INQUIRY

The GUIDON

Issues with an impact

EDITOR: SARA MAE D. MAWIS
GRAPHIC DESIGN BY: DENICE V.
PLANAS, FRANCHINO E. VICERAL,
AND ERIKA C. VALDEZ

Inside
A campus in the making
Find out when some of
the Ateneo’s buildings
were made

Toward bluer waters

Wastewater that the
Ateneo treats is not
as clean as it seems

In Focus
For David Peralta, even
the little things can
produce great effects

Bloggers of beauty
Ateneans post and rate
photos of their class-
mates with gusto

“Objectified” AUGUST 2008 n VOLUME LXXVI

cover Photo by Ean L. Dacay n NUMBER 3
http://www.theguidon.com
inquiry@theguidon.com

by Frances Bea C. Cupin and Genevieve Eugenie P. Bueta

I
t was only the second
week of classes when
the rain started to pour
one afternoon. Students,
still on their summer break
high, eagerly anticipated the
suspension of classes. Mean-
while, many were stuck in
campus, unable to escape the
onslaught of the rain.
The Theology Depart-
ment, however, had more
pressing issues to handle.
It had been raining very
hard for 30 minutes when
water began to pour down
into their department, lo-
cated on the third floor of
the Horacio de la Costa Hall.
“Water was really gushing
down in torrents. One by
one, [the] soundboards were
going down,” says Theology
Lecturer Edilberto Jimenez.
“Water was cascading.”
The computers located at
the center of the department,
as well as hard-to-replace
books owned by various mem-
bers of the department, were
damaged.
One major concern Jime-
nez had during the flooding
was the de la Costa main
power switch, located inside
the department. “I was saying
to turn power off the whole
building,” says Jimenez.
Fortunately, no one got
electrocuted or injured. He
also said that the adminis-
tration’s response was very
quick, with janitors immedi-
ately getting to work in drain-
ing the flooded department.
Even the English Depart-
ment, located on the first
floor, was not spared from the
onslaught of the rain. “The
water reached the computer
area of the English Depart-
ment and some of our printers
and computers got drenched,”
says Miguel Lizada, English
Lecturer.
The gutters of the build-
ing were the main culprit of
the incident. Leaves from
the surrounding trees had
clogged down the drainpipes,
causing the water to instead
flow over onto the roof.
The departments re-
sumed operations immedi-
ately; the computers were
dried and taken care of, the
water drained, albeit leav-
ing the office in topsy-turvy
condition. The incident did
not cause serious damages,
but it opens up the floor to
questions about building
maintenance and safety in
the Loyola Schools (LS).
How prepared are the LS
for the impending rainy sea-
son and other disasters, such
as earthquakes and fires?
“Water was really gushing down in
torrents. One by one, [the] soundboards
are going down.”
Edilberto Jimenez
Building basics
The LS is home to 35
buildings, as reported by the
University Physical Plant
(UPP), with Kostka, Xavier,
Berchmans, and Gonzaga,
and Bellarmine Halls as the
oldest on the campus. Despite
their old age, UPP Adminis-
trator Leoncio Miralao says
that there is nothing to worry
about regarding the safety of
the five buildings.
According to him, the four
oldest buildings’ features
were more advanced than
most buildings built during
their time. Xavier, Gonzaga,
Berchmans, Kostka and
Bellarmine halls were all
constructed in 1952. Only
Gonzaga Hall has undergone
an overhaul, a major canteen
renovation in 2002.
Many of the structures
in the LS have been around
before the National Build-
ing Code of the Philippines
was established during the
1970’s. They have survived
many earthquakes, the last
major one with a magnitude
of 7.7 in July 1990. Miralao
says that those buildings
showed no signs of damages,
such as cracks or structural
weakness.
As for the newer buildings
on campus, wear and tear
has become more evident. “If
[the buildings are] constantly
used, people complain that
there are cracks,” he says. He
goes on to explain, however,
that these cracks are merely
“structural,” that they do
not affect the integrity of the
building at all. He adds that
seeing cracks in buildings
is only natural since earth-
quakes occur regularly, most
of which are too weak to be
felt. Buildings are checked
frequently, and repairs are
regularly made to ensure
their integrity.
One of these buildings
is the Rizal Library Annex.
Miralao says that the Library
Annex was made with spe-
cific areas designed to carry
the weight of books. As the
library acquires more books
over the years, many of these
original areas are displaced.
As a result, cracks are seen
along the building.
UPP Administrative As-
sistant Ma. Isabel Hugo says
that this is easily remedied
by applying epoxy, a strong,
water-resistant, adhesive
resin, along the cracks. Ac-
cording to Hugo, it is much
stronger than concrete, the
material originally used in
constructing the buildings.
Safety requirements
As early as building con-
struction, safety is already
an issue the administration
responds to. Though the
buildings’ architects bring
their own engineers with
them, Hugo and Pollution
Control Officer Josephy Al-
mosera are present to ensure
that the school’s own building
requirements are met.
UPP inspects the build-
ing annually. Its staff checks
the electrical, fire safety, and
mechanical aspects of the
campus’ buildings.
The Ateneo has not failed
in complying, as far as the
National Building Code is
concerned. According to Code
requirements, every building
should have at least one exit.
For floors above the first story
with an occupant load of 10,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

22 August 2008
Missing bolt. Unfortunately, the Ateneo lacks a law-prescribed sewage
treatment plant for discharging its wastewater to Manila Bay.
Run, duck, and take cover
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
they shall not have less than
two exits. Occupant load is
determined by dividing the
floor area by the square feet
per occupant.
Every exit should also
lead to a public way, exit
court, or exit passageway.
Besides the required exits,
these passages should not
have other openings and
should be made of material
that can resist fire for one
hour or beyond.
In the Inquiry article
entitled “Reduced to ashes,”
published in The GUIDON’s
June 2004 issue, it says that
all classroom doors should
be made to swing outwards.
This is because it would be
more difficult to open an
inward swinging door in
case a panicking crowd is
pressed against the exit in a
fire scene.
Similar to what the Code
Photo by rico b. cruz
states regarding door swings,
exit doors should swing in the
direction of exit travel when
serving any hazardous area.
On the other hand, double
acting doors, which can ei-
ther be pushed or pulled by
the crowd, shouldn’t be used
when a fire occurs because,
unlike fire exits, they don’t
swing wide enough for a lot of
people to pass through.
As for stairways, the Code
states that stairways should
have handrails on each side.
Meanwhile, those capable of
holding an occupant load of
50 or more shall not be less
than 3 feet and 8 inches or
1.12 meters in width. Finally,
stairways that are required to
be more than 9 feet in width
should have one or more in-
termediate handrails.
Emergency plans
Miralao says that, by
conducting earthquake and
The GUIDON
INQUIRY
by Paolo Adrian B.
Monteiro and Sara Mae D.
Mawis
W
ater – a mere three
days without it, man
will perish. Though
people are becoming more
environmentally aware, it
can’t be denied that one of
Earth’s most important re-
sources continues to be taken
for granted.
Though priding itself for
having a green campus, the
Ateneo does lack a key com-
ponent in the sustainability
equation – a sewage treat-
ment plant (STP). Because of
this, wastewater coming from
the campus is discharged in
waterways that lead to Ma-
nila Bay, the Metro Manila
area’s wastewater basin.
With the absence of an
STP and the continuous dis-
charge of wastewater by the
Ateneo, are there any plans to
answer to this environmental
concern?
fire drills in the Ateneo, the
administration would be able
to point out the problems the
community might encounter
and find out how they could
be solved. Another objective
of holding these drills is to
educate students and teach-
ers on what should be done in
the event of an emergency.
Ensuring the prepared-
ness of the LS, however, is not
“Students and teachers alike
should take them seriously
and commit the procedures to
memory.”
Miguel Lizada
an easy task. “Actually the
requirement of CHED [Com-
mission on Higher Education]
is that we conduct [earth-
Two pathways
According to the En-
vironment Management
Bureau’s National Water
Quality Status Report from
2001 to 2005, the waste-
water that Metro Manila
discharges goes through
any of the four major water-
ways. These bodies of water,
namely, the Marikina, San
Juan, Parañaque, and Pasig
Rivers, are then connected to
Manila Bay.
Wastewater discharged
by the Metro Manila area is
emptied out by two means.
Some of this waste is directly
carried by the Parañaque
River toward the Manila
“The status quo is that the
Ateneo doesn’t have a
treatment facility, but it does have
a system.”
Rob Roque
Bay. Meanwhile, Pasig River
receives the wastewater
collected by the Marikina
and San Juan Rivers, then
quake and fire drills] twice a
year,” says Almosera. In the
grade school and high school
departments, however, drills
are conducted once a year.
Meanwhile, the administra-
tion still has to deal with
the irregularity of the entire
LS community in terms of
members’ schedules.
This year, the administra-
tion decided to conduct both
earthquake and fire drills
in the same month in order
to minimize the hassle they
Photos taken from the University archives; photos by Rico b. cruz and trisha s. de la paz
directly emp-
ties it at the same
bay.
The Ateneo’s wastewa-
ter is discharged in a simi-
lar manner. According to
University Physical Plant
(UPP) Administrator Leon-
cio Miralao, understanding
the campus’ process of dis-
charging wastewater means
understanding where its
buildings are located. Ac-
cording to him, some parts
of the Ateneo are located in
Marikina City, while oth-
ers can be found in Quezon
City.
Fr. Masterson Drive,
which extends from Manila
Observatory to the Ateneo
High School, acts as the
boundary between these two
areas. All buildings east of
could bring about. Before
the drills were conducted
this year, the last fire drill
took place in 2002 while the
last earthquake drill was in
2006.
Responses to the recent
drills conducted were mixed,
with some people complain-
ing that they were unable
to hear the alarms. Miralao
observed that some members
of the LS community did not
comply with the drill. “The
high school and grade school
[populations] are more obedi-
ent,” he says.
Drills, however, are not
a foolproof plan in case of an
actual emergency. “When an
actual earthquake happens,
there will be no alarm to
alert the school,” says Almos-
era in a mix of English and
Filipino.
“Students and teach-
ers alike should take them
seriously and commit the
The GU
September 2007 inquiry
the road
are in Quezon
City, while those in the west
are in Marikina.
Wastewater coming from
the Fr. Masterson Drive’s
east side, which includes
the College Complex, drains
toward Katipunan, par-
ticularly within the National
Bookstore area. Its release,
says Miralao, partly ex-
plains why places near the
footbridge and the flyover
near the said bookstore are
frequently flooded.
Meanwhile, water com-
ing from the west side, which
includes the College Covered
Courts, and the former
Communication Depart-
ment Building, is pumped
to Marikina River.
Reducing by recycling
According to the Philip-
pine Clean Water Act of
2004, establishments like
the Ateneo are required to
be connected to an STP, or
similar sewage facilities.
As also defined by the
law, these facilities are com-
prised of any network of pipe-
lines and other needed appli-
procedures to memory,”
says Lizada. Actual disas-
ters can occur anytime.
Miralao shares that, during
the earthquake in 1990, not
everyone who was part of
the disaster management
plan was in their designated
areas. School administra-
tion can only do so much to
prepare students and faculty
for actual disasters. It is then
up to the individual to act
upon himself in case of an
emergency.
The best way to prepare
in the event of an emer-
gency is to be familiar with
the steps one should take
to ensure the safety of the
majority. “When things hap-
pen, no matter where you are
[and] there’s an earthquake
or a fire, that’s when natural
leaders would emerge,” says
Miralao. 
 UIDON The GUIDON

inquiry
September 2007 INQUIRY August
July 20072008n 333

ances
that collect,
transport, and treat
wastewater before it is to
be disposed. Meanwhile,
the Philippine Sanitation
Sourcebook and Decision
school’s wastewater. Some
of the water from the offices,
“We are looking at a system that
David
Peralta:
When little
als. Ac-
cording
means big
to the Philippine
Miralao. Sanitation Sourcebook, costs Early beginnings. Assistant Instructor David Peralta (BS Chem ‘06)
for maintaining this system relays his high school experiences that sealed the deal for his love
are not as expensive as the for chemistry.
centralized system because
it only requires simple opera-
Photo by jake r. nallas

Aid defines wastewater

treatment as the process of
removing or reducing the
amount of waste found in
the water that we use.
The Ateneo, however,
has yet to comply with the
law because it doesn’t have
an STP.
According to Miralao,
is more natural... but also quite tion and maintenance.
According to Miralao, the
efficient.” proposed DEWATS for the
Ateneo would mean install-
Ma. Assunta Cuyegkeng, Ph.D. ing several, smaller STPs
in various areas of the cam-
pus. These facilities would
as well as those collected Implementing a central- then collect the wastewater by Jesse Emmanuel F.
from rain, are then stored in ized STP, however, is costly. produced in these particular Rosario
these ponds, where the water Because of the high costs areas and the buildings near

“C
this is because of the law’s is recycled for watering the local government units could them, filtrate and purify it hemistry is a central science… Even if you’re not
recent enactment. Among Ateneo’s plants. incur from investing in and before disposing it in the in the sciences, the very fact that you experience
the Philippines’ Pollution maintaining these facilities, Marikina River. everyday things, different phenomena, [like] the
Control laws, which also in- Pipe dreams? the country’s sanitation sys- cars you ride, the clothes you wear, what you eat, that is
clude the Clean Water, Toxic The Ateneo doesn’t have tem continues to be poorly Testing, testing chemistry.”
Substances and Hazardous to look far, however, to find constructed and maintained. According to Miralao, This is what Chemistry Department Assistant Instruc-
Waste, and Ecological Waste a major STP to pattern the As identified by the Philip- the Ateneo is considering tor David Peralta (BS Chem ‘06), topnotcher of the 2007
Management Acts, the Clean school’s wastewater man- pine Sanitation Sourcebook, two options in implementing Chemistry Board Exam by the Professional Regulations
Water Act is the youngest. agement system from. The only 10 of about 1,650 of the DEWATS. The first proposes Commission, always tells his class.
Despite its lack of an only existing STP in the Philippines’ towns have sew- the construction of a small As a grade school student in the Ateneo, he was initially
STP, the Ateneo does have Katipunan-Diliman area, age systems, all of which are treatment facility, which fond of math and computers, the latter because it was the
a system in place to treat which is located at Common- limited in scope. would be located behind the ‘in thing’ during his time. The passion lingered until his
and recycle most of the wealth Avenue, is controlled Also, according to Miral- college baseball field. This fa- stay at the Ateneo High School (AHS) where his teachers
water used within campus by the University of the ao, centralized STPs are less cility would then link smaller changed his life bit by bit.
grounds. Philippines (UP). environmentally-friendly STPs, which could be found in His first influence was his biology teacher Bella Queaño
“The status quo is that Funded by the Manila compared to the decen- various areas of the campus. in the Advanced Science class. Under her, Peralta learned
the Ateneo doesn’t have a Water Company (MWC), tralized wastewater treat- According to the Ateneo’s that biology was mostly centered on molecular biology, a
treatment facility, but it UP’s STP is centralized, ment system (DEWATS), Site Development Plan, these subject that explains how carbohydrates, DNA, and pro-
does have a system,” says which means that all the the system that the Ateneo STPs would be located near teins interact with each other. He was so amazed at how
Sanggunian Committee on wastewater it produces is is currently considering to Faura Hall, Manny V. Pan- Queaño, who is currently the AHS Science and Technology
Social Concern and External pumped to the Common- implement. gilinan Center for Student Department chairman, and her positive demeanor was able
Affiliations Chairperson Rob wealth-based STP. Ac- “Even if it’s decentralized, Leadership, de la Costa Hall, to condense a semester’s lesson to a single week that he
Roque (II BS CH-MSE). cording to the Philippine you [use] machines, equip- Rizal Library and the Social considered becoming a doctor for life.
This system involves the Sanitation Sourcebook, the ment, and chemicals. But, Sciences Building. The water During his third year, he had Vice President Assunta
use of the Ateneo’s ponds, waste that centralized sys- there’s also the other way that they would treat would Cuyegkeng, Ph.D. as his chemistry teacher. Little did Per-
such as Meron Pond near de tems collect is then moved where you can get the water, then pass through Katipu- alta know that his journey toward the path of chemistry
la Costa Hall, Eagle Lagoon to areas, like the Common- the sewage… with the use of nan’s sewage lines. was about to begin.
behind the John Gokongwei wealth-based STP, that plants and [other] natural The second is to test “I think that changed it. Really, your High School teach-
School of Management, and are as far away as possible ways,” says Miralao. DEWATS on the proposed ers have a significant impact,” he says. “I didn’t know what
Blue Lagoon near the cam- from the community that DEWATS is also cheaper new library building first, to it was; [whether] it was… her clarity in teaching, [or] her
pus’ diversion road. produces it. because it avoids making use be constructed in the Meron approach in making chemistry very student-friendly.”
These ponds provide MWC also proposed this of energy-dependent, im- Challenging yet easy to comprehend is how he charac-
the initial treatment of the system for the Ateneo, says ported or mechanical materi- CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 terizes Cuyegkeng’s chemistry classes. He recalls how she
made sandwiches in class just to show how substances called
limiting reagents are used up during a chemical reaction. He
also remembers their field trip to renowned glass sculptor
Managing wastewater the right way Ramon Orlina’s art exhibit and how he learned about the
science working behind glass art.
Below are some explanations from the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources’ (DENR’s) Environmental His choice of courses when he applied for college, however,
Management Bureau on how the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 will be implemented. still reflected his desire to become a doctor, instead of to
become a chemist. According to Peralta, the only chemistry
How will water quality be managed? program he considered applying into was the Management
Management of water quality will either be based on watershed, river basin, or water resources region. Water quality of Applied Chemistry (MAC) program offered by the John
management areas with similar hydrological, hydrogeological, meteorological, or geographical conditions which affect the Gokongwei School of Management. “Chemistry was nowhere
reaction and diffusion of pollutants in water bodies are to be designated by the DENR together with the National Water there except for the small part in MAC. It’s not there,” he
Resources Board. says, as he was set to enroll under the Molecular Biology
and Biotechnology (MBB) program offered by the University
How will discharges of wastewater be controlled? of the Philippines-Diliman (UP).
All owners or operators of facilities that discharge wastewater are required to get a permit to discharge from the DENR or Peralta, however, eventually went to the Ateneo as a Biol-
the Laguna Lake Development Authority. Existing industries without any permit are given 12 months from the effectivity of ogy major. He said it’s because he was already familiar with
the implementing rules and regulations announced with this Act to secure a permit to discharge. the school and how he it gave him a holistic formation. A few
months later, he shifted to become a Chemistry major.
How will domestic wastewater be addressed? As an undergraduate, he recalls being a member of stu-
The Department of Public Works and Highways, together with local government units (LGUs) will prepare a national pro- dent organizations that engaged in science and education.
gram on sewage and septage management not later than 12 months from effectivity of this Act. The will also prepare a As a Junior, he was the Ateneo Chemical Society’s Vice
priority list, which will be the national government’s basis for alloting annual funds for the construction and rehabilitation of President for Academics, and then its President a year later.
required facilities. Soon, he was able to fulfill his dream of taking up MBB by
Meanwhile, LGUs should provide the land, including roads, to construct sewage and/or septage treatment facilities and to cross-enrolling in UP.
raise funds for operating and maintaining said facilities. After his study tour in Germany in 2007, as he also holds
The Department of Health will formulate guidelines and standards for the collection, treatment and disposal of sewage as a Minor in German Studies, the Chemistry Department of-
well as guidelines for the establishment and operation of centralized sewage treatment system. The Metropolitan Water- fered him a teaching post for the incoming school year. He
works and Sewerage System (MWSS) and other agencies mandated to provide water supply and sewerage facilities are started teaching part-time, going full-time during the school
required to connect existing sewage lines within five years following effectivity of this Act. year’s second semester. He then took the board exam and
All sources of sewage and septage are required to comply with the law. topped it, which made him quite a popular icon in school.
“People got to know me because the Department put up
How will the discharge of wastewater be discouraged? a tarp with my face on it. So I would be walking and there
Anyone discharging wastewater into a water body will have to pay a wastewater charge. This economic instrument is ex- would be some students recognizing me. I didn’t know them,
pected to encourage investments in cleaner production and pollution control technologies. but they would recognize me,” he says.
Effluent trading per management area will also be allowed. “I would have some new students coming in who were
Rewards will also be given to those whose wastewater discharge is better than the water quality criteria of the receiving scared immediately because they knew that I topped [the
body of water. Fiscal and non-fiscal incentives will also be given to LGUs, water districts, enterprise, private entities and board exams] so they were scared [that] the professor might
individuals who develop and undertake outstanding and innovative projects in water quality management. be a terror teacher, perhaps demanding,”
When he faces his classes, he makes it a point to drive
What safeguards are provided for? home the notion that chemistry is a central science – a
All possible dischargers are required to put up an environmental guarantee fund (EGF) as part of their environmental science that has bearing on most disciplines. For example,
management plan. The EGF will finance the conservation of watersheds and aquifers, and the needs of emergency in wastewater management, he believes that what should
response, clean up, or rehabilitation. happen is to eliminate as many contaminants as possible
to ensure environmental safety.
Data taken from the article entitled “What You Should Know about the Clean Water Act” “The only problem here in the Philippines is that if it’s a
by the Water Quality Management Section of DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau normal sewage system, it’s septic-tank based. For industries,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

44
by Joanie C. Ipili and
Maria Angela C. Espinas
“I
didn’t believe it until
I saw it.”
This was how Ter-
ry*, a sophomore, reacted
when he saw his photo posted
on a site that allowed other
people to freely comment
about his physical appear-
ance. But he wasn’t its only
attraction. It featured other
students whose photos were
handpicked and posted by
its moderator, because the
moderator found them at-
tractive.
Like Terry, these Ate-
neans didn’t know that their
photos were used for this
purpose. Like most of them,
Terry only knew that his
photo was posted because a
friend saw it first.
Terry wasn’t greatly
affected by what he saw.
“I didn’t consider it as an
invasion of privacy,” he says.
“It didn’t reveal any of my
secrets.”
“Actually, it was flatter-
ing what [the visitors] put
there.”
This flattery, however,
overshadows the fact that
these sites might be going
against any citizen’s right to
maintaining his privacy and
protecting his intellectual
property.
Harmless but…
Created in April 2008,
Goodjobgod (www.goodjob-
Spotted. Sarah Sarmiento (II BFA AM) and Kurt Cendaña (II AB IS) were have the power to control
two of the Ateneans featured in Goodjobguysss and Goodjobgod, how other people would view
respectively.
Toward bluer waters
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
Pond area, before it would
be implemented university-
wide.
“It’s not the end [of this
project]. It’s just the begin-
ning,” says Miralao. “From
there, we’ll learn from it and
then we’ll try to come up with
[facilities in other areas of
the Ateneo] because it’s fairly
spread out.”
Besides these options,
the school is also assisted
by United States Agency for
International Development,
an organization that aims to
help certain countries with
god.blogspot.com) was a blog
that featured photos of female
Ateneans its moderator found
physically attractive. This
site recently closed down,
however, since its modera-
tor was able to reach more
than the 25,000 hits he and
his friend bet on. As of press
time, the site maintains a
record of 29,443 hits.
When Maxine Ang (II BS
Mgt-H) discovered that she
was featured on that site,
she got surprised. Like Terry,
however, she didn’t mind it
“[These sites become] the
benchmark for the blogger’s sense
of self.”
Cecilia Palma-del Rosario
that much. “It wasn’t really
that bad,” she says in a mix
of Filipino and English.
“I just thought that it
was indicative of how shal-
low [the] Ateneo has become.
They [devote their time to
sites] showcasing girls that
are pretty.”
Sites like Goodjobgod,
however, aren’t only lim-
ited to the typical male
Atenean’s desires. Goodjob-
guysss (www.goodjobguysss.
blogspot.com)** was set up to
allow visitors to judge how
Photo by ean l. dacay
their economic and social
development. As part of its
program, it presents the
different water facilities to
Ateneo, and in other cases,
local government units and
companies that would best
suit their needs.
Despite the readiness of
these plans, the administra-
tion continues to probe into
this matter. According to
Vice President Ma. Assunta
Cuyegkeng, Ph.D., most STP
designs are energy-consum-
ing, although in this case, it’s
because of the limited space
allotted for them. She points
The
The GUIDON
GUIDON
INQUIRY
INQUIRY
attractive the featured male
Ateneans are.
Sanggunian Sophomore
Central Board Representa-
tive Kurt Cendaña (II AB IS)
was one of its featured male
students. He didn’t imme-
diately know that his photo
was in the site because, at the
time the site was starting to
gain its popularity, he went
on a vacation outside of the
country.
“I didn’t mind it,” he says
in Filipino. “I just laughed
it off.”
“I was a bit off by it,
however, because the photo
of me that was featured can
be found in my Multiply and
Facebook sites. So I thought
that maybe, this person
[Goodjobguysss’ moderator]
is my friend [in Multiply or
in Facebook].”
A psychological benchmark
According to Ateneo Grad-
uate School of Psychology
Instructor Cecilia Palma-del
Rosario, these posted photos
may serve as a benchmark
for both the sites’ moderators
and their viewers on what
makes a person physically
attractive. They might also
be comparing themselves,
and other people, against the
featured students in terms of
physical appearance.
“[These sites become] the
benchmark for the blogger’s
sense of self,” she says.
Psychology Lecturer
Lorenzo Lerma, on the other
hand, says that another pos-
sible reason for the modera-
tors to run these sites is the
sense of control they get. Ac-
cording to him, although they
might not have the power to
control the featured students’
physical appearance, they
these students.
Palma-del Rosario says,
out, however, that the Ateneo
might not have that much
of a problem with installing
STPs because of the campus’
wide lands.
“We are looking at a sys-
tem that is more natural...
but also quite efficient,” she
says.
“We do have a way of
treating the water the more
traditional way... [But], may-
be the perspective [with the
current system] is different.
We would like to be able to
reuse the wastewater.” 
however, that various psy-
chological and sociological
factors are at play when it
comes to this issue. These
sites reflect the Filipinos’
fondness for knowing any-
thing that could be known
about a person. “[These sites
could be] a reflection of our
cultural habit [to gossip],”
she says.
“We have to know what
other people know.”
Invading one’s privacy
The sites’ moderators, on
the other hand, may have
acted against the law.
Article 26 of the Civil
Code of the Philippines
states, “Every person shall
respect the dignity, person-
ality, privacy and peace of
mind of his neighbors and
other persons.” A person is
liable to paying damages if he
were to pry into the privacy
of another person’s residence,
meddle with, or disturb his
private life. He could also act
against what the law states
if his acts were to cause that
person to be alienated from
his friends, or feel humiliated
on account of his religious
beliefs, physical defects, or
other personal conditions.
These sites’ moderators
violated the students’ pri-
vacy by posting photos of
themselves for public viewing
purposes.
Also, these moderators
could be violating laws con-
cerning a person’s intellectu-
al property rights. According
to Business Software Alli-
ance Philippines Committee
Consultant and lawyer Atty.
Bienvenido Marquez III,the
person owns the copyright to
a photo or any other object if
he were the one who took it.
This means that all of that
person’s photos cannot be
published without his per-
mission.
Like Cendaña, people who
took photos of themselves
could have them removed
from the said sites, especially
when their moderators didn’t
seek their approval.
People who violate these
laws can either be imprisoned
David Peralta...
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
it’s very private,” he says in
Filipino. The typical sewage
system consists of a septic
tank connected to a wastewa-
ter treatment facility, which
then degrades all organic
matter into wastewater. This
is to prevent bacteria from
infecting it upon its release,
which could damage the en-
vironment.
We don’t have to thor-
oughly understand every de-
tail, says Peralta, as far as the
nitty-gritty of environmental
chemistry is concerned.
According to him, what we
There she goes. Sites such as Goodjobgod and Goodjobguysss invade
some Ateneans’ right to privacy as their photos were being featured
without their approval.
or made to pay damages.
For those who violated laws
relating to copyright use, they
could pay for as large as P1.5
million, and be jailed for as
long as nine years, depending
on the number of times they
did the offense.
Omniscient
Although Cendaña re-
mains flattered by the com-
pliments he got from the site,
he believes that these sites
shouldn’t be done again. He
also believes that the mod-
erators might have published
these sites out of boredom
during the summer vacation,
and that it is less likely that
these sites would thrive dur-
ing the school year.
Meanwhile, Terry be-
lieves that the sites’ mod-
erators should have asked
the approval of the students
they would have planned to
feature. “Ask for the person’s
permission before you put
him in the site and give out
information to [the people],”
need is an understanding
of how simple actions like
waste segregation and walk-
ing over riding can help our
environment. What we need
is awareness and an advocacy
that remains constant and
unwavering.
“We have to start small.
You start in your own home,
how you personally behave
or act,” he says.
“Imagine how many stu-
dents buy lunch there [caf-
eteria], either [Styrofoam]
container or paper with a
wax lining. There’s even
plastic sometimes. Imagine
September
August 2007
2008
PHOTOS BY KEVIN C. TATCO
Photo by ean l. dacay
he says.
Ang, on the other hand,
believes that Goodjobgod
represents the moderators’
and viewers’ collective uncon-
scious. According to her, she
cannot help but think that the
people she passes by might
have contributed to the site’s
subsequent success.
“It feels like everyone
who’s looking at you is Good-
jobgod,” she says in Filipino.
“He’s becoming omniscient
already.” 
- with a report from
Sara Mae D. Mawis
*Name has been changed to
protect the individual.
** As of press time, the
Goodjobguysss website has
been removed from the
Internet.
how many thousands is that
everyday. How many times
will they eat? You have plas-
tic cups, everything. That’s a
lot of waste.”
At the end of the day,
Peralta believes that there
are many ways to reach these
goals. What’s important is
that something is done to
address the conflict.
“There are many levels on
how to achieve these goals,
but there will always be a
way,” he says in Filipino.
“We can always do some-
thing.” 