapyid namin dahil sa pang iiwan niya at kung kami mismo ay
nasaktan sa naging desisyon niyang pagsama sa mga rebelde o yapak, hindi agad
namin ipinaalam sayo nung mag aaral ka pa ayaw naming madagdagan pa ang sakit na
nararamdaman mo”. After she read this letter she become a weak women on that time,
she do not eat food and always locked on her room. But after a time, she realized that is
already happened and she do not have enough power to be back and change on what
happened on the situation on her boyfriend. She make herself presentable and focus to
her work to earn money. Her heart closed for someone after what happened between
on her ex-boyfriend. She afraid to take the pain and to have a boys again in her life.
Instead of loving someone she spent her love on her works.

But now, when she was 84 years old she realized her mistakes which is not to
open her heart again for someone. She became martyr when it comes of love. Her
money that she had is nothing because now she is lonely for the long time. She needs
love and care for family but sadly she do not have that that called her own family.

But it is happened and it’s too late for her love life but it’s not late to give her love
on her grandchildren from her siblings to feel that she is not lonely. Her savings and
property are well distributed on her family related. It is distributed now, when she was
still alive it her decisions to divide for those person’s that important on her. “If you see a
chances for the things that what you want, grab it think and choose the things that make
you happy to avoid any regrets”.
Nhira Jane M. Viroya

Grade 12 – Redemption

Nostalgia
Felipa Cupino Gozales or known as Esther Gonzales was born on August 23,
1944 and grew up in a simple Filipino family at Brgy. Binubusan, Lian, Batangas. Her
parents were called Semiona Corrado Cupino who’s a housewife and Galicano Cupino
who’s a farmer. They are 7 children of Semiona and Galicano and she is the second
child.

Growing up, she can tell that her youth is very remarkable and that we shouldn’t
waste it because it might invest in our prosperous future. On her education, she only
finished elementary due to the reason that her mother doesn’t want her to study
anymore. At young age, even though she cannot study anymore she helps on working
as a seamstress and enjoy her youth by dancing such as tango, cha-cha, boogie and
waltz until now. Her parents are kind and supportive to her, when she's going to attend
a dance, her uncle is always watching from afar. On that era, Filipino family are very
strict on their children's relationship especially if they have a daughter.

At the age of 19, her first love Leonilo Gonzales asked for her hand in marriage
and eventually they got married and have been blessed with five children. They bought
a house for 20 pesos and she continue to work as a seamstress. Throughout her
married life, her husband has been a very hardworking driver and a farmer until he was
diagnosed with a diabetes. In order for them to survive, she works as a farmer and sell
grain at day and at night she works as a seamstress. After 8 years, her husband
couldn’t make it and died. She was left with only five hundred pesos and children to
raise. Fortunately, there was people who donated for the burial of her husband and the
excess was used to raise her children.

In the year 1994, Barangay Captain Efren asked her to run for Barangay
Councilor but she refused. Despite of the refusal, Barangay Captain Efren always says
that she deserves a position but she clearly told him that her education is quite lacking
but he replied that it doesn’t need a good education background as long as you have a
good heart for the people. With that, she agreed to run as a Barangay Councilor and
serve for three terms and fourteen years. During campaign period, she's remarkable as
the only candidate whose "tarheta/card" is written by her children and grandchildren. In
year 2000, she ended her term to give herself a rest but many people asked her to run
for Barangay captain but she believes that she isn’t financially stable but she will
continue to help with or without a position.
 Throughout the years, she was known as a strong and fierce woman with a good
heart. With her help many people received free consultation from a doctor in
accordance with the current mayor of Lian Dr.Isagani I. Bolompo. Until now, many
wants her to run again as a councilor but she believes that she can always extend help
even without a position. Her principle in life is "when I have nothing to give, I always tell
myself that kindness is free and that matters the most. A simple kindness can make a
huge impact on a person life". Right now, she couldn’t wish for more but a good health
so' she can always lend a hand to others.
 CHAPTER 3
UTTERANCE

Trisha Mae S. Abiad

12- Redemption

Hebe
A nine year old boy named Ishaan Avasti is a child who’s bullied because of his
lack of intelligence. Because of that, his parents are disappointed with Ishaan specially
his dad who always shouts and doing harsh on him. They didn’t know that the child is
experiencing one kind of problem which is dyslexia. Everyone is challenged by
obstacles in our life to deal with. Some people are defeated by the obstacles in their
lives, while others find way to overcome them. Even people who think that they are
perfect they also have problems or challenges to overcome.

We all have differences in life, nobody is perfect in our world like Ishaan in the
movie that has a dyslexia. Every people has a story behind what they are now, how do
they behave or how they chose to be. After watching this movie I realized that we must
not laugh at this kind of people. We are not perfect to judge this kind of people that we
do not know their real story. We must try to understand what are that person is going
through. As a person I learned that before we judge someone imagine first putting
myself in their situation. In addition, parents should have extra careful in their special
children because they have special needs to be attended. They must be respected also
even though they have disabilities. Their happiness and joy is the most important in
their life. We should be careful to them ad consider their feelings because sometimes
there are things that are different to them. Helping this kind of people in anyway would
be a big thing for them. Life is beautiful but not always easy it has problems too and
challenges. In this movie we learn how to believe in ourselves and trust that we can also
do on what others can. We shouldn’t let anyone put us down there is always a creativity
in us, we have different uniqueness in our lives. However we need to prove to them that
even we are different from them we can also be successful in our lives.

As a teenager Ishaan inspires me that even there are people who don’t believe in
you, who don’t trust on what you can do we should be humble and silently prove to
them that they are wrong. Each of us are creative in our own way, we are different but
we should treat everyone as one. We shouldn’t look for something that are not there,
instead let’s start seeing those gifts hiding in each and every child or individual. Every
child has a different background like us that we didn’t know. At the end of the day we
will realize that those people are special and we need them for us to see how beautiful
the world is. Everything that we have today is a blessing from God even it is different
from others we should be thankful because God always had a plan for us. Yes, human
person differs from one another yet all are equally being loved by God.

Janella Camille M. Bautista

Grade 12 Redemption

Quit Hiding the Shine

“Like Stars on Earth” is all about the story of a boy named Ishaan who is being
humiliated at school by his teachers and classmates due to that he cannot keep up with
his studies. Whenever Ishaan is ask to read, write and answer questions his mind
escapes through fantasy and art.

Ishaan’s parents has been disappointed to their son, specially his father who is a
successful business man who applies pressure to his son by shouting and seems
frustrated about Ishaan’s academic problems. Because of this his father decided to
send Ishaan to a boarding school away from their home. These situation leads Ishaan
to be homesick, more withdrawn and depressed. What they did not know is that their
son is suffering from Dyslexia which is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading
due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and
words.

On the boarding school Ishaan feel introverted until he meet the dedicated and
energizing art teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh. Teacher Nikumbh is the teacher that
inspires his students to use their imaginations. He noticed how subdued Ishaan is and
after observing the boy he knew that Ishaan suffered from dyslexia.

Because of that Teacher Nikumbh tutors Ishaan in a creative way that the boy
really enjoy, as he tutors Ishaan, he become more confident about himself. The teacher
organizes an art festival to celebrate talents and imaginations, on this activity Ishaan
won first and it only proves that how every handicapped can do when given with love
and support.

The movie serves as an eye opener to everyone in a way that people see that
everyone is special either they are old or young. Also, the movie shows how every
people should gain respect no matter their capabilities are. The movie made me feel
how wonderful life is and how each of us enjoy our life no matter what are our
imperfections.

The movie tells that even we are young or old we have struggles in life and that
we need support and love from the people around us. Being appreciated no matter how
big or small a person’s ability and qualities do really have a big impact for us to grow.

The movie helps me to understand that everyone is different in a way that those
differences can made us appreciate them. This can help me to understand every person
and that people should be respected because each of us deserve to be respected. This
really shows that respect should be earned and not to be imposed.

Ishaan being the protagonist on the movie tells us that life is wonderful despite
the hindrances, it’s just how each of us can handle and enjoy life even though there are
burdens. Also, Teacher Nikumbh who helped Ishaan to face the burdens tells us that
each of us need someone who can really appreciate us so that we can grow better in
our lives.

“Like Stars on Earth” brings us that different kind of feeling that made us laugh,
cry, made us feel pity and that brings us the lessons. Being unique is natural because
we are born with differences but even we are born different there should still an equality.
Having fairness is important and we can show it even in small things just like earning
and giving respect. Facing the world with the differences can made us afraid but just like
Ishaan we should be fearless to face the differences, we should be brave to show them
that we can grow despite all the qualities that people do not share in commons.

Living is not by proving yourself to everyone it is about making your life wonderful
by doing the things that made you love your life more even though how big or small your
capabilities are as a person. You are the star of your life because despite how dark you
think your life is yourself will serve as the light in your darkness. A star that shines on
his own, a star that gives light to others and a stars that can twinkle to change the world.
Donnabelle P. Bobadilla

Grade 12 Redemption

Heart, Swim!

Happy, sad, dark, light, sorrow, joy, those were the emotions that swept over me
while watching the movie, and at the end, I could hear the sound but I could not
understand the words and then I realized the sound was me, breaking. If the word
'inspirational' would have been a movie definition, the "Like Stars on Earth" would be
the perfect standard. It was like having a long trek in a sea, or on a desert of emotion --
if you don't move and reflect, you'll drown, you'll get lost to the avalanche of messages it
sufficed your being.

"Like Stars on Earth" is an Indian movie which has its axis on a child named
Ishaan Awasthi, an eight-year-old child who has dyslexia. Thus, he always fails his
attempts to complete his third grade in school. Although he has an imaginative mind,
when he sees the words and academic terms and mathematical problems, the letters
are dancing and his mind finding it hard to concentrate.

Consequently, his parents decided to send to a strict boarding school, which was
really far away from home. That just deteriorates the situation as he has to contend with
the trauma if separation from his family.

One day, a teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh comes with his wide smile that brings
fervid passion for students to imagine, to create, and to dream, unfortunately, Ishaan
can't find the reason to commune with happiness. The teacher witnessed how bothered
Ishaan is with something, and he wants to discover what leaves him blue.

Subsequently, Nikumbh found out what the problem is and he tried to talk about
it to Ishaan's family, even to the principal of the school. He discussed to them that
Ishaan needs time to learn, and Nikumbh is there to support the child to descry the pure
mirth again. He is there with his patience, time and care, that helps the child to regain
his self.
 At the time there is a painting contest, Ishaan wins, and people understand that
the child is a true wonder. They realize that it is not derogatory to be distinguished just
because of unusual quality.

The movie is so moving, talks about social injustice in this world. Praising and
dismissing people for apparent and irrelevant reasons. And there were social casualties,
begging for acceptance, and trying to us see and to understand. And it shouldn't be,
because respect is a standard, not something to be implored for.

The movie tells us to embrace the differences every individual has, to accept
that differences of habits, qualities, and characteristics, are nothing at all if our aim is
identical and our hearts are open. Everyone can make a difference, and people must
know how to respect despite all the qualities we don't share in common. Furthermore,
we are not living to be afraid. Just like Ishaan, we have to encounter the courage to
show the world the things we can and we are capable of doing. In our contemporary
world, too many of us are not living their dreams, because they are living their fears.
Stop building our own jail, with chains that are made out of other people's opinions. We
should face it, whatever battle it is, victory is positive as GOD is embedded in our soul. I
have realized that we should not let ourselves be drown with too much negativity, give
respect and open ourselves, to everyone -- without distinction of any kind -- even to
those who we think that don't deserve it.

Above all, if the situation is really hard, we don't need everyone to think of us as
an equal. We just need someone, someone who is ready to sink just to save us, to hear
us, and to support us, if we have no idea how to survive. And with that person, beat the
other end of the weighing scale to balance the life. Life with no competition. Be the
classic within the contemporary troops.
Christine Joy Carlum

Grade 12 Redemption

Reborn with Filled of Colors

A sunny day in the afternoon when a little child gives the true meaning of every
little species here on earth and imagining it on magical land that full of colors. A boy with
a hard headed and too lazy named Ishaan Awatashi, 8 years old of age with a dyslexia
disorder that have a problem in readings, writings and find all subjects difficult, result of
failed in all exams or test. He also discriminate and belittled by his classmates,
teachers, and even his family. So, his father decided him to send in boarding school to
improve his in academic performance and to be disciplined in his doings. Until, one day
there’s a person that discover his disability named prof. Ram Shankar Nikumbh an art
teacher that motivate him to express his feelings through paintings and believe in his
ability to do of what normal kid does, that really helps him to cope up in his disability.

In the state of learning of Ishaan Awatashi, I really see my self to him, when I
was 7 years old and also in Grade 1 student. I always failed in my exams due of not
knowing how to read English readings and Filipino without a picture shown. When I was
Grade 1, I remember that there is some Grade 6 students that tutor us every lunch in
our school to improve our comprehension in readings. Because, even a simple words, I
can’t pronounce it without the help of them by repeating it again, I’ve just remember one
thing that I’ve read is “ Carabaos ” with the help of living in a reality in a simple farm, I
can’t tell it a Carabaos. When I was kindergarten my mother always teach me on how to
read Alphabetical letters, but I can’t read it again, when she command me to repeat it.
When my parents separate to each other, I’m really affected too because I have no
interested reading books cause I find it so difficult to understand and I felt that
numbers and words really suffocates me. I pass those several levels without knowing
how to read and only know to write is my name. So, because of the separation of my
parents they decided us to transfer in another school. As I enter to my new school, I’ve
observed that there is no person that likes to meet me or recognize me because of my
body that full of wounds with my housefly friends that really affects my self-esteem and
as I enter to my new room, new classmates, new surroundings and also new teacher,
they tried me to read 1 sentence to test my ability in terms of readings, suddenly I failed
to read it even “The” I pronounce it “T” “he”. So, they decided that I need a tutor in
library everyday with our principal. Even in our house my uncle always teach me to read
“ABAKADA” book, I cried out loud because I can’t read it properly as his want. Like
Ishaan, I’m lazy too to listen and I just want is to haunt spiders and ants to put it in a jar.

Despite of all the failures that I’ve encounter, its gives me an skills that I just need
to believe in ourselves and have a confident to overcome all the challenges in life, to get
our desires and dreams. Our weaknesses and strength help us to give a motivation to
be brave and strong enough in our world that full of competency, to recognize our real
ability. Because, you don’t need to ashamed your ability to be perfect and to accept of
everyone because, there is a real person that appreciates your true value and help you
to improve it more. Like Ishaan, he compare to a star because there is someone that
really see his worth and much appreciation even he is a simple child. And also Ishaan,
give the meaning of nothing and look the world differently.

You don’t need to please everyone to see your worth, it’s in that need to see it.
So, believe in yourself!
Francheska Bernadette V. Manalo

12- Redemption

The Beauty of Being Different

Like Stars on Earth, a story of a child named Ishaan who always bullied because
of his lack of mental capacity. Whenever in his class, the teacher asked him to read or
to answer a certain question but his mind flew somewhere else. There is a trouble which
is the child was involved, his parents are disappointed with their child and his dad
became furious and shouts at him. A consequence of his action his father sent him to a
boarding school. What they didn't know about is that the child is experiencing one kind
of problem which is dyslexia.

The society doesn’t think that being different is good, they think that it’s bad and
we all should be the same. I’ve seen in real life, not a movie or on television,
discrimination against those who are different. Discrimination against looks, accent, and
clothing style and even how they behave not know what the real reason behind. People
see you and expect you to be the person that they make up in their head from what they
see in you without even meeting you or even getting to know you.

We all have individual differences, as well as Ishaan in the movie that has
dyslexia. The movie is an eye opener for the viewers in the case that it helps us
understand the people who are having a hard time coping with their studies but also, in
every aspect of our lives.

Every people has a story behind what they are now, how do they behave or how
they chose to be. We must not laugh at this people just because they write a letter the
other way around or answered the questions not the way you like. But try to understand
what are that person is going through. Before you judge someone else, imagine first
putting yourself in their situation. Are you going to be happy if the people around you
making fun of you? Or are you going to be thankful around a person who doesn't even
try to understand what are you going through?
 Being different is quite challenging especially to the people who doesn’t know
how to appreciate the differences between us. They judge you for being someone who
doesn’t fit for their standards. But for me being different like Ishaan is unique and
special he may be lack in knowledge but his really good in arts and it makes him more
special. Don’t look other people for their weaknesses but for their strength. People
should be respected for being different because we're all different in our own ways.
Pier Giorgio Moral
Grade 12 Redemption

The Neglected Child Who Succeed

According to Arbinger Institute, there is a study on how to correct children from

their committed mistakes. Arbinger Institute provided a 5-layered pyramid chart on how
to be able to do it. On the top most part is the (1) CORRECTION it means this is the
least way to manage your child because when you always correct the child it may result
to rebellion from the parents. Next in line, (2) TEACHING a parent should always teach
children good manners and right conduct. Next is the (3) PARENT/CHILD
RELATIONSHIP it is very important to a family with children to have their regular
bonding with each other to know their character deeply. Below that, is (4)
WIFE/HUSBAND RELATIONSHIP there is a saying that in order your family to be
stable the parent should have strong relationship with each other. And lastly, the (5)
PERSONAL WAY BEING the parent should have a good character to be able for the
children to imitate it in their everyday living. I was able to share this idea because I have
thought that some of the aforementioned in the chart is being neglected by the family in
the film. Like in the process of CORRECTING especially correcting the wrong way.

I have noticed that Ishaan Awasthy is an 8-year-old whose world is filled with
imaginations that no one else seems to appreciate; colors, arts and animals while these
are just not important in the world of adults, who are much more interested in worldly
things like work, opportunities and money. Ishaan has a difficulty in reading,
understanding and writing in-short he has this rare disease called dyslexia. In result to
this matter, his parents sent to him a special school wherein he will be disciplined and
trained. In this part of the story, I have felt disappointed to the parents of Ishaan
because instead of teaching him how to write and speak properly instead they always
scold him, tells criticism about his attitude and they always comparing Ishaan to his
older brother. I have observed also that nothing changed in the life of Ishaan but
worsened because some of the teachers in the special school instead of building him up
it made him not to pursue on learning how to read and write and brought him added
trauma in separation from his parents. The teacher itself must always have their
patience and understanding when it comes to teaching children and in the film it is the
opposite that it just happened instead of understanding more of Ishaan’s situation.
However, their art teacher in the film investigates why Ishaan can’t learn well like his
friend. The art teacher made a great impact to Ishaan and improved his reading, writing
and painting skills. This part of the film caught my attention because there are only few
people whose patience is really that high to carry on that situation and for me that is the
most beautiful part of the story. With time, patience and care, his sacrifice really did
helped Ishaan find himself. I believe that every person is needed to be taught everything
so not to be discriminated in the community. Every child is special in a way that they
should be treasured, give their right to be educated and live harmoniously with their
parents. I can say that this film is entitled “Like Stars on Earth” because when nighttime
comes on earth it is not only the moon shines; stars too. It brings light to the earth that
like in the film the art teacher brings enlightenment to Ishaan that lives on the darkness
of being naive.

This film deserves to be respected and rewarded for those who suffer like
Ishaan. The film brings new ways of teaching children in this case. We must bear in
mind the strength and weakness of children, then create different creative ways to
encourage them to nurture it. Each child has their own talent, so we should try to be
patient and learn their strength and weakness in order to help them to be known in their
special skills.
Pauline Macy M. Panganiban

Grade 12- Redemption

Every Child Is Special

Like Stars on Earth” is all about the story of a child who’s bullied because of his
lack of intelligence. Whenever he is ask to read or to answer a certain question, his
mind flew somewhere else. As he writes, he doesn’t know how to write even a single
letter properly. Whenever the teachers announce the scores, it is not new if he appears
the lowest. Because of that, his parents are disappointed with their child, specially his
dad, who even shouts and doing harsh against the child that makes the whole thing
worse.

The movie is an eye opener for the viewers in the case that it helps us
understand the people who are having a hard time coping with their studies but also, in
every aspect of our lives. Every people has a story behind what they are now, how do
they behave or how they chose to be. We must not laugh at this people just because
they write a letter the other way around or answered the questions not the way you like.
But try to understand what are that person is going through. Before you judge someone
else, imagine first putting yourself in their situation. Are you going to be happy if the
people around you making fun of you? Or are you going to be thankful around a person
who doesn’t even try to understand what are you going through?

Helping this kind of people in any way possible is going to be a big thing for
them. He might trust himself a little bit because someone is giving a trust on him. You
might not notice that “little bit” can be “a lot” as time pass by. And that is where
development can happen. One day, you might see the one below on the grading list can
be the one on top. One day you might notice that the one walking last in line can be the
one in the front. One day, you might see the one on the corner of the classroom can be
the one in the middle. One day, you might see the one that has a blank wall, can be full
of awards now
 Don’t give up on people, because maybe one day the person who’s a laughing
stock in your classroom can be the one who will excel on life. Every child has a different
background that you didn’t know. Every child has the right to enjoy life. Every child has
a future that awaits them. Every child is special.
Mary Lady Lynne Pareja

Grade 12 Redemption

A Vivid Highlight
As I've watched "Like stars on Earth", my own reflection for this movie is it such a
wonderful and inspiring movie about a young little kid named Ishaan who had difficulties
in writing and reading, he thought that the letters were dancing, so that they can't able to
read and write properly so the teachers and his parents thought that Ishaan is a
stubborn, naughty and not interested in studying , his classmates also bully him, so his
parents decided to transfer Ishaan in boarding school, until Ishaan met his art teacher
,the only one whom understand the situation of Ishaan, the art teacher Ram found out
that Ishaan have a problem called Dyslexia so he talked to the parents of Ishaan about
that , but his parents doesn't believed so that Ram prove that he is right and he help
Ishaan in everything ,of how to read, write and counting numbers properly. At the end of
the story, there's a tears of joy that I felt in my heart, I'm so glad because this part
highlights that many people whom discriminated Ishaan because of his disorder but at
the end Ishaan proves to everyone that he is the one who got champion in painting
contest, a person who have disabilities is the one who have lots of imagination in life.

It makes me feel happy because a movie Like Stars on Earth inspires me a lot,
there were always possible if you just believe and trust it. And don't let anyone put you
down, even the world looks at you that you’re a worthless then prove to the world that
they are wrong because only our self can tell what our life goes. It is a good thing for me
because it teach a lesson and motivates everyone not to degrade someone's ability and
don't judge the people without even knowing the whole story.

I will apply what I learned to the movie in my life through not discriminating
someone, young or old, what is their gender and life preferences because I know to
myself that it is wrong that we will look them useless because everyone has a purpose
in this world, and for myself, I will don't let anyone figure out what will going to happen in
my life because I have so many goals in my life that I'd like to fulfil even the world
struggling the way to success, I will always believe in the power of faith in myself and
faith in our God.
Sherwin S. Valdez

Grade 12 Redemption

Obstacle

We are all created by God, and He made every one of us by having difference
characteristics as a Human being. Like Ishaan on the Movie of Like stars on Earth, he
had a disease called Dyslexia. Because of his actions he become victim of bullied in
school or out of the campus. Even his teacher, cannot understand his situation why the
letters and numbers are dancing that cause failing grades and disappointed by his
parents most especially his Father. Because of the trouble and failing grades his
parents decided to transfer him on the other school that have a distance on their house.
Beyond of his situation he had a talent on arts. And his teacher on a new school helped
him to develop the talents that he have and most especially to build his true personality
and abilities as a person. He became champion on the competition of painting, because
of his artwork many people admired him.

After I watch this movie, I realized that the life of Ishaan, has a similar to the stars
on Earth. Every stars has a different glitters that showed a light on Earth that everyone
can see and will amaze on it. Because the high quantity of stars some will not showed
their light because of others stars has a capability to release the light than other small
stars as like Ishaan, in the beginning on story of his life he cannot showed his true
personality and talents on arts, because of his environment that no one can saw his
value as a child with disabilities. But in the End, the fate was adhere in him to show his
talent and raised himself and everyone will admire on him. The situation of Ishaan on
his story affect on me through my emotions it gives me a lot of tears and realization
while I’m watching. It makes me realize how blessed I am without any disability on me
as a person. Even they are not noticing me on my mistakes or any things that bring on
me to have a low self-confidence. And also my perception on life on how to achieve the
dream will changed after I watched this movie, the appetency of Ishaan for fighting his
talent despite of his disabilities thought me that If you love or you have a passion to do
one thing, make a way on how you achieve it and don't lose hope, everyone has a right
time to shine their selves. I'll challenge myself to boost my confidence to show who
really I am in this society and find my worth without depending from others helped. Like
what on Ishaan did, when his parents left on his side. I had some lessons that will help
on me to face every challenge in the reality of life, and it is the best “There have a cycle
in life, you have a time to shine yourself, just keep on dreaming and

In our lives, are full of problems or hindrances to achieve our dreams, the trial are
always active to test our determination on things that we wanted. To gain the success
we must need to be responsible and just trust ourselves like Ishaan did to prove himself.
And always remember that “If You are disabilities, it is not a hindrance to keep pursuing
your dreams, just look it a challenge that need to overcome. Everyone are created by
God, and received a gift for themselves.”
Nhira Jane Viroya

Grade 12 Redemption

Oblivion

After watching "Like stars on earth" I have a deep learning about special needs
of a child and that there's also things that adults can’t even understand. The movie
revealed about how a child is having a hard time to come up with his study and on how
some people treat others who lacks intelligence without trying to understand them first.

Children with special need was not quite understood because others think they
seem normal but when they do things that's not likely for them they tend to
misunderstand and do harsh things. Just like in the movie, Ishaan seems really normal
but he's lacking in intelligence but he's experiencing dyslexia that's why he's having a
hard time to study. Moreover, children like Ishaan need more attention and special
needs to be attended and parents must understand on how their child is going through.
In some families especially the society, children with special needs was quite somehow
mistreated and been a laughing stock because of who they are and we should end that.
Despite of having disabilities, they need to respect too and they have the right to live
and be free from discrimination. Those person with disabilities especially children need
us and if the stigma doesn’t stop, the world could be a cruel life for them and we must
avoid that. I'm glad that nowadays, there is a special education for them because even if
they find it tough to study because of their condition it shouldn’t be a hindrance. Parents
shouldn’t also stop them from having education, they are still kids and they need to
learn. Having education doesn’t always mean that you need to excel academically. It is
not the mind that should only learn but the heart too.

Through this movie, I got a deep learning and it helps me to understand on how a
children with special needs is being treated not only in his family but in the society just
because they are misunderstood. Moreover, each family should understand that they
shouldn’t force kids to excel academically and do harsh things if the kids can’t excel. No
one knows what the future ahead of us is and life can be tricky as well. We should
always understand because not all of us have the same background instead of
discouraging those kids with special needs or not, start to motivate them and help them
to learn so' they can open their selves to us.
 CHAPTER 4
FULL EXPRESSION

A Boy Of Unusual Vision

by Alice Steinbach
The (Baltimore) Sun

First, the eyes: They are large and blue, a light, opaque blue, the color of a
robin’s egg. And if, on a sunny spring day, you look straight into these eyes—eyes that
cannot look back at you—the sharp, April light turns them pale, like the thin blue of a
high, cloudless sky.

Ten-year-old Calvin Stanley, the owner of these eyes and a boy who has been
blind since birth, likes this description and asks to hear it twice. He listens as only he
can listen, then: “Orange used to be my favorite color but now it’s blue,” he announces.
Pause. The eyes flutter between the short, thick lashes, “I know there’s light blue and
there’s dark blue, but what does sky-blue look like?” he wants to know. And if you watch
his face as he listens to your description, you get a sense of a picture being clicked
firmly into place behind the pale eyes.

He is a boy who has a lot of pictures stored in his head, retrievable images which
have been fashioned for him by the people who love him—by family and friends and
teachers who have painstakingly and patiently gone about creating a special world for
Calvin’s inner eye to inhabit.

Picture of a rainbow: “It’s a lot of beautiful colors, one next to the other. Shaped
like a bow. In the sky. Right across.”
 Picture of lightning, which frightens Calvin: “My mother says lightning looks like a
Christmas tree—the way it blinks on and off across the sky,” he says, offering a
comforting description that would make a poet proud.

“Child,” his mother once told him, “one day I won’t be here and I won’t be around
to pick you up when you fall—nobody will be around all the time to pick you up—so you
have to try to be something on your own. You have to learn how to deal with this. And to
do that, you have to learn how to think.”

There was never a moment when Ethel Stanley said to herself, “My son is blind
and this is how I’m going to handle it.”

“When Calvin was little, he was so inquisitive. He wanted to see everything, he

wanted to touch everything. I had to show him every little thing there is. A spoon, a fork.
I let him play with them. The pots, the pans. Everything. I showed him the sharp edges
of the table. ‘You cannot touch this; it will hurt you.’ And I showed him what would hurt.
He still bumped into it anyway, but he knew what he wasn’t supposed to do and what he
could do. And he knew that nothing in his room—nothing—could hurt him.

“And when he started walking and we went out together—I guess he was about 2
—I never said anything to him about what to do. When we got to the curbs. Calvin knew
that when I stopped again, he should step up. I never said anything, that’s just the way
we did it. And it became a pattern.”

Calvin remembers when he began to realize that something about him was
“different”: “I just figured it out myself. I think I was about 4. I would pick things up and I
couldn’t see them. Other people would say they could see things and I couldn’t.”

And his mother remembers the day her son asked her why he was blind and other
people weren’t.

“He must have been about 4 or 5. I explained to him what happened, that he was
born that way and that it was nobody’s fault and he didn’t have to blame himself. He
asked, ‘Why me?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know why, Calvin. Maybe there’s a special plan for
you in your life and there’s a reason for this. But this is the way you’re going to be and
you can deal with it.”

Then she sat her son down and told him this: “You’re seeing, Calvin. You’re just
using your hands instead of your eyes. But you’re seeing. And, remember, there is
nothing you can’t do.”

It’s spring vacation and Calvin is out in the alley behind his house riding his bike, a
serious looking, black and silver two-wheeler. “Stay behind me,” he shouts to his friend
Kellie Bass, who’s furiously pedaling her bike down the one-block stretch of alley where
Calvin is allowed to bicycle.

Now: Try to imagine riding a bike without being able to see where you’re going.
Without even knowing what an “alley” looks like. Try to imagine how you navigate a
space that has no visual boundaries, that exists only in your head. And then try to
imagine what Calvin is feeling as he pedals his bike in that space, whooping for joy as
the air rushes past him on either side.

And although Calvin can’t see the signs of spring sprouting all around him in the
neighboring backyards—the porch furniture and barbecue equipment being brought out
of storage, the grass growing emerald green from April rain, the forsythia exploding
yellow over the fences—still, there are signs of another sort which guide him along his
route.

Past the German shepherd who always barks at him, telling Calvin that he’s three
houses away from his home; then past the purple hyacinths, five gardens away,
throwing out their fragrance (later it will be the scent of the lilacs which guide him); past
the large diagonal crack which lifts the front wheel of his bike up and then down, telling
him he’s reached his boundary and should turn back—past all these familiar signs
Calvin rides his bike on a warm spring day.

Ethel Stanley: “At 6, one of his cousins got a new bike and Calvin said, ‘I want to
learn how to ride a two-wheeler bike.’ So we got him one. His father let him help put it
together. You know, whatever Calvin gets he’s going to go all over it with those hands
and he knows every part of that bike and what it’s called. He learned to ride it the first
day, but I couldn’t watch. His father stayed outside with him.”

Calvin: “I just got mad. I got tired of riding a little bike. At first I used to zig-zag, go
all over. My cousin would hold on to the bike and then let me go. I fell a lot in the
beginning. But a lot of people fall when they first start.”

There’s a baseball game about to start in Calvin’s backyard and Mrs. Stanley is
pitching to her son. Nine-year-old Kellie, on first base, has taken off her fake fur coat so
she can get a little more steam into her game and the other team member, Monet Clark,
6, is catching. It is also Monet’s job to alert Calvin, who’s at bat, when to swing. “Hit it,
Calvin,” she yells. “Swing!”

He does and the sound of the ball making solid contact with the bat sends Calvin
running off to first base, his hands groping in front of his body. His mother walks over to
stand next to him at first base and unconsciously her hands go to his head, stroking his
hair in a soft, protective movement.

“Remember,” the mother had said to her son six years earlier, “there’s nothing you
can’t do.”

Calvin’s father, 37-year-old Calvin Stanley, Jr., a Baltimore city policeman, has
taught his son how to ride a bike and how to shift gears in the family’s Volkswagen and
how to put toys together. They go to the movies together and the tell each other they’re
handsome.

The father: “You know, there’s nothing much I’ve missed with him. Because he
does everything. Except see. He goes swimming out in the pool in the backyard. Some
of the other kids are afraid of the water but he jumps right in, puts his head under. If it
were me I wouldn’t go anywhere. If it were me I’d probably stay in this house most of
the time. But he’s always ready to go, always on the telephone, ready to do something.
 “But he gets sad, too: You can just look at him sometimes and tell he’s real sad.”

The son: “You know what makes me sad? Charlotte’s Web. It’s my favorite story. I
listen to the record at night. I like Charlotte, the spider. The way she talks. And, you
know, she really loved Wilbur, the pig. He was her best friend.” Calvin’s voice is full of
warmth and wonder as he talks about E.B. White’s tale of the spider who befriended a
pig and later sacrificed herself for him.

“It’s a story about friendship. It’s telling us how good friends are supposed to be.
Like Charlotte and Wilbur,” he says, turning away from you suddenly to wipe his eyes.
“And when Charlotte dies, it makes me real sad. I always feel like I’ve lost a friend.
That’s why I try not to listen to that part. I just move the needle forward.”

Something else makes Calvin sad: “I’d like to see what my mother looks like,” he
says, looking up quickly and swallowing hard. “What does she look like? People tell me
she’s pretty.”

The mother: “One day Calvin wanted me to tell him how I looked. He was about 6.
They were doing something in school for Mother’s Day and the kids were drawing
pictures of their mothers. He wanted to know what I looked like and that upset me
because I didn’t know how to tell him. I thought, ‘How am I going to explain this to him
so that he will really know what I look like?’ So I tried to explain to him about facial
features, noses and I just used touch. I took his hand and I tried to explain about skin,
let him touch his, and then mine.

“And I think that was the moment when Calvin really knew he was blind, because
he said, ‘I won’t ever be able to see your face…or Daddy’s face,’” she says softly,
covering her eyes with her hands, but not in time to stop the tears. “That’s the only time
I’ve ever let it bother me that much.”

But Mrs. Stanley knew what to tell her only child: “I said, ‘Calvin, you can see my
face. You can see it with your hands and by listening to my voice and you can tell more
about me that way than somebody who can use his eyes.”
 Provident Hospital, November 15, 1973: That’s where Calvin Stanley III was born,
and his father remembers it this way: “I saw him in the hospital before my wife did, and I
knew immediately that something was wrong with his eyes. But I didn’t know what.”

The mother remembers it this way: “When I woke up after the caesarian, I had a
temperature and couldn’t see Calvin except through the window of the nursery. The
next day a doctor came around to see me and said that he had cataracts and asked me
if I had a pediatrician. From what I knew, cataracts could be removed so I thought,
‘Well, he’ll be fine.’ I wasn’t too worried when his pediatrician came and examined him
he told me he thought it was congenital glaucoma.”

Only once did Mrs. Stanley give in to despair. “When they knew for certain it was
glaucoma and told me that the cure rate was very poor because they so seldom have
infants born with glaucoma. I felt awful. I blamed myself. I knew I must have done
something wrong when I was pregnant. Then I blamed my husband,” she says, looking
up from her hands which are folded in her lap, “but I never told him that.” Pause. “And
he probably blamed me.”

No, says her husband. “I never really blamed her. I blamed myself. I felt it was a
payback. That if you do something wrong to somebody else in some way you get paid
back for it. I figured maybe I did something wrong, but I couldn’t figure out what I did
that was that bad and why Calvin had to pay for it.”

Mrs. Stanley remembers that the doctors explained to them that the glaucoma
was not because of anything either of them had done before or during the pregnancy
and “that ‘congenital’ simply means ‘at birth.’”

They took Calvin to a New York surgeon who specialized in congenital glaucoma.
There were seven operations and the doctors held out some hope for some vision, but
by age 3 there was no improvement and the Stanleys were told that everything that
could be done for Calvin had been done.

“You know, in the back of my mind, I think I always knew he would never see,”
Mrs. Stanley says, “and that I had to reach out to him in different ways. The toys I
bought him were always toys that made noise, had sound, something that Calvin could
enjoy. But it didn’t dawn on me until after he was in school that I had been doing that—
buying him toys that would stimulate him.”

Thirty-three year old Ethel Stanley, a handsome, strong-looking woman with a

radiant smile, is the oldest of seven children and grew up looking after her younger
brothers and sisters while her mother worked. “She was a wonderful mother,” Mrs.
Stanley recalls. “Yes, she had to work, but when she was there, she was with you every
minute and those minutes were worth a whole day. She always had time to listen to
you.”

Somewhere—perhaps from her own childhood experiences—Mrs. Stanley, who

has not worked since Calvin was born, acquired the ability to nurture and teach and
poured her mothering love into Calvin. And it shows. He moves in the sighted world with
trust and faith and the unshakable confidence of a child whose mother has always been
there for him. “If you don’t understand something, ask,” she tells Calvin again and again,
in her open, forthright way. “Just ask.”

When it was time to explain to Calvin the sexual differences between boys and
girls, this is what Mrs. Stanley said: “When he was about 7 I told him that when you’re
conceived you have both sexes. It’s not decided right away whether you’re going to be a
boy or a girl. And he couldn’t believe it. He said, ‘Golly, suppose somebody gets stuck?’
I thought, ‘Please, just let me get this out of the way first.’”

And I tried to explain to him what a woman’s sexual organs look like. I tried to
trace it on the table with his fingers. I said, well you know what yours look like, don’t
you? And I told him what they’re called, the medical names. ‘Don’t use names if you
don’t know what they mean. Ask. Ask.’”

“When he was little he wanted to be Stevie Wonder,” says Calvin’s father,

laughing. “He started playing the piano and he got pretty good at it. Now he wants to be
a computer programmer and design programs for the blind.”
 Calvin’s neatly ordered bedroom is outfitted with all the comforts you would find in
the room of many 10-year-old, middle-class boys: a television set (black and white, he
tells you), an Atari game with a box of cartridges (his favorite is “Phoenix”), a braille
Monopoly set, records, tapes and programmed talking robots. “I watch wrestling on TV
every Saturday,” he says. “I wrestle with my friends. It’s fun.”

He moves around his room confidently and easily. “I know this house like a book.”
Still, some things are hard for him to remember since, in his case, much of what he
remembers has to be imagined visually first. Like the size and color of his room. “I think
it’s kind of big,” he says of the small room. “And it’s green,” he says of the deep rose-
colored walls.

And while Calvin doesn’t need to turn the light on in his room he does like to have
some kind of sound going constantly. Loud sound.

“It’s 3 o’clock,” he says, as the theme music from a TV show blares out into his
room.

“Turn that TV down,” says his mother, evenly. “You’re not deaf, you know.”

From the beginning, Ethel and Calvin Stanley were determined their blind son
would go to public school. “We were living in Baltimore county when it was time for
Calvin to start school and they told me I would have to pay a tuition for him to go to
public school, and that really upset me,” Mrs. Stanley says. “I had words with some of
the big honchos out there. I knew they had programs in schools for children with vision
problems and I thought public education should be free.

“We decided we would move to Baltimore city if we had to, and I got hold of a
woman in the mayor’s office. And that woman was the one who opened all the doors for
us. She was getting ready to retire but she said she wasn’t going to retire until she got
this straight for Calvin. I don’t know how she did it. But she did.”

Now in the fourth grade, Calvin has been attending the Cross Country Elementary
School since kindergarten. He is one of six blind students in Baltimore city who are fully
mainstreamed which, in this context, means they attend public school with sighted
students in a regular classroom. Four of these students are at Cross Country
Elementary School. If Calvin stays in public school through the 12th grade, he will be
the first blind student to be completely educated within the regular public school system.

Two PM, Vivan Jackson's class, Room 207

What Calvin can’t see: He can’t see the small, pretty girl sitting opposite him, the
one who is wearing little rows of red, yellow and blue barrettes shaped like airplanes in
her braided hair. He can’t see the line of small, green plants growing in yellow pots all
along the sunny window sill. And he can’t see Mrs. Jackson in her rose-pink suit and
pink enameled earrings shaped like little swans.

But Calvin can feel the warm spring breeze—invisible to everyone’s eyes, not just
his—blowing through the window and he can hear the tapping of a young oak tree’s
branches against the window. He can hear Mrs. Jackson’s pleasant, musical voice and,
later, if you ask him what she looks like, he will say, “She’s nice.”

But best of all, Calvin can read and spell and do fractions and follow the
classroom work in his specially prepared braille books. He is smart and he can do
everything the rest of his class can do. Except see.

“Eleven,” he says, reading from his braille text book.

“Now tell us how to spell it—without looking back the book!” she says quickly,
causing Calvin’s fingers to fly away from the forbidden word.

It all seems so simple, the ease with which Calvin follows along, the manner in
which his blindness has been accommodated. But it’s deceptively simple. The amount
of work that has gone into getting Calvin to this point—the number of teachers, vision
specialists and mobility instructors, and the array of special equipment is staggering.

Patience and empathy from his teachers have played a large role, too.

For instance, there’s Dorothy Lloyd, the specialist who is teaching Calvin the slow
very difficult method of using an Optacon, a device which allows a blind person to read
a printed page by touch by converting printed letters into a tactile representation.
 And there’s Charleye Dyer, who’s teaching Calvin things like “mobility” and
“independent travel skills,” which includes such tasks as using a cane and getting on
and off buses. Of course, what Miss Dyer is really teaching Calvin is freedom; the ability
to move about independently and without fear in the larger world.

There’s also Lois Sivits who, among other things, teaches Calvin braille and is his
favorite teacher. And, to add to a list which is endless, there’s the music teacher who
comes in 30 minutes early each Tuesday to give him a piano lesson, and his home
room teacher, Mrs. Jackson, who is as finely tuned to Calvin’s cues as a player in a
musical duet would be to her partner.

An important part of Calvin’s school experience has been his contact with sighted
children.

“When he first started school,” his mother recalls, “some of the kids would tease
him about his eyes. ‘Oh, they’re so big and you can’t see.’ But I just told him, ‘Not any
time in your life will everybody around you like you—whether you can see or not.
They’re just children and they don’t know they’re being cruel. And I’m sure it’s not the
last time someone will be cruel to you. But it’s all up to you because you have to go to
school and you’ll have to deal with it.’”

Calvin’s teachers say he’s well liked, and watching him on the playground and in
class you get the impression that the only thing that singles him out from the other kids
is that someone in his class is always there to take his hand if he needs help.

“I’d say he’s really well accepted,” says his mobility teacher, Miss Dyer, “and that
he’s got a couple of very special friends.”

Eight-year-old Brian Butler is one of these special friends. “My best friend,” says
Calvin proudly, introducing you to a studious-looking boy whose eyes are alert and
serious behind his glasses. The two boys are not in the same class, but they ride home
together on the bus every day.

Here’s Brian explaining why he likes Calvin so much: “He’s funny and he makes
me laugh. And I like him because he always makes me feel better when I don’t feel
good.” And, he says, his friendship with Calvin is no different from any other good
friendship. Except for one thing: “If Calvin’s going to bump into a wall or something, I tell
him, ‘Look out,’” says Brian, sounding as though it were the most natural thing in the
world to do when walking with a friend.

“Charlotte would have done it for Wilbur,” is the way Calvin sizes up Brian’s help,
evoking once more the story about “how friendship ought to be.”

Calvin is working one-on-one with Lois Sivits, a teacher who is responsible for the
braille skills which the four blind children at Cross Country must have in order to do all
the work necessary in their regular classes. He is very relaxed with Miss Sivits, who is
gentle, patient, smart and, like Calvin, blind. Unlike Calvin, she was not able to go to
public school but was sent away at age 6, after many operations on her eyes, to a
residential school—the Western Pennsylvania School for the Blind.

And although it was 48 years ago that Lois Sivits was sent away from her family to
attend the school for the blind, she remembers—as though it were 48 minutes ago—
how that blind 6-year-old girl felt about the experience: “Oh, I was so very homesick. I
had a very hard time being separated from my family. It took me three years before I
began getting used to it. But I knew I had to stay there. I would have given anything to
be able to stay at home and go to a public school like Calvin,” says the small, kind-
looking woman with very small hands.

Now, the moment: Calvin is standing in front of the window, the light pouring in
from behind him. He is listening to a talking clock which tells him, “It’s 11:52 a.m.” Miss
Sivits stands about three feet away from him, also in front of the window holding a huge
braille dictionary in her hands, fingers flying across the page as she silently reads from
it. And for a few moments, there they are as if frozen in a tableau, the two of them
standing in darkness against the light, each lost for a moment in a private world that is
composed only of sound and touch.

There was another moment, years ago, when Calvin's mother and father knew that
the operations had not helped, that their son was probably never going to see.
 "Well," said the father, trying to comfort the mother, "we'll do what we have to do and
Calvin will be fine."

He is and so are they.

The LEADERSHIP of the HEART: Eagle’s flight

through life experiences in the awakening of Integral

Spain

Among the styles of guiding or directing people since the existence of humankind—and
no matter whether we talk of political, academic or business leadership styles—we may
find a very simple division or classification: Hard and Soft Leadership. I want to share in
this space the journey of my own life, having in mind these two simple styles. One is the
authority of the mind and the other is the leading of the heart.

My mother used to wake me up in the morning to the call of a sergeant’s trumpet. My

father left the house when I became two years of age and the woman created a hard
style of leading me into the jungles of life as a means of introducing me into discipline
and structure. This hard style of my mother—distant, cold and rigid, blue meme we
could say—encountered in my infancy many difficulties with my own red meme with
which I used to react. On many occasions my own emotional and mental survival was in
danger and therefore I also developed a healthy and sound relationship with beige and
purple, following the Spyral Dynamics language. I remember having looked at my
mother as a Tyrannosaurus Rex from which I had to flee for not being torn and
devoured.

This was the feeling when she was following me through the house to kick me because
some stupid thing I had done. My relationship with the gods came from a need to have
some certainty that something more than the norms and laws established by my mother
and the rules and regulations, strictedness and expectancies of my school existed. My
gods were the trees, the sun and the birds around my house that triumphantly sang all
mornings and afternoons when I was going back and forth from my studies. My own
leadership was undermined in the hard work of following no loving recommendations
and mandatory commands.
My teenage years brought me the goal of money. I won the first prize of the class for
being the best in English language. I won a trip to London. It was the first time I
recognized that my own effort could bring me material goods and benefits. I strove to be
the best of the class in most subjects. Apart from a good relationship with my self in
order to survive, I had nice relationships with others always in terms of “you are the
leader”. I assumed the role with pride. My own ego was growing big and healthy. The
many lines of development I was granted from the beginning of my life—I say they are
more gifts than achievements—offered me the possibility of been popular among
teachers and students. I generally had a solution for almost everything. Even though I
would be wrong, my enthusiasm and skills would show me to be apparently right and
people used to believe in me. This was mainly due to the fact that my orange meme
transcended to green, because it was not driven by the desire of personal goals or
benefits but driven by the innocence of a real pure heart that wanted to help others.
Nevertheless, the hard style of leadership received at home gave me an apparent
appearance of authority and aloofness.

After several deep experiences in my private life with husband and child, my own
mother and sister and my own path of spiritual encounter, I entered into second tier
thinking, starting to really transcend the problems and conflicts of life with
consciousness and wisdom. I deeply connected with the yellow meme and I created a
whole deep and long professional curriculum from Psychology licensure and two
masters degrees to the pioneering of the Transformation Game from Findhorn
Foundation, as well as the Transpersonal and afterwards Integral approaches in Spain.

From yellow, I also glimpsed turquoise in many instances and therefore my social work
started to flourish putting my green (where my heart clearly started to lead the path) into
social service. I created several personal development groups (some of them
completely free of charge as a service to the community) like Women’s, Poetry or
Meditation groups. By that time I also learnt the different flavours of the heart. One is to
act from the gut, that is, instinctively, which would be the Pre-personal heart with its
reactions and impulses. The other way is to act from the flavour of the mental heart,
what we could call the leadership of the mind or “personal activity” or “ego’s reign.”
Further, I experienced actions from the spiritual heart or “actions of the HEART”, which
is without a doubt the “transpersonal state”.

We could analyze this from the perspective of total development of a person

(ontogenetics) or we could see it as the three different manners of acting in life in a
given moment. From the above, we could suggest:

The first heart manifestation (Instinctive heart), from blue to green: Re- Actions A
mixture or co-dependency among first heart and mind leadership;

The second heart manifestation (Spiritual heart), Second and Third tier: Conscious
actions.

This is interesting to see, because if we can also recognize the synergy between these
two styles of leadership and use of qualities.

We can see that the qualities of the first heart are different from the qualities used in
case of the ego reaction and also different from the qualities of the spiritual heart.
Without a doubt there are qualities that are present in all three manners of action and
therefore in the two styles of leadership.

Going with the flow of my spiritual heart, I met Ken Wilber through the “eating” of his
book. I say this because I metaphorically ate it, phrase by phrase, word by word. It was
like having finally found a soothing balm for my soul. I had been (like when John Rowan
speaks of the second drawing of the oriental “Bull’s Taming”) going around and around
after having seen the tail to the bull. You name it, I had been exploring Neuro-Linguistic
Programming, Biofeedback, Gestalt groups, Family Constellations, Vipassana
meditation, Aikido, Biodanza, Open Voice, Human Design, Tai-Chi and Yoga, Insight,
Patchwork, and many other courses and seminars. After finding Ken Wilber, I felt a
slowing down of the flow. It was like I had been in rapid waters and finally arrived to the
calm waters of a lake. I rested in the joy of having arrived home, the home of the same
consciousness, of the same touch, of the same flavour. He was speaking my talk in the
same manner I would have expressed it and in the same heart I would have felt it.
Sometimes I had to stop for a while after reading a paragraph to be able to swallow it
through the whole system. It was so powerful! I had found my valid interlocutor.

I had a beautiful experience when I was 7 years old in which I was in the nun’s school
singing with all the rest of the girls and nuns to

Virgin Mary in the month of the flowers, the month of May. The church was white and
golden, the same as the veils and tunics we all wore. There was an intense fragance of
white lilies in the air. In the middle of the chanting, a ray of sun illuminated me directly
on the face and I knew I belonged to that light. I was the same as that brightness. I felt
ONE with the fulgency. My soul united with my Spirit forever more. I never felt alone. I
had recognized and breathed my TRUE nature. I got the wisdom, more than the
knowledge, that the higher comprehension that life as we know it is just a theater play, a
temporal glimpse of an EYE. Everything became relative from that moment on. It was
the deepest experience I’ve ever had, but when I read Ken Wilber, there was a second
profound sensation regarding the intellect and the soul. Someone, somewhere, was
feeling and thinking the same as I. If I was not alone in

Heaven, I was not alone on Earth, either. Again, it was an experience of a spiritual
nature.

For seven years I knocked on Ken’s door (through e-mails, letters and messages
transported by people that knew him personally).

Nothing. It was like the master that has the disciple waiting at the door of the temple. I
kept on knocking. One day I received an answer at last. It was not very expressive, but
at least it was an answer. There was some one at the other end. My soul interlocutor
was a living human being.

While waiting for his answer, I had already gone to Germany to study Spiral Dynamics
with Don Beck. I had read most of Ken’s books and I had created the Ken Wilber study
group with as many as 30 people reading and commenting on Integral Vision. In order
to spread Wilber’s ideas (that as I said are also my own in the heart and soul), I also
started to write articles in a specialized magazine—a section of my own, “Ken Wilber
section,” with fifty articles up to today, following more or less the sequence of Wilber I,

II—up to now—Wilber VI?

Spain was in a situation in which the great effort of two important persons, Wilber’s
editor and publisher—Agustín Paniker (nephew of the well known Raymond Panikkar)
and his translator, David González-Raga—had created a market for Wilber fans. They
had published about 14 books by Ken (now it is 21 books). As a result there were some
people scattered around Spain who already knew the existance of an integral vision
(without forgetting our Latin American brothers and sisters who benefit from the
translations).

There was a need for gathering these people. The time was right when in 2003 I
founded the Ist Ken Wilber International Conference, a two-day meeting at the
Psychology Faculty of the Madrid Complutense University. We had 10 speakers and
Ken was so kind as to send a welcome message for attendees. The second and third
year was also celebrated at the same academic site with the participation of
international speakers from Germany, Holland and Argentina. The first three years were
a general presentation of Integral Theory and the fourth year was an integral experience
in itself. We left the academic protection to be out with the people at the biggest
municipal Centre of one of the oldest villages around Madrid. It had been the home of
the most popular Spanish university of the XVth century founded by Cardinal Cisneros
and was headquarters of the humanistic and Renaissance currents of thoughts of the
time: Alcalá de Henares. We offered an integral experience with four quadrants, one in
each corner of a room. Attendees could experience each of them as much as they
pleased or stay only in one while enjoying what was happening there without
interruption. These two days of practical experience were enhanced by the artistic
participation of several performers who sang, danced and played crystal and metalic
bowls. In this IV encounter we also offered a big (3 meters x 2 meters long) white pad of
paper for people to write or draw whatever they wanted. A holographic painting was
created during the two days as people could go anytime to express themselves with
colors or designs. Ken always sent his greeting for the people. This fourth year was also
the first that we decided to change the name of the conference as I was sure that Ken
didn’t like the use of his name: we started to call them INTEGRAL CONFERENCES.

Meanwhile, I was (and still am) teaching an integral and transpersonal training course of
two years about the evolution of energy (from the first polarity vibration to the
anthropology, sociology, philosophy and psychology of human kind). This training helps
people to understand and enjoy the reality of their individual experience, including the
spiritual one, as well as the miracle of human interactions (from which we’ve developed
so many materials on interpersonal love, sexuality, medicine, politics, architecture,
concerts, parties and many other manifestations of humankind).

In 2005 I went to the United States in the middle of my own course to attend a seminar
at the Integral Institute, thanks to Wilber who gave me a scholarship. The seminar was
“Integral Life Practice”. In that time it was called “Integral Transformative Practice”. My
students were so enthusiastic that I was going to meet with Ken. I asked them, “What
could we give Ken as a present? I myself would like to give him a Spanish Integral
Society”. They got very content and said, “Let’s do it!” Thanks to these students, we
consciously filled the lower right quadrant of our lives by creating the “Spanish Integral
Association” with an official number at the

Ministry and met all the government requirements for such an enterprise. We created it
as an NGO that is without a profit motive. We have now 46 members who pay a
monthly fee to support the annual Conference and some other activities we offer. We
give 10% ofthis income for humanitarian purposes like Red Cross or UNICEF. The
Integral Conference IV in Alcalá de Henares had been organized under the name of the
Spanish Integral Association as were the following ones.

Having in mind that we were creating a Spanish Association, we recognized that we

were celebrating the Conferences only inMadrid. We decided to spread the integral
voice to other provinces of Spain. Therefore, we decided to go to Catalunya. The Vth
Conference was held at the Tibetan House of Barcelona. Many consider this to be the
most important city of Spain. It was a real success with its more than 270 people
attending. Ken Wilber talked on the phone with us for the first time in Spain for a whole
hour in a ‘Questions & Answers’ session. It was a real deep experience for this reason
and also because we wanted to support the people from Tibet and because we had
waited so long for Ken’s Integral Spirituality which was launched during the Conference.
This year, 2008, in its VIth edition, the Conference will have 13 speakers from several
regions and countries. For example, Peter Merry will attend from Holland and we will
have more time with Ken; he has offered us one and a half hours.

This will also be the year of my good-bye to my social outer experience linked to the
Integral Leadership in Spain. I have decided to go ahead into an unknown world,
deconstructing an image and an identity that I want to reconstruct from a different
perspective now.

The new angle of a new me. Maybe that way I’ll get closer to my real Self. As I leave the
presidency of the Association by the beginning of next year, I recognize how this
movement has to do with the leadership of my own spiritual heart which is taking me
even further. And I obey.

No doubt that the reality of Spain is changing as is the rest of the world, apparently
induced by the economic crisis that may result in a real change of paradigm. We are
seeing on our television here how even the ads claim solidarity, inner consciousness
and ecological sustainability. So, we could say that many people in Spain are becoming
aware of the possibility of living with a higher state of mind. We are also about to see
what changes will arise in the political scene of the United States. If Obama wins, the
world will never be the same, this time positively speaking and not like in September
11th when the world changed forever, due to a devastating terrorist act. As Wilber says,
Obama is integrally informed and that may change the planet or at least the Western
world although we know, according to the butterfly effect, that at the end nothing is
isolated. Integral Spain will continue, as I’m not the only one that loves Integral Theory
or is following a leadership of the heart. So, in case you want to see how things are up
to now in our Integral Association you may visit the website that we created (with
workgroups and forums). We want to evolve it in order to make it sensible to the real
changes in technology and in theoretical and practical fields, because as you know
integral theory is an always fluent frame to recognize reality. So stay tuned—in all
senses: www.asociacionintegral.es.

Chapter 5
Focus
 END NOTE

Who would have thought that we could publish a book with our own words,
inspirations and efforts? It is tough experience as we made sure that everything was
polish so you as a reader can rest assured that this book will be more meaningful and
inspiring. While you guys grow as reader, we - the authors of this book cross the bridge
of our limitations and grown as well too. We enjoyed and love on how this experience
shape the each of us.

This book would not be possible with the help and encouraging words of Ms.
Mary Ann Cahayon, this couldn’t be finish without her. Through her help, we are able to
see the glimpse of each person and events written on this book. We are very grateful for
having this kind of opportunity.

Hope this book can inspire the students to create and publish their own. Anything
is possible as long as you will do it with efforts and inspirations. It is truly a great
experience to publish a book wherein you are able to share your experiences and
stories to those future authors.

- The Authors
 List of members

TRISHA MAE ABIAD

JANELLA CAMILLE M. BAUTISTA

DONNABELLE P. BOBADILLA

CRISTINE JOY CARLUM

FRANCHESKA BERNADETTE MANALO

PIER GIORGIO MORAL

PAULINE MACY PANGANIBAN

MARY LADY LYNNE PAREJA

SHERWIN VALDEZ

NHIRA JANE VIROYA