The Catalyst

The Catalyst The Official Student Media Body of the Eastern Samar State University-Main Campus.

๐—˜๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜†๐—ฎ๐—น | ๐—Ÿ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ถ๐˜€, ๐—ž๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ช๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ž๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฝ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ด๐˜๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ถ๐˜€โ€œBarya lang sa umagaโ€Ngunit paano kung pati ang barya ay hindi ...
12/04/2026

๐—˜๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜†๐—ฎ๐—น | ๐—Ÿ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ถ๐˜€, ๐—ž๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ช๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ž๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฝ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ด๐˜๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ถ๐˜€

โ€œBarya lang sa umagaโ€

Ngunit paano kung pati ang barya ay hindi na sapat sa bawat pasada?

Ang patuloy na pagtaas ng langis ay dagdag pasanin para sa mga Pilipinong matagal nang nakikipaglaban sa tumataas na halaga ng pamumuhay. Bagaman malayo ang bansa sa sigalot sa pagitan ng Amerika-Israel at Iran, ramdam ng masa ang epekto nito, na labis na nagpapahirap sa mga ordinaryong Juan tulad ng jeepney driver at mananakay. Minsan, kahit anong kahig, pahirapan pa rin ang may matuka.

Doble ang pagpapahirap ng kasalukuyang giyera sa Middle East, kung saan naiipit ang mga maliit na bansa na nakapedende sa pirepherial countries katulad ng America at Iran na dalawa sa pangunahing nag-aaway. Kung muling babalikan, nakaraang taon pa mayroong tensyon sa dalawang bansa matapos ang naging pagpapasabog ng America sa missile site ng Iran noong June 2025. At ngayong Pebrero 28, 2026, sanib pwersang binomba ng Amerika at Israel ang Iran na sanhi upang mamatay ang Supreme Leader nitong si Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Bilang ganti, naglunsad ang Iran ng missile at drone attacks sa southern Israel, mga base militar ng U.S., at ilang kaalyadong bansa sa rehiyon kabilang ang Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) tulad ng Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, at United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Kasunod nito ang tensiyon sa Strait of Hormuz matapos magbanta ang Iran na ganap itong isasara kapag itinuloy ni Donald Trump ang banta ng pag-atake sa mga power plant. Maliit man ang kipot na ito, dito dumaraan ang humigit-kumulang 20% ng pandaigdigang kalakalan ng langis at malaking bahagi ng liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Dito nagsisimula ang mas mabigat na pasanin para sa karaniwang Pilipino. Mula sa dating โ‚ฑ54โ€“57 kada litro ng diesel, pumalo ito sa โ‚ฑ62.55 hanggang mahigit โ‚ฑ100.00 kada litro ng gasolina depende sa lungsod at octane rating, at bagaman umabot sa triple-digit ang presyo sa ilang lugar kamakailan, inaasahan namang magkakaroon ng rollback sa darating na Martes, Abril 14, 2026, ayon sa fuelprice.ph. Malaking dagok pa rin ito sa mga tricycle drivers, commuter, at pamilyang umaasa sa pampublikong transportasyon, dahil direktang pinapataas nito ang gastos sa pamasahe, transportasyon, at presyo ng mga pangunahing bilihin.

Sa dulo, hindi lamang presyo ng langis ang tumataas kundi pati antas ng pagtitiis ng mamamayang matagal nang kapos. Habang ang malalaking bansa ay abala sa digmaan at kapangyarihan, ang ordinaryong Pilipino ang muling nagbabayad sa anyo ng mas mahal na pamasahe, mas mabigat na gastusin, at mas mahirap na araw-araw na pamumuhay.

Lahat ay umaaray, walang takas, maging ang probinsya ng Eastern Samar kung saan sa naging panayam sa asosasyon ng mga tricycle drivers sa area ng Eastern Samar State University (ESSU), ibinahagi nila ang hirap na sumabay sa tumataas na presyo ng diesel, gayong mga estudyante lamang ang kanilang inaasahan at naiintindihan nilang pati ang mga ito ay naghihikahos.

Makikita na rin ang pagtaas ng pamasahe, na nagsisimula sa dagdag na 20โ€“50 pesos depende sa uri ng vehicleโ€”jeep o vanโ€”at maging sa layo ng ruta.

Komplikado ang sitwasyon at alam ito ng marami. Naglatag man ng solusyon ang gobyerno, pansamantala lamang ang epekto nito at hindi pa rin kayang tuldukan ang paghihirap ng Pilipino. Ang pagpapatupad ng four-day week para sa onsite work sa paaralan at ilang sektor ng gobyerno ni Presidente Bongbong Marcos ay praktikal ngunit hindi pangmatagalan. Habang ang ayuda para sa mga tsuper ay ideyal, hindi ito sapat upang matugunan ang dinadaing na mataas na presyo ng diesel at iba pang gasolina.

Ang higit na tatapos sa paghihirap na ito ay kung magkakaroon ng diyalogo sa pagitan ng mga naglalabang bansa, at kung isasaalang-alang na habang tumatagal ay higit na pinahihirapan nito ang buhay ng hindi lamang isa kundi marami pang maliit na miyembro ng lipunan. Para sa atin, kinakailangan ang transparency sa pagtaas ng presyoโ€”isang pamantayan na hahatol sa oil pricing upang maiwasan ang hindi makataong presyo ng langis. Kailangan malaman ng bawat Juanโ€”driver, mananakay, o simpleng aleโ€”ang malinaw na oil price. Hinahati man tayo ng archipelago, nararapat na hindi magkakanya-kanya ang pagpataw sa presyo ng langis. Para sa mas nakatataas, ang kasalukuyang kalagayan ay isang pagpukaw na hindi na sapat ang naunang solusyon, kayaโ€™t kailangan ang mas bagong estratehiya.

Hindi matitimbang ang paghihirap ng lahat, kung umiinda ang mga driver, ganoon rin ang mga estudyante at mamimili. Hindi selektibo ang paghihirap na nararanasan ng bawat isa, kayaโ€™t hindi rin dapat pili ang pagsulong ng reporma at adbokasiya. May hangganan ang pagtitiis sa krisis sa langis, lalo na kung maging ang barya sa umaga ay wala ng halaga.

Dibuho ni Fatima Gereรฑa | The Catalyst Creatives

๐—˜๐—ฆ๐—ฆ๐—จ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐˜ ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฏ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—•๐—ฆ ๐—”๐—ฟ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜…๐˜ ๐—ฆ.๐—ฌ.Eastern Samar State University (ESSU) Main Campus' College ...
09/04/2026

๐—˜๐—ฆ๐—ฆ๐—จ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐˜ ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฏ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฐ๐—ต ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—•๐—ฆ ๐—”๐—ฟ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜…๐˜ ๐—ฆ.๐—ฌ.

Eastern Samar State University (ESSU) Main Campus' College of Technology is now set to offer the Bachelor of Science in Architecture program and accept its aspiring enrollees for the upcoming academic year 2026-2027.

This was confirmed through the post of the official COT page calling for aspiring enrollees for the said program.

Last year, the Regional Quality Assessment Team visited the campus for the Certificate of Program Compliance (COPC) evaluation and occular inspection of the BS Architecture program.

By the start of the next school year, ESSU- Borongan will be the first-ever and only campus and university to offer the said degree in Eastern Samar, opening opportunities for future architects in the province.

This milestone is part of ESSU's efforts in providing quality academic service to all learners.

Chris Justine Baculot | The Catalyst

๐—Ÿ๐—ข๐—ข๐—ž: Beaming with pride and talent, Eastern Samar State University partakes once more in the National Culture and Arts ...
09/04/2026

๐—Ÿ๐—ข๐—ข๐—ž: Beaming with pride and talent, Eastern Samar State University partakes once more in the National Culture and Arts Festival (NCAF) 2026, in Iloilo City.

The ESSU delegation is led by Professor Gloria Cleta Corado of the Culture and Arts Office.

John Laurence Morales | The Catalyst
Photo Courtesy of Gloria Cleta Corado

๐—Ÿ๐—ข๐—ข๐—ž: Talent meets determination as Jomari Manansala, a 4th year Drafting student from Eastern Samar State University - ...
09/04/2026

๐—Ÿ๐—ข๐—ข๐—ž: Talent meets determination as Jomari Manansala, a 4th year Drafting student from Eastern Samar State University - Main Campus, showcases excellence in the Pencil Drawing Contest at the National Culture and the Arts Festival (NCAF) 2026 held in Jaro Cathedral, Iloilo City.

Manansala, a two-time NCAF qualifier and the former head cartoonist of The Catalyst, is the flagbearer of ESSU in the this year's competition.

His dedication, along with the guidance of his coach Jomar Manansala, serves as an inspiration for every ESSUdyante to pursue their craft with courage, creativity, and heart.

The Catalyst congratulates Manansala and the entire delegation of Region VIII for their participation at the NCAF 2026.

Nestor Calesterio | The Catalyst
Photo Courtesy of Gloria Cleta Gunda-Corado, Head, Culture and the Arts Office

๐—›๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฅ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ป! ๐—›๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—”๐—น๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ!โ€œHe is not here; He has risen!โ€ โ€” Luke 24:6The tomb is empty. Death has been defeated. And hope...
04/04/2026

๐—›๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฅ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ป! ๐—›๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—”๐—น๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ!

โ€œHe is not here; He has risen!โ€ โ€” Luke 24:6

The tomb is empty. Death has been defeated. And hope has won. From the agony of the cross to the glory of the resurrection, Jesus Christ fulfilled His promise and secured our victory. This is not just a story โ€” it is the truth that changes everything.

Because He lives, our past is forgiven, our present is redeemed, and our future is filled with eternal hope.

This Easter, let your heart be awakened. Let your faith rise. Step out of the darkness and into His marvelous light. Embrace the new life He offers โ€” the life that death could not hold and the grave could not silence.

He is risen โ€” and because of Him, we are made new.

Lenie Padullo | The Catalyst
Layout by April Keena Adao | The Catalyst Multimedia

๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฆ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฏBlack Saturday is a sacred day of silence and waiting.We remember that Jesus laid in the tomb,...
04/04/2026

๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฆ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฏ

Black Saturday is a sacred day of silence and waiting.

We remember that Jesus laid in the tomb, and the world stood still in grief. It is a moment between sorrow and promise.

โ€œMy times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.โ€ โ€” Psalm 31:15

In this stillness, we surrender fully to God. We trust His plan, even in uncertainty.

This day, we reflect in quiet hope. We hold on to faith while we wait. For the silence of this day prepares us for the joy of the Resurrection.

Lenie Padullo | The Catalyst
Layout by April Keena Adao | The Catalyst Multimedia

๐—œ๐—–๐—ฌ๐— ๐—œ: ๐—ฃ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ ๐—ฏ๐˜† ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ก๐˜‚๐—บ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€The recently concluded Eastern Samar State University (ESSU) Main Campus Supreme Stud...
03/04/2026

๐—œ๐—–๐—ฌ๐— ๐—œ: ๐—ฃ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐˜† ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฒ ๐—ฏ๐˜† ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ก๐˜‚๐—บ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€

The recently concluded Eastern Samar State University (ESSU) Main Campus Supreme Student Council (SSC) elections recorded a 54.75% voter turnout based on validated votes.

From 7,621 Google Form responses submitted, the Student Electoral Commission (SEC) validated 5,846 votes through a multi-layered verification process.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€

The SEC voided Google Form responses with unidentifiable control numbers (e.g., phone numbers, periods, commas, or student numbers).

Control numbers with missing digits were cross-checked with the master list. Only responses with names matching their control numbers and corresponding distinct email addresses were validated.

๐—” ๐—Ÿ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ต๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฒ

The SEC acknowledged its failure to design the ballot in a way that would make it easier to identify voters from specific programs. No field asking for the votersโ€™ respective programs was included in the Google Form.

As a result, the SEC had to manually verify each vote through the control numbers. Specific ranges of control numbers were assigned to each program (e.g., Accountancy: SEC26-01646 to SEC26-01747). Despite this lapse, the integrity of the electoral process for program representatives was maintained.

Following the elections, the newly elected Supreme Student Council officers will take their oath on April 13, 2026, followed by the turnover ceremony on April 15, 2026.

Edsel Andia & John Laurence Morales | The Catalyst

๐—š๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑ ๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†: ๐—” ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—Ÿ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ, ๐—” ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—›๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒToday, we remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His ultimate act...
03/04/2026

๐—š๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑ ๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†: ๐—” ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—Ÿ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ, ๐—” ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—›๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ

Today, we remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His ultimate act of love for all of humanity. On this Good Friday, let us reflect on the significance of His death and the hope it brings for our future. May we all find peace and strength in His teachings.

On this sacred day, we remember His sacrifice, His mercy, and His endless love โ€” a time to pause, pray, and reflect. At the foot of the cross, we stand in silence, humbled by His suffering and the boundless love poured out for us all.

"But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." โ€” Romans 5:8

Let this Good Friday fill your heart with peace, hope, and God's grace.

Words by Lenie Padullo | The Catalyst
Layout by April Keena Adao | The Catalyst Multimedia

โ€œ๐—Ÿ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—œ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—น๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚.โ€ โ€” ๐—๐—ผ๐—ต๐—ป ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฏ:๐Ÿฏ๐ŸฐJesus didnโ€™t just teach love โ€” He lived it. On Maundy Thursday, He s...
02/04/2026

โ€œ๐—Ÿ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐—œ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—น๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚.โ€ โ€” ๐—๐—ผ๐—ต๐—ป ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฏ:๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฐ

Jesus didnโ€™t just teach love โ€” He lived it. On Maundy Thursday, He showed us that true love is humble, selfless, and willing to serve others, even in the smallest ways. From washing His disciplesโ€™ feet to offering Himself in sacrifice, His actions revealed what it means to love without condition.

Maundy Thursday reminds us that greatness is not found in power, but in humility; not in words alone, but in acts of service. May we carry His commandment in our hearts โ€” to love others just as He has loved us.

Words by Lenie Padullo | The Catalyst
Layout by April Keena Adao | The Catalyst Multimedia

๐—๐—จ๐—ฆ๐—ง ๐—œ๐—ก: Government offices will shift to a work-from-home (WFH) arrangement from 8:00 AM to 12:00 noon on April 1, Holy...
31/03/2026

๐—๐—จ๐—ฆ๐—ง ๐—œ๐—ก: Government offices will shift to a work-from-home (WFH) arrangement from 8:00 AM to 12:00 noon on April 1, Holy Wednesday, as announced by Malacaรฑang.

Work in government offices will be suspended after the said period.

The directive allows government employees to begin their observance of Holy Week, a significant religious tradition in the country.

Phoebe Joy Amos | The Catalyst

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Borongan
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