Kasanag

𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗡𝗢𝗪 I SciMath Quest 2026

UPHSI students gather at the UPV Auditorium for SciMath Quest 2026, putting their scientific inquiry, mathematical skills, and critical thinking to the test through a series of engaging challenges and competitions.

Carrying the theme “Engineering and Innovation,” the event brings together learners in a day of discovery, collaboration, and problem-solving while fostering excellence in science and mathematics.

✍️: J.S. Salarda
📷: G.G. Deramas, A.Z. Cajilig

THE POLLS ARE OFFICIALLY OPEN 🗳️

The Student Council Elections for A.Y. 2026-2027 have officially begun. Today, the future of our student representation rests in your hands. Your vote is more than just a selection; it is your contribution to the leadership and the community we strive to build. We encourage everyone to take this opportunity to participate in the process.

📅 VOTING PERIOD:
Today, May 4, 2026 | 7:00 AM to 11:59 PM

⚠️ IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

UP Mail: Use your official UP Mail to access the Google Form. If you encounter access issues, contact your respective commissioner immediately.

Passcode: Ensure you input the correct passcode for your grade level to avoid making your ballot invalid.

Confidentiality: You may opt to abstain or keep your ballot anonymous by leaving the name field blank.

Review: Double-check your entries! Once submitted, no further changes can be made.

Vote wisely, Yupihay! ⚖️✨

⚖️𝐔𝐏𝐇𝐒𝐈 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜
Pag-asa • Pakikilahok • Pagbabago

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸

Every May 3, the world marks World Press Freedom Day—a day meant to celebrate truth, call for journalist protection, and remind governments that freedom of expression is not optional, but essential. It was declared by the United Nations in 1993 with a clear purpose: to defend the press from attacks and uphold democracy through truth.

𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘰 𝘴𝘢 𝘗𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘯𝘢 𝘪𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪 𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘺𝘰𝘯—𝙞𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙡𝙖 𝙣𝙖 𝙨𝙖 𝙠𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙖 𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙡𝙤𝙮 𝙣𝙖 𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙣, 𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙮𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙗.

According to the Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the Philippines ranked 114th in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index. While this is a slight improvement from previous years, the classification remains the same: “difficult.” And that word carries weight. It means that journalism in the Philippines is still practiced under pressure, fear, and uncertainty.

𝙃𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞 𝙙𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙖𝙙𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙨𝙖𝙨𝙖𝙗𝙞 𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤𝙩𝙤𝙤—𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙤 𝙨𝙖 𝙋𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙨, 𝙞𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙪𝙜𝙖𝙡.

Take the case of Maria Ressa, CEO of Rappler. She faced multiple legal battles, online attacks, and political pressure. Yet she stood firm. Her recognition through the Nobel Peace Prize is proof that courage in journalism still matters globally. As she said, “Without facts, you can’t have truth. Without truth, you can’t have trust.”

However, not all journalists are given the chance to keep speaking.

In 2022, Percival Mabasa was shot and killed—silenced for his critical voice. His death is not just a statistic. It is a message.

𝙆𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙜 𝙖𝙮 𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙠, 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙠𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙩𝙤𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙮 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞-𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙮.

Similarly, on the morning of Nov. 23, 2009 the memory of the Maguindanao Massacre still haunts the nation. Thirty-two journalists were killed in a single event—making it the deadliest attack on media workers in history. Justice may have moved forward, but the fear remains.

𝘼𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙠𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙖 𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙖 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖 𝙖𝙮 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙠𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙖 𝙧𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙣.

Meanwhile, journalists like Gerry Ortega (an environmental activist) have been oppressed, silenced, and worst, killed —forms of intimidation that do not always make headlines, but deeply affect press freedom.

This raises a crucial question: 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙤𝙢 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧? Because journalism is not just about reporting—it is about holding power accountable. It ensures transparency. It protects the public’s right to know. Without it, corruption thrives in silence.

𝘼𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙠𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙮𝙖 𝙖𝙮 𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞 𝙢𝙖𝙗𝙪𝙗𝙪𝙝𝙖𝙮 𝙠𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙠𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙩𝙤𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙠𝙪𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜.

As such, “𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩.” 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦—𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭. So on this World Press Freedom Day, we must go beyond recognition. We must reflect, question, and act.

Because in the end, if truth continues to be suppressed—𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙖, 𝙠𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙞 𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙪𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙠𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙩𝙤𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙣 𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙣.

Read more:

Maguindanao Massacre: https://aje.io/kg4wg

Maria A. Ressa: https://share.google/i9LkfpKSEFfIOJtUv

Percival Mabasa: https://share.google/exdZE7cXCGYmTdbGq

Gerry Ortega: https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/philippines-murder-gerry-ortega-anti-mining-activist-cannot-be-passed-robbery

🖼️: M. Cordero
✍️: W.J. Lacao

They are the quiet pillars of the nation, yet when the economy falters, they are the first to feel it and the last to be protected. They move the country forward, but too often, it advances without them.

This is the paradox of Filipino workers: a nation built by their labor, yet slow to return what is due. The hands that build, heal, harvest, and serve are met not with dignity, but with neglect—underpaid, overworked, and overlooked.

They do not ask for applause. Honor alone cannot put food on the table or pay a month’s worth of bills. This Labor Day calls not for celebration—it must remain a demand: for fair wages, safe working conditions, and a future where those who carry the nation are no longer left behind.

We reduce the hands that toil to lip service, honoring them in speeches while failing them in reality. Until that gap between words and action is finally closed, the nation they carry will never truly stand on just ground.

𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻! ✊



🖼️: J.B. Silla
✍️: A.Z. Cajilig

HAPPENING NOW | Grand Rally 2026

Aspiring student leaders take part in the UPHSI Grand Rally 2026, introducing themselves, presenting their platforms, and sharing their ideas through a virtual meeting.

This is in line with the campaign activities organized by the UPHSI COMELEC in preparation for the Student Council Elections on May 4, 2026.

✍️: W. Tangao

LOOK: Team UPHSI takes on Team Alumni in men’s basketball and women’s volleyball exhibition games at the UPV Gymnasium.

The exhibition games are part of the closing program of this year's Palarong Yupihay.