by Phil Liam Nono
MEET THE 51st PAGBUTLAK EDITORIAL BOARD.
The editorial board, in a heroic attempt to build “rapport” (Lord knows how many times this word has been said in meetings), agreed on a non-negotiable day to meet. Not necessarily to do work, but to hang out. In the ever-overloaded College of Arts and Sciences, you get the best of both worlds: the College of Arts and the College of Science. That makes this term’s board an interesting mix of like-minded people studying vastly “different” disciplines. Most Wednesdays, we’re free (?), which is convenient.
So the 51st Editorial Board takes its seat in the cramped Pagbutlak office near the ever-chaotic campus center. Or sometimes in a batchoyan. Or at the seawall. Or sa baybay. Wherever space (and budget) allows. Ironic for its namesake, the board meets late in the evening. But now that it’s complete—and as its former leader—I’m both honored and just a little overwhelmed to introduce you to them. You’ve read the news; now meet the newsroom.
Please join me in welcoming Pagbutlak’s 51st Editorial Board.
Let’s start at the helm.
Leading the board is Mariella Villodres—Ella to everyone, which is to say, everyone. Word on the street says the era of twinks leading Pagbutlak has ended. In their place rises the Applied Mathematics girl from Iloilo City who manic-pixied her way into leadership. While we trust her to steer the publication forward, we may need to occasionally remind her to steer herself toward rest. We’d like to keep our ever-dedicated (and frequently immunocompromised) leader alive and well.
Keeping things from spiraling (too much) is the rest of the core.
As for me, Phil Liam Nono, I’ve taken my talents to internal affairs. Call it a promotion. Call it a demotion. My EIC term was Pagbutlak at 50: a year of milestones, meltdowns, and what I now recognize as character development opportunities. What hasn’t exactly built character is that my Letterboxd diary is still stuck on 18 films logged (half of them are The Lord of the Rings rewatches) and the first quarter is already closing in. One does not simply finish their watchlist on time!
Handling external affairs is Psychology junior Kichi Lim, whose Google Docs are so well-organized they could qualify as public service—with all the headings, CCs, and link emojis perfectly in place. In a room full of STEM majors, she’s the one actually qualified to analyze our collective psyche, and her presence alone makes even our bluest of moods chip away.
Then there’s our Managing Editor, Rey Mark Paran, Rappler fellow and three-time Pagbutlak EIC, who has mastered the art of raising his hand mid-meeting to ask, “Can I say something?” Well, yes. Of course you can! We have press freedom in this house. We let him, mostly because his Rappler badges intimidate us, but also because he’s usually right!
And still holding the line is our kuya Vladimir Mercado, our resident Hiligaynon consultant, who somehow balances biology and an ever-growing pile of opinion articles in our Telegram pipeline. Well, “some people” say we’re too opinionated. I say: exactly (as if that’s a bad thing!).
Now, a publication isn’t complete without the people who actually make it look and feel alive.
Enter Krizelle Blanza—our resident Gandalf. The photo editor that is never late as she arrives precisely when she means to. Her photos are so good you might feel hungry, full, and slightly enlightened all at once. She’s always ready with a suggestion—watch a romcom, write a thesis, stage a film shoot—and still finds time for long, mysterious seawall walks, occasionally dragging Rey Mark along with her. I genuinely don’t know how she sustains it.
On the news desk, we have Stephanie Juntilla, a statistics junior who has, at this point, unofficially taken on the role of our printer (since, as a publication, owning one is apparently too much to ask). She might have calculated using the Least Squares Method that it’s cheaper to be our printer than to actually buy one. Catch her haunting the (non-shady) corners of online marketplaces—she somehow has a stash of digicams.
If you thought we were done with stats majors—no. Handling our cultures, Ivan Entrampas, another stats junior joins the dynasty, bringing with her the full force of DDS “dumo-dogshow” ng Digos City, Davao del Sur. She walks everywhere, across distances most of us would negotiate with a trike ride—whether by choice or sheer commitment—powered occasionally by a UP Puff Club pass or the iconic iskrambol ng mga dats (her words, not mine).
Sheina Penetrante puts the public in Public Health! She’s everywhere: one moment she’s on the football field, the next she’s on stage dancing, and honestly, the next time you see her, she’s probably choreographing a flash mob out of nowhere. And then she writes, of course. Her features hit like the world just collapsed on you—and man, you sit with it.
Multimedia is in the hands of Alluna Pacion, who, quite simply, understands things. Like, she gets it. This CMS sophomore is always working on something, always has something lined up, always one step ahead, and somehow still has time to drop by the office with something. If the multims section feels alive again, that’s certainly not an accident.
Klyde Factes, our layout editor, is behind the news cards you’ve probably paused on a little longer than usual. He’s carrying the visual identity of Pagbutlak while running a section where illustrators and cartoonists are finally thriving. And if things start looking a little brighter or noticeably redder, that’s just Klyde and what I like to call the Ferrari effect.
Over in literary, Rea Bastian is preparing to unleash our literary folio, Busay46 (yay!), and if you’ve seen even a glimpse of her writing, you’d understand why that matters. A sophomore literature student, she writes with a sharpness that could probably slice through steel. I’ve seen her dissect a single excerpt from a book on her Instagram stories—and I’m not exaggerating when I say I nearly cried.
Then, there’s our copy editor, Benedict Maravilla, a Public Health sophomore and messiah. He operates on a simple principle: “Kaya ‘yan ni Ben.” And yes, it gets done. He’s handled live-tweeting alone and lived to tell the tale. Now, we wait to see if he fulfills his other self-claimed title: earliest campus leaver. Honestly, if anyone could, it’s him. He’s literally unstoppable.
And finally, behind all of this—somewhere between our WordPress storage warnings and our collective denial—is CMS sophomore Helter Poblacion, our finance head. If you’re wondering where Pagbutlak’s money is (we are too), she’s the one to ask.
So here we are: fifty-one years in. And there is one simple truth in the Pagbutlak office: life somehow rearranges itself around deadlines. Obviously, I’m terrible at keeping up, since this article is only just making its grand entrance well into the second semester. But some truths are worth waiting for!
Through uncertainty, crises, and the quiet pressures that often go unseen, Pagbutlak continues to rise, bringing light where it’s needed, illuminating stories that might otherwise be left in shadow. We remain steadfast in the principles and objectives that guide us.
The road goes ever on for Pagbutlak—committed to the work, the people, and the stories that matter.
Phil Liam Nono is a junior statistics student under the Department of Physical Sciences and Mathematics. He joined Pagbutlak as a news staffer during his freshman year and previously served as its 50th Editor-in-Chief. Currently, he serves as the Associate Editor for Internals particularly writing for the News and Cultures sections.
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