In the next few weeks, high schools and colleges will be welcoming a new school year. That means some of us will be taking our classes virtually in our homes until the pandemic subside. Fortunately or unfortunately, the effects of online classes in the Philippines will be felt by every student who has already enrolled for the upcoming semester.

Here’s our list of painful reminders that the school year just won’t be the same due to the new normal.

Are you one of the people who’s always willing to go out in between or after classes? Unfortunately, you can kiss your kaladkarin self a temporary goodbye. Eating out, buying milk tea, and getting cocktail pitchers together with friends are just some of the things you’ll be missing in the coming months.

While we’re locked up at home, it’s easy to see how much we took those simple moments for granted. And with online classes, we’re just going to miss our friends even more! How much longer can we survive without physically seeing them?

Let’s be real: online classes are just like the online courses you take in Coursera. Aside from a Zoom lecture from your professor, you’ll probably just end up watching videos and reading white papers online to understand the lesson.

Gone are the days of in-classroom activities that have you presenting a Manila paper or a silly little skit with other people. I mean we probably hated doing those things back then, but right now, we are begging for those days to come back.

With that said, we’re challenging teachers to come up with exciting ways to engage students in their online classes. Because of your employers, most of us paid full-price tuition this year no matter how unfair it is. So please don’t make us feel like we could have gotten higher-quality education from a free online course instead.

The first few months of quarantine have already taken such a heavy toll on our mental health. It’s difficult to concentrate on studying when there are so many trashy things happening outside our homes. I think students who were forced to take online classes before the previous school year had ended could attest to the fact.

At the start of quarantine, we’ve come up with creative ways to cope with the pandemic like making dalgona coffee or baking something trendy in the kitchen. But going through a robotic five-day school week without anything else to do can make us go crazy.

If you ever feel this way during the year, make sure to take a mental break! To help you, we have some tips on how you can mentally survive online classes.

Not everyone has the same privileges that you enjoy. The fact that you’re able to read this article on a phone connected to your home wi-fi network means that you are already privileged!

One of the effects of online classes in the Philippines is that it will become much more obvious how every student has unequal opportunities given to them. For example, you will have classmates who just can’t be online all the time because of financial or emotional setbacks.

And for you, that means practicing patience and empathy during times where someone’s lack of privilege hinders them from performing well.

Literally everybody is adjusting to the pandemic so the least you could do is avoid being an added burden to anyone.

Aside from acads, schools are a place for students with common interests to come together in the form of extracurricular activities. It’s not only teachers who have to adjust to the virtual set-up, but student leaders as well.

These clubs have to get really creative with how they do things. For example, it will be interesting how an org that revolves around team sports is going to operate, as opposed to an org that revolves around discussing films.

To the student leaders, it’s important to realize the potential your club can offer to its members as an escape from the mundanity of online classes. Those who will constantly find ways to keep the whole club together will stand out from the rest of the pack.

But honestly though, don’t take your responsibilities too seriously; we’re in the middle of a pandemic.

Everyone knows that the best part of going back to school is finding new crushable classmates on the first day! While this joy is not completely taken away from us during the pandemic, it will be way more difficult.

Aside from the fact that it will take some added skill and determination to get your crush to notice you, Zoom isn’t really a great way to truly determine if one is cute or not. I mean, I’m just being honest here.

You can’t even sit next to them to start a conversation anymore. All you have in your back pocket is the courage to chat up a cute classmate — someone whom you only met through an online class. Tinder is shaking.

But you know what, we are zoomers after all. If there’s someone we want to flirt with, we will make a way!

We can’t talk about the effects of online classes in the Philippines without addressing the recess and lunch situation. Whether you’re in high school or college, it’s always the most exciting part of the day!

For high school students who rely on cafeteria food, this may come as a positive thing if they never liked eating them in the first place. But I’m sure you’re going to miss at least one particular food stall, snack or drink that only your cafeteria can provide.

For college students, just imagine all your favorite restaurants and in-school food stalls that you won’t be able to buy from for some time. Additionally, food trips will temporarily be a thing of the past too.

Home-cooked food will be what the foreseeable future has in store for you which actually might not be a bad thing. In fact, it’s one of our six useful tips to help you (and your family) save up on some money.

And speaking of…

Say goodbye to your baon? It’s time to have that difficult conversation with mom and dad about whether or not you should be given allowance while classes take place remotely.

We know it sucks in all fronts, but we have to give it up to our parents who are working extremely hard to send us to online school in the first place. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s the poor handling of coronavirus in the country & schools making us pay full tuition.

But going back, just be prepared to hear the bad news. You will probably not get as large an allowance as you once did… dun dun dun.

When it comes to online classes, everybody is still dipping their toes in the water. Some will adjust faster, and some won’t.

One thing’s fore sure though: people will find it difficult to understand your choices which means you will have to justify yourself all the time. So just take a deep breath, and don’t let it get to your head.

There will be times when your parents will nag at you because they won’t understand how difficult online classes really are. Or maybe you’re the classmate who can’t go online for a group meeting because your internet is unstable. Or maybe, you’ll have to tell your teacher why it was imperative for your mental health to take a day off.

Or you know, you could be this girl who had to beg her teacher to retake a test because of an honest “meatball accident”.

If writing about the effects of online classes in the Philippines made me feel anything, it’s that school really is our second home. It’s so important that literally all aspects of our lives have been affected because of the shift to online classes.

While we’re thankful that we are able to enroll in them, it’s a shame that quality of education and the entire student experience have to suffer because of it. And that’s just one of the many issues that online classes present.

For all the students out there entering this unique situation soon, I hope this article has helped you mentally and emotionally prepare for the months to come.

What do you foresee will be a problem for you as a student because of the shift to online classes? Let us know in the comments below! Don’t forget to follow us @ZoomersCornerPH on Twitter to keep yourself updated on all things zoomer-related.

The post 9 Ways the New School Year Will Hit Different Because of Online Classes appeared first on Zoomers Corner.

Zoom in the Philippines is just a whole ‘nother ballgame. Having group calls and e-numans through the video-conferencing app has been a staple in our lives under quarantine.

In fact, we’ve used it so much the past months that we could lump all your friends and colleagues into one of these ten stereotypes, depending on how you act in a Zoom room. The question is: which one are you?

1. The Local Channel Watcher

There’s always that friend who’s on the call with their TV turned on in the background. And for some reason, it’s always tuned in at a time when news are on.

Then there are also times when you’d hear something religious blaring from the TV, like a priest celebrating Mass or reciting a prayer. Definitely not a good time to be talking about sex in your call.

2. The Virtual Background Enthusiast

This person likes to change their Zoom backgrounds to get some laughs in the meeting room. Or maybe it’s just a manifestation of their inner fear of being stuck indoors forever. Probably that.

The Virtual Background Enthusiast is also the person in the call who’s obsessed with dank memes. It’s just the law of nature.

3. The Tita Photobomber Victim

When taking your calls in a shared space, it’s inevitable that somebody pops up in your background… like your mom. However, the Tita Photobomber Victim’s mother just doesn’t care if the others see her in her pambahay clothes, gingerly doing house chores in her leisure time.

Tita will even initiate conversations with her “victim” while the call is ongoing. She just doesn’t give a damn!

One thing’s for sure though: Zoom in the Philippines is definitely more entertaining with her around.

4. The Epitome of “Go Girl, Give Us Nothing”

They’re the person who barely gets a word in throughout the entire meeting. Maybe they’re not fond of online interaction, maybe they’re tired, or maybe they’re just really shy.

But hey, if you look at them once in a while, you’ll see them laughing along with everyone else. It’s a sign that their soul hasn’t been thoroughly sucked out yet!

5. The Chaotic Host

Joseph Stalin, who? Great dictators from history got nothing on this one. Be careful which person you give hosting powers to, because if they end up in the wrong hands, it will be pure chaos!

Nicknames will be changed, participants will be muted, and yes, people will get kicked out.

6. The Electric Fan King/Queen

Ah yes, probably everyone’s favorite person in the Zoom room. The extreme heat means everyone has to turn on their electric fan to get some of that cold air. But no one, and we mean no one, wants to hear that buzzing sound in their ears.

Raise your hand if you’re the bitch who calls out someone when their electric fan is being too loud in a call. I just did.

7. The Pet Show-off

There will come a time when somebody’s dog or cat “accidentally” enters the frame. And I placed that in quotation marks because they’re not fooling anyone, we know this person just wants to show everybody how cute their pet is!

So this is what always happens in this situation: the whole conversation stops as the person expresses (fake) surprise that their pet is suddenly on their lap, everyone stops for fifteen seconds to go gaga over it, some small talk ensues about something “crazy” that the pet did recently, and then everybody carries on with the previous conversation.

8. The Camera-Conscious

This person just isn’t used to being on-cam like us famous stars; they can’t go a minute without touching their hair and face!

Practicing their angles and poses for the gram is how they pass time when they’re on mute. Somebody has to tell them that this is definitely “America’s Next Best Friend”, and not America’s Next Top Model.

9. The Choppy Magician

You know what makes Zoom in the Philippines so different? Our extremely slow internet! I can count in one hand the number of times I’ve been in a call where nobody got disconnected because of extremely abysmal internet.

This person could be saying the most melancholic heartfelt words on earth then suddenly get cut off mid-sentence. Or worse, disappear.

And then reappear… just to disappear again.

They probably hear “ano raw?” and “choppy ka” a lot in these calls. Those words are music to their ears. And when they see that their internet connection is unstable, they’re secretly praying that their video didn’t freeze at a time that made them look like a dumbass.

10. The Skincare Routine Girl

Never watched a beauty vlog in your entire life? Well don’t worry, because this person has you covered.

They’ll do their entire ten-step skincare routine on camera for everyone to watch, not realizing that the oils and product that they put on their face makes them look ridiculous. Or they do, but they just don’t care.

Isn’t Zoom in the Philippines just so colorful? Kidding aside, having an avenue to connect with each other during this pandemic really helps with our sanity. And having all these personalities come together in one virtual room helps the party get started!

So no matter what you’re like in Zoom, we’re happy that you exist. Even you Electric Fan Kings!

Who did we miss out on our list? Leave a comment below!

Having e-numans and Zoom calls are just a few items on our quarantine bucket list that we’ve crossed off. How about you? Take this fun quiz to find out! Don’t forget to follow us @ZoomersCornerPH on Twitter for more entertaining content.

The post 10 Types of Filipinos You’ll Meet in Zoom Calls and Meetings appeared first on Zoomers Corner.

With all the disturbing news in the country and the world, it’s time for us to speak out. In a world where social media reigns, it’s become your responsibility to learn how to use your platform effectively.

While most of us think that it just means spreading awareness about the issue, you can go much, much deeper than that.

1. Share content that educates.

Ever watch a video or read an article online that made you think, if only everyone knew this. Well the first step to using your platform is actually sharing that piece of content in your timeline or news feed. Sharing something nowadays literally only takes two taps, and it can already do so much.

Always remember that staying silent is why nothing gets changed in the first place. Make it a mindset to share anything that adds value to a topic that you feel needs to be talked about.

2. Do not underestimate your reach.

You may only have five followers, but never be discouraged to educate online just because you feel like you’re not “influential” enough. Changing the mind of even one single person is important in the grander scheme of things.

You never know how strong an impact you really have on others. Who knows? Maybe one of your followers could be so inspired with what you had shared that they start to influence their own set of followers instead.

And then it becomes a chain reaction with more people starting to influence each other…. just because you chose to share something online!

3. No dilly-dallying, take a stand.

Creating awareness about an issue and educating your friends aren’t enough. You absolutely need to pick a side and share your personal opinion to be successful in using your platform effectively.

While most hashtags are already a stand in of themselves, they’re really nothing without your personal input. Your internet moots would like to read something that comes from you personally. After all, they’re not online friends with the news organization where you had shared the article from, they’re friends with you.

If you want to change mindsets, you need to understand that you play a pivotal role that comes after awareness and education.

4. Speak like a human being to your audience.

This is a common mistake that a lot of people including myself make from time to time. Learning how to use your platform effectively means erasing your narcissism and pride. It’s the worst time to sound smart!

I know it’s not just me who rolls their eyes when they see an online post with so many “big” words. Yes, you can probably speak in perfect English and you know all these relevant concepts.

But who are you talking to here? Whose mindsets do you want to change? Do they understand you?

Flaunting your intellect and trying to outsmart others could actually be counterproductive in your goal to influence. It’s difficult to do especially when you’re used to a circle of friends that can understand what you’re trying to say.

If you want to influence others, however, you may have to dumb it down. Otherwise, you’ll find that the people whose opinions you want to challenge will just gloss over everything you had said.

5. Mix facts with emotions.

In using your platform, avoid sounding like a fact-spitting robot or an emotional trainwreck.

Do you know why the top-selling products on earth are probably not the best at solving the problems they try to address? Because advertisers know that having the best product is just half the game. Creating an emotional connection with their customers is what separates the top dog from the rest of the pack.

Trying to influence other people online isn’t a game of Jeopardy. You have to appeal to their emotions, too.

On the other hand, you can’t just let your emotions drive the statement you’re trying to make either. Cursing is okay, but it’s not really an effective way to use your platform. You have to explain why you feel strongly about something through facts.

6. Be creative.

If you’re an avid news feed scroller, you probably only read the posts with compelling images and videos. In the same way, when crafting a post online, make sure it’s not just a generic statement that anybody could make. It has to stand out!

All the things you have learned about how to use your platform so far will be for nothing if no one reads your piece.

Inject your personality into whatever you’re posting, and the reader will probably be enticed to listen to you more. This is why memes can be an integral part in many online movements. Humor is an effective way to educate others when done tastefully.

7. Defend your stance, but be open-minded.

Once you post your opinion to the world, there will undoubtedly be those who disagree with you. The first thing you need to do is to keep an open mind; maybe said person has a point. Now what you can do is engage with them so you can educate each other.

Correct yourself if you must. The worst thing you could do is be stubborn when all the facts had been laid out for you.

However, if you still feel that you’re right, you have to address their comment. It’s not a good look if there’s a flood of people contradicting your argument, and you have nothing to say to them. It makes you look like you didn’t really know what you were saying in the first place.

Finally, choose your battles wisely! You do not want to waste half of your day arguing with a troll who just wants to annoy you. Argue with the ones whose minds can be changed.

8. Persuade others to take action.

Now that you’ve convinced your followers that there is a terrible problem that needs to be addressed, the next step is, well, to tell them the next step. Basically, show them the way so they can help.

Is there a petition that they can sign? Is there somebody that they can e-mail? Can they donate somewhere? Whatever it is, remember to include that important information in your post. If you don’t, you’ll basically just leave your followers hanging without knowing what to do.

People’s attention spans are short. If they’re not able to take action ASAP, the worst thing that could happen is their losing interest. They may forget to help out in the future.

You don’t have to follow all of these items in the list every time you want to signal-boost an issue, but it’s just a guide on how to use your platform to its fullest potential. The most important thing to realize is that you, a zoomer, have the power to influence other people, no matter how small you feel in this world.

Feel like you now have to use your platform for something? You can read up certain issues that the Philippines have come across during the coronavirus pandemic here. Don’t forget to follow us @ZoomersCornerPH on Twitter!

Featured Image: Plann on Pexels

The post ‘Use Your Platform’: What it Means and How to Do it Effectively appeared first on Zoomers Corner.

Dear Facebook, you have effectively killed our democracy by turning a blind eye on fake news and troll accounts. Do we need to start our own Facebook ad boycott in the Philippines to get you to listen to us?

We know you don’t care much when you’re still turning profit from our advertising pesos, but tech giants like yourself need to know your place. Stop messing with how the world operates because if the people get angry enough, we could crush you like the bug that you are.

Facebook is Basically a Military-Grade Weapon

Just weeks ago, something crazy jolted me up from the bed, and into a pool of anger. A lot of my friends and I who had graduated from, or studied in the University of the Philippines, woke up to news that gave me absolute goosebumps. Multiple “duplicate” accounts had been created using our names overnight. These accounts had a default profile picture, which was a huge indicator that they were created by trolls. Oh, and what’s worse is, some of these accounts were sending threatening messages to the real users.

Now, some of you might be wondering why it’s such a scary thing. Well, this happened right at the peak of the #JunkTerrorBill movement that forced a lot of zoomers to speak out online against the government and the Anti-Terror Bill.

With how vaguely the ATB could be interpreted, the writing was on the wall: these duplicate accounts could post something incriminating under your name, like pretending to threaten people for example. If they do that, you could easily be thrown in jail without question.

Later on however, we’d realize that it was not just students and alumni from my school who were being targeted. Most of the victims of this cyber identity thefit situation were those who were vocal about their opposition to the Anti-Terror Bill.

There were a lot of theories as to where the data came from.

It could have been from an algorithm that targets people who had used the hashtag “#JunkTerrorBill” in one of their posts. Another theory is how the trolls targeted users who had signed a Change.org petition against the ATB. One thing is for sure though: with how quickly the accounts were being created, Facebook was once again being used as a weapon by the troll farms.

So after that happened, Facebook said no malicious activity happened, and the National Bureau of Investigation claimed it was a glitch. Pretty sure no one who was victimized believed that.

What kind of Black Mirror episode did I just live through?

How Facebook Killed our Democracy

After that whole thing, I decided to watch The Great Hack on Netflix. It’s a great look into how a data analytics company, Cambridge Analytica, had used our Facebook data to skew elections in different countries with the aid of targeted ads. While that might seem like fair game, they planted fake news and intentionally created dissent in these countries to make their client win. Of course for some reason, they decided to side with candidates who were bigots for these elections.

Here’s the kicker. They were a British consulting firm, but had the balls to test out their strategies on developing countries like the Philippines. Then, once they proved their success in these areas, they then decided to take on the 2016 U.S. presidential election and Brexit next.

Like… are they for real? Why do these people think that they can just swoop in and totally change how other countries operate?

We are not your guinea pigs! If you’re going to pull down your zipper and piss all over the plants, do it in your own backyard!

But besides that, the fact that Facebook is doing virtually nothing to regulate political ads, fake news, and troll accounts shows where their allegiance truly lies: their bank account. Having these things unregulated in a social media-heavy country like ours is tantamount to a dead democracy.

If you don’t have facts, you can’t have truth. If you don’t have truth, you don’t have trust. If you don’t have these two things, you don’t have democracy.

Maria Ressa in a 2019 interview with CIGI

So if you’ve been on the political side of the internet for some time now, you’d know how our current government has used Facebook to create chaos. Paid troll armies are the most notorious example, coming to the defense of the president when he is being criticized. As they grow in number, the divide between Duterte’s supporters and detractors just keep getting bigger and bigger by the day.

Which is exactly what they want. And something that Facebook has done nothing about.

July 2020 Facebook Ad Boycott

Since Americans have caught up to Facebook’s role in democracy and elections, lawmakers have been rightfully grilling Zuckerberg for lack of regulation when it comes to fake news. And now that the 2020 U.S. presidential elections are coming up, the anger of the people has been piling up, as Facebook could very well be weaponized to favor a presidential candidate again.

Additionally, the platform has been used to post hateful content against vulnerable communities, primarily those that include BIPOC. They have refused to take down hate-filled comments in relation to recent killings against POC. One such comment was made by President Donald Trump himself, where he encouraged protesters to be shot. Throughout this debacle, Mark Zuckerburg remained silent about the issue, despite a huge backlash from numerous people and groups.

And believe me, this just fueled the fire even more.

As a response to their inaction when it comes to racially-charged comments, a prominent number of big and small advertisers have vowed not to run any Facebook ads in the month of July. Activist groups have been working non-stop for more advertisers to join their call to #StopHateforProfit. Yes, there have been many ad boycotts in the past, but this seems to be the biggest one yet.

Why This Boycott Means Something

Even being a Filipino, you’d be able to recognize names of brands who have agreed to take part in this movement: The North Face, Upwork, Ben & Jerry’s, Rakuten Viber, and probably the biggest fish yet, Verizon Wireless.

To provide context, Facebook was able to to earn a whopping $69.7 billion dollars in 2019, with 46.1% of their 2018 revenue coming from U.S. and Canada alone. From those numbers, you’re probably thinking that this boycott will not do anything in the long run, especially when these brands are planning to resume their ads after July anyway. Great, that’s what other marketers are thinking too.

However, let’s look at the bigger picture.

By participating in the boycott, all these companies are using the reach and influence that they have to spread awareness about Facebook’s problem in addressing racist and discriminatory comments. More than that, these advertisers could very much influence how their customers think and feel. Just by explaining why they refuse to run ads for July, they are already educating people on how dangerous the tech giant could truly be.

As this continues to gain steam, the activist groups and brands who joined the boycott have already made a statement. And now that more advertisers are taking part, this story has continued to gain momentum throughout media and news outlets. The best part is almost all of their content gives context on why this boycott is happening in the first place: Facebook’s inaction towards racially-charged comments. While this won’t put a dent in Facebook’s revenue numbers, this movement has been chipping away at their credibility and reputation.

Plus, the public pressure is probably weighing heavily on Mr. Robot right now. If he’ll finally cave in, we will have to wait and see.

Why We Need a Facebook Ad Boycott in the Philippines

What that in mind, imagine if all the big and small local advertisers could come together to create a Facebook ad boycott in the Philippines. We even have our own, extremely valid concern to rationalize this: the weaponization of Facebook against free speech.

Imagine if the likes of P&G, Unilever, and Jollibee Foods Corporation would actually take a stand against disinformation, troll armies, clone accounts, and other shenanigans, by not running any Facebook ads for a certain time.

Having an ad boycott would be a big step in taking back our virtually-dead democracy that we worked so hard to earn. It’s probably true that the advertising revenue from the Philippines is barely a blip in Facebook’s radar, but a movement like this has a ton of potential to create awareness and educate the masses. Media outlets from all over the world and the country would pick it up and help impart our message about responsible regulation of online platforms.

Then, we could inspire the people and truly make a change. Now that’s what I call a power move.

Unfortunately, this all seems like an unreachable and unrealistic dream.

If someone does start a Facebook ad boycott in the Philippines, we’d probably just have other companies taking advantage of the lighter competition on the platform. I also presume that the gesture wouldn’t be appreciated as much as in the U.S., as most of the population haven’t realized the impact of Facebook has had in our democracy yet. Even so, realistically speaking, the big advertisers here don’t have the guts to take part in something as small as a Facebook ad boycott. I’d literally have to see it to believe it.

But hey, we can always stay hopeful that advertisers will be able to realize that they play a much bigger role in society than they’d like to think. Someday, I know that citizens and advertisers alike can put our differences, fear, and greed aside to slay the Facebook dragon once and for all.

Want to hear more hot takes from zoomers like this one? Take a look at our opinion articles here.

Featured Image: Thought Catalog

The post Facebook Killed PH’s Democracy (But Advertisers Can Help Take it Back) appeared first on Zoomers Corner.

Apparently, there are some things that are more important than a deadly virus with no cure. It’s just corona after all. To say that the average Filipino has been completely disappointed with how coronavirus in the Philippines has been addressed is an understatement. It’s become the “new normal” to wake up every morning to bad news. And BTW, we are far, far away from flattening the curve.

1. Anti-Terror Bill

Let’s get right into this controversial item. For some reason, a bill that threatens the very foundation of our democracy was certified urgent by the President himself… during a pandemic? Despite numerous reassurances that it won’t be weaponized to silence critics and dissenters, we don’t have to look back too far from history to see where this is going. When countless lawyers themselves have stated why this is problematic, then you know something’s wrong.

2. Shutting Down ABS-CBN

In a country where not a lot of people have access to the internet, free TV reigns supreme. Which is why it is particularly concerning when one of the only two major television networks in the country was shut down under shaky grounds. ABS-CBN has been accused of siding against the government, which is why we can’t help but raise an eyebrow with this decision. The hearings to get the network back on-air are still ongoing, but honestly, it’s pretty stressful to watch.

UPDATE (06/30/2020): Today, the National Telecommunications Commission has also issued a cease and desist order against Sky Direct and their TV Plus Channels. Press freedom whomst’ve?

3. Convicting Maria Ressa

Another press freedom issue in the Philippines is the arrest of reporter Reynaldo Santos Jr., and Maria Ressa, CEO of online media platform Rappler. In a high-profile case that was filed on the basis of a technicality (a typo!), the message was sent loud and clear. If you dare criticize the leaders, everything will be done to put you in jail.

4. Arresting Normal Citizens

In a bizarre turn of events, Ronnel Mas, a teacher from Zambales, was arrested for threatening President Rodrigo Duterte in an online post. Mas jokingly offered ₱50 million to the person who would kill the President. Later, he was arrested on charges for inciting sedition. In Cebu, members of progressive and youth groups were arrested for protesting against the Anti-Terror Bill. The internet blew up with fury, demanding justice for these arrests using the #ReleaseCebu7 hashtag. Six jeepney drivers were also arrested for staging a peaceful protest in Caloocan for simply asking the jeepneys to continue operation. All of these things happened while NCR Police Office Chief Major General Debold Sinas came off unscathed for holding a birthday bash with other policemen and definitely not observing quarantine protocols.

UPDATE (06/30/2020): We can now add #FreePride20 to the list. LGBTQ Filipinos staged a protest for Pride while observing social distancing, but got arrested for literally no valid reason.

5. Removing Jeepneys

Okay some may call this a reach, but for some reason, the government has always had it out for our jeepneys, or jeeps. This prominent mode of public transportation for Filipinos has been noticeably missing in the vehicles allowed to run during general community quarantine (GCQ). Despite there being ways to avoid virus transmission in jeepneys, they are still not here. Here is a great article that tells us about the issue of jeep/jeepney phaseout that threatens the jobs of many drivers.

6. Improving Infrastructure

Despite national debt being at an all-time high, we continue to take loans from other countries. And with a lack of transparency on where all this money is going, we are hesitant to believe that it’s meant to address the pandemic. Just days ago, we signed new loans from Japan to build roads and bridges. Even if they are an investment for the future, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth knowing how deep we are in debt with little to no solutions that address the pandemic.

7. Collecting Tax from Everybody and their Mothers, except POGOs

POGO is short for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator, which refers to an online gambling company catered to foreigners, but operates in the country. While Filipinos only make up very little of their workforce, they owe ₱50 billion in unpaid taxes. Yet, the government does not want to go after them, and instead, wants to impose a “Netflix tax” law instead.

And netizens had quite the scare a week ago when the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) released a memorandum that everyone who sells online had to have their business registered for tax purposes. To give them credit, they have made the registration process easier and clarified that you don’t have to pay tax if you’re not earning ₱250K a year. Maybe don’t encourage people to go out in this pandemic to have their online businesses registered first, though?

And again, where are all the country’s loans going to?!

8. Creating Fake Facebook Accounts to Plant Evidence

It’s no secret that there are troll farms or troll armies in the Philippines. They are literally paid to praise the government and fight dissenters online. So imagine everyone’s shock when a lot of Anti-Terror Bill critics woke up to new Facebook accounts being made under their name. With how vague the bill is, these trolls can post a threatening message under your name to get you arrested! Yes, the victims of this cyber attack were mostly people who spoke up against the bill online.

With how quickly these accounts spread, there’s no question that this had funding behind it. Facebook, you have a lot of explaining to do.

So if you’re wondering why we still can’t beat the curve despite having one of the strictest and longest lockdown periods in the world (without mass testing), here’s your answer. Maybe coronavirus was the perfect excuse to do things they wouldn’t have gotten away with before. And if I wanted to stay in power so badly, why would I want to beat COVID-19?

Featured Image: Marfil Graganza Aquino on Pexels

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Aggressive fandoms going after each other and celebrities is killing the enjoyment of social media, as they grow more rabid and hostile by the day. And unfortunately, it’s also been taking people’s lives.

What is stan culture, anyway? Well, to answer that, it’s important to know what ‘stan’ truly means. The word ‘stan’ comes from a song named “Stan” released by Eminem and Dido back in 2000. The lyrics of the song is written from the point-of-view of Stan, a dangerously crazy, psychopathic stalker who happens to be obsessed with Eminem. And since we’re on the topic, feel free to watch the beautiful music video of this modern classic here:

To put it simply, being a stan of someone means being a dedicated fan of someone or something. You can be a stan of celebrities, idols, TV shows, TV characters, and maybe even political figures.

The word ‘stan’ has made way into our lexicon today, and is pretty standard Gen Z slang. However, it has been repurposed to mean something a bit lighter and less violent. It’s not uncommon to hear someone say that they stan someone and mean it unironically. But even so, it has always carried around a negative connotation, especially because stans have always had questionable behavior. Not only are they the first life of defense for the idols and celebrities they worship, but when you go against whomever they admire, they will relentlessly come at you like a pack of hyenas.

Stan culture is the culture online where dedicated fans come together to rain support, and discuss all the details about their favorites. Unfortunately, what’s supposed to be a good thing has devolved into an arena where stans go against each other to prove that their idol is better than the others. While there are positive ways to show their support like fancams and endless praises, toxic things like fan wars, online bullying, and cancelling someone are all encouraged in here. And in some cases, the people who are meanest to celebrities are their stans themselves.

So it’s no surprise that people who are not part of this culture look down at those who partake in these things. It seems crazy looking from the outside, but once you’re there, it’s not hard to be sucked into the whole mess. I mean, we all have that one thing we can’t shut up about, and only a handful of people also appreciate.

Listen, I am a self-proclaimed stan of certain celebrities, and I even have a stan account (a separate social media account for the sole purpose of fangirling over things you stan) that I handle. I am a pretty active reader of different subreddits that are meant for fandoms to come together. So this is not just another article villainizing being a stan, but it’s a precautionary measure to hopefully make you think twice of your actions.

Why do we have to cancel people and keep on making #IsOver parties?

Twitter is probably where the stan culture is at full effect, and every week, it seems like there’s always a new celebrity receiving massive hate for small things. I’m not talking about racist, homophobic, or transphobic comments that could genuinely harm people, but petty drama reserved for trashy reality TV.

Of course, who could forget the #TaylorSwiftIsOver party back in 2016 that forced her into hiding for sometime? Ever since then, it seems like there’s someone finding and replacing the hashtag with the name of a celebrity. While I personally enjoyed the drama it gave us, can we just talk about how it always achieves nothing? Since then, Swift had released two albums and went on a globally successful tour. Not once did she ever become irrelevant, and the same can be said for the other people who found themselves getting “exposed” on Twitter.

Let’s reserve those hashtags for scumbags like the cops, Brock Turner, Donald Trump, Harvey Weinstein, and countless others — people who actually put people’s lives in harm.

Have you ever noticed how much more women celebrities get “cancelled” as opposed to their male counterparts?

A lot of people preach about feminism and female empowerment, but they don’t realize the amount of hate they give towards successful women. Often, the reasons for cancelling them are often unfounded. They could just be liking a tweet that implies they do not get along with someone, and they’d get massive backlash over it. While I’m not a fan of Demi Lovato myself, it’s crazy how much flack she’s getting for daring not to be friends with Selena Gomez.

If Justin Bieber circa 2013 were a woman, his career would be over. But because he’s an attractive young boy, he got a free pass and went on to have success in music. Hell, his bad boy persona probably sold him more records. Do we even need to talk about Chris Brown who beat up Rihanna, and is still getting hits? Or how about Dr. Luke who is publicly known to have abused Kesha, but just made a Hot 100 comeback with “Say So”?

Why are women getting all the heat for the littlest things? Fellow stans, we can do better than this. I’d like you to be a little more mindful about the gender of the people you hate, and see if the reasons you have for not liking them are justified.

Why do we need to undercut the success of other celebrities?

I don’t understand why some stans can’t be happy for other people, and keep on parading their idols around like they’re the best thing in the world since sliced bread. Okay, I am calling out myself on this. Do you all remember the Grammys this year when Billie Eilish swept the four major categories? Lana del Rey and Ariana Grande stans alike were furious as their idols lost out on to Eilish for the Best Album award.

While there was a lot of uproar over this decision, a lot of people got angry at Eilish herself even when she was not part of the selection process. Moreover, she went on stage to literally say that Ariana deserved the award. So why do we have to send out hate to her?

Why can’t we accept genuine apologies?

This one really gets under my skin. It seems like stan culture can’t accept any apologies, and once you are caught guilty of doing something irresponsible, you can’t try and mend those fences no matter what you do.

I will hold out on naming any examples, because doing so would imply that I agree with the apologizer’s actions. But my point is that we shouldn’t be accepting apologies just because they did, but it’s always good to read or listen to them without judgement beforehand. It’s not good being cynical all the time either. The lack of empathy and genuine intent to listen from stan culture is pretty alarming. It’s pretty common for celebrities to say their piece, and just be made fun of even if they got their point across. We can’t preach forgiveness and mercy when we can’t practice it ourselves.

Why can’t we be kinder?

I am still heartbroken today, weeks after the death of Terrace House and rising professional wrestling star Hana Kimura. After receiving huge backlash from her stint in Terrace House, she took her own life. As a fan of both the Netflix show and professional wrestling, I was pretty devastated, especially when I remembered that she was just my age and had a bright future ahead of her.

It was crazy because only a week prior, I had watched the scene in Terrace House that seemed to launch all the haters against her. People were sending her death threats, or wishing for her to kill herself. And even after the fact, I saw tweets that celebrated her death. Could you imagine what was going through her head when she had read those things? Probably not. All of this hate from dedicated fans of the show contributed to her death, and it is honestly sickening.

While I have been through a personal event that changed my view on cyberbullying, this just helped me even more in realizing that I need to be kinder in social media, even to celebrities. Because as Hana’s death reminds us, the people on our screens are just like us: they want to be loved. Celebrities are frustrating, but most of the time, they haven’t done anything grave that warrants being burned at the stake. We can’t keep losing people to harsh words and hate.

So where do we go from here?

I think it’s high time that we reevaluate how we interact with each other in the stan landscape. This is a bigger issue that needs to be addressed by the social media giants who have the power to regulate the posts that we see in our feeds.

On the individual level though, there are a lot of things that we can do to encourage positivity within our own communities. As much as celebrities need to change, we also have to pick up our own weight, and practice empathy. Support the people you want, but not at the expense of others. Hold people accountable and be critical of their work all you want, but don’t be mean. If you really can’t stop hating someone, just keep your hateful thoughts to yourself. There are already too many Negative Nancy’s in the world, and we don’t need another one.

Instead, with all the turmoil in the world, why not use your platform to help out others? I already see countless stan accounts raising awareness on movements, educating others on issues, and encouraging them to sign petitions, donate, etc. The followers of your stan account are probably people whom you don’t know personally, so you could reach those who are not too familiar with global issues.

Hey, if the K-pop stans you hate so much are doing their part in the movement by overloading despicable hashtags like #WhiteLivesMatter with fancams, then maybe stan culture isn’t so bad after all. And in true stan fashion, I will now end this post by telling you to stream eight by IU and SUGA!

Featured Image: Jon Tyson on Unsplash

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