Karina R.

Cenit - Feature

NEVER BETTER

“I would never join PressCon again.”

No matter how tedious the task of training is, I find comfort in the thought that I am
honing the next leaders of our democracy through Campus Journalism. I have always thought
that I will always be an SPA until I retire but my thoughts changed when I joined the NSPC in
Tuguegarao.

         That experience was truly one for the books, not because it was an awe-inspiring story but
a thriller genre somehow.

          When we arrived in Tuguegarao, the news of COVID seemed like an abstract concept
that only happened outside Philippine borders.

        “It’s still outside the Philippines. It might affect us by the time we arrive home.” These were
the thoughts I tried to convince myself as I guided my students and co-teacher as we toured
around SM Tuguegarao to buy some of our necessities.

After a short shopping spree, we immediately checked the contest venues for the
categories of my student journalists. Outside the school, we saw a line of vendors selling
souvenirs. We usually buy “pasalubong” on the last day of the contest but with reasons
unbeknownst to me, we all agreed to buy souvenirs right there and then because we decided to
continue training while waiting for the day of the contest.

          Unfortunately, when we got back to our quarters, we were met with an announcement
that delegates were no longer allowed to go out except during the contest due to the declaration
of COVID-19 as a pandemic.

The reality started to sink, and unwanted feelings of unease, anxiety and despair started
to creep in. In that place up north, I was responsible for the safety of my students. I also sensed
the same feeling from my co-coaches, but we all opted to hide our own anxieties for the sake of
our students. It seemed like an unspoken rule among us. We continued making a false front so
as not to allow the students to panic because they still had contests to compete.

         ‘‘Miss, okay ra ta? Makauli kaha ta nga safe? Kakulba ba Miss oy…” These were the
words my student uttered while we were having our meals for the day. She barely touched her
food.

I, myself, was asking the same questions and I didn’t even know the answers myself. To
pacify her feelings, I simply said while smiling, “Okay ra na langga, the organizers know what to
do. Ma-okay ra lagi ta, ampo lang ta. Focus lang ‘sa ta sa contest nimo ha. Kaon tarung kay
matuk-an ‘nya ka..”

I tried to lighten the mood and cracked a joke even if I did not find it funny but at least it
eased the anxiety my students were facing, and she started to at least finish the entire meal.
        I felt that my students were starting to panic but they managed to put it aside and stay
focused because they trusted that their teachers would keep them safe no matter what.

          The night before my students’ contest, their parents informed me that we need to fly back
to Cebu immediately after the contest even if they must pay the plane tickets themselves. They
too started to worry and wanted us to go back immediately.

After dinner, we packed our bags and mentally composed ourselves for the long journey
we must make but with a firm resolve that we must go back safe. The strong drive to go back
overpowered my fear of travelling alone with students under my care.

When we finally boarded the plane with the view of Pampanga below, I decided to never
join the NSPC ever again due to the fear of having to experience the same fate. That was 2020.

            2022. Here I am writing this feature article for the SILAW Publication.

            What made me decide to come back?

         “Miss? Walay Presscon this year? Last year na unta ron nako sa high school, nagsige
baya ko og sulat after atong online journalism workshop conducted by DepEd… katong gipa-
apil ko nimo..” These were the words of my sportswriter, Joshua Mark Luna.

         I guess, I can never really give up journalism because of my students. I may have lost
interest in coaching, but my students made me remember that I am doing this for them, not for
anything else.

            “Naa langga, apil ta’s RSPC, practice na pud ta balik ha?” I smiled in reply.           

Things in the contest might have changed. We may have shifted online but the students'
experience, and memories homed in this endeavor will become an unforgettable memory they
will treasure forever.

           Now that PressCon is back, I have long decided, as long as I have students who want to
try, then I will always be there to help them. I guess this is what it means to be a teacher, and
nothing feels better than this!