NOHS - The Reflector

𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 | P230-B available for Middle East crisis response — DBM

Amid surging global oil prices that threaten Filipino households, President Ferdinand "B**gbong" Marcos Jr. ordered the release of P230 billion in emergency funds to stabilize the country’s fuel supply, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Mar. 25.

Following this, PBBM declared a state of national energy emergency through Executive Order No. 110, which authorizes a unified package for livelihoods, industry, food, and transport.

According to Acting Budget Secretary Rolando Toledo, the executive has a combined total of P210 billion—about P10 billion from appropriations in the 2025 national budget, P200 billion from this year’s General Appropriations Act (GAA), and P20 billion from the Malampaya fund.

The said P200 billion GAA fund includes P63.8 billion for the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s assistance programs, P4.2 billion for the Department of Migrant Workers, and P1.2 billion for the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Assistance to Nationals and legal aid funds.

Toledo also noted a P2.5 billion allocation for the Department of Transportation's subsidy for the transport sector, which will come from last year’s budget.

News | Samantha Alimoot
Photo via Inquirer Net, Marianne Bermudez

𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗨𝗦 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 | NOHS SSLG concludes YOU-W.A.S.P. self-defense program

Negros Occidental High School Supreme Secondary Learners Government (NOHS-SSLG) officially wrapped up the 5-day-long Youth and Women’s Advocate for Self-Defense and Protection (YOU-W.A.S.P.) program at the NOHS gymnasium, March 23.

NOHS-SSLG organized the event with the Negros Kali International Association Inc., Project C.A.R.E.S., Bacolod City Police, and the General Parents and Teachers Association.

"When we talk about self-defense, many people tend to think physical strength or combat skills, but in reality, self-defense starts with powerful awareness and mindset," Bacolod City Police Chief Effren Legada stated.

Legada also emphasized that the youth are the most vulnerable but the most capable because of their energy, intelligence, and adaptability to protect themselves.

Moreover, Grandmaster Jose Marañon, president and chairman of Negros Kali International Association Inc., led the announcement of the program graduates during the closing ceremony, after which guests from Switzerland, India, and Negros Kali demonstrated the techniques and methods of self-defense.

News Coverage | Julian Andrex Jakosalem
Photos | J.A. Jakosalem

𝗖𝗢𝗟𝗨𝗠𝗡 | Misogyny on the House Floor

Women’s Month is meant to honor dignity, equality, and respect—but those ideals ring hollow when sexism echoes inside the halls of power. When leaders casually reduce women to objects of fantasy, they degrade not only the woman targeted but also the institution they represent. Misogyny spoken in government spaces is not a joke, not a harmless remark, and not something to brush aside. Public officials must be held accountable, and misogyny must be driven out of the halls of Congress.

The issue came to light during a House justice committee hearing on the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte. Quezon City Representative B**g Suntay sparked outrage after speaking about his sexual “imagination” involving actress Anne Curtis while defending Duterte’s remarks. Lawmakers later moved to strike the statement from the official record, recognizing it had no place in a formal government proceeding.

The comment may have been framed as harmless imagination, but that defense exposes a deeper problem. When leaders reduce women to objects even in serious discussions, they normalize the same behavior that women confront daily in workplaces, streets, and schools. If misogyny is tolerated at the highest levels of governance, it quietly signals that disrespect toward women is acceptable everywhere else.

This takes us back to when Sen. Robin Padilla sparked outrage for remarks suggesting that men could lose control of their sexual urges when “in heat,” while invoking the belief that “ang babae ay nagpapasakop sa lalaki” (women submit to men). Framing women’s roles this way reinforces the dangerous notion that women exist to submit to men—a view that undermines the very principles of consent, equality, and dignity. Though he later apologized, the incident revealed how deeply rooted these outdated beliefs remain, even among those in positions of power.

Public office is not a stage for careless remarks. Congressional hearings exist to address national issues, not to entertain irrelevant fantasies about women. Leaders are expected to uphold higher standards of conduct because their words carry influence. Claiming that a remark is not illegal misses the real issue—leadership demands responsibility, discipline, and respect.

Accountability must go beyond deleting statements from the record. Lawmakers who objected and moved to remove the remark took the right step, and groups like Gabriela Women's Party have rightly condemned the statement as sexist and degrading. But real accountability requires acknowledgment, apology, and a firm reminder that public office is a privilege that demands dignity.

Women’s Month should not be reduced to slogans while disrespect thrives in the institutions meant to serve the people. Respect for women must be visible in both words and actions, especially from those in power. If misogyny can casually surface in the halls of Congress, then the public must demand something better—because a government that cannot respect women cannot truly claim to represent them.

Column | Ysabella Irish Trayfalgar
Layout | Cailyn de Guzman

𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗨𝗦 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 | Assistant Principal II-SHS Ruby Grace Treyes, MaEd, MEd extended her appreciation towards work immersion program partners during the SHS Partners Convergence, Mar. 19.

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Via | Aeon Montañez
Photo | Janessa Alojado
Layout | Christian Lhyle Nulada